One Step at a Time

Short story: Son has long-time friend over today. I have watched this 6 year-old boy over the past four years go from “what-a-big-boy” to obese. It’s so hard to see a child like that. Watching the two of them in my backyard just breaks my heart … he can’t run, climb on our playset. He doesn’t even seem to have that kid-like desire to move. He mostly just sat and watched Derek. And he was sweating like crazy when he came in. The eating is a whole other rant. All he wants is candy and pop. He was completely ticked that I served baby carrots with our pizza for lunch … much too healthy for him! I know his parents let him have free reign of the “treat drawer” and the pop in the fridge … and I also know that they call his Playstation his “favorite sport”.

This isn’t so short is it? Bear with me.

Conclusion: Today just impresses on me what a job we’re given as parents to be role models. Kids need to see us eat well, and need to see us choosing and enjoying physical activity. They’re watching … those sneaky things. Even when they don’t look like they are, indeed they’re watching.

I love my hot tub. My husband installed it this fall, and hooked it up to his wonky-yet-extremely-inexpensive coal heating system for our house, so it costs us nothing to heat. (Important in Alberta, and with our outrageous gas prices.)

At first, I didn’t want the hot tub, I’ll admit. I’m a water-lover, but I didn’t want one more thing to clean, to maintain. I feel I have enough on my To Do list here. I even tried to convince him that we should sell it.

Bad, bad Bev!

Now that I’m pursuing fitness in a much bigger way, I adore the hot tub. The jets are incredible on the back, legs, and feet after a hard run or workout at the gym. And I also love hanging out with my husband in the hot tub … no kids, no phone, no TV, no computer. It’s like being around a campfire …. it’s all about the chatting for me.

Going to grab a big ol’ glass of lemoned ice water (beer is my number one choice but beer quickly undoes the caloric “good” I do running and working out…) and make my way out to the hot tub right now! Did a great run this afternoon … 4 sets of 10 minute running; with 2 min walking breaks between them. I have to celebrate … because it’s actually getting easier! Yay!

Did my swim today while my son played around, and then we had some “mini-races” … lots of good fun. I taught him how to do a flipturn and he was sooooo impressed with himself!

Observation: No one, except perhaps an Olympic athlete, looks good and natural doing butterfly. It is not my forte. I did sets of 75 m freestyle/ 25 m breaststroke to make up my 2k tonight.

Did strengthening at the gym this morning … between that and the swim, I was ready for a gooooood looooooong hot tub soak tonight.

PS: I think my personal finish line also involves a big hot tub to soak in afterwards. And a cold beer.

Soooo happy it’s Friday! I’m off to the gym early today (yay!) , and then heading out to do some site visits at various hospitals / continuing care centres around the city. It’s one of my favorite parts about my job.

I just can’t get this phrase outta my head … Chris coined it in a reply yesterday … and I keep asking myself: Bev, what does your personal finish line look line??

For me, at that line, I am a runner. I am fit, strong, lean (gasp!) . I have crossed the line because I said I was going to, and I worked hard for it. At the finish line, I have run away from all of the negative self-talk that slows me from reaching my goals, and “Wow, I did this” is all I need to say. At the finish line, the people I love are there to support me, and by crossing it, I will plant the idea in my children that they too can do anything they set their mind to.

This is a great vision, and I plan to use it more when I run.

I know that my personal finish line is going to keep changing … “finish” line being a non-concept then. I’m curious: what does your personal finish line look like? What’s the thing that you have to overcome to say ” I did it” ? For me, it’s my first race, losing more weight, gaining more fitness. You?

Happy Friday!

I am in the middle of a curriculum-writing project (don’t yawn too loudly), and it is bringing out the procrastinator in me in a big way! I have a day in my little home office to myself, and so far I’ve:

–organized our pantry;
–read many, many blogs;
–emailed friends;
–done a price comparison for our family to go for a Jasper get-away;
–made a few work calls unrelated to the curriculum project;
–booked a flight for a conference I’m going to in May;
–headed out for a half-hour run/walk;
–thought of a different way to organize the pantry.

Oh my. Aside from the run, which was good for me, this is procrastination at it’s best. And my work-day ends abruptly at 3:30 p.m., when I pick up the kids and we go skating.

There, now that I’ve listed all of my unproductive activities, I’ll get my nose to the grindstone … really ……

Family Day improved as a the day went on … we didn’t end up skating but we did go out for dinner before Derek’s soccer game, and all three kids were well-behaved in the restaurant. (Imagine parents doing happy dance.)

Recent replies by Heather and Marie have got me thinking … well, what was I thinking??? I thought if I was going to run 5k this summer, I had better be able to RUN 5k. Top form, running the whole way, no stopping, no break, no walks. Now, I’m questioning that: why don’t I TRY a race, and if I have to walk some, that’s OK?? And moreso, why did that option never, ever occur to me???

This is a big frying-pan-on-the-head moment for me.

