March was very good to me! Hope I can stay within my established weight range of 113-115. I was good during Lent and just a wee bit afraid I’ll give in to some temptations! Will continue to try to give up sweet “carbage”, hit 10k steps daily, and establish and stick to a strength training routine. I either go too hard and welcome injuries or look for the next shiny object. I’ll try to get my head back in the game after Easter.

I started March in high spirits and successfully sticking to my plan. That went out the window mid-March, with frustrating medical tests, a scheduled surgery for my huband, and a rare, but substantial spat over money (we have never argued about money before). On the plus side, we have lots of birds making nests in our tiny yard and bulbs beginning to flower.

My goals this month are modest: get back to consistenly exercising and adding some walks to my routine; get back to how I was eating a month ago, because I was losing and feeling well.

Speaking of money and the spending of it--we purchased a regulartion-size corn hole game yesterday and I'm looking forward to some leisure and fun with my friends, most of whom have been fully vaccinated by now. (At least those of a certain age.)

Happy April to you all.

Carol

ridiculous59 wrote: »

@AnnPT77 I would love to try rowing. So much finesse is involved. I belong to a dragon boat club and we are anxiously waiting to hear how the 2021 season will unfold. Our lake is still frozen over completely so typically we don't usually get on the water till the end of May anyway. Because of the dragon boat's configuration (22 people in a boat), we weren't able to paddle at all last season, but we're optimistic that once all members are vaccinated, we'll be able to put the boat in the water this year. Most of our paddlers are seniors and we are chomping at the bit to get back in the boat

Here's a picture of us from the provincial senior's games a few years ago. And yes, our steersman is wearing a kilt! 😆 We're either heading to the start line, or returning to dock from the finish line, which is why our paddles aren't 100% in sync (that's my story and I'm sticking to it LOL).

That looks like great fun, @ridiculous59! If you weren't in synch, wouldn't that potentially be the drummer's fault, anyway? 😉😉😉 Rowers in multi-boats mostly don't blame their coxswain for things, because s/he's steering, so can get back at us in various ways; we tend to blame the equipment for our lapses in technique. 😉


I actually got into rowing perhaps partly because of dragon boating. While I was going through cancer treatment, at a low phase (physically and psychologically) from chemo, I saw something on TV about a breast cancer survivors dragon boating team. It encouraged me to believe that maybe some day, eventually, I'd be able to feel strong and energetic and happy again.

After treatment, I looked around and found no dragon boating at all in my area, but then a survivors rowing team was starting. I overcame trepidation to join, and rowing literally changed my life, in diverse ways.

I've since paddled a dragon boat, but only briefly. (During one of those trucked-in dragon boat community-participation competition events, I helped paddle boats from the launching area to the competition area.) I have a long term canoeing history (my late husband & I usually did back-country canoe camping vacations, among other canoeing), plus a bit of kayaking. Any kind of human-powered boat makes me happy, but with those paddlewheel craft that have bicycle-type pedals, I need an umbrella drink for best enjoyment. 😉

I wouldn't say rowing takes more finesse than the other oar/paddle sports, really. (I'm not really a specialist in finesse . . . !) It *is* a fairly technical sport, perhaps a bit more so than canoeing/kayaking, but maybe not hugely more. I think it's more that canoe/kayak is more forgiving of bad technique, still lets people safely enjoy those sports with limited skills in safe water, but rowing (in the skinny shells) requires a higher baseline technique to avoid turning it into instant swimming - especially the singles. A wide rowing shell is about as wide as a fairly narrow canoe or kayak. It helped my rowing that I'd spent some time in relatively narrow canoes, including solo models.

I don't actually have a lot of photos of myself rowing, especially in the single shell, doubly especially ones where I/my shell are not a tiny dot in the distance. Here's one in my single, but from a few years back, maybe 2014-ish? (when I was still pretty overweight).

I'm working out again at home. March was not kind and I'm sure my waistline expanded.

I'm going to get 7000 strps ea day for the first week and bump it uo 1000 ea week so by the end of april I'll be doing 10,000 steps a day.

Meal planning!

April is get back to healthy month, since March was a bag of crap for me. March rolled through with many trips to the doctor, a hospital stay and a diagnosis of Wegener's Disease, a rare auto immune disease. It was thrashing my kidneys, so I have been using MyFitness Pal to track my food intake to keep my carbs, sugars, salts, potassium and Phosphates low as my body heals. On the plus side of things, a month in I have lost weight since I am eating cleaner, so April is looking up. I am trying to get back to walking more and exercising (cardio at this time) per the doc's. If anyone else is chasing a health issue, I would love to touch base and hopefully help each other out on the journey. One of the hardest things is finding the kidney healthy foods and keeping the protein intake low. I love camping with my husband and grandkids and want to get back to being able to hike again and hopefully buy a kayak too! Send me a message or friend request!

113.0 today - can’t recall a lower weight at adulthood! Was rear ended and haven’t been able to do any strength training. Arrrrgh - For some reason, urgent care facilities won’t see me - I have to go to an ER - which I’m trying to avoid. Day of (last Friday) I felt ok - everyday since then has been another story. Full-time elder care makes you feel unless you’re bleeding through a gaping hole, you’re ok. Could’ve been much worse tho!

@ridiculous59 Thank you. I’m 5’3 - so maybe just a couple inches below average? I just need to “tighten” up - I don’t want to see a smaller number on the scale. That’s a statement I would’ve never imagined saying ever! I was able to put on a size 1 jeans the other day! But let me be clear - i put them on - but it was a squeeze. 😀

@ridiculous59 The truth is my “normal” - which I’m
trying to change - is to get into a great routine which could last weeks or months - two days of strength training (found a great YouTube program for women over 50) and vary the rest of the days with a TRX workout, airdyne bike, rower, treadmill, or a boxing workout - even bought a heavy bag!

One stressful eldercare incident (almost full time eldercare giver for both parents) disrupts my routine and psychologically it’s hard to get back into it. That’s where I was - but ready to get back to it - when I was rear-ended.

Not sure exactly what it is - fatigue, worry, the unpredictability of my days - just trying to establish something I can sustain! So I “tighten up”, soften, tighten up - sigh!

Hi All!
April has been great for me so far. I have officially hit Overweight based on BMI!!! Now, I know that isn't a big deal for some. But keep in mind, I've gone from Obese 2, through Obese 1, and now to Overweight. This is all starting from Normal back in the day. So I'm heading back to myself!!! I'm ecstatic. I feel so strong and motivated. I've been doing Yoga, indoor biking on my bike trainer, and started weights. I'm also eating at 1000 calories and mostly low carb.

Add me if you want to co motivate! Always looking for more buddies!

Thanks so much.