Author: Jill McCauslin (Page 11 of 23)

I returned to the gym this week. Everyone I’d talked to said there weren’t many people there and that the staff was cleaning things compulsively. I decided to give it a try.

Back and Shoulder Day

Since I’d been doing some chest press work over the past few months in my boyfriend’s basement gym, I decided to start with back work. I started off with the rowing machine and did about 250 meters. Then, I did lat pull-downs and rows. I definitely felt it later that day and again the following day. It felt great to feel those muscles complaining a bit.

Because it’s been months since I’ve been to a gym, I was wary about overdoing it. I didn’t go with the heaviest weights and tried to be reasonable about what I might do the first time there.

There were two other people in the workout areas and none of us were near each other. One trainer was cleaning equipment the whole time I was there. There were sanitizing wipes to wipe down equipment before and after using it.

Back to the Gym

Due to state requirements, we had to wear our masks the whole time in the gym. I used my Respro Sportsa knock-off. I discussed the Respro Sportsa in our recent podcast episode. Here’s the thing about masks. I always take a bottle of water to the gym with me but it’s awkward to drink while wearing a mask. Someone needs to invent a mask/water bottle combo that eliminates this problem.

None of the water fountains are functioning so it was a good thing I brought a filled water bottle.

They are allowing people to use the showers but you have to get a towel from the front desk. The stacks of clean towels in the locker room are gone.

I went to the gym from home and returned immediately afterwards so didn’t need to use the shower there. I came home to shower and change.

Since it’s summer here in Ohio, it’s easy to run outside. Also, I have cardio equipment set up at home so I don’t have to go to the gym to get in a cardio workout. Being able to access strength equipment is fantastic. I felt happy the whole time I was there.

Classes

The gym is only offering virtual classes right now. No live classes at all. I know the gym Chris goes to is conducting outdoor classes but mine is not. Perhaps I will ask about that soon.

I saw the manager when I went in and I asked her how she was faring. She said the whole thing is terrible but it’s terrible for everyone so she can’t complain.

I verified that I can put my membership back on hold so if I decide that I need to quarantine myself again, I can do so.

I’ll keep you posted on how I do trying to regain some of that strength I know I’ve lost. Let me know how your workouts are going and where you’re doing them.

I have a new puppy in my house. My son and daughter-in-law decided that I should have a dog so they found this puppy for me. She’s adorable. I named her Penny because of her color. She looks like a lucky Penny.  Chris and I talked about her in our recent podcast episode.

Training a Puppy

The last time I had a puppy was when my son was young and my husband was around to help with puppy chores. He loved dogs so he did most of the basic house training and then I worked on things like sit, stay, come. Therefore, I’m feeling rather inept on dog training.

Penny is doing a good job of learning though I’m wondering who is actually getting house trained. Is it Penny? Or is it me learning to watch her for signals to go out? Probably a bit of both.

Because I didn’t want to just leave a new puppy alone for long, I cut back on my exercise routine, such as it was. Fortunately, after about a week, I was able to leave Penny in her crate long enough to go out for a run.

Chewing

I worry about her chewing on cords so I crated her when I was riding my indoor cycle too.

She chews on things so I need to keep a close eye on her. My running shoes apparently are a puppy’s dream chew toy.

So far, we’ve managed to go on some short walks. Today was a beautiful morning and Penny had slept all night so we went for a slightly longer walk than we’ve been doing. It will be great when she’s able to walk for some distance. I hope that one day she’ll be able to run with me but she needs to mature more before we can start that. Maybe next year she’ll become a runner.

Having a puppy during all of this social distancing is actually great. She’s company and it’s good to have someone who is happy to see me. I just have to remember that puppyhood is a short period of time really so the chewing and jumping and general puppy behavior won’t last forever. In the meantime, I am stocking up on toys and chewbones. I’m really enjoying having a new puppy in my house.

My gym opened this week and I had to decide if I should return to the gym. That was a tough decision and I’m feeling ambivalent about it so did what any person would do. I avoided the decision. I put my membership on hold for a year with the understanding that I can reactivate it at any time.

Reasons to Return to the Gym

I miss going to the gym.

• Consistency and Strength:

I’m not getting in the strength training that I was while regularly going to the gym. I do some strength training but not much. I’m doing better at cardio but even that is not consistent. I obviously do better when going to the gym is on my schedule.

• Social Life:

I also miss the social aspects of the gym. I miss seeing people in my boot camp class, I miss the women in the locker room, and I miss talking to the trainers and front desk people. Who would think that a person would miss the locker room?

Reasons Not to Return to the Gym

• Wearing a Mask:

Going to the gym is going to require wearing a mask. I’m not opposed to wearing a mask; I do it all the time. I’m just a bit concerned about working hard with a mask on. My gym is providing mask-free areas so this might not be a major concern.

• Staying healthy:

If you look at any list of the places where you’re most likely to contract a virus, including the Covid-19 virus, gyms are close to the top of the list. I know that my gym is making every effort to clean and sanitize equipment and to separate workstations but it’s still a risk. How big a risk is the question and I don’t know the answer.

Is the risk of contracting the virus greater than the benefits of working out?

• Money:

I definitely have noticed that not paying the monthly fee and not paying for personal training has improved my financial state. I’m not working right now so have been trying to be conservative in my expenses. Not going to the gym has helped. I know that we make our priorities and I could find the money if I wanted.

Decision

I deferred restarting my membership, knowing that I could restart at any time. That helps. I think the fact that it’s summer and I can go outside to run or walk or ride a bike makes it easier to stay home from the gym.

