May I walk, may I swim, may I cycle, may I run, may I lift heavy stuff and put it down?

Yes you may, and outdoors if you can -- though rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, since summer hasn't come yet and winter seems determined to remind us that we were once in a relationship together.



We're maintainers moving our bodies through the next 31 days.

Thursday, May 1st:

60 minutes elliptical, alternating forward and backward, in the morning
60 minutes Pilates mat class, which I went into feeling pretty good. But something happened when we sat around before class. The Pilates mat class is so good that several instructors at the gym also take it, when there is room. And one was there telling us about how we all ought to work on our posture and flexibility. And listening to him slowly made me feel badly. Like yeah, here's YET ANOTHER thing to add to my list, because I'm not doing enough already.

Friday, May 2nd:

NROLW Workout 1B, with slightly fewer reps. Confirmed I've got no problem deadlifting 100 lbs, this time on the Olympic bar, not a fixed barbell. I can up that weight for my next session. Same with lat pulldowns -- I can raise that from 80 lbs. But my weighted lunges, ah, just a pair of 12.5 lb dumbbells and I am wobbly.
Afterward, 20 minutes on the arc trainer, hill intervals, resistance at 10, kind of bored. Someone was on the StairMaster. This was an experiment in doing cardio after lifting, rather than beforehand. Probably contributed to my feeling that I can go heavier.

May 1:
I hate it when I start of the month with little to no exercise. I went with dh to sushi which nixed my normal bikram yoga. The only exercise I got in was some upper body weights at home while waiting for dh to come home from work-- approx 15 minutes followed by foam rolling.

Saturday, May 3rd:

60 minute spin class, no weights
60 minute Pilates mat class, for some hair of the dog that bit me, since my abs were still sore from Thursday's workout. The floor was packed with mats and two people paid one-time visitor fees of $30 just to get into this class. The instructor's legend grows.

Sunday, May 4th:

NROLW Workout 1A, standing there doing the math for the plates, trying to make the whole contraption add up to something slightly heavier than this past Tuesday.
25 minutes StairMaster, back at the old setting of aerobic intervals with resistance at nine. The weighted step-ups and squatting beforehand took something out of my legs. This was to get my heart racing, really.

May 2: 100 minutes bikram yoga

May 3: big exercise day today! Went "walking" with two friends/co-workers. They are TALL and speed walkers! We went over 8 miles including a nice stop at a farmers market. Quite enjoyable. Then in the afternoon, I went to bikram yoga-- 100 minutes at a new studio with a friend. REALLY liked the studio but it's probably 30 minutes from me and my studio is 5 so I doubt I'll go there often.

May 4: 100 minutes bikram yoga at my regular studio. Toyed with going again in the afternoon but I had errands and lots to do so it didn't happen. Did quite a few kettlebell exercises while watching a show-- didn't count reps though.

Totals:
4 workouts
450 minutes

Where is everyone in May? So far, it's the Saef and Michele show!

May 5: 100 minutes bikram yoga. Not my best class as I was talking to dd before and she was having a panic attack/anxiety attack. I was so distracted during yoga worrying about her. I talked to her afterwards (she had also talked to dh and taken an ativan) and then I talked to her again for a couple of hours. Wore me out worrying about her.

Totals:
5 workouts
550 minutes

Three days working in the garden on a raised bed project: getting timber, holding timber, moving timber etc; digging out compost from the bins, carrying compost, throwing compost; digging out top soil, carrying top soil, throwing topsoil; forking; raking; mowing lawn, raking up mowings, carrying mowings, throwing mowings.

Feeling pretty good, overall.

Today, I spent an hour with my trainer which was also good. We decided to ditch the abs exercises - they were there for a reason and the reason is no longer here. I've added in heavier weights and that's working the core much better. At last I've got back on the compound movement road which really suits me in terms of both the time it takes and the effects it has. We also talked a bit about techniques of massaging the fascia. My L foot keeps cramping and this is what's needed.

Monday, Cinco de Mayo:

60 minutes elliptical, random intervals, resistance at nine, wasn't sure if I'd make it, since all the anti-cardio rhetoric from the weight-lifting community was yapping away inside my head.

Tuesday, May 6th:

NROLW 1B workout again, with me now deadlifting 115 lbs. Am I getting stronger or just getting braver & more ambitious?
Just 20 minutes on the StairMaster afterward

Hi! I was hiking in Utah for the past 2 weeks. Logged many miles. A few GI problems due to trail mix diet and laxative use.

2 weeks ago I dislocated my AC joint at the gym, so light on upper body. Somehow, backpacking was OK.

Back to gym today. 1.8 miles on treadmill in 15 min. 50 KB hip thrusts. 40 bench dips. DB split squats 3 x 10. Light lat pulldowns. Planks, Roman chair leg raises.

May 6: 100 minutes bikram yoga and about 15 min. kettle bell exercises. Trying to get those nice defined biceps back!

Totals:
6 workouts
675 minutes

Wednesday, May 7th:

45 minute spin class, which I think I may be getting better at, ever since I started training legs. I always neglected them, figuring cardio took care of it. NROLW is whole body workout so I think that is making a difference.

Thursday, May 8th:

60 minutes on the elliptical, same as Monday, and yes, I am getting better on this thing, though it's still a hard slog. I'm ravenous now despite my 5:30 AM breakfast, three hours later.

I just wrote that I missed hearing from Jen, our CherryPie, but now I did some looking and I see she is posting, just busy training & preoccupied.

May 7: 100 minutes bikram yoga... my back has been good lately but it isn't happy now. Hope it subsides without much difficulty.

totals:
7 workouts
775 minutes

Thu, May 8:

3.09 miles on treadmill in 25:00 - just shy of 5K