On the lookout for fitness

The MS Walk was a great success on many fronts: fundraising, family bonding, raising awareness and a real sense that people with MS are not alone. And the 10 km walk was a great, relaxing way to spend the morning getting low level cardio the way we are meant to get it.

Here are my workouts for the past week. The only hiccup is a sore lower back that flared up after Wednesday's LHT/HIT session. It didn't happen until later after sitting for some time at my desk. The pain and stiffness in my back has been brewing for a bit and I think it is a combination of poor posture and extended periods of time sitting (especially at my desk in front of my computer) combined with less yoga/flexibility work than I should be doing (my yoga class at the University ended at the start of April and a new one starts in just under 2 weeks) and, possibly, a sight lapse in lifting form. I am more inclined to think it is the posture/sitting/reduced flexibility that are the more likely causes than the lifting, since I have been lifting for months with nothing similar, but have spent even more time sitting recently.
Anyway, I have been taking it a bit easy, as you'll read, to let things heal up. I'll just focus on walking, some swimming and yoga but not pushing any of these activities too hard.

Here's the deal.

Saturday 24 April

• Walk ~ 25 min 

Sunday 25 April

• St. Albert MS Walk 2010 - 10 km, 1 hr 43 minutes
• Walks X 2 ~ 58 min and 15 min (with the dogs who stayed home from the MS Walk - that is them "On Duty" in the photo at the top, not pining for us to return as they stay in their crates when we are out)

Monday 26 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 25 and 15 min
• Swim, 1,000 m, 21:55 (faster and easier than last week)

Tuesday 27 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
• Yoga, Rodney Yee Strength and Flexibility DVD (did the "Flexibility" workout) ~ 28 min

Wednesday 28 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
• LHT/HIT/SS:
• Bent over rows X 8, TUL = 1:42, 70 lb barbell
• Standing overhead press X 3.5/4.5, TUL = 1:08, 70 lb barbell
• Deadlifts X 5, TUL = 1:20, 110 lb barbell
• Bench press X 5, TUL =  60 s, 90 lb barbell
• Squats X 9.5, TUL = 1:53, 90 lb barbell
• as usual, having a rach to walk into for squats would make it easier to get to positive failure and then unload
• Yoga forward bends etc. to loosen stiff muscles in lower back

Thursday 29 April

• Walks X 2, ~ 20 min each
• Swim ~ 550 m, slow, 13:28

Friday 30 April

• Walks X 3, ~ 20, 20 and 30 min each
• back still a little stiff, maybe some yoga later or else just rest

I was going to add some food shots here too, but I think I'll save that for another post including tales of my first attempt at Thai red curry beef soup with coconut milk and cilantro! Until then.