Back from the Dead 🧟‍♀️

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Saturday & Sunday - Much needed actual rest days as the fatigue caught up with me pretty hard

Monday - Feeling fighting fit once again, and back at it with a Dungeon Raid (see link below)


One good thing about doing the plan instead of the program is it gives me room to pivot whenever these fun little community challenges pop up
Join us, comrades! - Go into the Darkness & Make Light

 

[graoumia]

One good thing about doing the plan instead of the program is it gives me room to pivot whenever these fun little community challenges pop up
Join us, comrades! - Go into the Darkness & Make Light

Yay for the Dark

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Yay for the Dark

boo to the dark! yay for the light!!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Tuesday & Wednesday - Cake fight 1000 sword strikes on the Tuesday 277 punches (also 1hr walk bcos cardio day) on the Wednesday cos i was sore af after 2277 various strikes from the previous days
Thursday - the fatigue was flaring up so i took a much needed rest day
Friday - meant to be strength today but the back and hips and fatigue are playing merry hell this morning, so just some yoga

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Been out a few weeks with the burnout. Been walking a fair bit but i thought it's about time to start logging back on here

 

[graoumia]

welcome back

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

just to get the qi flowing this morning (the cheese has been flowing this weekend so def time to get moving )
I might do another one later if i have energy to burn after today's jobs, but this will tick the box if not

UPDATE:

i didn't have energy to burn, but i just started wearing my smart watch again (I'm starting ADHD meds soon and im a bit concerned because my friend had them and soon after had an arrythmia! so i wanna keep a close eye on the old ticker) and the thing was bugging me about not getting my steps, and once i got started the dopamine got going and i ended up doing 7 sets with EC
Surprisingly low effort - i feel like both sides should count as one rep but I'm p sure that's not right

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

More cardio today - 7 sets w/EC (no rest) and i did a warmup before and stretches after, I don't usually but as i get older I'm finding more value in keep supple and flexy than in feeling strong
Also did the Shaolin Morning Flow again - pretty great way to start the day tbh

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Walking for this mornings cardio
​

And in the spirit of doing things that are good for me instead of the things that make me feel strong - ive started doing this one (started last night) - i absolutely hate it, but its only 2 minutes and will probably help a lot with pain and posture problems so we'll see how long that lasts

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

lock step today - 7 sets with EC (1min rests) meant to be good for my knees so that's kneeded - geddit?
surprisingly intense and frustratingly seemed to line up almost exactly with the quiet bits of Femininom (are you kidding me?! play the fkn beat!!!)
also did the Shaolin thing for a warm up and the 2 min abs on the end - i was going to try a cardio with a built in abs, but my back didn't hurt (much) when i was sitting in meditation this morning - so i thought, if its working why change it??
Def logged some intensity minutes which i wanted to do since yesterday was all zone 1 - so yeah, p please with that for today

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

stepped things down a level today because im sore af from the squats yesterday so i switched to level 1 instead of level 2
Still did all 7 sets w/EC (10sec T-pose added on each set, also only 1min rests, which nobody asked me to do but i wanted to get my minutes logged and didn't think i would if i let my heart rate drop)
Also did the Shaolin Shake gor a warm-up and my stretches - whole thing took longer than usual, ig because i had no energy (and was also multitasking burning cds and talking to my dnd friends on discord)



ive got my minutes for the week, so im just going to take her easy over the weekend - might go a walk or do a light bit of yoga if i fancy it - but i must remember that muscles need rest to build up their strength and ive done a lot of work this week for them to recover from!

 

[TopNotch]

Burning CDs? That's got to be showing your age! (Says someone who's got spindles' full of burnt CDs...)

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Burning CDs? That's got to be showing your age! (Says someone who's got spindles' full of burnt CDs...)

