Thank you, Nancy, and t hank you, Mianevem!

Ninja is good fun, Nancy. I won't be able to do 2-minutes of everything (today is push-ups, and that's way beyond my capability at the moment), so I'm having the 2-minutes as a maximum target, and it's a good way to guarantee at least some exercise every day. Now, I just need to buy a black body suit!

I'm doing OK with the media and anxiety. I'm lucky that I don't have (and have never had) a smart phone, so at least I don't carry it around with me in my pocket.

Darebee:

Sunday:

Ninja Challenge Day 2: 2 minutes deep side lunges

Epic 5 Day 2: leg things

Kick Master Challenge Day 1: side kicks, turning kicks

The BECAUSE PUNCHES Question-Answering Workout: 200 punches.

I hope you're all doing OK. It's hard. Do your best. Solidarity and love to all. x

And, on the second day of accountability tracking, Colin forgot to do his accountability tracking!

D'oh!

Here we go:

Healthy Internet: 6/6
Move 6/6
Meditate 5/6

All pretty good. I've tended to do my meditation at the allotment this week and it would be good to get into a routine of doing it at home - I dropped a day when we didn't go to the allotment. If I have one thing I could really do with improving it would be some sort of better morning routine that included some movement and maybe something meditative or contemplative. That's something to bear in mind.

x

I did pretty well with Darebee yesterday:

Epic 5 Day 3: Abs.
Epic 5 Day 4: Arm hold.

DD with EC: Balance kicks.

Ninja Day 3: 2 minutes push ups.

Kick Master Day 2: Side kicks.

The Ninja challenge was very much not 2-minutes of pure push-up action, my friends, oh no, it was 2-minutes during which I did some push-ups! I didn't count dilligently, but I think it may have been about 30-35 reps, very much to failure for me (a single set of 15 the best) and very challenging!

Our walk was to the allotment to pick some kale. We're still allowed to go there. We saw a couple of the other gardeners (at a distance) and they seem, now, to be taking social distancing more seriously (though I suspect by the letter of government advice a couple of those we saw shouldn't be outside their homes at all). We're very lucky to have that outlet still, I hope it's something that can be sustained. The weather here is changing today, we've had a long sunny spell, which, while not exactly warm, has been very lovely. The rain is coming today.

Accountability:

Healthy Internet: 6/7
Move: 7/7
Meditate: 6/7

I had a slip on my internet use: not prolonged or of a particularly heavy duty nature. It's caused by boredom with my work and not finding adequate alternative activities. I find when I use the computer I get completely involved it and find even turning away from the screen hard. I use the Pomodoro technique, generally, while I work, which is a time-management schema of 25-minute work periods with 5-minute breaks. It generally works very well for me, and I do recommend it if you struggle to keep focused, however, it would do me a lot of good to make my 5-minute breaks screen breaks. I have plenty to do: there's a guitar in my room, and juggling balls, and I have been doing my Darebeeing in these breaks for the moment.

I'm just thinking over these things.

I had a nice chat with my brother and my parents on a shared call yesterday, they're all doing OK.

I have to go shopping now! Wish me luck!

Ha.

Have beautiful days my friends. Stay safe. Solidarity and love to all. x

Hang in there. I read something at a blog yesterday which put a whole opinion piece from The Times from Lord Sumption. Talks about public safety versus police state. I don't want to send you the link if you are trying to keep sane but let me know if you want it - if you haven't heard of it yet that is.

Thanks, Amrish! I am an Opinion Piece-free zone for the moment!

Amirsh , I'd like the links, please.

When I use the Pomodoro technique, I utilize the rule that I must get up out of my chair for the breaks. They do provide great opportunities for doing many of DAREBEE's mini workouts like the Daily Dares and Challenges, and they're a great opportunity to just stretch as well. Juggling I think would be a great break activity too.

Stay strong, Colin. You're doing great!

The new Colin Challenge!

