Why I Bounce
Okay, so here's a little essay about why I bounce. I've edited it a bit since this isn't an adult only blog....and I have this little tiny issue about consent. Even some adults don't need to know about other aspects of my life:D
Those that know me know that I bounce. Why do I bounce? Well that's a good question I've asked myself during non-bouncy moments. I haven't always been bouncy. I don't even jump rope very well. I virtually never bounced as a kid; not that I can recall, anyhow. I didn't bounce when I was with Kim (my soulmate), although I was in a euphoric state most of the time with Him. Bouncing didn't come around til after He died. As near as I can tell, I started bouncing a little less than a year after Kim died. In fact, a few friends might even remember a time when I when I didn't bounce...if they think hard enough; I know I've had to think about it!
I look at bouncing as a very spiritual aspect of me. Some people sing, some dance, some preach their love of God. I bounce. It seems to start somewhere deep in the earth...some sort of energy burst that enters my feet and then jets through me until I need to bounce. It's a reflection of my joy with life...it's a form of communion with the universe and everything that has formed me into who I am. For the brief moment when my feet don't touch the ground, I am embraced by the universe and all that created me. It's a euphoric, wonderful feeling that that combines spirituality and worship with natural movement, pleasure. Bouncing for me is part of joining the universe and embracing the very essence of life. Life is exuberance and joy and knowledge. Somehow simply bouncing reminds me about why I live and love and feel pain.I notice every so often others will bounce with me. That's an amazing feeling...it's wonderful to feel the ecstatic movement of more than a solitary bounce. I always encourage bouncing. It seems like a childish action; happy kids bounce quite a bit. I love that kid energy and feeling the bounciness that kids take for granted...I don't think they realize what a beautiful, spiritual movement it is and how when they bounce the universe reverberates and answers with passion.
For me bouncing is an integral part of the play process (something adults don't do enough of). When I'm playing, I'm having fun. When I'm having fun, I am grateful for the opportunity to feel pleasure, love, friendship-- a lot of the things I didn't feel very often as a kid. I feel joy and so I bounce. Bouncing brings people together and unites us as a community in a memorable event. We laugh and in our laughter we commune and let others see us as playful humans more than "serious adults."
I tried to fight the nickname Bouncy, but it has stuck and it's obviously appropriate and infinitely more acceptable than Tigger (I'm not the feline sort of person). What's important is my friends have given me that nickname and who am I to object to something that describes a movement that is so fundamental to who I am in the universe?There you have it. The Tao of Bounce by Laurie.
Soooooooo We're in April now
Wow...I can't believe people are reading this blog! I've kind of let it die like my fantastic get healthy plan! Well...I guess I need to reassess things a bit.
I've been so busy with other things lately (major creative energy), that I feel my time is better spent doing that than exercising.
So what am I going to do?
Put weights sort of on the back burner.
I fashioned a belly dance hip belt out of some chain I had laying around. It weighs around 8 pounds. One of the belly dance gurus online sells weighted hip scarves for around fifty + bucks. Needless to say, I don't have that kind of money! Supposedly, adding weights like this will help tone and improve various dance movements. When I practice at home, I'll strap that puppy on and shimmy a lot and pretend I'm old Jacob Marley...I sure feel like that with all the clanking chain!
I'm also really, tempted to get
Yoga for Round Bodies. Flexibility is something that would help me out a lot in my dancing...and other more interesting aspects of my life;)
Another thing I'm going to attempt to do is get my mini trampoline out and start bouncing again. Some people think it helps the lymphatic system. I just think that bouncing is a joyful, spiritual expression we somehow lose sight of as we get older. I bounce fairly regularly, just not on my mini trampoline (oh and the new term for it is rebounding).
Maybe I'll have to post about why I bounce on this blog.
Weight training
I love weights. Let me be more specific. I love my dumbbells. Weight training is a great workout. It builds muscles, helps your heart, and protects your bones from the effects of osteoporosis. If you're looking for a quicker way to lose inches, this is the way to go.
When I was in high school, I hated weights. I hated exercise in general, especially running. Some things don't change.
A couple years ago when I was getting in shape for the first time in my life, I stumbled on a video called 10 minute solution. That was my introduction to fitness, and IMHO a pretty good place to start. For those curious, here's a link to the dvd version on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005R24O/qid=1138124171/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/104-2162042-7299900?v=glance&s=dvdI saw a section of the new show (new at the time) Ultimate Makeover or something like that and in six weeks' time with the help of a personal trainer, some gal's body was transformed through body sculpting, exercise, and diet.
