June Fitness Goals: Full body workouts and 3-4 StairMaster cardio sessions a week.
Thursday, June 1: The last two Thursdays, I set StairMaster records, and I continued the tradition today: 43 StairMaster minutes/202 floors (1). I then jumped on a running machine for a 90-second run. And that was the most I’ve sweated in well over 5 years. And as usual, I did some calf raises in the StairMaster after I had finished mastering those stairs. And my total steps for the day – and this is including most of the StairMaster steps: 18,107.13.2 km.
Friday, June 2: A 40-minute workout that involved most muscle groups exept forearms: leg extensions, hamstring curls, chest, shoulders, triceps, lower back, lower abs, traps, lats, back, and biceps (1). I should do that more often. My total steps for the day: 16,912/12.6 km.
Saturday, June 3: Another gym session, and while I waited for some fellow fitness people to finish their StairMaster sessions, I did some light weights for body parts I didn’t work out too intensly yesterday: calves, lats, lower back, traps, and biceps (2). I used less weight and increased the reps. And then I completed a surprisingly easy 30 StairMaster minutes/137 floors (2). My total steps for the day: 17,346/13.2 km
Sunday, June 4: A quick afternoon weights session: leg extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises, sides, lower back, and lower abs (3). My total steps for the day: 19,732 /14.4 km.
Monday, June 5: Just some walking today: 11,693 steps/8.85 km.
Tueasday, June 6: Another StairMaster session: 36 minutes/182 floors (3). And my steps for the day: 16,099/11.8 km.
Wednesday, June 7: Just another walking day: 18,692 steps/14 km.
Thursday, June 8: A late morning 45-minute full-body gym session: leg extensions, hamstring curls, hip thrusts, calf raises, chest, shoulders, triceps, lats, traps, back, biceps, sides, lower back, lower abs, and forearms (4). And I really felt that. It’s been a while since I felt that worn out from a weights session. My steps for the day: 16,594/12 km.
Friday, June 9: A 2-hour morning walk was followed in the afternoon by a record StairMaster session: 45 minutes/219 floors (4). And my total steps for the day: 22,419/17.5 km, and I decided to not add to my step count while mastering those stairs.
Saturday, June 10: I’m aiming to go to the gym most days between now and the the start of my official vacation. That means mixing things up a little. Today’s workout focused on my core: side raises and a set standing with dumbells, lower back, and lower abs: a 65-second plank, plus a few hanging leg raises (5). Then for another change, a 4-minute rowing machine session. My plan for tomorrow is an all-body weights session – excluding core, and then on Monday, another StairMaster session – hopefully a morning one. My steps for the day: 15,285/11.5 km.
Sunday, June 11: Another almost full-body workout. Everything except forearms, cores, and glutes: chest, shoulders, triceps, leg extensions, hamstring curls, calves, traps, back, lats, and biceps (6). All that took just over 30 minutes, so it was kind of like circut training with very little time taken to rest. And my steps for the day: 20,613/15.7 km.
Monday, June 12: An evening StairMaster session, this one a little shorter but I avoided holding on to the handle bars and I sometimes did two steps at once: 27 StairMaster minutes/115 floors (5). And my steps for the day:
Tuesday, June 13: A lot of walking today to celebrate getting up to date on all my grading: 31, 975 steps/23.5 km. I thought it might have been the heat, but that walk sapped my energy more than I had expected. A Poweraide near the end was consumed as well as a lot of water. I went to bed that night with a feeling that I might be coming down with something. And I was right, I was….
Wednesday, June 14 (Covid Day 1): I woke up with a headache and no energy. A rapid self test in the afternoon came back positive. And a second test at a clinic later confirmed the result. I got some meds, and then began the task of getting home, a distance I normally walk without a second thought, but today it was a mission. Finally home and to bed. Meds, Poweraide, water, toast and jam. My total steps for the day: 4,590 very difficult steps/3.15 km.
