Hi there and I hope you had a restful week! We've enjoyed a good, relaxed Christmas and have some interesting news. Looking at the top picture you probably understand what it is about! But first, big thanks to Lisa for pointing out that the links that go out to people who choose to subscribe to comment replies were not https, and for some it would lead to a 404 page. This is fixed now and all links in e-mails should be https.
This post is linked with the Weekly rundown link-up, hosted by Deborah and Kim. It’s where fitness bloggers get together to share their ups and downs with fitness and training, whether it’s about strength, running, cycling or something else. It’s great for accountability as well as inspiring and supporting each other. We also include some bits from everyday life if we want to. Let’s get into it!
To begin with, I think we've solved the mouse problem.
The solution:
We collected our new kitten yesterday. Elsa is 8 weeks old and a lovely, energetic and highly entertaining girl. Until Christmas Eve we prepared to have to chase mice on our own until spring, but miracles happen! Read on for more details.
Monday - gym day
This was the last gym day for some time. And it was a good one! Today was chest & back day and I did chest presses, inclined flyes, Renegade rows, two-dumbbell pullovers, good mornings and dumbbell rows.
The chest presses seemed so much heavier today, but I did ok. These are so far beyond my comfort zone and require a lot of focus. The flyes afterwards felt like a breeze in comparison, even with a quite tough weight. And the Renegade rows with 10 kg dumbbells were a success! With a lower rep range I don't have problems doing these. I think I lack endurance more than anything.
The pullovers are also increased from 9 to 10 kg dumbbells and I felt quite good with them. It was a great session altogether!
Tuesday
Since Swedes celebrate Christmas primarily on Christmas Eve, today was a busy day prepping, cleaning, decorating and more. I never made it to the bike.
Wednesday - Christmas Eve
We had spent some time feeling "yes, we know that a cat is the best solution to the mouse issue but we also want the freedom to travel etc etc so let's wait and see", but after a few more days of mouse chasing, all we wanted was a cat. We knew people who had kittens but it was very unclear whether there were any "unbooked" and I had been told to look elsewhere. I didn't even know where to start but asked a few friends to keep an eye out for us.
Then in the late morning on Christmas Eve when we were exchanging presents, I received a text message about the Christmas miracle - that this female tabby kitten was indeed available and that we could get her on the Saturday after Christmas. What a wonderful surprise!
After this we enjoyed a nice relaxed Christmas Eve with good food and drinks, sweets, movies, video chats with our families, and good vibes.
I started a plank challenge, and my first plank was a PB! But I would have done even better if I hadn't been so sore after my Renegade rows.
Thursday - Christmas Day
Christmas day isn't a big day for Swedish people. My husband started the day on the bike, he's doing the Rapha festive 500 challenge on Strava. This means to ride 500 km in 8 days, so he has some riding to do! I expected to do some lifting only, but the weather looked so nice that I tried going out for a walk. It was cold and windy but sunny and dry, and I hadn't been out walking for ages.
It wasn't a nice walk, with 2C and feels-like -4, but it was good to spend some time outdoors.
In the afternoon I went into the gym - the one in the next room that is! My famous lower back muscle has been a bit upset the last few days so I had decided to let my glutes and legs rest in peace, and instead do a good arm & shoulder workout with a few extras for the core and lats. At home I don't have all the weights that my trainer has, so I need to play it a bit by ear.
I warmed up with piriformis glute bridges, then did my plank, push-ups, T press-ups and then bilateral dumbbell rows.
Then I did lateral raises, shoulder presses and bicep curls with 7,5 kg dumbbells, and tricep presses with 5 kgs. Those bicep curls were the heaviest I've done - very satisfying! I ended the session with some hip TLC - hip circles and airplanes.
Friday
I was SO SORE after those T press-ups! I skipped the plank and spent the day reorganising my photo library.
Saturday
It was cat collection day! We had to do some shopping to begin with to get kitten food, a carrier and other accessories, and in the afternoon we brought the baby home. Our previous cat was terrified when she first came to our house (but that was before we moved to Ireland, and we lived in a huge house with 3 floors) so I was happy to see that this kitten was curious more than anything, and happy to run around to explore the new spaces. Later when we sat down, she climbed up to sit on my husband's lap for cuddle and a nap. So everything is good so far! Now we just needed to come up with a name...
