It was 45 degrees at 4:30 this morning so I ran outside again today. I can't decide whether running outdoors is easier or harder than running on a treadmill, but it is different. I hope I continue to have opportunities to run outside this month.
I ran 5 miles in just under an hour, so it appears as if I run a little more slowly when I run outside, probably because I don't just set the pace and go. I know I am getting stronger because the hills don't slow me down as much as they used to. In fact, this morning I did not really notice the hills until I was half way up them and all of a sudden realized I was working harder. Just as I was wondering why the run was getting hard all of a sudden I would notice that I was going up hill. This is a lot better than what I was doing only a few months ago. A few month ago I would start dreading the hills the second I started my run and have to psych myself up for each one of them. It feels good to see the improvement.
Yesterday Jack and I played racquetball and I did much better. I was getting set for more of the shots and doing a better job getting the ball to the wall. We actually went into overtime for one game (still using modified scoring - I can get points when Jack serves, but he can't get points when I serve). After playing racquetball we did a strength training workout. I modified one of the workouts that I did last summer for Jack to do at the gym at work. I think it will be a good all around workout for him to do a couple times a week, though it seemed to be a little too much after the racquetball yesterday. I guess we'll see how it goes.
Between going out for dinner and ice cream (yes, ice cream!) Friday night and having a snack and half a beer while watching the super bowl last night I did not do well with my goal to start working towards weighing 150.0 on February 26th. This morning I weighed 154 pounds. I seem to be fluctuating between 152.5 and 154.0, without dieting at all. I am having trouble motivating myself to count every calorie, but I know that is what I need to do to reach my goal of 150.0 by my one year anniversary. I will do better this week.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
2/3/2013: Warmer Weather = Workout Outdoors!
Yesterday as Jack and I were running errands it occurred to me that it was warm enough for me to do my scheduled brick outdoors. It has been a while since I rode my bike or ran outside, so it seemed like a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity. We have a bike path that starts about 3 miles from the house that I've been wanting to check out, so that was my destination for yesterday's ride. I rode to the path, stayed on the path for 18 miles and rode home for a 24 mile bike ride. After I got home, I pulled off my shorts and leg warmers (my running pants were on underneath for a warmth layer), changed my shoes and went for a 2 mile run. I made the decision to run only two miles because I felt pretty tired after my bike ride, it was getting dark, and my toes were very cold. After running the two miles, I knew I could have gone further, but it felt like enough, for now, so I called it a day. The 24 mile bike ride and 2 mile run took me two hours and 17 minutes. The bike ride came with it's share of obstacles including stop lights, traffic, people walking dogs, an unpaved section of the trail that was loose gravel, a section of the trail that was 3-4 inches deep in mud causing me to go up and over the trail, dog walkers, baby walkers, etc... I estimate that I lost about 20 minutes to obstacles.
It was good to ride outdoors on my bike. It was harder than I thought it would be. I made a conscientious effort to not stop pedaling, there was no coasting on yesterday's ride. Whenever I could, I pedaled hard, gearing up so I was always working with resistance. Riding on the path was nice because there were no stop lights and there wasn't any traffic, but there were several blind curves that I needed to approach cautiously and I needed to slow down for those. Overall, the path was better than the city streets because I had to stop a lot less often. Better yet would be getting out in the country, but that requires a little more planning and a little more time. It's harder to slip a two hour workout into the day if you need 45 minutes to get there and another 45 minutes to get home, particularly when the days are so short.
It was a different experience to run after getting off my bike. It was very, very different from getting off a stationary bike and getting onto a treadmill. For the first 1/2 mile of my run I felt very awkward, like a baby learning how to walk. My legs did not want to run. I felt like I was tottering, almost. My brain was able to tell my legs what to do, but my legs were not happy about it. I almost felt like I was running on peg legs or on legs that belonged to someone else. On top of that, my poor toes were frozen so I couldn't really feel my feet. The next time I ride outdoors I will wear warmer socks! My feet started to thaw out as I ran so about a mile into the run I felt like I had huge toes. By the time I got back to the house, everything felt normal, my toes and my stride, and I knew I could keep going if I needed to. But at that moment I didn't feel like I needed to go any further. I learned what I needed to learn, yesterday, which is what it felt like to go from my bike to running, without a rest in between. And yes, it was difficult.
