Active without running

Hi there,

I’m emerging from my funk and lack of activity and have been active without running.

First there was the blizzard a week ago that dumped about a foot of snow here. I shoveled a ton. My arms got a very good workout!

shoveling is the new cross training

shoveling is the new cross training

Last weekend, Mr. SOTSS, his girls and I went sledding! Walking up to the top of the hill multiple times worked my leg muscles and sledding down worked my face muscles…I was laughing and smiling so much.

What a great invention

What a great invention

Working my face muscles

Working my face muscles

sledding-2

On Monday I took a brisk walk through the neighborhood while listening to podcasts.

On Tuesday I returned for a yoga class and last night I joined my hiking group for 2 solid hours of hiking in the snow. We covered about 4.75 miles and boy am I sore today.

It was 7:30 pm but the snow allowed us to see well even without our headlamps

It was 7:30 pm but the snow allowed us to see well even without our headlamps

I also dusted off the old Wii Fit and did some Hula Hooping. Geez, my abs are killing me after only 6 minutes, two days in a row.

wii-fit

Not activity related but Duncan is feeling better and got groomed too.

grooming

On a scale of 1-5 what’s your activity level like these days? Have you ever gone sledding? 

So I closed on my mortgage refinance this morning and then, to celebrate finally completing that “task” that’s been on my to-do list since 2012, I took the pretty bike for another spin, this time around my hood.

ready to take a ride through the neighborhood

ready to take a ride through the neighborhood

I completed 8 miles in just about an hour.

streetrun

It was much hillier than my last ride at the beach. And there were lots of traffic lights that I had to stop at. But I really enjoyed feeling the muscles in my body working and I actually was giddy to feel myself huffing and puffing up hills. I know I’ve lost a good amount of fitness this past month and I am getting excited to gain some of it back. It’ll make things easier when I’m finally cleared to run again.

In the meantime, I’ve made some realizations when it comes to biking:

1. I cannot believe how weak my core is. 

2. I find that I carry tension in my neck and shoulders while riding. Not sure if I’m leaning forward too much or if it’s just that my body is not used to holding on to handlebars for so long.

3. I don’t need to wear a sports bra which means they’ll get worn less and ultimately last longer meaning I save money. Cha Ching!

4. Ditto for my running sneakers! Double Cha Ching!

5. I found a new “cheeky” place to apply anti chafe balm =)

6. My neighborhood isn’t the best place to ride lately. Street resurfacing is in full effect!

roughroad

7. I sweat a lot less

8. The breeze feels AWESOME

9. My eyes tear and that’s even with sunglasses

10. Hills that seemed SO steep and long when running are actually not bad when biking. I actually kind of look forward to the uphills!

After feeling the exercise endorphins kick in I decided to dust off my Wii Fit! I was curious how long it had been since I last used it.

wiimii

Hello! 1570 day? That’s like 4 1/2 YEARS! Oops, my bad! Apparently I weighed about 137 pounds and had a “normal” BMI in 2010. And actually I was right about that in March of this year but today I weighed in around 145 and it said i am “overweight” :(. I take that with a grain of salt but regardless I decided to set a goal to lose 9 pounds in 6 months. I did some strength and balance moves and even some yoga poses. Just 10 minutes! I’m going to commit to doing 10-20 minutes 3x a week.

The doodle went to the groomer for his summer cut.

summercut

And now I’m sitting on the sofa thinking I actually want to go for another bike ride! It’s the most perfect weather here today and I want to maximize my day off to the fullest. But reality is telling me I better head to the grocery store. Alright! Alright! =)

So what’s the weather like where you live? It was 60s and sunny all day here. AHHHH! My favorite.