With everything going on, I forgot about my plank.
Sunday
Last night was all a whirlwind jumping in the bed, paws in my face and very little sleep, but also lovely cuddles and a small furball warming my chest and hip. Today I need lots of coffee and will take it easy but I do plan to do my plank, lower back stretch and some hip movements.
We hadn't prepared a name for our kitten in advance since we didn't know if she already had one. She's born on Halloween so I wanted her to have some fun Halloween-related name but couldn't come up with one. This morning, instead the name Elsa came up in my head. It's short, snappy and cute. Perfect!
This was a slow week, and with very little focus on fitness, but that's ok for a special week like this. My plan is to get back into some kind of routine tomorrow.
Comments
Aw, what a cute Christmas present — but I guess she will earn her keep!
We’ve always been flexible about when we celebrate. This year we did our main dinner on Christmas Eve but still did presents Christmas morning. I like that combination because it makes Christmas Day more relaxing!
I need to get https set up on my blog ….
I've never noticed that your blog doesn't have https! Maybe your server has it added automatically? That's the case with most providers of shared hosting if that's what you use. Or it could be my browser (but is does detect when there isn't a certificate).
What a week! And clearly the best possible solution to the mouse saga 🐱
Elsa is adorable!
That's a solid final gym session too. Renegade rows with 10 kg is no joke. I like how you let fitness take a back seat without guilt, Susanne. I had to let a lot of things slide and I'm telling myself that it's called balance!
Enjoy the kitten chaos!
Yes, I agree, it's called balance! Right now I go with the flow, especially with the whirlwind kitten around. But it'll be good to get back into routine later.
Your kitten is adorable. Now I want one.
And I need to start planking too.
Thanks for inspiring me,
Well you only have one cat, so why not?
I quite suck at planking. Good reason to do it, I guess!
Elsa is absolutely adorable! I hope she continues to adjust well and becomes an excellent mouser!
She shows some very good mouser potential when she plays with her toys!
Awwww, welcome to sweet Elsa! Sounds like you had an exciting week, and now a new little “housemate” to keep you company & assist with mouse control. I hope all goes well as she acclimates to her new home:-)
It was an exciting week for sure! Elsa is a lively addition to the home and looking at her play I can see she has good potential for mouse control!
Awwwww, I love Elsa! She's so adorable! Those first days of kitten ownership can be a bit hectic (hello kitten in face!). I'm glad you got her. I bet she will be a good mouser! I too wondered about getting another "replacement" cat last year due to greater interest in travel. Luckily we have a few options for cat care in our neighborhood.
Happy New Year!
I hope we can find good cat care around here too but I'm not sure! We may need to ditch our Italy plans for our wedding anniversary, which is perhaps a bit too early to leave her. We'll see about that. Elsa is so cute and pleasant though! A very nice cat, except those paws in my face, lol. I give her some good hunting-for-prey training with a blue toy on a string and she looks very promising!
Welcome, Elsa! She’s so little and cute - congrats! (And, watch out, mice!!) I hope the back is feeling better and send additional congrats on the plank pb; it must be nice hitting a record on the first day of a challenge!
Elsa is super cute and so social and outgoing. And she will be a good asset around the house when she grows up. :) And yes, the plank pb was a good feeling! I'm not great with planks and do them for some endurance training. I need them for my Renegade rows!
What a sweet little kitty, and Elsa is just the perfect name for her! She looks like a good mouser, and I think your problem will be solved. Plus, what is better than a little kitty purring next to you? Happy New Year, Susanne!!
Elsa is the most purring cat I've had! She's lovely and when she plays with her toys I can see she will be a great hunter! Happy New Year to you!
Ha glad to read you solved your mouse issue! I guess they are nice treats for her :) I always am amazed how much harder chest flys are than chest pressses. I feel so strong doing a press and then have to drop dramatically for a flye. I know why but still! Sounds like a nice relaxing Christmas for you!
I think flyes are a more complex exercise than we realise, with a lot of structures involved. I've had periods of really struggling with them! I think it's normal to lift lower weights on flyes compared to chest press, and as long as I keep making progress with both, I'm happy with it.
It was a very quiet Christmas over here and I really needed that!
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