Ripping CDs - got em mixed up!
I just missed having my own collection and also started DJing again (just for fun) so ive been systematically copying all my old ones (and whatever i pick up in the charity shops) on to hd

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

back at it after a well earned rest and recovery over the weekend

7 sets with EC (holding little weights - couldn't find my 1kg dumbbells so i had steel mooring rings on for wrist weights from my big kung fu phase - they're only about 1lb/4.5kg but tbf i think my shoulders will still be sore for the next couple days - so that's plenty!) also did 1min rests again, even though nobody asked because i want to keep the heart rate from dropping too much (p short sets so)

and as usual, did the shaolin shake for a warm up, 2min abs, and the post workout stretches

balance is a bit better (hit a lot of muscles around the hips with those squats that wrecked ne last week) and the abs is still horrid, but just a small bit less horrible this week

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

We know the drill by now;

Shaolin Shake Warm-up
7 sets Cardio w/EC (1 min rest)
2min Abs
Post Workout Stretches

I was working my way through the level 2 cardio workouts but i came across one with jumping jacks, which i learned from the snowball fight game is not a good idea for my knees! (you know the universe has a sense of irony by the fact that, as I'm writing - Jump Around by House of Pain came on shuffle)

So anyway, i went digging through the proverbial crates and came across this one, which just so happens to share the name of my DnD character (RIP) who just so happens to be my current avi on here (as of the cake fight game) so i thought it a fitting tribute

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

took a rest day yesterday because I had early errands and it threw off my routine and when i checked my smart watch data it said id already gotten more than half my intensity minutes for the week and my body battery was wicked low

Then today the ADHD gremlin demanded a bit of novelty and engagement - so i mixed it up with a combat workout. I'm too old and disabled to be getting in to scraps, but these days it couldn't hurt to have a solid right cross in the back pocket - just in case, y'know? Anyway it was very cardio intensive so getting teo birds stoned at once right?

Otherwise the usual drill with the shaolin shake and the 2min abs, but i did fighters stretch instead of post workout because seemed appropriate

And that's my minutes for the week already,so ill probably try to keep it light tomorrow, do a walk or some yoga maybe

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

just a light one today (ive had higher heart rate readings from a panic attack!) I ended up not doing anything on Friday and i didn't want to go 3 days without any real movement at all - also my watch was whingeing because id spent the morning 'locked in' doing dnd prep (it was much happier the other day when i was doing pomodoros for it, and getting up and walking around for a bit every 25 mins)
Shaolin Shake Warm-up
2min abs (i just had my Sunday fry-up!)
stretches (did neck and back bcos several hours on the computer this morning)

Think its Grrl Power week starting tomorrow, so im excited to #JoinIn with that

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Grrl Pwr Week - Day 1
Path of Positivity


Shaolin Shake
Path of Positivity - 7 sets w/EC
2 min Abs
Post Workout Stretches

Excited to start this week, as yall know i usually like to do level 2 cardio lately - but i figure its going to be 7 days where usually i'd do 3-4, so the lower effort should be about right.

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

GRRL PWR WEEK - DAY 2
Power of Time

Just a quick one today - between the Finch spring cleaning challenge and my new ADHD meds, the morning kinda got away from me - on the plus side, my fridge and pantry are both sparkling clean and uncluttered!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Grrl Pwr Week - Day 1
Path of Positivity


No 2-min abs today because my heart rate was weirdly high with this one (not dangerously so, but a good bit higher than it should have been for a level one) and i recently started new meds, so im being extra cautious and didn't feel like risking the intensity
Tbf, i also just finished a cup of coffee and a big thing of overnight oats which would have contributed to that - and as soon as i noticed it was a bit higher than usual, i started panicking so that won't have helped either.
They're monitoring me every week atm anyway so ill be checking in with an actual doctor in the next couple days (Dr Anxiety is a notoriously bad diagnostician)

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

GRRL PWR WEEK - Day 4
POWER OF TIME


I actually spent ages on this one, at least partly because i took a break between my main workout and my 2 min abs to catch up with the DnD group chat

I wasn't in a rush today, but as i did legs on Tuesday i figured id be well to do upper body (also was a bit gun shy after yesterdays high heart rate fiasco - switched to tea and had a normal breakfast today - and heart rate was right back to where it should be, thankfully!)

