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All morning, I was trying to figure out why my arms were so sore. I mean, the karate class on Thursday wasn’t that bad, not bad enough to justify the level of soreness I’m currently feeling. And I didn’t do that much since Thursday, right?
Except then I remembered that I went kayaking yesterday.
Yeah, that’d do it.
On a completely different note, there are few things as cute as watching a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds doing karate.
Kayaking is a great workout - I knew someone who lost 35 pounds over about 8 months and the only thing he changed in his lifestyle was taking up kayaking and paddling twice a week. He was one of the ones I paddled with in Florida. It was kind of funny, he wasn’t even trying to lose weight, but by thanks giving weekend (our 3 day Swanee River paddle) he was having problems keeping his pants up.
It figures, some people work so hard to lose weight and to others it comes so easily.
Yup, there’s a place you can rent kayaks and paddleboats near Charlevoix metro. I rented a tandem kayak with a friend of mine, and even though I didn’t paddle for the whole time, I’m still feeling it!
Julie, the Canal is in my neck of the woods, I’m always bikeing on it, I know the place where you rent kyaks and paddle boats it’s about 5 minutes from my house by bike. Post in my thread the next time you go and I’ll pop by and say hi.
Shawn, it was a very spur-of-the-moment thing. If ever I make actual plans to do it, instead of just “hey, we’re in the area, let’s go kayaking,” I’ll let you know.
Today’s thought has nothing to do with fitness, but it does have to do with health.
The background: I am very, very allergic to cats. As in, if I’m around cats without my inhaler or antihistamines, I can last maybe a half-hour before I start wheezing and need to leave. With my inhaler and on 24-hour extra-strength antihistamines (Reactine), I can last about 5-6 hours, maybe less, maybe a little more if the place is clean and the cats are put away.
Another downside to this is that I have almost no sense of smell.
I have had this checked out by a specialist, and apparently there is nothing wrong with my smell sensor (which is located pretty much between your eyebrows), but because of the residual cat allergies, my nostrils are perpetually inflamed and the air just can’t get up to the smell sensor. I have a very minimal sense of smell: I need to press my nose into a flower to smell anything; I never notice body odor or perfume (good or bad); I can’t taste seasonings; etc. I know from experience that if I’m away from cats, completely, for 4-6 weeks, my sense of smell starts to come back. But because 90% of my friends own cats (heck, I’d own a cat if I weren’t allergic), that’s not very likely.
Last night I was at a party. There were cats there. Today I can’t smell. Today I’ve got a tea-tasting workshop. I fully expect all the tea to taste like bitter hot water. Le sigh. At least I was comped the admission price. And, in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather have been at the party than be able to smell and taste the tea, so that’s that. In the end, it all comes down to choices and asking, “how much do I want it?”
Sometimes you’ve just got to follow the nike slogan and “just do it.”
Before leaving the house for karate today, I was feeling a little down, a little lethargic, and really just wanted to stay home. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I knew from experience that if I went to the dojo and trained, I would leave feeling worlds better (ah, the magic of endorphins). I just needed to get up and get down there. Once I had my gi (uniform) on, the rest would just flow.
It was a struggle, but I did it. I got up. I went to the dojo. I did the class. And when it was done, I felt worlds better, just like I knew I would.
Has anyone experienced something like this? I know I’m not along on this one!
A few months ago, I was at by boyfriend’s place for a family gathering. Before the meal started, the “adults” (ie: the people in our parents’ generation) started talking, and the conversation drifted to the cholesterol medication they’re taking. I looked at these people: they were all at least somewhat chubby, some where downright (pardon the bluntness) fat. After they’d complained for a while, they sat down to eat, and no one stopped until they were absolutely stuffed.
I looked at this situation and decided, then and there, “I will never be like that.” I don’t want to be the 55-year-old complaining about my cholesterol and blood-pressure medication, loosening my belt buckle because I’ve eaten too much. When I’m 55, I want to be a lean, mean, martial artist, fully in control of my body and still in great shape.
As an aside: I fully appreciate that there are times when we need medication, even for chronic conditions. I’ve got athsma and severe cat allergies: if I didn’t have antihistamines and inhalers, I’d probably be dead right now. Short of my body chemistry changing, there’s not much I can do about it. But for those things I can control, like my weight and my cholesterol, you’d better believe I’d rather control it than be on pills!