Well, naturally, I couldn't afford that sort of attention. I plugged in the term body sculpting in Yahoo and sooner or later came up with the video fitness website. Video Fitness is a great place to go before you start shopping for exercise videos.
http://www.videofitness.com/Now, there are lots and lots of body sculpting and weight training videos out there. If you have one that you like, feel free to post a link and tell us why you like it. I happened to find a video with the unassuming title of "Weights II" and after reading the review, I bought a copy. The video is very unassuming. There is absolutely no airbrushing, no peppy blondes in skimpy outfits, and no beaches or fancy gymn. Francesca Gern is the instructor and she is a no-nonsense but friendly enough gal with a well-toned body. She knows her stuff. She wants you to stay hydrated during the workout and she even drinks from her water bottle! All you need are a couple sets of dumbbells and a towel and exercise band and an hour you can devote every other day, or three times a week.
If you know nothing about weights, you might want her first video, but I did just fine starting off with her second video. Just use lighter weights.
http://www.flexcity.com/store/productdet.asp?ProductCode=33 is the link for this video and a couple of her other ones.
Here are a few tips I've learned about working out with weights:
1. Keep your abs tight when doing any lifting exercises.
2. Good posture is essential if you don't want to hurt yourself.
3. Keep shoulders rolled back and away from your ears.
4. Different parts of the body can handle different amounts of weight.
5. If you can't do an exercise properly, you need to use lighter weights, even if it means using only 1lb. weights.
6. Stay hydrated!
7. Don't overdo it! Every other day is the most you should weight train. Your muscles need time off to repair and rest.
Setbacks
Well, last week I had a major setback on my road to becoming healthy. Last Saturday I noticed that the cough I have had for months was a lot worse. I slept most of Sunday and Monday and I simply had a hard time breathing.
I finally got in to the doctor on Wednesday. I was worried I had pneumonia. Apparently, that isn't the case. I have a sinus infection that has drained into my chest. My head didn't even hurt until a couple days ago! I'm now on an antibiotic and I'm taking a boatload of guaifenesin, the main ingredient in Mucinex and something that's supposed to help loosen up the garbage in my chest and head.
All the exercise I did last week (besides climbing up the stairs to my apartment) was go to my dance class. I was hacking a lot, but somehow survived the class. I'm going to do weights today, but I think for the most part I'm going to stick with lighter workouts until my lungs aren't so congested.
I also had the return of some nasty neck and shoulder pain that I suspect is work-related. It is not healthy to be sitting at a desk eight hours a day with your head turned slightly to the side. I also think that being sick has also aggravated the pain. I am making some adjustments to my work station and they seem to be helping as well.
I haven't been eating well. I've been so sick that even nuking things has required more energy than I can muster. On the bright side of things, I am starting to feel better and I think I'll actually be able to make a comeback this week! The hard part is getting back into the routine again. Motivation is NOT my strong point, but I need to do this to keep the old heart pumping.
What a busy week!
As I warned a few days ago, this would be a very busy week. I have managed to wake up before 5 and did my hour of weight training on Monday and Wednesday. Tuesday, unfortunately, I was so exhausted after working 12 hours that I couldn't even manage a single sun salutation that night. However, I got two fairly good walks in, thanks to taking the early train to work instead of the bus (which drops me off closer to my workplace) and a fire alarm going off.
I'm really perplexed how I'll manage to wake up before five tomorrow for the last weights workout of the week since I'll be in bellydance class tonight til 7:30 (heh, I've been in bed and almost asleep by then every day this week!).
The thing that scares me the most right now is the pain I'm having in my neck and shoulders right now. For the past few days it has been pretty bad, but last night I kept waking up from the pain. A similar pain is what got me off my exercise track a couple years ago. I'm hoping to nip it in the bud this time. I am doing lots of neck stretches and trying to keep good posture (in this case, rolling shoulders back and away from ears). I also suspect a lot of it is simply from all the stress this week causes...along with the job interview I have tomorrow!
Anyhow, I better get some work done...I guess that's what they expect me to do at this place!
Set up your environment to win!
I came across this article in Yahoo's get fit area the other day. It's written by Marilu Henner. I know that making your environment as exercise friendly as possible definitely helps a lot. My weights and exercise stuff is in the living room right by the tv where I need them. There's also enough room in front of the tv for me to lie down and stretch out without hitting something.
Set Up Your Environment to WIN!Posted by
Marilu Henner on Mon, Jan 02, 2006,
Provided by:
Marilu.comI want you to look at the whole process of dieting, health, and fitness in an entirely new way. I want you to think of the next few weeks as if you were starting your own small business, and the product that you are manufacturing in this small business is a newer, fitter, healthier, better organized, more motivated, sexier YOU.
Now, if you really were going to start your own small business, the first thing you would do is organize for efficiency. Let’s use, for example, a very simple business like a garage sale. The best way to go about organizing for a garage sale is to assess your inventory (keep, sell, throw away), strategize your marketing (signs, ads, word of mouth), gather your materials (labels, racks, signs) and all the other items you’ll be using to most efficiently categorize, display and sell the unwanted objects.
