Gardening is hard work!

Gardening is one of my favorite activities. It can be hard sweaty work but I enjoy it. Beginning this past spring I began reworking the backyard. A few men were hired to do the heavy lifting and digging. They began a retaining wall, dug out a new patio and a firepit. I have finished the retaining wall including a bridge and steps. Added pavers to the new patio. Planted hydrangeas and lavender. Still need to backfill behind the retaining wall with dirt the men threw up onto the hill.

The hydrangeas are becoming a problem. One is blooming and doing well. The other two are suffering from root rot. I dug them up and made the hole bigger with gravel in the bottom for drainage. But the soil is clay and the water has nowhere to go. I pulled them out of the ground again and will be working on making the hole bigger with more drainage. Hopefully this will be the last time. I may even put in a drainage pipe and connect it to a French drain in the yard. Maybe. It probably would be a lot of hard work. My shoulders are hurting just thinking about it.

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Still working towards a goal.

The picture is not me! But this is what I am hoping to become after age 60. I am currently 59 and not retired. The process begins with working out 5 times a week and doing gardening on Saturday. Monday is mini-cross fit at the dog park. I am able to do 20 repetitions of jumping jacks, squats, pushups, and squat-jumps. There is a very short distance of running but mostly walking around the dog park for now. Tuesday is a 30-minute treadmill walk/run at Planet Fitness. Wednesday is a “killer kettlebell workout”. The internet calls it that. I am using a 3-pound dumbbell and few reps. Those will increase over time. Thursday is another walk/run on the treadmill. Friday is another mini-cross fit workout. How long will it take to become a fit-retired-lady. Who knows? But I plan to keep working towards that and hopefully one day my picture will be posted on this site.

Back at it!

My life has changed again. My mother under went a hospital stay and is now living in a skilled nursing facility. She is receiving excellent care and I am able to return to my old life. This means returning to activities. Currently I visit my mother most Tuesdays and Thursdays then go to Planet Fitness for a 30-minute walk on a treadmill. It is surprising how much stamina is lost in six months of staying home. It feels like starting from the beginning again. Thirty minutes and a 3.0 speed makes me sweat. So, sweat I do. Hopefully the speed will begin to move up as time goes on. Additionally, I am doing a mini cross-fit workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There is a pet park two blocks from home. It has a circular track which I walk around one time then do 5 jumping jacks. Then walk again followed by 5 squats. This routine continues through pushups and squat jumps. It adds 3,000 steps to my day. The plan is to add one repetition each day. Yesterday 6 repetitions of each cal...

Working Harder

Another week of working out. I am exhausted by Friday. The workouts are definitely making me stronger but also making me sore. My legs are sore, my feet are sore, my back is sore. This is what it takes to get in shape and lead an active life. This week I started a couch-2-5K plan. The app is on my phone and it tells me win to walk and when to run. It is a 3 day per week plan. But I am only doing 1 day a week. It will take me months to be able to complete the 30-minute run. But the first day was easier than expected. I was able to complete it. This makes 5 days a week of exercise. Monday and Friday are mini cross fit days. Tuesday and Thursday are treadmill walking at Planet Fitness. Wednesday is a kettlebell workout followed by C25K. Growing more active every day! 💪

Active In Retirement

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