We're still in Greece and are having a great time. Right now, we're on the island of Crete, which is the largest of the Greek isles. We spent the day exploring the ruins at Knossos and then went to a small museum.
My walking still isn't great, but this trip is giving me a lot of opportunities to be active. Many come up when I don't plan on them. For instance, yesterday we took the Athens subway to the port where we caught the boat to Crete. But what we weren't told was that the entrance to the port was about a mile and a half from the actual boat. So we walked and walked and walked ... and I was feeling pretty good. I stopped every few minutes and was glad I was able to do so much.
Then I looked at my watch and realized that the boat was about to leave in 15 minutes and we were still nowhere near it. At that point, I gave in and hailed a cab. Had I had more time, though, I would've been able to complete the distance.
The day before was spent in the mountain city of Delphi. The bus dropped us off in town and we were told that the ruins were .5 K away. But that was .5 K away from the edge of town -- and the bus station was all the way across town. Again, I ended up walking much more than I'd planned -- on mountain hills, no less. We must've covered a few miles, at least, and by the time we were through with the ruins and made it back to town, I was wiped. My legs hurt and I felt like I was about to pass out. Still, I took a nap on the bus and kind of hobbled to dinner later that evening.
Today, I was proud of myself for hiking all over the ruins, which were pretty vast. The good thing about ruins is that there are always a lot of rocks and walls and large pieces of old things to sit on. So I'd climb a staircase, then sit and enjoy the view. I got to see everything there, but I took my time and enjoyed myself.
I can't say that I've been eating very well. I thought that Mediterranean food was supposed to be healthy, but much of it is fried. The cheese pie, spinach pie, zucchini appetizers ... all fried. I don't like fried too much so I'm getting a little tired of it. Unfortunately, I don't eat fish, so I have to make due with meats and vegetarian stuff -- and it seems like a lot is baked or cooked in oil. Portions are also HUGE, like ridiculously so. I don't speak any Greek so it's difficult to negotiate on an order, so I'm just trying to not eat too much and then walk a lot. I can't tell where my weight is at, but I do feel like I'm getting stronger. I still need Jon's help sometimes when I encounter steep, uneven stairs, and I can feel the lack of strength in my left leg; but I was able to make it around much of the ruins today without help.
Tomorrow, we're heading off to Santorini. I've always wanted to go, so I'm excited. I was nervous about doing this trip, but am glad that I've been able to do much more than I thought.
Showing posts with label getting in shape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting in shape. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Does This Fat Make My Ass Look Big?
Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think that men obsess over their bodies the same way that women do. Sure, many wish they were thinner or had more muscles, but the guys I know don't stare at themselves and dissect every body part either.
Today, while Karen and I were at the gym, we made the mistake of turning to look at ourselves in the mirror while we were on the ellipticals. Given that we were both a) wearing gym clothes and were sweaty and b) positioned at an unflattering angle, this was a really dumb idea. Needless to say, we both began to complain about how big our asses are (for the record, hers is just fine).
"I feel sorry for the person working out behind me," she sighed.
"Don't worry, they're probably too busy staring at me," I said.
The truth is, I don't think anyone cared about us at all because they were too busy working out themselves. Still, I took a look around to check out everyone else's asses (yeah, I'm like that). And they, not so surprisingly, came in all shapes and sizes. In fact, there were a lot of overweight people there, so my ass really wasn't all that special!
Later, I worked out on the bike. I still can't pedal quickly enough for it to register me, but I stayed on for 15 minutes, which is an accomplishment in itself. I like the bike because it's in the center of the gym, so I can people-watch as I exercise. Some people do very strange stuff. There was this teeny, tiny, itty-bitty slip of a woman who looked as if she could be a gymnast. She literally pulled one leg up behind her head and then held that pose for about a minute. She then did a handstand and stayed that way for a while. I was sort of intrigued by her unusual routine, but the jealous part of me hated her for being so thin and obviously fit.
Then there was a man who'd do one curl on the weight machine, get up walk around for five minutes, go back and do another curl, and so on. Is there a point? I know you have to wait between sets, but this seemed to be taking this to extremes.
Regardless, I've had a successful two weeks at the gym and can already feel some slight differences in the way I move. Karen even commented that it looked as if I were having fewer problems getting up the stairs.
I'm not nearly ready for Greece, but I am getting there one step at a time -- literally. My fat ass is moving more than it has in a long time.
Today, while Karen and I were at the gym, we made the mistake of turning to look at ourselves in the mirror while we were on the ellipticals. Given that we were both a) wearing gym clothes and were sweaty and b) positioned at an unflattering angle, this was a really dumb idea. Needless to say, we both began to complain about how big our asses are (for the record, hers is just fine).
"I feel sorry for the person working out behind me," she sighed.
"Don't worry, they're probably too busy staring at me," I said.
The truth is, I don't think anyone cared about us at all because they were too busy working out themselves. Still, I took a look around to check out everyone else's asses (yeah, I'm like that). And they, not so surprisingly, came in all shapes and sizes. In fact, there were a lot of overweight people there, so my ass really wasn't all that special!
Later, I worked out on the bike. I still can't pedal quickly enough for it to register me, but I stayed on for 15 minutes, which is an accomplishment in itself. I like the bike because it's in the center of the gym, so I can people-watch as I exercise. Some people do very strange stuff. There was this teeny, tiny, itty-bitty slip of a woman who looked as if she could be a gymnast. She literally pulled one leg up behind her head and then held that pose for about a minute. She then did a handstand and stayed that way for a while. I was sort of intrigued by her unusual routine, but the jealous part of me hated her for being so thin and obviously fit.
