Jessica Smith and Friends 2022

[donnamp]

Sherry - this was in my You Tube feed - maybe it would be a good one for you to start with - even doing half (or as much as you can): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VCwj8UGCA

[Pam61]

Hi Ladies,

Today I walked on the treadmill and did Kelly's Power Splits again (Upper Body.) I'm loving the no-nonsense of this workout. Three sets for each body part, but doesn't feel like a drain or drag on the body. Done in 20 minutes with warmup and cooldown...and Kelly keeps it fun!

I've been outside twice to do yardwork. Pulling weeds and clearing ivy from around our pond/water feature. Needed a shower desperately and I neglected my sunscreen thinking I wouldn't be outside long. :-)

Thank you Donna and Sherry. Our cat seems to be more alert today but some days she seems very out of it.

Sherry, glad you're getting some movement in with Tai Chi. It's so gentle and I love that kind of thing when I'm stressed or just need a little something short.

Donna, I'm also sorry about your dog. It's very hard. I can't get out of this sadness I feel. It feels like a cloud hanging over my head.

[wishiwasinhawaii]

I've been completely swamped at work and haven't been getting much exercise, which is obviously not good. This is my busy season leading up to a meeting in early August. I have to travel to Montreal for this meeting and I'm not happy about it because with this new COVID variant that is even more contagious than the others, I think travel right now for meetings that can be done online is ridiculous, but the big shots don't care. Once this meeting is over, things will return to normal and I plan to take a couple of weeks off just to get some things done around here and take a few local car trips.

My nephew who moved to CA is also visiting this week, so when I'm not working I've been spending time with him. He found a local job and will be moving back here soon, thank goodness!!

I wish I had some workouts to report, but I do not. I'm going to try to restart Jessica's newest tonight...again! I need to get back on some sort of schedule.

Waves to all!

[donnamp]

Hi,

Today I did Jessica's 48 Min Circuit Workout. I see some improvement in my ability to do these!

I plan to stretch or something later.....

We had friends over for dinner last night and it ended up being a late night so I'm dragging today.


Sherry - I just discovered this channel, thanks to GD: https://www.youtube.com/user/VitalityFL

maybe you can use some of these workouts to get started again.

wishiwasinhawaii - I agree about travel and how ridiculous it is! I'm glad your nephew is moving back.

Pam - I know what you mean about the sadness over your cat. I'm in the same boat with my dog. She had a lot of accidents this week which makes me think that at some point I'm going to have to make a difficult decision. She has a lot of trouble walking.

Hope everyone has a nice afternoon -

Donna

[Pam61]

Hi Ladies,

I left earlier for my hike today, as they were paving the road right in front of my driveway...so it was now or never! I got to my hike thirty minutes earlier than scheduled...but at least I wasn't late, LOL. It was a good hike, but I'm also dragging today...up too early.

Did lots of cleaning of floors when I got home. Fun stuff.

Donna, I've seen Curtis Adams programming here on Jewish TV. Gilad would have some competition if Curtis didn't cater so much to the senior crowd, but I like his personality. He's so happy and joyful. I did get his walking DVDs, as I posted in GD but have yet to try them. I hope he does more than march in place, and his counting out loud non-stop doesn't get to me. He seems like such a nice guy though and is probably fun to work out with in-person.

[Leonana]

I did ten minutes of a Leslie You Tube workout, 1 Mile Happy Walk. She is happy in it!

I got the results of the ultrasound today. I was told I probably had a hernia. I have polycystic kidney disease. It's rare, 600,000 people in the US have it. It's inherited and my father had it. I was tested at age 30, and was told I didn't have it. My brother was tested in his 40's and didn't have it. However, I've since found out that you aren't certain until your 40's. I guess I'm lucky it didn't get worse until I was 62. Eating a plant based diet and exercise is recommended, but unfortunately my mouth pain makes that harder. I don't know if the mouth pain is connected. My doctor will have to find a med that I can take with this condition. This also explains my struggle to follow Jessica’s workouts, as it causes fatigue. And also my hearing loss, as the kidneys affect that too. My GP will refer me to a nephrologist. I’m grateful for the years I did exercise, I think it slowed the progression of it.

Donna, thanks I will check them out. I was hopeful that if I keep exercising, that my brain will get used to it, and it won't be as painful. So, I'm going to try. And exercise has been proven to heal the brain and body, so I will try a few minutes per day.

Pam, I'm glad your cat is doing better.

wishiwasinhawaii, that's great your nephew is moving back.

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Today is the last day of my staycation...I can get used to this lifestyle. I need to retire, LOL! Well, one day....

Today was:

Jessica Smith - Full Body Flow - i skipped the gliders and it worked fine.

Jessica Smith - Core Stretch and Strength - I like this one - it is a surprise b/c when I picked up the set, I figured I would not use this one often as I don't love ab work on the floor - but this is a nice mix of that as well as other exercises and has a restorative feel to it.

