Exercise Schedule by AI

 

 I asked Chat and Ask AI app to design me a workout schedule using the equipments and game I have at home, and this is it what it came out with. I plan to give it a try for a week. 

although it did not include all the details I asked to a T, the plan is pretty good and easy to follow  I got a chuckle in the chores part  it is only once a week suggesting that maybe I should only do chores once a week  *laughing out loud* 

Please design a workout plan for 7 days a week for a 50 plus year old sedentary woman that is simple and easy to follow and takes no more than 45 minutes a day. I want to have a lean body but build muscles on my glutes, hips, and thighs. I want to use my household chores, kettlebell, dumbbells, medicine ball, pull up bar, stationary bike, treadmill, supernatural meta quest game twice a week, yoga, and Booty sprout twice a week. 

Certainly! Here's a 7-day per week workout plan that incorporates your equipment, activities, and household chores. The plan is designed to help you build lean muscle in your glutes, hips, and thighs while keeping the workouts simple and under 45 minutes each day.

**Day 1: Kettlebell and Dumbbell Strength Training**

1. Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio (stationary bike or treadmill).

2. Kettlebell swings: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

3. Goblet squats: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

4. Dumbbell lunges: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg.

5. Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

6. Glute bridges with kettlebell: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

7. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, focusing on the lower body.

**Day 2: Yoga and Booty Sprout**

1. Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio (stationary bike or treadmill).

2. Yoga session: Choose a yoga routine that focuses on flexibility, balance, and core strength. Aim for a 30-minute session.

3. Booty Sprout: Perform exercises targeting the glutes, such as hip thrusts, donkey kicks, and fire hydrants. Do 3 sets of 12-15 reps for each exercise.

4. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, focusing on the lower body.

**Day 3: Cardio and Supernatural Meta Quest Game**

1. Warm up: 5-10 minutes on the stationary bike or treadmill.

2. Supernatural Meta Quest Game: Engage in a session for 30 minutes.

3. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, targeting the whole body.

**Day 4: Household Chores Workout**

1. Perform household chores that engage your lower body muscles, such as vacuuming, mopping, gardening, or cleaning windows for 45 minutes. These activities can help you burn calories and work your glutes, hips, and thighs.

2. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, targeting the whole body.

**Day 5: Stationary Bike Cardio**

1. Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio (stationary bike or treadmill).

2. Stationary bike: Engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio on the stationary bike.

3. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, targeting the whole body.

**Day 6: Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Workout**

1. Warm up: 5 minutes of light cardio (stationary bike or treadmill).

2. Dumbbell squats: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

3. Dumbbell step-ups: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg.

4. Medicine ball Russian twists: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per side.

5. Dumbbell hip thrusts: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

6. Cool down: 5 minutes of stretching, focusing on the lower body.

**Day 7: Rest and Recovery**

1. Take the day off to allow your body to rest and recover. You can engage in light stretching or relaxation activities like gentle walking or meditation if desired.

Remember to start with weights that are appropriate for your fitness level. 

Alphabetical Gratitude List 2

A beautiful rooster

To continue from my alphabetical gratitude list last week, here I am starting with the letter G. What am I thankful for? 

G is a gorgeous feral rooster wandering around the plaza. It looks like it is in good health too. It must be finding enough insects to eat while keeping the beautiful garden nice.

When I retire, will I go to heaven?

H is for heaven. I look outdoors and upon the clouds. I wish I could go to heaven when I retire from the earth. It must be so magical. I am thankful I can look forward to that. Well, we all leave sometime.

The Wyllie Beach

"I" is for the island of Kauai where I can go and truly enjoy the beauty of nature.

J is for the jokes I am thinking in my head. I like to tell jokes to my friends to make them laugh. The silence of getting away gives me time to cook up some jokes to use later. It makes me happy when my friends laugh.

K is for the keeper. My housekeeper was the first one who found my place with no power and the black box with keys to the house was suspiciously open! I am here and things are OK now. My housekeeper is truly a keeper. Get it? :)

Flowers in Hawaii

L is for light pink flowers that can be found on the beach. Aren't they pretty? They are free to look at and admire. They add to the beauty and color of the beach.

Me time at the beach

M is for me time. Just me, myself, and I with a good book, hat, sunscreen, and the sound of waves.

