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Take It Easy

Take it easy is exactly what I did today. And yes, I sang the Eagles song while typing it. Just as I’m sure you did. While I slept great last night, I was really tired today. Consequently, I took a complete rest day and even skipped yoga. Alas, don’t be concerned I’ll be going to yoga tomorrow. Also, I’ll be logging my third tempo run of the week. The extra day of recovery between the third and the fourth run has really helped. Sadly, it wasn’t all rest and relaxation today. I had to run to Kohl’s to drop off my Amazon returns and get Zachary some new pants. Since the pandemic started, he has grown out of every single pair of pants that he owns. Now he hasn’t been willing to own this fact until my hubby and I forced the issue.

Today marked the first time since the pandemic started that I’ve stepped foot inside a Kohl’s store. They only had one side of doors opened and it wasn’t super crowded, but there was a long line at customer service. While I dropped off my Amazon returns, the Mayor went to pick out some new pants. Apparently, he is planning on crossing a river as he insisted on picking out mediums that were far too short for him. Finally, I had enough as my encouragement seemed to fall on deaf ears. I insisted he put all the mediums back and only pick out large or extra-large. Eventually, he relented and put back all the smaller sized clothing items. Of course, I managed to pick out a few pairs of workout pants with pockets. As you may know, you can never have too many pairs of yoga pants with pockets.

The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out with Goalielocks and the Mayor and binge-watching Space Force on Netflix. Naturally, I managed to be somewhat productive as I finished all the laundry, which was great. As for Space Force, I found it to be quite funny. I loved the scenes where the leaders of each branch of service talked around a table in DC. The banter and jokes were super funny. Understandably, it is funnier if you have some military background or understanding of military culture. If you don’t, it may not be so funny. Nonetheless, I’m excited to see how the series develops over the forthcoming season. Obviously, once we finished Space Force, we switched back to the Office.

This evening I took the boys to a skate for local referees. There were only a handful of people there, but it was a great opportunity for them to work on their skating. Fortunately, the boys had a great time and are looking forward to the next skate. It was nice to be back at the rink for the hour. We ran into several people, which was fun. Honestly, it was just nice to be out of the house. My hubby ordered some pizzas from our local Italian restaurant while we were at the rink, so I didn’t have to cook. As we headed home, we all remarked on how hazy the Saharan sand has made the sky and how it altered the sun’s appearance. This happens every year, but some years the dust cloud is more prominent than others.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Oh man, I may have melted in the Florida heat today, while struggling to breathe with the Saharan dust storm.

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was dreaming of cerulean bays all day long from the comfort of my couch.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 6 rest day

*I took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Oh Man

Oh man, I did it again. I totally missed posting yesterday, but I have a great excuse that does involve a margarita. Last night I headed down to see my friend before she goes on a trip for a couple of weeks. On my way down to her house, Jake called. He had a major test yesterday and he killed it! Moreover, he was able to speak with his new boss and sponsor. Fortunately, he is super excited about his future. As a mom, I couldn’t be happier to hear the happiness and excitement in his voice. Honestly, the best part of any day or week is when Jake calls. Especially if that call doesn’t come on the usual time or day. In fact, I may have paced outside my friend’s house for ten minutes in the blistering South Florida heat just to talk to him.

Naturally, Jake was super happy to hear that I was heading to Mel’s house to hang out with her parents. Jake and Mel are just the best and so are Mel’s parents. We all get along famously. A special surprise was that I got to talk to Jake when Mel got home from work. Of course, I love talking to him as much as I can. However, what I love more is how happy he looks when he’s talking to Mel. Honestly, they’re just the cutest couple ever. I could, however, be biased, but I don’t really think so. We had a great time hanging out last night. Consequently, I got ended up getting home pretty late and was really tired.

Yesterday was pretty much like every other Thursday. I went for my morning run and then headed to yoga. On Thursdays, I usually go into the studio for class. It was such a great flow! Altogether the pairing of running with a gentle flow class immediately afterward is a great pairing. I woke up today with absolutely no pain or tightness in my hips or legs. Since the studio re-opened, the Thursday class changed to a 75-minute gentle flow class. Previously, it was a 60-minute yoga for a healthy back. I love the class before, but the gentle flow class is perfect for me. It’s a little more challenging and the added time allows for more poses. However, the best part of this tandem is how I feel at the end of the yoga class. I feel confident, accomplished, relaxed, and ready to eat.