Thursday, June 15 (Covid Day 2): My second day with Covid saw a change in symptoms: more energy than yesterday, less of a headache, and a much worse sore throat and some coughing. My least number of steps in a very long time: 822/0.54 km, which is more than I would have guessed as I spent the day in bed. Maybe I ducked out for water and Poweraide.
Friday, June 16 (Covid Day 3): A little more coughing but less overall than a regular cold or flu. The odd thing today was my voice quite suddenly went super croaky.
Saturday, June 17 (Covid Day 4): The best I’ve felt since Wednesday. No headache to speak of and not really a cough. I still don’t feel 100%, but I really can’t complain about how I feel. But is this the calm before the storm or am I past the worst of this already? Back walking a little more for supplies: 4,590 steps/3.15 km.
Sunday, June 18: (Covid Day 5): I think I feel back to normal. To celebrate, I tried a longish walk, and I felt fine. Total steps for Recovery Day 1: 8,965/6.54 km.
Monday, June 19: (Covid Day 6): I decided to return to my gym, perhaps permaturely. but I did read somewhere that if symptoms didn’t affect the lungs much, then exercise can be resumed 6 days after initial symptoms. I made up for lost time with a full body workout that left me exhausted, but the good news was I noticed no loss in strength: leg extensions, hamstrings, hip thrusts, calves, chest, shoulders, triceps, lats, back, traps, biceps, sides, lower abs, lower back, and abs (7). Everything except forearms. And my total steps for the day: 17,639 steps/13.2 km. Now that was a normal pre-Covid day. And I took the last of my meds around lunchtime. Fingers crossed. I feel just as normal in the morning.
Tuesday, June 20: My first StairMaster session took place in the morning. I was aiming for 20 minutes, but I ended up going a little longer: 22 minutes/97 floors (6) again with a mixture of double steps and with my hands off the hand rails for a lot of the climb. That felt good and reinforced my belief/hope that I’m well and truly over Covid. However, I did read a little about rebound cases. Fingers crossed! And my total steps for the day: 13,317/9.93 km.
Wednesday, June 21: Back in the gym for the three Cs: core, calves (8), and cardio: 24 StairMaster steps/103 floors (7). My steps for the day: 25,305/18.4 km.
Thursday, June 22: No gym, but a lot of walking: 19,635 steps/14.7 km.
Friday, June 23: No gym again, but a lot of walking again: 16,109 steps/11.9 km.
Saturday, June 24: Back in the gym for a mammoth 70-minute full body workout – every body part except for gluts (9). And for a change, I ended with chest. Well, I know now that full body workouts are possible – tiring, but possible. Tomorrow, I’m due for a StairMaster session.
Sunday, June 25: Another StairMaster session: 25 minutes/109 floors (8). And my total steps for the day: 16,994/13.1 km.
Monday, June 26: Another StairMaster session: 28 minutes/122 Floors (9). And my total steps for the day: 10,338/7.64 km.
Tuesday, June 27: A break from the gym as I’ve been busier with my summer class than I expected to be. Thank God, I wasn’t offered two classes to teach. I still completed quite a bit of walking: 14,760 steps/11.5 km.
Wednesday, June 28: Just time for a quick gym session, so I jumped on a StairMaster again: 25 minutes/117 floors (10). I’m now overdue for a weights session. And my steps for the day: 11,067/7.86 km.
Thursday, June 29: Just some walking as I decided to explore a part of Seoul I wasn’t familiar with: 18,204 steps/13.5 km.
Friday, June 30: Another full-body weights session and this involved every muscle in my body (10) – well, all the main ones. The whole workout last about 65 minutes, and now I’m sure that all my weights sessions will be similar, time allowing. My steps for the last day of the month: 13,232/8.47 km.
And thus ends a hot, busy, Covid month!
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Weights Workouts: 10
StairMaster Sessions: 10
Rowing Sessions: 1
Total Steps: 453,210 steps