I'm in love with this vacuum!

O is for an overdue shopping item on my wishlist that "the husband" finally bought. It was on sale! It vacuums the floor hands-free, empties itself, and plugs itself in to charge. And the sale price probably helped to not overpay for this item.

Patio in Hawaii

P is for my old patio, small, old, and nice to look at.

I want to eat, eat, eat, apples and . . . papaya. 

P is for the papaya fruit-bearing tree. The fruits are sweet and delicious.

I have listed over 10. What are you thankful for that starts with P? Or Q? Or R? Please give me ideas for the next week. 

To read more gratitude posts like this, please join and visit Ten Things of Thankful. But "check your clock" if linking. The link closes in a few days.

The Alphabetical Gratitude List

Little 3-year-old Grandson Napping

Here's my gratitude list for the week, inspired by Ten Things of Thankful.

• A, he's adorable. My grandson looks so cute especially when sleeping, such an angel.
• B, for big brother. Can you imagine he will be a big brother in July?

Homemade Crustless Pizza

• C, crustless cheesy pizza that "the husband" has been making as part of our "reduced carb" diet.
• D, is for a doable diet, eating food we like with some tweaking.

• E, for easy food I can make that is good for me too. This one is a green tea banana soft-serve ice cream.

Watching Superbowl

• F is for football. My husband and I had a good time watching the Superbowl last week. It was entertaining from beginning to end--game and all with no drama.

• E is for electricity to keep our food good. (Thank goodness, our electricity is restored in our vacation home after the cleaner found our fridge with warm food. We found out, we lost power in the place for five days, yikes).
• E is also for electric cars we have on the mainland. Our cars just run smoothly, and no more visits to gas stations every week.

Bread for Fondue

• F is for friends who bring food to work to share. This one is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
• F is also for easy fondue in a box, which I dipped the bread in. The husband liked them both, and he is picky, that's saying a lot.

Note for Donut

• F is for more free food, doughnuts. This box came with a note. "Working in winter is tough . . . doughnuts are hot." :)

I have listed 11 things I am grateful for, exceeding by one. I will save some letters for the next weeks. Your turn. A . . . 

 

Procrastination: Motivation to Stop

 I have to watch this video a bit to stop me from procrastinating today. I am overdue to finishing my e-learning for work and here I am at home trying to finish it. I would say I am at least somewhat motivated. 

Looking Back Last Month and Beyond

I revisited this blog after many months of abandonment. Somebody had to check it. It is still here. I had been occupied with work, family, and volunteer nursing activities. In my little free time, I admit, I tried and did escape to the tropics. I am thankful for that that because back home in beautiful Colorado, the red rocks had been covered with snow. It has been a cold, white winter. There is beauty in it, somehow. Cold, simple, and pure.

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My stevia plant died after I have not watered it enough for many days too often. I have the backup, no-care-needed sweetener in a herb-like container. It does the job to sweeten my drink.

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I had been drinking more hot drinks lately. More, I mean twice a day. This cappuccino from home is as good as some famous coffee shops. Paul and I invested in a small frother and cappuccino for home.

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I have been cooking more at home, as both my husband's and my blood pressure were higher than we want. We are lessening our sodium intake. Here I added some kale to our breakfast. It is delicious--husband approved. I was trying to stretch our last few eggs here :).

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I added some meat and vegetable from a simple, ready-to-cook (heat-up) dinner. The kit has enough sauce and flavor in it that the whole dish is still very flavorful. Another quick, easy, and somewhat healthy meal I was able to cook after a long day of hospital work. The cooked chicken added is a real-time saver too.

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To celebrate Chinese New Year, I thought we should have something red. The husband suggested lobster. It is a special occasion so we splurged a little. I added some corn. 

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Here he is enjoying our dinner. 

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Farmstand from Lettuce Grow

This hydroponic planter does not disappoint. It gives me greens all year long for almost three years now. 

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I changed the template, fonts, color, and some images of this blog. Most links from previous years are still here. Come to think of it, I still use many of the same things and recommend them. 

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I reviewed the about page. It reminded me of why I started this blog. This is a therapy blog for me. I hope I can inspire others, and in a few ways, teach others what not to do, maybe :). 

