Monday!

I got up and did DBK1 again this morning. Good stuff.
Yesterday was Taekwondo. Fun and a good workout.
Saturday was the first day back for the kids with the ski team. I got 31 runs in. Yes, they are short runs, but it was fun. Since we were there early, there weren't many in the terrain park, so I went down that several times, including over the big rollers. I even got a tiny bit of air. I took a few runs down the slalom course when no kids were in line. I'm planning on participating in the Iowa Games later this month, so I figured I should practice a bit. There's no way I'll be competitive, but even participating will be a big thing for me. It's possible there won't be many people in my age group, so who knows! Haha! One good bit of practice was that one turn got really icy, so I had to not wipe out. I managed to hold on each time, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty. It was a chilly day, but with little wind and a bright sun, it was great! So enjoyable. It's days like that that help me get through winter with a smile rather than grudgingly.

Full Mobility

Last night was the first night back to Taekwondo. I'm sure they took it a little easy on us, so as not to create lots of injuries, but I was surprised how well I did, considering I had the other workout in the morning.

Today was the first day of "Full Mobility" in the program I'm using from Daily Burn. I was expecting something more yoga-like. There were yoga-like moments, of course, but it really was a mobility workout, working pretty much every joint in my body! It was only 30 minutes compared to the 50 minute kettlebell videos. Corey also presented this one, even though it is from another program. I even managed to break a sweat. I think it was really what I needed. One minor quibble is that the "arm bar" move from DBK2 as named something else in "Full Mobility" and the same move had a different name. Odd. No big deal, but details like that bug me, especially when they are coming from the same presenter.

DBK2

Good morning!

The next kettlebell workout is done. Another good one, setting the groundwork for cleans and Turkish get ups. I think I'm going to need to do some extra stretching or foam rolling today. I felt a couple little twinges in my right hip/very low back afterwards. I have to admit, given my past history, anything like that makes me nervous.

Tonight is taekwondo class. I'm excited to go back. I hope having done this morning's workout won't be too much! I'm making sure to eat plenty today to account for the extra activity.

Second day back

Today was the first full-fledged kettlebell workout in the Daily Burn DBK program. It's called DBK1, I guess. According to the schedule I'll be doing this one a total of seven times. There are 6 full kettlebell workouts that are alternated, also some yoga and mobility programs are mixed in, so a total of 3 kettlebell workouts are on the plan per week.

The workout was well done. It included some mobility/warm-up then continued to the meat of the program, which was several moves repeated for four times so that the moves that were single-sided were done twice on each side. The moves were done for time, so if you can't quite keep up with their pace, that is fine. I could tell the moves are prep work for proper form in the bread-and-butter kettlebell moves, which I assume we are building up to in later sessions. I'm very happy they do it this way. Even though I am experienced with kettlebells, it's great for me to review the basics and I'd question the program that starts right in without training proper movement. Although these were basic moves, that doesn't mean it was an easy workout. I ended up with plenty of sweat and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow. Of course, the nice thing about working with weights is that if it doesn't feel challenging, just increase the weight. I used a 12kg kettlebell, lighter than I used to use for most things, but for where I am now, it was perfect. I assume that by round #7 of DBK1, I'll be using a 16kg or 20kg kettlebell. After the kettlebell section, we hit the yoga mat for yoga-style stretching.

I thought the cueing was good. The instructor (Cody Storey) had plenty to say on form and why we do it this way, etc. I think that's extra important in a video workout because nobody is there to point out when you are doing it wrong.

I'm baaaaaack!

So... fast forward 4 years. Over these past years I've had some ups and downs in my fitness. More downs than ups. Tweaky knees and hips didn't help. At the end of a multi-day hike in the Alps (Mt. Whitney never happened thanks to the lottery system) I almost didn't make it down the mountain thanks to extreme knee pain. I've also had big issues with hip (SI joint) pain, likely caused or at least exacerbated by my scoliosis and leg length discrepancy.

Physical therapy and massage
Almost a year ago, I gave in and asked for help, spending a couple months in physical therapy. It helped so much! Imagine that! 😏 Since then, I've been using a heel lift to help deal with my leg length discrepancy and I've been going to monthly massages. (Yes, I swear they are therapeutic! Ok, These past four years weren't the best for my mental health, which, in turn, wasn't good for my physical health. Things are on the upswing, however, so, to borrow a line from Mario, "Here we go!!"

