Give It A Go

Having my degree in Physical Education, my learnings have stuck with me and are still a huge part of how I think.  It is why I continue to encourage everyone to exercise (and eat healthy).  If you currently do no get much physical activity, I urge you to give it a go.  And if you do exercise, keep it up or even ramp it up some.  

It’s never too late to start an exercise program.  With today's medical technology and scientific advances, more people are living longer.  And with longer lives, people are looking for a higher quality of life.  Greater importance is placed on independent, healthy living.  Exercise is a great way to keep older people active.  

Exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous to be helpful.  Even a walk around the park can be positive for any age body and mind.  And so can 30 minutes of working in the garden.  Also, you don't have to do 30 minutes of exercise all at one time.  Research now suggests it’s just as effective to do 3, 10-minute periods of exercise spread out over the day.  Just give it a go.

There are tons of  websites that talk about the benefits of exercise and how to get started.  I encourage you to find something physical you can and would like to do. 

Once you give it a go, it's important to stick with it (video).  And here is a funny (video) reason why pull-ups might come in handy. 

Saturday 2/28 - Wow, last day of February.

I had a great weight workout at the gym this morning.  With every workout I do a warmup to begin with and stretch at the end.  In my weekly exercise regiment I include weights, aerobics, and balance work; but not with every workout.  This is mostly due to time constraints.  If I am feeling 'puny' on a certain day, I just train to maintain, not pushing myself.  But today, I was feeling extremely energetic, so gave it my all and felt really 'pumped up' by the end.




I arrived at the ranch early to do a few things before going for a ride with Karen.  She rode Zorro and I was on Rico.  Both boys were slow (Rico too sluggish actually) and relaxed and we had a lovely 2½ mile ride.  







The woodland trails are drying up, as are the dirt roads.  We rode by the construction site and stopped to chat a minute and let Zorro look at it while there was nothing going on... no scary noisy things.  





Joe had come out to put out a round bale, take the top boards off the back side of the corral shed, and drive a T-post for me.  We needed the post at the newly installed red gate to prevent it from swinging (or getting pushed by horses) into the electric fence.  There is such a grade change, that we need the concrete block to support the weight of the 'hanging' end of the gate when it is open.

When closed, the wheel helps support the end of the gate and allows you to easily roll it over the higher ground.

I helped Bonnie and Dave with chores in the upper paddock as we work to get Rico used to his new feeding routine.  

I chatted with Debra for a bit, and noticed the three Pasos down at the pond when I left.   

Joe and I enjoyed a delightful dinner at Stonehenge.  
 

Sunday 3/1 - Wow, February went fast.  
With Shirley gone on a cruise with Patty, I opted out of Church and spent extra time here getting this blog started.  







I worked down at the pond, raking debris out and away from 'our' shoreline so I can see water rather than weeds from my office desk viewing position.  Brian came down to chat for a bit, and like Joe, wondered about the futility of my mission.
 

It had reached the upper 60's, t-shirt weather.  Shortly before noon I met Jan and Karen at the ranch.  Jan was already saddled and ready to ride.  So Karen and I met her out on the trail a little later.  In this photo, Rico is stopped, looking down Marmaduke at Jan and Cash approaching us.  
We three continued on our ride together, which went much like yesterday's.

The horses have started shedding, and get kind of sweaty, even though we don't ride long or hard.  They always enjoy a good roll once unsaddled and returned to the paddock.  This is Rico in the corral.

With the boards off the top, back of the corral shed, Amiga is now able to enjoy the view while standing in the shade.

After our ride, I got to work, using the mower and wagon to pick up sticks in the field, corral, and barnyard; then hauled them into the woods.  





My next mission was to take some dirt/gravel mix from the pile near the shop and put it in the big foot holes on each side of the cavaletti logs in the woods.  While 'rounding up' buckets, I found one with a bunch of bulbs in it.  So first I planted some by these daffodils, and then spread the rest under leaves in the woods.