Today was another busy day full of BBG, yoga class, and yoga teacher training. Since I was going to be busy all day long, I told the boys I would get them DoorDash if they did their chores and work right away. Thankfully, this strategy worked like a charm. All the chores and work were done timely without a complaint. As a result, they got some Chic Fil-A delivered for lunch. Fortunately, they were willing to share a fry and a chicken nugget with their mom. While they enjoyed their freshly delivered lunch, I was hard at work in teacher training learning anatomy. Truly, I love the anatomy piece of teacher training. Everything is connected in a chain, so understanding the chain is super important. In fact, I am now well acquainted with all my problem children muscles.

Tonight we’re just chilling at home with the puppies watching The Office. While I finished the training, my hubby cooked dinner. We had a wonderful meal courtesy of HelloFresh. Tonight it was sweet chili pork bowls. The pork and vegetables were cooked in a Thai style sauce, which was amazing. I will definitely be ordering it again. Sadly, the hubby left the Mayor with the impression that it was a taco bowl. Consequently, the Mayor put enough Frank’s Red hot sauce to bake a dozen wings. Finally, a dish the Mayor would have loved from HelloFresh, despite his history of hating it, was destroyed with some mismatched hot sauce. Alas, I hope he is able to enjoy it the next time we make it.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Gentle Flow with Jennifer from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Oh man, I may have melted in the Florida heat today.

*Yoga teacher training with Monica from Yoga Mundo

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was all business today from morning to evening

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs and yoga

*I took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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All Business Today

I was all business today from the moment I got up to the moment I just sat down. Every moment was productive and helped me get closer to my goals. I started my day with my coffee a cursory of social media, the news, and the financial markets. Of course, I had a blast taking the puppies out at usual. Since Anakin snapped one of our leashes yesterday, I was adventurous and let Maya go out off-leash. Naturally, I also enjoyed some Michael Scott moments in the background as I drank my coffee. Since I had a new yoga class today at 11:30 am, I had to start my BBG workout by 10:30. This way I could have a small snack in between BBG and yoga. Consequently, I tried to finish my coffee by 9:30 am, so it would have an hour to settle before I started working out.

The BBG arm workout kicked my butt today. I don’t know what it is with lay down half burpees or half burpees in general, but they are the paragon of misery. Aside from the half burpees, the workout was quite enjoyable. Comparatively, it featured a lot more ab work than the previous arm day workouts. Clearly, I will never complain about ab work. In fact, one day I dream that my glorious ab muscles will reappear out from the layer of cold protection currently hiding them. If only my thyroid or lack thereof wasn’t such a pain in the ass. On a high note, I did 90 pushups. The plank jacks and squat and presses also went pretty well. If I could find 12 lb or 15 lb dumbbells, I’d up my weight. However, I have yet to find a store that currently has weights in stock.

Between BBG and yoga, I enjoyed some almonds and a banana. Today was the first day of the Slow Flow class with Ava at Open Heart, so I definitely wanted to support the studio. I attended online, which is such a great and convenient option. The slow flow class is seventy-five minutes long. In terms of difficulty, it is between a gentle flow and vinyasa class. Honestly, it’s a perfect mid-week class to add to my practice. Truly, it was a bit difficult since I had just finished working out, but it was a great flow. We even practiced crow, which I love. One thing I love about the different teachers is the creativity of their flow. Additionally, this is helpful to me as a student of yoga teacher training. Consequently, I will be adding this class to my regular repertoire as it really fits my needs as a student.

Afterward, I grabbed a quick lunch of leftovers. Last night I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa courtesy of Blue Apron. Since the rice included vegetables, there were plenty of leftovers for me to enjoy. Thankfully, the leftovers tasted just as good as they did yesterday. I am loving these meal kits! I relaxed on the couch for awhile enjoying my afternoon coffee in anticipation of my interview at 3:30 pm. The interview went really well. It was with a start-up company out of Utah doing sales. While it is a commission only job, the opportunity is intriguing. One thing that is both exciting and scary is that the company was founded in January and there are only five employees. I guess that’s the thing about a start-up there’s a high risk to reward ratio. If it pays off, it will really pay off.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Wednesday if I didn’t get my HIIT run in this afternoon. Thankfully, Larry David and season 5 of Curb were there to get me through it. I amped it up this week from 15 minutes of intervals to 20 minutes. There may have been a bit of a celebration on my treadmill after that last interval. Naturally, I also include a five-minute walking warm-up and a thirteen-minute cooldown. This way I lessen the risk for injury or re-injury. Additionally, since the sprinting tends to be harder on my hip flexors, I spent more time stretching them during my post-workout stretch routine. Hopefully, they’ll be in great shape for my run tomorrow.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells. It is an absolutely amazing book.

