Frank says . . .

Frank says that in order for muscles to build they must tear. Frank says that drinking water hydrates the body and potassium from bananas helps prevent cramping. Frank says that if you take your body weight and multiply it by 11, you get your baseline calorie intake. Frank says that I have not written about him nearly enough in my blog. In case you are not aware, I am married to the most knowledgeable man on the planet. He is also right about everything 99.9% of the time. He was the most knowledgeable and definitely did what was right 13 years ago when he married me (remember the blog is still all about me!) He deserves a PhD in keeping me happy. If I burned a calorie every time I thought fondly of him - I would be just plain gaunt! What I admire most about Frank is his will power and drive. I affectionately refer to it as a "pit bull" mentality. As I walked the neighborhood this afternoon, I thought of ways that I could be more like him, but then soon remembered that I was not the brilliant one in this marriage. But wait . . . . wasn't it I that said, "Yes!" ?!?!?

No Zumba today!

At the risk of sounding like a complainer or an old lady, I will not go through the list of everything that hurts on my body - just know that everything does. I decided that it may be in everyone's best interest, but especially mine, if today was the off day instead of Sunday. I have more time to exercise on Sunday and today was another "one of those days" which I seem to be having a lot of lately. Frank IV was his less than perky self and wanted to come home, drink hot chocolate, and snuggle under a blanket with me. Who can resist that? Kate has been dying to watch Season 1 of the Little House on the Prairie DVD box set which she got for her birthday. What child of the 70's can resist that? It's amazing how connected I feel to "Maw" these days - plowing the fields, fixing the meals, carrying buckets of water to and fro. I bet her body ached as much as mine does if not more. So anyway, we opted for some quality family time tonight. And as always, it was well worth it!

You want fries with that shake?

Tonight I tried Zumba - which is basically a nightclub dance party in the group fitness room. My inner Beyonce seemed to be missing as I certainly have the booty, but I am not so sure I know how to work it. After a few songs, I really did not care what I looked liked as long as my heart rate was up and I was sweatnig - and I was! I completely lost myself and for a brief moment I was that high school senior doing my cheerleading routine to Vogue (if only in my mind!). I spent the rest of today stretching every chance I got - I AM SO SORE!!!! It has been a full week, and I feel it in every hair on my head to the tips of my toes. I was/am so out of shape. I hurt, but it is a good hurt. Exercise is also a great stress-reliever, better than eating for certain. To say I had "one of those days" is a gross understatement, but now I feel so much better. Perhaps I just shook those winter blues along with my hips.

FitTV

Honestly, I had absolutely no desire to get in the car and drive to the gym tonight. The driving part adds at least 20 minutes to my committed 40, and minutes are precious around here on a Tuesday night. It was too dark for a brisk walk around the neighborhood, so I went searching for my late 90's Reebok aerobic video. It was nowhere to be found, but I remembered that our "oh so pricey" cable package came with some free on-demand channels, including FitTV. So I put on my grungiest work-out clothes and did a 10 minute cardio blast and a 30 minute cardio dance routine. I learned two things tonight - 1. watching TV can really make you sweat and 2. my salsa, hip stomp with a twirl can use a little work. It was actually fun until my under 10 year old dance partners decided to join in. My aerobic studio got a little cramped, but it is 7:30; I am home, and I am done.

The Ipod

Hired a babysitter to go exercise tonight which is major committment on my part - thank you very much! Needed the tried and true elliptical and 40 minutes of good music and people watching, but it seems that I was the one being watched. My ipod goes from one extreme to the other, and I often find myself singing silently, but my lips move, and I get very excited when a good song comes on. Tonight I was totally busted by the man on the treadmill next to me as I silently sang Footloose followed by "P.Y.T" (it was 80's night!) It got me thinking though . . . can you imagine all the different songs playing on ipods simultaneously at the gym while people exercise? And what does it say about those people? Ponder that deep thought . . . I am off to fold laundry and finish a great book entitled, Sarah's Key.

I heart South Carolina

Snow last weekend and near 70 degrees this weekend. Perfect for a 5 mile (1 hour and 20 minute) walk/hike in the country on Saturday with good girlfriends. Friday evening's "Proud Mary" routine as well as other favorites tunes from the past proved to be both aerobic and painful as I could barely walk the next morning. As for Sunday, it is suppose to be a day off, but it was too pretty to just sit, so Frank IV and I played all over Doodle Hill Farm while Kate had her riding lesson. Pondering the week ahead and hoping the weather will remain this nice, but as they say about SC, if you don't like the weather, don't worry - it will change in 5 minutes.

Too Ambitious for Day Two

Feeling the pressure to have something entertaining to blog about, I decided that I would try out a "group fitness" class tonight at the gym. 13 years ago as a bride-to-be, I was a 5:30 regular at the Aerobics Studio and truly at my peak of perfection . . . .oh what the years have done! I took a Body Pump Class and have renamed it Body Jello. I actually laughed out loud at the thought of how completely ridiculous I must have looked lunging, lifting, crunching, and curling. To make matters worse - I felt every bit of my age, and it felt old. Seriously, where was the bounce in my step or the quick leap from horizontal to vertical positions? Gone - just gone! We really don't appreciate our youth, especially the years between college and babies. The early twenties were the best, but of course they were as they were all about me. Need to rethink workout time as it is making the hubby a wee bit cranky for me to bolt out the door at bath and bedtime. Hmmmm . . . .on second thought:>) Off for girl weekend, but will report Sunday on all my fun and exercise. Does laughing until you snort count as exercise? Should be totally fit by Sunday.

I love signs

Signs tell you where you are and where you are going, and I am all about direction these days. So at 7:20 as I FINALLY made it into the gym, I was looking for a sign . . . any sign that would explain how on Earth I was going to stay committed to this. I climbed onto the elliptical and tuned in to Jeopardy. Thanks to my million dollar liberal arts education, I am full of useless information and actually quite good at Jeopardy. Final Jeopardy tonight was religious words. The Question - Surprisingly, this word only appears twice in the New Testament. The Answer - What is a Christian? I got my sign, and I think I have a pretty good idea who my personal trainer will be for the next 40 (39) days. Minutes - 40; Calories - 389; Miles 3.6. I don't know if that is good or not, but I bet it is better than watching Jeopardy on my sofa drinking red wine.

Mardi Gras - The Plan

The plan - 40 minutes for 40 days - 4ever or 4 Lent? It is my hope that during the next 40 days I will be able to exercise each day for 40 minutes. So why the blog? Accountability. Someone other than me, myself, and I needs to know what I am up to. It will be hard enough to find the 40 minutes of exercise much less the time to write about it. Thus, this will be short and sweet. I have no before photo, no weight loss goal, and no strict diet to follow. I just know that I feel better when I exercise. It is time just for me to clear my head, think deep thoughts, and perhaps even pray. So if you see me in a neon orange vest cruising the neighborhood at 10 pm, you will know that I've had a long day . . . and if you own an orange vest, please feel free to join me.