Football Epilogue

 Motivation has been tough to come by lately. The mix of a busy schedule plus Covid wearyness/fatigue really has me unmotivated on the workout front. Most of my activity has come from helping with my daughter's fastpitch softball practice or working on my basement remodel project. With fall getting under way I'm also encountering some allergy/mild asthma symptoms. The blowings from the west coast wildfires are also not helping things. Last year at this time you would have found me coaching and running around with my son's middle school-aged football team. While I wasn't getting the workout the kids were, there was plenty of sweating and moving around to be had. My son is now in the high school program, he seems to be really enjoying the practices so far, despite being modified for Covid19 safety. Fortunately, I'm able to find windows of time here and there and even remember to bring my gym bag. Yesterday, I decided to go for a run around the little lake between work...

 A whole whopping three feet closer to the window. Now people don't have to peer over my monitors when they come in. I'm better out of the direct line of sight from the CEOs office and I have a there's a little more panorama looking outside. 

 

 So my data obsessed side has me still recording and plotting data from the MN Covid Situation Update page . It's largely to see how things continue to play out. Here are a couple of key points: The new case rate is holding steady around 5.2 %. This rate seems to hold regardless of the number of new tests administered: Hospitalizations and ICU numbers are also holding relatively constant in the low 300s and mid 100s, respectively: The data has "positive tests" and a "no longer needing isolation" values. Taking these data (probably overly simplistically) as sick versus cured their difference shows a clear second wave, of which we are about where the first wave peaked: Deaths appear to be accelerating ( plot on MN Covid website ) The percent of deaths from assisted living facilities continues to decline and is now below 75% of total deaths. Likely from the virus largely having run its course through the facilities To me, this data is saying a few things: B...

The Fourth of July is nearly here. It's the summit of summer in America; the celebration before thoughts start turning back to the rigors of the fall. Vacations are being taken and grills are as tuned-up and ready to go as they can, ready to sizzle a burger or bratwurst on a moment's notice. Now is the time people are stocking up for the celebration. We have our shopping lists and are mulling that trip across the state line for some fireworks of a questionable nature. I spent my high school summers working at Target and the having to quickly move loss-leader 24 packs of soda onto the sales floor was as much strength and conditioning as my morning workouts for the upcoming football season. This year, with the Covid-19 seeming to rear its ugly head in a second wave, it's a good time to be extra careful in the preparations. While I feel tacky doing the click-through ad links on my blog, here are a few things that may help you prepare for the celebration of America's indepe...

It's been tough going for those who define themselves by going to the gym. The gym selfies on Facebook profiles and dating sites, taken from the locker rooms and in front of the squat racks, have started to feel dated. You wonder if some of these folks will end up like: from Imgflip Meme Generator While my gym rat days feel behind me, I still got in a few days a week. Enough to feel good and stay in decent enough shape. I think the cabin fever of not having a place to go and do some lifting and hamster-style cardio has finally started to catch up with me. Yard and house projects have been doing a good job of helping me work up a sweat, but sometimes I just want to be able to turn the brain off, turn on some music and get my heart rate up.  The cardio portion hasn't been too bad. I've been going on brisk walks to break up my work day and I've been doing some jogging around the neighborhood. I have good one, two and three mile loops not to mention there's always th...