Weight
I've been in denial for a while about my weight steadily creeping back up, so I'm going to put my weight right here as a starting point: 180 pounds. I don't recall the exact numbers, but this is in the neighborhood of 40-45 pounds more than when I finished with Weight Watchers and made Lifetime. Well, to be honest, the last I weighed myself was a few days ago and that was 179.4 pounds. My highest recently was 184, but that was brief, so I'm chalking that up to water retention. I'll keep track of my weight here for a while. I know weight isn't a great indicator of health or progress, but it is an easy thing to track. Also, it's obvious that I've been gaining around 10 pounds a year for no healthy reason. That needs to stop. BMI is also a less-than-ideal measure, but at a smidge under 5'-5", my BMI is around 30, which is almost considered obese. Who, me? Yes. That needs to change.

Food
I'm using RealPlans.com to improve my meal prep. They have great planning tools to fit lots of needs and are improving constantly. Support is prompt and helpful. When I have a plan, I do so much better. I'm not in a place where I feel like I could OCD on points or calories or macros or restrictions right now, so I'm going to focus simply planning for and eating real food at home as much as possible. I tend to snack more when I don't have a plan. I also need to cut back on my big weakness: sugar.

Exercise
I'm trying out different workout schemes. When I'm in the groove, I can make up my own workouts or follow a book, but lately just getting changed into my workout clothes has been a challenge. One thing that has helped me in the past was workout videos. So, I'm starting with investigating my options. I have a bunch of great DVDs, but I'm also looking into newer streaming options. When I looked into those a few years ago, the technology and selection just wasn't where it needed to be. To start off, I've signed up for a 30-day free trial of Daily Burn (referral link), since I'm interested in trying their 90-day kettlebell program, DBK. Of course, they have a lot of other programs and workouts. Their unique spin is a live-stream class at 9am ET every day. You can replay the class at any time over the next 24 hours with the basic subscription of $14.95 per month. The premium subscription, $12 more, adds access to all the past daily (DB365) workouts and early access to new content. They also have an option for a personal trainer add-on. The basic subscription looks fine for my needs. I'm not sure if this one program will be enough to keep me past 3 months, though.

This morning, I did the first installment of the DBK program, a kettlebell swing tutorial. It was pretty good. I also did the live DB365 from January 2. It was nice and positive, maybe a little over the top, but I can take that right now. My daughter and I have been going to Tae Kwon Do for over a year now. We've signed up to continue with 2x per week classes when they start back up this Thursday.

Awesomeness even when things aren't perfect
A few awesome physical things I did these past 4 years despite issues:

• 3-day hike in German Alps
• Cabin stay with day hikes in the Austrian Alps
• 3-day section hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina
• 7-day wilderness canoe trip in the Boundary Waters
• 4-day hike below rim in the Grand Canyon
• Strenuous dayhike up/down Big Baldy
• lots of skiing locally and at Keystone and Arapaho Basin in Colorado
• Earned my yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do

Goals
That's where I am right now. Where am I headed? Good question. I hesitate to list a specific weight goal, although I think 150 would be reasonable and attainable. This spring, my son and I signed up for a Junior/Parent Gladiator Challenge. I did the full version once in the past. In order to be ready for that, I'd like to get back into the habit of working out at least 4-5 times a week regularly.

3A2-2

My left knee was tweaky, so I paid attention to it. During the SLDLs, I really felt it, so I only did those on my right.

I have a little beef with the book on the SLDLs. They have you stand on a plate for more depth. What?? First of all, dumbbells are several inches smaller in diameter than a barbell with 45# plates, so even without a plate to stand on, if you could get all the way down on one leg to touch the ground with the DB (without twisting your upper body to make it happen... note, these are deadlifts, not Romanian deadlifts) you'd already have way more range of motion than a standard DL. Why would you want to add another inch or two to that? Who can actually do this without being tempted to break good form? I mean really, you'd have to pretty much be able to do weighted pistol squats to even approach it because I don't think it's even really a deadlift any more with that kind of depth, it's closer to a squat. Ok, rant over.

3B2-2
0:58
Split squat, rear foot elevated - 5x6/15#ea
DB plank row - 5x6/16kg
DB single leg deadlift - 4x6/25# only right leg
DB chest press on partial bench - 4x6/28.25#
Burpee + KB Swing - ladder 10 -> 1, 24kg for swings

3B2-2

Another good workout this morning. This time I tried waking up to making the kids' lunches before heading down stairs. It seemed to work. I didn't feel the urge to dilly dally. I'll keep trying that. I like these 10-minute "as many rounds as possible" sets. It insures that I don't spend too much time on them. I did still require extra pauses during  pushups, but overall things went well.

