Mobility and working out

 What can simple exercises do for you? 

My simple exercises at home don't need more than a chair, a wall, a floor, and sometimes even a couch. I can sit on the kitchen chair and do leg raises. If I want, it can be one leg at a time or both. I can use the chairs or go free standing to do squats. 

The hardest part of exercising is sticking to it. It sure is easier to just go for a nice long walk.

Right now I am doing chair sit ups, one legged balance exercises, and a variety of other exercises to keep up with my Mobility and balance. I'm having fun trying to do a work out at home. Other times I just say: Heck with it all and go for a hike.

I'm not at the gym this winter because of the weather and the colds, flu, and Covid that is traveling around our community. I can't bring home any illnesses to the other half. 

I could just hang out and nap most of winter away.

But I need feed for the critters. Those 75 lb. bags take some technique to heft up and into a feed barrel. Thankfully, I've been taught a great way to do it without harming myself [thank you coaches!]

Last Friday, I moved washing machine and dryer to clean under and around them. I also took apart the vent and gave it a good once over. Hubby asked if I needed help and I did ask him to hand me a few things after I'd climbed over the washer and was in behind the dryer.

I didn't want to pull everything totally out, but made enough room so I could get in behind the washer without disconnecting the water.
I took a milk crate and tied twine to it. I used the milk crate to get up and over the dryer. Then I pulled the crate over with the twine when I was done and used it to get back out. Clever me! Rich's comment?

"I married a monkey."

Maybe this is unusual for a person of my vintage and maybe not.

The month of January is almost over and I am trying to see what I have as far as hiking and walking for distance. Right now I am using the free app which adds everything up for me. I don't count steps, they are deceiving. Ok. Let me qualify that statement. Steps are great and necessary to help us keep track of moving which is essential to keeping our abilities to MOVE.

My steps include inclines of 150 to 300 feet. If I hike for a mile or less, it can be in very steep terrain, so each step could be much harder than a person walking on a sidewalk or on a flat easy surface. 

Does that make sense?

So far in January? What are the miles I've actually accounted for?

25 miles on the Map My Walk app -- and I didn't account for walking to the mailbox through the woods or the times I went out and checked fences. I'll see what January 31st brings.

I'm hoping to actually GET off the farm this weekend and go to Duck Egg or perhaps KVR and tromp around for some different scenery.

The Fog is still here. I'm beginning to think that Stephen King made up this weather for this week.

How is it going with you?

Good Enough Friday!

Friday morning at sunrise just outside Readstown.

The geese came flying in above and I panned with the camera.
The K-town gang wanted to go to one of our favorite sunrise spots.

After breakfast, the guys went to get small bales of hay. While Rich and I had to take a trip to the nursing home to sign some paperwork...Daryl worked with the chainsaw on the giant oak tree that fell last year over the fence. The upper part of the branches held the trunk off the fence, but I could see that it was slowly sinking.
The last thing I wanted to happen was for the fence to get ruined if I had cattle in that pasture.

Thank you Daryl and the girls. I know they worked hard on the tree and unloaded the hay from Rich's truck while we were taking care of business at the nursing home.

We had planned a trip to KVR on Friday. The weather was supposed to turn cold and rainy by nightfall. We planned our Saturday hike to be close to home.

I know how much my friends enjoy seeing our unique 'ice' caves so I took the gang on a short side trip to explore two ice formations before we decided to do the Black Hawk Rock Hike.

Note that Charlie was being picked up a lot at this point. The ice was wet and very cold. I think Charlie was shivering from the excitement and not necessarily the cold.

However, Charlie proved himself to be quite the avid hiker on groomed trails.
Yes, we had his little cord on him. It doubled as a leash at times.

The two dogs got along famously. 

Charlie continued to be a source of entertainment.

Here he decides to carry a Big Stick. 

By the time we reached Black Hawk Rock, Charlie was in need of a nap. I tucked him in my flannel jacket and zipped it up. Charlie settled and and started to snore.

At this point, I'd wished I'd brought some sort of bag to carry him in. However, we made do and around we climbed to the top.

The views were incredible. The winds were bone chilling.

And...Charlie slept through it all.
He woke up and went back to hiking when we descended off the rock.

[According to the app MapMyHike our route had taken us 3.68 miles. The top of Black Hawk Rock was at an elevation of 1,442 feet above sea level.]

It was a grand hike. One I won't mind doing again.

We got home just in time to do chores and finish up an incredible supper. We'd put a large arm roast in a roaster and cooked it all day. Daryl added the finishing touches and we sat around the round table and shared our day with Rich.

The two dogs wrestled in the living room.

We discussed our hiking plans for Saturday.
The Lost Valley.

And we all went to bed early.