Exercise Update - Moving Right Along

   My activity level is nearly back to normal four months after surgery and I'm kicking my exercise program into high gear.  It was very surprising to find that it takes a lot longer to regain strength after surgery than I had supposed it would.

    It is just this past week that I have felt as though I could pick up a bit of speed in my walking.  I have been lifting (light) weights for  about three weeks now and I can feel the difference already!

WEIGHTLIFTING - IT"S NOT JUST FOR MEN ANYMORE!!!!!!!

    My regimen is fairly simple. I started with 2 pound hand weights and I do six exercises with the hand weights 10 reps x 2. Next I do three exercises with ankle weights (4 pounds on each ankle) Then I do 20 chair stands and 20 toe raises.  I follow this with a few simple yoga poses for balance and flexibility.

  I learned weightlifting technique from three books by the same author. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in weight training for strengthening or weight loss. The main difference between getting strong and losing weight is the number of days you devote to weightlifting.  Twice a week is fine for strengthening. For weight loss - it is three times a week.

   The books are 'Strong Women Stay Slim,' Strong Women Stay Young,' and 'Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis,' written by Miriam E Nelson Ph.D.

The woods where I do most of my walking 

  I have been walking pretty consistently since the week I got home from the hospital and it was a shock to me that it took several months for the feeling of weakness to go away. I am up to three miles now and have just begun to pick up some speed.  My walking pace has been a modest stroll until a few days ago. (I think the weight-lifting has helped me in this.)  My plan is to walk  60 minutes a day five or six days a week, walking a bit faster each week. At this point I would rather count minutes than miles!

I felt like my regimen needed a theme song so I chose "Movin' Right Along' from the original Muppet Movie. Although Kermit and Fozzie are in a car the song just makes me happy enough to lace up my sneakers and get moving! 

Things I learned after surgery: 

         Be kind and gentle to yourself.

         Be patient  - the weakness does go away.

         Start walking immediately - even if it is only a few laps around the house.

         

        

Textures of November

  Time to put bright color away for a time and focus on the textures of an overcast November walk. Mother Earth has treasures at this time of year, subtle and nuanced.  

The woods and marshland nearby provide a dose of fresh air on an overcast afternoon

My beloved reeds have set seed with  billowy cotton puffs to help them fly away.

Patches of watery pond and stream mirror the drab colors and reflect only shades of gray and brown.

These spent asters give no hint of their  recent lavender color.  

Even this swan sees his reflection in a lake of sepia glass.

     

This  Downy Woodpecker provided the most vivid color of the day with his tiny  red hat.

Five things to love about November:

 1)  Exercising is easier in the cool weather.
 2)  There are no bugs.
 3)  Hot tea.
 4)  Giving thanks.
 5)  The sparkly holidays are just around the corner!

Shared with Postcards from Paradise at Recuerda Mi Corazon

Faster, Girl, Faster!!!

  My exercise update for August is a dismal litany of excuses so I am focusing on goals and motivations for the month of September, a glorious month to be out-of-doors, on an extended walkabout.

   My plan is to walk every morning for an hour, and to pick up the pace.  Summer stickiness is mostly a thing of the past so working up a sweat is much  more pleasurable. I've logged  four hours at a lively pace in only three days , so I'm off to a great start. It's pouring this morning, a perfect day to get a weight session out of the way!

  I spotted an excellent article in  THE NEW YORK TIMES last week,  written by Personal Health columnist, Jane Brody.  It points to some interesting data on what motivates people to sustain a long term commitment to exercise.   Forget motives like weight loss, firming up the abs, prevention of illness or future fraility, she reports.

  The greatest motivator, it seems, is instant gratification.  What I took away from the article was this-  I can best motivate myself to get out there everyday by reminding myself that exercise feels good,  right here, right now.   The bottom line is, I really do feel better during  exercise,  and it makes the rest of the day sing too!

  I'm linking with  JOY'S BOOK BLOG READERS'WORKOUT and I plan to ENJOY 1800 minutes( 1 hour a day for 30 days) of walking at a lively pace this month  and 3 sessions a week of weight training.

Great Weekend!

   We were going to run away for the weekend but didn't get it together in time so we found ways to have a restful weekend right in the neighborhood.