Sherry - I guess in a way it is good you had the hernia otherwise they wouldn't have found the kidney disease. For plant based while still dealing with mouth pain you can probably do soups, smoothies, etc. bean dishes, etc. I'm glad you were able to get some Leslie in. She is extremely positive and upbeat!! So good for the soul as well as the body.

Do you have to have surgery for the hernia?

Waves, everyone - happy Friday...

Donna

[Pam61]

Hi Ladies,

Today I spent some time with Kelly and her Upper Body workout. She uses an elevated step to do chest presses and I used my Total Gym as a bench, so it was more comfortable than laying on the floor! Should have done that the first time around. ;-)

I added to this Curtis Adams Express Walk workout that I got on Amazon. I'm guessing it was no more than 20 minutes with warmup and cooldown, but I didn't time it, lol! I left some feedback in the GD thread about his newly released walking workouts.

I've got more yard and cleanup work to do outside today. Hoping the temp drops a bit more before I tackle it.

Sherry, sorry to hear about all the complications you've had because of your kidney disease! At least you have a diagnosis after so much time and can take steps to tackle a little at a time, bit by bit. Good luck with the upcoming hernia surgery, whenever that day comes.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

[Leonana]

No exercise today, I didn't sleep well last night. Exercise is still painful. I had an appointment with my neuro, and she said to still try the last med she prescribed, so I will start that soon.

I'm afraid I was confusing! I don't have a hernia. The lumps were the cysts from my polycystic kidney disease. In this disease, cysts progressively grow on the kidneys over time. At the moment, my kidney function is good, not normal, but still good. It varies how it affects people, mine seems to be slower growing so far. There is nothing I have to do at the moment for it, other than drink lots of water, eat low salt and healthy, and exercise. I have an appointment with a nephrologist on August 22.

I’m realizing that exercise has been a lifesaver for me. It delayed progression of my kidney disease. It reduced anxiety, which reduced my grinding and mouth pain. Unfortunately, my kidneys started fatiguing me and started to limit exercise. Life changes where I no longer saw friends and family isolated me, and of course the pandemic didn’t help. All that contributed to my anxiety, which increased my grinding and mouth pain. And now the pain keeps me from exercising and socializing, which increases anxiety. It’s all interconnected in our bodies. I’m learning that mental health is as important as physical health. And unfortunately our health care system only addresses physical. The best advice I can give anyone is healthy living and to stay connected with people regularly. Whether it’s friends, friends, family, work or charity. Of course, all of you probably know this. I knew it, and was good about physical health. For various reasons, mostly to do with my childhood, I struggled with the mental health part, especially as I got older.

But all is not lost for me. I have a good team: therapist, TMJ/Orofacial doctor, Neuro doctor and NP at my GP’s office. I hope the nephrologist will be too. And I’m still eating healthy, being as active as I can, reducing anxiety and interacting with people. There’s always hope! Although, I post this more to encourage myself, lol. It’s been pretty hard and overwhelming. Thanks for letting me be here and still talk to you. I’m sure my posts can be depressing. I think I will mainly focus on my exercise here and our regular lives, because it helps me.

Donna, I'm glad you enjoyed your staycation.

Pam, your Total Gym sounds really handy!

[donnamp]

Hi Everyone,

Today was:

Jenny Ford - 7 Summit Step Challenge # 2 of 65
Jenny Ford - Yoga for Breath and Body Awareness

Not much new to report.

My Lab was having a lot of trouble getting around today - for awhile I thought the time had come, but she as able to finally get up and move. I know her time is limited b/c at some point she will not be able to get around. She is up there in age, so had lived a long life. I think a lot of her arthritis is due to Lyme disease - she was not well cared for in her early days - and I am guessing did not get proper care until she was turned into a shelter and placed with a rescue organization.

Also, got some bad news on a friend of mine, her husband has cancer and his recent bloodwork is concerning. The treatments may be damaging his kidneys, so I'm waiting to hear more on that - but please keep them in your thoughts/prayers. He is going for follow ups on Monday to find out what is going on.

Sorry to be a downer this morning.

Sherry - thanks for clarifying - I agree I think your healthy habits really helped you out - and I also agree about mental health impacting our physical health. My mom died an early death b/c of poor mental health and isolation. I think her physical health would have been much better had she taken care of her mental health and interacted with people more. I am an introvert and it is very easy for me to self-isolate, and I know that is not good for me. It will be a challenge for me when I retire, I know, to stay active and in touch with people. The sad thing about the mental health connection is how hard it is to get help. I remember talking to my mother's doctors about her mental health and they just kinda blew me off. I'm glad you have things figured out. I do think it will get better in time.

Nice job, Pam!!

Waves, everyone!

Donna