August was a rough month and bumpy times seem to be slipping into September.

In no particular order: I broke the pinky toe on my right foot, I pulled a muscle in my left upper arm, my only vehicle started overheating and the outlook is financially not promising, and my niece introduced me to the delicious taste of iced coffee. 

My exercise regimen – walks in the morning and muscle toning every other day – took a hit with those injuries. 

I broke my toe the morning of Aug. 21. Because of that, I couldn’t take my morning walks on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. I attempted to walk on Aug. 24 and after a mere 1,300 steps, threw in the towel. Aug. 25-26, I hobbled my way into the 7,000 step range. 

Out of the 31 days in August, I walked 25 mornings (including the 1,300-step morning). Along with the three injury days, I took one off from exhaustion and two off for rain. I did average 8,006 steps on those 25 morning walks. I’m satisfied with that. Last month’s walk average was 7,011.

I pulled my bicep muscle Aug. 26. The credit for that actually goes to my daughter’s dog, Princess. Your highness is 2 years old and darts back and forth and side to side during our walks. Sometimes, when she sees a squirrel or anything else, she lunges forward and jerks me. She pulled and the muscle gave. It was an unpleasant feeling. Until that heals, no muscle toning.

Much like myself, my vehicle has a leaky head gasket. It has been in the shop three times due to overheating. Now that we know what’s causing it, the estimate is in excess of $1,000. Decision: repair or start saving for a down payment. I can’t do either right now, but I definitely can’t do both. The joys of vehicle ownership. Decisions, decisions. 

Iced coffees are delicious, with their heavy cream or milk and sugar. They absolutely destroyed last month’s challenge to not eat sweets. I drank several. Due to my lack of restraint, I only lost one pound. It was a bad month for denying myself a few little luxuries. Hopefully, the binge on iced coffees has run its course. I haven’t had one in September. An occasional treat is a good thing.

The month did have its bright moments. I allowed myself more time with the boyfriend. I made the decision in the last week of the month to ease up on strict social distancing – a must before I slipped into complete depression. Five months and only about 10 hours in each other’s presence, was more than we could stand. 

Because August was such a rough month, I’ve decided to ease up on myself during September. Too much stress isn’t healthy. Right now, my vehicle is pressure enough. 

Standard reporter Lisa Hobbs can be reached at 473-2191.