Hi Louve rose, nice to see you! Thank you, Rainbow Dragon I am working on this - juggling is great, it's sort of a meditation. I'm not great, but I can juggle three balls pretty much indefinitely... I try to do it when I remember!

HellYeah THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS PUNCHES! Ha! This is perfect, thank you, and thank you, Darebee!

So that's a new addition to the programme!

I did 100 punches yesterday - weighted with 6kg (total) dumbbells - so I'm already on the road...

Also:

DD with EC: climber taps

Ninja Challenge: 2-minute wall sit.

Epic 5: high knees and planks.

We managed to shop yesterday. It's stressful going out to be honest as you're dodging people all the time - I'm not the world's most sociable person, but it's not a great feeling. Thank you for the support here, it is a great positive, I'm doing OK, and in a million ways am very lucky and priveliged in the situation I am in.

Accountability:

Healthy Internet Use: 7/8 (Tw 8/8)
Move: 8/8
Meditate 7/8 (3)

(The new numbers are to add Twitter abstinence (my main vice) to my internet tracking, and the current series to meditation.)

Solidarity, strength and love to all.

Ekhart Yoga has a load of additional free classes up at the moment: https://try.ekhartyoga.com/free-relief-classes-1/ I haven't done a single one of them, but I listen to them as I find them calming! Ha!

Have lovely days my friends. x

The Colin challenge for sure

Keep it up Colin you're doing great.
And it's nice to know there are others here using the Pomodoro technique too.

Thank you, Amirsh, and thank you, BLP - thank you for popping by!

Thank you for all the support: it's very lovely!

A pretty good Darebee yesterday:

DD with EC: 60 seconds of squats.

Destress: 100 punches x 2, BECAUSE PUNCHES also.

Ninja Challenge: 2 minutes up-and-down plank.

Epic 5: Push ups and shoulders.

Accountability:

Healthy Internet Use: 7/9 (Tw 9/9)
Move: 9/9
Meditate 8/9 (4)

I didn't get out yesterday. I felt a bit low. I think that's OK, and to be expected. I wonder how everyone is doing with their: "once all this is over..." lists?! I feel a fair amount of stuff in mine! There's always more stuff to do and things to do better....

But! A pretty good day in PE terms. My minute of push-ups in Epic 5 was 20 reps. With this programme I am really focussing on my form as far as possible. Twenty reps is to-failure for me for push-ups I think in any case. I am going to join the Pushers thread in the Playground: not with the intention of completing the whole programme, but, in the first instance, to see if I can do five weeks. Up and Down Planks are one of my bete noirs (I suppose they're a form of one-arm push up in a way) so my 2-minutes for the Ninja challenge was 2-minutes during which I did them rather than 2-minutes of them. I kept going though.

Again, I left meditating to last thing at night. I did it, but just five minutes, and I would like to find a better routine around this.

I wish you all positive, safe, days. x

Colin There's certainly nothing wrong with 20 push-ups at a go! I can get there sometimes but so far that's my record. I've joined the Pushers to encourage me to do more reps per day, in the hopes that I will increase my at-a-go record. I'm sure you'll be able to do five weeks (which has a daily total of 14) and I look forward to seeing you get all the way to the end!

With a little push-ups every day you can improve, just don't be in a hurry, I'm at 16 handles push-ups in a row

Thank you Fremen and thank you TopNotch (great name!), expect to see me posting there soon: I'm going to do the 42 by Sunday, so I can' start Week II then! It's a kind welcome!

HellYeah must explain something to me. We went for a longish (safe, socially distant) walk this morning, and I was pleased and surprised to see some St Pauli stickers on a lamp post. I don't have a camera on my phone so no picture, but they said: Hansa Fans St Pauli. I came back and Googled that phrase and got an interesting picture of Hansa Rostock! Are these a supporter group from the wider area? Or were they being rude about St Pauli? They had a coat of arms on them. Not the St Pauli castle but a ship on the sea. A Hanseatic mystery in Cardiff! I'll take a picture if we see them again.