Evening Walk

Tonight I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this late evening walk. My neighbor "LB" has gone a few times with another nearby neighbor. This other neighbor has a new baby and she cannot get too far away from the house in case she is summoned to be with the baby. She was trying to get the baby down and so LB and I walked to the end of the road and then came back and went up her drive to see if she could join us. We visited with her a short time and soon saw that she would not be joining us tonight. We walked down the long driveway and then back again to the end of the paved road and then back home. Our total distance was a little over 4 miles. We left at 8:30 and got home a little after 10:00. Of course we were sweating with the heat and humidity, but it was really nice to be out. We had headlights clipped onto our caps and the sky was so clear we could see a multitude of stars. The temperature was probably in the upper 80's, but there was a cool breeze blowing. I am usually not a late day exerciser, but this proved to be most enjoyable!

Biking Not Spinning

Well, I have made the decision to keep biking, but no more spinning. I have enjoyed the spinning class, and I do believe it has helped me get in good shape to bike. However, I do not like getting there at 6:00 a.m. especially on a day I do not work. Eliminating spinning will free me up on Tuesday and Thursday. I can either bike here at home or go and swim. I enjoy biking outside so much more than spinning in a closed up room. Tuesday, my DH and I decided to go to the lake. I did not make it to exercise that day. We ended up coming home instead of spending the night because we had some problems with the AC. I made it to my FF class on Wednesday morning. This morning I took off around 7:00 a.m. and rode for about 17 miles. I went half the distance and had breakfast at a local restaurant and then rode back home. The temperature was in the 80's, the sun was not beating down on me, nor was the pavement hot and steamy, and there was alot of shade. Therefore, I now know that until the weather turns cooler, I do much better and enjoy it so much more if I go for my bike ride early in the morning. I will wait until late in the evening if I decide to go for a jog/walk. The temperature here in east Texas continues to go over 100 degrees. The forecast is calling for rain. We certainly do need it. I had my weigh in on Monday, and I had lost another pound. Yea!!! That makes ten! Keeping on track is a constant goal that I must work toward. I do understand why thin people are thin. I realize there are some people blessed with great DNA, and they can eat whatever they want. But I see now that the majority of thin people constantly monitor what they eat. Duh!!! You would have thought I would have known that, but I guess I really never took note of what other people ate before. I have been observing people's eating habits more lately since I have changed mine. It's about time!!

100 Degrees

The temperature today is at least 100 degrees and probably higher. I skipped my FF class this morning and stayed home to tend to some things around the house. I had planned to go outside to do some needed yardwork, but I kept putting it off. Then it was so hot, I figured there was no way I could handle the heat doing yardwork. However, I did consent to go with "L" on a bike ride. It is now almost 9:00 p.m. I got home around 8:00, and I am still not cooled down. We left at 5:30. It was hot, sunny, and a hard ride. On part of the ride there were hills and a big headwind. We went about 26 miles. We did not make good time, but I was just sooooo hot! Also, my tires did not have enough air, and "L" said that slowed me down. I was really holding him up. He could have gone much faster without me. I was disappointed in myself. I thought I was in better shape and more conditioned. I am hoping that it was mainly the heat that got to me. I also see that one bottle of water was not enough. I needed more. But I will keep at it! I am not giving up! I have lbs to lose and goals to reach! You all keep going too!

The Real Adventure Woman

This is a photo of a real adventure woman and an adventure woman "wannabe". I don't think that I have to designate who is who. Gwen is 72 years old and she rides her bicycle to church. She takes a change of clothes along with her Bible in her backpack. I am not sure of the distance, but it takes her 50 minutes to get there. It is up and down big hills in Colorado. Gwen began riding her bike when she was in her early 50's. She lived in Albuquerque and was a nurse practitioner. She rode her bike 20 miles one way to work. One day she was hit by a motorist. From the police report, they feel like the motorists hit Gwen on purpose. She suffered broken bones, a concussion, and other injuries. But that did not stop her. As soon as she recuperated she was back on the saddle. She was a little sore after our hike to Agnes Vaille, and I had to laugh when she said that she saw she needed to add hiking to her regiment. She and her husband take note each day of their weight, bp, oxygen level, and fat percentage. She is strict with her diet because the least amount of weight gain will slow her down when she competes in the senior bike rides that she attends about 10 times a year. She is amazing! Now you see why I am a "wannabe."

