What's it all about, Annie...

Went to see Mom a couple of weeks ago. At 91 she is pretty much the last one standing among her immediate family and contemporaries. The dementia has a hold to the extent that as soon as you answer her question, she asks it again. The strange thing is that, in the moment, she seems with it. Always asks about the kids, their Mother and me. Always tells me how proud she is of her family and how lucky that we regularly attend to her, as opposed to some of her less fortunate friends. She is quick to talk about how she misses the everyday stuff like pets and gardening and being a part of things. But she is quick to acknowledge how lucky she is. Her memory is gone. But she has a standard array of questions for all her kids and pat responses to the typical answers. Her memory is gone, her heart seems strong. I'm not sure where she is going. Not sure where I'm going. Same place? Who knows.

I think though, that she legitimately enjoys the discussions, in the moment. I hope she takes away some feeling of happiness or at least satisfaction that my family is doing ok and that we are carrying on the values she and Pop set us up with. She says it's so. Maybe that is the lesson. Do the best you can in the moment. Tomorrow and its uncontrollables and unknowns will be what they will.

I don't know. But I'm going to work out tomorrow.

6/26/2013

1 mile dread-mill, warm-up

2 rounds, 3,4,5,6 reps

push up burpee with a jumping pull up
rubber band twisting standing crunch things, 10 per side

1/4 dread-mill

2 rounds, 3 reps

dumbbell snatch, 50lbs

6/25/2013

1 mile on the dread-mill for warm-up... not sure why since it is hotter than a little red wagon today.

2 rounds, 3,4,5,6 reps

cleans, 89lbs,
hanging knee raises

1/2 mile on the dread-mill for cool down... not really since it is pretty humid.

I think I'm just gonna pat myself on the back for showing up.  I know the work capacity will come back but it is tiresome to have to keep coming back.  On the other hand that really is the point of life isn't it.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

--Winston Churchill

6/24/2013

Dread-mill mile for warm-up

4 rounds

inverted bosu ball air squats, 12
physio-ball dumbbell bench press, 12 per arm
pull ups, 3

3 rounds

kettlebell swings, 8
cable crunches, 150# for 8

dread-mill half-mile for cool down

6/22/2013

2 mile waddle with "A".   I'm pathetic, but, I did it.

6-20-13

So my integrated workout routine is a 3 mile walk during lunch with workmates. We started running the last half mile this week which creates a nice finish. The sweating is bad, but a half hour in the icebox we call an office dries everything but the  boxers out and after changing back into the regular pants, shirt and shoes, I feel as good as new. Evenings and weekends have been high intensity gardening, i.e. building walls and fences, turning over a lot of earth, digging out endless rocks and planting vegetables, flowers and trees. I've been eating a predominantly fresh foods diet, and honestly have come to regard food as fuel more than the highlight of every day. The result is that I uniententionally lost about 10 lbs this spring and a stiff breeze can easily pants me. It is an interesting conundrum: I'm eating all I want, what I want and have plenty of energy but am down to the freshmen college bodyweight. It will probably solve itself as my activity level decreases in the fall but is concerning nonetheless. Best short term action seems to me to be adding some whole grain carbs to the menu. We'll see.

6/20/2013

"A" and I did "Fun with Weights"

Fugly barbells, 1 each
Fieldhouse -- mostly to avoid sunburn
a jumble of movements

It was good enough given 5 weeks of being ill, and still dealing with cough and very minor nerve irritation from the Shingles

6/17/2013

So... the cold from hell.  The cold itself was piss ant but the coughing for 2-3 weeks was horrible.  The whole family had it... we sounded like tubercular emphysemics with asthma.  That of course wasn't enough.  I then got the Shingles.  That sucks.  There is absolutely no value added from that experience.  However, I will say that modern medicine helps.  The anti-viral medication really minimized the duration and intensity of it.

As "A" points out we went for a short waddle yesterday.  By the end all was good but the warm-up was miserable.

Ran a mile on the dreadmill

3 rounds,
inverted bosu ball air squats, 12
physio-ball dumbbell bench press, 12
pull ups 3

3 rounds
weighted hanging knee raises, 10
hyperextensions, 10

3rounds
lateral plate raises, 10
weighted twist

6:16:13

Dad and I went for a run! Or as he would call it: a "lumber." It was nice to force some of the mucous out of our systems. Being sick really is a bummer. I'm excited to get back into running. My legs were hungry for more this afternoon!

6-13-13

Continuing to walk 2.5-3 miles at lunch on work days. Positive for general conditioning, aerobic benefit and healthier, lower cost bag lunches. Also, I am enjoying developing a deeper relationship with fellow employees who are walking. Among the regulars, a guy who has fought a weight issue for years has lost 20 lbs and counting, a single mom with 2 teenage daughters gets to talk to other adults about non-business topics and a newly minted yoga instructor gets to balance her conditioning. I admit to looking forward to it every day and feel the benefits physically and emotionally. Beyond this, I've been working evenings and weekends on a major gardening job this spring. Hoping to finish up this weekend and get back into more outdoor recreation for the rest of the summer. Generally feeling pretty good.

6/3/2013

He's back.

Sorry had to take a break for a terrible cold.  Actually, a cold with terrible coughing.  I literally put some ribs out. 

Also, work got really, really busy.  We seem to be through that now.

So the FirstBorn and I went canoeing this weekend.  Had a beautiful time of it.  All sorts of ominous weather reporting but we avoided it.  Great old school Maine fishing -- Pickerel and Perch.  That counted as some exercise, but, was mostly focused on resting and recharging.  Had to work the kinks out of the camping gear too since it has been too long.

As I said I put a couple ribs out with the cough, so today I visited the Chiropractor.  I got a very gentle workout in as well.

Walk a half-mile on the dreadmill

12 is the number for the day
3 rounds
inverted bosu ball air squats,
physio-ball dumbell press, 30lbs
bent over rows, 45lbs

bench step overs working on "the knee"
kneeling lung diagonal plate raises

walk a half-mile for a finisher