March 2020 Beyond the Parks Exercise Challenge

[Elizabeth Smith]

I barely did anything all day long! I just played video games all afternoon and evening. But I did make time to exercise, late in the evening for 60 minutes. As you can probably tell by the fact that I'm posting this at 3am, my schedule is getting all out of whack with my husband home from classes and me not working.

560/800

 

[BonnieF]

Now for some real relaxation - let’s go to the spaaaaaaaa!

Soft lighting and music welcome you to the spa at the Grand Floridian Resort. The Victorian theme of the resort is carried through to the spa, too. Get away from the world as you enter the spa and pass a lavish mural of old Florida. What kind of treatment are you in the mood for? Water therapy? A warm stone massage? Or a manipedi with Chinese Jasmine oils? All your senses are pampered as the lighting and music harmonize with each treatment!
The little ones are also pampered. A Mad Hatter-themed pedi chair is just the place for a Magical Manicure or Princess Pedicure.
I'm soooo ready for this!

 

[BonnieF]

And the numbers keep climbing! Our first to hit 100% and Disney Denim is ljcrochet!!!! Congratulations!!!!
Close behind is bwvBound at 75% and Watersport Green! And, the team has crossed the halfway mark to become Spa Sapphire! Yippee for us!!!!!

 

[bwvBound]

First: THANK YOU to each of you for continuing your postings here and for your stories! Big {{HUGS}} to each of you who might accept one.

Spas? We love spas! While they are our favorite space on cruise ships, we haven't spent much time at the WDW spa facilities. We enjoyed treatments at the Spa at SSR in 2009 and had planned to schedule something during our 2019 visits ... but somehow never carved out the time to do so. We have enjoyed pool hopping to OKW to use the sauna there. (We have a sauna at home and love it.) Thanks for the tour, Bonnie!

Quick horsey story from today:
It continues to rain here with snow visible in the very near hills. I used a break in the weather to run to the paddock intending to release my slowest eater from his dedicated breakfast space. In doing so, I kinda ran through the main gate, hearing a solid ka-chink behind me, but not stopping to visually confirm that it had closed. As I opened the pokey eater's gate, I saw my mare move behind me at a brisk pace. As I turned, I saw her take her nose to CLOSE the main gate for me. Phew! Good mare! It could have made for quite a bit of unexpected exercise had the mustang gotten out, right? LOL. Such a good mare. She "saw a need" and "solved the problem." Good mare.

Update, 1P Pacific: Rain is now mixed with snow. Brrrrrr

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

105 minutes - horses and walking

1380/1860

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Now for some real relaxation - let’s go to the spaaaaaaaa!

Soft lighting and music welcome you to the spa at the Grand Floridian Resort. The Victorian theme of the resort is carried through to the spa, too. Get away from the world as you enter the spa and pass a lavish mural of old Florida. What kind of treatment are you in the mood for? Water therapy? A warm stone massage? Or a manipedi with Chinese Jasmine oils? All your senses are pampered as the lighting and music harmonize with each treatment!
The little ones are also pampered. A Mad Hatter-themed pedi chair is just the place for a Magical Manicure or Princess Pedicure.
I'm soooo ready for this!
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That is a gorgeous spa! Would love to be there right now!

 

[BonnieF]

I can finally add a few minutes today! 30 minutes walk in the park. With everything else closed, the parks are really crowded. It's a small measure of sanity in a world gone topsy turvy. It was lovely! The trees are budding, the tulip trees are blooming, the forsythia just makes me happy. We're going to try to go every day or this house will get mighty small mighty quickly.
bwvBound, I just love the horse stories! They really are characters! There are several horse farms in my town, and I just love seeing the horses every day. Hope your weather improves soon!

Elizabeth, I know just how hard it is not to go into a Netflix coma!

Piglet, it sound as if your plan is a good one! Best of luck with it.

 

[piglet1979]

I got for 2 walks today. Once at lunch for about 45 minutes and again after work fro about 30 minutes. We even walked in the rain this afternoon. It felt so nice to get outside.

 

[PollyannaMom]

25 minutes yesterday and 20 today = 320/500

I'm not much of a spa person, but I love water parks, and have been to both Disney ones at least once. I agree the theming is great!!

We have been to Typhoon Lagoon, but not Blizzard Beach. We don't get to the water parks much. I wear glasses, and either I go around blind, which isn't that great, or I wear the glasses and avoid stuff like water slides, which also isn't that great (but fine for the lazy river!). I think the theming of both parks is wonderful!

We used to go to Water Country (in NH) with DH's family every year, and they sold straps for your glasses. He wore them, and was able to do water slides and everything.

 

[sophy1996]

+35 - a walk and a bit of yard work before a snowstorm tomorrow (possibly 8 inches!)

555/1200

I love spas. Unfortunately, though, my worst spa experience ever was at the Grand Floridian. But that was before it became Senses, and looking at those pictures, maybe I should give it another try!

I've been looking forward to the opening of the new spa at the Grand Californian.

We used to go to Water Country (in NH) with DH's family every year, and they sold straps for your glasses. He wore them, and was able to do water slides and everything.

Oh, good idea. I have a strap I use at the lake, so I should bring that!

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

I normally hate going outside, but even I'm getting tired of not leaving the house at all. We went out on a walk for about 40 minutes today. The weather was beautiful!

