I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for 4 years, and plan to continue doing so.
I started the Friday Firsts sections as a way of keeping track of some of my “firsts” as I dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. Things seem to be settling down, but I will keep it for now–more as a way to be aware and thankful of what is happening in my life.
Friday Firsts
This week’s firsts:
- I have been playing Wordle for a while, and reviewing the Wordlebot analysis of my play for… not quite as long. Anyway, this week I was rated a 99 out of 99 (good) for my skill. How exciting!
- Mr. PiN presented me with a pickle ball paddle and we played a little on vacation when we were too worn out to play tennis.
- I walked on the beach and put my toes in the ocean for the first time in a year.
Some Fabulousness
Mr PiN and I went on vacation, our first real vacation in over 6 months. Fabulous.
Fitness Log
The goal is to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise, of which (ideally) 60 minutes should build strength (yoga counts); if I am working in the hospital, my goal is just 90 minutes, which is a more realistic stretch during those busy days.
How did I do?
- Saturday: A lazy day with bad weather, no exercise.
- Sunday: A morning walk, 35 minutes.
- Monday: A day spent tidying at my mother’s house, no official exercise.
- Tuesday: A walk to and from dinner. The way there took 28 minutes, the way back longer because we were really strolling after a big meal–I will call it 56 minutes.
- Wednesday: I took a short after-breakfast stroll (35 minutes), played on the court (tennis, and then pickle ball) for 50 minutes, and then repeated yesterday’s walk (56 minutes). I was starting to feel a bit tight, and even did my PT exercises.
- Thursday: A beach walk at low tide, 1 and 1/2 hours. I walked barefoot, which might have been a bit much for me. After a rest, Mr. PiN and I hit the tennis court, and played tennis and pickle ball for about 50 minutes. By the end of the day, I started thinking I had overestimated my endurance.
- Friday: Another walk on the beach at low tide, this time with my sneakers. My Achilles tendon and plantar fascia thanked me. I walked faster too, it took only 1 hour and 10 minutes. After a rest, we hit the tennis court in the afternoon. The limiting factor was actually my wrist, and not my legs. I played about 20 minutes of tennis and maybe 15 minutes of pickle ball.
Total: 342 minutes of walking plus 135 minutes of tennis or pickle ball. PT exercises were resurrected (once). Clearly, without a full time job, I could get a lot more exercise in a week.
Monthly Round Up
- Exercise goals (150 minutes per week; but only 90 minutes when working on the hospital wards): I met my goals every week (1 when working in the hospital).
- PT goals (do at least 3 days a week): My hip wasn’t bothering me, so I was super-bad about getting these done. I went through them once after walking about 3 times as much as usual.
- Clutter goals (declutter my office bookshelves, make room for a piano in the living room): My bookshelves remained clear, but all the cleared items remained where I had put them, unexamined and unpurged. I did tidy the living room before leaving on our trip, but the desk area was basically untouched. However, I was able to clear out plenty of old “treasures” from the dresser in my childhood home. It was helpful to let them marinate over time until they were no longer so dear to me; I am grateful to have been allowed the opportunity.
- Local Adventures: A trip to the local food festival with Mr. PiN; lots of fun.
- MSKAP (2 study sessions per month with my friend, or read through one topic on my own): None this month, but I am feeling the pressure to get back to this.
- Social activity (one in-person activity per month). Went home and saw my mom, my aunt, and a cousin. I also spent some time with my good friend from college, who came into town to see her daughter receive her doctorate.
I hope you have had a good week as well. Feel free to share any fabulous news of your own.