Before leaving the house for karate today, I was feeling a little down, a little lethargic, and really just wanted to stay home. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I knew from experience that if I went to the dojo and trained, I would leave feeling worlds better (ah, the magic of endorphins). I just needed to get up and get down there. Once I had my gi (uniform) on, the rest would just flow.
It was a struggle, but I did it. I got up. I went to the dojo. I did the class. And when it was done, I felt worlds better, just like I knew I would.
Has anyone experienced something like this? I know I’m not along on this one!
Julie,
This definitely happens to me. All the time, in fact. My job is pretty monotonous and boring right now. I sometimes don’t get enough sleep. In general, by the end of the workday, there is a 30-50% chance that I will feel lethargic and tired, and a 10-20% chance that all I’ll want to do is go home after work. But I force myself to go to the gym 3-4 days a week. I drag my sorry butt over there. And often I leave feeling energized, refreshed, inspired and motivated. I just tell myself, “well, if you want to leave after 10 minutes, you can, but you have to go.” Well, even though I’ve told myself this many times, I’ve left after the requisite 10 minutes only once or twice. I know how much better exercise makes me feel, and it is worth it to gather my strength to drag my behind to the gym so that I can get the release I need to improve my day!
As an aside: I fully appreciate that there are times when we need medication, even for chronic conditions. I’ve got athsma and severe cat allergies: if I didn’t have antihistamines and inhalers, I’d probably be dead right now. Short of my body chemistry changing, there’s not much I can do about it. But for those things I can control, like my weight and my cholesterol, you’d better believe I’d rather control it than be on pills!
Having naturally higher cholesterol, I know how tough it can be to control this. But I am doing everything within my power to stay off the medications and continue to be as heart healthy as I can be! Granted, I have a knee injury that was injected with steroids yesterday, and a cyst on my ankle that most likely needs surgery. But both those injuries are because I move so much, and I am out enjoying life.
I agree with you that I am going to try my hardest to stay off of medications for cholesterol and the like for as long as I can. And I’m hoping that our commitments to a healthy lifestyle now while we’re young will pay off when we’re in our 50’s.
Scott’s been talking a lot lately about values and identifying your own values. So, on my walk today, I took some time to think about my values. While there are a lot of them, I think I narrowed down my top five and wanted to share them. Please feel free to comment if you like, either about mine or with a list of your own.
1. Family and close friends
I don’t have that many close friends, only about 3 including my boyfriend. But once you’re in my circle, I’ll treat you like family. Which is to say, I’ll do anything for you. I’ve gotten out of bed at 3 am to drive a close friend home, because he had no money for a taxi. I’ve spent hours on the phone, made emergency visits, given money… anything. If a family member or close friend is in trouble, I’ll drop anything to help them out.
2. Health and well-being
From my family and close friends to myself. In this category is not only physical well-being but mental. Actionable items in this value include exercise (karate and walking, mostly), eating right, and working through my emotions. Once the people around me are taken care of, I want to make sure I’m taken care of, too.
3. Stable and comfortable lifestyle
Many of my friends moved out very early because they wanted their freedom, and became starving students or starving artists. I’m not like that. I have a very comfortable, middle-class lifestyle right now. And, even if I move down the ladder a bit when I first move out, I want to always be sure I know where my next meal is coming from. I don’t need a luxury car or designer clothing, but I do want to afford the basics and have some play money as well. So this value includes both taking time to have fun in my life as well as working to be able to afford it.
4. Learning
I inherited this value from my family, who are very strong believers in education. “Learning” for me consists of both formal and informal education. It could be taking a class, but it could likewise be reading a bunch of non-fiction books (I average around 7 a month) or talking with knowledgable people. I have a lust for knowledge, and I want to surround myself with likeminded people. When I was younger, my parents made me the promise that as long as I was in school, they would support me financially so I could devote myself to my studies. When I have kids, I want to make the same promise to them.
5. Social justice
Sort of a corollary to #3, above. I realize that I have been extremely lucky in terms of my life situation. It is by pure chance that I was born to a middle-class, North American family who could afford a very good lifestyle. I am fully aware that most of the world is not as well off as I am. Therefore, I believe in helping those who are less fortunate than I am, whether in the form of charity donations, volunteering, or simply lending a helping hand where it’s needed.
Like I said, many things are on the list but not in the top 5. But this is what I came up with today. So… what does everyone think?
I think those are some very well thought-out values. It makes me want to sit down and re-evaluate my own. Thanks for posting that. I think many people will learn from it.
BTW: I really like your new avatar. You look great!
