Most of yesterday afternoon I spent in the removal of two forty-year-old rose bushes. I managed to pull the dirt around the bases only to find roots as big around as my arm and just as long. Clearing another two feet of dirt, I decided that the only way the plants could be freed was to saw through the main roots. My husband bought a nine-inch branch saw a few years ago that fit my need perfectly.
I plopped down on two knees with my fanny resting on my heels and shoved that saw back and forth over the massive root. After cutting all the way through and twisting out the thorny bush, I scooted on my legs to the next plant and repeated the process. When the final rose gave way, I rotated onto the soles of my feet and stood.
With amazement, I realized that I completed a perfect Geisha seiza-style kneeling posture and managed to stand-up from that position without help, groaning, pain, or use of supporting material. Something I did when I was a child, in my twenties, and even as late as my thirties. I’m thrilled that I handled physical work without my back screaming. I’m excited that I can sit on my heels. I’m surprised at this evidence that I am no longer obese and have regained the physical motion I once had.
My aunt passed away a few years ago with cancer. She was a heavy-set woman. When Mom visited her in those last months, Aunt Kate told her that the fat kept her from being flexible not age then she pulled her leg to the side of her head. I now understand what she was talking about.
Oh yes, I still have the aches and pains the next day from overdoing on home projects. My back will always remind me of the 1980 motorcycle accident that squished my fifth lumbar. But now I find that losing the weight gives me greater range of motion and flexibility.
It is nice to feel younger.
P.S. My next-door neighbor took the rose bushes for his garden.
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Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bye-Bye Cellulite
Standing in the shower, scrubbing my skin with lemon and oatmeal soap, and letting the warm water pour down my thighs, I discovered something missing—cellulite. Gone. The cottage-cheese-rippled legs that have been so familiar these last six years have changed into firm smooth thighs from my sexier past.
Cellulite is excess fat stored in the body in ugly dimpled patterns. Skinny women that gain weight over a short period of time tend to have cellulite more often than their heavier sisters. We, well plumper ladies, tend not to get bumpy legs until enough weight gained makes us obese, adding that extra nastiness around the legs and buttocks—like a pair of shorts made out of bubble wrap. I wore that layer myself.
I am sure there is a wealth of pills, herbs, creams, exercise regimes, and literature covering the elimination of cellulite. I have not looked for any of them. From the start, my goal has been to lose weight to become a healthy kidney donor for my husband.
After meeting my weight goal in November, I decided to continue dieting to reach my ideal body mass index BMI by June 2011. For me the side benefits of continuing the raw food diet for the last three months included smooth skin, no pimples, stronger fingernails, and the elimination of cellulite. That’s quite a laundry list of perks for eating better and exercising once in a while.
Keeping in mind that I am still thirty pounds overweight, it should be exciting to find out what other benefits are waiting for me in the near future.
Cellulite is excess fat stored in the body in ugly dimpled patterns. Skinny women that gain weight over a short period of time tend to have cellulite more often than their heavier sisters. We, well plumper ladies, tend not to get bumpy legs until enough weight gained makes us obese, adding that extra nastiness around the legs and buttocks—like a pair of shorts made out of bubble wrap. I wore that layer myself.
I am sure there is a wealth of pills, herbs, creams, exercise regimes, and literature covering the elimination of cellulite. I have not looked for any of them. From the start, my goal has been to lose weight to become a healthy kidney donor for my husband.
After meeting my weight goal in November, I decided to continue dieting to reach my ideal body mass index BMI by June 2011. For me the side benefits of continuing the raw food diet for the last three months included smooth skin, no pimples, stronger fingernails, and the elimination of cellulite. That’s quite a laundry list of perks for eating better and exercising once in a while.
Keeping in mind that I am still thirty pounds overweight, it should be exciting to find out what other benefits are waiting for me in the near future.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Inns
My husband and I traveled to the Bay Area this weekend to attend the memorial service of our good friend, Spyros Stamos. As Paul has been on four weeks of bed rest, this adventure purported to be outside of his comfort zone and mine. We decided to stay at the same place that I took him when he recovered from fractured hips. Handicap accessible—the room included a shower that a wheelchair comfortably fit, giving my husband freedom to use the bathroom on his own. A luxury by our standards.
The last time we stayed there, Paul was heavily drugged for pain and unconscious most of the time. I had little time to eat or sleep—let alone use the amenities. In anticipation of a different experience, I packed my swimsuit—the red one in all my blog photos—and workout clothes. The first morning there, I managed to get a half hour workout in the gym and twenty lovely minutes in the hot tub.
The same chain of Inns had a location closer to our friends and the memorial service but they wanted $99 for the first night and $75 for each night following. This location close to Oakland Airport offered the exact same facilities for only $57 per night. For thirty bucks, we could afford the time and gas over the seventeen mile difference between the two locations. A bargain—so we thought.