I did 5kg for most of it, but switched to 3kg for the lateral raises because I've tweaked my shoulders more than once overloading those, and sets 2-3 the tricep raises because they felt a little unstable and more pressure on the joint than id like (im learning! ) Added EC (5 sec hold on the last lateral raise) and actually did 5kg for the lateral hold cos i felt capable after taking her easy on the raises - i have been doing a lot more mobility stuff lately so that probably helps)

I did 30 sec rests (bcos there's no 20 sec button) and 1 mins in between exercises (for dance breaks!)

Oh! and i worked out i can do the 2 min abs now if i just try hard for 15 secs and then have a little crying break for 5 secs in-between, instead of flailing through the whole thing and hating it the whole time - so that's progress of a sort - Flail it 'til ya nail it, right?!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

GRRL PWR WEEK Day 5
PATH OF POSITIVITY

Ok so my heart rate was high again with this one so now I'm thinking im maybe comparing it to when id been running 3 or 4 times a week for months (lately ive only been doing light cardio for a couple weeks!) it didn't feel like it was racing this time (attributing that to the coffee) and also i had breakfast right before - and haven't even had my meds yet today, so i think im making mountains of molehills cos im hyper vigilant for Symptoms™

All my other boxes ticked for today, small bit sore from the weights yesterday but just enough that it feels like im getting stronger instead of not being able to move for 3 days style, so that's good!

 

[TopNotch]

I watched an interesting YouTube video last night that said something along the lines of our bodies are very quick to adapt to lack of use, so when we actually use them again, the body goes into a bit of a shock and creates alarming "symptoms", and it takes a while (and activity) for it to recover the ability it used to have.

 

[AgileGrrl]

Oh! and i worked out i can do the 2 min abs now if i just try hard for 15 secs and then have a little crying break for 5 secs in-between, instead of flailing through the whole thing and hating it the whole time - so that's progress of a sort - Flail it 'til ya nail it, right?!

Glad to see I am not the only one that has a little cry when physical frustration sets in.

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

GRRL PWR WEEK: DAY 6
I AM ENOUGH

idk if its because im learning gaelic or if i have a touch of dyslexia - but "enough" does not look like a real word this morning - anyhoo

Yall know i don't like to workout on weekends, thats my time for some much needed R&R but as its a challenge week, i decided id step up

Now being that "I Am Enough" already and i have my target intensity minutes for the week - i certainly don't need to be doing the most on a Saturday morning - so just 3 sets today (with EC still because im way too impatient to wait around 2 whole mins between sets tbh) no 2 min abs today, yes Shaolin Shake and Post Workout Stretches (cause i wanna stay limber regardless)

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Ok so i didn't do Day 7 of GRRL PWR WEEK because i was tired and i like to get my rest and reset in on the weekend (if i don't i get burnt out - and the fog was creeping in so)

Back at it today tho;

Shaolin Shake

Outlast - 7 sets (1 min rest)

2 min abs

Post Workout Stretches

No EC on my main workout cos i didn't check it until between sets 2-3 and i figured 100+ squats (really trying to engage the glutes) is plenty without risking my knees thrashing about with fatigued quads
Idk if i did this one before recently and was sore af for 3 days after? I was feeling them squats in my hip flexors tho, i did try to add some extra stretches for that area but as Sifu used to say, i was "shaking like a shitting dog" by that point, so i think ill circle back to that after a rest

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Well, as predicted all them squats on Monday kicked the absolutely snot out of me - so yesterday i just made sure to get my steps (or waddles) and today i knew it would suck but also that i had to get some movement in there, get the blood flowing so;
Shaolin Shake
5 sets Steady Steps
Post Workout Stretches
Much pain and suffering throughout, but muscle pain isn't fixed with rest unfortunately. Dialed back a good way but hey, i showed up - and that's what counts

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Ok, so I've learned (again) that starting the week off with a self-inflicted ass-kicking is a really bad idea! So im starting with a clean slate this week and dialling it back a bit;

Shaolin Shake (warm-up)
Tabula Rasa (5 sets w/EC 1-min rests)
2-min Abs (not today Satan)
Post Workout Stretches

My goal this week is to hit every day Mon-Fri and if there's beans in the tin by end of week - fire it up!! (but not to the point I can't walk for days this time tho!)

