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!!!

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.

Rainy San Diego Monday!!!

Greetings and a very happy, but rainy, San Diego Monday!!! OK--so not a lot of sleep last night, but I did get up to do my gym workout. It's hard getting up, but I'm always glad afterward that I went. Also, I went swimming yesterday and had a great workout. I learned that they will be closing the pool for maintenance for one week, so I'm really bummed about that. I could go to another 24 hour fitness center, but I'm kinda picky about the locations. Also, the next closest one has water aerobics classes right at the time that I like to swim in the evening. I may have to be "un swum" for this week--not happy, but oh well. My guess is that I'll not walk today, either, due to the rain. San Diego really does need the rain, however, but we walkers would much rather walk in the sunshine, for sure. Have a wonderful day!!!

Success on the Scale--Nice Way to End the Week!!!

Yea! I weighed myself last night at the gym before my swim (hey--that rhymes). I'm down to 142 1/2 lbs now. I can't remember the last time I weighed in below 150 lbs--probably about 18 or 19 years ago, I think. I'll, hopefully, get into the 130s by my birthday. Yes, a goal, but I'm also being realistic.

So I'm now "swum" and "gymmed". I swam my 35 laps (70 lengths = one mile) last night and it felt great! This morning, after about 4.5 hours of sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, I got up at 4:00 and went to the gym to do my regular workout. One of these blogs, I'll go through my workout in detail (just in case my readers want to know).

I'll not be walking today, as it is raining outside. Plus, I've been invited to view a friend's Thailand trip presentation at noon today, so I'll sip on my soup and munch on my apples while watching.

My good friend, Mary De Felice, was kind enough to take a picture of me today, so my blog profile pic has now been updated.

A Little "Hiccup" in the Routine

Well, as they say, "The best-laid plans of mice and men, often go awry." I was all set to swim Tuesday night, when I went to my car, only to discover the sudden death of my battery. That killed my swimming plans. I ended up being without my car that evening and the rest of Wednesday, so I was unable to go to the gym yesterday morning. Sooooo, I am currently "un swum" and "un gymmed". All good, though--I've done my walking every day this week and I'll be heading for the pool this evening with Esther, and will do the gym in the morning. Yea!!! Sometimes these things happen. The important thing, I have found, is to get right back in sync as soon as possible.

Beautiful Monday!!!

Wow--how often do you hear that Monday is beautiful??? Not often, I would wager. It is a very clear and sunny 78 degree San Diego day here today--absolutely textbook! I enjoyed my "Bay Walk" immensely.

The day started off, however, with my early rise to get to the gym. I think I'm starting to become more disciplined in getting to bed earlier. If my head hits the pillow by 10:00 pm, and I'm up at 4:00 am, that gives me at least 6 hours of sleep. I'm OK with that. Plus, I snooze a little on the Trolley on the way in to work after that, and on the way home, as well. Every little bit helps.

I didn't reach my goal to get to 135 by February 1st, but that's OK. Again, I think I have muscle weight taking over. I'm probably about 143 or 144. I'll weigh myself tomorrow night when I swim. The good thing is that I'm definitely down from the holidays. I weighed 150 right after Christmas--so that's about a 6-7 lb. loss--not too bad. Losing slowly also means that it (the weight) will have a better chance of staying off--at least that's what "they say". Who are "they" anyway??? All good :)

Saturday at Home

Greetings Readers. I slept in late this morning and it felt great. I really needed the "catch up" (that's not catsup what ya put on hotdogs--hee hee). I rode my bikey with my sissy-doin' 12 laps around the neighborhood, then walked for about 30-45 minutes to loosen up the hip. All-in all, I exercised for about an hour and half. Felt great. That's it for today. Absolutely gorgeous sunny day here in San Diego--75 degrees :)

Achieving Your Passion--IDTBIC

Get your eyeballs ready to read...

I am a charter member of SAN Masters--a Toastmasters club here at the airport. Today, I gave a speech. Part of my speech focused on my philosophy as it relates to health and fitness. I thought I would post it here for my readers...

Achieving Your “Passion”
(IDTBIC)

I’d like to ask you all a direct question: By show of hands, how many of you have committed to a new project or behavior (like a new years resolution), only to slack off or quit altogether a few weeks or months later?

This overwhelming response shows that we have all done this—and thank you—I’m glad I’m not alone. We humans tend to have all kinds of spunk and motivation at the beginning of a project or goal, but seem to lose steam, as the weeks and months go by. We slack off a few times, then feel defeated, saying to ourselves, “Oh—just forget it. I can’t do this. It’s just too hard.”

How can we achieve our goals? How can we stick with things that are hard or difficult? What is that spark that fires us up in the beginning, and what is it that will continue to keep the flame burning?

My answer lies in how you answer these questions: How badly do you want to achieve or do that “thing?” “Is achieving this “thing” so important to you that it trumps everything else in your life?” If the answer to that last question is “yes”, then you have found your passion, and you will achieve it, because it is what is most important to you.