All in all, I was happy with my workout yesterday. I will continue to workout outdoors when possible. Winter will be over before too long and then all of my running and cycling will be outdoors. That will be nice!
It was good to ride outdoors on my bike. It was harder than I thought it would be. I made a conscientious effort to not stop pedaling, there was no coasting on yesterday's ride. Whenever I could, I pedaled hard, gearing up so I was always working with resistance. Riding on the path was nice because there were no stop lights and there wasn't any traffic, but there were several blind curves that I needed to approach cautiously and I needed to slow down for those. Overall, the path was better than the city streets because I had to stop a lot less often. Better yet would be getting out in the country, but that requires a little more planning and a little more time. It's harder to slip a two hour workout into the day if you need 45 minutes to get there and another 45 minutes to get home, particularly when the days are so short.
It was a different experience to run after getting off my bike. It was very, very different from getting off a stationary bike and getting onto a treadmill. For the first 1/2 mile of my run I felt very awkward, like a baby learning how to walk. My legs did not want to run. I felt like I was tottering, almost. My brain was able to tell my legs what to do, but my legs were not happy about it. I almost felt like I was running on peg legs or on legs that belonged to someone else. On top of that, my poor toes were frozen so I couldn't really feel my feet. The next time I ride outdoors I will wear warmer socks! My feet started to thaw out as I ran so about a mile into the run I felt like I had huge toes. By the time I got back to the house, everything felt normal, my toes and my stride, and I knew I could keep going if I needed to. But at that moment I didn't feel like I needed to go any further. I learned what I needed to learn, yesterday, which is what it felt like to go from my bike to running, without a rest in between. And yes, it was difficult.
All in all, I was happy with my workout yesterday. I will continue to workout outdoors when possible. Winter will be over before too long and then all of my running and cycling will be outdoors. That will be nice!
Friday, February 1, 2013
2/1/2013: Starting to Feel a Little too Busy
This seems like a cyclical issue for me. I'll get a little bored and a little under stimulated and I start looking for things to do. As I start making changes, I get more engaged and I get busier until all of a sudden I am too busy. Then I have to take a step back, do an assessment of what is important and what I can let go. All of a sudden I am feeling pretty darn busy.
It's mostly my job including my travel schedule and the fact that I am working on major issues for two different companies, the one here in Olathe and the one in China. The issues are very different but the goals are the same. Of course, there are two different sets of shareholders and employees to work with. Sometimes it is a little daunting.
Last night I had trouble falling asleep. I don't know if it was because yesterday was a rest day and I didn't exercise, so I wasn't very tired, or if it was because I worked a little late and had a project on my mind. Either way, I had a hard time waking up this morning.
I have not been to the gym yet, but I am confident that I will get there during lunch to do lower body strength training, which is the only thing on my schedule for today. I am keeping this post short so I can get to work early, prior to the interruptions starting. I have to get a project done today. I'm hoping this weekend will be restful.
Thank God it's Friday!!
It's mostly my job including my travel schedule and the fact that I am working on major issues for two different companies, the one here in Olathe and the one in China. The issues are very different but the goals are the same. Of course, there are two different sets of shareholders and employees to work with. Sometimes it is a little daunting.
Last night I had trouble falling asleep. I don't know if it was because yesterday was a rest day and I didn't exercise, so I wasn't very tired, or if it was because I worked a little late and had a project on my mind. Either way, I had a hard time waking up this morning.
I have not been to the gym yet, but I am confident that I will get there during lunch to do lower body strength training, which is the only thing on my schedule for today. I am keeping this post short so I can get to work early, prior to the interruptions starting. I have to get a project done today. I'm hoping this weekend will be restful.
Thank God it's Friday!!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
1/31/13: Preparing for My One Year Anniversary
I took my start photo on February 26th, 2012, and began my Get Fit Initiative on February 27th, so at the end of this month it will be one year since I began this journey. It has been a great year. I feel so good! Little things happen that surprise me. Yesterday I got dressed for work and looked at the mirror and for a moment was surprised by how good I looked. I was wearing a sweater that we bought at Coldwater Creek earlier in the month and my dark blue jeans. My dark blue jeans and light blue jeans are the same size and the same style, but the material is a little different. The dark blue jeans are a thicker and stiffer material than the light ones, so they fit a little more snuggly. Anyway, I looked in the mirror and saw a woman looking back at me that was fit, tone, and looked good in her jeans. I was surprised by my own reflection and said to myself, "Wow, I look good. Look at those skinny legs!" Then, yesterday evening Jack started horsing around and poked me in the side and tried to grab onto what used to be there. Instead of poking into a soft roll he hit muscle and he couldn't find anything to grab. He was pretty impressed and then kept on poking, for the fun of it, I guess, laughing and commenting on how firm my middle was. Every now and then I'll do the same thing. My hand will brush up against a part of me that used to be squishy with fat and instead hit a spot that is pretty solid and I'll be surprised all over again by how far I've come.
