Lynn–back to real life

I got back from vacation yesterday. I spent 5 days on Block Island, about 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. It’s a beautiful spot–long miles of beaches, all of which are public access–there’s so much beach expanse that it’s never crowded. There’s also been a lot of land preserved as conservation land, w/ miles and miles of trails through and around the island. So, along with eating lobster dinners and blueberry/peach crisp and ice cream (oh my) I did a lot of walking. I didn’t log miles or time but estimate that I spent a couple of hours a day walking (sometimes more), often on sandy or hilly terrain, so I feel like I got plenty of exercise.

And now it’s back to my usual routine–I’m about to go out and mow part of the lawn, which got very shaggy in my absence.

Sandy – slow progress

Hello everyone. Well I promised myself I’d post the results of my new regime once a month and it’s time.

So much for my hopes of losing about 1 kg each week but the scales  definitely show a small loss. Instead of being the wrong side of 80 they are just below: I can’t see precisely but I could claim 79kg.

Also, my hip measurement may have reduced by half an inch but  ut’s difficult to know whether you’ve measured in exactly the same place as before and then there;s always the possibility of ‘pulling your tummy in’.

However, even if progress is slow I am moving in the right direction and eating sensibly isn’t proving too difficult.

I’d like to do more exercise but normal chores are enough at present.  Walking a bit more is the aim for next month but three days holiday meeting friends who are coming to Calais next week may make the  diet difficult to stick to.

Here’s wishing you all success in your efforts.

Lia – Busy as can be

Well, school hasn’t started back yet, that happens on Monday, but I am back into our normal busy routine. Still, I have managed to go walking regularly and even went an extra mile or two along the way.  The last two weeks have gone as follows:

Sunday: 20 minutes walking

Monday: 12 km bicycle

Tuesday: 30 minutes walking

Wednesday: 35 minutes walking

Thursday: 8 km bicycle (in extreme heat)

Friday: 20 minutes walking

Saturday: 20 minutes walking

Sunday: 25 minutes walking

Monday: 12 km bicycling

Tuesday: 50 minutes walking

Wednesday: 5 km bicycling, 20 minutes walking

Thursday: 25 minutes walking

Friday: 25 minutes walking

I’ve started working in our local Oxfam store. We have to pack books, sort through donated merchandise, do the cashier, and basically stand on our feet for nearly 6 hours. Does that count as exercise? Guess not. But, I do find it strenuous.

Claude – another very hot week

This has been a very hard week, too hot for me. Second hot week in a row, and finding it difficult. Good thing that it seems to have got better and we are back to normal temperature.
I have spent a lot of time at the cinema (air-conditioned) and at home with my four fans going full blast!
So here goes my steps from Saturday, August 15 to Friday August 21

Saturday, 6,000 steps
Sunday, 8,500 steps, 30mm walking at aerobic pace, was coming out of a cinema, with a bottle of water in my hand 😉
Monday, one-hour Feldenkrais class. 5,000 steps
Tuesday, 8,542 steps
Wednesday, 10,000 steps, hottest day in the week, at 7:30p.m it was hotter in Paris than it was in New Delhi! 35°c
Thursday, another very hot day, decided to stay at home. Welcomed Mounir, my daughter’s cat, an ageing Scottish Fold

Mounir, between two naps

Friday, 9,000 steps

Sara – Hot hot hot…

Did I say hot?   Very humid also.   It does sap one’s energy.  Also I’m doing all the hymns for next year which gets a bit draining as well.  But I’m nearly done with that…then there is schedule and choir music to choose.   I’m really trying to do 10,000 steps a day and have nearly made it this last week!   My secret is, walk in 12-15 minute segments, either early or late in the day.

Wed. Aug. 12 – I couch-potatoed – 3026 steps,  none aerobic!

Thurs. Aug. 13 – 13748 steps (9060 aerobic), 407 calories.   Walked to Wegman’s & nearby Target.  The day after a couch potato day is always an energetic one!

Fri. Aug. 14 – 10479 steps (4934 aerobic), 320 calories.

Sat. Aug. 15 – 10234 steps (2565 aerobic), 303 calories.

Sun. Aug. 16 – 10197 steps (5671 aerobic), 301 calories.

Mon. Aug. 17 – 10263 steps (5884 aerobic), 309 calories.

Tues. Aug. 18 – 10093 steps (5945 aerobic), 279 calories.

Wed. Aug. 19 – 9141 steps (5193 aerobic), 255 calories.

Thurs. Aug. 20 – 9514 steps (2021 aerobic), 266 calories.

Obviously calories and aerobic steps do not correlate – overall number of steps affects calories more, it seems.  I’m getting close to 4 miles a day though.  Not too shabby!  Will be pleased if I can stay close to this as things get busier.   Today is a couch potato day but tonight I will go contradancing – am looking forward to that!

