1) Supplements
I’m trying out some new supplements to see if they’ll help with my chronic inflammation (which I think is the reason behind all of the nerve pain I’ve been experiencing lately, and may even help lower my A1C). My dietician recommended I start taking fish oil and from there, I went down a rabbit hole of other supplements that could help improve inflammation. Ultimately, I decided I’d start taking fish oil and turmeric, in addition to the multivitamin and Vitamin D supplement I already take. I’m hoping that the addition of these supplements and the changes I’m already making to my diet will start to shift the tide of the health issues. Fingers crossed!
2) Birchie Made Me Do It
This week, Birchie posted about the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb that she’s doing, and because I’m a masochist, I looked up to see if there’s one of these climbs happening near me. Unfortunately, I found one. There’s a climb in Tampa at the Bank of America Plaza on April 5th and my mom and I are thinking of signing up. Are we CRAZY?! I think we’re crazy. I know we work out regularly but are we in climb-900+-stairs-at-once shape? But also, we lost my uncle (my mom’s brother) to lung cancer in 2023 so it feels like a good cause and I love a good fitness challenge. Maybe I’ll meet a hot firefighter on my way up and we’ll have the sweetest (or sweatiest) meet-cute.
So here’s my plan: Tomorrow, I’m going to use the stair stepper at the gym and see how long it takes me to climb 100 stairs and how I feel afterward. If I do not feel like dying and that I could feasibly keep going if needed, then I’ll sign up for the stair climb. I’ll have six weeks to prepare, which would give me enough time to feel confident that I won’t die in a stairwell in Tampa.
3) Downtime
I have re-engaged the Downtime feature on my phone. From 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. five nights a week (Sunday – Thursday), I will lose access to those apps that tend to suck me in and keep me from doing my evening and morning routines in a timely manner. I am hoping this will help me get to bed earlier and be more productive in the morning because those phone games and Instagram and Reddit apps can really slow me down. Plus, it will bring down my average screen time, which is so high that I can’t even talk about it. (After two days of using Downtime, my average screen time was already down by almost two hours. That should tell you how often I was using my phone in the early mornings and evenings! Oof.)
4) Warm-Ups Do Work!
Last week, I complained about my Wednesday night HIIT class and how I feel that I’m not adequately warmed up for it. After sitting all day at a desk and then immediately jumping into a workout class, my body is usually very unhappy with me! This week, I got to the gym early and did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then spent 10 minutes stretching. I really focused on my hip flexors and hamstrings (as directed by Nicole!) and I think it helped so much! I felt a lot more loose and limber starting class and my lower back didn’t hurt nearly as much as it usually does! One of the stations we did this week was a repeat from last week (single-legged RDL with a ball, and then we throw the ball at a target). I could only do one of the three circuits for that station before my back started hurting too much. This week, I could do most of the circuits (my back started hurting about halfway through the third circuit) and with a heavier ball (15 lbs vs 10 lbs). Now I know: the warm-up is key to a better workout.
5) Weekend Plans
I don’t really have much going on this weekend! Today, I am taking Lila for her annual vet appointment (please send prayers that I can get her in her carrier without too much drama) and then I will have a low-key evening at home. Tomorrow, I plan on going to the gym for a workout, getting a pedicure, and in the evening, it’s game night with the fam! And Sunday will be an easy day. I’ll go to a yoga class, do my weekly grocery shopping, do some meal prep, but mostly take it easy.
What are your weekend plans?
“I looked up to see if there’s one of these climbs happening near me. Unfortunately, I found one.” LOL. You can do it! The Stairmaster is the perfect place to train.
I’m sending prayers for the vet appointment. We are way overdue for the vet, and I’m dreading it so much, I’m going to look into a mobile vet who will come to the house. Even that will be traumatic enough.
Your weekend sounds nice- mine will be low-key as well.
I would love to do a mobile vet but Lila would just hide from them, and it would be even MORE of an ordeal! Thankfully, she doesn’t do too badly when she’s AT the vet. It’s just getting her in the carrier that’s a hassle.
You cracked me up so much with “Unfortunately, I found one.” I laughed out loud! Good for you though. (Thank goodness there are no tall buildings near where I live!) Your kitty is so adorable; she looks like she’d never cause any drama! (I hope you don’t have any drama!) Just a little side note, my mom had a terrible time with Tumeric supplements. I think it’s rare, but they made her vomit. It’s always good to know these things, just in case, but I think most people find them beneficial.
So lucky, not having these tall buildings around you!
She’s normally the sweetest lady but when I try to pick her up, she acts like I am attempting bodily harm. Sigh. Thankfully, she does just fine at the vet and is so sweet with everyone there, so at least I don’t have to worry about stressing her out further!