Friday morning, I leapt out of bed and took full advantage of the complementary guava juice, coffee, eggs, blueberry waffles, and yogurt—pulling together a like breakfast for the still-sleeping moose. Okay the blueberries were fresh and the self-made Belgian waffles I made fit in the palm of my hand. I didn’t cheat that badly. After all, exercise and swimming followed the breakfast.
We did the memorial service and visits with friends. Paul held together fairly well considering. We collapsed in the room, watched Denzel be gorgeous in “Unstoppable,” and fell into a restful sleep.
The next morning I brought the coffees in the room. Paul watched the local news channel.
“A young man was shot last night in a hotel close to Oakland Airport,” said the newscaster.
Cameras followed a reporter through the lobby and past our room. The pretty female reporter started interviewing a middle-aged black woman.
“Hey,” I said, “I just talked with her over the coffee machine.”
“Shh.” Paul leaned towards the TV screen.
Seems there was a party on the third floor during the night. Things got ugly. A young man was killed somewhere above our heads.
“Guess we are staying at the Fremont Marriott next time.” I smiled a weak smile at my husband, knowing full well who picked the hotel location.
“Ya think?”
The last time we stayed there, Paul was heavily drugged for pain and unconscious most of the time. I had little time to eat or sleep—let alone use the amenities. In anticipation of a different experience, I packed my swimsuit—the red one in all my blog photos—and workout clothes. The first morning there, I managed to get a half hour workout in the gym and twenty lovely minutes in the hot tub.
The same chain of Inns had a location closer to our friends and the memorial service but they wanted $99 for the first night and $75 for each night following. This location close to Oakland Airport offered the exact same facilities for only $57 per night. For thirty bucks, we could afford the time and gas over the seventeen mile difference between the two locations. A bargain—so we thought.
Friday morning, I leapt out of bed and took full advantage of the complementary guava juice, coffee, eggs, blueberry waffles, and yogurt—pulling together a like breakfast for the still-sleeping moose. Okay the blueberries were fresh and the self-made Belgian waffles I made fit in the palm of my hand. I didn’t cheat that badly. After all, exercise and swimming followed the breakfast.
We did the memorial service and visits with friends. Paul held together fairly well considering. We collapsed in the room, watched Denzel be gorgeous in “Unstoppable,” and fell into a restful sleep.
The next morning I brought the coffees in the room. Paul watched the local news channel.
“A young man was shot last night in a hotel close to Oakland Airport,” said the newscaster.
Cameras followed a reporter through the lobby and past our room. The pretty female reporter started interviewing a middle-aged black woman.
“Hey,” I said, “I just talked with her over the coffee machine.”
“Shh.” Paul leaned towards the TV screen.
Seems there was a party on the third floor during the night. Things got ugly. A young man was killed somewhere above our heads.
“Guess we are staying at the Fremont Marriott next time.” I smiled a weak smile at my husband, knowing full well who picked the hotel location.
“Ya think?”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February
I start February off at 213 pounds. Today, I have on a blouse I bought twenty-five years ago for a party in Monterey. How I managed to keep it through three house moves and countless increases in dress size, I’ll never know. But oh do I look good in it.
In January, my weight jumped all over from 217 to 211 pounds and back to 213. I never seemed to be able to drop consistently like this past summer. I would like to say that it was all about choices in the food but not so. My husband has been very ill during the month January. The stress involved in having someone I love in pain, has caused fluctuations in my weight and as well as my sleeping patterns. I found that there were days that I gained weight without even eating.
Exercise like walking the dog and jumping the trampoline worked to reduce stress and helped in keeping the weight going down. Even if the numbers crept up a little during the week, the clothes I wore remained on the smaller side.
I am still shrinking.
Moral of the story: Life gets hard. Keep to your goals anyway. It’s worth it.
In January, my weight jumped all over from 217 to 211 pounds and back to 213. I never seemed to be able to drop consistently like this past summer. I would like to say that it was all about choices in the food but not so. My husband has been very ill during the month January. The stress involved in having someone I love in pain, has caused fluctuations in my weight and as well as my sleeping patterns. I found that there were days that I gained weight without even eating.
Exercise like walking the dog and jumping the trampoline worked to reduce stress and helped in keeping the weight going down. Even if the numbers crept up a little during the week, the clothes I wore remained on the smaller side.
I am still shrinking.
Moral of the story: Life gets hard. Keep to your goals anyway. It’s worth it.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
"All My Children"
In 2010, I hit my goal of 225 pounds—the weight I needed to be Paul’s kidney donor. In the interim, Paul’s health has declined. His foot wound is now of serious concern. The transplant cannot happen until he is free from open wounds for six months. So July 2011 would be the best case scenario before I jump onto a gurney and hand over a body part to a group of people in masks.
