Accomplishment, Confidence Building, RESILIENCE-BUILDING

I Counted Thirty-Three Rings

Base of Spruce tree felled across the road -Julie counted 33 rings = 33 years old.

Thirty Three Rings = 33 Years

Walk #1,368 – staying dry between showers

#smilingontheinside – Tuesday 27 May 2025

I was expecting a more pungent “fresh wood” and/or “pine tree” smell as I walked past yesterday’s felled Spruce. But nothing obvious. Which surprised me.

However, instead of the usual pine needles, my shoes ended up with sawdust on them.

I was curious to see how old the tree really was so I stopped and attempted to count the rings. From the footpath – not the most accurate, I know. I didn’t want to trespass. I counted thirty three rings.

Yesterday’s arborists were correct – they said this tree was about 30 years old. At 33y, it reached the same age as one very awesome person.

I’ve come so that you may have life and live it to the full.
John 10:10

Last Tuesday of the Month = Accountability Tuesday

The last Tuesday (sometimes Monday) of the month is always somewhat fraught for me. It’s the day I officially front up to make sure I’m still on track with my self-care.

There are only two WW meetings in Hamilton – Mondays and Tuesdays. Because the weeks are marching ultra fast, this week is the last week of May. So last night was Accountability Night. I’m pleased and relieved that I scraped in by the skin of my teeth. Phew! #smilingontheinside

Muscle Hypertrophy…?

With all the stair climbing I’ve been doing – which uses the body’s largest muscle groups (gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings) – I’m pretty sure that now (week three), I’ll be starting to build muscle: hypertrophy.

Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in the size and strength of skeletal muscles. This is typically achieved through resistance training like weightlifting, which causes microscopic tears in muscle fibres, leading the body to repair and rebuild them larger and stronger. Carrying my own body weight up stairs is a form of weight lifting.

It’s not that muscle weighs more than fat, it’s just more dense. Which means I might end up weighing more than I did previously, even though I’m not gaining bodyfat. Staying within 2kg of my GW is going to be interesting. Especially if I gain muscle mass which really starts to show up on the scales. Hmmmm…

All of that aside, I’m still feeling proud of myself for this achievement – another stitch sewn into my #ResilienceTapestry.

A walk of “droplets”

I headed out for my 1,368^th walk under black skies yesterday. It was one of those “spitty” days – when you think the skies are going to open, but they don’t.

Pretty much all of my photos captured water droplets.