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Thursday, February 1, 2024

A Coffee Chat Thaw-Out


Wow, is this ever a great time for a coffee chat!

Actually, anytime is a great time for gathering over coffee (or any beverage-of-choice) and chatting with friends. This particular coffee chat, though comes after a doozy of a January.

All I can say is, "Whew, we made it to February!" That's certainly cause for celebrating!

What ya say? Are you game for some coffee chatting, as the snowy remains of January thaws and melts away?

Here goes...

At our coffee chat, I'd start with a show of my January stats. As mentioned, this month was a doozy. The 22+ inches of snow threw a nasty wrench into my fitness regimen, at least in regards to running and walking. Instead, much of my time and efforts were pivoted to the Great Snow Removal of 2024. Alas, it is my off-season, so I had no specific goals for mileage...but I definitely didn't sit idle, LOL.

Piggy-backing off the aforementioned weather, I'll add that I've never seen so much snow in such a short time span, The first "dumping" started the evening of the 8th, with a good 5-6 inches by the next morning. It didn't stop there, as we received close to 12 total inches by the end of that day. A couple days later, we got even more of the white stuff, complete with temps well below freezing and -30F feels-like temps with crazy wind (nice bonus round, huh!). Wait - there's more - another storm blew through the following week, I kid you not. My driveway saw pretty much daily shoveling for almost two solid weeks. Thankfully, Momma N relented, and gifted us with above-freezing temps for the remainder of the month, melting away much of what she so generously had given us the two weeks prior.

my driveway: before, during, and after

A by-product of all that shoveling was the wear and tear on my arms and shoulders (shoveling is heavy work, especially when the snow is wet, just saying). I scaled-back most of my strength work (via weights, etc.), in the past couple weeks, but things are still in a slight state of DOMS. Although I'm mentally eager to resume my regular strength regime, my "physical" enthusiasm is compromised for the time being. I've kept quite active on the bike, the elliptical, and the stairs, as well as periodic stretching and Barre workouts. No worries, I'll be good as new soon.

staging a return...

Did you catch my mention of the stairs? Yes, it's that time of the year again! The Fight for Air Climb is April 7th, in Des Moines, and I'm back in the swing of training. This year's climb encompasses four buildings (all in close proximity to each other) and 85 total flights of climbing. BTW, if you're interested in supporting my efforts in raising funds for the American Lung Association, the link to my fundraising page is HERE).

Finally, I'd tell you about my sugar-fast (of sorts). No, I have not eliminated sugar from my life (as if, LOL). I have made a very disciplined and concerted effort, though, to cut back. I've kept my hand out of the candy jar at work, and the only sweets I've allowed myself have been by way of a coffee mug (I cannot let the hazelnut cappuccinos or chai latte's go) or a random M&M from a hand-grab of trail mix. Amazingly, it really hasn't been that challenging of an endeavor, and I wish I would have done this sooner.

no thanks!

Anyways, I think I'm due for a refill (did I mention how much I love my daily cappuccinos...especially that bonus mug-of-indulgence, following a post-workday run). I'll grab another drink and let someone else have the floor.

Your turn! If we were gathered together, chatting, what would want to chat about? What would you be drinking? How did your January play-out?

 Since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm linking this with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.


I'm also linking this with MichelleReneeDarleneJenn and Zenaida for the Fit Five Friday Link-up.


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20 comments:

  1. We had that same weather and a good 20" on the ground. I'm grateful for snow plows! I did some shoveling but just our entryway and front walk. No big deal. Good for you on cutting way back on the sweets!

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    1. I was surprised the sugar cut-back was as easy as it was. I feel more empowered than I do remorseful ;-)

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  2. Wow, you had quite a January! I guess horrible weather up north means great weather for us, because we had a cooler than usual month (which in Florida is a good thing.)
    Nice job with the sugar. I'm envious that you could cut back like that. I was a true sugar addict, and I had to cut it out completely. Moderation did not work for me!

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    1. So far the moderation is working. I don't think I have/had a craving for it, but a definite love for all things sweet.

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  3. Never too later to cut down on sugar! You did have a crazy January weather wise but it kept things interesting. Sounds like you are pretty active with all that snow removal which I am sure is great cross training.

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    1. My January certainly was not boring, LOL. I'm thankful for all the fitness I have because the snow removal was very doable (though tough at times).

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  4. Congrats on the sugar cutback. I mean if you *want* a treat you should be able to have it, but who really wants those little candy bars? Better to save it for the cappuccinos that you love.

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    1. My thoughts exactly! I prefer the limited "big" treats over the constant small ones ;-)

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  5. So much snow! Shoveling is a serious workout. Nice work on the sugar cutback - I've dipped into our office snack cart a bit lately and need to reel it in before it becomes a habit.

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    1. The snow was ridiculous! I'm glad it's pretty much gone now, but what a mess we had for 2+ weeks!

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  6. I’m glad I made it to February because it’s a new fiscal year at work! I’ve still got some “year-end” things to wrap up, but it’s nice to cross that mark.

    Sounds like preparing for the stair climb will keep you busy while you let your upper body recover from the shoveling!

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    1. Yes, I guess the stair-climbing came at a convenient time ;-)

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  7. That is a good amount of snow! We've been getting more rain than usual (which I'm sure CA still very much needs) and some more to come. I hope nothing floods!

    I have so much chocolate left over from the holidays -- I've been trying to cut down my sugar intake too but there are only so many people I can pawn it off to and I hate to waste, haha. I'll think of something!

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    1. Could you take your excess candy to work, and leave it in the break room? That's one way I get rid of extra sweets (cookies, bars, desserts, etc.).

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  8. that snow was no joke. we had a tiny bit and i was already annoyed with that!

    good that you are able to cut down on sweets. I know you do like your treats and I do as well, but I tend to really go for quality now instead of just because it's there.

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    1. I'm getting much better about discerning what kind of sweets I eat; like you said quality vs. quantity.

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  9. I know you'll do great with your stair climb! I haven't done the one in Philly in years but they're always trying to reach out about reforming a team. January was such a snowy month this year! Hopefully that DOMS comes to an end ASAP!

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    1. That's right, you're a fellow Climber ;-) Once I did the Climb (in Des Moines...in April 2013), I was hooked.

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  10. January was wild and crazy weather-wise. Hopefully, February isn't like that. Great January stats! Wow, so much shoveling.

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    1. My shoveling was insane...and it was only for part of the month! I'm glad there's no shoveling in my foreseeable future.

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