February 2021, Barefoot & On the Mat - "The February sunshine..."

[Paine]

BB Sculpt & Burn Cardio Blast DVD (Total Body Toning workout: Bridge; Extended Bridge; Outer Thigh and Swan Arms-25 minutes)
Lastics (Feel The Rush practice)

I woke up feeling dread towards every exercise DVD I looked at. So I just started with something I did a couple weeks ago and enjoyed. I still wasn't in the mood to workout but I'm glad I exercised today!

Sandra, this is really sad but my body looks the same as it did before I ever started working out! It pi$$es me off too!

Pat and Sandra, Getting Better is a tough workout!

[YogaGal]

Sandra: Great compliment on your toned arm from the nurse who administered your Moderna shot! DH got the Pfizer shot and it went very smoothly; we were in and out in just under a half hour. The workers had little neon green and black iPads that were color coordinated to match the vests they wore.

Sherry: Sorry for all the bad news. I’ve been worried and concerned for several relatives in Texas. Our niece in Dallas area went for days without power; my brother in Austin has maintained power, but they have to boil water for safety. Sending you a virtual hug and hope for better days ahead.

Beth: Thanks for the Hump Day Funny! And congratulations on reaching 50 days of yoga sadhana!

Pam: Your yin practice sounds a bit like my technique for helping me get back to sleep when I wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep. I love a little down dog, forward bends, cobra, and perhaps some cat cow. That usually gets me to fall asleep in about 10 minutes after going back to bed.

Pat: Sending a hug up to you and hoping that you get to add in some strength training soon. I was walking frequently with DH and missed only doing my strength work twice a week. The last couple of times I’ve got him to join me with weights and he ended up with sore legs and glutes, so he sees the benefit of it.

My exercise this week:
Monday: KCM’s Body Shop, Workout #2 and Sarah Beth’s 15-Minute Yin Yoga Stretches for Tight Hips, Inner Thighs, and Groin
Tuesday: Jessica Smith’s Fast Fat Burn from 15-Minute Fast Fat Blasts, and Sarah Beth’s 15-Minute Deep Stretching for Hamstrings, Hips, and Inner Thighs
Wednesday: Jessica Smith’s YouTube Upper Body Strength and Sarah Beth’s 20-Minute Slow Stretch for Flexibility, Hip Flexors, & Hamstrings
Thursday: Jessica Smith’s YouTube Kickboxing Ballet and Sarah Beth’s 10-Minute Yoga Stretch for Upper Body, Neck, & Shoulders

[yogapam]

Today’s workouts:
~Essentrics class on zoom
~Barre3: 10 min upper body
~Functional fitness painting a large spare bedroom with DH. He did the edging and around doors, I used the roller. Wondering if my shoulders will feel it tomorrow.
~30 min rebounding
~Yoga & Muscle Release (YT) - This was a nice short practice with some lovely stretches & a little gentle foot, leg, & shoulder ball massage. It was by an Essentrics buddy & mentor who did my level 1 Essentrics exam in Tulsa back in 2017.

Today was Day 60 of my Sadhana & I'm officially done! I hope to continue with a more consistent yoga practice.

Hi Carolyn, nice workouts! Yes my yin practice is very relaxing & I’m a bit of a hip opener junkie. Sometimes I just need to do my own thing.

Paine - Very nice trio of workouts! I think short segments decrease the dread factor.

Pat - I’ve slacked off on strength work too. I need to get more consistent with Barre3.

Waves to all!

[toaster]

TGIF!!!

(raising my hand) I'm another who has slacked off strength a bit lately too. I did do a strength workout 2 days ago and added on a short arms segment - and I've been feeling DOMS since then! Yesterday I browsed in my library for the first time since pre-pandemic (30 min limit), and I picked up a Tracie Long, Kickback.

I finished Bellyfit Embodied Goddess yesterday. I didn't like the last 2 routines as much; the cardio wasn't as intense, and they felt more disjointed to me. But I loved the first several!

Pam, you've inspired me to go for 60 in my sadhana too--I think today is 56 for me. I love the mix of yoga routines you have been doing!

Carolyn, you definitely got some strength stuff in there! How is the semester going?

Paine, I think I turn to YouTube sometimes b/c nothing in my collection appeals to me on some days.

Waving to Sandra, Pat, cyana, Garrie, Sherry, and anyone else!

[YogaGal]

Paine: I’m glad you were able to find a workout to enjoy rather than dread! Just forcing yourself to get started on a short routine is the best way to get it done, but it can be so difficult on some days.

Pam: Congrats on completing Day 60 of your Sadhana!

Beth: My semester is going well; I usually start out the semester with the 8-week Exercise Science class I work with, but I was assigned to a section that begins mid-semester. I have had other classes to work with, some repeats from last semester and a couple of new ones. Are you working 100% from home now, or do you have any days on campus?

Not sure if I’ll get in my leg workout today; DH is recovered from his DOMS from Monday’s KCM workout, but he is busy working on taxes, so I may just put it off until tomorrow. We are hoping to go for a bike ride over the weekend as our weather looks to be warmer and not as windy as recent days have been.

Wishing everyone a good weekend!

[toaster]

Carolyn, all of the counselors are 100% remote this semester. The college is now doing weekly testing for everyone who works on campus, even if just one day/week, so it would have been cumbersome. And teletherapy has actually gone well, so it makes sense to continue for now.

Hope it was a good Friday for all!

