Tag: exercise

Finito

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I’m fully done today. 18,000+ steps deep into a day that has included some Pilates and then a reasonably quick 5km run. It didn’t feel like the Pilates was enough exercise, but looking back now, the combination of the Pilates and the run was almost certainly too much exercise.

It’s sometimes difficult to find a balance, and I’m clearly not the only one finding that:

I had to rush out and make some urgent purchases – we seem to be spending ALL of the money at the moment 🙁 – followed by a massive cleaning session ahead of a neighbourhood meeting in our house. I’m not in the meeting, I just prepped for it.
Oh, and plenty of driving in some of the most horrendous Cape Town traffic.

All of this in 34 of your South African degrees of heat.

It’s been draining, and my knees and core are feeling particularly drained.
As you might expect.

Thankfully no football tonight to try to tempt me into a late one, although I genuinely don’t think I would fall for their charms. Self preservation is the name of the game this evening.

Tomorrow looks cooler, which is good, as I have a lot of outdoor work to get sorted. And I can get going on that early, because there’s no way I’ll be able to do any exercise thanks to the World Of Pain™ that I am fully expecting to wake up into.

Small – and unfortunate – mercies.

What happened last week?

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I’ve been looking back at last week, and I think one thing deserves a mention, even if only to make sure that I don’t forget it (MMIRIM, remember?).

Our health insurance has a sidearm to encourage its members to get healthier and stay healthier. This benefits the members in that they… er… get healthier and stay healthier, and it benefits the health insurer in that they theoretically don’t pay out as much money due to ill health. And then that extra money can benefit the members again by enabling lower premiums.

Lolz. Just kidding. That extra money goes to their shareholders.

Anyway… The sidearm gives you various points for working out for more than 30 minutes at various percentages of your maximum heart rate (calculated as 220 – your age). You can get 100 points for a >60% workout, 200 for a >70% workout and 300 for a >80% workout. Reach your goal by the end of the week, and you get a reward in the form of “Miles” which you can use to pay for everything from coffee to cinema tickets, and even a pair of sunglasses.

My goal is always 900 points – the highest for a standard person (i.e. non-professional athlete). Usually, I get around 1,100 or 1,200. But last week, I decided to see if I could – even at my somewhat advanced age – get to the maximum number of points for the week: 7 x 300 = 2100. That’s a full-on workout each and every day.

And it turns out that I could. Just.

Day 6 was a push. (Day 6 also included 28,000 steps at the OMD concert, btw.) Day 7 was almost impossible. And Day 8 was fairly miserable because of Days 6 and 7.

But I did do it.

Have I learned anything? Well, yes. Sheer will power and determination should never be underestimated, because they will help you reach your goals, but also, setting those goals too high is a silly idea.
And so will I do it again? Sure, probably. But I might work my way up to it a little more gradually next time.

In the meantime, after a (somewhat enforced) rest day on Saturday, I’m back at it, and have almost reached this week’s goal already.

And I can still walk.

#blessed #winning

Today’s run

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Today’s run was made less fun by several things.
First up was a grumpy left foot/ankle, which was fine until it hit even the smallest of bumps in the road or on the trail, and was then grumpy. Nothing serious (I hope), and I’ll just be gentle with it for a couple of days.
Secondly, that blood donation on Tuesday afternoon. I have tried to keep well hydrated since, but I’ve had a headache since a couple of hours afterwards, which is unusual. I was sensible and had a full on rest day yesterday. But there just wasn’t the stamina that I would have liked this morning when I would have liked it. Which was also this morning.
Thirdly – and we’re really clutching at straws here after two genuine complaints – the environmental conditions. It was hot and “hanging”, as one person described it earlier, and the air is full of smoke from Pringle Bay.

Still, I went out there and did it, and now – following two nights of very late football action – I’m completely ready for bed.

It’s not even afternoon yet. :/

Screentime

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An afternoon of football seems in order, after doing some more prep for Monday’s shoot.
That does mean that I’ve spent an awful long time in front of screens today, but at least I’m watching some physical activity.

That counts, right?

Of course not, but the desire to go out and exercise again wasn’t really there this morning. We’re still suffering with the last efforts of this cold, wet winter, and it was nice and warm under the duvet.
I’m more than ready for some sunshine now. Next week is looking better though, including a couple of warm summery days of weather ahead of the next cold front.

Tomorrow. Less screentime. More legwork.

Possibly.

Rest day

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Yesterday, I went to the gym to see if I could survive a workout and therefore pronounce myself fit to play football in the evening. The workout went very well, thanks for asking, and so I pronounced myself fit to play football in the evening. I then played football in the evening.

Dream day.

It was only after playing football in the evening that I realised that I had done a gym workout that morning. 20000+ steps. 600 (or at least the equivalent of 600) Discovery points. All in just under 10 hours. This is what is known in gym/football circles as “a bit much” for one day.

Consequently, today I am feeling battered and I did not want to get up.

I will not be exercising today. I feel that I have earned a rest day.

There is still plenty to be done around the house though, so it’s only a rest from actual exercise, not from life. And that’s sad, because with dark grey skies up above and disappointingly chilly temperatures, I’d honestly rather be in bed.