Rowing is a great exercise, but I too find it boring, and HARD. It's hard to do it easy enough for any length of time and it's hard to do physically. It is a great full body low impact workout though. I've only successfully used it as part of a circuit where I don't have to stay on it too long. I wanted to add with the balance thing - my Dad has been doing PT for balance issues and the PT told him one thing he could easily work on every day was toe lifts - going up and down on your toes to build ankle and calf strength. She said when you lose your balance and stumble, the first thing to stop you is your calves and ankles. They can restabilize you. I've never heard that before but it seems valid to me. When I balance on one leg, it's my ankles that start wobbling. You can always hang onto a counter when you're getting started to make you more secure. We put a sticky note above the coffee maching hoping he'd do some while he waiting for the coffee to brew. Also, he is 93, so a lot of his work was mixing physical and mental to help his brain - probably unrelated to your brain/ eye issue, but I found it interesting just for general brain health as we age. A lot of it isn't easily transferable outside of their equipment, but for example - if he was doing repititions of any exercise, he would count backwards by threes instead of just 1 to 12. If he was walking on the treadmill, he would have to walk and name foods in alphabetical order. Also on the treadmill he would have to use a laser pointer on his head to find letters in alphabetical order from a random assortment on screen. I guess it's just a version of using your brain and body at the same time. I guess the same reason they often list racquet sports and choreographed dancing as the best exercises for longevity, since you have to think and move at the same time.

I worked out for an hour every day last week, and my eating was flawless. Ummm... clearly, you're building muscle, Mtn! You've been strength training, spinning, Zumba, etc. in recent weeks/months. Are you seeing more tone and definition, even just a bit? Clothes fitting a little differently? Even walking with a more sound gait? Since my late 40s, I've gone through distinct periods of muscle building, and during those times, my weight stalls or increases. But my body composition slowly changes for the better. I recently realized this is what I've been going through the past 8 months. Last fall, SO started going to the gym with me, and had me doing weights and machines that I hadn't been doing before. I've been tracking macros the past few months, and while my weight is down just 5 lbs, my measurements (I keep a running tally of my hips and waist) have reduced. Not by much, but enough to make me realize that it's not just the scale. My muscles continue to grow (I PR'd on the pull-up machine this week!). Research "body recomposition"--the initial AI results include: Body recomposition is the process of losing body fat while building lean muscle mass simultaneously. Unlike traditional weight loss, the number on the scale may barely move. Your physique transforms as you swap out body fat for muscle tissue, resulting in a more toned, defined, and stronger appearance. [1, 2, 3, 4] How It Works The Scale Lies: Muscle is denser than fat, meaning it takes up less space in your body. You could lose 5 pounds of fat and gain 5 pounds of muscle, leaving your scale weight identical but dropping pant sizes. [1, 2, 3] The "Newbie Gains" Effect: Beginners, or those returning to fitness after a long break, experience the greatest success. Their bodies respond rapidly to stimulus, making simultaneous muscle gain and fat loss highly achievable.

OK, as of 4:19am this morning, I have power! I have been without since sometime Saturday evening. It doesn't sound so bad, right??! The weather has been cool (thank god!) but we have had some very humid days .. and honestly, there just wasnt enough air circulation to keep the indoor air fresh in this humidity. I was hardly the only one without power -- but I was one of the last holdouts. Most had power by Monday or Tuesday. BFF never lost power or internet but her road was impassable. It really was kind of crazy. How did it affect my food? Well, I always had a starbucks brown sugar shaken espresso whenever I went to charge up at our local grocery store (it was the only place with power for about 2 days) .. and one day I had two! Otherwise I didnt eat all that regularly.. at home I had pb on rye bread. I didnt even have ice until Tuesday! I would have thought that even with the fancy iced coffees that I had lost weight ... but no, I was up 2 lb yesterday. I am going to blame that on stress and poor sleep. Today is all new.. I have power, no more rationing emails or phone calls. I am cool and comfy. I have showered... and I am sending emails/texts with abandon :) I did miss almost a full week of work-- i was available via text and phone for most of the week but for emergencies only. I will be out tomorrow for a family funeral. For this reason, I am canceling/postponing my vacation at the end of the month. I know that is a bummer but this week off was unexpected .. and honestly, it did more for my mental health than you'd think 5.5 days of no power would! I will take a trip ... but it wont be this month. In place of the week off, I am buying the sheets that are not on sale ... and maybe some new jewelry. ;) I am working 7 hr days (vs 10 hr days). I will make cocktails every night and make time for the pool and going out with my peeps. I will still make the most of the month :) How has your week gone so far???

Mtn, that is really great news and lots to celebrate. Wow, Funky 6 days without power is crazy, it seems almost unmanageable. We also cook at home most days and pack lunches. It is definitely healthier. Tonight we have crab cakes and salmon, roasted potatoes, and green beans. I did TRX and weights on Monday and Pilates just on Wednesday. Classes and privates have been super booked this week. Not sure what i will do tomorrow. We had our 20th anniversary dinner Tuesday and I had duck breast which I had had in a long time. I got a beautiful diamond enhancer/wrap from DH. Finding a new casual ring for him that is not plastic but also not tungsten is a bit challenging. Also he has a small ring size so we have to go custom most likely. MIL wears a 3 1/2 ring size and he is about a 6 1/2. Most men’s rings start at 7 and the samples are usually in a 9 which are comical for him to try on. We also had AC/DC and The Pretty Reckless on Saturday at the stadium. Weather held out as far as rain and storms, and it wasn’t as hot which is also good. Fun times!