I also just set up my home gym and I can use that for a while. It’s convenient and doesn’t cost me additional money.

If I really need a schedule to stay consistent, I could pay a trainer to work with me remotely or at a park once a week.

Have you chosen to return to the gym? If so, how’s it going? If not, why not? Let me know. I’d love to hear what others think about this.

I’m home roasting coffee beans these days. My son decided that I should get back to coffee roasting and bought me a new roaster for Christmas.

Since I’ve been home for several weeks and have more time, I’ve been roasting frequently. One of the things we discussed in our podcast episode 57, Improve Your Healthy Immune System with Dr. Victoria Shaw, was doing things by hand.  Nobody brought up roasting coffee beans but I think it works.

How does it work to roast your own coffee beans? It’s not difficult and there are a variety of ways to do it. I have a Fresh Air SR540 roaster which is a small hot air roaster. Some people use popcorn poppers to roast their beans, which is one of the cheapest ways to roast coffee. Others buy larger drum roasters that cost considerably more than what I’m using.

I buy green coffee beans on the Internet. The advantage of buying green coffee beans is that you can buy a variety of beans from different parts of the world and try them. I usually do a bit of research on the beans that I’ve bought so I can see what kind of roast works best for them. Just like buying coffee at the store, you can roast your beans in a light, medium, or dark roast.

Green coffee beans still have moisture in them. Roasting dries the beans and then they “crack.” The cracking sounds a  lot like popcorn popping. Coffee beans will crack twice if you roast it long enough. I might go through the second crack if I’m going for a dark roast.

Here’s how I roast the coffee beans. I measure out the green coffee beans into the roaster.

I adjust the settings on the roaster and then roast the beans. Once the beans have made it through the first crack, I then judge by appearance and sound how much longer to roast. As the beans roast, they change color.

First they become a yellowish color and then begin to turn brown. If they’re roasted to a dark roast, they develop an oily sheen to them.

Each session takes somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes. Once the beans have roasted to the level I want, I pour the beans into a metal colander and let them cool.

Finally, I pour them into a glass container and let them sit for at least 24 hours. When I’m ready to make coffee with them, I grind them in my coffee grinder and use them in the same way I use beans I bought from the store.

It’s fun trying different beans from different parts of the world and then roasting them to different degrees of darkness to determine which I prefer. If you have a chance, give home roasting coffee beans a try. Let me know how it goes for you.

There’s been so much talk about taking care of ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t know about you but I’m feeling emotionally drained. It’s hard to get motivated to do the things I normally do to stay fit and strong. Strength training has been erratic. Cardio has been not as vigorous as usual. TV watching is up; exercising is down. Eating is up; vegetable consumption is down. This is a challenge, that’s for sure.

I am struggling with my emotions, fluctuating from feeling fine to feeling grief and sadness and then moving on to anxiety. Such a great time, really.

Are you fighting the same battles? I think many of us are struggling with taking care of ourselves.

I’ve been trying to think of what I can do to increase my motivation and improve my emotional well-being. Here’s some ideas.

Podcasts

I’m trying to keep myself in a positive frame of mind so I’m trying to listen to upbeat, inspiring podcasts or just entertaining ones. I’m avoiding those that are scary or gloomy.

Here’s an idea: pick out a few old episodes of Fit Strong Women over 50 and listen to them.

I’m hoping to one day be able to resume traveling so I may listen to Janet Palcko discuss her adventure on the Camino de Santiago. There’s also the talk with Denise Wakeman about adventure travels. I think setting a travel goal for the future might be an incentive to stay active.

If you’re struggling with eating, check out some of the episodes we’ve had about healthy eating. If you’re feeling unmotivated, look at some of the episodes about motivation.

Blog

Don’t forget that there’s also the blogposts on the Becoming Elli website. Do some reading to help inspire you.

There are many posts so use the search feature to figure out what you want to read.

You can find lots of posts about food, exercise, and motivation.

Meal Planning

This might be a good time to plan your meals in advance. If you know what you’re going to eat, you might be tempted to restrain yourself from junk food.

Check out some of the recipes in our Fitness Food recipe e-book if you’re stumped for ideas.

Since most of us are avoiding grocery stores, doing as much planning ahead as we can is probably a good idea anyway.

I find myself wondering what I can do with what I have on hand. I recently found My Fridge Food, an interesting website where you select the ingredients you have on hand and it gives you recipe ideas.

Daily Goals

If thinking about traveling or what you’re going to do some time in the future isn’t working for you, try to set daily goals.

I have committed to hitting my 10,000 steps per day. I wear my Fitbit and try to keep track of what I’m walking.

I’ve also tried to do something fitness related every day. Sometimes that is just going for a walk (see how that ties in with the first goal?) Other days, I do some cardio such as going for a run or riding my indoor bike. I’ve also tried to do some online exercise classes. They’re better than nothing but they do make me miss my gym.

Staying in Touch

I am not a person who talks a lot on the phone but lately I find myself calling people just to check in. Emailing people is also good. Even a quick text is a good idea.

We need to keep our social networks alive even as we isolate ourselves.

A friend of mine started an online book club so we’re going to meet via Zoom to discuss the book. That should be fun.

The Becoming Elli community has had a couple Zoom get togethers. It’s been enjoyable to hear what others are doing and to put faces to names.

Conclusion

Let me know what you’re doing to stay fit and strong. I think that means in ways beyond the physical too. Are you exercising? If so, what are you doing? Are you figuring out healthy ways to eat? We need to support each other as we work on taking care of ourselves.