another snow day ..

...with more on the way.

Saturday it snowed and today it was bitter cold and a bit icy. No walking outside for me.

Saturday I took Sharon to the gym. No pictures. It's was packed. All those new years resolutions about getting fit I guess.  She's taken to following me to the bikes, and then when  I'm done, she's done. Excuse me? Who's paying for this membership? Don't you want to get your money's worth? So I tricked her.

She zoomed over to the bikes and I headed for the elliptical. I did five minutes and was exhausted. Need to build up again. Can't remember the number. Maybe 7 or 8. Then I went to join her at the bike. "Where were you?" "Eliptical." "But I can't do that." I just smiled and said to myself, yeah I know. I set the bike to 10, and watched the heart rate. I got up to the fat burning range, and did that for 5 minutes. Then I hopped off. And headed over to the "thigh master".  Moments later Sharon arrived.

I do believe I have a shadow.

Everything I worked on was for the lower torso and legs. I'm okay with those most of the time. It's the upper body that I have trouble with. Thus the reason I'm as weak as a mouse.

By 10 the snow arrived so I got to shovel. That burned three or four more calories.

Sharon went out with Lyd today and bought a walking DVD. I'm doing it tonight.

Hopefully I'll get out tomorrow to walk outside. Another storm is due Tuesday and Wednesday.

the big bad head cold that won't go away

It's back. My head cold from two weeks ago has made a return visit. I feel like crap. Yet, I'm going to do the walking path today and stairs before school, and hit the gym for elliptical after class. Not much, but it's something. I stayed in bed till after 8, then laid on the couch in my jammies till after 9. I was the poster girl this morning for lazy.

Friday I walked with Betsy and the dogs. I was wiped out when we were done. The last few blocks were very long. I chocked it up to the end of the cold. I know know that it was the beginning of the cold coming back.

Sunday it was beautiful. I had planned a five mile walk, but instead I cleaned up graffiti on my garage and helped a few neighbors. It was certainly an upper body workout!

Monday I went to the gym at did the elliptical for about 15 minutes at 3.5-4 MPH. Not bad for my second time. I even figured out how to make the TV work!

I've been thinking a lot about what's next. I had signed up to do the Philly marathon but I withdrew. 

I have been looking at stair climbs. There's one in Philly March 20 for the American Lung Assn. The website  says Most people who can walk 3 miles can climb 1,088 stairs in about 20 minutes. Yeah, sure. With my knees? They also have one in Wilkes Barre at the Wachovia Arena, same day.  It's 1,224 steps up and down the arena. Hmmmm. That might be doable. I could practice at Fisher Stadium. The downs always give my knees a break. I'd have to be able to do it 3 times, I think. They start people 20 seconds apart. Crap, these people are probably running. I don't run. On Feb 28 there is a stair climb for  CF sponsored by wawa. It's 53 flights, 1019 steps.

My head is spinning with wild ideas to keep moving.

For now it's 2 5Ks: the Turkey Trot and the Jingle Bell run. My goal is to not come in last place.

the 10th circle of Hell

The Divine Comedy written by Dante, is a 14th century epic poem about the Christian afterlife. I thought about it while I was at the gym today with the tears streaming down my face. I was certain I had entered the tenth circle of Hell. I was equally certain that Dante only mentioned nine. Nevertheless it gives me an excuse to use an Italian fresco in a walking blog and that's always a good thing.

I arrived for orientation at 11 sharp. But I forgot my ID card, so I had to go back to the adjunct office to get it. So we might have started at 11:10. I was taken back to the young man for my orientation. I think his name was Josh. It doesn't matter. He was barely old enough to have facial hair. I'm guessing he's one of the Colleges athletes.

He pulled out a goldenrod sheet of paper and took me thru the quick circuit. (Seated leg press, leg extension, leg curl, pulldown, chest press, shoulder press, biceps curl, triceps press, back extension, ab machine) Never asked my name, what my fitness goal was, nothing. He demoed each machine. I tried  it, and we went on to the next. I immediately forgot what he said about the prior machine. 10 minutes later we were done. He asked if I wanted the goldenrod paper. I said hell yes.  And then I was released into a gym alone. It wasn't pretty.

