October 14, 2018 5:33pm

Exercise: Walking/Jogging, push ups, plank, stretching, a 100 yard sprint, breathing for life

Description: Started out with the warm ups which included the plank, push ups, stretching, then the 100 yard sprint. Then started out walking and jogging down the road through the neighborhood. At one point I was running, but more about that in the summary.

Duration: 1 mile in 16:09 minutes. The pre-workout was about 30 minutes since I did the sprint twice.

Distance: Exactly 1 mile

Snapshot of my cardio workout:

I forgot to stop the timer, so please don't mind the perfectly straight diagonal line. This is my sprint:

Summary: This has been my first workout in a few years. Holding a plank was difficult, push-ups even harder, the stretching was easier, but I'm certainly not as limber as I used to be. Even though I am on my feet and take many steps throughout the day because of my job, working out is different. I will admit I am completely out of shape, but definitely gave this my best shot.  What helped me is having two pit bulls run out of their yard barking and chasing me. I never knew I could run or jump so fast as my son was driving his truck next to me. I opened the door and dove into the vehicle while it was moving. Good thing this happened at the end of the mile. He ended up driving me home. My workout that day included a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, but thankfully no MI or stroke followed afterward. We'll see what the next workout brings.

October 16, 2018 5:49pm

Exercise: Stretching, planking, push ups, squats, wall sit, walking/jogging

Duration: 42:50 minutes. The pre-workout was about 20 minutes.

Distance: 2.29 miles

Description: I always start out with a warm up or pre-workout which included stretching first. Took a different route to walk and jog.

A little different route this time, no dogs going the other direction, and thank goodness because my son wasn't in his truck following me this time: 

Summary: I didn't stretch first on the last workout and a pinched nerve stopped me in my tracks so I ended up starting the sprint all over again - twice. I did a little better with the planks for only the second time around, and added a few more push-ups. Planks were at around 20 something seconds the first time, the 2nd time was at one-minute 8-seconds. Push-ups were 8 the first time, and 11 the second time. I am overweight, so doing push ups for me is like having an extra person on my back, it's difficult to push back up. When I plank, I use my core to hold me up, but my backside feels like I have a pallet of bricks pushing me down toward the floor. I took some music with me on this trek. It really helped me stay focused on moving forward and I was able to move a little faster. I felt good afterward. 

October 21, 2018 12:14pm

Exercise: Stretching, planking, push ups, squats, wall sit, walking/jogging (I'm a creature of habit, I do the same things over and over until I master them)

Duration: 1 mile in 50:04 minutes. The pre-workout was about 20 minutes.

Distance: 2.31 miles

Description: I always start out with a warm up or pre-workout which included stretching first. Took a different route to walk and jog.

Same route, different day:

Summary: My son went with me today. It was a nice, sunny afternoon. Did my usual pre-workout stretching, planking (1 minute 20 seconds), push-ups (still a low number but pushed myself to do 13), and wall sit (only 30 seconds). We started out with a brisk walk down to the end of the street, and at the corner, I started to jog. I focused on a landmark to jog to then slowed down to a walk. It felt pretty good, so I picked a second landmark to jog to a little further away, but had to stop because my breathing just wasn't there, and my heart started beating too fast. So, we just walked briskly to the end and back. I have solar urticaria, and wasn't wearing long sleeves, or long pants, or a scarf around my neck, but I wasn't interested in passing out from heat exhaustion with the extra clothing on. So I suffered with itching and scratching when we got home on the exposed parts of my body. I took a 30 minute nap, too. I'm hoping for a better workout next time. I'm not giving up.