Barefoot & On the Mat 5/24-30: Memorial Day Edition!

[JustSandra]

Greetings and welcome to the weekly Barefoot & On The Mat check-in thread! This is a long-running VF check-in. We're a cozy, friendly group who enjoy a wide variety of workouts, but we have a special fondness for those traditionally done without shoes. If you enjoy yoga, Pilates, barre, qi gong, Classical Stretch/Essentrics, Ellen Barrett, etc. (or even if you simply prefer doing traditional workouts without shoes!) you'll feel right at home.

Please feel free to join in. We love hearing from new, returning and guest Mat Mavens. Our welcome mat is always out!

[JustSandra]

Hello again!

I hope my fellow U.S.-based Barefooters are enjoying their holiday weekend.

The high temps where I live will be over 100 during the next few days. Sadly, the pools in my complex are still closed due to Covid.

I just got back from a nice XLAW (about 2 hours). Stopped by a small farmers' produce stand and bought apricots! Truly, I should start off every day with an Aimless Walk. Will have to think on that....

Waving to all -- be back later with today's workout!

[Paine]

Give Me Strength (all Upper Body work plus Abs, Quads, Hamstrings, Gluteus and Cool Down)

I really enjoyed Margaret's Give Me Strength this morning. I felt well worked without overkill.

Sandra, thank you for starting our week! Oh my, it will be hot where you live. You'll have to do your walks in the early morning before it gets too hot. Mmmm, enjoy those apricots!

[luvcritters]

Hi. Hope you all are well. Sorry to be missing again. It's hard to type with both wrists in braces. If I'm not careful I'll lose the use of my hands so I try to stay away from the laptop and tablet.

I've been using Gilad's Express Workouts and Quick Fit. The Dr let me have soft braces so I can lift weights. When my honey is here I use his muscle machine. Sometimes I use it when he's not here but I'm between levels and it's not easy. When I'm alone I try to stay at a doable level and do more reps.

Meow is doing well. She watches the door every morning to see if the man arrives. She's in love. When he calls I put him on speaker so he can make the noise he uses with her. She meows at him and then goes back to her normal day.

[toaster]

We are having beautiful weather here! There was rain in the forecast for this coming week, but it's changed to a mostly sunny forecast. I have been enjoying sitting on our front porch reading. I have to admit that I am feeling both cautious about re-opening and eager to go places again!

I am a little sore today from the Barre3 routine I did yesterday. I might try to do one of the Facebook Barre3 routines every day--they pack a punch in just 20 minutes.

Here was my week:

Monday
Ruthie Fraser (YT) - Therapeutic Sequence for Neck & Shoulders
Yoga Ranger (YT) - Yoga Snack for Neck & Shoulders

Tuesday
recumbent bike 23 mins
Yoga in the Garden of Serenity - Neck & Shoulder; Torso

Wednesday
Melissa West Yoga (YT) - Restorative Yoga for Neck & Shoulders (episode 407)

Thursday
Eva Kane (YT) - Gentle Yoga with Eva
Yoga in Melbourne (YT) - Yoga for Neck & Shoulders

Friday
recumbent bike 15 mins
Sarah Collins (YT) - Full Body Yin Class (about 45m)

Saturday
Barre3 (FB) - Barre3 Live Henderson
LIVE Grassroots Yoga class with Molly

Sunday
AM Yoga for Your Week - Back Bends
Barre3 (FB) - Barre3 Live Charlotte
Yoga Dose (YT) - Post-Workout Stretch

[JustSandra]

Hi again!

Today's Workout: Upper Body from Jessica Smith's Walk Strong 3 set.

Paine: Now that the weather is getting pretty warm here, it is only practical to walk outside in the early morning. However, I now start work at 9am four days a week, so for any long walks I would have to get up *really* early! But maybe I can do some shorter walks.

Linda: Good to hear from you! Sorry to hear about your troubles with your wrists and hands, but glad you are not letting it stop you from doing weights. I think that is so funny that Miss MM is such a big flirt!

