Exercise Fads are OK

 One of my current forms of exercise.

Today I am writing about something a little bit different but something that I think about quite a lot and that is our relationship with exercise, or at least my relationship with it.  I can't be sure but I would think that there are quite a few other people who probably have the same experience as me so here goes.

When I was teenager I used to swim at our local pool every week with my friend and in the summer months we would play tennis regularly in the park, not unusual at all and I'm sure many of you did the same. Along came the winter, the tennis would stop and we would ice skate every week for a number of months.  This too would eventually end as we tired of it.  In addition to this as my parents didn't own a car I always walked many miles a day and I have to say this has stayed with me through life as I have always enjoyed walking.

On leaving school and having my own money I bought myself free weights, and a workout bench along with a book on weight training for women.  This was an interest that I maintained for three years, three times a week and only took a back bench ( ha, ha) when I met my husband.

Along came our life in our own home, the weights came with us but were not used for a few years but we did enjoy other things.  Our first dog got us out walking again, a new friendship took me back to the swimming pool and to weekly badminton sessions and the exercise continued.

When my dad retired early I also had a day off in the week so on fine days we would play tennis, on wet days darts and pool ( ok that's not really exercise!)  So an interest was revisited there, my dad was very good as he was at most sports and very competitive too, I am glad we had that time together.

Later when my boys were young I  would take part in Taekwondo with my oldest son gaining a few belts.  I enjoyed it at the time as there were two other women my age there but they eventually quit and so did my son, I quit then too I didn't want to be one of the only adults there.  I suppose I could have looked for another club had the interest been strong enough but it had run it's course.( I might also mention that after the birth of my first son I began using my free weights and bench again to get back in shape this continued for a few years until I was pregnant with my second child.)

At about the time we quit Taekwondo we had started riding bikes at weekends with the children until the winter came.
Then in  our current home we were near a pool (not so close anymore as they demolished it!) so I had membership for four years and would swim two to three times a week consistently.  I enjoyed that very much for a long time but eventually felt like it was no longer giving me any joy.  I think it is ok to recognise that but I felt a bit guilty at first as I had maintained it as such a good habit.

When that ended I had to replace the activity with something so I had a few months of going out for runs with the dogs.  Maybe not such a good idea as they pull me about quite a bit but I thought it was such a waste not to exercise them at the same time.  After that first few months I began getting  a lot of pain in my ankle so decided this was maybe not the exercise for me.  I mean it is supposed to improve your well being not create more problems.

A few internet searches got me doing at home aerobics workouts, then two solid months of yoga which again I enjoyed for a while but wasn't sure it was for me.  I have eventually settled on Pilates and I have been doing that for about two years maybe, from home, using online sessions 20-30 almost every day. (free on youtube)  We are also back riding bikes at the weekends and this is something my husband and I can do together, although I don't go fast enough according to him. The walking has continued throughout my life and I can never see a time when I would not enjoy going for a long walk.

So what was the point of my long and exhaustive list of lifetime activities?  Well the point was to say that we often beat ourselves up if we haven't chosen a form of exercise and then stuck with it forever.  people join gyms doing the same repetitive thing and then wonder why they quit and feel bad about it.  I don't believe it matters what we do to keep fit as long as we do something,  Of course whatever we do we have to enjoy it or we just won't have the motivation to continue.  So I look back on my activities stopped and started over the years with a smile.  I enjoyed these things immensely for months, sometimes  years but then it was time for a change and that  is fine, no guilt required.   Who knows what I will do in the future, more of the same or something new?

In regards to all these activities above I might also add that I never spent a lot of money on any of them. We hired rackets as children, skates my parents got me second hand, swim membership was cheaper than individual sessions.  Badminton rackets we did own but used until tatty, my son later used these too and they are still upstairs in the cupboard, they were inexpensive to begin with and they certainly earned their keep.  I suppose our most expensive sport was the Taekwondo as we had the clothing, membership and insurance to pay for, other than that everything has been pretty low cost. A basic swim suit, trainers and whatever t shirt and joggers I had knocking about I have certainly never been one  for buying clothes to exercise in.  Most recently we replaced my old bike on the ride to work scheme, I will not be riding to work as I am afraid of riding on the busy road however it did provide us with a good discount off the price of the bike.

So in all I don't feel it is the fad of trying new sports then quitting that is the problem, that is just experiences and variety and we all need a bit of that.  No I think the problem is when people feel they have to look the part and have the latest expensive equipment before they can try anything, only to quit having sunk a ton of money into it.  This is not only a problem in terms of wasted money but it also cause people to feel they can't try anything else because they know what will happen and they don't want to waste more money.  That is really sad because what if you only enjoy for two months? Great you did something healthy for two months!  A lot of equipment can be hired, bought second hand or borrowed. My exercise mat cost £7 including postage and I wear whatever clothing I want as I'm at home, actually when I go on the bike I just wear my leggings and a t shirt, no specialist clothing needed.

