I was at my first physical therapy appointment for my back yesterday when the therapist recommended swimming or something water-related as my exercise of choice. I nodded, as you would, but silently, my mind was buzzing with all sorts of thoughts about me and THE SWIMMING POOL.
Let me just say this: I LOVE SWIMMING. I really, really do. I haven't done it in years, but I always loved being in the water. I guess this was an early fascination because my mother tells me that when I was about two years old, she "misplaced" me at a hotel, and they found me wandering down some pool steps. One of my earliest memories was of being underwater - being under a long time, feeling very safe, and not having the urge to breathe.
This, I gather, was the first of my two near-drowning experiences. The second was at a beach when I got caught up in some under-tow and had to be rescued by a lifeguard. I don't have the same warm-fuzzy memory of that, but yet I still love the feeling of water surrounding my body.
I remember the first time I was actually able to swim properly (at family-friends The Fuentes' backyard pool), and I remember being enrolled in morning swim classes at around age nine or ten. I remember the excitement when my parents decided to put in an above-ground pool (a dough-boy?). I swam every day that summer. But, alas, they eventually had it removed for reasons I'm not sure of now.
Anyhow, as I grew older (and fatter), going into a pool in any sort of public place became something extremely embarrassing for me. I was really self-conscious about it. Since high school, I've been in a pool exactly two times. Once, after being prompted to by some roommates while in audio school, the second, while I was house-sitting for a co-worker (they had a fabulous backyard pool).
I would love to do water aerobics, and eventually get back into swimming. But the faintest idea of me in a bathing suit sends me into near-hysterics, and I need to force the imagery from my mind at once. Heck, I haven't even worn shorts in years - my legs are easily the whitest you've ever imagined - nearly translucent!
Anyone have any ideas as to how I might overcome this? Anyone know of any indoor pools where a fat girl like me can exercise without feeling totally humiliated? Anyone have a backyard pool they want to rent me two weekends out of every month?
Blah, blah, blah. Not much going on today except I'm waiting for the work day to be over. Thanks to Jenny over at Sweat Equity, I'm thinkng about getting up super early tomorrow morning to go hiking in Griffith Park. Yeah, right, that'll happen!
On my first WW stint back in, oh I don't know what year, but awhile ago, I used to get up almost every morning at 5am to hike up to the top of Griffith Park. It became clockwork. But now, I can't tell you how many times I've told myself that I was going to get up early. I've set my alarm a hundred times for 5 or 5:30am, and reset it every single time at some point in the night. It always leaves a feeling of regret.
So, tomorrow. (Big long sigh). I just don't know. I'd like to. My back is not hurting so much that it would preclude me from doing the walk (I don't think). And this week I really wanted to do some actual exercise. I will do my best.
But next week, I think I'm going to start doing the local Sierra Club Evening Griffith Park hikes on Wednesday and/or Thursday nights. They have one on Tuesday, but that's my WW meeting, and I can't miss that! I have no excuse not to start going to these hikes. With the time change, it will be lighter longer - and the meeting point is right smack dab between work and home AND it's a convenient time, as I get off work at 6pm, and the hike begins at 7pm. I HAVE NO EXCUSE.
If next week my postings don't include recollections of my experiences hiking, I want you all (whomever "you all" are) to smack-talk me bigtime! Okay, time to start buttoning things up here at work.
Exercising to Music May Make You Smarter
"Listening to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in the brain. The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output."
I'm all about being smarter, and gosh darn it, if walking on the treadmill while listening to the Cyndi Lauper album She's So Unusual Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Fever To Tell is gonna do it for me, then...well...yay!
Yesterday I arrived home to find waiting for me my new GoFit Ultimate Pro Gym w/Workout DVD waiting for me, freshly delivered. I hurried inside and very carefully opened the sealed cardboard box, tearing at the seals with my house key.
Inside I found a bag of goodies: 3 resistance bands of varying strengths, handles, ankle braces, a handy door anchor, and a workout-training DVD. After about fifteen minutes of trying to figure out how to connect the bands and how to install the door anchor (I'm a tad slow, you see), I was up and toning the shit outta my arms and shoulders.
I was surprised by how much of a workout I really got. I only spent maybe fifteen or twenty minutes carefully, though probably imprecicely straining muscles I rarely use - and yet I was working up a sweat! When I completed the "Day 1" program (of which I was only able to do a few of the repetitions convincingly), I stepped reluctantly onto the treadmill for a half-hour walk.
This is when I realized what I had done.
I occassionaly use the side-railing to support myself when I get overly-tired on the machine, and when I atempted just that this time, my arms felt wobbly, robbed of any available strength.
Doesn't that mean I was doing the strength-training correctly? I hope so. Today I can feel my triceps. I feel a very small, dull ache in those muscles, just enough to let me know that they're there... and I haven't felt that in years.
Last night I did great. All of yesterday was outstanding, in my opinion. It was a rough, action-packed day at work, but I held firm. I came in 2 points UNDER my target 28, but couldn't bear to eat anything more. And to top everything off, as soon as I got home, I put on Run Lola Run and walked on the treadmill for a little over 30 minutes. I'm going to do the same tonight - different movie, same walking.
I had a little mishap: it was right at the beginning where "Lola" begins running, and I thought, "Lemme speed up and try to jog along". So I started jogging, and after about a minute I started getting really tired, so I touched what I THOUGHT was the slow-down button on the treadmill, but turns out it was the 10 button!! 10 meaning the highest speed!! So the treadmill's speed shot up quite significantly quite quickly. Luckily, before I was whipped off in a bloody mess, I managed to hop on the siderails and pulled the safety tab out of the "dash" of the treadmill, causing it to come to a stop. Whew!
In any case, I worked up a good sweat last night, and finished off the evening reading for about an hour, then drifting off to sleep. I set the alarm for 6am hoping to spend a little more time with the treadmill before showering this morning, but alas, it appears I am just not a morning person... yet. So I will continue to exercise right after work - I think that will work out for me!