“Unfortunately, I found one.” LOL DED.
I love that you’re thinking about doing it though! Let us know how your climb at the gym goes today please!
I turned Downtime on a few weeks ago (every day 7pm-4am). It’s a great tool! Really makes me think about if I want to use an app. It is annoying when I am trying to use Safari (which I could not find a way to put on the allow list?) and it pops up that warning with every screen when I am just trying to look something up.
Good luck with Lila!
I have book club at the gym tonight, Fake Meats work this weekend, and maybe a flight tomorrow.
Word to the wise: do not click the link to find a climb near you because there is a climb near you. I thought about joining a gym for a stair machine but ultimately I settled on doing stairs at home. Here’s to your date with the hot firefighter!
In the dogs vs cats debate, it is so much easier to get a dog to the vet. Well…it’s easier to get a dog in the car and drive to the vet. But when you get there you have to persuade the dog to walk into the vet’s office so maybe that’s just as hard as getting a cat into a cat carrier. So it’s hard either way, just a different hard.
“I looked up to see if there’s one of these climbs happening near me. Unfortunately, I found one.” This sounds like something from The Standups! Ha. Love it. I HATE climbing stairs, but I know it’s great exercise.
Good luck with the supplements. I take Vitamin D, fish oil (good for cholesterol and it is the BEST thing I have ever done for dry eyes; I had PRK, but I know you had Lasik and that often leaves people with dry eyes as well – it is night and day for me with a fairly high dose of Omega-3s. And if I skip taking them? In about 24 I can notice a big (negative) difference). The only other supplement I take is Magnesium Glycinate. It helps me SOOOO much with muscle recovery after working out.
I have never used the stair stepper at the gym (but I’ve always wanted to)! Maybe next year I can do a stair event up here; going up stairs without gasping for breath is one of those fitness wins I’ve always wanted! This weekend we are working on cleaning out my aunt’s house and then having a lazy reading day on Sunday; hopefully a good balance of productivity and relaxing!
Hot take in the comments: I don’t think warm-ups or cooldowns do anything after about two minutes. Ha! I just get annoyed at both and give up after a couple of minutes. No warmups for me! My body immediately starts sweating and my heartrate speeds up. Why do I need anything more than that?
That’s great that it works for you! I wish my body was the same way. Alas, the creaking it does when I try to sit on the floor for sit-ups or something similar when I haven’t worked out is troubling.
No creaking when I do a warm-up beforehand!
I have zero interest in climbing 50 flights of stairs, though I guess I could just select a lower number, right? I think after about 5 flights I’d be huffing a bit. Maybe I need to add some stairs into my routine. You all are getting me thinking.
I hope the vet appt went well. I remember my dog Genevieve used to be fine going to the vet, but then she had a surgery and I guess feeling like crap was associated with that building, and it was just down the street from us, so we’d be out for a walk and then she’d just plant herself down and refuse to pass it. Fortunately they moved to a new building, and she was perfectly happy going there. Whew!
Aww, poor Genevieve! Thankfully, Lila is a GEM at the vet. She is so sweet and PURRS while they check her out. The vet has told me about other cats who hiss and claw at them, so I’m really glad Lila doesn’t do that!
I also laughed at the comment about unfortunately, finding a stair climb challenge! That would be a really rewarding event to participate in. I will have to see if there’s one close by that would work out logistically for me. My grandmother died from lung cancer and my uncle is in the final stage of battling it as well.
We don’t have too much going on this weekend. The boys have swimming lessons this morning and haircuts in the afternoon the weather is going to be really mild so I’m hoping to get some time outdoors with them. Phil came down with the stomach flu last night, so it would be best for us to be out of the house!
I am really sorry to hear about your uncle. It’s a terrible way to die. My uncle was a shell of himself at the end.
Let me know if you find one near you!
Wow – go you! The Climb challenge sounds perfect for you at this point in your fitness life! I’ll be curious to hear more about how the supplements are helping – or not. I have not had a lot of benefit from fish oil and related options (I took a vegan “fish oil” and it was a) disgusting and b) did not work so I c) stopped taking it, lol), so I’m particularly curious about that.
900 stairs I would definitely die. my cardio fitness is sh**t as I learned during my self defense class when the 80+year old lady powered through while I was crawling on the floor.
I wonder if you ended up signing up but I guess I keep on reading and catching up and will figure it out.
I am so bad in taking suplpements. I believed for so long that if I eat right I wouldn’t need them but I am taking magnesium as it is a migraine prevention. And I takes some for hair and nail improvement. Vitamin D would be a good choice too but it’s all soso expensive.