We have been leaving Maggie home most days because she just isn't able to go like she used to and often ends up 'lame' from over doing it.  But since Joe was golfing and I was going to be at the ranch all afternoon, I had brought Maggie with me.  Wanda was very glad to see her old dog friend.  

I helped Bonnie with feeding the Pasos, which went very well.  Rico has caught on quickly.  

After dinner, Joe and I watched 'After The Hunt,' a gripping psychological drama.

Monday 3/2 - A thee hour morning rain got me started in a relaxed, lazy mode to begin with.

At the gym I did 30 minutes rowing and 60 minutes elliptical, followed by a good stretching session.  







I got dirt on my way to Shirley's (to feed Miss Kitty) and returned home for a very quick, late lunch.  





Karen picked me up at 2:00 and I helped her with chores at the ranch.

Once home, I used the nice soil to fill in low spots where heavy rain water has washed out parts of my flower bed out front.  Then I called it a day.

Tuesday 3/3 - Jem had given me the code to his house (Next door to us at the ranch) since he has moved out, so I could show it to Tracy, an interested buyer.  Jem will be putting it on the market the end of this month.  I worked at trimming trees along the drive while waiting for Tracy to arrive.  

We looked at both the houses and the property.  It is too bad the modular home (which is the same square footage as the house) was put on the property, especially so close to the house.  





After dumping my wagon load of branches, I followed Joe (who was hauling manure) into the paddock to get hay off the round bale, to take up to the Pasos.  

These photos were taken around lunch time when I went up to the house to take a break.  The silly Pasos were watching Cash and Cowboy eating hay.  

I had a cup of tea and a power bar while working the puzzle and watching the horses.





I got Amiga and took her for a nice, relaxing, slow and easy two mile ride (video).  It was an overcast day and quite windy at the ranch, but seemed calm in the woods.

After completing all the chores, I showed Debra around Jem's two houses because I had mentioned that Tracy talked about renting the modular, and Debra was interested.  She would really like a larger (un-shared) space of her own, with room for all her stuff.

When taking Maggie for her after dinner walk, I saw the full moon as we sauntered down Flossmoor.  I had gone out at 4am this morning in hopes of seeing the fully eclipsed Blood Moon, but it was too cloudy.  





 



Rounding the church block for home I took some photos of the moon rising up above the columbarium.


Stepping to the side, this photo shows the whole, full moon.

I stayed up much later than usual, trying to finish my book, but by 10:30, was just to sleepy to complete the last 16 pages.

Wednesday 3/4 - I ran errands on my way to and from the gym, getting more top soil, feeding Miss Kitty, and checking the next James Patterson book in the series, out from the library.  I had Glen (video) me trying to complete five pull-ups, to share with Britney, who had started this 'challenge' several years ago.  

Home to change, eat lunch, and dump dirt; I then went to the ranch to go for a ride.  This time, Bonnie joined Jan and I.  

With Cowboy's lameness issues not improving, Bonnie is now in the market for another horse.  It's a similar situation as I, when I bought Rico and retired Amiga.  

Bonnie had a nice ride on Zorro, who was well behaved.  

We went 3½ miles at a mostly slow, leisurely pace.    






The weather was perfect.  If anything, it was a little too warm for the horses with their winter fur coats.
 

While Jan started chores down at the lower barn, I took Debra back into Jem's houses so that she could get videos of them to send to her brother, who might also be an interested buyer.  

↑ This is the view from Jem's house of their front pasture with our fence, trees and side pasture beyond.  Going out to his driveway, you get this second view. → 

Jan came up to feed the Pasos and I joined her, just to make sure each horse would go where they needed to, for their meal.  All three were very cooperative.  Rico seen here waiting for his dinner as Jan fills all the feed buckets.  

With it staying lighter out longer, I tend to come in for my and the pets dinner time later than usual.  Before I even got up the hill after putting out some cracked corn, a herd came to eat.  Here are three at one of the two rocks I put the corn on.

