Last night, I was looking for a show to watch on MHz Choice, an international streaming app. As I was browsing, I saw this movie, “Rivals Forever – The Sneaker Battle.” You can tell from the photo that this looked interesting. German subtitles.
Imagine my surprise when the story turns out to be about the sneaker brands, Adidas and Puma. I had no idea these brands were German and created by two brothers. If you don’t know the story, I don’t want to give it away. Definitely, interesting and eye opening. A great, but sad story.
Let’s face it, winter can challenge our exercise routine. Below zero temps outside force us to stay inside. Some people can walk in place to a video, for me that is B-O-R-I-N-G. I just can’t do it. I’d go insane.
I introduce you to the perfect sock I found for TOUGH days. Yes, when I saw this sock, I thought – it is the answer. Wearing a mean scary bear on my feet would motivate me to weather the storm, right?!
One of my daughters was on board, she loved it. The other one said, “But he looks so scary.”
To which I replied, “That’s the point! Sometimes we need to push ourselves. Take control, “tough it out,” motivate ourselves in a funny way to brave the cold weather. These bear socks do that – LOL.”
Have you ever worn the Darn Tough brand of sock? Made in Vermont, U.S.A. They are the Mercedes of socks. Yes, smooth, light, slick and high end. Oh, and colorful. As soon as I put them on I could tell the difference from my less expensive socks. I was ready to climb the mountain.
However, something was wrong, seriously wrong. They were so narrow. Yes, so tight fitting. I double checked the package. It’s the right size. Why so narrow. I imagined how the Chinese women felt years ago when they bound their feet. So, I need to call the company and sort this out.
Some good news. If you look at the packaging, it says, “Guaranteed for Life!” That means there is hope for an exchange. Maybe a Men’s Medium? By the way, my feet are normal size, nothing unusual.
Their website is amusing. Funny that they need to say they don’t guarantee one sock lost in the laundry, a sock being burned or animal destruction. I’m sure there are other disclaimers. They do show some of the returned socks. Definitely worn – with love – not sure about that, but worn, for sure.
We have great weather for walking, but snow is headed our way. No more time to write. I’ve got to call the company, get a new pair of socks – PRONTO!
Listen to David Goggins on Spotify, he gets you motivated!
January, time for health and goal setting, right! One goal I had in December was to organize my weights. I was tired of seeing them in a pile. I looked up weight racks and it took me “forever” to decide on one. Why? I started reading reviews.
Responses went from hard to assemble, product had a terrible lead smell, heavier weights take up a lot of space, so weights don’t fit perfectly, etc.
You see, a simple task turned into hours of research.
Before I knew it, I was watching YouTube videos on how to assemble the weight rack. That turned out to be critical. You needed a wrench, not included AND muscle power. Laughing, it’s true. The muscle power was for holding the nut in place while you turned the screw through the nylon steel nut.
I’m not going to lie. You can see, it seems easy, but it was exhausting. Like putting together an IKEA cabinet. Not hard, but just takes time. My heart sank when I saw “one washer” on the floor. Oh NO! Did I miss one? I checked and double checked. Looks like they gave me an extra one. Next time, I would count them out. Since I don’t do this often, I forget these tricks.
As I say that, I cringe. Why do I say, “forcing?” I actually enjoy walking. However, the transition from Fall to Winter is a strange one. The days are changing, it’s darker in the morning and at night, which effects our mood. Suddenly, I go into bear, hibernation mode. Desire for comfort food sets in (stews/soups) and laziness to go out in the COLD takes over.
It’s funny, isn’t it. This happens every year. We need to create a new exercise routine. No more walking at 6 AM, now it’s 7 AM or lunch time. No more walking at 4:30 PM, too dark outside. I need to dust off my rowing machine, pull out my weights. Create new exercise habits until March.
There are REWARDS for walking. Look at this lovely bird I saw in the window. I don’t feed the birds, so was pleasantly surprised to see this bird feeder suctioned to the window. It held the weight of the bird nicely, as you see.
I was brought back to Italy. My grandmother fed the pigeons on her apartment balcony. It was a morning ritual. Make her tea and give bread crumbs to the birds. It’s nice to have birds as friends.
I’m not alone in my “move into winter mode.” Look at this squirrel, he’s been eating a lot too. In fact, he was enjoying his lunch so much that he let me get a close up of him, no fear, he just kept chomping.
As I finish my post, I see the sun rising.
Got to lace up, head out walking. GET IT DONE!
We do FEEL better when we exercise! No more winter laziness!! Exploration awaits, right!?!
Anyone thinking of Rudyard Kipling’s, “Jungle Book” right now?
Kudos for creativity and humor.
We have ALL accumulated “things” that need to be given away, thrown away or repurposed.
I admit… sometimes I enjoy walking, but there are days when “trying” to get 10K steps in is a “real chore.”
Imagine seeing this TIGER on my walk.
Suddenly, I perked up!
I had decided to walk in a different neighborhood. So glad I did.
That tiger gave me the extra energy I needed to get my steps in. I just couldn’t stop smiling, such a clever idea.
I also thought of a child coming home from College and seeing their favorite stuffed animal in a tree, not sure how well that would go over. Of course, maybe it was a child who put the tiger in the tree. So many scenarios.