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

yeah nah that didn't work

the new meds had me hyperfocussed on learning html and DnD and finding fun ways to combine them - sitting in a dark room staring at a screen for two weeks sent my stress levels off the scale! But i finally pried myself away today (following a dose adjustment) went for a little walk and did a bit of yoga to unfuck my back (and nerves ig) and its reset it right back down - absolutely wild to see it illustrated like that - usually what happens is i hyperfocus, don't look after myself, get sick for weeks sometimes months (even years before i figured out the pattern) so having that early warning system in the watch is great - amd learning what can fix it before it gets too bad is a game changer!

All i gotta do now is actually do it!
Wish me luck?!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Did my Shaolin Shake but ive a dead shoulder from sitting at my cheap desk with bad posture for the last two weeks - so then i did neck reset, and reset and go! Because clearly i need to unfuck my spine before i add any kind of load - also house chores today so I'll be active most of the day already

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Back from the dead again - rather fittingly on Easter Monday this time!



I've had a trapped nerve in my shoulder for a week or so now (hyper focus at a cheap desk!) I keep releasing it and then I trigger it again within a day or so it's getting better now tho *touchwood* and then I haven't been very active in general because burnout and pain and generally feeling sorry for myself, so then my hips and lower back are seizing up again!
Crazy how when I was young I used to pride myself on never working out and I could still climb a tree, ride a bike, fight a man etc (wild times ) but now just sitting down for too long is positively injurous?!

Anyway, it's yoga for me for the next little bit at least, see if I can't pry a bit of life into these old bones yet!

 

[TopNotch]

Crazy how when I was young I used to pride myself on never working out and I could still climb a tree, ride a bike, fight a man etc (wild times ) but now just sitting down for too long is positively injurous?!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Yoga with Adrienne this morning, as opposed to a Darebee workout, but I still wanted to check in to keep myself focused

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Bit of this today, kinduva slow day today (I needed it) but good to get some movement in these old bones - then going out to pick litter before lunch (which constitutes surprisingly few steps)

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Early appointment today so my schedule is a little out of whack this morning - quick little workout to get the blood pumping and the back stretched out, but not get sweaty before I gotta jump on the call

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

More light yoga today to unknot the back
Bit the bullet and made a wee website this morning (been thinking about it for ages and I just thought - start and make it good later yknow? )
And then this arvo I think I'll do another litter pick as it's nice out
And then DnD tonight!

 

[Dyneti]

More light yoga today to unknot the back
Bit the bullet and made a wee website this morning (been thinking about it for ages and I just thought - start and make it good later yknow? )
And then this arvo I think I'll do another litter pick as it's nice out

Awesome project! I love zines and I love when people take initiative and do nice things for their community!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Feeling the burnout today pretty hard (we were watching Aliens for our movie night last night and I had to go get sunglasses cause the strobing lights was all too much!) I had planned a walk for this morning but it's too bright outside and also hella windy, so I decided to stay in but challenge myself by levelling up my yoga today (level 3 @ level 2) need a yoga block for balance in a few of the poses (I don't have a yoga block, had to improvise with a Croc lol) I also did the daily 20x lunge punches because I've been wanting to work on lunges a) for my lower back and b) because I've my eye on a kick scooter for my errands so I'll need my quads and balance for that

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Got some fire this morning after the weekends crash so I thought I'd make the most of it and get some level 3 cardio (5 sets) felt good about it at the time but may have tweaked a knee and possibly an elbow (I did my shaolin shake warm up so hopefully won't be too bad) and I heard about matching yin and yang energy in working out so I did some poi for 3 or 4 songs after and I'll go so stretches while my bath runs

