These are just a few of the little changes that have been adding up and (mainly) making life better over the past week or so:
1. On the health front, regular readers know that I have been struggling for awhile to find an exercise routine that meshes with my lifestyle and needs. I am REALLY not a person who likes to leave the house before lunch at noon and most exercise classes are in the ten to eleven am range. I can no longer walk outside for any period of time because I walk unevenly and the next day everything that is healthy hurts like hell for compensating for the bad side. I do have access to a heated pool and a couple days a week go there and walk in the pool, strip and throw on sweats and come home and shower. In January I will probably have Silver Sneakers and then join a pool just for the hot tub and massage beds, but classes will still be in the morning.
Which is why for the last month, I have been having my trusty friend Alexa set a ten minute timer while I walk back in forth around my house in ten minute spurts at a halfway decent pace (admittedly I have a u shaped house that allows for this walking path). Most days I end up with close to six hundred steps between this, my usual day to day stuff and the occasional outdoor walk, mall walk or major errand (I also do at home weights and band workouts twice a week to three times). These small walks, in between my daily routine of sewing knitting, reading, going outside and so on has given me more activity than I was doing before. While my heart rate might not be getting quite as high as a full thirty minute routine, at 67 , when I walk quickly, it is getting as fast as it needs to be. More importantly, it is better than what was happening before. Those small ten minute sessions add up!
2. I've been attempting to do the morning page tradition (three full pages of long hand every day) for more time than I can imagine. I finally decided that something is better than nothing and in addition to using my all encompassing notebook (which is also deserving of it's own post) for calender, note taking and scribbles, I attempt to make five minutes of writing in the morning when I can, add to it during the day when the spirit moves, and finish writing at night in bed.
3. On the money front, in the past week, I've purchased a sweater from Kohl's that was originally 34.00 on sale for $24 and after online ship to store discounts it was $10.99 with tax. I got the embroidered, fairly thick knit top shown below at Christoper and zBanks. It was originally $50 on sale for $19.99 for $6.60. Admittedly, there is not that much difference between $6.00 and $19.00, or even eleven dollars and twenty four. Or between $24 and $34. Still, by waiting a week I ended up paying less than $18.00 for clothes that would have cost 80 bucks or 44 on sale. Small savings, but savings none the less-which will probably be put in the "Okay, so I'll try a cruise again in the spring with my daughter" pot. It goes without saying that these were things bought because of need, not because they were "on sale"!
4. I love the Great Courses when I actually sit down and watch them, I just never sit down and watch them. Since Christmas is looming and I have a lot of projects, some of them involving fairly mindless knitting, I've promised myself that on the days I am home after lunch (usually three out of seven at least, and often four) I will work on said projects and watch at least one hour of a course. Two birds with one stone, if you will.
5. I've been having a heck of a time finding time to meditate. I was doing it at bed time, but truth be told, I've fallen asleep a couple times during my guided meditation. And morning time is not extremely noisy as such, but if I am in bed, the dog requires/demands my attention and takes offense if he doesn't get it. If I am up I can hear the very moderate street noise (I do love living on a street where all the little ones walking to school have to pass by). I decided to save my prayer time as well as my meditation until right before lunch, when I will now pray/meditate/do chair Yoda or whatever moves me. When it is fairly quiet out site, pets are settled and I am totally alone-at least from a human stance. It may be an odd time, but it breaks up the day. We'll see how it works.
And so it goes, this Wednesday in retirement.
I'm with you on all of these things. Can't walk like I used to because it hurts too much. Love ordering from Kohl's because they have great savings. Love how somethings says $40 and then when you put it in your cart it says 'your price $30'. You turned me on to the Great Courses through Amazon, and I was enjoying them until they started tearing up my apartment. And meditation? Hard as I try I just can't get to it.
ReplyDeleteI have never shopped Kohl's online or in person for that matter. I need new clothing so bad...I just hate shopping. So thanks for the tip. I wore a 20 year old sweater yesterday. Now that is frugal!
ReplyDeleteLove how you are constantly trying to refine your schedule and activities.
I dont do all my shopping at Kohls, just on occasion. My favorite store by far is Christopher and banks, I'm just not in love with the colors they have this fall. All dark Teal And black and cranberry stuff, not my thing. But most of the clothes in my closet come from them and they have equally good sales. I also got the sweater tunic from Zulily and love it, so in November I will order from them again.
DeleteI'm with you. Years ago, I paid WAY more for a clothing item just to be seen wearing the "right" brands. Thank goodness that kind of peer pressure is a thing of the past for me. It seems that today people have more freedom to wear what they like. Every bit of savings adds up. Instead of overpaying for one thing it enables a person to have something else additional. I think you are very wise.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly helps that I live in Colorado where it seems some folks wear Jean's and shorts or flip flops to the best places.