  On Saturday, while the Admiral slept in, I got up with the birds and took a four mile walk.  What a great way to start a summer day.  Absolutely no one is up at 6 AM on a Saturday and the streets were deserted.  I did a nice long loop and when I got home, there was a lovely cup of tea waiting for me on the new porch.

     We just added this room  to our home and this is our first summer enjoying it.  It overlooks the garden and catches all the breezes.  We feel like we are blessed to have breakfast with God's blue jays and orioles every morning.

  After breakfast, the Admiral decided to take it easy, something he seldom does, so he put his feet up and had a delicious newspaper/book fest.  

   I opted for an active day and I started by weeding for two hours.  Along the way, I harvested some basil for our dinner salad.  I like to keep picking the tops off the basil all summer so it doesn't bloom.  This forces the plants to grow more leaves and then in August or early September, I have enough to make large batches of pesto for freezing.  

  While I was weeding, harvesting and clipping things that were overstepping their bounds, I happened upon a large stash of peppermint which had run amok while I wasn't looking.  I cut a massive amount of it and took a break to pull off the brown leaves.  I washed it and put it in the 'drying room.'

   Next, I picked some flowers for my bouquet and turned this:

                  Into this:

  We decided to plan a hike for early Sunday so we showered and skipped off to church on Saturday evening.  Then a simple easy dinner on the porch, again serenaded by our bird friends.

  Sunday morning, we surprised ourselves by getting up early!  After blueberry pancakes for the Admiral and cereal and fruit for me, we packed some water, a few granola bars, and my camera and drove  to one of our favorite hiking spots in Sunken Meadow State Park.  

  We hiked for a few hours, through the woods and along the wetlands path(which is only a path when the tide is out!) As usual, I wandered about like a drunken butterfly, looking for (and finding)  so many creatures and plants  to be intrigued by and , if I was lucky, to photograph.  Good thing I have the Admiral to be on the lookout for lions and tigers and bears and high tide!  

 The wild honeysuckle grows willy-nilly along the edge of the woods, attracting butterflies of all colors.  This one was resting and I was able to take it's picture.

My husband, who often spots things I would otherwise miss, pointed out this butterfly which I was able to grab a photo of, because it was resting for several minutes.  This Angelwing is often hard to spot.  With its wings closed, it looks just like a dead leaf.  

This army of sand crabs was playing near the water's edge.  There must have been thousands of them popping in and out of their little holes all along the beach.  I wish The Boy had been with us.  He would have loved catching them.

I was delighted to spy a large group of swallows resting on some dead branches near the water.  I've seen swallows in flight for years since we are surrounded by wetlands and they are arial acrobats when it comes to  chasing flying insects. This was the first opportunity I had to get some photos.  I believe they are barn swallows.

The Rosa Rugosas grow wild all along our shoreline. Their bright pink flowers give way to flashy orange hips.  I enjoy using the hips in some of my tea recipes but don't always have an opportunity to harvest them in the wild.  The best hips are the ones that undergo a frost, so picking them requires a visit to the shore in the fall.

Just before we left the park, we found a bench facing the wetland and these two Snowy Egrets arrived to go fishing among the rocks along the shore. The adult  moved in tandem with the  juvenile, never moving more than six feet from her off-spring.  Nice finish to a hike!

   Home again, in time for a late afternoon date with the New York Times and a short nap on the porch.


Today's Thought - "Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known."  Garrison Keillor

Summer Exercise, Summer Lunch

     My exercise program can come to a screeching halt when it is hot, unless I get out really  early.  This past week was a very hot one in my neck of the woods and very challenging.  I either went out at 6:30 AM for a long walk or I got myself out to weed the garden by seven.  When  I missed that small window, I'll be honest, I reneged on any and all promises to hit the pavement!  Some days it just got too hot, too early!

     In any event, cool, easy meals are the way to go in the heat.  Sometimes a meal  can be  serendipitous.   The best ones always  feel like I've made something out of nothing at all. 

    Here's a simple lunch salad to make when  you are  feeling virtuous after a good workout or guilty because you  didn't get up early enough to exercise.