Hang in there, cooler days are on the way!  I’m so glad I don’t live in Florida any more…

Lynn – it’s vacation time!

Hello everyone. Sorry to be out of touch. I began a two week vacation on Monday 8/17. I worked on Saturday, finishing up enough tasks that I could relax during my vacation, then spent Sunday and Monday getting ready for company and travel. House guests arrived Monday evening and on Tuesday we piled into the car and drove up to Maine for 3 days. Great to see them and good trip but not much exercise. Guests left at noon today and I’ve been lounging on the couch ever since–very hot and humid here. I leave again on Sunday for a week on Block Island (off the coast of Rhode Island) w/ some other friends. That should be a good week for beach walks, etc.

So, the week of 8/9 – 8/16 I walked for 30 minutes several times and did my strength training exercises one day.

This past week I did lots of house work and errand running early in the week. Yesterday we went for a short hilly walk in the woods–not sure of the distance but it took about 35 minutes–and today we went for a two mile walk on a somewhat hilly route.

Lia – Fair to Midling

Well, last week was a pretty good one.

Monday: 5 km of bicycling

Tuesday: 30 min. walking

Wednesday: 30 min. walking

Thursday: 20 min. bicycling

Friday: 20 min. walking

Saturday: 4 hours of doing dishes and lifting trays of dishes. A friend of mine who has a small hotel asked me to come in as dishwasher on Saturday because she had 55 women (it’s a women’s hotel) booked for breakfast. Was a lot of fun, but a lot of lifting too, so I decided to put it on my exercise list.

Sunday: 40 min. bicycling.

Claude – a very hot week

The beginning of the week has been devoted to resting, but now I’m back to my usual pace, although I find it very difficult because of the heat. I try to keep in the shade, which is not always easy. And jump in the shower as soon as I get home. Also try to remember taking a bottle of water along…

Such a hot day today, that it feels good to post wet flowers

August 8, to August 14, 2009
Saturday, 6,000 steps. That was the day we drove back to Paris.
Sunday, Monday, I just didn’t get out and couch potatoed all day long. Boy, did it feel good!
Tuesday, I resumed my one-hour Feldenkrais class and only walked 5,000 steps
Wednesday, 9,000 steps
Thursday, met my friend Monceau on a very hot day, 33°c, and walked 15,006 steps, I even walked 10mn at aerobic pace because I was late to join her 😀
Friday, 20mn walking at aerobic pace, 15,000 steps

Sandy – busy week

This week has been hectic with a ‘new invalid’ when my husband came home from hospital plus dog walking for my neighbour.

You’d think with the sensible diet we’re all following (aimed at managing hubby’s diabetes) and the extra exercise, the scales would have been encouraging but. so far, not so good. However, I’ve promised I’m not seriously looking at any results till the end of the month so give it time.

The downside is that my knee is feeling a bit fragile (because of the extra walking?) so I’m not sorry that my neighbour will be back on Monday.

We are enjoying a better summer as far as the weather is concerned and  it was almost a relief when it rained for a whole day earlier this week.  It makes the grass grow so the lawns have to be mowed but I’m ignoring the weeding for the time being.

Hope you are all enjoying  sunshine  where you live.

Naomi – Walking & Waiting, July & August 2009

Ahem, I clear my throat, in my slightly guilty re-appearance.  Just two weeks from today, if we get the right flight, we’ll leave New York City.  Our new place will be a CCRC, continuing care retirement community, in Portland, Oregon.

Living in NYC provides a natural environment for walking–to the subway, within the subway. How will that work in the future?  Not sure though there are several destinations within walking distance but it’s different.  Everything will be different.  The entire change is, as we say, a crap shoot.  Not elegant language yet realistic.

In the past year I’ve become addicted to my pedometer, a birthday present in ’08.  The best one ever received in my aging years.  Yeah, flowers are lovely but objects that connect one to my best intentions and a very special friend–hard to quantify.  While I keep it in my pocket every day, check it out at night, my recording has been inadequate.  I was going pretty well through mid-July:

July 12…11,857 steps created by a 12-minute encounter with the boring treadmill.

Here’s the past week–pretty typical with higher number for blueberry picking with family.

August  8…7,676

August 9 …3,201

August 10…5,587

August 11…2,301

August 12…4,104

August 13…shallow pocket!

August 14…5,924

Working toward a goal of 5,000-plus.  Weight slightly lower than one year ago though goes up and down, 138 to 141.5.  Looking forward to more attention to mid-body exercise in new digs–boring tread and whatever else is there.

I promise to return in September after the move.  Many, many thanks again for your support and good cheer.  And for opting into this notion Claude & I had and she has beautifully maintained.

Reddish door, left, exits my NYC life