In the same vein, the first thing you’ll want to do to most efficiently manufacture and maintain a newer, fitter, healthier you, is to organize your environment in a way that’s most advantageous to your goals. You have to set up your environment to WIN. And the best way to do that is to make your whole environment a health workshop.
“If you build it, a healthy, new you will come.”
First you gather up all of the unused items gathering dust. The treadmill that was never used, the latest fitness equipment bought from an infomercial and never opened, weights, yoga mat, wok, juicer, etc. Decide whether or not it belongs in your workshop. Use it or lose it.
You go into your pantry, read the labels and start discarding all of the manufactured pseudo foods that have been poisoning your body for all of these years. Yes, it may seem like you have nothing left in your kitchen when you are finished, but that is the point. You are preparing the way for a new you!
You go into your bathroom, and you pull the scale down from the shelf where you hid it before the holidays. You throw away your old toothbrush; because today you are going to begin anew, and nothing will better symbolize your health mission than a new toothbrush. (Two or three times a day you’ll be reminded!) You take a look in the mirror to see the old you one last time. As you look in the mirror you can imagine a new person taking shape. You are now taking charge of your life, one day at a time.
You now begin the transformation by preparing an area for you to exercise, every day. Your workout clothes, shoes, and equipment (along with ipod, walkman, etc.) should be organized and in one space, and you should have an area set-aside exclusively for workouts. To meet your goal, it’s best to break a sweat every day for at least 10 minutes, but, be careful. You want to start slowly; you have the rest of your life to achieve your dreams!
You go back to the kitchen and make a list of healthy foods that you already love. There’s some fruit or vegetable that you love, so start there. Five to ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day are best, and try to eat organic whenever possible. Raw vegetables for salads are important, and if you learn to wean yourself from the fatty dressings, salads can become an important part of your diet.
Then on to the healthy carbs! Forget those high-protein diets. Healthy complex carbohydrates form the cornerstone of a healthy diet. These include whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, sprouted breads, etc. Next come the beans and legumes, including soy products. Finally, the healthy snack foods like nuts, seeds, and soy or rice based ice cream to round out your new diet.
You’ll want a refrigerator and cupboard stocked with these whole natural foods rather than the junk that usually tempts you when you’re weak. You’ll want your kitchen utensils arranged for easily preparing vegetables and fruits as well as having storage containers to keep healthy snacks fresh and ready to go for when you need them most.
Setting up your environment to win is not a simple task. It can’t be done overnight or even over a weekend, but once it’s in place, the benefits will last a lifetime. Building your health workshop/company will be an important component of the step-by-step process we will take throughout our next few weeks together.
http://blogs.health.yahoo.com/get-healthy-now/ghn06weight/231/set-up-your-environment-to-win;_ylt=Ai_PS2OkNsEHCpinxDtbz3Ofv8wF
The week in review
I am happy to report that the first week of kicking myself in shape was a success.
I managed to exercise every day, following the original pattern fairly closely. Here are some of the things I've noticed are already happening:
- The weight training seems to be helping my left shoulder. I fell and hurt it in November, but working with the weights seems to help, although I did overdo it Friday.
- Monday I only used my 2lb. weights, Wednesday I used the 5lb. weights for part of the workout, Friday I used the 5lb. weights throughout most of the workout, at least on the right side. I dropped down to a 3lb. weight on the left side. I'll continue using 5lb. for the next few months. They're a bit tough!
- Walking is still tough. Still panting and the small of my back still hurts...but it doesn't start hurting after only a couple hundred feet.
- Sometime in the middle of the lunge series in the weight training, I find myself going on automatic instead of fighting the need to workout.
The next week (or two) is going to be alot harder. I'll be working around 12 hours most of the week because it's the start of spring semester. The exception will be Friday when I have a job interview later in the day (wish me luck!). I'm half tempted to wake up really, really early to get the weights workout in and get to work by 6-6:30. I think I could do that with the weights since it is a quiet workout and wouldn't disturb the downstairs neighbors. I think Tuesday I'll just stick with a series of sun salutations before I crawl into bed.
As for food issues, yes, they are there. I've eaten a lot of chocolate and junk food. Last night I devoured a fourth a box of crackers and some cheeseball. I was tempted to go for more crackers, but I decided I didn't need anymore. I want a donut really bad, and I'll probably get one sometime this week. I'll probably be eating a lot of junk food this week because it's such a stressful time, but I'll try to get a few healthy options in as well. Chances are dinners will be a bowl of cereal. Once again, food isn't my focus right now. Once I am consistently exercising, then I'll begin to work on getting the food under control. I'm betting that'll be in Mid-February or March. Good habits take a lot longer for me to make than bad habits. That whole saying it takes 21 days to make a habit is a myth. It takes a couple days for a bad habit to take hold and MONTHS for a good habit to even start taking a hold!