    Cook extra chicken so there are leftovers for the next day or evening meal or  use chickpeas or feta cheese in place of the chicken. Most of the veggies and the berries were from  my CSA box from Golden Earthworm Farm. You can substitute some crispy jicama or radishes or  small white turnips for the kohlrabi.   Feel free to  shake things up a bit. ( Kind of like the It Never Tastes the Same Twice Vegetable Soup  recipe I posted  back in April.)


                                          Serendipity Salad


                                     Arugula and baby spinach
                                     Leftover chicken
                                     Leftover grilled asparagus, cut up
                                     Kohlrabi, peeled and cut up
                                     Strawberries
                                     Pine nuts to garnish



Dress with:
                                Best  Homemade Vinaigrette


                                     1&1/3 c olive oil
                                     1/3 c lemon juice
                                     1 tsp dry mustard
                                     5 cloves garlic
                                     1 tsp stevia or sugar
                                     1/2 to 1 tsp dried basil
                                     lots of black pepper
                                     salt to taste

Toss all ingredients into a blender  and whip until emulsified.  Alternatively, use red wine or balsamic vinegar in place of the lemon juice  or use shallots in place of the garlic, or use oregano in place of the basil.  Mix it up!

Take-Away - Exercise early and eat light when it's hot!



             
     

Exercise Report for June

   Starting an exercise program the first week in June, what's not to like?   I hooked up with another blogger who hosts a 'Readers' Workout'  every Tuesday and I found out that announcing my intention on-line was very motivating!  And it is very interesting to read about other bloggers, their struggles and triumphs with an exercise program.  Here's a link to  Joy's Book Blog  if you want to check it out.

  I made goals that were easily attainable  and chose to exercise early in the morning.  I'm happy to report that I exceeded my commitment of minutes by about 300 for a total of 1200 minutes of exercise for this month.  I began doing some strength training and counted some heavy lifting and bending  in my garden in my minutes.

   I feel better than I did a month ago, am sleeping like a baby again and I dropped 2 pounds. If I keep up this pace, perhaps I'll be 12 pounds lighter by Christmas!  If only....

   I love the early morning and was often able to incorporate a meditation into my walk.  One of the joys of retirement is being able to spend more time on the "Wanna Do List"  and less time on the "Have-Ta Do List" and prayerful meditation , getting in touch with the Spirit within and listening to my heart to discern what God's plan is for me for this day is something I look forward to doing daily.   What better time to get in touch with Him/Her than on an early morning walk in June!

   There is a holistic connection that exists in the Body-Mind-Spirit continuum that warrants our consideration.

  Goals for July:

      Increase my exercise time to 1400 minutes.
      More strength-training
      Increase my speed/distance
      Eat mindfully
 
   Take-Away -  A month of steady exercising felt good -  physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

The "I'm Never Going On A Diet Again As Long As I Live" Diet

  A number of people have asked recently if I'm on a diet in conjunction with  my new exercise regimen.  The answer is yes and  no.  I don't really believe in dieting in the usual sense of the word.  I've been on a diet (many times)  and I don't think they work.  So I've developed the "I'm never going on a diet again as long as I live" eating plan. It is very simple and, if I follow it, I lose weight!    And this 'diet'  is very easy to remember- just four words-----

   EAT LESS, MOVE MORE !!!!!

     Less calories in, more energy burned. Voila -weight loss.  

  I guess the next question you may be asking is, what foods are allowed on this plan?  Only you can answer that question for yourself.  You can really eat any foods you want , just eat less and move more!!

   Technically you could eat McDonald's everyday for a month and if you eat less and exercised more, you would lose weight.  However, we all know what happened when a certain documentary  film maker tried that.  He was quite sick at the end of a month of eating only  fast foods.
  
  So,  if you are asking me what I think  a healthy diet is, the answer is more complicated.  It brings me to my version of the  "Prevent heart disease, cancer,  type -2 diabetes, memory loss and  hypertension  for as long as possible, anti-inflammatory,  have younger looking skin and more energy diet."   

  The good news is (and this is easy to remember too)  if I want to stave off decrepitude,  all I have to do is avoid                  
                              Processed Foods.
  
   This includes just about any food that comes in a box, can  or a package, that has been altered from its natural state in some way, that has been processed into something our ancestors would not have recognized as food.  It means avoiding food with twenty-seven letter chemicals added to it.  It means avoiding food with white flour, sugar,  most sugar substitutes and added  salt.  It means shopping the walls of the market and skipping the aisles for the most part.