Now, I’m going to ask a couple more questions—ones that do not require a direct answer, but are simply for you to ponder. What is your passion? Is there something that you long for or want badly? Are there goals involved or certain actions you need to take in order to achieve this thing? Then the questions now become, “How much do you want it, why do you want it and how important is it to you?” How passionate are you about this “thing” and what are you willing to do to achieve it?

By now, you may have been able to identify your passion—there is no stopping you!!! You will succeed, but how? Start mapping this out—either in your mind or on paper—whatever works best for you.

I’ll now speak from personal experience. Back in 1987, I smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. For years I knew that quitting was the best thing I could do for my health and longevity. I knew it would be difficult, so I stalled. The time came when I felt I could put it off no longer. Quitting became my passion. I decided that I would smoke my last cigarette at midnight, New Years, 1988. I knew that I was going to do this, because I was committed and that was that. I’d tried to quit several times before, but didn’t have a game plan and I guess I was just not passionate enough about making it happen. But this time was different, and I knew it. I did achieve my goal. I was successful, I believe—because that was my passion—to be healthy and to set a healthy example for my daughters. I have been smoke-free now for more than 21 years. There are many smoking cessation programs out there, but this is not about which one works—it’s about one’s commitment to achieve a goal or “passion”—however you choose to do it. The “cold-turkey” approach worked for me, but it may not work for everyone.

With no more smoking habit—on came the pounds. That certainly was not my plan, but it happened. Year after year, I slowly gained weight. Oh, I would try different weight loss programs and had some success, but always ended up going back to my old eating habits. I just didn’t want to stop eating my favorite fattening foods. Apparently I did not want to lose weight badly enough.

During the last few months of 2006, I knew I had to do something about my overall health. I found myself aging—something, unfortunately, I couldn’t really do anything about. I knew, however, that I could do something about my fitness level and nutrition habits. My weight was approaching 200 pounds (I’m only 5 foot tall), my total cholesterol was nearing 300 and my blood sugar was spiking, running the risk of potentially contracting Type 2 Diabetes. Heart disease runs rampant in my family—so from my vantage point—I was a disaster waiting to happen. I was disgusted with myself and pretty darned depressed. I really wanted to turn over a new leaf for 2007 and beyond, but asked myself, “What if I start a nutrition and exercise program only to fail again--slipping back into my old habits?? How many times had I done this before? This time, I was determined not to let that happen. I learned a long time ago that a diet is something one “goes on and off” of. No—this had to be different. This needed to be a life event—a lifestyle change for the better—once and for all. This became my passion. But why? Why was it my passion? Family. I learned that I was going to become a grandma in 2007. I envisioned taking my little grandees to the park, to the zoo and rolling around on the floor and acting goofy with them. In my present poor physical condition, that didn’t look too promising. Wanting to be healthy for my family became a priority for me.

One day, out of the blue, this phrase popped into my head, and it really represented how I would approach achieving my new goal. The phrase is… “I’m doing the best I can.” or IDTBIC.

My game plan began. I decided that in order to achieve my goal in getting healthy, that I was not going to try to be “perfect”. That is an absolute impossibility in this life. Events, weddings, showers, parties, pot lucks are going to happen, and if I tell myself that I am not going to partake, I’m only fooling myself.

There are millions of diet and exercise programs out there, and the majority of them probably work. The thing that was really going to make the difference was my level of commitment in achieving this goal. Again, this is not about how I succeeded—that is another talk entirely. Suffice it to say that I did succeed. Although I’m not yet at my goal weight, I have now lost 57 pounds. My total cholesterol is now around 150, and my blood sugar is normal, and I love rolling around on the floor with my little Marli. I feel better than ever, and my commitment to my passion continues to grow.

Our theme today, “Rolling with the Punches”, ties in beautifully with my talk, so I thought I would Google it to see what others had to say. Here’s one post:

“It means that if something unpleasant happens to you, don't let it get you upset. Just do your best to keep a positive attitude by setting up a mental reaction that will protect you from being hurt.”Similar phrases are: “Go with the flow; land on your feet; keep a level eye; hang in there.”

…and I would like to add to this list--IDTBIC. Tell yourself, “I’m doing the best I can.” You’ll know that when you are doing your very best, you will achieve your goal. Our newly elected President, Barak Obama’s motto is “Yes we can!” Yes, I can—yes, you can—achieve your passion.

It's A New Week!!!

Catching up--I swam, as usual, last Thursday night. Esther came too, and we both did our 35 laps (1 mile)--yea!!! We are really getting good, and it's always nice to have a swimming partner. Friday morning, I did the gym in the morning and walked at noontime. I walked around the neighborhood on Saturday, to get the joints movin'. There was no swimming on the weekend, as I had things going on both days. Both Saturday and Sunday there were family activities. Sunday we had a memorable family/friend activity, celebrating a milestone birthday for my sister, Esther. This morning--Monday, I was up and at 'em, however, to the gym to do my usual workout. It felt good. Then we, as a department, went out for a co-worker's birthday lunch, so I did not walk at noon time. I'm feeling a little bogged down now, due to the eating I've been doing at these recent social gatherings. I'll probably not see any progress on the scale this week as a result. I've now got to get back on track with my nutrition.