*Slow Flow with Ava from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*I may have melted in the Florida heat today.

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*I was all business today from morning to evening

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*We had our first Purple Stride planning call tonight! I’ll be sharing information soon.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 3 arms and HIIT run

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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What If?

What if you stopped procrastinating or focusing on things that no longer serve you? A year ago, I was unhappy, unhealthy, and stuck in a job that no longer served me. I was scared to walk away afraid to walk away despite my doctor’s orders. Honestly, I knew in my heart that she was right. My job was killing me! Naturally, my response to here was that unless she was going to pay my bills, I was going to stay in my current role. Flash forward a month and they laid me off. It was the liberation I longed for. Yes, I miss my friends and colleagues, but the role no longer suited me. Now here we are a year later and the sky has not fallen. Well, it hasn’t fallen due to me being laid off last year.

Since I left my role, I have spent a lot of time with my family. In fact, I will always remember the last 12 months with a mixture of happiness, contentment, and sadness. I say sadness because my son has left the nest permanently even though he’s where he belongs. Clearly, it’s a bittersweet event in a parent’s life. If I had been working, I would have missed out on some great times with my eldest child. In the fall, we took an amazing trip back to Minnesota for him to visit all of our family. Certainly, this trip was one of the best trips of my life. What if I was still working and unable to take him to Minnesota? I can’t even imagine the weight of regret that I would currently be carrying.

I guess the theme of this blog is stopping asking what if and start asking why not. Honestly, I stayed in a horribly unhealthy role because of fear. I was afraid that if I left, the sky would fall. And then, by god’s providence, I was laid-off. Thankfully, they gave me an escape out of that role. Fortunately, the sky did not fall. In fact, I found myself starting to feel normal, and dare I say healthy again. If I had stayed and continue to ask what if, I would have lost everything. Sure I may have lost in the short term, but there can be no doubt in the long term I won. The point is don’t be afraid to “take a leap” especially if you’re in a situation that’s damaging your overall health.

Yesterday I posted a picture of myself doing a headstand during Saturday’s vinyasa class. When I restarted my yoga practice eight months ago, I never imagined I would come so far so soon. Initially, I restarted my practice as a means of reducing my autoimmune symptoms. Fortunately, I found an incredible studio, Open Heart Yoga Studio, that has the perfect lineup of classes and teachers. Over the months, I’ve not only gotten stronger, but my pain is gone. Unfortunately, thyroid issues can lead to frozen shoulders as well as bone and muscle loss. Throughout my entire journey, my teachers have guided me through my objectives and as a consequence, I’ve gotten really strong. As my dear friend and teacher Monica always says, “small steps lead to big changes.” She couldn’t be more right, my friends! If you’re looking for a change in your life, know that it doesn’t need to start with a giant leap, but perhaps with a small step in the direction of your dreams.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Slept through my alarm for over 2 hours. I guess my body needed the rest!

*Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Back with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Binge watched The Office (again) with the Mayor and our puppies. I love Michael Scott!

*Lamented my lack of craft skills as I folded the quilt my grandma made us.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*I cooked seared chicken with peach salsa and red rice. This was another great Blue Apron meal.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 2 run Forest run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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The Pinnacle

Just when we thought we had reached the pinnacle and were on the downslope of COVID-10 wave, here we are seeing increases here in South Florida. The prospect of a prolonged social distancing period is a bit overwhelming at this point. Albeit, I totally understand why it’s necessary and I am 100% on board. Nonetheless, it’s emotionally exhausting to be withdrawn from people socially. Zoom is nice, but it’s just not the same. Honestly, I just want to be able to go visit my airmen and my parents, but I digress.

