Re-balancing

Today was different, more balanced. Work was fine, I caught up with a few more people today and got my head back in the game a little more.

Come end of the workday, there was no afternoon TV I wanted to watch today, so I did 30 mins of Wii Fit. Then I went back to my desk, got my personal laptop out and wrote a full 2,000 words, I may well add more after I’ve blogged.

I should have been a part of two different on-line groups tonight, but because of picking up my daughter from work, I couldn’t get to the start of either. And I can’t say I’m upset by that.

Love this, but can’t trace the source –
sorry to whoever designed it

Having spent so much time at home, I was keen on doing a lot of on-line stuff, however, now I’m connecting with people all day, I just want to crawl away to hid in the evenings.  It’s odd, but you know – Ew, People!

Hiding is part of how I deal with depression, by pulling away from people. By limiting my exposure to humanity, I can deal with that art of humanity I have to deal with.

Could have done with dealing with less humanity driving past – or rather struggling to drive past – KFC this evening. I have to pass it to pick up my daughter, but cars were queueing in the way of the entrance.  Seriously people – it’s just fried chicken! It’s also supposed to be fast food. If you have to queue for an hour just to get into the drive through, how is that fast food? But form a queue that stops other people getting to other outlets in the retail park is just selfish and stupid. Seriously, I do enjoy a KFC, but show a bit of consideration people.

God help us when McDs opens.

Messes

Today started at 7am, I did 30mins WiiFit, and a basket full of ironing. After getting the scales working yesterday, I decided to make the eclairs I’ve been promising. 

Not unusually for me, this did not go without issues.  I made the choux pastry more easily than expected, where I usually them spoon the pastry out to make buns, this time I piped out eclairs. They cooked well, actually they cooked quicker than expected and came out darker than normal.

After they’d cool, I melted chocolate for the top in a glass banana-spilt bowl. I selected that as being best for dunking. I took the bowl out of the microwave, stirred the chocolate, it still had lumps, so I went to put the bowl back in the microwave – and dropped the whole lot on the floor!

Melted chocolate is not easy or fun to cleaned up. I was wearing my favourite comfortable Merrells, and they got covered.  Most came off, but the stains look really bad. So those shoes which I used to wear out often enough, have become for indoors only.

After that, I had to go for a walk, I needed more chocolate.  Hubby and I took our usual 3.5km route, popped into a local shop, and once home, I finished the eclairs. Woohoo! Okay, they don’t look good, but they taste fantastic.

On the walk though, something annoyed me that I’ve spotted before but not mentioned. There is an increasing amount of dog mess on the streets. It’s like (some) dog walkers have decided if there’s no one around to see they don’t clean up after their pouches, they don’t bother. It’s disgusting. If your dog made a mess, you clean it up, non-dog owners shouldn’t have to put up with that muck on the pavements.

Rant over.

Frustration

I got up to exercise this morning. Didn’t go well.

At 09:06, I put the Wii on, only my Wii died and the one set up in it’s place is my daughter’s (she brought it back after uni), consequently I had to create a new Mii, which was really annoying because apparently I can’t hold a controller steady so typing my name – all four letters – took ages.  Anyway, sorted that out, and went onto “Wii Fit”. The balance board wouldn’t connect. I changed to what batteries I could find, a mixed bunch, that got the board powered, but still the board wouldn’t connect. 

Instead, I decided to try “My Fitness Coach”.  Again, my daughter’s Wii, so I had to set up a new profile. Unsteady hand issues again, and more irritating, that system wants loads of starting stats, and a base fitness test that it can measure against. 

All I wanted was to do a quick workout! 

Anyway, I stated filling the details in, even went to find a tape measure for various measurements, and a calculator to figure out was 15.5 stone is in pounds. After about 20 minutes of that I gave up. It’s hard enough to get myself up to exercise this just thwarted that attempt.

I turned the DVD player on, to do the DVD as yesterday. Only the Samsung DVD player wouldn’t link to the Samsung TV or the Samsung sound bar.  This happens, I just have to turn all three are off and then turn on the DVD player and it automatically sets up the other two. Didn’t work first time, nor fifth.  I gave up at 09:56.

Instead I dusted shelves, parboiled potatoes for sautéed

potatoes, and put bedding plants in pots to brighten the back garden.

At least it was activity.

Moving

After yesterday’s bad day, I decided I have to do something more to help myself.

I’ve mentioned before that I know exercise is good for depression, and I have been for a few walks, but that’s difficult now with a lot of places being closed. I’ve got loads of exercise DVDs and A Wii fit but no motivation.

Half an hour of exercise a day doesn’t sound like much, but when in depression, it can be too much. Depression makes just getting out of bed a mountain climb, to exercise is an Everest ascent the sufferer just can’t attempt.

I got up not wanting to move, but I know have to do it, so I made myself.  I picked a DVD I know is gentle, that advises on ways to modify so you keep up even if you get winded.

While this did get me a bit hotter and breathing harder, I was surprised how well I kept up.  A lot of my coordination has deserted me, but the I haven’t done any form of exercise class in three years.  The sad part of the ‘used to’ of this is that in my late twenties and early thirties I qualified as an exercise leader, got into it because of my interest in nutrition, as the two usually go hand in hand.

I can feel I’ve worked muscles that haven’t been worked in a while, it’s not a comfortable feeling, but it’s one that I remember and it’s one that, if I can keep up, should lead to better fitness and health. 

Depression makes doing anything a herculean task. Sometimes you have to take the duvet day, but sometimes you have to force yourself to get up and just do something. Try and do what you can.

Isolation

Given the current status of the Coronavirus, we’re all now being advised not to go out unnecessarily. This is a good thing and advise we should all follow.  It’s not going to be easy for many, and could hit some vulnerable people very hard.

(photo by my husband using a drone)

Today, before this above advise was given out, I went out. We drove to Carreg Cennen Castle, an isolated place on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, and went for a wonder up the steep slope up to and then around the ruins. There were only a couple of people around, but that’s the good thing about Wales, you don’t have to go far to get away from people. I sat for a while up in the castle, and it was odd, through one window was green rolling hills, through the other, blue sky. Couldn’t get a picture because the sun was directly in the camera lens. Then a bus load of teenagers turned up to ruin the tranquillity. Still, it’s a lovely place, if you get the place to go, it’s well worth the effort, and it was an effort. Getting up the slope was tough, but only because I’ve done next to no exercise in years, it was one of the things “I used to do”. Now I have to do better.

It is going to be difficult to do any more walks with the recent government advise, but I will need to find a way to get fitter in the home. I still have various work out DVDs and access to a Wii, so no excuse really.

Whatever you’re doing, stay safe.