Instructions on the goldenrod paper. 1) Warm up with 5-10 minutes of light aerobic activity and mild flexibilty exercises. We only covered weight machines. So I thought I'd try the elliptical. Heard it was easy. After staring at it for a while I figured out how to make it work....sort of. I got it going and I was quickly zooming at 5mph and was ready for takeoff I managed to get it to stop, but then it erased everyhting I had already done from the monitor. Total time, maybe 2.5 minutes

So maybe that wasn't a good idea. Maybe I can get the treadmill to work. Turn that on and start walking. It's barely moving. I couldn't get it to go more than .25 miles per hour. Meanwhile around me people are running. Not a good sign. Should have went home then and there. But I was stupid and didn't.

2) Use a complete range of motion with each exercise to fully develop range strength and flexiblilty.  3) Never hold your breath while training. (Always a good rule of thumb. Makes life possible.) Try to exhale while exerting the muscles and inhale when return in to the starting position. (You're kidding right? This is one reason I can't do yoga. The whole controlling breathing thing drives me crazy.)

4) Move slower, never faster, if in doubt about the speed of movement. 5) Select a  resistance of weight that allows you to complete: Beginner: 12-15 repetitions. Form should be smooth and steady thru the full range of motion. If the min. number of reps is not achieved, the weight is too heavy. If the max can be exceeded, then the weight is too light. (Swell. How about giving me some starting point and then work from there. The machines are all set at 250 pounds and 100 pound 18-year-old girls are lifting them.)

6) Rest a min of 48 hrs and not more than 96 hrs between workouts. End of instructions.

So I went to the "seated leg press". My knee was supposed to line up with this gizmo and it didn't. I couldn't get the seat to move. I pulled, pushed, went up and down and left and right. Nothing. It worked fine when he did it. I tried it without moving the seat it hurt my knee.

It got worse from there. I could never find the right machine and walked around the gym trying to find them. Such a waste of time. I did manage to get one adjusted, but that's it. By the middle point the tears were streaming down my face and I was getting more and more frustrated. Everything hurt, I could never find the right weight, it was always to light or too heavy. Finally I was finished. Thank goodness. I was sweating like a pig and I didn't do much.

I decided to give the elipitcal a second shot. I picked one with the tv on. ESPN. Left it on  figuring ou the tv can wait for another day. Turned it on and got it moving and realized I was going backward. It said I was going 3.2 MPH which is about what I walk on the streets, but in 5 minutes I was exhausted but pushed on.

Then I had an epiphany. And it wasn't pretty. I thought all this walking and stair climbing I was doing had me in decent shape, cardio-wise. I have apparently been kidding myself. I'm not in any better shape than the Lazy-Boy potato that lives with me. That was quite a kick in the ass.

So for now, I'll go back but only to do the elliptical. (They don't have a stairmaster.) I only did 10 minutes today at 3.2 MPH. My first goal is 30 minutes. Then I'll up the speed and difficulty.

I'll save my money so that when I return to a gym for weight training, I can have a month or two with a personal trainer. I'll kill myself with those damn machines without one.

(Image from Wikipedia) Artist: Domenico di Michelino "Dante and his Poem", 1465, fresco, Florence Cathedral. Maybe someday I'll actually get to visit it.

ready or not, here I come

I walked Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm back on track,  or at least I was. Thursday I started hacking, by Friday I had the chills, and Saturday I was congested. Oh it was a killer of a cold but it wasn't the piggie flu or the regular flu, so I don't mind. I did battle with OTC drugs and it worked. Monday was the worse. I think it was peak day.

Tuesday was better, but when I walked to Pfenning I felt it. It felt like I just did 15 miles. I walked across campus. Later (my office is in the basement of Watson) I needed to go upstairs, so I ran up the steps like usual and by the time I reached the upper floor I was panting. Say what? Clearly my lungs were not clear.

Today I feel better. And it's a good thing. It's the big day. Orientation at the College gym. 11 am, sharp. I'm both excited and terrified. Forrays into gyms have never been successful, and sometimes are painful.

The plan after today is to go after class at 6:30. But since I'll be there at 11 I'm going before class. Class starts at 3.