I woke up not feeling fantastic on account of a lump on the back of my head/neck. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a swollen gland or a bug bite, but I gotta say it’s mighty uncomfortable. Consequently,
I missed my yoga class this morning as I rested with Anakin on the couch. While it was still a bit uncomfortable, I was feeling up to the BBG workout. Today was leg day and it’s always a tough workout. This week was no exception, but I felt good and confident throughout. Certainly, I enjoy every time a new exercise is added into the mix. One thing that I love about the workout is that it’s not all squats and lunges. Rather Kayla Itsines does a great job incorporating moves like burpees and skipping ropes, which work your whole body not just your legs. Obviously, I felt much better after the workout and was regretting missing my yoga class this morning.

One of the wonderful things about the pandemic is the advent of Zoom fitness classes, several of which will be featured here on the Hockey Mom Fit Life in the near future. I love having the option to attend classes online or in-studio. Particularly, it gives me more options to manage my day and ensure I can fit yoga into my schedule. Also if you’re not feeling great, but not sick enough to skip your workout, you can attend via Zoom to ensure you don’t share your germs. Ordinarily, I would skip my class because I didn’t want to share germs. Now I can attend online and continue my practice. Importantly, the Zoom classes gave us a way to stay connected throughout the pandemic. This sense of community is an important tool in minimizing loneliness and isolation.

My day was pretty low key. The puppies and I spent the day on the couch watching The Office. Can you tell I miss my airmen? Today some of his favorite episodes were on and I was laughing so hard. In particular, he loves the rabies 5k episode and that was on today. Jake has been my running partner since 2016 and we have run countless 5Ks together. He would usually win his age group and I would usually try not to throw up at the finish line. So you can imagine how funny this episode is to a bunch of running nerds. I think I may have thrown up a little as Michael Scott carb-loaded on fettuccine Alfredo immediately before the race. I don’t suggest eating a heavy meal immediately before a race.

Honestly, I miss the 5k races. Most have been canceled due to COVID. There are some virtual races, but it’s just not the same experience. I’m looking forward to the day that Jake and I can once again run a 5k together. Since it’s summer, there aren’t many 5ks in Florida right now anyway. I’m hoping by the time the fall/winter running season comes around that we’re able to do some races. If not, hopefully, we can run some races together at his new base. As for now, the 80 degree dewpoints and high temps will keep me running insde on the treadmill.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Binge watched The Office with the Mayor and our puppies.

*Lamented my lack of craft skills as I folded the quilt my grandma made us.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 6 BBG 2.0 day 1 legs!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Twenty-One and Father’s Day

Twenty-one and Father’s Day are the two big milestones we’re celebrating today. Of course, I’m also celebrating the fact that 21 years ago I was blessed to become a mother. Motherhood is an extraordinary gift, but being a mom to Jake goes beyond any earthly blessing I’ve ever received. When he was born, we were kids ourselves. He’s been our ride and die from day one. How lucky are we? Now he’s grown up and carving out an amazing future for himself in the military. Sadly, we’re not able to be with him today due to COVID19, but we’re together in spirit. Jake had wanted to share his first legal beer in the US with his dad, but the timing was a bit off. Fortunately, Jake was able to drink a beer with his dad while we were in Norway.

For twenty-one years Jake has been the center of our universe. I remember the day he arrived as if it was yesterday. My doctor was on vacation during the 38th week of my pregnancy. She made me promise that I would not go into labor until after 5:00 pm on June 20th. Fortunately, Jake and I were very compliant patients and my water broke at 1:10 am on the 21st. I figured that I’d end up needed a c-section like my mom, so you can imagine my surprise when he was born later that morning. From the minute he arrived, he was so sweet and loving. I was lucky that he was my first baby because he was so easy. Actually, his brothers are lucky that he was such an easy baby. If he had been like them as a baby, Jake may have ended up being an only child.

Jake’s First Day of Kindergarten
Last hug before Jake left for BMT

Jake changed our whole family’s world in ways that we never could have anticipated. You always have a certain perspective of your parents and then you become a parent and that perspective changes. Then you get to see them as grandparents, which is an awesome role. Jake was blessed with six grandparents, five great grandparents, and a great great grandmother when he was born. He was also blessed with aunts and uncles that have played a pivotal role in his life. In fact, they still play a pivotal role in his life. He was also blessed to spend a lot of time with his Great Grandma T as she babysat him while I was in school. To this day, they remain thick as thieves. Their relationship is a special gift.