I am currently 44 pounds lighter than my July 1st beginning weight of 260. At 216 pounds—lost one pound this year so far—I am going to push to lose a mere 26 pounds by July 1st 2011. This would put me at my ideal weight 190 and ideal size 14. A healthy goal by any standard.
My darling Moose gave me a Rounder for Christmas. That is a medium size trampoline with a rail that I can use in my living room. Yesterday I bounced for thirty minutes. Today I feel every muscle especially in my fanny and thighs. I am planning to jump to All My Children five days a week and pounce off those inches. The weight is coming off faster than the inches. Exercise is the only answer.
Oh, I am also planning to write this blog about three times a week. I have received comments that once a week is not helpful to the dieter. Expect recipes and meal planning in the following weeks. Okay?
Have a Blessed Day!
I am currently 44 pounds lighter than my July 1st beginning weight of 260. At 216 pounds—lost one pound this year so far—I am going to push to lose a mere 26 pounds by July 1st 2011. This would put me at my ideal weight 190 and ideal size 14. A healthy goal by any standard.
My darling Moose gave me a Rounder for Christmas. That is a medium size trampoline with a rail that I can use in my living room. Yesterday I bounced for thirty minutes. Today I feel every muscle especially in my fanny and thighs. I am planning to jump to All My Children five days a week and pounce off those inches. The weight is coming off faster than the inches. Exercise is the only answer.
Oh, I am also planning to write this blog about three times a week. I have received comments that once a week is not helpful to the dieter. Expect recipes and meal planning in the following weeks. Okay?
Have a Blessed Day!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
She’s shrinking...
Sandwiched between Halloween-sugar-extravaganza and the traditional Thanksgiving-stuff-the-guests, November remained a good month for my diet with a net loss of 2.2 pounds—not exactly earth-shaking but fine for the circumstances.
The excitement for me is the change in my apparel. Remember a few months ago, I gave away all the 20W and 2X clothes? I settled into 18W/1X as my new image. That only lasted a few weeks, when I discovered that my 16W pants fit very well. A cold snap in Sacramento caused me to dig out the pajamas size XL and toss the oversized 1X nightgowns. My husband and I went through our closets looking for warm clothes that fit. I unboxed his blue jeans. He tried on pair after pair with none fitting.
Just for giggles, I tried the blue jeans I borrowed from him back in the eighties when we were dating and both wore the same size jeans 36/29. Oh dear heaven, they fit and are now located in my jean drawer. Borrowing clothes—it’s like having a big sister but only it’s a husband. I told that to Paul’s nurse and she said she did not want Paul to show up in one of my dresses. We laughed because Paul has boney white knees and just last year he wore a kilt to our God-daughter’s wedding. Does that count as a dress?
This morning I tried to button a pair of size 16 corduroy pants—very cute and chocolate brown. I am a half-inch around the waist from victory with these. I know I can do it. Stick with the raw food program. Ignore cooked food especially breads, pasta, and fast food. Exercise. Okay. I have been lax on actually exercising. I prefer to mend fences, walk the dog, put up Christmas lights, and sand tables. But a few tummy crunches would get me into those brown cords a lot sooner. Sigh.
New goal: Size 16 by New Years. I will need a new dress. Oh and bra. Shoes, can’t have a new dress without shoes…
The excitement for me is the change in my apparel. Remember a few months ago, I gave away all the 20W and 2X clothes? I settled into 18W/1X as my new image. That only lasted a few weeks, when I discovered that my 16W pants fit very well. A cold snap in Sacramento caused me to dig out the pajamas size XL and toss the oversized 1X nightgowns. My husband and I went through our closets looking for warm clothes that fit. I unboxed his blue jeans. He tried on pair after pair with none fitting.
Just for giggles, I tried the blue jeans I borrowed from him back in the eighties when we were dating and both wore the same size jeans 36/29. Oh dear heaven, they fit and are now located in my jean drawer. Borrowing clothes—it’s like having a big sister but only it’s a husband. I told that to Paul’s nurse and she said she did not want Paul to show up in one of my dresses. We laughed because Paul has boney white knees and just last year he wore a kilt to our God-daughter’s wedding. Does that count as a dress?
This morning I tried to button a pair of size 16 corduroy pants—very cute and chocolate brown. I am a half-inch around the waist from victory with these. I know I can do it. Stick with the raw food program. Ignore cooked food especially breads, pasta, and fast food. Exercise. Okay. I have been lax on actually exercising. I prefer to mend fences, walk the dog, put up Christmas lights, and sand tables. But a few tummy crunches would get me into those brown cords a lot sooner. Sigh.
New goal: Size 16 by New Years. I will need a new dress. Oh and bra. Shoes, can’t have a new dress without shoes…
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