Joe and I watched Survivor, which is now a 90 minute show.  There have been some additional twists thrown in to keep it interesting.

Thursday 3/5 - Today's exercise was not at the gym, but in the backyard, down by the pond/creek.  I worked for over 90 minutes, raking/pulling decomposing leaves/mud out of the pond.  









I continued making a deeper and wider water pathway (route for the creek) so that it flows right in front of 'our' yard, giving me a 'shoreline' view.

I was out at the ranch from 11:30 to 4:30, getting fresh air, some sunshine, and more exercise.  



I took another load of sticks, brier, and vines from along the drive, down into the back woods.  Then when I went to get hay from the round bale in the lower paddock, I ran out of gas right here.  So I had to go in search of a gas can that had some in it.  

The Spectrum internet guy came down to the barnyard to finish stringing the line.  We aren't buying their service, nor do we need it in the barnyard, but whatever.  

Once I got the hay up to the front pasture for the Pasos, I took Rico for a solo ride, the first in a long time.  He stood very quietly for tacking (and un-tacking), but at first did not want to leave the barnyard.  I used the crop once, for a bit of a wack on his rump, and then he proceeded out onto the trail.  After that, he did stop a few times, and wouldn't go when I lifted my reins, so I merely had to tap his butt with the crop and he continued on.  


I let Rico stop to look around before asking him to move on, and pretty soon, lifting my reins was all it took to get him to go.  Then he was very forward moving the rest of the ride and only startled once (at a squirrel).  I was so pleased with his efforts.  These two photos are from this (video) I took.
 

Once untacked, Rico was 'rewarded' with some grazing time on the grass in the barnyard.  

I had chores, so got those started at 3:00.  The three Pasos went right into their 'feeding' spots in the upper paddock, so I don't feel the need to help out with that transition any longer.  

During my shower, I took another tick off of me, third day in a row I have had one.  Uggh! 
Action shots of Styx playing while I ate dinner and finished reading my James Patterson novel... then started the next one.  

Poker Joe came home early, disgruntled by the good luck that a not so savvy poker player had, and who beat him.  He beat Joe with a straight, getting a 10 on the the river (or the fifth and final community card placed face-up on the board).

Friday 3/6 - This meme came up on my Facebook feed last night.  Jack LaLanne, an American fitness and nutrition guru, was the biggest name in the world of fitness and nutrition by the 1950's and 60's.  He probably influenced me at some point, but so did Jane Fonda.  And even though exercise can feel like punishment, if you find a good workout, stick with it, it gets easier and even becomes kind of fun.  The benefits far outweigh the 'suffering.'

My leg workout at the gym was quick so I could get to the ranch to meet and work with Joe by 11am.  

When I went to get Amiga to give her a Previcox, she was down at the pond getting a drink and then cooling off (video). 






I 'manned' gates while Joe moved some hay up from the lower paddock.  Then we put two bucket loads of dirt on both sides of the round pen gate, after raising it up a few inches.  We have been getting a puddle here after rain because a big indentation has occurred due to the high traffic. 

Joanne arrived and helped us finish up.  We got Rico and Zorro to ride and I then I had to help move Cash out of Joe's way so he could park the trailer near the lower shed to unload shavings.  








This project manager was more in the way, than helping.  

Finally I finished tacking Rico while Joanne and Zorro, who had been waiting, were ready to go.  


We had a lovely 3½ mile ride.  



The little bit of 'grief' the horses gave us was quite manageable, and we had an enjoyable time.  Both horses were actually very good boys.  

Joanne stayed to do chores, but fairly quickly I hit the road.  She later sent this photo of the Pasos.  

I fed Miss Kitty, got more topsoil, and dumped and spread it once home.  

Poker Joe was gone, hoping for a more successful night. 

I got a kick out of this Dick Van Dike quote.