The Balcony in Colorado

This is the view that I had every morning while I was in Colorado. My how I did enjoy those cool mornings in Colorado. I am back home in the Texas heat. The temperature will probably be 100 tomorrow. I did not work out on Thursday because my daughter was here, and I decided to lay off and visit with her. But Friday morning, I left home to work out and returned as she was arising. I went and swam for about an hour. The master swimmers were meeting, but I just kinda did my own thing. I really need to make the extra effort and get there on time and try to do what they are doing. However, I think that I am just wayyyyyyyyyy behind them. After swimming I went to my FF class. At first I was the only one there, and Clint asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to work chest and core. Soon there were two others that joined us, but he went with my recommendations. We did 12 exercises in our circuit. Whew!! He surely did work chest and core! My muscles are still twitching from that workout. It was great, and I just simply could not do it all. Oh well, I will keep plugging along and try to do more every day!

Slacking

Okay, I feel like I am slacking. I am letting my loss of energy and my schedule dictate my workouts instead of staying on track. Monday I had so much to do at home after being gone that I skipped my FF. Tuesday, I did go to my spinning class, and I had a most difficult time. I had to sit on the bike the last third of the class. Getting off the saddle was just getting my heart rate up too high, and since I had to go to work afterward, I needed my energy. Yesterday I did make it to FF. This morning my daughter is here from out of town. I could have gone to my class and been back home before she ever got out of bed, but did I do that? No!!!!!!!!!
So... yes... I am definitely being a slacker. And what did I do yesterday? ..... I ate out 3 times yesterday. And you know what that meant. High fat, high salt, too many calories. So today, it is back on track for me. This lifestyle of healthy eating is definitely not automatic. It is a focused life of keeping your eye on the goal. And what is the goal? Well, of course always to lose weight. But most important... keeping the bad stuff out and supplying your body with nourishment, not just good taste. My friend had me take Dr. Oz's age test that was talked about on Oprah. I thought that I would score well. When I finished, it told me that I had health issues. What? You gotta be kidding? It did not give me an exact score, but it said I was between a 70 and a 79. Who wants a "C" or to be barely passing? Ugh! I won't let this discourage me. It is just another reality check. Today is a brand new day. And a day to begin it right!

Just One Excuse

While on this trip Patty and I both agreed that using "I'm on vacation" is just one of the excuses that people use to eat poorly. Of course there are many more that I just don't have time to name this morning. I won't say that I followed the same diet I have been following for the last month, but I did stick pretty close to it. I mean... losing a pound and then having to lose that same pound again and again and again. Who wants to do that? I had probably a total of three Dr. Peppers in nine days. Now it is back to being off Dr. Peppers again. And I did eat some cake one day, and I ate bread one day. I am not going to quit eating Mexican food which I ate once while I was gone. Since I was unable to easily access the Internet, I did not enter my daily food intake on Spark people. I just felt it was no use to write it down and enter it later. While I was in CO, I would weigh each day, and I had lost 4 lbs. I figured this was just water loss because I stayed dehydrated from the dry climate. I kept drinking water, but my eyes, nose, and mouth just stayed dry. But today is my weigh-in. I weigh on Mondays, and this makes two weeks since my last weigh-in. I lost 3 lbs. !! Yea, alright, yippee, hooray!!!! Yesterday was my first day to begin recording my food intake and keeping up and continuing those good eating habits. If I do this long enough, I hope that it will become second nature to me. When you have to record everything you eat, it will definitely make you more conscious of each bite. You will realize that you have been doing some mindless eating. So... if you are struggling with this eating problem, I encourage you to go to www.sparkpeople.com Build yourself a page with your nutrition and fitness goals, along with your personal goals for losing weight. Losing weight is definitely not just about looking good. It is about being fit, feeling good, and knowing that you are truly taking care of your temple.