Concessions
We all know that when we make lifestyle changes we need to make concessions. I guess you can look at it like any other relationship. If you are involved with someone, you need to make compromises and change things and so does the other person (okay the exception are newborns). Maybe if we look at lifestyle change as a relationship, it wouldn't be quite so difficult; then again, maybe that's why it's so hard. We have a hard time relating to the person we should care about more than anyone else... I know it's really hard for me to even consider my needs. I end up trying to make sure everyone else has what they need and then I realize after it's too late that I've been compensating by binging and not taking care of myself.
Anyhow, that's enough psychoanalysis.
Here are a few concessions I'm going to make:
- Taking time every day to exercise
- Portion control
- Eating fruits and veggies
- Using low-fat/no-fat condiments like mayonnaise
- Taking the time to cook meals for myself
- 1% milk, skim if it's the kind that tastes like 2%
- Waking up a bit earlier to get the bellydance practice in
Here are the things I won't compromise on:
- Chocolate (especially my glass of hot cocoa in the morning)
- Cheese (using a bit of sharp cheddar means you use less than some reduced fat cheeses. Besides, it melts better and has a better texture)
- The occasional pastry (but not daily!)
- Having fun. What can I say? I have a short attention span and the stuff I do needs to entertain me as well as make me feel good!
What concessions are you making? What are the deal breakers? What are your suggestions for improving your relationship with yourself?
A couple favorite healthy foods
I really love good food. Most of my favorite foods are sweets laden with lots of fat. You know, chocolate, ice cream, pastries, pizza, cookies, cakes, cheese.
Well, those are my favorites, and as you know, there aren't any substitutes when you really want the good stuff (umm which is in my case all the time), but here are a few healthy things that I like:
Avocado with soy sauce and rice
Take half an avocado and fill the hollow where the pit was with soy sauce. Serve with cooked rice. Yum.
My clone of McDonald's apple walnut salad
Slice and core an apple or two (make it authentic by having slices of green and red apples)
Add a couple handfuls of your favorite seedless grapes
Sprinkle some glazed walnuts over the fruit
Dip in vanilla yogurt (Blue Bunny brand is my favorite).
My super easy basic spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 cube chicken or beef boullion
1 t minced garlic
1T Italian seasoning
a dash of olive oil
a dash or two parmesan cheese
pinch of red pepper flakes
Throw everything except the red pepper flakes in pot and simmer until hot (or longer so flavors meld). Add red pepper flakes near end so they don't make the sauce bitter.
If anyone has any healthy, fast, and tasty recipes, post them! I need all the help I can get!
Beginner's yoga?!
I've done yoga before. I've done quite a bit of yoga over the years. Once upon a time I actually could stretch out and touch my toes. That was about three years ago. Well, I'm back to square one, or is it square minus one?
I decided that it was in my best interest to finish up last night's weight routine with some yoga. I put in a Yoga Zone DVD that claims to be a beginning yoga video. Ummm...yeah....riiiiiiiiiight. I have to ask, "what do you people think beginners can do???"
Okay, maybe there are some of those cute college co-eds who are tiny pixie types who can bend themselves into pretzels as soon as they pop in this beginning video, but I suspect there's a much larger group of fatter, non-flexible, inching towards middle-aged (or passing middle-age) people who buy these videos in an attempt to get healthier. These yoga gurus should take a few pointers about the people who are buying their product.
Here are a few things these yoga masters should keep in mind:
- Our fat guts make it hard to see our toes, much less touch them.
- Being on our knees might not be as easy as it is for you. Some of us are clutzes or led active lives which have given us knee trouble. Sitting on our knees for extended periods does not promote a sense of "oneness" with the universe. It just makes us uncomfortable and possibly grumpy.
- I love the child's pose and the corpse pose, but between my lack of flexibility and huge butt, I don't exactly lie flat or kneel back comfortably. Oh, and some people, once they get on the floor have a hard time getting back up!
- That down-ward facing dog, plank pose, and anything that puts weight on one's wrists and shoulders is not exactly for overweight beginners. Remember, we're fat and inflexible. We don't want to add broken wrists to the mix.
- If you're going to have someone do modified moves, keep the camera on them! If the moves are going to be modified, try the move on real beginners.
- Bridge pose is not a beginner's pose. Nor can we bend ourselves backwards and clutch our ankles. That leads to some nasty cramps and possibly a visit to the chiropractor.
I'll keep working on yoga, I'll just avoid that particular DVD for a while.