NRLA 3B2-2
0:51
Dumbbell (KB) reverse lunge with offset loading - 5x16kg
Dumbbell incline bench press - 4x28.25# each hand
Dumbbell one-and-a-quarter squat with heels on plate - 5x15# each hand
Close-grip chin up - 5x3 using red band
Bodyweight squat+ push up - 3,6,9,6,3 (paused every 3 push ups)

More backpacking practice

Another half session with stair running added in. This time I loaded my hiking back with stuff and wore that during stair sprints. Good stuff! I did feel some wheezes coming on during the stair sprints, so the practice is important.

NRLA 3B2-1
Alligator drag - 2x10yds (fun!)
Dumbbell offset farmer's walk - 2x24kg/15yds
Two-dumbbell overhead offloaded farmer's walk - 2x16kg/25#/15yds (hard!)
Jump squat - 3/45#, 3/55#, 5/55#
(added) Stair runs - 5x60s/60s with 20# backpack

NRLA 3A2-1

Another great workout. 5 back-to-back Turkish Get Ups at a time with a challenging weight are tough! This time I didn't add the jump chin ups. I'm still sore from yesterday's chin ups!

NRLA Phase 3 A2-1
Turkish get up - 5ea/10kg, 5ea/10kg (tough!)
Suitcase deadlift + lateral step up - 5ea/16kg, 5ea/20kg
Cable anti-rotation reverse lunge with chop - 8ea/25#, 10ea/25#
Jump shrug - 3/45#, 3/70#, 3/75#, 5/75#

Another half workout

Again, I did the second half of the workout I'm on: NRLA 3B1. It was just about the right length for me at this time. I'm happy to say I did the push ups at the end on the ground. I did have to separate them into groups of 3 with rests between groups, but at least I didn't do them with my hands raised. I'm also happy with the chin ups. They were assisted by the red band, but they were full range.

NRLA 3B1-2
Dumbbell (KB) reverse lunge with offset loading - 4x16kg
Dumbbell incline bench press - 4x27.5# each hand
Dumbbell one-and-a-quarter squat with heels on plate - 4x15# each hand
Close-grip chin up - 3x3 using red band
Bodyweight  squat+ push up - 3,6,9,6,3 (paused every 3 push ups)

Stairs!

While I want to follow a lifting plan, I also have some non-plan things I want to do, but don't have enough for a full day. So, so far this 1/2 plan thing is working out well. Today I did the first half of the next day. Then, as a preparatory move for the (I hope!) hike up Mt. Whitney later this year, I tacked on some rounds of stair runs! Another time, I might do the stairs with a loaded backpack.

NRLA 3B1-1
Alligator drag - 2x10yds (fun!)
Dumbbell offset farmer's walk - 2x24kg/10yds
Two-dumbbell offloaded farmer's walk - 2x30#/20#/10yds
Jump squat - 3/45#, 5/45#
(added) Stair runs - 5x60s/60s (up and down, up and down, etc.)

Back from vacation. On to Phase 3!

Over vacation, I wasn't super active, but also not sedentary. We went skiing twice in Austria... AWESOME! (Could have done with out the hour ride stuck in a gondola lift in high winds, though!) Hubby and I also had a wonderful brisk walk on New Year's Day around the local lake... 12 miles! I was pretty sore after that.

This past saturday, I did some kettlebell work: swings and snatches. I'm trying to get over my fear of KB snatches. Then, I went to an hour of hot yoga. Then we went skiing for a couple hours!

Sunday, I started the third phase of New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Again, it was too long, so I decided I'd split each day into two. I hate cutting out parts of a workout, so this way I'll do it all, just spread out :)

NRLA Phase 3 A1-1
Turkish get up - 5ea/10kg, 5ea/19# (I could tell I hadn't done these in a while!)
Suitcase deadlift + lateral step up - 5ea/16kg
Cable anti-rotation reverse lunge with chop - 8ea/20#, 8ea/25#
(added) Jump up chin ups - 5
Jump shrug - 3/45#, 3/65#, 5/65#

Then, this morning, I continued on and did the rest of the workout. I don't know if it is because I skimped on the warmup or because I haven't done much single leg work in a month, but the single leg work today was absolutely horrible. Frustrating.