600/800

 

[bwvBound]

Current status: 3021/3500
Rain and snow most of the day. The weather slowed greatly around 3:30p and I worked quickly through the horse tasks a bit early just in case it was the only break available.

My watch figures I'll need only 77 minutes per day for the remainder of the month to meet its challenge of 4110 exercise minutes. I can do this!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

I'm getting jealous of the snow you guys are receiving. We're supposed to get up to 78 here tomorrow, and I am dreading it. I would love to live somewhere where the high temp for the year is 70. It can get as cold as it wants in the winter. Does such a place exist?

90 minutes - 2 walks

1470/1860

 

[BonnieF]

Continuing with our spa time, let’s spend a day at Senses Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs. A beautiful upstate New York town is the inspiration for this resort and the spa is inspired by the springs that give the town its name. We are greeted by soothing natural elements - a burbling fountain, soft lighting and authentic Native American artwork. The spa’s themes of relax, renew, and imagine guide our relaxation experience. Signature treatments at Senses include a bamboo infusion massage that incorporates hot stones, and a blueberry facial that includes a hydrating lip treatment and acupressure. Sounds yummy!

 

[BonnieF]

We have another color change!!! Elizabeth Smith has reached 75% and turns Watersports Green!
Terrific!!! And Twilight Sparkle, you're soooo close, too!!

 

[sophy1996]

A mere 15 minutes of snow shoveling today

570/1200

I'm getting jealous of the snow you guys are receiving. We're supposed to get up to 78 here tomorrow, and I am dreading it. I would love to live somewhere where the high temp for the year is 70. It can get as cold as it wants in the winter. Does such a place exist?

I think you need to be looking at Nome, Alaska. Or in the other direction, Ushuaia, Argentina.

 

[bwvBound]

Current status: 3150/3500

New in my world as of late yesterday: CA Governor orders "Shelter at Home" for All California, effective immediately.

When I first read the Emergency Alert sent to my phone, my heart stopped in panic: But I was hoping for a hay run this weekend! On reading the full version on the website, I've decided that hay qualifies as grocery ... and, thus, remains an essential reason for leaving one's home. I will have to phone around to see which sources remain open and have supply. I suspect I might be driving some curious distances for this hay run. Anyone care to take odds how far? Will I have to drive out to Parker, AZ? And will there be a sufficient dry spell between storms to haul the hay? Hmmm .... stay tuned!

@Twilight Sparkle and @sophy1996 , Ushuaia! I've been there! And, yes, I recall wearing a lightweight jacket near the end of their summer season (late February). It was a cute town (almost "village"), surrounded by impressive mountains, parks and water views. Lovely.

So @BonnieF , I think I might borrow the themes of SSR's Spa to guide my days ahead under the new "shelter at home" order. I'll have fun incorporating these ideas of Relax, Renew and Imagine into my daily life. To that end, I did spend 30 minutes in my sauna yesterday. The cold and damp had seeped under my skin and attached to my bones ... the sauna took care of that at 112 degrees. Yes! It was certainly a time to Relax and Renew ... during which I imagined a lovely weekend at home with my husband. Whee!

 

[sophy1996]

30-minute walk

Finally, 600/1200

@bwvBound, good luck with the hay!

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

290 minutes since last check in - walking, horses, walk/jog, core strengthening

1760/1860

Thanks for the tips, @sophy1996 . They both sound great. : ) I'm very happy because the temps dropped again today.

@bwvBound , I hope you find the hay. I've been a little worried our barn might have trouble with that, too.

 

[bwvBound]

Friday night: 3338/3500

Today we had heavy clouds but no rain. @sophy1996 and @Twilight Sparkle , thanks for the good wishes on hay: I was successful and didn't have to go far. Just a couple quick phone calls: "Are you open (given the CA shutdown)?" and "Do you have hay on hand?"

193 minutes of exercise today:

• Normal horse chores of feeding and cleaning the paddocks; morning and evening.
• Pulling up all hay pallets and cleaning them; cleaning under them; tamping down the ground and restocking the pallets to increase ground clearance. The ground is saturated and moisture was creeping into the hay stack from the bottom ... but today's changes should help prevent that problem.
• Washed horse blankets.
• Brought home a small load of hay and stacked it. (Small load is what I can fit inside my Buick as I was afraid that weather might not hold long enough for me to safely retrieve a normal load with my truck and trailer. Poor Buick! Such an insult to a gentle vehicle.) The small load, along with hay already on hand, should get me through next week's storms. The 10 day forecast shows plenty of sun on the other side ... so I'll plan on a full load then. Assuming lockdown continues to allow grocery runs?

Song in my head today: "Itsy bitsy spider," particularly the line: Out came the sun and dried up all the rain ... whee! The paddocks were much drier in the afternoon than the morning. More rain in the forecast tonight and through the weekend.

Horsey story: After the early morning feed I pulled tarps off the hay stacks and spread them out to dry. When I later returned to pull the pallets two horses were passed out sunning. They knew I was coming but remained down on the ground. This behavior is huge! One of the two is a mustang who arrived my property just last fall with jumpy, nervous behaviors and episodes of seizures. Tarps? Originally terrifying. Now? No big deal; he remained down even as I worked nearby. Yippie!