Beth: Tomorrow I'm going to meet my local VF buddy in person for coffee -- the first time we've gotten together in person for over two months. Before Covid we met weekly for years. A Starbucks near me has door-side pick-up, then we plan to sit on some nearby benches since all of the outdoor furniture is gone right now.

Waving to all!

[Paine]

CS 1306

Sandra, enjoy your visit with your VF friend!

Hi Linda, it's nice to hear from you. It's amusing that Meow loves your boyfriend. Take care of those wrists and try not to overdo.

Beth, we have been having gorgeous weather here. Today it is sunny and 72 degrees F.

[cyana]

I started the day with some yoga (on my own) and went out for a walk around the neighborhood. I'll have to get up earlier if I'm going to continue my morning walks, since tomorrow is back to work day (sigh). I've realized that I am exhausted and really must prioritize self-care, as I've really fallen down in that department. I'm getting ready to head outdoors for some Weedasana. Darn weeds are multiplying like rabbits on Clomid (a fertility drug)!!!

Sandra - Looks like you and I are having the same internal debate over whether to get up earlier to get in that morning walk. I'm really thinking about giving it a go - especially since the traffic is lighter as many people are still at home and the schools aren't in session. Fresh apricots - yum!!! The first time DH and I traveled to CA many years ago, we split our time between San Francisco and the Monterey Bay area. Our last day in Pacific Grove, we purchased bag lunches from our B&B before hitting the road, so we could meander up the PCH back to the City. We stopped in one of the beach front parks to eat our lunches and discovered fresh apricots along with our sandwiches. I was immediately smitten, as I'd never had a fresh apricot up until that point. I'm almost drooling on myself just thinking about it!! Hope you enjoyed your coffee date - I'm sure you've missed those!

Paine - 72 degrees sounds great. It was massively humid again today, so I was drenched when I came in from my walk even though it was still in the 70's. Is your daughter back at work now?

Beth - I'm glad you've had some nice weather to enjoy this week-end. We have a great front porch - I need to get out there and enjoy it more often. When we first moved here, we were out on the porch daily and even had a ceiling fan installed for hot weather.

Linda - It's good to see you! I'm so sorry to hear that you're still having problems with your hands and I don't blame you for avoiding the keyboard. That's too cute about little miss flirty feline - you definitely were her Dr. Dolittle! She's turned into quite the homebody. Please pop in when you can.

Must run - the dryer just beeped and I have to get some laundry done so I can escape to the great outdoors.

Waves to ALL!

[toaster]

Hi all--pretty quiet holiday here, but more nice weather.

Linda, glad you could pop in. Definitely rest those hands--you can just lurk for now if you visit.

cyana, since we are in a townhouse, our front porch is a small concrete space (we also have a similar, slightly bigger back porch), but it's nice to get out there.

Paine, our weather is warmer than yours! But that's good for me since I find 72 still on the cooler side, haha.

Sandra, you'll have to let us know how your get-together went. I hope to do something like that with a friend soon.

[JustSandra]

Hi all!

Today's Workout: Classical Stretch episode 1309. This takes me halfway through Season 13, and I've been pleased with all of the episodes.

No Aimless Walks today due to the heat, but I did have a nice coffee date with my local VF buddy! We've been meeting once a week for coffee for many years. We met when one of us approached the other about a trade, and when we saw we lived near each other we decided to do the exchange in person. It is a treat to be able to talk about VF, workout DVDs, and exercising at home with another person! We haven't seen each other in person for over two months. Today we went to a Starbucks, but had to place a mobile order and collect it at the doorway, then find a bench in front of the neighboring supermarket for our visit. Luckily the weather right now is okay for sitting outside, at least in the morning.

Cyana: Even if I start out very early, I think I'll probably have to try for just SAWs or MAWs instead of LAWs or XLAWs! I just don't like walking when it gets too warm. When apricots are good, they are very, very good! Unfortunately the ones I bought were just okay (a bit mushy).

Waving to all!