NRLA Phase 3 A2-1
Split squat, rear foot elevated - 5x6ea/15# (horrible!)
Dumbbell plank row - 5x6ea/16kg
Dumbbell single-leg deadlift with foot on plate - 4x6ea/25# (started at 44kg! horrible!)
Dumbbell chest press on partial bench - 4x6/27.5#
Burpee+KB swing ladder: 10 -> 1, 24kg for swings

Finished with Phase 2

I'm declaring myself finished with Phase 2 of New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Of course, I heavily modified toward the end, so the workout police probably wouldn't count it. Oh well. I'm not going to shoot for 8 rounds of Phase 3, I don't think.

Here is what I did:

NRLA Phase 2B-8 (modified)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/25#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea 18" step
KB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/16kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance

Yoga and Lifting

Hmmm, looks like I'm missing round 7 in the blog. Oh well. I'm sure your upset, but you'll live.

Monday I did a 45 minute yoga routine. It was nice and gentle. Wednesday was lifting again. And today was as follows. I subbed hip thrusts for the DLs, given that my lower back has been feeling a tad funny lately. It doesn't hurt, but there is a tightness on the right side. It's so low, it's basically over my right SI joint. I need a massage, I think! Yeah, that's it.

NRLA Phase 2A-8
Valslide push away - 12ea, one leg up
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
DB split squat - 3x8ea/25#ea
KB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/20kg
Hip thrusts - 8x65#, 2x8x85#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/27.5#ea

More lifting

The holiday eating really did a number on me. It was totally worth it, though. Now, back to normal. I had to sit out a couple days do to feeling sick, but this morning was great. I really have to cut down on the time, though.

Monday I did this:
NRLA Phase 2A-6
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - none
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3/105#, 3x8/115#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/26.25#ea

This morning I did this:
NRLA Phase 2B-6
1:24
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/25#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea 18" step
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/30#
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance

Qi Yoga

Not much to say. I did a 45 minute Qi Yoga class from YogaDownload.com this morning. It was a nice slow class, which also meant it was pretty hard. Maybe I was still tired from yesterday's lift. I loved how the instructor was very specific with descriptions.  I did manage to get into side crow for a bit on each side!

All alone

Yep, no mice this morning. Sometimes being alone is wonderful.

NRLA Phase 2B-5
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/25#
BB shoulder press - 6/51#, 4/55#, 2/57#, 6/52#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/30#
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
I'll save the kettlebell swings for tomorrow!

Socks

Another great workout. Yay for bright pink deadlifting socks!

NRLA Phase 2A-5
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - none
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 2/105#, 2/115#, 3x8/120#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/26.25#ea
Metabolic - 7x10reps burpees on the minute

Little visitors

No, this time it wasn't my kids visiting me in my workout room.  One of the negatives about working out in the basement is that that is where all the unwelcome critters like to be.  This morning, I noticed that there were more traps set. I had set out two measly traps. My husband, as usual, was much more thorough than I am and set out a bunch more. To my surprise, one located in the exercise room had caught a fuzzy guy. I looked around into our utility room and there was another one. Neither of my two traps had be sprung. I knew they had come in when the weather turned colder because I had seen a few "presents" left behind in my workout area. Hubby said he actually saw one last night, so I guess that's why he set out more traps. I can only hope these are the only two that got in. Now I'm a little paranoid, because every little dark spec of dirt could be another "present."

The little critters didn't stop me from working out this morning. Although, I was a little wary of stepping on a trap. Luckily, that didn't happen.

NRLA Phase 2B-4Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 12ea/22.5#
Side plank and row - 12ea/22.5#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/22.5#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/18.75#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/12kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
Kettlebell swings - 11x12reps every 40sec 20kg

Two more

I'm still not back in a rhythm. I'm trying!

Saturday I did this:
NRLA Phase 2B-3
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 12ea/22.5#
Side plank and row - 12ea/22.5#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/22.5#
BB shoulder press - 8/50#, 6/52#, 4/55#, 8/50#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/18.75#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/12kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/25#R15#L, 8/15#R25#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
Kettlebell swings - 10x12 20kg

I started to work out Monday, but got through the warm up and realized how very tired I was, so I quit and slept for another hour. I don't do that very often! This morning I did this:
NRLA Phase 2A-4
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - jump up eccentric chin-up - 8,5,3, with red band: 7
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3x8/115#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/25#ea
Metabolic - skipped