Health Trek Day 21

My daughter and I were at the gym this morning at 4:45. I just have to comment on the variety of people one sees working out. There are the golden oldies like me in sweatpants and baggie shirts looking bewildered and tentative as they try to figure out how all the gadgets work. There are machines that work just about every part of the body with a little explanation on each one to tell how they w0rk ... The machines work great, but our aging bodies don't always cooperate. But I digress, back to the people we see. There are the young things in spandex who seem to be running and bouncing with no effort, music thingys in their ears so they have no clue that someone may be speaking to them. There are the beer bellied weight champ wannabees who lift weights as they watch themselves in a mirror. One wonders what they see in that mirror? Do they really see the sagging bellies and drooping chests or do they see Arnold Schwarzenegger staring back at them. (Not sure if I spelled his name right, sorry Arnie!) Then there are the women in the locker room. I was always the kid in school that hid in the bathroom till everyone got out of the shower, then snuck in and showered quickly hoping no one would see me. I could never walk around naked in front of my peers, so blase like some people do. Did you ever notice that the women who walk around naked in the locker rooms are always the skinny wenches with designer boobs and not an ounce of flab to be seen? Never do you see a woman with everything fighting gravity strolling around in the buff. I guess we can be thankful for that! But Still whenever I am confronted with the naked body I tend to start studying the ceiling or noticing the newest scuff in my sneaker. I can't make eye contact and try really hard not to look. Usually these unclad nymphs have a tattoo somewhere that is really hard not to look at. One lady had a flower that was growing out of an unmentionable place and blossomed about her naval, most prettily. I wonder if in thirty years it will look wilted and droopy? I know tats are commonplace these days, but I still wonder why someone could have them etched in some of these places that just have to be really tender. Ouch!
The nice things about gyms these days is that you see lots of people that are built like me working out in the baggy clothes, and getting healthier as a result. We don't have to feel out of place. With ipods and headphones you can lose yourself in music or TV while you exercise and make the activity less painful. My secret is my kindle book. I get on the treadmill, punch in all the settings, start walking then lose myself in a good story. Before I know it, the machine is congratulating me on my successful work out and I'm ready to tackle the bike.
I guess the secret of making exercise a habit is to make it enjoyable. If you have a bike or exercise machine at home. Put on some nice music or TV show or read a book. Something where you can lose yourself for a little while and forget the mad crazy day that looms ahead of you. I have a lot of people tell me they can't exercise in the morning because they don't have time, or they don't want to wear themselves out, or some other excuse. But if you can make exercise part of your morning routine, just 10 or 15 minutes can make you feel rejuvenated for the rest of the day. Try it, it really works!
Have a fantastic Friday and ROCK ON everyone!

My poem today is a pensive one. It is where I have been for a few years and am now trying to change.

Who Am I?
I am a woman.. with all the parts God gave to me
Even though they're not as agile as they used to be
I am a mother.. even though no hugs greet me when I get home
No pleas for stories, my children now are grown
I am a wife...with a husband sweet and kind
Though he's oft baffled by things that fill my mind
I am a Nana..my grand kids worship me
But still it's not enough, it doesn't set me free
I am a dreamer...who longs for a magic world
Where there is singing and I remain a girl
I'm obese with faulty knees and spine
facing a future that can only bring decline
I am a soul...longing to be heard
Buried in a body that gets more and more absurd
Why won't my spirit age along with me?
So we can, with grace, live out our destiny
Does it deny that there's so little time?
Does it resent a world that has no rhyme?
For so long encased in a tight shell.
It knew just darkness- a fate much worse then Hell
While I, the body, eked out each mundane task
To create a world in which my loved ones basked
Now they are grown and the Voice demands its due
But each day exhausts me through and through
So much I've buried, such need to be expressed
The simple stories this spirit has possessed
But I just eat and work and eat and sleep
And all the Beauty's buried someplace deep
And now my body emulates the pain
With a heavy weight that barely bears the strain
How can I free this soul from the bleak dark?
How can I feed my soul and ignite the spark?

JPH


Plan for the Day:
Breakfast: Cheerios, English muffin, tea
Snack: apple
Lunch: Grilled cheese, Iced tea
Snack: Jello
Dinner: Out with a friend- probably Chinese

Exercise: 1 hour at gym on treadmill and bike; Yoga; Mr. G's list