[cyana]

TGIF!!!

Today:
BFR - legs - stability ball squats 30 reps x 3 sets, shoulders - shoulder press - 30 reps x 2 sets with 5 lb DB's (you fatigue so much faster with the BFR bands on), biceps - hammer curls 30 reps x 2 sets with 5 lb DB's
Essentrics hip cleaners - 10 reps each side
Foam roller to back and hips - did this learning against the wall so it wasn't too intense since I hadn't used the roller in a while (dead giveaway when you have to clean the dust bunnies off the "up" end of the roller )
ROM work for hips - swing one leg from front to back and then diagonal moving in and then away from the body (10 reps each) followed by letting the leg dangle in the socket and gently do leg circles 10 times in each direction (hopefully this makes sense). Repeat on opposite side.
Qi Gong shaking - I love feeling all "buzzy" when I do this.

Beth - Loved the Hump Day funny - would buy that on a T-shirt in a heartbeat! I wish I could exhale my meno-pudge off by exhaling really deeply, LOL!! Hoping to try your latest yoga practice this week-end.

Pam - I know you had some frustration when you subscribed to MFML about not feeling it was easy to search. I feel that about Essentrics and wondered if you had any tips as sometimes I feel like I'm going around in circles when I'm trying to pick out a practice to do. I'm still such a rookie I don't feel like I have a handle for everything that's there - like it's hiding in plain sight. Good luck winding down your level 4 requirements.

Sherry - I'm sorry to hear that so many people you know have been having such a rough go of things recently. Sadly, I've been a bit of a train wreck this week, so you probably don't want to stand too close to me in case I'm contagious (figuratively speaking). I woke up Tuesday with a major headache and on Wednesday morning I tweaked my back while stepping backward and simultaneously twisting around to flip on the light switch (talk about feeling like a total doofus as my back was spasming). Did you find what you needed for your recipe?

Carolyn - One of DH's friends just got the first Pfizer shot and so far no side effects. I've got to sit down this week-end and see what tax documents are still outstanding. I feel like I'm missing a couple of things, which isn't reassuring. Hope you get your bike ride in this week-end.

Sandra - I love camellias and how by purchasing different varieties you can have months of flowers. I have one that starts blooming in the fall and it was glorious - absolutely loaded with flowers. I have a different variety around my front porch that starts blooming probably around Thanksgiving and some of them are still putting out a few blooms - and looked really neat when they had snow on them earlier in the week. I noticed I have daffodil foliage poking out of the ground with some buds, so hopefully we'll stick a fork into Old Man Winter soon.

Pat - I hope you weren't too swamped at work this week. Do you get the emails from Tias and Surya Little? Tias is doing a chakra workshop series next month that sounds like it's a deep dive into all things chakra-related, but ouch it is really pricey - I think the whole series is $750. He's such a wonderful teacher.

Paine - I've also had that "Nope, nope, not that one either" thing going on when looking through my work-outs recently, which is why I've made up my own work-outs more often than not. I put some good music on You Tube (usually Leonid & Friends, of course ), and go for it. I hope you're enjoying mild weather - I'm tired of cold and gray right now. I'm going to have to wear 10 layers to the farmers market in the morning.

In my response to Sherry I mentioned that I tweaked my back Wednesday morning and had some major spasms. I took a nice warm shower, then pulled out my YTU balls (still in the little mesh bag) and rolled them over my lower back for a few minutes. Then I sat down in my office chair and positioned the balls over the area where my back hurt the most and left them for probably a half hour or more (with a good degree of pressure as I leaned into the chair back) while I started my work day. I followed that up with a heating pad and it seemed to be a good combination, should anyone else tweak their back. Hopefully you'll be more graceful and coordinated and avoid the consequences of my klutziness!

Waves to ALL.

[toaster]

cyana, glad you found some good self-care for your tweaked back! When I tweaked my own a few weeks ago, I found good 'ole Debbie Siebers' Total Body Solution Lower Back to be really helpful. And I love my heating pad for just about anything! Hoping the headache didn't last.

[yogapam]

Today’s offerings:
~5 km beach walk at low tide - The sea is shallow at the park & the tide goes out a good 300 yards, it’s so lovely!
~Jessica’s Yoga Fusion Fix: Yoga for Balance & Core Strength

Cyana - Yes I found the search feature on MFML frustrating, took me so long to find what I want. I’m not much help with the Essentrics one as I’ve never used it. I have heard others expressing frustration with it too. I always go for the ETV exclusive workouts & the live ones & they are always at the top of the page. I paused my sub recently. I have a number saved classes from instructor friends so I don’t feel the need for it now. I did several of the live workouts from the 21 Day challenge and really enjoyed them. Maude is my favourite instructors these days.

Beth - You have a nice variety of yoga too, and good for you for going for 60 days! Jessica’s yoga practice today was nice, but she gives very few cues & form reminders.

Carolyn - I hope you get your bike ride in!

Waves to all!

[sherry7899]

Cyana, I did find boxed vegetable broth. I bought some organic brand. I forgot the name. Now I wish I'd never said I was going to cook and share. I have barely been sleeping and really don't feel like making it! Maybe after a shower I will feel more awake.

My sleep has been horrendous this week, so the last I posted was my last exercise.

This morning all I could do was:

Sharon Hill (you tube) queen II dance workout-15 minutes
SaraBeth yoga total body stretch 10 minutes

I will try to check back later.

Sherry