DeleteThank you for adding my blog. It's motivated me to update it and I needed that. Part of this new season for me is learning to be self motivated. I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I completely understand and identify with the health and exercise dilemma. I'm happy for you that it looks like you will have Sliver Sneakers in the coming year. I have a gap policy and it doesn't include it which is a bummer. I am still recovering from knee replacement surgery and will need another surgery soon so it's been a challenge. Good idea having Alexa set a timer and walking in the house. Thanks, I'll try that. Congrats on your clothing finds. Kohl's is a great place to get deals. Before my husband passed away and while I was still working I shopped there a lot usually online. My family is very big (17 grandchildren) so deal shopping was and is a must. I have several deal sites I use often and one of them had a Kohl's thread. They let you stack coupons so by doing that you can really save. That deal site isn't around anymore but should I find another one I'll share on my blog. One of the things I have had some measure of success with is my quiet/prayer time mostly out of pure desperation from grief and partly because almost all of my time is spent alone. It helps. Thanks for sharing some of your little things and your life with us.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, It sounds like you have a large family. I have silver sneakers now, I just pay a small fee, which anyone can do if they dont have it as part of their insurance. As I told Jean, Kohl's is actually not one of my favorite stores, mainly because I think they jack up prices and then have sales. My main clothing place is Christopher and Banks. Please stop by often,I have been living on an extreme fixed income as an early widow for over ten years. You may wish to read backwards.
DeleteDear Barbara, on any given day of any given month or year, I could have written your posting. I say that because I've been retired 17 years now and I'm still trying to get a routine that will work for me: one in which I read blogs daily and comment; do some exercise; meditate and pray; and follow my passion of writing a memoir or novel or cat gift book. All those things are important to me and yet fitting them into the day seems almost impossible given the energy level I now have. So I'm rooting for you!!!!! That it will all work out. Peace.
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DeleteWow,lost a comment. Anyway, I hear you on the low energy. I'm laughing at myself in this post because I am so much of a non scheduler and leave the dishes in the sink kind of person. Hopefully it will work but I already think that the noon thing meditation wise will not work.
ReplyDeleteI got the results of my blood work today and I need to up my exercise and watch my diet to lower my cholesterol. I don't like pills so this seems to be my best bet. I think I will use your 10 minutes of brisk walking in the house every so often. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I can't walk for long outside anymore - the darned knee - but I bought a "Walk at Home" CD by Leslie Sansone. The music is good - she has many CDs, every quarter mile is measured, you can stop the anywhere & resume when you like. The exercise is gentle - walk in place, front kicks, side kicks etc & it gets your heart rate up because you can move faster or slower if you like. It really loosens up the old bod!! And I try to take a course every semester with Coursera - free online courses offered by many Universities all over he world. I've been on the Dinosaur track for a couple of years!! It's great fun & keeps the 'Little grey cells' operating. Lets face it, we need all the help we can get as we age. hahaha
ReplyDeleteI do use Leslie on occasion, but I do it via utube!I may move to Cousera which is free rather than pay the monthly subscription to Great Courses as t some point!
DeleteThe business of a daily routine eludes me in retirement except for the "slow morning" of reading, coffee, radio time (unless there are other demands). I don't know if I can call myself a morning person anymore but I do my best work in the AM. Exercise is easy to incorporate into spring, summer, fall activities. I just finished stacking 2 cords of wood; next on the agenda is cleaning up the mess of wood scraps. I like the 2-for-1 benefit of exercising while getting a job done. Winter poses another challenge and I really do need to up my game other than the usual 2-mile walk. It's a time of meditation besides the exercise; again, the 2-for-1. Purging the closet has been on the to-do list since retirement 5 yrs ago. What's holding me back? I am not a big shopper. I do need to up my game in the wardrobe department as well. It's time to replace some of those well-worn items. Like Jean R., I have some pieces that have been around for 10+ yrs. The classic, good pieces have worn well. Today in retirement - purchase the delicious carrots from the local market gardener, flu shot & come home to wash windows while the weather is good.
ReplyDeleteIt continues to elude me as well. I have already decided (two days later that the mid day meditation will not work. If Idont do that kind of stuff in bed before I get up (when I stretch, pray, have my coke, write) it probably will not get done until bed. I tend to not do much until about eleven or so (kind of morning). Ino longer do yard work, but my sister does and it's great exercise. She fully admits she has a set of clothies for the growing and planting season (especially bottoms) and one for the other times of the year.
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