still walking, but also still eating!

I am sticking with my regiment of morning walks (very long morning walks) and although I know that they're good for me they aren't taking any excess pounds off of my body and that is due entirely to my habit of eating all kinds of goodies throughout the day. Shame on me. I don't know when I am going to give up my evil ways.

No Running For Me

Wow, did I ever get overly ambitious the other morning and instead of my usual fairly fast paced 5 mile walk, this time I interspersed some running. Mistake. I'm a bit too old for that I've decided. The next morning my legs were so aching and stiff! I'd better stick with what I've been doing and maybe add some more weight training or stationary bike. No more running.

My Idea Of Great Exercise

okay, so maybe it wasn't really very strenuous exercise, but it WAS great. Instead of pounding the pavement for 60-75 minutes, I went boating with my family and it was exilarating. It was such a hot, hot day (112 degrees) but when you're out skimming over the water, with wind and spray in your face, who cares - it felt wonderful. My meager attempt at any exercise was paddling out on my floating chaise to catch some waves created by passing boats. I loved every minute of it.

Start The Week Off Right

I wasn't terribly thrilled to get out of bed early this morning and lace up my walking shoes but I made myself do it because it is Monday, after all, and it would be good to at least start the week off right. As usual, once I got started, it felt great. There was a slight breeze which felt wonderful and I saw most of the people that I generally run into on my morning outings. It's funny how you get to be quite familiar with people you see out biking or running each morning even though you never even get to know their names. They share the habit of early morning exercise and that makes for a kind of bond.

A Fun Kind Of Exercise

I didn't workout Friday morning as usual - there was no long walk or weight training, at least not in the usual sense. What I did do, however, was to join my darling daughter-in-law, Adrienne, in taking the grandkids to the zoo. We had a great day and because there are quite a few hilly areas at the zoo and because I was pulling two of the grandkids in a wagon, I did manage to get a bit of a workout. Seeing how excited the little ones got at watching all the animals was delightful. We bought a season pass so we'll likely take several more trips to the zoo and that will be A-OK with me.

sure enough

Oh yeah, just like I thought - I am major stiff and sore today after playing tennis last evening. Even my hand is sore. I couldn't figure out why my right hand was hurting and then I realized it was from holding the racket so tightly. I know that I said maybe I'd consider taking up tennis again but my aching body has caused me to reconsider. I don't know if that's the last world on that or not. We'll have to see. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying watching the workouts of those much stronger and more talented than myself - Lance Armstrong doing great in the Tour De France so far and the victories of Tiger Woods at the AT&T tournament and Roger Federer's upset at Wimbleton. Watching all of that hasn't made me the least bit tired and sore!

A Different Exercise=aches and pains

Oh my goodness! Today I didn't walk and I didn't lift weights but what I did do was play a little tennis, something I haven't done in a very long time. I'm feeling achy already and I'll be lucky to be able to climb out of bed tomorrow morning. What is it about using muscles that are normally sitting dormant. There is a price to be paid that's for sure. Aside from the stiffness and soreness, it was a lot of fun to hit that ball around again. Maybe I'll have to consider taking the sport up again. (I may change my mind about that when I see how I feel in the morning....)

Stay With The Program

Last week was a very busy one for me. We had family staying with us over the holiday week and in between that busyness I had to sandwich in two days up in the mountains at girls camp. It was all fun but it left me with no time for exercise. (I know, excuses, excuses) I truly DIDN'T have time last week, but now it's the beginning of a whole new week and I knew I must get back with the routine. I walked for 75 minutes this morning and it felt great. It's a hot day (presently 95 degrees) and it was even hot when I started out at 6 a.m. but it was still very enjoyable. It really is my favorite way to start out the day. (I may have to be reminded of that statement at some future date.....)

Every Little Bit Helps

Don't you just love it when you've completed a really tough workout and feel physically exhausted and mentally victorious. That is a great feeling for sure but it doesn't happen for me nearly as regularly as I'd like. Unfortunately, more often I am feeling mentally discouraged because I didn't fit in the workout I intended so I don't bother to do much of anything physical at all. Wrong. I'm trying to learn that everyday doesn't have to be a marathon. Some days are, and that's great but when one of the millions of things happen that keep me from a good work out occur, I don't have to chuck the whole notion of exercise, I can still do SOMETHING. Stopping in the middle of the day for some leg lifts or arm circles or running in place for a few brief moments can still count as exercise. Sometimes that's the best I can manage and that just has to be good enough. Maybe tomorrow will be another "marathon" day.