 

[Martikkkk]

Got some fire this morning after the weekends crash so I thought I'd make the most of it and get some level 3 cardio (5 sets) felt good about it at the time but may have tweaked a knee and possibly an elbow (I did my shaolin shake warm up so hopefully won't be too bad) and I heard about matching yin and yang energy in working out so I did some poi for 3 or 4 songs after and I'll go so stretches while my bath runs

What a glorious workout! That’s the love that makes darebee so great. So to the point. But so effective in getting one out of breath. Chapeau ! Well done !

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Well there does not seem to be a magic link thing for programs - but I've meandered into starting "10" on Tuesday the 14th - so we'll just see how well I can keep track ig
My knee and elbow were fine this morning but my upper back was all knots so I started out sorting that out a bit before getting some movement in

Today I did;
Neck & Upper back stretches
Shaolin Shake warm-up
10 - Day 1
Daily Challenge (30 knee to elbow crunches)
20 mins is Poi to balance the Qi

I had my eye on 10 a while ago and then iirc, Christmas happened lol
But I think it's a good plan - I can probably coax myself to get off my ass for 10 mins a day, even when I have no energy - and anything else is just icing - real frosty this morning, but I can't plan to maintain that for 30 days yknow?

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Really sleepy today, turns out I forgot to take my meds yesterday and have been out of it all morning - luckily I'm not working today

When I finally did manage to get up, I took my meds! Drank loads of water, and very groggily and painfully (my feet hurt from I think the high knees, my abs hurt from the crunches, and my hips hurt from sitting on the rug for two hours yesterday trying to fix my cassette deck - which was a bad idea for a number of reasons) but I got through it and manages to do;

Shaolin Shake warm up

Day 2 of the 10 program

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Shaolin Shake Warm up
Daily - 20x Split Lunges
Day 3 - 10
4 songs Poi flow

Let me just grab a wee pic of today's 10 workout because;

¡Ay Carumba!
I had to add a little salsa dance shoulder shimmy in between laps just to drop my arms and give my shoulders a shake! Aya!!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Witness Me?!

Shaolin Shake Warm up
Daily - 40x Hooks
Hip Opener (just saw Tom Morrison saying that if your hips are tight, core exercises won't do much for ye - I do have tight hips and a weak core so.. Sounds right?)
Day 4 - 10 (absolute monstrosity! Regular readers will recall the struggle I was having with 2-min abs! I did do 10-mins but I only got through I think 4.5 laps, spent a lot of it lying down questioning my life choices )
And now Poi and Meditation (Update: yep def feeling the shoulders from yesterday doing the Poi - I am getting that one trick I could never figure out tho!!)

Almost certainly going to be sore all weekend after that - maybe some cobra style yoga to stretch it out idk..
Any thoughts?

 

[LiteraryMatcha]

View attachment 9228
Witness Me?!

Shaolin Shake Warm up
Daily - 40x Hooks
Hip Opener (just saw Tom Morrison saying that if your hips are tight, core exercises won't do much for ye - I do have tight hips and a weak core so.. Sounds right?)
Day 4 - 10 (absolute monstrosity! Regular readers will recall the struggle I was having with 2-min abs! I did do 10-mins but I only got through I think 4.5 laps, spent a lot of it lying down questioning my life choices )
And now Poi and Meditation (Update: yep def feeling the shoulders from yesterday doing the Poi - I am getting that one trick I could never figure out tho!!)

Almost certainly going to be sore all weekend after that - maybe some cobra style yoga to stretch it out idk..
Any thoughts?

Uuuuuuuuuh! I see we like the same kind of suffering . 10 workout and shaolin shake warm up?

Also, Poi???? Is that those things that one swings with both arms and can be lit on fire?
Epic. I hope your meditation session went well. If you feel like sharing, and as a fellow meditation lover, I'd love to know what sort of meditation you're doing . Asking for a friend (hi, I'm the friend).