All this brings me to my short term goal. I hit my weight goal of 150 lbs a couple of weeks ago. That night we went out to celebrate, that weekend was not particularly disciplined, and the following week I left for China where I celebrated Chinese New Year's in quite a fashion. All of this has resulted in me gaining just a few pounds. As I pointed out a week or so ago, I am within the range I set for myself, but I am slightly above 150 pounds. Here is my 1st Quarter 2013 Chart:
The horizontal blue line near the bottom of the chart is 150 lbs and the chart allows me 5 pounds on either side of that line. I started this chart on January 13th, the weekend after I hit goal, so I was already a little over 150 lbs. None of this is particularly worrying me, but I have decided that I want to weigh 150.0 lbs again on my one year anniversary. I think it will be pretty symbolic to take a photo on February 26, 2013 and paste it next to my February 26, 2012 photo, along with a caption referring to reaching my goal weight of 150lbs. I can visualize that framed and on the wall, my memento to the effort I have put into getting healthy and transforming my body. It will by my reminder to always be vigilant about taking care of myself, as well as my trophy that symbolizes my success.
This morning I weighed 152.8 pounds. Reaching 150.0 by February 26th should not be difficult, but I need to track calories and be a little more disciplined about food. I still mark my weight on my chart on Thursdays and Mondays, and I will post my weight on my blog on those days as well.
The rest of this chart is devoted to exercise. The top two-thirds of the chart is my 4 week schedule. It has helped a lot to have my schedule written down. Instead of deciding on a daily basis what I am going to do, I just check my schedule the night before and figure out how I am going to fit what I need to do into the next day. Speaking of fitting it in, yesterday I exercised at lunch for the second day in a row. I ran 5 miles in 53 minutes!! I think I like exercising at lunch and for the most part my schedule should allow me to use my lunch hour for exercise on a pretty regular basis. I like exercising at lunch much more than I like exercising in the evenings. I like my evenings to be my time of day when I can relax and have nothing that I have to do. This seems like a good way to get the exercise sessions in that I can't fit into my morning routine.
The bar graph between my schedule and my weight line marks the % of goal that I reached for exercise each week. Aqua = swim, purple = bike, red = run, blue = upper body, and light green = lower body. For the first four weeks of my program my weekly goals are 2500 of swimming, 76 minutes of cycling, 10 miles of running, 2 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts. You can easily see from the graph that I completed all of my scheduled sessions in the first week and missed one upper body and one cycling session in the second week. I wrote the word "rest" into the gaps during week 2 because my body was tired after my trip to China and squeezing in a workout that I missed due to my travel schedule. I knew I needed a day off, so I took it. This week I am on schedule. I have a lower body workout to do tomorrow and a bike/run brick scheduled for Saturday. I love how visual this chart is and how much it helps me stay on track with my goals. It is interesting how much better I do when my goals are very specific like this, rather than a general idea of, "I need to exercise everyday," or, "I need to stay close to 150 pounds."
Today is my rest day, which I do enjoy. As much as I appreciate exercise and the change in my body, health, and well being that have occurred as a result of exercise, I still like my days off. They seem like a little treat!
Have a wonderful Thursday!!
All this brings me to my short term goal. I hit my weight goal of 150 lbs a couple of weeks ago. That night we went out to celebrate, that weekend was not particularly disciplined, and the following week I left for China where I celebrated Chinese New Year's in quite a fashion. All of this has resulted in me gaining just a few pounds. As I pointed out a week or so ago, I am within the range I set for myself, but I am slightly above 150 pounds. Here is my 1st Quarter 2013 Chart:
This morning I weighed 152.8 pounds. Reaching 150.0 by February 26th should not be difficult, but I need to track calories and be a little more disciplined about food. I still mark my weight on my chart on Thursdays and Mondays, and I will post my weight on my blog on those days as well.
