It has been quite a while since I posted here, but I thought now that things are settling down a bit with work on The Lost Librarian’s Grave anthology I should make the effort to start posting my workouts again.
While I’m usually more focused on weight maintenance rather than loss, I did loosen up a bit too much with my eating over the past few months so I want to lose ten pounds to get back to where I was before I started working hard on the book, and maybe go another ten pounds beyond that since I’m feeling the itch again. So I’m going to make that one of my goals.
Speaking of weight loss…
There isn’t much in the way of Halloween celebrations where we live, at least so far as people going door to door for candy goes.
This year though, we did get a family of “Reverse Trick or Treaters” who showed up in costume handing out little cartons and treats as a way of introducing themselves to the neighborhood.
They apparently bought a house on the road behind where we live. The trio seemed awfully nice and I liked their costumes too–a knight complete with sword and shield as well as a pair of ninjas!
Sun, November 7th
Afternoon Walk: 8.9 miles. Did some light calisthenics a couple of times during the hike and at the end.
Mon, November 8th
- Morning Walk: 3.28 miles.
- (Afternoon Workout) Warmed up with dynamic stretching, indian clubs, and calisthenics
- (Superset) BB Bent Over Rows: 65 lbs. reps x 4 sets x 12 reps +
- Set #1: Dead Bugs (2-ct): 25 reps
- Set #2: Crunches: 35 reps
- Set #3: Bicep Curls (ez-curl bar): 31 lbs. x 15 reps
- Set #4: Fitness Bag Pick Up & Drop (4-ct): 8 reps
- Lat Pull Downs (hog bar): 60 lbs. x 4 sets x 12 reps +
- Set #1: Cross Body Hammer Curls: 12 lbs. x 12 reps
- Set #2: Fitness Bag Cleans: 12 reps
- Set #3: Sumo Squats: 12 reps
- Set #4: Face Pulls: 15 lbs. x 12 reps
- Deadlifts (hex bar): 135 lbs. x 5 sets x 12 reps
- Hindu Push-Up Stretch: 12 reps
Tues, November 9th
I took a rest day today and did some stretching and such off and on throughout the day.
My husband and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium back in September, which was fun. We hadn’t been in a long time and we both independently came up with the idea of going.* I made a little four-minute video out of some of the cell phone footage I took and slapped it up on Youtube not long after the visit.
I wanted to include some octopus footage but there was no getting near the tank with those popular cephalopods! I did take some pictures but they didn’t really come out in the dark what with the prohibition of flash photography and all. Got some pretty decent jellyfish and sardine footage though … decent for an ancient cell phone.
One thing I find entertaining about going to things like aquariums is watching the reactions and curiosity of small children, which is at least as much fun to me as the exhibits themselves. I imagine we’ll probably go back again around 2030 if our pattern holds.
Wed, November 10th
- Morning Walk: 3.28 miles.
- Afternoon Workout: Worked with 1 lb. indian clubs for 30 minutes.
Thur, November 11th
- Morning Walk: 3.28 miles.
- Afternoon Workout: Full Squats: 4 sets x 15 reps
- (Super Set) Seated Leg Extensions: 25 lbs. x 4 sets x 12 reps +
- Set #1: Standing Calf Raises: 15 reps
- Set #2: Dead Bugs (2-ct): 15 reps
- Set #3: Partial Cossack Squats (2-ct): 15 reps
- Set #4: Standing Side Crunches (ea. side): 15 reps
- (Super Set) Seated Leg Curls: 45 lbs. x 2 sets x 12 reps, 50 lbs. x 2 sets x 12 reps +
- Set #1: Front Kick Stretch (ea. leg): 15 reps
- Set #2: Side Kick Stretch (ea. leg): 15 reps
- Set #3: Snap Kick Exercise (ea. leg): 15 reps
- Set #4: Walking Lunges: 15 reps
Fri, November 12th
- BB Military Press: 50 lbs. x 5 sets x 12 reps
- DB Incline Bench Press: 20 lbs. x 5 sets x 12 reps
- (Super Set) Tricep Pushdowns (v-handle): 35 lbs. x 4 sets x 12 reps +
- Sport Grippers (80 lbs.): 4 sets x 8 reps
- (Super Set) Tricep Reverse Pushdowns (d-handles): 12.5 lbs. x 4 sets x 12 reps +
- Set #1: Face Pulls: 20 lbs. x 12 reps
- Set #2: Supine Leg Windmills (ea. way): 30 revolutions
- Set #3: Light Spring Bar: 8 reps (supinated) and 8 reps (pronated)
- Set #4: Fitness Bag Pick-up, Shoulder, and Drop: 8 reps
Sat, November 13th
Morning Walk: 3.66 miles. Did some inverted rows using a hitching post for horses near the trail.
* I have found this “independently coming up with the same idea” thing happens more and more with my husband and me the longer we are married, lol.
Ann's Immaterium 
14 responses to “Work Outs: November 7 – 13, 2021 (Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Reverse Trick or Treating)”
Always good to see someone else working out! I’ve been fairly consistent with exercise since moving but I’m not sure I’m accomplishing much other than maintaining and building a bit of muscle which is frustrating at times. I haven’t been to that aquarium but I’ve heard good things about it. I really enjoyed visiting the Scripps aquarium in La Jolla. It is also small but really well done and less crowded than other San Diego attractions.
