Christmas PSA

I strained my back on Tuesday while wrapping two kettle bells (26 and 31 pounds) while kneeling on the floor… I thought it would be much easier to wrap them on the floor than lift them up onto the kitchen island where I do a lot of my wrapping. When I told Kim about the incident, she said she’d seen a similar warning to the one I created below. Not to worry, though, after a lot of TLC and regular stretching my back was finally feeling normal again yesterday afternoon.

 

Overview of the Week

Before getting into each day’s workouts, here’s an overview of my workouts from this past week. Scroll beyond the infographic for daily details…

 

Sunday

Cycling: 28.2 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.5 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 8:41 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 66° in the basement, 34° and sleeting outside, turning to rain
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

I slept in until 8 AM, ya’ll and it felt amazing! I guess my body needed it because I’d been going non-stop since Wednesday morning – first prepping for Thanksgiving and then decorating the house for Christmas.

Still, I started the day on my spin bike and by bedtime had pretty much finished decorating. Well, rain precluded me from completing the little bit of outdoor decorating I do – my husband does the lights which is the bulk of the job.

 

Monday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

 

Tuesday

Cycling: 36 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.2 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 6:55 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 64° in the basement, 34° and raining outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

 

Wednesday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

The weather cooperated and I finished the rest of my part of the outdoor decorating (my husband does the lights). New this year, I picked up a live Christmas greenery/decor bundle from Home Depot which I thought I’d have to supplement with greenery from our backyard, but it had plenty for two flower planters!

 

Thursday

Cycling: 25 miles
• Bike: Life Fitness Lifecycle GX Spin
• Average speed: 15.3 MPH
• Surface: N/A
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 5:43 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 61° in the basement, 25° and partly cloudy outside
• What I wore: bike shorts and sports bra

Walking: 3.11 miles
• Average pace: 15.51 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 84 feet
• Start time: 2:46 PM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 42° (feels like 28°) and partly cloudy
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, light jacket, puffer jacket, ear warmers, and mittens over gloves

I thought it was nippy outside at 25° when I hopped on my spin bike for my weekly cardio workout with Kim; however, Kim had me beat with only 2° in her neighborhood. I am forever grateful for inside cardio options when the weather outside is too cold, too wet, or too windy. Later, though, it warmed up enough that I was able to get outside for a nippy walk.

 

Friday

Strength training: 1 hour of total body

Balance and stretching: 45 minutes

Walking: 2 miles
• Average pace: 17:31 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: N/A
• Start time: 7:51 AM
• Location: basement
• Weather: 64° in the basement, 26° (feels like 22°) and snowing outside
• What I wore: shorts and sports bra

We woke up to snow starting to fall and by the time I’d finished training my first client, our deck was covered. I opted to stay inside to walk, grateful for an inside option.  We got about two inches of pretty white fluff that didn’t stick to the streets, driveways, or sidewalks making it the perfect snowfall.

 

Saturday

Walk: 4.11 miles
• Average pace: 15:09 minute/mile
• Elevation gain: 142 feet
• Start time: 8:26 AM
• Location: neighborhood trails
• Weather: 30° and mostly cloudy, climbing to 33°
• What I wore: capris, s/s shirt, light jacket, down coat, knit hat, and mittens over gloves

I didn’t even think about the possibility of slippery surfaces when I left the house for a walk on the still-wet-from-the-previous-day sidewalks and trails; and at 30° I guess I should have been more cautious. Luckily, I encountered no slick spots and enjoyed a festive walk admiring snow-covered Christmas decorations.

Later I taught a 2-hour fitness orientation class and then stopped at our neighborhood Holiday Festival on the way home. After 5:30 mass I went to our church’s Festival of Trees. Overall it was a very festive day!

 

Garmin Badges Earned

I earned two Garmin badges during the week, the November Weekend 40K for doing a 40K ride over the weekend, and the Sleep Savant for recording 30 consecutive days of sleep. I doubt I’ll be sharing this badge in the future, although it is repeatable. LOL

 

Questions:
  • • If you live where it snows, have you gotten your first snowfall yet? ~ Ours was Friday
  • • Have you ever injured yourself wrapping a gift or doing something else that shouldn’t cause injuries? ~ How much time do you have? LOL
  • • Which workout did you enjoy most this past week? ~ Kim and I had a great virtual workout on Thursday and I certainly enjoyed my walk yesterday.

 

And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!