Animal with Home Value

Days before my severe back pain I was writing my new blog post for the exceedingly high exercise routine for me that I started…. 🏃‍♂️ Recent Blog Log: Movement, Meals & Mindset Day 1: Weighted Walk & Reflection Activity: 5.7 km walk with a 14 kg weight Stats: Distance, time, heart rate zones, power output tracked Reflection: Felt strong and grounded. Dixie’s pace kept things steady. Noticed how the weight shifted my stride and mindset—like carrying intention. Day 2: Strength & Clean Sweep Workout: Two weight sessions (68 minutes, 46 sets) Run: 5 km post-lift Recovery Ritual: Deep house cleaning—physical reset meets mental clarity Mood: Productive, proud, and ready for the next push Day 3: Macro Mastery & Meal Tracking Meal: 1000g cottage cheese, 150g chicken breast with spinach, 3 tbsp Udo’s Oil DHA Macros: 160.5g protein, 37g carbs, 66g fat (~1,384 kcal) Cholesterol: ~280 mg—mostly from lean sources, balanced by omega-3s Reflection: High...

  This morning I headed out with my Dad around 11 a.m. for a good walk. We covered about 4 km in an hour, taking our time and enjoying the fresh air. It felt great to share that time together, and later in the day I managed another walk with Bryan. Two walks in one day—both meaningful in their own way. I even took some time-lapse videos during each walk, which gave me a fun way to capture the changing scenery and the steady pace of our steps. By the end of the day, I was closing in on 10,000 steps, and I knew I’d easily pass that mark. Looking back over the week, I’ve managed to hit my walking goals on five out of seven days, which feels like real progress. Of course, Dixie was part of the adventure too. Between the walks with my dad and Bryan, and the time spent with her, I logged about 6 km today. She’s been loving the Chinook weather—warm air, soft ground, and plenty of places to explore. The only downside is the mud, which she seems to find without fail. When we got home, she w...

  The week's tasks entailed Clean oxygen is like I'm an aerospace engineering  💨 Clean Air on a Budget: Meet the Corsi-Rosenthal Box After an epic cleaning session indoors and out, I'm taking the pursuit of a healthy home to the next level! I just finished building my very own Corsi-Rosenthal Box (CR Box), a DIY air purifier designed to significantly improve indoor air quality for a fraction of the cost of commercial units. I'm hoping this will be a game-changer, especially for controlling pet dander, those pesky dust and dog mites, and general pet odor. The construction took about half an hour of focused effort (after waiting a week for all the parts to arrive), and I'm really proud of how it turned out. The best part? The total cost of the fan and high-efficiency filters is roughly one-third the price of my existing, single-filter Rabbit Air unit. It delivers similar powerful air cleaning capacity or I figure it's way better at doing the job without breaking ...

 After seven weeks of setbacks and recovery, I laced up with Dixie and reclaimed my rhythm—3.64 km of steady effort, heart in the aerobic zone, and a reminder that progress starts with showing up. This afternoon, Dixie and I laced up and headed out for a run while the daylight was still holding on. It felt so good to be back out there after a bit of a break, moving at our own pace and enjoying the fresh air together. There’s something about running with Dixie that makes the effort lighter—her energy and joy keep me motivated, even when I’m easing back into the rhythm. At first, I thought about pushing myself to five kilometers, but I remembered the back pain I’ve been dealing with and decided to listen to the advice of my AI fitness coach: don’t overdo it on the first run back. That reminder helped me focus on the joy of the moment instead of chasing distance. Sometimes the smartest choice is to start slow, and today proved that pacing myself was exactly what I needed. The run en...

From 1,000 intensity minutes to cautious recovery — using HRV , low‑impact training, and patience to restore VO₂ without re‑injury  I got back to work after a rough stretch of back pain that doubled my usual intensity minutes. At one point I was near 1,000 intensity minutes in a week just to get through the days, and that level of effort took a toll. For about three weeks I was managing pain with Motrin just to function, and it was a hard few weeks. Now that the pain has eased and I’m off Motrin, my weekly intensity minutes have come down to about 400 , which feels more sustainable. My HRV has shifted back into the green after spending time in orange and red, so recovery is finally catching up. That change alone feels like a win after pushing through so much stress. I largely stopped most activity through November while I focused on healing, and the break shows up in the numbers. My VO₂ max dropped from 44 to 39 , which is frustrating but not surprising after reduced training...