The rest of this chart is devoted to exercise. The top two-thirds of the chart is my 4 week schedule. It has helped a lot to have my schedule written down. Instead of deciding on a daily basis what I am going to do, I just check my schedule the night before and figure out how I am going to fit what I need to do into the next day. Speaking of fitting it in, yesterday I exercised at lunch for the second day in a row. I ran 5 miles in 53 minutes!! I think I like exercising at lunch and for the most part my schedule should allow me to use my lunch hour for exercise on a pretty regular basis. I like exercising at lunch much more than I like exercising in the evenings. I like my evenings to be my time of day when I can relax and have nothing that I have to do. This seems like a good way to get the exercise sessions in that I can't fit into my morning routine.
The bar graph between my schedule and my weight line marks the % of goal that I reached for exercise each week. Aqua = swim, purple = bike, red = run, blue = upper body, and light green = lower body. For the first four weeks of my program my weekly goals are 2500 of swimming, 76 minutes of cycling, 10 miles of running, 2 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts. You can easily see from the graph that I completed all of my scheduled sessions in the first week and missed one upper body and one cycling session in the second week. I wrote the word "rest" into the gaps during week 2 because my body was tired after my trip to China and squeezing in a workout that I missed due to my travel schedule. I knew I needed a day off, so I took it. This week I am on schedule. I have a lower body workout to do tomorrow and a bike/run brick scheduled for Saturday. I love how visual this chart is and how much it helps me stay on track with my goals. It is interesting how much better I do when my goals are very specific like this, rather than a general idea of, "I need to exercise everyday," or, "I need to stay close to 150 pounds."
Today is my rest day, which I do enjoy. As much as I appreciate exercise and the change in my body, health, and well being that have occurred as a result of exercise, I still like my days off. They seem like a little treat!
Have a wonderful Thursday!!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
January 30, 2013: Important Things in Life
Sometimes it is important to stop and focus on the important things in life and next week I am going to have the opportunity to do exactly that. Our oldest son, Andrew, and his wife, Rebecca, had their 5th child (and our 6th grandchild) almost two weeks ago. James Craven McKown was born almost two full weeks ago. Unfortunately, the little guy was having a little trouble breathing and had to be moved to NICU for a little while. He came home from the hospital on Saturday and has been doing great under his mom's loving care. She is so happy to have him home where she can love and take care of him! Here is a picture of our newest grandson, all dressed up and ready to go to his doctor's visit on Monday.
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| James Craven McKown, 1/28/2013 |
Rebecca has asked if I can come out to help for a few days. With the four other children at home, and three of them being home schooled, she can certainly use the help. I am flying out Wednesday evening and will be there all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and until early afternoon on Monday. I wish I could stay longer, but with my new job, my crazy travel schedule, and an audit coming up, 3 days off work is all that I can manage right now. Even though the time I get to spend there will be too short, I am grateful that I have this opportunity to help Rebecca, meet Baby James, and help take care of Annika, Sharlynne, Taren and Caden for a few days. I am looking forward to being a substitute teacher, among other things. It should be a crazy, tiring, wonderful several days. I plan on taking lots of pictures of all the kids. I hope I actually remember to do that so that I can share them on my blog when I get home. I am also looking forward to this opportunity to spend more time with my daughter-in-law, Rebecca. As we have gotten to know each other over the last several years, we have found that we have some very basic things in common. Finding these traits and experiences that we share has helped us form a bond that I cherish. She is an incredibly smart, strong and loving woman and an amazing mother. The trait I see in her, as a mom, that I struggled with the most when my kids were young, is her consistency with her children. All four of the older children are smart, curious, independent, and creative (and I am confident that James is, too, though he is too young to show us this yet). They are a constant challenge because they are so engaged all of the time. Yet Rebecca has a firm hand on discipline, including assigning chores to each of them at an early age, that progress in difficulty as they get older. All four of them, even Caden, who will be 4 (Oh wow, I can't believe he'll be 4 already!) in March, have household chores to help Rebecca keep the house together. There is so much more there, chores are just a very small example of the entire picture, that I don't exactly know how to put into words, but when I get to spend time with Rebecca and her children I am always impressed by what an incredible job she is doing raising and educating the kids. My hat is off to her and I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that I am going to get to spend this time with Andrew, Rebecca, and their family next week.
