What a week! Beavers, Bathtubs, Bald Yogis and Buckets of Ice.
Sun Aug 24:
Over the past few weeks I’ve been keeping an eye on a beaver who has taken up residence in the marsh area along my lakefront walk/jog path. This little bastard has been the bane of my existence. What could be more Canadian than a beaver? I was dying to share a picture of my beaver with you.
It’s as if he knows how badly I want to photograph him. He toys with me. On the days when I don’t have my phone, he’s out frolicking. On the days when I have my phone with me, he’s either nowhere to be found, or only makes an appearance in the fading daylight, so I can barely make out his image. Well that streak of bad luck finally ended today! I caught the little bugger as he was working on his dam. Busy beaver.
Power Walk: 4.3 miles / 7 kms
FitBit Stats: 14,922 steps
Mon Aug 25:
Yoga: Namaste Yoga: Hanuman Series #220: Taming our Egos. This practice looked at the role ego plays in our yoga practice. One of my favourite quotes from Melissa’s opening talk on contextualizing the practice was one she referenced from Judith Lasater, who said, “Yoga is not about touching your toes, it is about what you learn on the way down.” In other words, “Yoga is a practice, not a performance.”
Fitness Blender’s Tank Top Arms workout. I raved about this one in last week’s workout wrap-up report. Loved it just as much the second time around. Highly recommend!
FitBit Stats: 9,665 steps <– Dang it! If I knew I was this close I would have jogged around my kitchen a few times! 🙂
Tues Aug 26:
Yoga: Namaste Yoga: Hanuman Series #221: Hanuman the Humble Servant. This practice focused on pride. The parable Melissa used to demonstrate this helped to put in perspective just how small and insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things, a lesson that hit home for me.
Power Walk: 3.9 miles / 6.3 km
Home Reno Fun! Today I got to rip out the ceramic tile from the walls surrounding the bathtub. Because the tub sits in a bay window nook, and the tiles were laid immediately under and around the windows, I couldn’t go all Hulk Smash on this little demolition. Highly UNgratifying, this one. 😦
FitBit Stats: 11,867 steps
Wed Aug 27:
More Home Reno Fun! Well, while it wasn’t in the original plan, I wound up biting the bullet and removing all the ceramic tile from the bathtub enclosure (i.e. that box that the Jacuzzi tub sits inside). As we all know from last week’s update, my builder screwed me over by not finishing my floor tile all the way to the wall, so my original design plan had to be massively rethought. I’m not 100% satisfied with the revised plan, but I think it will still end up looking pretty impressive to a prospective buyer. Fingers crossed. At the end of this demolition day, my bathtub area looked like this.
Elliptical: 45 minutes
FitBit Stats: 10,918 steps
Thurs Aug 28:
Yoga: Namaste Yoga: Hanuman Series #222: Bringing Karma Yoga to Life. This was the final practice in the Hanuman Series. Woot Woot! I made it! The focus of this practice was an inspection of the meaning of Karma. Simply stated Karma means any deed or action. When we speak about the law of Karma, it refers to the fact that every action has an effect. Most of us think of Karma as the negative that comes back to us from negative actions, but the opposite if also true: put good out there and good will come back to you.
Fitness Blender’s 100 Rep Lunge Challenge. Same one I did last week. Still love it for its cardio + lower body strength values.
Fitness Blender’s 100 Rep Squat Challenge. Ditto on this one. Fantastic rapid-fire squat workout that makes it a killer cardio workout as well. Do both with no break in between and I guarantee you’ll feel worked out!
FitBit Stats: 10,054 steps
Fri Aug 29:
Run: 5k Jog along the waterfront trail.
Yoga: Steve Ross’ Inhale Yoga. Thanks to my buddy, Lisa at NW Frame of Mind for her personal recommendation of Inhale Yoga. Steve Ross is an absolute hoot, and the upbeat music (reggae, Motown, etc.) made me want to try this out right away, but I was determined to finish the Hanuman Series first. I finally got to try this for the first time today. And… it nearly killed me. Holy shit! I think that crazy bald yogi uses such fun and upbeat music to keep your mind off the fact that he is TRYING TO KILL YOU with his ninja moves.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! (This had to have burned some calories through the accelerated heart rate/shock to my system, right?? 🙂
FitBit Stats: 14,855 steps
Sat Aug 30:
This day brought with it a massive migraine. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I called it the mother of all migraines. I tried drugs. I tried some gentle yoga. I tried throwing up. In the end I just had to spend much of the afternoon in bed, covers over my head to block out all light.
Yoga: Namaste Yoga Benefits of Yoga Series #191. This session kicks off a lengthy “Benefits of Yoga” series, with this first practice focused on exploring the benefits of Hatha Yoga. Melissa explained that Hatha comes from Ha, meaning sun, the masculine; and Tha, meaning moon, the feminine. The practice took us through a series of poses and counterposes (sun/moon) and would have been wonderful and enjoyable if not for my migraine. It was an excellent stage-setter for the future benefits of yoga series sessions.
FitBit Stats: 6,601 steps
Hope everyone had a great week! Any exciting stuff you’d like to share with me? Please use the comment box below!
Keep moving…
xoxo nancy
“I was dying to share a picture of my beaver with you.”—Um, yeah, I don’t even know where to go with that one, Nancy…
Darn! I was going to be the first one to comment on Nancy flashing her beaver, but you got in there before me 😉
You naughty monkey!
With a beaver sentence like that, there’s always room for more!
I can’t believe you both thought innocent ol’ me would be so dirty. 😉
Innocent. Nancy. Hmm, do those two words belong in the same sentence? 😉
Fair enough. 🙂
Snort! You dirty girl, you.