The other day, I was heading out the door to walk. I picked up cell phone, keys and “last minute” decided I should bring a few dollars, just in case. The just in case scenario was for the “end of the walk.”
Inevitably, it always happens. I’m at the end of my walk, tired with NO $$ to stop at grocery store or get a coffee. Better yet, get a $2 Lottery Ticket, never know when LUCK might strike, right. I have Apple Wallet, but have not found a grocery store that accepts it.
As I took a few dollar bills, I SAW this one with a Psalm on it. I’m Catholic, the guilt set in, this is a spiritual message, I was meant to see it — STOP — look up the Psalm. If I merely put the $1 in my pocket without looking up the Psalm, my entire walk would be ruined. Why, because in the back of my mind, I’d be thinking what could the Psalm be about, why was I meant to see it?
As you can see, a powerful Psalm indeed!
Imagine me on my walk. I was thinking/wondering — WHO wrote that Psalm, WHY did they choose that one, and WHY did they write it on the dollar bill? So many scenarios.
The Psalm brought back painful memories of when I was laid off two different jobs within seven years. YES, I went through tough times. I did stop by church, I never begged God; however, I did ask, “WHY” and “WHAT was my direction?” In early 50s, it was hard to find a job. NOW, employers are begging for employees. What a difference a few years makes, COVID changed everything.
So, I share this with you.
If you received this Psalm, what would you immediately think?
We all know that feeling. We’re rushing to get dressed, pull out a pair of socks, start to put them on and one of our toes pokes out of a hole. It’s SO IRRITATING! At that moment, I’m sure you’d agree, we assess the situation. CAN WE GET BY with wearing the sock that day?
We have to determine… 1) How big is the hole and 2) How uncomfortable our toe is going to feel all day.
Ah, my first thought was to THROW the socks out! THEN I heard my Italian mother in my mind saying to me when I was a child, “We don’t throw socks out, are you CRAZY, we sew the hole up.”
YES, parents do get irritated with kids when they want to throw everything old away and buy it new. Back in the day, as they would say, you “fix” everything. Old is better than new. I heard that a lot as a kid.
So… WHAT did I do after I heard the VOICE? I searched for my sewing kit. I admit, it’s gotten a little dusty, I haven’t used it in ages. I pulled it off the back of the shelf. I opened it and then THOUGHT about the situation. Was I really in the mood to sew the hole? No, I was not, but at least, I had the sewing kit opened, so I was one step closer to sewing the hole, right.
Ah… it’s like ironing our clothes, we have to be in the mood to do it.
I bet you were hoping to see the LAST photo of the darned sock. NOPE, not today.
However, I feel happy knowing that I will SAVE my sock from the dumpster! I really do like these socks!
For me, I love Spring. Sure, we are still having rain showers, but look at the beautiful flowers that are starting to bloom. I saw these on my walk. Lake Michigan was looking spectacular and peaceful too.
Photography – our phones have made it so quick to snap a photo. Remember the old days? Take a photo, bring film to be developed and *hope* you took a great picture. We’ve come a long way!
I like walking/hiking. This year, I needed some new hiking socks. Due to COVID restrictions, I was lazy and did not go to a sporting goods store. I was at Costco in November and I was in luck. They had these great looking bundle of socks, 4 in a pack, great price. As you see from photo, they looked like a good quality pair of socks and the color was pleasing. So, I bought them. They’ve been comfortable.
Fast forward three months. This is how my socks look now. Really worn out. I thought if I need to see a foot doctor, I would just show him the bottom of my sock. He could determine from that how I am walking, and where foot pain is coming from.
In the past, I leaned toward Smartwool and Darn Tough brand of socks. They are very pricey, no question, but they last for years. Personally, I think the Smartwool run a little narrow.
Well, this year I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Quality of socks does make a difference if you want to use them for walking/hiking. These socks from Costco are nice socks, but they were meant for every day minimal walking.
So, GUESS where I am headed today? YES, Smartwool shopping!!
Spring is here, ready to get back out there and walk. The weather is finally warming up. I’m also searching for some good podcasts to listen to as well. Any suggestions, please share.
Well, I was over zealous in my squats. For a few weeks now, doing squats was fine. No pain. I take that back, I mean, I had some normal “exercise pain,” which means our routine is WORKING, but no severe pain. UNTIL a few days ago. Walking was fine, but stairs…*#!&
Holy Moley, I suddenly felt like a 90 year old woman. Where did that left hip pain come from? I had obviously aggravated something. I immediately knew I had to stop the squats, but I have been on a rhythm. It’s always annoying to be in a routine, get an injury, and then either be side lined or have to refocus a workout in a different way.
I decided I would walk more, that should be OK, right. WRONG, I was fine until mile 3, when I got to the start of mile 4, my hip was on fire! It was saying, “What the heck are you doing?” I did chuckle to myself. OK, ok, I’ll ice YOU (the hip) when I get home.
On to YouTube for hip pain physical therapy. There are a lot of great videos on stretches that target the outer hip. Also, I liked one guy’s take on this. He said that doctors always say REST. His opinion was that stretching is critical to lengthen the muscles and tendons for quicker recovery. I agree. If we become sedentary, then one day turns into 6+ months of inactivity.
So… I’ve been BENCHED for a little bit!
Next time I’ll take those squats SLOWER! Lesson learned!
Brilliant Viewpoint 