  

Veggies on the grill, basted with olive oil

   So what  do I eat most of the time?  Think RAINBOWS.  The more colorful my plate, the better.  This means fruits and vegetables, lots and lots of them. (You knew that was coming, right.) I eat fruits and vegetables at every meal.  At least 5-7 servings a day. No kidding!

Rainbow Veggies Ready to eat

 There are other foods I feel strongly about too. Foods that are important for  the nutrients they provide.   They contribute to health in numerous ways. They include : tea, nuts, olives and olive oil, yogurt, beans, flax, oatmeal, herbs and spices, fish and fish oil,  tofu and some meats.   I also include a small amount of cheese because it tastes good and I often go meatless. 

That's it, folks.    There are a million theories about eating  and I've read them all.  This way of eating  makes  the most sense to me.  And I feel good when I eat this way.  

  Oh, one more thing.  When  I cheat, and I DO  cheat once in a blue moon,  I try to pretend I'm  French and just take a tiny portion.  (As in EAT LESS)

The  "INGOADAALAIL" Diet in a nutshell:

                                 Eat Less, Move More
                                 Avoid Processed Foods
                                 Eat Colorful Foods


   

Exercising With a Friend

       This week I added two 30 minute sessions of weight training.  I am proceeding very slowly with that to avoid injury since I haven't done weights in awhile.

     I'm still on track for my goal of 900 minutes for the month of June.  I added a whopping 365 minutes to my total which included a few hours of weeding and planting. (bending and sweating counts, right?)

    I varied my workouts in another way this past week.  I usually exercise alone and  occasionally with my best friend, the Admiral.  (sorry Pete)  but, rarely with anyone else. 

   Last week I went for a long walk with an old friend and I highly recommend it!  We talked books and writing and a hundred other things, chattering away as the miles and minutes went by painlessly.  It was a welcome change from my usual solitary , meditative walks.   Exercising with a friend can be good for the body and nourishing for the soul.

  

  Week Two Accomplishments:

                         Added weight sessions

                         Varied my regimen  

                         On track with minutes

                         Enjoyed exercising with a friend

 Goals for next Week:

                         Maintain momentum

                         Increase walking speed

                         Vary walking speed within each workout
                         Add some bike riding

                                             

Walking with my best friend, G

Take-Away -  Occasionally multitasking is a good thing when it involves spending time with a friend and exercising too!

Exercise Report :Week One

  It's been just seven days since I committed to a goal of  900 minutes of exercise for the month of June.  So far, I'm delighted to report, I'm on target.  I've managed to walk every day except Sunday and to my surprise, I found that once I got myself out the door, I usually stayed out much longer than 30 minutes.  I also noticed by week's end that I have to go further to get the same amount of time in, which means I'm moving faster!

  June is  a perfect month to begin an exercise program.  The sun rises early and the temperature is ideal for exercise, especially at that time of day.  (in December, not so much, but I'll deal with that  later!) Because I'm so enamored of being outdoors in this weather, I neglected the weight training part of my regimen.

   My goals for this week are to add in the weight-training portion (very important for women of a certain age!)  My go -to author regarding weight-lifting is Miriam E. Nelson, PhD. Her website is Strong Women.   Initially she studied the positive effects of strength training on elderly women and wrote Strong Women Stay Young.  This was followed by more studies at Tufts and books promoting strength training for women for weight loss, to prevent osteoporosis, to improve cardiovascular health and to  control arthritis symptoms.  In short, strength training is an important component of exercise for women of all ages and at all levels of fitness. (Good for men too.)
So this is a definite must-do activity for me!

  Accomplishments for Week 1:

        I got out the door!!! Yeah!
        I enjoyed the meditative aspect of walking in the silence of early morning.
        I exercised 305 minutes.
        I lost a pound.

Goals for Week 2:

       Keep up the momentum.
       Add two sessions of weight-training
       Increase my walking speed.
       Continue to be grateful for the gift of an early morning walk and the beauty          all around me.

  I'm curious.  Did you begin an exercise program recently or are you already exercising regularly?  How are you doing and , if you are successful at maintaining your commitment, how do you do that?   Join the conversation  by clicking on the comments section below.

