It was much later than I wanted it to be when I had the time to write this last night because I ended up working a nearly 12 hour day. Thus, I’m packing this into the morning again. Yesterday’s element was water, so you know I had to swim.

I started with a 10 minute stretch in the hot tub, followed by a 15 minute swim, and another 5 minute hot tub warm down. The swim was a mixture of kicking and all four strokes, ending with a 100 IM on 1:30. It was a reality check. I realized a lot, including how immobile my hips are, how poorly conditioned my legs are, and how quickly I suck wind.

Even though I was totally exhausted after the swim, I put in my headphones and when the track shown in the featured image came on, I pushed forward and decided to work on my hips, which were in a lot of pain after the swim… especially the right side, which also has a much tighter hamstring.

I worked on my hips and core after, to help with overall movement and avoiding stiffness in key areas. I did at least 3 sets of hip adduction, hip abduction, Jefferson squats, hanging leg raises, front squats, and kettlebell swings. The focus wasn’t going heavy; it was controlling my joints in a full range of motion.

Yesterday was also the first day since Sunday that I ate somewhat poorly. The caloric intake was high, which it should be, but the quality of the food consumed was questionable.

The quest continues…