fitness Archives

Indoor Climbing … Still on the Wall!

March 19, 2026March 3, 2026Posted in blogging, confidence, fitness, writingTagged climbing, fitness, sport5 Comments

I’m still climbing the wall after more than a month! Amazing, three times a week, getting a full body workout … or my tired body after each session seems to feel that is happening! If any thing else, I am being challenged with a new sport and loving it!

Well maybe my toes are not loving it. I recently did purchase a more comfortable climbing shoe. Now my toes are not so squished. Yet I did donate part of a big toe nail to the activity. Now allowing it to grow back and learned to always keep a bit of the white portion on all nails. Oh, that big toe hurt, but with new shoes all is good!

I greatly appreciate my fellow climbers providing me with inspiration and info about climbing technique. One person reminded me there are techniques golfers learn and it is no different with climbing. (I did not admit to the person I never learned enough golf techniques, thus am a poor golfer.) But I listened: learn climbing techniques to climb better. Okay … working on all of it … and hopefully better than my golfing attempts.

Recently I mentioned to an accomplished climber how some of the earlier, lower numbered routes are feeling easier to me. But I also realized they are the routes to truly work on bettering my technique. And so I continue to practice. It is also interesting how on some days a climb is not completed, yet I had been successful other times, numerous times. Sweaty palms, tired muscles, wrong moves due to piss-poor technique, loss of focus or whatever and I am off the wall, down on the floor wondering what happened this time! Never a dull moment!

So let’s see how this next month goes. I get excited when I move onto a harder route. However, another climber reminded me to just have fun. I don’t want to be number-oriented, but there is a joy in knowing the route setter did also think this route was more difficult than another I had completed. Yet, I do want this all to be fun! Climb on!

I just accomplished the “Purple 7” route and now they’ll have a new one!

Olympic Event-Viewing Withdrawal is Real!

March 1, 2026February 28, 2026Posted in blogging, fitness, Italy, Mountains, Travel, writingTagged athletes, medals, sports2 Comments

Today everyone will be saying, “I can’t believe it is March”. Whereas I’ll be wondering if there isn’t another Olympic event I could be watching right now!

I loved the Olympics!! Two and a half weeks in February with Olympic events to watch, thanks to the extensive TV coverage. So many events, some new to me, such as the ski mountaineering! Wow! It’ll be interesting to see if that activity continues in future winter Olympics. Then there were moments I would turn on the tv and see a curling event. How many curling events are there!?!

My sketch of the Olympic rings in this post is a reminder of the meaning of the interlocking rings: the event is to unify the world. I think it did.

I hope you had an opportunity to watch the winter Olympics. Amazing athletes in a variety of sports and our chance to view them on television for a couple of weeks. I’m going to miss it …

But wait… the Paralympics are happening in Milan and Cortina, Italy now! I can still watch more events! More amazing athletes …

Then I will look forward to the summer Olympics, actually held in October 2026 in Dakar, Senegal and in 4 years the summer and winter Olympics and Paralympics again! Also mid- month it is tennis time for BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, CA! Hoping the tv coverage is good. I love watching sports!

Let unify more days than the Olympic days.

Compression Socks for Travel?

November 20, 2025November 14, 2025Posted in adventure travel, blogging, fitness, Travel, writingTagged compression socks, flying, travel7 Comments

Compression socks came onto my radar recently. I was thinking about the long flight I’ll have to South America soon. A fellow blogger mentioned the advantage of the compression socks, so I did some research. My purchase of the lightest support compression sock will be tested on me in a couple of weeks.

Good-looking socks; hope they are helpful!

The advantages of wearing compression socks on flights longer than four hours are supposedly numerous. The reasons I am giving them a try is to support my lower leg muscles and bones, reduce swelling and energize my legs. Time will tell if any or all that happens. I have never worn socks like this on any of my many numerous long flights, but decided to give them a try now.

My research indicated that even people who sit long hours at their desk may wear compression socks. Also, there are compression socks with heavier support for people with medical conditions, prescribed by their doctor.

There was a slight learning curve for me to know how to put the socks on. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and read the steps for putting on and taking off the socks. Be sure to watch a video if you purchase the socks. A video is informative. In a nutshell, you put your arm into the sock all the way to the toe and pull the sock inside out. Then insert your foot into the toe area, then the heel area, and slowly roll the sock onto your leg. Be sure there is no bunching of the sock on your leg. (See now why I suggest watching a video?)

Hand in toe area and sock rolled inside out. Do watch a video!