My Parents’ Birthday greeting for Jake

Naturally, we were sad we couldn’t be there to celebrate his golden birthday with him. I assure you, however, that we’ll celebrate his birthday and his accomplishments when we see him again. When will that be you ask, I don’t know. He’s still in tech school and from there will move on to his base. Due to COVID, there are some regulations on the troops’ movements, so we’re playing it by ear. It’s a bit insane. Fortunately, my time as a hockey mom has prepared me well for my role as a military mom. I’m sure once he’s operational and traveling, my iteration of military mom will be quite similar to me as a goalie mom. If I had to guess, there will be some high anxiety and stressful moments. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to see him. It’s been great to see his awakening and call to a higher purpose.

While he was busy being awesome in the Air Force, my hubby was spending his Father’s Day working. Since he was working, the boys and I hung out around home with the puppies. I changed my routine a bit, so I went to yoga yesterday instead of today. Consequently, I ran today instead of running yesterday, which gave me an additional day of rest. Naturally, I watched Curb throughout the workout. Fortunately, it was my favorite Curb episode where he accidentally puts the condom on backwards. It is absolutely ridiculously funny. Thankfully, the extra day of rest minimized pain in the foot and maximized my performance. The fun when really well. Originally, I had hoped to run outside this weekend, but with a dew point at 80 that wasn’t going to happen.

After the run, we cleaned up a bit and made sure we had beer and steaks ready for dinner. I made roasted purple onions and potato wedges to go along with homemade cheeseburgers. This was another Blue Apron meal kit dinner and it was awesome. The recipe was easy to follow and mighty tasty. While I worked on the burgers, the hubby fired up the grill for the steaks I had bought. This was the easiest way to ensure that the hubby and Goalielocks would have enough red meat to leave them satiated. Meanwhile, the Mayor continues to be picking and unwilling to try new foods. Goalielocks and the Mayor have undergone a complete role reversal on this issue. Just when my picky eater starts to be an adventurous eater, my adventurous eater decides to be a picky eater. I can’t win to lose.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga

*Thought of ways to incorporate the word cove into my blog.

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Watched a ripple in a puddle

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 7 run!!!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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I Didn’t Totally Forget

I didn’t totally forget about my blog today, but I definitely got distracted. Distracted? With what you ask? My genealogy. I spend countless hours researching my family’s roots on ancestry.com. With all the craziness going on in the world, I thought an excursion to the past would be a welcome diversion. I hope you all had a wonderful Saturday!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Vinyasa with Monica at Yoga Mundo

*I got lost on ancestry.com

*Researched RV rentals for a possible trip cross country

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 6 active rest

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Drained

For some reason, I’m drained this week. I mean running on empty and for no good reason. Every few weeks I get hit with a wave of major fatigue and this week is it Nonetheless, I still crushed my goals today. First, I killed my BBG ab workout this morning. Fortunately, it went really well. Immediately afterward, I went to Jen’s Gentle Flow class via Zoom. Let me tell you, her gentle flow class is just what the doctor ordered. My hips and legs were pretty tight this morning from running the last three days, so the hip and leg work was great for me. Once yoga finished, I grabbed a quick lunch in preparation for yoga teacher training. By a miracle of God, I was ready and on time for teacher training.

Today in yoga teacher training we spent our time focusing on the anatomy of the lower body. Specifically, we spent a lot of time studying the different muscles, how they interplay with each other, and what poses work these muscles. Meaning an issue in one muscle could throw off the entirety of the chain. My left leg, particularly my IT band, hamstrings, and hip muscles have been problematic. When you think about it makes sense that any alteration in gait or tightness in the IT band throws everything off. Moreover, it reinforces the importance of building mobility over flexibility or strength alone. Since I restarted my practice and exercise routine with a focus on building mobility, I no longer have pain when I run. Additionally, I’ve also incorporated a rigorous warm-up and cool-down routine to protect my muscles and promote mobility.

I had to share the great meme above because it’s my life. Honestly, this always happens at my house. Nobody, human or dog, needs anything until I have a minute to myself. Lately, these interruptions have been timed to coincide with Shavasana or the final relaxation pose. This pose is the penultimate moment of a yoga class wherein you are at your most peaceful and relaxed state. Naturally, this is when my kids need to ask if they can order food via DoorDash, ask if I’m done with yoga, ask for a ride to their friend’s house or let the dogs in. Honestly, their timing is the absolute worst. Anakin loves to come in when I’m doing yoga and give me kisses. Unfortunately, he makes it a little difficult to flow through the poses. Nonetheless, I’m acutely aware that someday soon these interruptions will cease.