A Little Behind...

...that's what I wish I had--'a little behind' (tee hee)!!! Well, I'm sure workin' on it, anyway :)

OK--the last few days have been relatively 'mo' betta' with regard to my hip. I gotta tell ya that moving makes all the difference in the world. If I didn't move, I would absolutely freeze up--not being able to move at all!!!

Now then--recapping the last couple of days...it was back to work on Tuesday (Inauguration Day). Beautiful day, as I walked by the bay at noon. I just love my MP3 player. Over the weekend, I uploaded a ton more songs before my 14-day Napster trial period was to expire. Music is a big part of my life and walking to music with a great beat, really ramps things up.

Tuesday evening, I swam 35 laps (or 70 lengths)--the new swimmers' mile, at my 'local watering hole'. I think traditionally, 'watering hole' means local bar. As that definition does not apply to me, I'll refer to my 24-hour fitness pool as my 'local watering hole'. Weight wise--I seem to be holding steady at 144. Since I'm working my "!#$%^$#$#" off, and eating healthy, lo-cal meals, all I can figure is that I'm building muscle--which of course weighs more. I feel great, though, and getting more toned all the time.

I did the gym on Wednesday morning, as usual, and walked at noon time. I am so grateful for the wonderful weather we have here in San Diego that allows for outside activities. I hope to do a little bike riding on the weekend. Rain is in the forecast, so we'll see how that goes.

Happy MLK Jr. Day!!!

It's soooo nice to have today off from work. I celebrated MLK Jr. day by, guess what??? Yes--going to the gym--but I didn't have to get up so bloomin' early, which is a good thing--yes! I had a good workout and feel purdy darned good. I hope I stay healthy. One has to be careful going to the gym, washing hands frequently, etc. This is the flu season and germs can transfer quite easily. I need to be diligent and try to stay healthy. I hope my readers are staying healthy as well!!!

Hey--I thought I'd post some good information on swimming stats. Esther did some research. Thanks Sis!

How many laps for a mile?
Lap = down and back
Swimmers mile = 1500 meters
15 laps in the 50 meter lanes
30 laps in the 25 meter lanes
33 laps in the 25 yard lanes

Actually there is 1760 yards in a mile which then calculates to 70 laps.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Not too much activity yesterday (Saturday), except walking three times around the block in the morning to loosen up the joints. I'll be swimming tonight. I called 24 and the pool heater is apparently working--yea!!! Looking forward to going.


A word or two about nutrition: For the first time since the "new year", I relaxed my healthy eating routine and partook of yummy eatins at my daughter's inlaws (the Bueno's). There was a birthday party for some of the little cousins. I had nachos and carne asada--yum. Then I went to Hillcrest for Sushi with a good friend o' mine. Oh--why not? Every now and then, ya gotta live a little, huh? Today, I went right back to my routine. It's all good. :)

Swimming was great tonight. The pool was warmer, but still not as warm as I would like it. I swam 70 lengths tonight. That's 35 laps :) It felt great.

The End of a Looooong Week

Friday at last! I'm up way too late--or should I say too early on a Saturday morning. Did my workout early Friday morning--yea for me--then walked at noon. Another beautiful day in San Diego :)

Thursday Night Frustration!!!

OK--so my only exercise planned for today was to go swimming. I've really felt 'un-swum' lately, having not 'swum' since the weekend. I was really looking forward to my swim. After getting to my car, after work, I hopped (ha) into my car and headed for Grossmont 24 Hr, only to find that they STILL had not fixed the pool heater. Frustrated, I was determined to go swimming somewhere. As I drove along the '8', I began to call the other 24-hours around town. There are some with outdoor pools and some with no pools at all. The Santee location--the next closest one, has an indoor pool, but there was an aerobics class happening at the very same time I wanted to swim. Darn!!! I finally ended up at the College Grove 24. That location was as crowded as could be last night--due to other scheduled fitness classes. I was, however, able to get a lane all to myself to do my now usual mile swim, but there must have been 20 people in the steamroom!!! All-in-all, I'm happy now to say that I am "swum" :) Looking foward to Grossmont this weekend.

Keep On Keepin' On...

Yesterday was gym day. I had a good, but an abbreviated, workout. It's hard getting there sometimes, but once I'm there, it feels good, and I'm always glad that I went afterward. I also walked at noon. Once again, good news--once the joints loosen up, I usually move along pretty well.

Loosening Up the Joints

It's amazing how walking loosens up the joints, allowing me to move freely. I don't get that. I'll be sitting for a while, then get up and am totally unable to put any pressure at all on my left leg without feeling a ton of pain in my hip. I forced myself to walk at noon today. After about the third song on my MP3 player, I was walking and keepin pretty good time to Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money" :) The rest of my walk was good. When I returned to my desk, a few of us WALKED from the Commuter Terminal (where I work) over to Terminal 2 to get a Jamba Juice--two 'walks' for me in one day. Purdy good. There will be no swimming tonight, as I have a church commitment.