In this Update:
- Getting Stronger!
- Mind your Step
- No more Grades!
Getting Stronger!
So, I can proudly announce that I have been working out (mostly) in a very consistent way! Even though my schedule continues to throw me curveballs here and there, I have been going to the gym at least twice a week (with a few exceptions). I have made slow but consistent progress, which I really wasn’t aware of at the time until my latest push-up day on 07/26: I started out with doing incline push-ups in late May using a box because I was too weak to do them lower. I have reduced the height/incline over time but on this day, Angela instructed me to only use one bumper plate. I wasn’t quite sure about that, but as it turns out, I got significantly stronger over the last two months!!!
Here is a short video of me doing push-ups on the box on May 20th….
… and here is the result of consistent training on July 26th!
I suppose, this would be already exciting for someone who just want to get in shape but to me, it is a freaking miracle! Before my lumbar artificial disc replacement (ADR) surgery, I would have fallen flat on my face and remained in that position if I attempted this move. But now, it feels great!
Angela also added a new move to my routine to further build up my shoulders and core: Prone Barbell Rows.
... which is an upgrade from the single-armed dumbell row...
Mind your Step
Ralf and I managed to visit a couple of wilderness preserves as well. However, this time we explored by foot rather than by mountain bike. You see, Florida summers are rather water-filled, and over the last few weeks we had so much rain that I was about to suggest to built another arch, just in case.
Our first outing was to the Seminole Ranch Conservation Area (not a place many people tend to go). It was pretty hot and steamy, but the jungle-like vegetation and beautiful wildlife (especially birds) made it all worth it. The trails weren’t very technical but they ended up to be flooded at times, which is nothing new, and this wasn’t the first (or last) time I was wading through ankle-deep puddles.
I am still laughing out loud when I remember the following scene though: As I am walking down my side of the trail, I see something colorful laying right in front of me.
Me: “Oh look, is that snake skin?”
*as snake is lifting its head*
Ralf: “Yeah, with the snake still in it!!!”
Turns out, this was a Pygmy rattlesnake, and they are indeed venomous. As I slowly step around the snake, Ralf steps a tad closer to make a positive ID. What he didn’t realize was that he was now standing in a fire ant hill! Let me tell you, these sneaky little bastards don’t bite one at a time, they all crawl on your ankle and bite at once, so you won’t know it until it is too late. I am still wondering if that was a joint operation between the ants and the snake…
Our second outing was at the Isles of Pines Preserve, which is only 10 minutes from our house. Not many people come here, so the trails were pretty overgrown at times.
This hike turned out to be a real workout: not only were the trails overgrown, but they were significantly torn up by pigs, in addition to the ground being soft and squishy, which is apparently a great way to exercise your ankles and calves…
But at the end of the trail awaits a gorgeous lake (Lake Mary Jane), so that makes it all worth it! However, my ankles were so sore the next day, I had a hard time climbing stairs!
No more Grades
Sooo, I turned in my evidence-based research paper on July 17th (45 pages of glory!), and on July 31st, I had to present my evidence in person in front of my peers at the University of Central Florida! It felt quite strange when I drove onto the College of Nursing campus parking lot, as I had done hundreds of times before, years ago during my BSN program.
I was pretty stressed out, even though it was my own research paper that I should be VERY familiar with, but still, I am (and always have been) a stress muffin!
Now the semester is over, I got my A (hallelujah!), and the next semester will be the LAST! Since it “only” entails my 180-hour internship that I have to complete on my days off, I am done with grades! The internship is Pass/Fail, so my GPA is what it is now! I am not saying this will be an easy semester but it takes the pressure off when grades are not an issue anymore.
Tomorrow, Ralf and I will take a trip down to Miami and the Keys for a few days. After our return, we will tackle a whole different monster: We-Are-Moving! Stay tuned!