The one benefit of feeling drained and being busy all day is that my social media use was at a minimum today. I’ve ranted on here before about Facebook, but it continues to get worse and worse. As a blogger, it would be difficult to disconnect from Facebook because its a good tool for promoting and sharing content. Comparatively, Facebook holds much less value for me as an individual. There is so much misinformation, anger and hate on the platform that it’s become untenable. People I thought were reasonable, loving individuals are seemingly filled with hate. I can’t imagine blocking or deleting someone because we hold a different opinion. Honestly, this is just childish.

My personal favorite is the people sharing the post from a middle-aged white guy’s opinion of a black women’s experience. Whether you agree with Candace Owens or not, can we agree that men need to stop speaking to an experience they can’t understand? My second favorite comes to us from the anti-masks folks. Wearing a mask in public will not kill you, nor will it change your Ph. It also doesn’t mean you support Bill Gate’s plan to take over the world or insert conspiracy theories here. It means you respect yourself and those around you. Truly, you wear a mask to protect the folks’ around you. It is not bulletproof but does add protection. Lastly, there seems to be an idea that we must all conform to all of the same opinions done to the minutia. That’s not how life works, nor how it should work.

Here the number of COVID cases continues to rise. I’ve been staying home aside from my daily coffee run and trip to the yoga studio. Honestly, I miss seeing my friends, but I don’t miss driving in the rain or rush hour traffic. Since I have an autoimmune disorder I play it safe and have all my groceries delivered. Additionally, I may have had all of Amazon delivered to my house in the last couple of months. Online shopping may make it way too easy to buy stuff I may or may not need. Although I’m fairly confident I need everything I bought. Now we’re almost to July, our puppy is seven months old. Jake has been in the service for over six months and will be 21 on Sunday. I’m bummed we can’t celebrate this milestone birthday with him this year, but we’ll make it up for it later.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Gentle Flow with Jenn at Open Heart Yoga

*I miss my airmen

*Researched RV rentals for a possible trip cross country

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Yonder look for a full product review on ny new scale

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 5 abs

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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New Scale

Yesterday I splurged on a new scale. And I gotta say it’s quite fancy. You see after many years of faithful, no reliable service, our old scale took a dive yesterday. I say reliable because a faithful device would never spit out such horrendous numbers at me. It had been especially mean these last couple of years as ny thyroid went haywire. Nonetheless, a scale is still a necessary evil. Further, it is even more important when you’re working to lose the thyroid weight while getting stronger through a great workout program. After researching my different options online, I settled on the Withings Body + scale. It retails for around $100 depending on where you buy and if you have coupons. It interfaces with an app on your phone, so you can easily follow your progress.

First, let me just say this is the first scale I bought that actually does give you the body composition metrics. Unfortunately, my previous scales had this feature, but it rarely worked. Thankfully, the body composition features work amazingly on a new scale. I love the interface with the phone. Albeit I still don’t like the numbers it’s throwing back at me. Perhaps the best part of this scale is that it gives you the weather forecast when you weigh yourself. Alas, not only does this scale give me my body composition, but it also gives me the weather forecast. Fortunately, I live in Florida, so the weather is always nice. Finally, a scale that gives me some good news! This good news is a welcome addition to my daily weigh-in.

In more good news, my foot is feeling much better. In fact, I was able to run yesterday and today. Moreover, the foot is still feeling pretty, pretty good. In an abundance of caution, I backed off the tempo a bit for today’s HIIT run. Naturally, I’ll have to see how the foot is feeling tomorrow before my tempo run. I’m hoping to run outside this weekend. The weather has been pretty good with the humidity lower and lower temperatures in the morning. Of course, I’ll have to wake up early enough to get the run in before it gets too hot for Athena. Hopefully, my foot will be in running condition.

In addition to the run, I did get in my BBG workout. Today’s arm workout kicked my butt. First of all, I’m happy to report that I didn’t suck at jumping rope today. However, I did completely suck at lay down push-ups and half burpee. Truly, both of those moves are complete torture. In the end, I was struggling with the intensity because I didn’t break my fast before the workout. Moreover, I started the workout a bit later in the morning, which didn’t help at all. Nonetheless, I burned nearly 500 calories while getting strong. There is no doubt that I’ll be feeling it in my shoulders and arms tomorrow. Jen’s Gentle Flow class will feel so good on my body tomorrow. I cannot wait!