Anyway, you may give the compression sock a try for your long hours sitting doing whatever. I will try them and hopefully have an easier time pulling them off than I did in my practice try. I was to to get them off like I was peeling a banana! Right:)

Anyone else wear compression socks for their long flights? How do you like them? Share if you wish, thanks. Safe travels all!

Climb Like A Kid: A Senior Can Too!

November 6, 2025October 17, 2025Posted in blogging, confidence, fitness, writingTagged challenges, climbing, movement, Tucson, workout1 Comment

Climbing is one of those activities maybe you also did as a child, yet as years went by I did less of it. Thankfully these days I do not need to find a tree to climb, there are climbing gyms.

I decided was time for me to return to my indoor climbing experience! Ten years ago I enjoyed my time at a Flagstaff, Arizona climbing gym. I had a friend belay me on some attempts at the gym and a women’s climbing group cheer me on as we belayed each other’s climb. Then eight years ago I was at a Tucson, Arizona climbing gym. Unfortunately during a private climbing lesson, I had a shoulder injury and needed time off from climbing. Then Covid happened; I sort of let my climbing lapse.

Now eight years later, I am back on the climbing wall with an auto-belay. My body is surprised by these strange movements! My toes needed a slightly larger climbing shoe. My hands are getting new calluses. It seems strange to start all over again, but I will challenge myself and see how long I can hang on! (No pun intended!)

Encouraged by fellow climbers:

I have met supportive individuals as I relax in-between climbs. A guy encouraged me to take days off between climbing sessions. He’s a senior, as am I, and we talked about our bodies needing rest. It’s an all-body workout even when we put our body onto the easiest wall challenges. Quite honestly, the easy walls are not feeling easy to me quite yet.

Another individual spoke about the importance of our body moving and our brain figuring out a climbing route. I did ask for help to figure out a route on my second day at the gym. I simply could not see a route. I learned though, do not ask a tall person for a possible solution. Their arms and legs make a route look so easy to climb. Then when I, who is shorter, try to reach for some of the same hand and/or foot holds, it simply does not work! Lesson learned!

It was fun talking with one gray-haired, like myself, couple. They were comfortable climbing harder routes so I figured they must have been climbing for decades. Yes, and we talked about the crazy decades: 60’s and 70’s at Joshua Tree National Park. This area was a climbing mecca I had read about and they were part of it! Cool!

Each time I climb, at either climbing gym in town, I have met pleasant supportive climbers. It’s fascinating to watch how others will climb a route. Someday I hope to be on those routes too. The fun part right now is I can climb like a kid and work on a more efficient approach another day. For now I just want to reach the top and auto-belay down. It does not matter to me if it is not a pretty climb; I just want to reach the top!

Why Do This Climb?

That’s the question I ask myself often when I decide to take on a new activity or return to an activity I once did. It seems the secret for people who live long lives is to keep moving. Could I not simply walk and not indoor wall climb? Yes, but I’m a personality needing a variety of activities in my life. Walking outdoors is time to bird watch when I rarely get my heart rate to where it would be cardio-beneficial. Walking indoors is time to watch The Food Network, yet I can manipulate the resistance to get a better cardio result. But climbing, just like mountain biking, I must focus on what I am doing in the moment and it is a full-body exercise! I know this for sure when I wake up the next morning and feel every muscle in my body!

How many moments will I spend with my indoor climbing? Time will tell, but each will be fun. And when it is not, then time to move onto another activity! Nothing wrong with that; I’ll just keep moving another way!

Cycling in Wine Country

October 9, 2025September 24, 2025Posted in bicycling, Bike paths, blogging, environment, fitness, safety, Travel, writingTagged bike paths, cycling, travelLeave a comment

I love the combination of bicycling and ending the day with a glass of wine! Whether it be where I live or where I travel across the USA, more towns are constructing bike paths for safer bicycling opportunities and food establishments are benefitting from the increased people traffic. The chance to sit and enjoy a lunch with a glass of wine has been fun.

Bike paths having been linking small towns so people can enjoy a bicycle ride, time with friends, sightseeing the local landscape, and return safely to where they started their ride. By supporting bicycling organizations, we can have more of these bike paths built for our outdoor enjoyment.

Check out: Rails to Trails Conservancy to see if a bike path is near your home. There are other organizations providing maps for local bike rides, but Rails to Trails has flatter, paved paths that once were where the old railroad lines were back in the day. More communities are following the lead of paved, local bike paths so check and see what your community is doing for you to have a safer bike ride.

Hydrate: I Should Know Better!

