Still Up To My Fitness Tricks

Not a whole lot to report, except that I'm still doin' my thing--gymming three days a week and swimming 2-3 times per week--and up at 4:00 am, Monday through Friday, to do all that. I'm walking as time permits, as well. I haven't been biking as much. There just isn't time, unfortunately. My sister, Esther bikes about 3-4 times per week, and is really seeing improvements in her legs and wastline, as a result.

I want to share a great website with everyone http://caloriecount.about.com/ If you sign up for e-mail updates, you'll get great healthy information in your inbox every day. There are many free fitness and nutrition tools available on this site. I just love it and wanted to share with everyone.

I'm now 138.5 pounds, which basically means that I'm holdin' steady. My deal is that I love to eat. I'm exercising like crazy, so I'm not gaining--just maintaining. I do eat pretty healthy, overall. I just have trouble at social events. I have to come up with a new "psychie" for handling that better than I currently do. The swimming has definitely helped to tone my body--especially my upper body, arms, shoulders, etc. The exercise that I do at the gym has helped tone the rest of my body. I do heavy work on my abs, but am not noticing as much toning as I would like. I'm physically limited to what I can do in that area, because many of the ab exercises hurt my arthritic hip. I do plan on having that replaced next January or February. We'll see how things work after that. I'm definitely looking for better times after that. Stay healthy!!!

No--I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth!!!

Greetings Everyone :) All is well here--been busier than a one-armed paper hanger, though. I'm still keeping up my regular exercise regimen--gymming 3 mornings a week, swimming two evenings a week and walking at noon most days. Biking and Yoga have proven to be a little difficult for me at this time, however. My hip is not behaving itself at all today. In fact, I really over did things this past weekend, due to being on my feet for several hours at a time. The meds I'm taking just don'g seem to be doing the trick, unfortuantely. I am, however, a glutton for punishment. I forced myself to get up to go to the gym and to walk today. Tomorrow night will be my swimming night and I'm definitely looking forward to that. Once I'm in the water, I feel a tremendous sense of freedom. That type of exercise really burns calories and does not impact my hip at all. Definitely looking forward to my Tuesdays and Thursdays in the water. Oh--I'm now 140 pounds, having lost a total of 60 pounds since January of 2007. Yes--it's been nice and slow, but isn't that a good thing???

New Updated Workout Schedule

Tonight--yes tonight, we set our clocks ahead. My mom always said, "Spring forward, fall back"--a great way to remember which way to turn the knob (smiles).

With the new time change--OK, so we lose an hour, but worth the sacrafice, cuz we will have more daylight at the end of our work day. Yea!!! That said, Here's my new workout schedule. All the in-between stuff is 'work'.

Monday am Gym
Monday early pm Yoga
Monday pm Lolly's (Mary Kay Administration)

Tuesday early pm Walk
Tuesday pm Bike

Wednesday am Gym
Wednesday early pm Walk
Wednesday pm Errands

Thursday early pm Walk
Thursday pm Swim

Friday am Gym
Friday early pm Yoga
Friday pm Errands

Saturday am Sleep in--YES!!!
Saturday am-pm Whatever Needs Doing “My Day”

Sunday am Bike
Sunday mid am Church
Sunday pm Laundry & Get Ready for Work/Swim

Gonna Stick With It...

Time for an update to the ol' blog.

Well--I'm never gonna see 55 again. Had a great birthday week with friends and family, exercising when I could. I pretty much stuck to my usual regimen, except for all the cake and wonderful meals out. I'm grateful for the love of family and friends.

I've decided that I'm going to stick with the Kundalini Yoga--that I'm not going to give up so easily. I've gone three times now and am really liking it. I just have to remember that I can't do "pretzel" cuz of my left hip. The stretching is coming along, though, and the relaxation is terrific. I think it's good to change things up with exercise, because it helps to work different muscles and to break through plateaus on the scale. This should help. Michelle, our volunteer instructor, is doing a terrific job.

Last weigh in was 142. Still down 8 pounds since the holidays. Yea!!! But for all the eating out this past week, I pledge to not weigh in for a couple of weeks. I don't want to get depressed. I'm going to enjoy life like that from time to time and not feel guilty (I tell myself). It's all good.

So all the exercise that I'm doing on a regular basis is as follows: gymming, walking, swimming, yoga-ing and biking (when I can). That about sums things up.

Kundalini Yoga Class This Week

In addition to my regular exercise regimen, I decided to try Yoga this week. My place of employment is offering the class three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) at noon time. A yoga-experienced employee has graciously volunteered her time to teach the class. This particular Yoga is called Kundalini. The description is below:

What to Expect in a Kundalini Class
The Kundalini classes will usually consist of a warm-up to stretch the spine and improve flexibility, a sequence of poses (a kriya) that focus on a specific area of the body, and end with a guided meditation.

Is Kundalini for You?
Kundalini is one of the more mental/spiritual types of yoga. It goes beyond the physical performance of poses with its emphasis on breathing and meditation. However, the Kundalini sequences are physically intense and focus on strengthening the core muscle groups. This type of yoga appeals to those who are up for both mental and physical challenges.

So what's the verdict for me? I felt major pain in some of the poses--due to my hip issues and my limited range of motion. The relaxation portion of the class, however, was very restful. I'm not sure that it is for me at this time. There is little that can improve 'bone on bone' and that's where I am with regard to my left hip. I still continue to do my regular routine of walking, gymming and swimming and occasional biking. These activities are manageable for me right now, and I'm achieving good results. I may try to go back occasionally. We'll see.

Happy Valentines Day and Birthday to George & Abe!!!

Yea--it's the weekend and a 3-day-er, at that!!! Although, it's supposed to be rainy, I plan on doing a little shopping for some 'sized-down' clothes--specifically pants. I've been wearing size 14s and they are waaaaayyy too big for me now. I have a few 12s that are big as well, so I'll be looking for 10s!!! Very exciting for me. It looks like all my hard work is definitely paying off.

Es and I went swimming last night at the outdoor pool in Rancho San Diego. Once in the water, it wasn't too bad. We both did our usual mile swim, and it felt great. Had a little lower left back pain, that was kind of annoying, and it's still there today. I just work through it. Hopefully, it'll go away. I'm sure it's connected with my hip issues. Went to the gym bright and early this am and walked today at noon. I'll probably get my walking in while I'm out shopping :), but that's all I have planned. Hopefully, I'll get one more swim in this weekend and will go to the gym Monday morning. I'm hoping that my regular pool will be 'open for business' as promised, by then. Es and I plan on biking by the bay Monday morning as well. We are hopeful for good weather.

Cold, Rainy, But Can't Complain

This week has been extremely cold for San Diego--brrrrrr. For the last two days, I've had to scrape ice off my windshield--reminiscent of my Kansas City days. I've definitely become a "San Diego Weather Wimp", for sure. Just can't handle the cold anymore. I've been continuing with my workouts at the gym and at the pool. Last night, I went to a 24-hour Fitness that has an outdoor pool. The air was cold, but once in the heated water, my laps just took over. I'll be going again on Thursday night with Esther. My regular pool location is closed for maintenance this week. Today (Wednesday) is the first day of walking for me this week. Monday it rained and Tuesday, I was a part of a video shoot most of the day, which kept me from my bay walk. I seem to have a lot of demands on me lately, so I really have to stay disciplined with my workout routine.