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Do not be lazy, Carin. 
Make time for journaling, blogging, or writing.
Let yourself be surrounded by positive people.

 

Happy Place

We have quite a few nurses leaving the intensive care unit to relocate, change job positions, or work in neighboring hospitals for more money and/or a different environment. Many, I think, are searching for that happy place, like any other place except where they are currently. For now, my husband and I take some moments as able, to getaway. The anticipation, planning, actual vacationing, and memories of good experiences get us by. We are lucky enough to have the strength and resources to do this. Saving for it, doing tasks that are not always our favorite, and making sacrifices all help to make our happy place within reach (or one flight away).

We visited Kauai. The beaches are clean with fish easy to watch and enjoy. The air is refreshing, the ambiance peaceful.

Even the full moon is beautiful. The reflection on the water makes the area so bright.

This tree from a garden is so unique. It looks almost unreal. 

I am thankful for the good times we had.

Birthday Month

Here are some random photos I picked

From my collection that makes me think

The smiles and laughs shared

With the people who care

I share my birthday month with some loved ones

Some close, some far

With distance or heart

In my thoughts they are present

Sometimes that's all that matter

The experience, tastes, and feelings matter too

Simple things like easter bombs "cocoa"

A manicure with massage

And more sweet happy birthday cakes

A workout in different virtual destinations

I cannot go there for real but virtually I can

New Zealand, Spain, the Pacific Islands

All in one day

Imagined or virtual

They can bring joy

Gardening Hobby

I started a planting hobby this month. I figure planting is something I can have fun with alone. I started mostly from seeds and picked the ones I know I like and likely eat.

Productivity Tips from the Master (Yet Successful) Procrastinator

I may be a procrastinator but I did accomplish a lot. This is my bragging moment. So please let me.

This week, I went over my tools for sanity and productivity. So I decided to write my gratitude on the productivity and lifestyle apps I used to get by last year and this year, 2020. How about some productivity tips from your very own master of procrastination who accomplished a lot from my goals list last year? Here I go.

• I am grateful (again) about my phone camera that is very accessible to take quick pictures. Snapping shots of happy moments are so much fun. I don't always have time to write, but a few seconds of taking pictures, I have time for.

• I am grateful for my grandson, who makes me smile. I “put him to sleep” in my arms. But as soon as I put him to bed, he quickly removed the blanket, got up, and laughed at me. The little stinker! What can I say? Babies can be so much fun, especially that I can just borrow occasionally and not take full responsibility.

• The $10 reward I got from Dick’s store. I was debating about Yeti and Hydro Flask. I picked Yeti on sale and dishwasher safe. Since I got it, I feel motivated to drink more for some reason. A hydrated body is an energized body ready to conquer routine-boring-work.
• I track my steps through Fitbit and earn points with it to Dick’s store. $10 is not enough for the Yeti bottle, but I still had to pay less because of it. The reward alone motivates me to move my feet and get going.

• I began to track my activities (steps, weight-checks, tracking food, reading mindfulness, productivity, stress relievers) that I already earned $150 so far. I can potentially earn around $800 this year. I thank my employer for sponsoring this. Hey, a less-stressed employee is a productive employee. This year we are using the Virgin Pulse app. So far, so good. Hey, who does not want to get rewarded for doing healthy activities?
• I thank my gym, Planet Fitness. It is affordable and my black card membership includes the use of massage machines. Love them.

• Some of the motivation apps I used right on my phone.

• HabitBull paid subscription to track my routines, Achievement where I also earn money to Paypal for tracking healthy activities, the Calm app from work, 1-year premium subscription I use for meditation. 
• Swarm is where I check in to healthy places and earn points that link to Achievement. 
• Donate is where I donate pictures for $1, each applicable to organizations of my choice. Save the Children is my favorite cause. I donate some digital images and Johnson & Johnson match each for a dollar. Giving is good for my soul. It makes me feel good. 
• The Insight Timer is another meditation app I use. I vary my meditation apps to eliminate boredom. 
• The Lotus Yoga app is one of the paid apps I purchase on Yoga. I like the clear videos that go with it. Oh, yeah, we know that yoga is good for stretching and physical and emotional stress.