I had my strength training session with Jeremy this morning and we focused on upper body. At the beginning of the month we established a goal for January of doing 12 good push-ups, so this morning that was the first thing I had to do. I hadn't actually tried to do 12 push-ups yet, but I thought I could do them and do them I did! I got down on the floor and knocked out 12 push-ups as if I have been doing them my entire life. This is a huge accomplishment for me. When I started training with Jeremy a year ago, I could not even do one push-up from my toes. I had to do them from my knees. My upper body strength has been slowly improving throughout the year and this morning I could see the results in my ability to do 12 push-ups without any trouble. We then spent 45 minutes doing a variety of arm, back, and chest exercises and I finished my workout with 2 sets of 10 more push-ups. Our goal for 2013 is for me to be able to do one pull-up. If we accomplish that it will feel like a miracle. I have never been able to do a pull-up, not even when I was a girl. Well, I could never do push-ups either. But pull-ups? They're tough! We have a lot of work to do, but I think we'll get there!! I love having this upper body strength. It feels great!!
I am proud of something very minor that I accomplished yesterday; I went to the gym and rode the stationary bike over my lunch hour. As you probably know, I have developed a very consistent routine of exercising in the morning. For months, I have tried to be as disciplined about doing some light exercise in the evenings; but I find it much more difficult to be consistent with exercise after work and I have been hit or miss on working out in the evenings. Phase II of my plan is going to require more discipline, because I need to get in 8-9 real workouts a week. I am doing upper body twice a week, lower body twice a week, running 10 miles a week, swimming 2500 meters a week, riding a bike 76 minutes a week, playing racquetball with Jack once a week, and we bowl on Wednesday evenings. Unless I start getting up at 3:45 in the morning (and I don't see that happening) to exercise, I am going to have to do some of those workouts at some other time of the day. Now that I am packing a lunch and I have a gym right around the corner, lunchtime is a natural option. I say that, but many, many times in the past I've said, "I'm going to exercise on my lunch hour today," and I haven't done it. Yesterday was the first day that I actually made it happen. The nice part about that was I didn't have to worry about exercising when I got home last night. I got to just come home and relax (after caulking the tub - the bathroom project is now finished!). Today, in addition to the upper body workout that I already did this morning, I have a 5 mile run on my schedule. My plan is to do that over lunch. It would feel great to get a lunchtime workout in two days in a row! I won't be able to run this evening because it is bowling night, so if I don't run over lunchtime, I will be behind on my schedule. I will get it done.
I am already thinking about modifying my schedule a little bit for the second four weeks of Phase II. For the first four weeks I divided the 10 miles of running and 76 minutes of biking into two equal chunks (I do all of the swimming at one time). I think I may start doing one six mile run and two two mile runs and something similar with the biking. That way I can devote a morning to getting the biggest chunk of my running in and a morning to getting a big chunk of biking done, and have shorter segments to do over lunch or in the evening. That may work out better for me.
All in all, 2 and a half weeks into Phase II, I am doing well. I have missed only one day of scheduled exercise and that was due to the need to rest after my trip to China compressed my workouts into one fewer day and because I spent most of Saturday on a home improvement project. I like my new chart (I will share it with you, along with a new short term goal, tomorrow) and I am looking forward to getting my body fat tested on Friday so I can have a base line for measuring progress. I feel strong, happy, and motivated. I am enjoying playing racquetball with Jack and am thrilled that we have been working out together on the weekends. I am looking forward to my triathlon in a little over 6 months and feel like I will be well prepared for it. What a difference 11 months can make!!!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
1/29/2013: Just Another Day
Some days are like that, they are just another day.
I swam 2500 meters this morning, so my swimming is done for the week. 100 laps is a lot. I feel pretty good for the first 80, up to 90 I feel OK, but the last 10 I really have to push through. If I can get to where I am swimming 100 laps fairly easily, then the 1500 meter swim for the tri shouldn't wear me out too much. I'm pretty slow, the 2500 meters took me 65 minutes. One of these days I will need to take some lessons and learn how to swim a little more efficiently and, I hope, a little more quickly.
I am behind by one 38 minute biking session. I did lower body strength training yesterday morning and was hoping to get a bike ride in at lunch or after work. Unfortunately, we had a board meeting I had to prepare for and attend and I did not get home until 9:15, so getting the bike ride in just didn't happen. All of the bosses are gone for the rest of the week, though, so I can pace myself through my projects that need to get done this week. I think going to the gym for lunch today and getting in my bike ride is an achievable goal. I am bringing my gym clothes with me. Worst case scenario is I can get on the bike after work.
