Two-Minute Post

... because that's how long I have before bed time, and I want to check off "blog" on the things-to-do-each-day chart I made earlier this week.

For two months now, I've been doing the XBX Simple Fitness workout. It's a program the RCAF (yes, the Royal Canadian Air Force) designed 20 or 30 years ago, and I like it quite a lot. I can do it at home, without special equipment, in 15 minutes or less each day, and it's a decently comprehensive workout.

My favorite thing about this program is the way it gradually builds up strength and stamina. There are 5 major levels of activity, and within each level there are about 15 "rungs." On your first day or two, you do a really simple workout -- only 2 or 3 repetitions of each exercise -- and you build up a little at a time from there. I'm somewhere around rung 25 right now. For the first time in many years, I can do 20 pushups -- girly knee pushups, it's true, but on the other hand I don't think there's been a week in my life when I've done 20 pushups a day for 4 or 5 days in a row. It's the small victories.

This week I am really missing the mental and physical workout of my riding lesson. The barn where I ride has a mysterious health issue -- they have it under control now, but had to put down 3 of the school horses, and they're keeping the barns quarantined until they get to the bottom of it. Sad. Still, they're being very thorough and responsible and friendly about the whole thing.