Barefoot and on the Mat: December 2021

[Margot]

Hello everyone

Thank you for all your good wishes. I'm trying to get back into the groove, so today did:

- Jessica Smith's Cardio Slide & Glide. I'm definitely buying her fusion workouts when they're released, as she's also using the sliding disks in those. I really felt my hamstrings when doing some leg work supine.
- Karin's Hands to Heart - Standing Sitting Supine
- Walk to our local Fishponds. A heron was kind enough to land on a sculpture and stay there so we could take lots of photos.
- YoQi Immune System Defense

Beth - I'm going to be joining Pam and Pat in doing your solstice practice tomorrow. Thanks for the links to the New Year yoga challenges. I've done a few of Jose de Groot's yin classes on Ekhart yoga, so think I'll sign up with her. Like Cyana and Pat, I'm another rock collector. Anything from stones, seashells to crystals and gems.

Cyana - Like Pam, I love to do lots of roasted vegetables. I usually have a pot of soup on the go, filled with whatever veg I have in the fridge. It's cold here, so I'm making lots of casseroles, curries and warming dishes. I just add a load of veg to whatever I'm making, including sneaking in all those leafy greens. I also like to stir fry veg in various sauces (satays, chinese style etc), which makes them more tasty.

Pam - Your salads sound .

Waves to all.

[luvcritters]

cyana, as a veggie hater I say that if he doesn't eat/like veggies by now it probably won't happen. Make him a fruit plate.

Hi to everyone.

I still have back pain but at least I was up and about most of the day. I haven't done anything fitnesswise or otherwise for over a week. I need to get things done. I'll be having company for a few days.

[JustSandra]

Hi!

I didn't work out yesterday although I got in a 1.5-hour outdoor walk.

Today's Workout: For Margaret Monday I did her Slim & Limber routine.

Linda: Glad you are up and about!

Margot: I watched that Jessica video. I expect I'll try it, although I don't have any discs, (one person commented they were able to do it without discs). I was also a bit concerned about all the squats.

Beth: When my niece does her yoga workshops she'll have a little takeaway gift also.

Waving to all!

[Paine]

Today is a rest day. I've been running errands and cleaning the house to get things ready for our Christmas Eve dinner. Last year our sons, my sister and nephew couldn't come over because of covid so I'm thankful that we will get to have them all over to our house this year.

Cyana, thank you for that link to Dr. Zach Bush talking about N.O. dump--I bookmarked it!!
I have heard good things about James Nestor's book Breath.
The best way to add more veggies to a dish is to make some type of soup! I usually add chopped kale or spinach to whatever soup I make. Minestrone soup is a good one to make. Like Pam mentioned, a big colorful salad is another great way to get a variety of veggies in.

Beth, thank you for the link to Jose De Groot's challenge--I signed up for it!
Does your solstice practice have a lot of sitting in it?
Why didn't you think the things Nestor said in his book were feasible?

Margot, what a treat to see the heron!

I'm waving to Pat, Sandra, Linda, Garrie, Carolyn and all who visit!

[cyana]

I appreciate the veggie feedback. While DH has never been a huge fan of greens (he likes salads), he's gotten on a starch jag - kind of like a 2 year old! He does most of the cooking since I work full-time. He used to do a great job of getting recipes from sites such as Skinny Taste (thanks to Sherry for introducing me to that site some years back), and we had a decent variety of veggies and main dishes - including lots of roasted veggies (world's easiest side dish IMO). While he'll say something like "We need to start making out menus", he seems to want to push the Easy Button when it's time to cook. It's a shame, as he's a decent cook when he wants to be. I wonder if he'd try the butternut squash with smoked paprika - he likes smoked paprika and that sounds quite yummy. I'll keep you posted if I make some progress!

Paine - Dr. Zach Bush is such an interesting guy - I would love for him to be my doctor.

Linda - Glad you're doing better - and that you're getting ready to have company.

Margot - What a great story with the heron. I forgot to add shells to the list of things I've always picked up!

Must go feed the cat his pre-bed dinner. Waves to ALL.

[toaster]

Hi Paine! My solstice practice starts with a couple of minutes of seated breath awareness, and then the first 2 poses are seated forward folds using a chair, with legs cross-legged and then in deer pose (pinwheel). After that is child's pose and then relaxation (calves on the chair) while I read the "sleep story." You could certainly do reclined poses instead of the seated. RE the book Breath, you can read my Amazon review, but from what I recall, the methods involved hours of intense practice, some in pretty extreme conditions.

Margot, glad you are getting back into things; very cool about the heron!

Linda, yay for your company - will he be with you through Christmas?

Sandra, glad I was confused about your work schedule and it's not as extreme! Will you see your niece and grand-niece over the holidays?

cyana, hope your kitty is okay!

Waving to everyone!

[luvcritters]

I did some forward folds with a chair. Extensions would probably be better but I shouldn't do those with the spondylolisthesis. Maybe just pick the pain and go for it.

cyana, does your cat still wake you when you feed him at bedtime? Meow always has food available but she wakes me jumping off the windowsill and running to the next one.

Sandra, Slim and Limber was my first Margaret. I still like it best. I didn't like the stretch very much. Too much up down for me and that was before I originally hurt my spine.

Beth, the little miss always wants to see you at bedtime to read her a story. Maybe you should read childrens books. M will see his kids Wednesday if they're available and will be here Thursday morning til Christmas morning. He works Saturday night. He'll be back next week to take me to an appointment. We don't know yet if he'll be here for New Year's Eve. I'm sort of glad he can't be here for Jerry's birthday next week but it might be easier if he were here.

[toaster]

Linda, if you want forward folds with a chair, my solstice practice is for you! Hope you (and anyone listening with you) enjoy:
https://youtu.be/o_W-t1C3rKw
Glad your SO will be there through Christmas morning. That makes sense that you would have mixed feelings about having him on Jerry's birthday.

cyana, we cross-posted last night. Sometimes I think that if DH cooked, I would eat anything, but I'm sure that's not true. I can relate to your DH since I often go for easy when cooking, although I try to get healthy in there too. Btw, the meatloaf DID hold together last night! I don't know if it was the slight change in ingredients (I actually added a bit of water & oil to the mix) or the smushing, but whatever I did worked - now to duplicate it! (That's not always easy because I wind up changing my own recipes slightly each time.)

Happy Tuesday, all!

[Pat58]

Quick check-in:

~ LWR Advent Calendar Day 9, 20 Minute HIIT Workout
~ YWK Evening Yoga Challenge Day 3 - Stretches Before Bed
~ 5,689 steps

Beth, I can't wait to try your solstice practice tonight.

The solstice is here at last! Happy Yule, everyone!

[yogapam]

A quickie for me too….

Yesterday’s workouts:
~Jessica’s Slide & Glide Low Impact Cardio (YT) - This was nice, slower pace, a little teaser before she releases her new workouts in Jan.
~PT exercises
~MELT: Anxiety Map

Back later to post today’s workouts, planning some MR and Beth’s Solstice practice to kick off my annual Sadhana.

Happy Winter Solstice & here’s to longer days & shorter nights!