I made an appointment to get my body fat tested at UMKC on Friday. They use a Bod Pod which they claim to be accurate within 2%. I just read an article, though, that said it can be very unreliable. I may keep looking for a hydrostatic testing center in KC, though I haven't been able to find one yet. It would be nice to know if I am making progress towards my goal of reducing my body fat % over time.
I guess that's it for now. Today should be a better (shorter) day at work so with any luck I will get home at a reasonable hour. Perhaps that will help me have a little more energy tomorrow morning. Getting up at 4:20 is a little rough when I don't get to bed until 10:30 or so. That's just not enough sleep. Luckily, that does not happen very often.
I swam 2500 meters this morning, so my swimming is done for the week. 100 laps is a lot. I feel pretty good for the first 80, up to 90 I feel OK, but the last 10 I really have to push through. If I can get to where I am swimming 100 laps fairly easily, then the 1500 meter swim for the tri shouldn't wear me out too much. I'm pretty slow, the 2500 meters took me 65 minutes. One of these days I will need to take some lessons and learn how to swim a little more efficiently and, I hope, a little more quickly.
I am behind by one 38 minute biking session. I did lower body strength training yesterday morning and was hoping to get a bike ride in at lunch or after work. Unfortunately, we had a board meeting I had to prepare for and attend and I did not get home until 9:15, so getting the bike ride in just didn't happen. All of the bosses are gone for the rest of the week, though, so I can pace myself through my projects that need to get done this week. I think going to the gym for lunch today and getting in my bike ride is an achievable goal. I am bringing my gym clothes with me. Worst case scenario is I can get on the bike after work.
I made an appointment to get my body fat tested at UMKC on Friday. They use a Bod Pod which they claim to be accurate within 2%. I just read an article, though, that said it can be very unreliable. I may keep looking for a hydrostatic testing center in KC, though I haven't been able to find one yet. It would be nice to know if I am making progress towards my goal of reducing my body fat % over time.
I guess that's it for now. Today should be a better (shorter) day at work so with any luck I will get home at a reasonable hour. Perhaps that will help me have a little more energy tomorrow morning. Getting up at 4:20 is a little rough when I don't get to bed until 10:30 or so. That's just not enough sleep. Luckily, that does not happen very often.
Monday, January 28, 2013
1/28/2013: Where Did January Go?
I have a funny feeling in 11 months I am going to be saying, "Where did 2013 go?" Time seems to be flying by ever since I started working for Castle Creations. I guess that is what they mean when they say, "Time flies when you are having fun!" Time does seem to go by so much more quickly when I am not agonizing over every minute at work because I am bored or feel like my work is meaningless and when I am not agonizing over every minute at home because I am unhappy with myself. This month has gone by in a flash, but I'm not complaining.
Yesterday Jack and I played racquetball and then did an upper body workout together. I joined Aspen Fitness Center because my physical trainer moved there from 24 Hour Fitness. Aspen has two racquetball courts and Jack joined so we could play racquetball together. Now we go to the gym together at least once each weekend, and sometimes twice. We have a great time playing racquetball and I am starting to get a little better at the game. I am doing a better job at getting to the ball and getting the ball to the wall once I get to the ball. Backhand shots near the wall are tough and getting in the right position is often difficult, but my game is improving. In addition to playing racquetball together, I love that Jack is going to the gym with me to work out. Sometimes we do cardio, sometimes we do weights, but no matter what we do I think it's great. So far we have done upper body together once and lower body together once. On our way home yesterday I suggested the idea that we do upper body on Saturdays together, and lower body on Sundays. Then I can copy the workouts for him and he can use them at his gym after work, doing one each during the week. If he throws in a few cardio workouts (which he is already doing) and we play racquetball once a week, he'd be doing great!! He didn't reject my idea as ridiculous. I got a, "We'll see," which generally means he is warmish to the idea, so who knows? Perhaps by this time in February or March we'll have another gym rat in the family! I'd like that. It would be great if we could both stay healthy, happy, and strong into our old age. I want to do some awesome playing together as we get to the point in our careers that we don't have to work so much. Being fit will make being older a lot more fun for both of us!!