Hmmm, I am not sure if refer to the tight hips when talking about the soreness, but perhaps I could recommend a darebee stretch that is definitely helping me, with similar problems.
Especially if you also tend to struggle with leg raises (if you get lower back pain, or if it arches too much when you do them), if you have anterior pelvic tilt, or just similar issues.




This one can be a life saviour. No pressure tho. But if you try it out I'd love to know if it helped you, so we all can perhaps figure out what could really work for you .

edit: OH! I forgot to say. If the leg raises on this workout also hurt, flex one of the legs like in the video below:

Have a good one.

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Uuuuuuuuuh! I see we like the same kind of suffering . 10 workout and shaolin shake warm up?

Also, Poi???? Is that those things that one swings with both arms and can be lit on fire?
Epic. I hope your meditation session went well. If you feel like sharing, and as a fellow meditation lover, I'd love to know what sort of meditation you're doing . Asking for a friend (hi, I'm the friend).

Hmmm, I am not sure if refer to the tight hips when talking about the soreness, but perhaps I could recommend a darebee stretch that is definitely helping me, with similar problems.
Especially if you also tend to struggle with leg raises (if you get lower back pain, or if it arches too much when you do them), if you have anterior pelvic tilt, or just similar issues.




This one can be a life saviour. No pressure tho. But if you try it out I'd love to know if it helped you, so we all can perhaps figure out what could really work for you .

edit: OH! I forgot to say. If the leg raises on this workout also hurt, flex one of the legs like in the video below:

Have a good one.

Got the brain fog this morning and this is too many words to process will get back to you whenever my brain is working properly?

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

I feel like a bicycle today (two tired)


Thankfully I built this eventuality into my plan ie I only have to do my 10 mins thing - all the rest is extra

I did still do my shaolin shake to get myself loosened up to start - and whilst this one was sore and a lil clunky in the old joints, it wasn't hugely challenging and felt good to work on weaker areas cos I know tll help

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Shaolin Shake Warm up
Day 7 - 10
(sure they love grinding the shoulders for this one, it had a little drop the arms shimmy built in at least, but was mixed with a rhythm element so no time to stop and sulk!)
20mins/4-5 songs of Poi (yes @LiteraryMatcha the things you swing around and can put on fire - although I have ones with scarfs because I'm not that good yet and don't want to burn my house down!)
A bunch of stretching because I cba over the weekend and got all stechy)
Also, have purchased a kick scooter because my wife is starting a new job soon so I won't be able to cadge lifts all the time - hopefully it will be fun and get me fitter - gotta be better than crawling around town in a hot bus anyway
Also, idk if its the ADHD meds, the sobriety, or just the regular short practice sessions - but I'm improving p quick on the Poi! Tricks I'd stalled on (pun only partially intended) years ago are working now! P cool!

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Skipped a day yesterday but yknow what? That's OK!
I'm disabled and so it only makes sense to make some accommodations for myself when I don't have the energy to get out of bed - and because I started on a random Tuesday I haven't knocked myself off count or anything - and I picked up right where I left off!

Shaolin Shimmy
EotD - 20 Hero Squats
Hip Opener Stretches
Day 9 - 10

Think I'll have to draw a line there for today because I have an appointment this morning - maybe Poi and meditation after..

 

[SevenDeadlyExes]

Right so where am I?

I did do yesterdays workout
EotD - 40 knee to elbows
Day 10 (I think?) - 10
Hip Opener stretches
I just didn't do it till later, right before dinner and DnD so I got distracted from writing it down

Woke up feeling a little beat up from the last couple days workouts and then went out on my new scooter, which as it turns out was quite the work out! And as it seems today's 10 workout is also legs, I think I'll save it for tomorrow - not counting it as skipping a day, because I definitely still did a legs workout! It's like doing a bunch of one legged squats on a vibrating balance board?! So that's gotta be some level 4 or 5 stuff?! Pretty fun, tho very counter intuitive having to step on the back wheel for a brake?!