In conclusion I think we need to get away from this whole idea that we are flaky if we try new things and then move on to something new.  It should be seen as a positive thing to experience lots of different ways to stay healthy and enjoy our lives.

Beetroot Burgers and Decluttering

Well I am going to share this recipe first of all because Mamas Mercantile asked me to share what I did with the beetroot.  I have never had it fresh before only in those little pickle salads that you buy so this was new for me.  I suppose I was a bit uncertain what to do with it being so strong (or so I thought) and vivid.   I saw this recipe but can't find the link, needless to say I changed it a bit too.
I had read I could microwave the beetroot first so that is what I did, about 8-9 minutes turning part way through, oh and I pricked it too like you would a baked spud.  It also went in a bowl as I expected it to leak a bit, it did!
While that was cooking I put one chopped red onion, two garlic cloves and a tsp of cumin in a frying pan, fried that gently then added cannellini beans.  You are supposed to add red kidney but I'm not a fan of those and they make me bloat.  After that has cooked chop the beetroot and add all ingredients to the blender with two tbsp. of porridge oats then blend, you will have to keep scraping down the sides.  When that is done scoop it out adding more porridge to bind it a bit, salt and pepper and then form in to burger shapes in the pan.  I did all of this using two big spoons to save on the red hands.
Then fry them about five minutes on each side until browned a bit.

I used one beetroot and half a can of beans and that made three burgers that size, so if you were serving them in a bread  bun that would serve three people.  I ate mine without the bread, I don't eat regular bread and my family had chicken and did not want a beetroot burger!  To be honest they were ok and not unpleasant but I'm not sure they would warrant the faffing about for me.  maybe they would have tasted better in a GF breadcake with vegan cheese and dressing on. Maybe next time or I may just try another recipe.

Today I have been trying to get back into the habit of decluttering, I started this last year after reading Marie Kondo but somehow I lost my way.  It is not that I have brought more stuff in, I just haven't been keeping up with the reducing items like I had planned.  Maybe it got harder as time passed as  the things left to sort had more meaning.  Anyway spurred on by Jo's decluttering I have managed to take two large bags to the charity shop today, some of them were books.  Since my last declutter I have managed to keep the book habit under control and usually always order from the library, or buy charity shop then all but my very favourites go back there.   There was also a dress in one of the bags that I still liked but I haven't worn it in over four years, the reason being  I wore it for an interview of a job I didn't get and every time I looked at it I just thought of that negative memory.  Silly really as I am in a better position now but as it caused that feeling it had to go.  It is a bit strange how long it took me to realise and get rid of it though, it just shows the attachment we have to things.   On the plus side I came back from the shop feeling mentally lighter having removed more things so I must hold on to that feeling and keep at it.  Being someone who sews and likes to save money always gives me that little feeling of ' oh but what if I need it to make.....' so I will have to check that internal voice.  Chances are a lot of the time I will not make anything, it will just clog up a cupboard and head space for ages

This past couple of days I have had a bit of a marathon read of this blog raptitude.com getting better at being a human  It is brilliant when you find a new blog you like and  that speaks to you in some way.  There are so many talented writers out there!  Lots of   fascinating posts on there that really get you thinking why not have a look.

Days Out

We chose not to book a week away this summer holiday as we always fall unlucky with the weather. I know it has been glorious for weeks but oddly enough the week my husband booked off then cancelled, which was this past week, the weather has been raining in the lakes and that is where we were going to go!  He still retained a couple of days off and spread the rest out so we have had a couple of day trips out, I am wondering if this might always be a better idea as we travel about when we go away anyhow.  Not saying I never want to go away but you know good value to use your own home as a base rather than pay to stay in another home.  
 Thursday we went out on our bikes we have been doing this each week since I got mine four weeks ago.  We went on the cycle path from Wortley to Dunford bridge it is ten miles so a twenty mile round trip and I have to say my legs were a bit wobbly when I got back.  A nice day for this as it wasn't too hot and we managed to take a few pics along the way.

It is an old railway line as many of these paths are so you go through a tunnel which can be a welcome cool down.

Lots of lovely scenery along the way.

Some quirky things to see too!

These little fairy doors were everywhere, at least that's what I think they are and also sculptures here and there.

When you get to the car park at Dunford bridge there is this piece of art that was created to celebrate the Tour de Yorkshire.

Yesterday we chose to go to Bakewell for a walk around, it was much better than the last time we went as it was a weekday, weekends can be very busy there.   We parked at the top of a hill away from the main bit to get free parking we always do this when we go anywhere.  I don't understand why people pay a premium to park in the centre when they are able bodied.  If you are going to be walking around for the day anyway why not walk a bit further to your car?

We had some chips while watching the ducks.

These images are the walk down from the car, park in the centre and you miss this.

We also stopped and had a drink here...

In other news I am still getting bits from the greenhouse and garden, it's not a huge amount but it is good to know we grew it ourselves.

I also have a beetroot from my mother in-law's garden so I   will be making something with that later. I can't say it is something I have ever used much of but if she has a surplus of them I will be investigating ways to use them up.