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I’m glad to read that you’ve been fairly consistent with exercise; I’m sorry that you aren’t quite reaching your goals by the sound of it though maintaining and building a bit can be good too and probably puts you way ahead of a lot of people.
As for me, doing the workouts is no problem; enjoy my basement time. What I find useful about recording my workouts here–and I’m probably a broken record about this in comments–is it helps me with my weak link in all of this which is eating correctly so I don’t gain weight and end up back in the eternal circle of gaining and losing. (I guess if it is eternal then there is no escape it, but the recording helps me ameliorate it a bit.
I haven’t been to the Boston Aquarium in a very long time, but when I was there it was pretty grand. I imagine it still is! 🙂
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I feel like if working out does help me maintain then it is well worth the time as well. I don’t mind working out too much either. Well, other than when you push yourself and get pretty sore the next day! 🙂
I’ll have to add that aquarium to my list as well!
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Nice post, Ann! 🙂 Loved the video! Been too long since I’ve visited an aquarium. Octopi and rays are my favourites!
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Thank you, John. Octopi and rays are some of my favorite sea creatures too. I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures because both of my hands were wrist-deep in water, but they have (and it was there back 6-7 years ago too) a “petting tank” where you can pet some rays. It was fun watching everyone indulging and also the rays, who would swim up to you, seeking out your touch, which happened to me with several different species of ray. I found it interesting that they felt like stroking velvet, and I remember there was a little one that seemed to particularly like it when you’d let its tail run through your fingers. I saw it going in circles over and over doing that with an man not far away from us.
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Great to see a post from you Ann, and back to the workouts. Love visiting aquariums, reminds me of actual encounters in the sea.
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Hi Dave and thank you. 🙂 I haven’t had too many sea encounters myself, unless you count watching tv, but I’m glad you have and by the sounds of it they’ve been positive ones. I love visiting aquariums too. The one in Monterey is small and cute and fun, but I particularly liked the one we visited a few times years ago in Boston.
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That’s a nice little video shame about the octopus, I have to say a nine mile walk is impressive 😃!
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Hi Pat. 🙂 Yes, I had really hoped to get some octopus footage but it wasn’t to be this time. I don’t know if it still exists, but I do remember they had a tank many years ago at the Boston aquarium where you could “pet” a rather large octopus. I did so and it started climbing me and ended up coming (of its own volition) all the way out of the water and climbing halfway up my arm and starting feeling my hair and face with a couple of its tentacles. Surprisingly gentle too given what I’ve learned about octopus sucker/tentacle strength. It lingered for about a minute and then slowly climbed back down into the tank. Normally I hate the sea and everything in it, but I did like that octopus and octopi in general. After that and after learning how smart they are, I determined never to order anything at a restaurant that had octopus in it again and I never have. Squid either, come to think of it. Of course, this is a lot easier now that my husband had a to plant-based a few years ago for his health.
Thanks, it was a nice walk. I don’t generally find the mileage gets me too much…the limiting factors seem to be time and light more than anything, but some of the hills on that walk are a killer. I’m thinking of taking my mountain bike there soon, though I imagine I’ll be pedaling in the low gears a lot!
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Wow 😃that’s an amazing tale, what an experience, I’m not surprised you don’t want to eat them , when Some one told me pigs have the intelligence of a three year old child I gave up on them . Like your husband our girls converted my wife and myself to plant based as well , fortunately I can get s pretty good substitute for bacon, so good that I’m prepared to do a four hour round trip to buy it 😅😅😅.When I told my wife about your hikes she replied “don’t expect me to do anything like those distances “.
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I sure didn’t expect the reaction I got from the octopus, that’s for sure. Apparently it would do that from time to time I learned from one of the people later. If the person started freaking out, they’d intervene so no one (especially the octopus) would get hurt. If it went well, they wouldn’t intervene other than to stay close to hand. I didn’t really notice in the moment.
All of that was a lot of years ago. I would imagine things are different there now, but you never know.
That is very true about pigs; they are very smart. I saw that on the farm as a kid and these days it is easy to find Youtube videos of people who keep pigs as pets. I’ve watched a few and my take-away is that they seem just as aware (and often smarter) than a dog and very affectionate. That must be a pretty good alternative to bacon to drive all of that way for it. 🙂
As for the hiking, I’d say whatever is fun.
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Interesting about the Octopus carer 😉, unfortunately the great Vegan bacon isn’t available as it comes from Taiwan and they can’t get it , apparently they said I wasn’t the only one that has taken a great liking to it🤓. It was fortunate that I found that out before going there .
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Huh, I’m sorry to learn that. When things were easier to get, how many varieties did they have? Yes, I agree, it would have been horrible to have driven all that way only to not get what you went for!
Yes, it was a pretty interesting experience. I’m glad that I wasn’t the first one the octopus tried to crawl out of the tank with. That, paired with the caretakers’ reaction, leads me to think that they were taking better care of the octopus than it might have seemed to an outsider. After all, it was an “Ambassador Octopus” so I guess it was doing its job.
I am going to someday use “Ambassador Octopus” as a character name in a story or poem.
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Yep , I have learnt to check availability nowadays as there are a lot of shortages due to the Virus , that particular shop only has the one , but one can get others in various supermarkets in the city, out in the country no🥴as they are very much still into meat . I told my daughter (Tiny house one )about your Octopus adventure, she is so envious as she just loves them, something I didn’t know 🧐.
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