My Take-Away for Week One:  I CAN do it!  

"The Woods Are Lovely...."

     "The woods are lovely, dark and deep..."
                                 R. Frost
               
    Frost was in the woods in the winter, I know, but these  words  describe the woods in spring and summer too.

    I love walking into a heavily shaded section along a wooded path and feeling the temperature drop and the silence deepen softly where little rays of sun occasionally seep through to the floor of the woods. But darkness pervades and offers respite from the sun and heat.

  Ferns carpet the floor , under an umbrella of green leaves, the silence broken by the occasional woodpecker calling it's mate.  The understory is gently covered with tiny wild flowers, shyly spreading in all directions.

   Today the woodland path I take is permeated with the heady odor of wild roses, probably escapees from some long forgotten garden.  It is a very warm day and this makes the scent almost overwhelming.  The entire landscape is covered with small white flowers which will turn to rose hips once the flowers have faded.

















Eventually, I pass the sunny spot where wild flowers, like red clover, plantain and mugwort grow uninhibited by lawnmower, or weeder.  I notice several "useful herbs" among the vegetation and wonder if perhaps someday, a cure for many of our killing diseases might be found in these plants that most people refer to as weeds.

A walk in the woods is never complete until one finds a brook or stream or a tiny lake.  The water provides a growing spot for the tall reeds where the red-winged black birds love to nest and play. Today the yellow flag, a wild iris that grows in the shallows, is in full bloom and the swans and snowy egret and the geese all vie for attention.

  Heading  home, I walk through my suburban neighborhood and  pretend that all the gardens I pass are part of my "estate."  After all, if I can see them, I can enjoy them.   I love the flowers on this Kousa Dogwood, a small tree I covet but have no room for in my yard.

Eight reasons I walk in the woods:  to exercise, to meditate, to take photos, to observe nature, to offer thanks to the Creator, to visit with a friend, to enjoy silence and to bird-watch.

Do you walk in the woods?  Why?

Walking

  I used to be a runner.  I loved it and found time  in my busy day for a work-out no matter what.  I was running 3-4 times a week and lifting weights 2 x week.  Yoga was my choice the other days.  One day,  not too long after I ran a 1/2 marathon with my daughter,  I woke up and noticed that my joints were screaming one word over and over, 

"Stop!"

    Pain, the  fifth vital sign, had entered my life and wouldn't loosen it's grip on my joints.  So I  sadly said good -bye to running. 

 That's when I became a walker, soon realizing that I could  exercise  nicely, thank you very much, with none of the pain!

  So I traded in my early morning runs for long walks at the beach or in the woods, with or without my best friend.  I discovered that walking is just as meditative as running and now I notice many interesting things I would have missed had I been pounding the pavement.  

  Recently, however,  my lazy human nature has been getting the best of me.  My list of reasons not to go for a walk grew longer and longer.

 1) It's too hot

2) It's too cold

3)  It's too early

4)It's too late

5) I'm hungry

^) I just ate

7)  The dog ate my sneakers

8) I just drank a quart of iced tea

9) It's raining

10) It's snowing

11) It's too humid

12) I have no one to walk with

13)  I have to get to work

14) I just got home from work

15)  I'm too tired

16) I'm too busy

17) I want to relax

18)  I'll just read one more chapter,then I'll go.

   The truth is only #8 holds any water(hee-hee) as an excuse.  So I was delighted to stumble upon a blogger who is also an avid reader and librarian.  She hosts a "Readers Workout" on her blog called  Joy's Book Blog and invites other bookworms who want to join, to post their progress with their exercise program.  I  thought, 

"This is just what I need to kickstart my sneakers into gear. "

 And if I publicly commit, then I'll be more inclined to keep at it.  The idea of exercising with other readers, however remotely, intrigued me.

  So, I am committing to 900 minutes of exercise during the month of June.  I plan to spend most of the time walking but will do two 30 minute strength training sessions a week.  I would like to add in some yoga but will wait until I'm a bit stronger.  Otherwise I'll be doing way more Savasana  than  Downward Dog.  

  

   I went for a long walk yesterday and took some photos along the way. (I LOVE my cell phone)  I'll share them in another post later this week perhaps.

   Are you exercising and if so how do you stay motivated?