I was starting to settle into a new routine in the mornings at home. The quarantine had pushed me into a new exercise regime. I had already been exercising at home in our workout room since March when the pandemic started. I had already been working out with the Beachbody Demand videos. I had done a bit of Shaun T and CIZE. Dancing around trying to look like a hip hop back-up dancer. It was fun and Shaun T was very easy on the eyes. I decided to take on a new program called PiYo which was a combination or Pilates and yoga. I was learning I could experience aches in pains in places that I did not know you could experience aches and pains. I felt more limber and felt stretched! But…my knees were killing me. I did some Amazon shopping and bought some knee sleeves to support my knees a bit. The pandemic had made it near impossible to purchase hand weights and exercise equipment online. Everything was out of stock because everyone was working out at home. If you weren’t working out, you were fishing and riding bikes. Supplies were quite limited and in demand for those too. I also got back on our generic version of our indoor cycling bike. It wasn’t Peloton but pretty darn close. I was trying all kinds of exercising because I refused to gain the dreaded quarantine fifteen or twenty or more pounds! I was exercising and felt great about it. I have always been an occasional exerciser. I now felt like I was in the club of the “real” exercisers. Until the day my knee popped, dislocated and popped back in again. Ouch. I was on the floor in tears. I was so frustrated with myself. I was angry. I am only 44 years-old! I am trying to be healthy! How are my knees going to improve if I can’t do the exercise? Ugh. I texted my husband that I needed him and he walked in and looked at me on the floor in a pool of tears. I explained what had happened and he walked to the television to turn it down. I was trying yet another program called Barre Blend. It was ballet moves gone cardio with a dash of Pilates. I smiled when my husband started laughing hysterically and told me no…..wonder. He went on to tell me how of course I was down on the ground. Look at the craziness on the screen! I couldn’t do that he told me. Why on earth are you doing any of this he asked. We both laughed. I made a decision on the floor and at that point. Ice and rest and that walking and riding my bike would work from here on out.
So here I was on my new morning walk routine with my doggies and my daughter. I had purchased the double-dog leash on Amazon but didn’t need it when my daughter was here walking with me. She walked her little dog Ridley who is a cross between a chihuahua and a terrier. She is long and has a Mohawk across her back. She will eat anything including her favorite treat, the dog three times her size and the little girl who approaches to tell her how cute she is. Ridley is a tyrant. She even broke her jaw trying to fight a Labrador retriever on the other side of our fence a couple years back. We laugh that her past has molded her into who she is. She lived on the streets of Federal in Denver for goodness knows how long. We rescued her and she was sure ugly in the beginning! She was so scrawny and skinny and downright mean. My daughter fell in love with her instantly and my husband fatted her up with cheese and treats and food off of his plate. She has quite the Buddha belly now. The walking is doing her some good.
I have Murphy on the other side of my leash. We rescued her almost a year ago. I think it was love at first sight. My husband and daughter said that as soon as I looked at her that they knew. She was going to be mine or ours. She has really become all of ours. She is such the sweetheart. She is much bigger than Ridley. Ridley is about eight pounds and Murphy is pushing fifty. Murphy tries to play with every dog we approach though However big or small! She leaps and pulls and will almost drag you to another dog. We are still working on this skill. Even after initial puppy training. So now picture Murphy full charging something with Ridley attached with the double-dog leash. The other day I was thinking how my whole body is getting a workout on these walks. I was feeling it especially in my upper arms and chest. I was thinking that this was great! Nope. That was just the aftermath of Murphy constantly tugging the leash and pulling me to the next best thing. But Murphy is my sweetheart and will snarl at you when she is embarrassed or knows she’s in trouble and she will constantly nudge your hand and give you a palm of cold snout for attention.
On this particular day the dogs are improving. The day before they had been on the double-dog leash and both went for a small black wiry-haired dog named Larry. It took everything to get both of my dogs unraveled between the double leash and my feet as Murphy had rushed initially and Ridley somersaulted in the air. Today, they have almost ignored the other dogs that we have encountered. Thank goodness no Larry on the trail today. However, Olivia was full speed today. She was on a mission to get home in time to start her online college course. But by golly I was keeping up with her every step! All of the previous months of those crazy Beachbody demand videos had greatly improved my stamina and cardio. Even with the rush of this morning, it was a great way to start my day and every day. Olivia would chat about her plans for the day and chat even more about her cosplay and her recent costume she is working on. She loves her cosplay. The sky is blue and we hear hummingbirds as they fly in the field around us. This is a routine that I am settling in to and a routine that I cherish with my daughter. Normally and in late August during this time, I would have hit snooze multiple times in bed and I would be looking in the mirror to see if I could get away with not washing my hair for the day. I would then be rushing out of the house carrying coffee in one hand and toast in the other as I am trying to get into my car and not spill anything. I would commence to drive though over thirty minutes of traffic until I parked in front of my building for the day. This was a much better way to start my day. This was something I was cherishing.
As soon as my daughter and I and the tired-out doggies were home and showered, I would sit at my computer in my new craft room/classroom/office with my cup of tea in my hands and turn on my computer. Click. Ready for the work day.