I’ve learned never to go anywhere without my little camera. The moment I do, I see something incredible. Ah, home reno’s ….. I remember them being fun and frustrating. Good luck and hope your head is feeling better. I know those things are no fun!
The migraine disappeared early evening, thankfully.
Glad you were able to share a shot of your busy beaver! And congrats on the progress you’re making on the bathroom redo.
To consider: could dumping a bucket of ice over your head cause a next day migraine?
I don’t think so, NH. It actually felt quite refreshing on a hot day! I think this one was hormonal. 😦
Something I heard recently about Brain Freeze made me wonder:
According to the researchers, since migraine sufferers are more likely to experience brain freeze than people who don’t experience the icy headache often, brain freeze may share traits with other types of headaches, including those brought on by the trauma of blast-related combat injuries in soldiers or migraines. One possible link between brain freeze and other headaches is local changes in brain blood flow. If further research confirms all these types of headaches are caused by blood flow changes, new drugs that block widening of the blood vessels – called vasodilation – could improve treatment for sufferers.
To read more:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-causes-brain-freeze-study-reveals-new-clues/
Very interesting! I’ll think twice about an ice shower in the future. Ah well, all for a good cause. 🙂
Hi Nancy! What a cute beaver! 😉 We don’t see many of those around where i live…unless they are snow bird beavers!
And sorry about the head thing….pain sucks. Glad to say my ankle is feeling better every day….we leave Tuesday and that’s pretty exciting to me…~Kathy
So happy to hear you’re all healed up in time for your trip! Have a wonderful time, Kathy!
You sure were busy, girl! Glad you got that fab pic of the beaver. They are so cute looking yet so “dam” destructive! LOL. All this reno is probably doing a number on your head and headaches. I have suffered migraines in the past but not as bad as you mention here. I can’t imagine. I’m still waiting for you to come help me in preparation for Andra’s visit. 🙂
I may come just to avoid this mess in my house, MoBrick!
Ahem. Didn’t see that one coming. 🙂
You keep quiet over there, Mister.
One good double entendre deserves another. 🙂
Nicely done.
Omg! That was quite a week! Busy like the beaver. The cute beaver. When did you breathe girl? You did, right? Needless to say I’m impressed.
Cute little bugger, right? And quite the architect!
I’m feeling the crunch now…I *really* want to get this house listed by the 3rd week of Sept, while the good weather is still here to entice buyers with my pool and proximity to the lake. Wish me luck!
You’ll get there on time, I’m sure. It’s hard work though…still fresh in my mind after 2 years of selling our house. All the best, keep tiling!
Thanks!
Oh my what a week you had, Nancy! From wild beaver to bald yoga ninjas, you packed a lot into a few days. 🙂 I’m considering ripping out some bathroom tile here too but need to finish the re-do of Ryan’s room before I bring it up with the guys. We’re not selling anytime soon but something needs to be done… Your ice bucket photo is great!
Thanks Lisa! I didn’t get any photos of the incident so instead I played the video from FB and paused it at this particular moment, then took a screen capture, cropped and voila! 🙂
hello 🙂 awesome week 🙂
I am amazed that you managed to do anything with a migraine!! Well done!
I love your beaver!! They know when you want to photograph them I am sure… well…UK creatures do…not that we have beavers, but you know what I mean 😀
That elusive beaver was very camera shy, but eventually I caught it!! 🙂
yeay 😀
I have never seen a real live beaver!
I am envious! 🙂
Considering I’ve lived in Canada my entire life and this summer was my first sighting of a beaver in the wild, they must be like the ninjas of the animal kingdom. Stealth.
hehehe…Ninja Beavers
sneaking through the undergrowth, damming unsuspecting rivers 😉
All while escaping the lens of the paparazzi.
amazing creatures 😀
Gotta love ’em.
😀
Here I was all impressed with your beaver shoot and how lucky you were to finally capture one … until I read the other comments. Whoa – I’m so out of your league and way too naive to be playing with you naughty girls!! I’m just going to sit over here – blushing – by myself 😉
I’m not buying that for a minute, Ms Gets-Flirted-with-by-two-different-men-in-the-same-day. 🙂
heehee! ..she grins coyly..
Atta girl! 😉
Hope the head and body feels better after the migraine, loved your Ice Bucket challenge and I just finished my first major 30 day fitness challenger! Super excited 🙂
Have a wonderful day!
Way to go, Kate! Giant WOOT WOOT for you!
Wow, such a cutie picture of the beaver!! Adorable!!! Awesome workouts, too!! You’re amazing!! XOXO!!
Good thing this guy was cute. No one likes an ugly beaver. 🙂
Ha ha! Nothing worse than a reluctant beaver 😉
Those are the worst kind.
Yeah, I like my beavers adventurous and very forthcoming 😉
Eager beavers are my favourite, too.
I am finishing Light on Life and the last chapters have been on the ego. It is incredibly hard to tame. I said recently, “It sucks that I have such a big ego!”…not that I feel like I’m the shiz, but damn it is hard to quiet it down on a regular basis. And the deeper I get in my practice, the more it fights for its time on the stage.
Oh…I loved your ALS challenge!! It was the best, I was bragging on you about it to someone recently 🙂
I think this is why I’m really glomming onto Melissa West’s Namaste Yoga because she is not perfect in her form. She is not the most flexible and she constantly reminds us that we don’t have to be either. I have mirrors all over the walls of my basement gym, and so it’s hard not to be self-critical and to tame that ego when my body is right there for me to criticize… It’s a process. I know ego is in play so I’m able to choose how to respond to it now.
Thanks! <- re the ALS challenge! You are so sweet! In retrospect I wish I had tagged you. You would have been a scream! (And especially because both Linda and Sam chickened out. 😦 )