• I used Google calendar and Dream Book Planner to log my daily reasons to be thankful and to plan my days so I get to concentrate on the most important tasks.
• And last but not the least, I thank this blog and the Ttot team for a chance to share my gratitude for the week. Both systems inspire me!

What are my accomplishments in 2019?  Here are some:

1. I purposely lost weight thru careful food choices and tracking my steps. I succeeded.
2. I made time for a Hawaii vacation without other families except for Paul. We had such a great time with no drama. The beaches are the best I have seen in my life.
3. I passed Statistics with a B. For a subject that is super hard for me; I say I had an excellent grade.
4. I earned my Cardiac Surgery Certification for work. I am the only one in my unit to have the CSC title.
5. I took and passed five advanced nursing courses while working full-time.
6. I earned excellent reviews at work and got a raise.
7. I bumped up the monthly retirement contribution that I was dreaming about for many years. I finally did it to my goal.
8. I got to do a weekend visit in Oregon and Washington while doing schoolwork with my Laptop in between.
9. I got to visit friends and family over the summer and had time to bond in California.
10. I got to visit Omaha, Nebraska exactly a year ago and got to eat in excellent restaurants.
11. I got to visit Florida for a nursing convention combined with pleasure visiting Coco beach.
12. I earned my bachelor's degree in nursing. (I had an associate for a while). This is my 3rd degree.
I had a good 2019 — productive and exciting many times. Life was good.

There is always room for improvement. Among other things, this year, 2020, I plan to make punctuality a habit and do more self-care to build up my resiliency. I also plan to read at least 30 books this year. This does not include the nursing books I need to read for Masters. Have you viewed my sidebar and footer?

Kauai Vacation

Kauai vacation pictures outdoors

Paul and I are lucky enough to go out of the mainland and visit Hawaii's Kauai island. We prepared for this trip with money-saving in mind (we cooked most meals and did not order drinks when we ate out). We also lost weight before leaving. Here is my gratitude list.

1. Losing weight and getting fitter. We tolerated short moderate to difficult hikes to go to the smaller and more private beach to avoid the crowds. 
2. Beautiful beaches we enjoyed for free. The beaches are all public in Hawaii.
3. The beautiful, lush, and shady hikes to complement sunny days.
4. Natural rocks to sit on to watch the waves and enjoy the cool breeze for hours.
5. Jojo's shaved ice with macadamia ice cream on the bottom. We enjoyed the tropical breeze flavor almost daily!
6. Hawaiian feast and show called Lua. That was fun to watch.
7. The company of friends from Colorado. Of all places, we got to meet in Hawaii after many years. How odd but nice. They stopped over from a cruise.
8. The pink sarong Paul encouraged me to get. It is so versatile wrap/dress/top/or skirt! I never had one. It is a must, especially when going to the beach and going somewhere else right after.
9. All the beautiful experience we had on vacation. It made me more resilient facing problems waiting at home. My neighbor "mistakenly constructed a fence" some-20 feet passed her property line into my lot. This is partially resolved. Thank goodness in part for my children 19- and 20- year olds adulting. This issue started the next day after I left for an 8-day vacay. Oh, and also, my daughter slipped driving my car on a snow day days later. My car is still in the shop. 
10. My daughter is not hurt in the car accident. The other party did not get hurt either.

Grateful for August 2019

August 2019 comes to a close. Just looking at this past week makes me feel lucky. It is a good month with some simple reasons to be thankful. 

• A nurse wine glass from Paul he got from the wine tasting event. He got some wine too but the glass is especially cute. Why doesn't the nurse have eyes, I do not know.
• Free cactus vegetarian tacos from the employee recognition day with melon juice. I especially like the juice. It refreshed my dry mouth on a busy day in the hospital.
• A smile from my grandson quenches my thirst as well in a different way. Many times at work, in the intensive care unit, I feel stressed, depressed, and helpless dealing with critical patients. My grandson, however little, cures all the negative feelings. 
• Nature hikes this weekend feeds my soul while I get my work out. It is nice to see the great outdoors in Colorado.

• Flowers brighten my day. The red ones are from the Farmer's market Paul got me today. The others are from the hike at Pella Crossing Trail this morning around the lake.

