What are your health / fitness goals? Accountability

Today is rest day and all I want to do is spend time in the garden. I have weeding and pruning to do. Yesterday I pruned my sage and gardenias. I started some non invasive umbrella bamboo from seed and want to use it as a privacy screen between our property and the neighbor's.
I'm still going to jump rope in the evening and my goal is to get 10,000 steps today.
Currently Reading:

• Beartown by Fredrik Backman This is about a small forest community that many believe is finished and becoming irrelevant. When the Junior hockey team has a chance of winning the semi-finals, the whole town places their hopes and dreams on the teenage boys. I read "A Man Called Ove" a few months ago and loved it. I'm enjoying this book too even though I have a limited knowledge of hockey.

 

The hot season is already here! This year I'm doing a better job of staying hydrated. I decided to take another rest day and I'll push today's workout to tomorrow. I'm also not going to jump rope every single day because I need some time to rest and recover. I'm thankful that last week's lower back pain seems like it's gone. I'm going to keep doing gentle stretches each day and resting when I need to.
I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

 

Even God rested on day 7.

 

Amen to that!

 

I did my workout today and it felt good. It's the first time this week that I felt a strong sense of motivation.

 

I’ve been doing wrist/hand strengthening stuff for well over a year, another of my so-called secret weapons to hang with younger fellas at class. My other SIL has felt the squeeze for a few weeks and said “Jeezus Christ your dad has a grip!” Lol. Doing power line things for years hasn’t hurt either. Lol.

 

@Meat Grip strength is incredibly valuable and I bet it really comes in Handy on the mats. I want to do more grip / wrist / hand strengthening myself. Do you work on it daily? My grip has a tendency to go out before my muscles do. I can tell that it's slowly getting better with practice, but there's room for improvement!
You're brave to do power line work!

 

Last week I took it fairly easy and needed the mental reset. Today I feel like I'm back on track! This month, I'm going to do 3 strength training workouts per week. I'll jump rope on the alternate days.

 

I just read where it’s good for your heart and or blood pressure. Lol. I guess there’s a study for everything. I think my brain needs a study for sure.

 

@Meat Please keep talking about the benefits of hand and wrist strength because that's very motivating for me! Lol, sure there are all kind of studies out there, but I'll take it as motivation. I got some blisters from my workout this morning. I'm doing more military presses with 25's.

 

Happy May Day! I'm so happy that my motivation and energy has returned. I felt strong during today's workout. I think 3 full body workouts per week will be manageable.
This month, I would like to work on my mindset. I was a bit stressed, critical, and negative last month so I'm going to try to be more positive.
Each month I like to choose a theme or skill to focus on. My theme for April was "Arms, Abs, and Arabesque." I learned how to do an actual dance Arabesque which is exciting because it was a move that always baffled me in the past.
This month's theme is: Malama May. Malama is a Hawai'ian word that means "to take care of, tend, attend, care for, preserve, protect." I'm going to start learning Tahitian Dancing (at home.) I have a very basic understanding of some of the moves because I performed at a luau in college, but that was ages ago.
I'm currently reading:

• "The Only One Left" by Riley Sager Bestselling author Riley Sager returns with a Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.
• "Hard to Kill: Master the Mindset to Maximize Your Years" by Dr. Jaime Seeman A lot of things can be bought in this world, but your health isn’t one of them. The only person who can achieve optimal health is one who is willing to put in the work. To make the most out of your one chance on earth, you need to become a master of the five pillars of 1: Nutrition Pillar 2: Movement Pillar 3: Sleep Pillar 4: Mindset Pillar 5: Environment. Hard To Kill will give you a roadmap that will help you to master those five pillars, making you physically, mentally and spiritually strong. A mistake made more than once is a choice. Choose to be Hard To Kill.

What are your goals for this month of May?

 

I do a number of grip-strength exercises. I have a crazy gyro ball and crazy spring gimmick. In the past I’d use a regular weight with a rope and stick. You roll it up and then let it out slow. I’m adding this one tonight to my routine. The worst thing those fellas could have told me is about my grip strength, lol. Now I plan on making it much much worse on their end. Lol. Lol. I’m evil.

 

I'll have to look some of this up. Thanks for sharing! You sound very determined. I bet you'll do great in July!

 

Training 3 days a week is giving me some flexibility. I decided to garden instead, but tomorrow I'll train! I harvested my Thai chilis and got over 64 from just one plant with a lot more.

 

Amazon.com
Here’s that gyro ball gizmo. It’s pretty cool I’d say.

 

Thanks for sharing the link! I believe my dad had one of those and it lasted forever. I might have to invest.

 

I didn't want to, but I did my workout today complete with dips and it feels like I'm getting stronger! I'm trying to decide if I want to continue with my current training plan or if I want to do Sydney Howdyshell's Summertime Fine program. It's a 90 day progressive and free workout program that she does almost every summer. I'm sort of tempted to do it for a change of pace, but this first tier probably won't be as intense as the workouts that I've been doing.
I keep reminding myself that I'm trying to create a healthy lifestyle not just working out for the summer. With that in mind... I'm still not sure what to do. LOL. Her program starts on Monday and I'll keep you all posted.
Apparently, May is "Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month." I love that my digital library provides titles from these monthly themes.
I'm currently reading:

• "Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford This is a World War II Historical Fiction and I love it so far. I'm enjoying the fact that it takes place in Seattle and it makes me wish that I spent even more time exploring the city. "In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner displays and unfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s--Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country."

What are you reading or listening to?

 

I got tapped-out by the boy and the SIL this morning, ouch! I delivered a bit of pain later but…

 

@Meat Ouch! sounds like a good training session.

 

I made my decision! I'm going to do this Summertime Fine Program. It will be nice to not have to plan everything out, think so hard, and smother myself with insect repellent and sunscreen for the next 90 days!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE5lGVrS3V9cgNqmdeFzYFST81V_QSHo0
Join me if you like. All you need is a set of dumbbells or some cans!