Then there was a man who'd do one curl on the weight machine, get up walk around for five minutes, go back and do another curl, and so on. Is there a point? I know you have to wait between sets, but this seemed to be taking this to extremes.
Regardless, I've had a successful two weeks at the gym and can already feel some slight differences in the way I move. Karen even commented that it looked as if I were having fewer problems getting up the stairs.
I'm not nearly ready for Greece, but I am getting there one step at a time -- literally. My fat ass is moving more than it has in a long time.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Finding My Balance
At PT, there's this one therapist -- let's just call her "Jenny" -- whom I've nicknamed "Clueless Jenny" because she never seems to know what she's doing. She gives the best foot massages out of everyone there, but other than that, she seems to be off in her own world. She'd always ask ME where to put the electrodes when she placed a hot pack on my foot and just kind of let me do my exercises on my own with little input. She was always really sweet, so I just sort of shook my head and did my routine.
Well, this morning, all of a sudden Clueless Jenny turned into Drill Sergeant Jenny! I don't know where in the hell this came from, but she had this whole routine planned for me that was really, really hard.
First, I did 10 minutes on the treadmill (at 1.5 mph and an elevation of Level 3, thank you very much) and then 10 minutes on the bike. She then had me do a series of balance and gait exercises where I had to step over, through and around small cones. The exercises themselves weren't too bad (though I felt a bit wobbly when she had me do a side step), but the repetitiveness got to me, especially when I had to do figure eights around the obstacles. I was getting dizzy! My balance and equilibrium are still off, so I was seriously getting nauseous from walking and stepping in circles over and over again. I kind of liked stomping over the little cones, though -- it made me feel like Godzilla.
Once I mastered the cones, she placed these things on the floor that looked like file folders -- that were slightly higher than the cones -- and I had to step over, through and around those. By the time I finished with that, I was dripping with sweat! I figured that I was done for the day at this point, but Jenny had one more set of exercises planned for me. I had to stand and raise one leg -- and then balance using no hands. Yikes! I could do it for about two seconds, but that was it. My balance sucked even before I broke my leg, so I wasn't too surprised. But then she got this evil grin on her face and told me to do it with my eyes closed!
Seriously, though, while I may dislike these routines while I'm doing them, I'm happy that I'm being pushed and am proud of the work I've done so far. And I'm beginning to feel the results in ways other than how my walking is affected. Today at work, I had a really stressful day where a person whom I've been trying to get for a story didn't return my calls and I got blamed for her basically screwing me over. But when I later hobbled toward my bus stop, I realized that, as hard as that walk still is, I was feeling better. I was out in the fresh air, I was moving ... and the headache that I was getting all day disappeared. For weeks, walking has felt like a chore for me because it's been so difficult, but this was the first time since I've been back on my feet that I felt a glimmer of enjoyment from doing it.
I don't think that being physically fit will solve all of my problems: it won't make me beautiful, rich or get annoying sources to call me on time for a story on a tight deadline. But being in shape will at least help me DEAL with the stresses of life -- and I plan to keep getting that better balance, but physically and mentally.
Well, this morning, all of a sudden Clueless Jenny turned into Drill Sergeant Jenny! I don't know where in the hell this came from, but she had this whole routine planned for me that was really, really hard.
First, I did 10 minutes on the treadmill (at 1.5 mph and an elevation of Level 3, thank you very much) and then 10 minutes on the bike. She then had me do a series of balance and gait exercises where I had to step over, through and around small cones. The exercises themselves weren't too bad (though I felt a bit wobbly when she had me do a side step), but the repetitiveness got to me, especially when I had to do figure eights around the obstacles. I was getting dizzy! My balance and equilibrium are still off, so I was seriously getting nauseous from walking and stepping in circles over and over again. I kind of liked stomping over the little cones, though -- it made me feel like Godzilla.
Once I mastered the cones, she placed these things on the floor that looked like file folders -- that were slightly higher than the cones -- and I had to step over, through and around those. By the time I finished with that, I was dripping with sweat! I figured that I was done for the day at this point, but Jenny had one more set of exercises planned for me. I had to stand and raise one leg -- and then balance using no hands. Yikes! I could do it for about two seconds, but that was it. My balance sucked even before I broke my leg, so I wasn't too surprised. But then she got this evil grin on her face and told me to do it with my eyes closed!
Seriously, though, while I may dislike these routines while I'm doing them, I'm happy that I'm being pushed and am proud of the work I've done so far. And I'm beginning to feel the results in ways other than how my walking is affected. Today at work, I had a really stressful day where a person whom I've been trying to get for a story didn't return my calls and I got blamed for her basically screwing me over. But when I later hobbled toward my bus stop, I realized that, as hard as that walk still is, I was feeling better. I was out in the fresh air, I was moving ... and the headache that I was getting all day disappeared. For weeks, walking has felt like a chore for me because it's been so difficult, but this was the first time since I've been back on my feet that I felt a glimmer of enjoyment from doing it.
I don't think that being physically fit will solve all of my problems: it won't make me beautiful, rich or get annoying sources to call me on time for a story on a tight deadline. But being in shape will at least help me DEAL with the stresses of life -- and I plan to keep getting that better balance, but physically and mentally.
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