September 18, 2025Posted in blogging, fitness, safety, Travel, writingTagged first aid, health, travelLeave a comment

Keeping one’s body hydrated, especially when in hot temperatures and participating in an outdoor activity, must be a priority. And I should know better as I live in the desert! But in vacation mode, I was not paying attention to how much water-rich foods or fluids I was ingesting. Also, I was visiting friends living at a higher altitude than my hometown. With my faster breathing in the thinner, dry air and my sweat evaporating from my skin exposed to sun and wind, my body was dehydrating as I hiked.

My backpack carried a full water bladder, yet apparently I soon discover, it was not enough water for this 5 mile hike. Knowing the early symptoms of dehydration, unfortunately because I have had serious dehydration events in my past, I quickly took note of headache and fatigue setting in.

My hiking buddy and I turned back on the trail, stopped in shady spots, and I sipped from her water container a couple of times. We eventually made the decision to cut away from the main trail and hike a social trail to a road. I know the forest service wants everyone to stay on the main trail, but this shortcut would be a half mile less of walking as we returned to our vehicle down the road.

So how did this happen to me? I had water in my backpack and was sipping it while on the trail. Days prior to this hike at a higher altitude than home, I should have been sure to be hydrated then and not wait to the day of the hike to hydrate. Lemonade, milk, water, juices, water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables all would have helped. I soon realized, a colonoscopy and illness the week before probably left me dehydrated. The bottom line was I did a lousy job being hydrated for this hike and I should have known better!

So the moral of the story…stay hydrated every day… carry plenty of water on a hike… know the symptoms for dehydration and return to a safe place to get hydrated. Be ready to hike on another day safely!

Lemonade, a delicious fluid, to be part of my hydration!

Take Mental Health Time Even When You Travel

June 8, 2023May 14, 2023Posted in fitness, safety, TravelTagged mental health, travelLeave a comment

Travel … whether in country or around the world … requires constant coordination of your driving or flying plans, your meals each day, your lodging each night, and is anyone else involved in any or each of the needs, such as meeting someone at a specific time and place. While we look to travel often for relaxation, it isn’t always that way. The unexpected travel delay may be an airline cancellation, a broken windshield or flat tire on your vehicle needing immediate attention. The travel day can be long … hours not sitting in a comfortable chair, your body not properly hydrated for fear you’ll not find a restroom when you need it, the available food options sub-par. Travel bloggers often write of their need every 10 days or so to have a relaxed, no stress day. Being on the go, while fun and rewarding, can be tiring. So what do you do when you are traveling for weeks on end and don’t want to hit that wall?

The no stress day is mental health time. Maybe you need it more often than every 10 days. Or maybe you’re good with every two weeks. Your reality is what works for you … so you are not snapping at others in your impatience, or not tired while driving your vehicle, or getting the appropriate amount of physical exercise your body needs. When we travel we do not want to hit a wall where we are pushing through a day or an activity. Travel is to be enjoyable. To enjoy the moments our personal pace needs to respond to what we honestly need … and sometimes that is a no stress day. Our head and body will be happier for it! So take mental health time even when you travel! For some people, they actually schedule it on their travel plan.

What do you do to de-stress while traveling? How often do you take a stress-free day? Caregivers and people working in high stressful jobs also monitor and meet their needs as they usually already know stress kills. Take the time your head and body needs so you can travel longer in your life!

Squirrel looking at me. I’m looking at him. My head & body love my outdoor time.

Bicycling the Path … an Issue

May 22, 2020May 14, 2020Posted in bicycling, Bike paths, blogging, fitness, writingTagged bicycling, bike paths, jibberjabber, smooth1 Comment

We are fortunate to have at least 131 miles of dedicated bike path available to us Tucson,AZ bicyclists. Why are we fortunate? It is so much safer to maneuver around other bicyclists, runners, walkers, roller bladers, and anyone else out on this dedicated path than to be on a roadway.

We have a beautiful, smooth bike path with appropriate signage and I feel safe cycling on it. (The farther I can be away from automobiles the better.) Yes, I hear people complain about speeding cyclists and working around walkers, but in the overall scheme of things this is all pretty great.

YET… my annoyance is when someone comes along and writes political messages in chalk on the pathway. I do not care what the message is, it should not be done! First off, I call that graffiti on a public space … I do not like it and would say a person should be found and fined. Secondly, we are all outdoors for exercise and a space to relax, not needing any prompts to piss us off!

Please keep your messages/gripes/political views to yourself and off our bike paths. Yup I was annoyed, so all I could do was squirt some of my water from my water bottle on those messages. Which annoyed me all the more since it was hot here and I did not want to be wasting my drinking water on graffiti. Geez don’t you know, water is precious here in the desert!