• Here are more flowers from yesterday's hike at Apex and Enchanted Forest trails.

• Pella crossing trail hike was nice around 7 to 8 am this morning. The trail can be heavily trafficked by the locals but the earlier hours are not crowded at all.
• Yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I got 15-year old Snowball, our miniature poodle his shots and renewal of dog license. We spent $75 for everything in the clinic. That is pretty good price, we think.
• I have yet to thank some of my fellow nurses. They helped me a ton trying to stabilize my patients last Wednesday and Thursday to prevent them from crashing. Everybody's effort helped make a difference in my patients' life. I feel lucky to be apart of a highly efficient and helpful team.
• And last but not least, the All Trails app that helped me find easy to moderate trails in my area. It is a great app in the U.S. I heard you can use it too in other countries like Mexico, China, the Philippines, France, England, and Ireland. It is available for free and paid pro-membership as well.

Fresh Dahlia

Hello. Another week, another time to recognize my blessings. My family went to our regular schedule this past week. It is back to college for my daughter and me. We have no vacations planned so far. Life is smooth and we plan to keep it that way. Smooth is fine and we feel grateful. Here's my list.

1. A $1 dahlia from the farmer's market because even a single stem puts a smile on my face.
2. The farmer's market on good weather to get local veggies from.
3. A table for studying as I am back to school again to get my master's in nursing.
4. Leftover flowers from the week prior and carrot leaves (LOL) to make a bouquet with my dahlia.
5. Coffee candle to keep me awake while studying.
6. My last lipid panel result. I got my total cholesterol and LDL within healthy limits finally.
7. Losing five pounds and keeping it off.
8. Thanks to the Noom app to help change my mindset about food.
9. The slimming coffee my sister gave me. Between Noom and that, I lost weight without struggle.
10. My kids helping around more around the house. They even did the lawn in the front and back of the house.

Thankful for the Great Outdoors

The Main Reservoir walk in Colorado

The Rooney Trail before the bikers and runners came

I feel proud of myself for making time to post in a few weeks streak. It just means one thing. I focus on gratitude for weeks now. What a great feeling.

This week, I am thankful for:

1. The beautiful mountain views in my city, just over ten minutes drive.
2. 60-degree mornings, so the hike felt very refreshing.
3. The energy to rise early and avoid the crowd.
4. My dog joining me in the otherwise solitary walk.
5. The effect of going outdoors has on me--wonderful happy feeling.
6. Calories used for exercising. 
7. Days off to enjoy life outside work.
8. Coffee to keep me going on my workdays in the hospital.
9. My son adulting. He paid for his two old tickets!
10. Apps to motivate me and lose a few pounds. 

Summer Outdoors

Beak Creek Nature park

While visiting the beaches in California, my former state before Colorado some 20 years ago, I realized how I took for granted the beauty of the large body of water when I was living there. How could I not appreciate the beautiful waves and sunset kissing the water when I was minutes away from it? How could I not walk the warm sand at least weekly, the same way I enjoyed it now massaging my feet as I walked? Now I can only do it rarely unless I fly to the west (or east) coast weekly. 

Last June while in Florida, and had a few days by the beach, I did not think about it. I used to live close to the beach, in California, that 's where I stayed for over ten years. Anyway, now that I am back to beautiful Colorado, I told myself not to take for granted the beautiful weather, mountains, and lakes we have here. We have numerous parks to visit, some only a few minutes away. 

Here, my nursing volunteer friends and family visited Colorado Springs. It is over an hour away from Denver but we visited for different scenery and to eat in a Filipino cafe afterward. We squeeze in our Philippine Nursing Association of Colorado (PNACO) monthly meeting to talk about our next project of offering a day of the health fair for the Denver community.

Here is my gratitude list for this post.

1. Beautiful California beaches 
2. Scenic Bear Creek Park
3. A day off to spend with nurse friends
4. My own health and I am glad I can volunteer some time to help others
5. Filipino cafe where I can eat native cuisine I did not cook. I had pancit noodles.
6. Cooperating weather. We did not get rained on.
7. Smooth traffic on the way and back 
8. Hat
9. Sunscreen
10. Money to buy school supplies for my college daughter

That's all for now. What do you like about your surroundings?