Stop that Racket!!!

Well, it happened. We went to the tennis courts at Provo High on Saturday.  I actually played a full set of tennis for the first time in more years than I have fingers and toes to count them on. James, JD, his wife and I. We played doubles. Girls against the boys.  We lost. There I said it. We lost.  Oh well.

I have to confess... after getting over feeling self-conscious about how I couldn't move very well around the court, I loved it.  I had forgotten how much I love the game of tennis.  I love the pinging sound of the racket hitting the ball (that is of course when you hit it with the strings and not with the aluminum side of the racket itself... sigh!)  I'm rusty. So very rusty.  But I could remember enough to get the ball over the net most of the time. I want to do it again. I want to play every Saturday. Any takers? JD?  James?  Anyone?

Very Quick Check-In

Sorry to have been so AWOL lately. Summer is a busy time for me. Lots of leaving the state and no access to the Internet.

I'm back home in sunny San Diego.  It's been days of beach, cove, sunshine and visiting old haunts.  Lots of fun.  One of our family's favorite places is Mr. Frostie's in Pacific Beach.  Yesterday, the sister, the nieces and the son decided to head there after an afternoon at the beach.  I fought the demon impulses of "rationalize and tell yourself lies that you won't order anything... you'll just be there with everyone else."  In other words... I chickened out!!! Wasn't sure I could withstand the menu calling my name with bright neon transfat lights and seductive sugary subliminal messages.  So... I went home instead and waited for them there.  For the first time in I don't know how many years, I didn't go to Mr. Frostie's.  Now, here comes the true confession: I'm not happy about it. I didn't (and don't) feel triumphant or strong or anything. I feel like I missed out on a family tradition. It bums me out. I hate thinking I'm still so weak about that kind of stuff that I can't be around it without caving.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not a zealot. I'm not living a "no sugar, not ever" life.  But, I've been watching my caloric intake during this vacation, and I just knew I couldn't fit in the calories of a trip to Mr. Frostie's.

I'll be back home on Tuesday. Back to the gym. Back to the Provo River Trail.  If the rumors are true, I hear I'll also be back on the tennis courts on Saturday (after a 30-year hiatus).  So, for the next two days, I'm just going to continue to enjoy my escape here in San Diego and the beach life that doesn't exist anywhere in Utah. (Don't kid yourself... that Provo Beach Resort thing at RiverWoods doesn't even come close!!!)

See you all next week!

So... What's It Like?

"... to be thinking about improving your health?"
"...to be exercising everyday?"
"Do you feel like you're on a diet?"

I get asked those question a lot.  So, here's what it's like:

The Journey

Fellow Travelers

Fellow Travelers

Coming and Going

Individual Style

Reverie

 

 

"In the Zone"

Buzzkill

 

Temptation

 

Mind over Matter

The Daily Grind

Nemesis

 

Three Guesses...

... where I've been.  Okay, first some hints:

No... not a trip to Mars. Let's try another:

Not quite sure??? Here's another:

People, people... come on now. Okay final clues:

Yep! I've been living in Yellowstone. Here's the homestead:

I was able to snap a few photos of the natives:

I'm here to tell you it's possible to vacation and still eat healthy and exercise too. The food was great. I passed on the sweets and had only one portion of the things I chose to eat. I drank so much water I know most every outhouse/picnic area throughout the park.  Being in a national park made a daily 30 minute exercise routine easy. While I'm in no shape to do any serious (or even pseudo) hiking, there were enough walking trails to get my heart rate up for at least 30 consecutive minutes each day.

Oh, and by the way... the Captain enjoyed the scenery, too:

(Of course, I'm not sure which view he's looking at from that direction.)

The Power of a Decision

Most everyday this week, I have had a conversation with myself as my workday ends.  I start asking, "Am I going to the Wellness Center to work out or am I going home?" I vacillate between the two choices for a good ten minutes.  Then as I walk to the car I have chosen to say to myself, "Yes, I am going."  It sounds like a silly thing. But surprisingly enough, the simply act of saying definitively, "yes, I am going" seems to end the debate in my head. I turn down 300 West and turn into the driveway by the Outpatient Center and then head up to the Northwest Plaza, park, grab the bag holding my workout clothes (clothes I detest, by the way), and go on in.

I don't really enjoy the "during" part of exercising. But I sure like how the "after" feels. There must be something to this whole endorphin thing. I hope someday the "during" becomes more enjoyable. But, if not, I'm still committed.  I guess I'm a junkie for the "after."

Channeling my Inner Hindu

In what feels like another lifetime, many years ago, I played tennis.  In school, my partner, Marla Parsons, and I (yeah, yeah, Marla and Karla... go ahead, laugh it up a bit) won the doubles competition.  We were finalists in the singles too, and I honestly don't remember which of the two of us won. I just remember how much I loved playing tennis.  My very long-suffering mother allowed me to practice by hitting the tennis ball against our garage door... for hours on end. I would go to the local rec center and play often.  Like I said, that was a lifetime ago.

In yet another life, not quite as many years go, I walked a lot. About 50 miles a week. I got up at 6:00 in the morning and walked my route. At noon, I left work, drove down to the beach and walked along the shore for about 45 minutes. After work, I'd come home and walk my same neighborhood route again.  I would walk and I would think. (I had a lot to think about back then.)  Sometimes I would even talk to myself.  Hmmmm, maybe that's why no one ever joined me along the way. They probably thought I was nuts.

Currently in life I am out of shape and overweight. We've already discussed some of the reasons that happened. Of course, the greatest reason is because I quit moving around and being active.

So now here I am in this life. JD, my trainer, has me walking on a treadmill.  With all the buttons and settings, I don't get to escape into my own head and think much. I'm too worried about getting the intervals right for the speed and incline settings.  At lunchtime, I leave work and walk (though lamentably, it isn't at the beach).  I also walk around my neighborhood or down the Provo River trail most every day.

Yesterday, JD threw out an idea that caught me up short. He's thinking of taking his three plebes (that would be me and the other two heart challenge participants he is working with) and having us go somewhere and play... wait for it...  TENNIS!

Talk about all my lives quickly coming together!


(BTW, there was another time in my adult past that I swam a lot. Early morning laps or early evening laps at Swanson Pool in San Diego.  I'm not about to mention that to JD. That would just be... well... let's just say feeling like a tugboat in the water would not be... um... motivational at this point.)

Cracking Up

I have a cracked rib.  Cracked it a week or so before the challenge began.  I was a bit bummed about it -- thinking it would get in the way of me being able to do much besides diet, but I was wrong. I met with my trainer and found that I can work out on the seated elliptical, the treadmill and one other machine (can't remember what it's called).  So, I worked up a sweat after all. It'll be another three weeks or so before I can do any weight lifting or much stretching. In the meantime, everything is cardio at the gym, and I do a lot of walking at home. 

The Provo River Trail has become my new stomping grounds in the mornings. During my lunch, I walk around the streets just south of the Physician's Plaza.  I'm sure in another week or two, the residents are going to think I'm casing the neighborhood.