I do that a TON in my life. If I can’t do things very well, or almost know that I can accomplish them, I don’t think I do them very much. Pretty safe shell to live in. If someone told me that statement about myself, I’d disagree: I live on the edge … heck, I’ve skydived … I’m adventurous …. HAH! I think I stay in the safe zone a lot, especially when it comes to my fitness. I don’t always like to be uncomfortable. Maybe this is why I hate working my abs so much?? I’m sure there are deeper and darker reasons that I could pay a therapist hundreds of dollars per hour to talk about, but that really doesn’t matter now that I’ve actually NAMED this problem. I like to stay safe.

I need to stretch myself. I need to sign up to do something that I’m not 100% sure I can do well …

For me, that’s a race. I don’t call myself a runner. Actually, my family (as in parents, brother’s, in-laws, etc.) don’t even know I’ve been running. I don’t think I’m “supposed” to be a runner. I don’t think I look like a runner …. yet. I still have weight to lose, muscles to tone, speed to gain. I was never a runner in high school who just took a break when I had kids. I always chose javelin at the track meet … hmmm … because I could do it! This is really my first kick at the can with running.

I don’t know how this reads … it may sound trivial to someone with a lot of running / race experience, but for me it’s pretty emotional, and quite pivotal.

Looking for a race, people. Well, first, I’m going out to run. As soon as the Glue-Stick Monster wakes up from her nap.

Here in Alberta, it’s Family Day. A day where families are supposed to generally be together, love one another, and enjoy each other’s company. So far I’ve been frustrated with my mom on the phone, received a snappy email from my sister-in-law, called my brother to say Happy Birthday and had the World’s shortest conversation EVER, and had to give myself a stiff drink “time -out ” from my son who is working on his science project with a vision and drive that is frustrating everyone around him. Oh, and our daughter discovered glue sticks this morning. Sigh.

I am eternally grateful for my family, I love them dearly, but today, they are driving me nuts!!!

We’re going skating at an outdoor pond this afternoon … hope the day picks up!

Enjoy your families today! Or … just try to stay clear of ‘em.

This morning I was at the leisure centre …. warmed up for 10 with fast walking, and then did run/walk combinations for 45 minutes, followed by 10 minute cooldown and then stretching. Then went to the gym and did 25 mins on the elliptical trainer, and my upper body on weights.

I am spent! Skated with the kids last night, and my butt aches so much from that that it was whining the whole time during this workout. My butt is a whiner.

Some observations:

–I’m getting able to run further, and walk less. Today I was running 10 – 11 mins , walking for one. Did four sets of that. No where near ready for a race, I know, but really, that’s amazing for me.
–I really don’t stretch enough unless someone is leading me, ie. like in that class I took yesterday. I’m not sure why I always want to rush through this but I have to slow down.

As I was running, I thought of a couple of questions:

–Is it beneficial to run backwards? I saw about 7 or 8 people doing that today. Hmmmmm. I really know nothing about this.
–Although I do add lunges in my workout, I do not do side stride running. Also seemed to be the “Move of the Day” on the track today.

Should I be adding these things to my workout? Will it make me a better runner … or does it just add variety / work different muscles?

I survived Chocolate Fondue Overdose, a little smarter for next time.

Jill is the instructor of the TrackFit class that I catch usually twice a week. It’s a run/walk/lunge/stair-climbing adventure with some core strengthening exercises thrown in at the end just in case the lunges didn’t kill you first.

Jill has walked and ran marathons. She’s intelligent, balanced, knowledgeable, funny, and has a 55-year old body that most 20-year olds would die for. (She also looks a whole lot like Cheryl Tiegs.)

Getting to the point … we have a very negative woman in the class, who warms up at about the same pace as me … but now I try VERY hard to get ahead of her, because I can’t stand her voice or her pooooor-me perspective on life. She is complaining to her friend today, “Some people are just naturally fit”, implying that Jill did not have to work at all for her body. Naturally fit? HUH??? You mean that people come out of the womb having worked out and ready to race??? I know body types are different, but I know plenty of naturally thin people who are not fit.

Seems that Jill also heard Negative Nellie (don’t have a clue what her name might be). After the class, Jill says that you can never judge people by appearances, as you have no idea what life experiences that people have had. Jill pulled out an old worn picture of her from her wallet … she was 25, had just had her 3rd child, and weighed in a 285 lbs. She couldn’t walk to the mailbox down the block without having a nap later.

I was blinking away tears.

Today, I salute the Jills, for the motivation they give to people like me to keep plugging along, one step at a time. And to the Nellies, thanks for the motivation to run faster … to get away from those negative vibes!

Happy Friday, all!

Ate too much chocolate fondue tonight at a party. Girls, wine, chatter, and chocolate … that kind of party. Tomorrow I’m going to a Trackfit class at the gym … I could be the ball rolling around that track, I’m so full.

Can one sleep off a chocolate overdose???

Hope so.