This morning I did a lower body workout and this evening I will ride a bike for 38 minutes. I'll probably throw in a walk at lunchtime, too, since it is so warm out. It is supposed to be 70 degrees out, today. I wish I had one more day off and I would go for a bike ride.
The tub project is almost done. I grouted the tile yesterday and today I need to polish off the grout film and caulk. We should be able to shower in our own bathroom again tomorrow. I have always disliked the shower stall in the hall bathroom. It is very cramped and dark. I've had a plan to re-do that bathroom ever since we bought the house. Now that I have had to use that shower for a week, I like it even less and re-doing that bathroom has risen on the list of home-improvement projects. We are going to start looking for a contractor that does bathrooms. If you have any suggestions, please share them. We are not going to go way high end, but we will be moving the shower, toilet and sink, so it will be a full-fledged project. With any luck and some monetary discipline, perhaps we can get the pink bathroom project done this year.
It looks like my plans for going to Utah to help Rebecca and Andrew with Baby James and our other four grandchildren for a few days are shaping up. I need to talk to my boss today, but if it all works out like I think it will I will be leaving next Wednesday. I am looking forward to seeing all of our family in Utah and being able to help out with the baby. I may even get to be a school teacher for a few days, since Annika, Sharlynne, and Taren are home schooled. It should be interesting!! It will certainly be tiring. I know I will be exhausted by the time I head home. I also know it will be a ton of fun.
I better head off to work. I have a busy week ahead of me. Have a great day!!
Yesterday Jack and I played racquetball and then did an upper body workout together. I joined Aspen Fitness Center because my physical trainer moved there from 24 Hour Fitness. Aspen has two racquetball courts and Jack joined so we could play racquetball together. Now we go to the gym together at least once each weekend, and sometimes twice. We have a great time playing racquetball and I am starting to get a little better at the game. I am doing a better job at getting to the ball and getting the ball to the wall once I get to the ball. Backhand shots near the wall are tough and getting in the right position is often difficult, but my game is improving. In addition to playing racquetball together, I love that Jack is going to the gym with me to work out. Sometimes we do cardio, sometimes we do weights, but no matter what we do I think it's great. So far we have done upper body together once and lower body together once. On our way home yesterday I suggested the idea that we do upper body on Saturdays together, and lower body on Sundays. Then I can copy the workouts for him and he can use them at his gym after work, doing one each during the week. If he throws in a few cardio workouts (which he is already doing) and we play racquetball once a week, he'd be doing great!! He didn't reject my idea as ridiculous. I got a, "We'll see," which generally means he is warmish to the idea, so who knows? Perhaps by this time in February or March we'll have another gym rat in the family! I'd like that. It would be great if we could both stay healthy, happy, and strong into our old age. I want to do some awesome playing together as we get to the point in our careers that we don't have to work so much. Being fit will make being older a lot more fun for both of us!!
This morning I did a lower body workout and this evening I will ride a bike for 38 minutes. I'll probably throw in a walk at lunchtime, too, since it is so warm out. It is supposed to be 70 degrees out, today. I wish I had one more day off and I would go for a bike ride.
The tub project is almost done. I grouted the tile yesterday and today I need to polish off the grout film and caulk. We should be able to shower in our own bathroom again tomorrow. I have always disliked the shower stall in the hall bathroom. It is very cramped and dark. I've had a plan to re-do that bathroom ever since we bought the house. Now that I have had to use that shower for a week, I like it even less and re-doing that bathroom has risen on the list of home-improvement projects. We are going to start looking for a contractor that does bathrooms. If you have any suggestions, please share them. We are not going to go way high end, but we will be moving the shower, toilet and sink, so it will be a full-fledged project. With any luck and some monetary discipline, perhaps we can get the pink bathroom project done this year.
It looks like my plans for going to Utah to help Rebecca and Andrew with Baby James and our other four grandchildren for a few days are shaping up. I need to talk to my boss today, but if it all works out like I think it will I will be leaving next Wednesday. I am looking forward to seeing all of our family in Utah and being able to help out with the baby. I may even get to be a school teacher for a few days, since Annika, Sharlynne, and Taren are home schooled. It should be interesting!! It will certainly be tiring. I know I will be exhausted by the time I head home. I also know it will be a ton of fun.
I better head off to work. I have a busy week ahead of me. Have a great day!!
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