Hopefully I'm dressed for both. I don't want to lug a gym bag. Today I'm wearing yoga pants and a tank top, and my Finn Casual shoes. I have a nice sweater to wear for class. More under-dressed than the average day, but less under-dressed than some other faculty member who look like they just rolled out of bed in their sweats.

They told me to bring a lock for the locker. I'm not going to bother. If they want my sweater, they can have it. I'm keeping my keys with me. My handbag will be either in the truck of the car or the adjunct office. I'm not a big fan of locks, even after my GPS Flora was stolen.

Other updates from the week past
Friday I went to the Dr. after I walked. My BP was 145/90. Not great, hell not even good, but better than the last time. I take what I can get. At least he didn't yell at me. My weight was 236. So since I started this adventure two years ago I've lost 14 pounds and three sizes. Somehow doesn't seem fair. I don't think I lost any inches this year. My 199 goal gets further and further out of reach. At this rate it will be about 2020 and according to the Mayan calendar the world will end in 2012. So it's a moot point. Besides, hasn't someone predicted the end of the world every year of my life? I think so.

Shaku did walk the 3-Day in Dallas. It looks like she had a blast. I'm glad she could have a real 3-Day experience.

My training walk group is meeting at the Thai Kitchen for a celebration dinner Friday. (We need to pick someplace that had also had vegan food). I think we're going to further explore the idea of a walking club.

Inching back toward activity

My sister Barb called Monday morning. "Did you go walking this morning?"

"No"

"Why not, it's a beautiful day."

I offered up all my typical excuses and she pretty much told me to get my fat butt out for a walk. So I did.

I left for school early and did the 1-mile track around the College, in my heels, carrying my briefcase. As I passed the gym I thought about checking it out. Me, a gym. Right.

When I got to  my classroom I checked out the gym on-line. There was minimal information but the hours were good. My classes finish at 6 and they were open till 10 on my class nights. It's also free for students and employees.

About 6:30 all the students were gone so I went over to the gym. Ran into a colleague from one of my other jobs and talked about work for a half-hour. Finally I went in. My bubble burst.

There is nobody to show you what to do or make you a program. You get what you pay for, I guess. The man said I just needed to was bring my ID card, fill out a wavier and get a lock for my locker and that's it. All the machines had picture instructions on them. Follow the pictures.

Say what?

The last time I did a gym at my other job WITH supervision and I was often scolded for using the machines incorrectly. Following pictures is not for me.

So I'm still looking.

I could use the gym at Kirby, the one I liked, but it's in Easton. I'm far too lazy to drive a half hour, work out for a hour, and then drive home. That's pretty much the reason I stopped going the first time. It's very cheap, about $25 a term, and they now offer personal trainers, if I read the email right.

I love water aerobics and they offer them for a reasonable price at Cedar Crest, but again, the travel time is crazy. I have multiple jobs I have no free time for travel.

The Y is close, has a pool, classes and machines. But it's very expensive. I have no money.

So my sister calling from Kentucky telling me to get my lazy butt in gear is going to have to do for now. It's flexible, fits the budget, and takes off inches. I signed up for the Jingle Bell Run on Dec. 5. (http://jbr-lv.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=315466 Join me. We'll make a team. Heaven knows this family has arthritis!) It's a 5K and I swore them off. But I know they keep the finish line up for us pokey people. I'm also going to look for the info on the Turkey Trot. Another 5K in historic Bethlehem. Again, I know they keep the finish line up. (http://tinyurl.com/ygm3kmw)

Today, I'll be walking before class again. I'm also taking my camera to see if I can get a shot of the College gym for the blog. I'll be walking with Betsy and the pups on Friday afternoon. And Bonnie called and said she'd walk with me Saturday and Sunday. That will get me thru the week. Maybe all I need to do is just develop new habits

We'll see Friday if it does anything for my BP. If history is any indication, that would be a no.

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Postscript. Read the waiver he gave me before class. It had a small section on the bottom that had you sign to refuse the orientation? The man Monday night said nothing about orientation. So I went in again. This time there was a young athletic student behind the desk. I asked her about this "orientation". She said sure and bee bopped across the gym for a clip board. I signed up for Wednesday morning, 11 am. Weights are scary without supervision. But I'll give the eliptical a shot. And maybe the stair climber. I can't hurt myself too badly on them, can I?