As for the rest of my day, I had a job interview scheduled, but they didn’t show up. It’s just as well because after further thought the position isn’t a good fit. After my last corporate experience, I’m not taking any chances on positions or companies. Nonetheless, I got to put on some eye makeup and felt fancy for an hour or so. Afterward, I was hanging out with the puppies on the couch. I love watching them play together. They have so much fun running around together. In fact, Anakin has really been able to draw out the puppy in Maya. However, he is also able to draw out her grumpy old lady side with as much ease. Needless to say, I’m lucky to be able to spend my time with the boys and our puppies.

Usually the hubby grills on Wednesdays, but since he had driven from Dade to north Palm Beach County, I cooked tonight. I’m not a grill master, but that’s okay because the stores have been out of the steaks we like lately. Instead, I cooked a HelloFresh meal. For the first time, I cooked duck breasts, which were easy to cook. Tonight’s dinner was cherry ancho duck breasts with rice and roasted green beans. Since my dogs love duck, two of them are black lab mixes, I saved the rendered fat to add to their food tonight. The cherry ancho sauce was the perfect complement to the duck and the white rice with pistachios. Truly, it was amazing! The hubby, Goalielocks and I really enjoyed it. The Mayor, however, would not try it. One of the best things about the duck is it is rich, which makes it difficult to overindulge.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskells

*Morning and afternoon meditation – I cherish this time!

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Yonder look for a full product review on ny new scale

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 2 run!!! Back at it baby!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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Back at It

I was back at it today! After taking five days off of running, I got back on the treadmill today. Thankfully, my foot has been feeling better after the TLC I gave it this weekend. I’m a bit relieved because I was worried I re-injured and obliterated the tendon. Fortunately, it also felt good during and after the run. I’ll probably ice it tonight just to keep the inflammation under control. The ice really helps with the tendinitis and tenosynovitis I have in the same tendon that is torn. Hopefully, the foot is still feeling good tomorrow and able to tolerate the HIIT run.

My run this morning went really well considering it’s been five days. Of course, I was happy to be reacquainted with my favorite HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. For this run, I alternated between three tempos 6.5, 6.0 and 5.5 miles per hour. I don’t walk during the run, so the 5.5 mph serves as a resting period. Additionally, I keep myself occupied by changing the tempo every minute. After my cool down on the treadmill, I took to my mat to stretch and foam roll my muscles.

Throwback of an evening run with my Bookends In Minnesota

As soon as I finished my cool down, I headed to the yoga studio for my Tuesday class. It was a little bit different today. Monica added in some gentle flow, which was a nice change. My yoga practice always comes to the rescue and keep my legs and hips healthy. This has remained the case as I’ve continued to add mileage to my runs this spring. Today’s class was fantastic and left me feeling invigorated and refreshed. Moreover, I got to see some friends in class that I haven’t seen since the pandemic started. Honestly, it’s great being able to see people in person again.

My afternoon was pretty relaxed. The dogs and I chilled on the couch. Poor Anakin was a bit gash this afternoon while he slept. Actually, I guess should say poor Athena as she was sleeping next to Anakin’s rear. She slept through the first two, but with the third one she opened her eyes, sniffed his butt, and gave him the stink eye before falling back asleep. Meanwhile, the little man slept through all of it. The Mayor and I watched Grown Ups, while the dogs slept.

This evening I made a Blue Apron Italian pork sausage and broccoli pasta courtesy of Blue Apron. The finished dish featured fried sage leaves, which were super yummy. Consequently, I’m probably going to add sage to our backyard garden. Technically, we still have a duck nest back there, but I haven’t seen her in days. Although I guess we could plant on the other side of the rosemary bush next to the pineapple. As for the kids, both tried and hated the dish. I’m not sure, however, that either boy approached it with an open mind.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*Finished O Pioneers by Willa Cather starting Elizabeth Gaskells biography on Charlotte Bronte tonight.

*Morning and afternoon meditation

*Yoga for a Healthy Back with Monica from Open Heart Yoga Studio

*Took obligatory picture of Anakin!

*Obedience training Anakin

*Week 5 BBG 2.0 day 2 run!!! Back at it baby!

*Took Anakin, Maya and Athena out for a walk

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