Welcome to a much better week of walking and strength training! I must have sounded a bit too dramatic last week because people seemed to think I was in so much pain. In reality it’s only a very minor niggle now, but it still affects my lifting, and then my brain blows it out of proportions. I sat feeling miserable with a lot of exaggerated thoughts of being too old and that I’ll lose all my strength, instead of being thankful for being able to keep training. But I’m in a certain phase of life and the mood swings and particularly the mood dips are brutal.

This week I’ve mostly been feeling better, the weather has been much better, daily walking happened and I’ve done some good things in the gym too.

Monday, walk + gym

This week we were expecting some better walking weather and it started ok, with clouds but a mild temperature and a good morning for a walk. I brought my old camera to play with the macro lens but it was too windy for good closeups so I had to make do with leaves and cows. My macro lens can produce more than macro photos and is actually very nice for any type of nature shots.

I walked 3,78 km and it was fun to take the Olympus camera out again. In the afternoon I went for a good session in the gym.

I felt really good , everything was straightforward and I felt so normal! The squats with overhead press was a really good exercise to warm up the shoulders and I felt in good form for the remaining exercises.

Tuesday – walk

We woke up to a wet and grey day. It didn’t look too bad so I geared up for a short walk, and brought the macro lens in case of rain since that lens with the Olympus camera is waterproof. When I came out it was perhaps not raining but the wind blew droplets from the trees all over the place, and I was soaked before I came back home. I tried to still take some photos because droplets on plants are beautiful, but I wasn’t particularly successful.

This one had some potential.

I only walked 1,4 km but went back home when I realised my rain jacket is more of a wind jacket than a rain jacket, and that it’s season to bring out the hardcore stuff, aka Stormtech jackets. Next time for sure!

Wednesday – walk + gym

This morning I enjoyed a fabulous walk! My husband was going to the nearest trail for a run, and I went with him to walk. It’s the trail I’ve been to a few times, which leads through a small forest and then along the cliffs, and if you want to you can do a loop through another little forest and a narrow passage of fuchsia shrubs. I usually turn back at a certain point since the last bit is on the main road and that’s no fun after walking on the beautiful trail. It’s a stunning area and I’m sure that his kind of walk is what everyone needs! The weather was lovely, it was a chilly morning but sunny, dry, and almost no wind. Walking through the forest is my favourite part of the walk. Forest walks are good for the soul, and it was exactly what I needed.

I had an hour to spend, and enjoyed a beautiful walk of 3,72 km, it would have been longer if I didn’t stop to take photos all the time but who can resist?!

In the afternoon it was gym time.

This was another decent session, most exercises worked well except the Renegade row that sometimes upsets my left elbow. It’s behaving exactly like my right elbow did last year so I expect it to be settled down by spring.. sigh.

Thursday – walk, 4 km

I went for a walk in the afternoon. It was beautiful!

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Friday – walk + gym

It was a cloudy day but somehow with a beautiful light! My walk today was 2,75 km and with almost no wind. I managed to capture some more of those autumn colours.

Later in the day I went for some strength training. I did ok-ish today but had some disappointments.

The RDLs felt great! Even if I’ve been missing heavier squats, I’m still enjoying the mid-weight RDLs where I dare to go all the way to the ground. It’s some nice work for the lower back and hamstrings for sure, and really good hip mobility work. The split squats felt very good today too.

The barbell row and the Cuban press (the no-weight version still gives a good burn!) were all good, but the disappointment was with the flyes (they still trigger pain), the shoulder press (not as comfortable as the last time) and the negative pull-ups.

With the latter, I just didn’t get the hang of it. My leg tended to swing way too much forward and I had to try to control my legs and couldn’t focus on the actual exercise. Perhaps I somehow had some fear of falling, or I rushed it too much, bent my legs awkwardly, or I’m simply not strong enough to hold myself up in that position, or get insecure because I don’t THINK I’m strong enough? After thinking about it for 24 hours, I think maybe it’s mostly the last option. I was hopeful for this one and when it felt so awkward I wasn’t happy about it.

Saturday – walk

No matter how failed my negative pull-ups felt yesterday, they certainly worked the muscles properly. Oh, the DOMS! But with the other things going on, I don’t mind some normal DOMS. Normal, I want you!

Today I walked to one of the beaches, and the weather was perfect for photographing seashells. I brought the macro lens, but never went down to the beach. You may think I’m a boring type and that’s ok, but when I go walking, unless I choose to do it with someone else, I want to be alone with nature and my thoughts. I want to be in my bubble in peace and quiet, so sharing that little beach with some family, no thank you!

But, it was a very pleasant walk nevertheless, 6,39 km.

Sunday

Today I plan to do the walking in the garden! We have good weather and I have to use it to pull the weeds and otherwise clean up the garden for the winter.

That’s all for this week. I hope you are doing as well as possible, and have had a good, active week.

Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly rundown link-up!