Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Follow the Leader
Now I re-read this paragraph and question my sanity. "Fun?" And why did I do this three times today? That is a total of about 2 1/2 hours of workouts. Then I led the "Six Pack at Six" class. Two days in a row now 20 minutes of abs. The question is "Why did I do the extra 30 minutes of cardio?" Must have been the need to get some knitting into the day.
Bottom line here...I had a fun day playing with my clients! Thanks everyone for participating!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Food
Last week I regained my body's strength and began working out with my clients. I joined in on ab workouts through out the day. I did lunges. I did squat presses. I added chest and bicep exercises on my own. I continued to increase my cardio activity.
This week I am realizing my body is searching for the balance in caloric intake. As I increase my physical activity my desire for food increases. After much trial and error I have honed my diet to meet my needs and serve my body in an efficient manner. As I avoid the foods that make me feel ill at ease and increase pain my energy level goes up. The foods that raise my energy are the exact same foods that supply fuel to my muscles for the recovery they do on a nightly basis.
What are these foods? Lean proteins and fresh vegetables. Each of my meals consist of whole foods. I enjoy fresh raw salads which are lightly dressed. I have trained my taste buds to enjoy salad with very little or no dressing. Salad dressings can become an unnecessary source of fat in the diet. I try to eat as many steamed fresh veggies as I can. In the winter or early spring I turn to flash frozen foods to bring in the needed veggies that are not available fresh at a reasonable price. I don't eat any highly processed foods. I don't eat anything that has gluten in it. I don't eat anything from the nightshade family. (I have learned that the nightshades cause me to have higher joint pain issues.) I am striving to eat vegetable protein. However, I am having difficulty eating soy products. Instead I am eating hormone free chicken and turkey. I am eating fish sometimes. I prefer to have fresh fish. Frozen fish leaves me wishing I had not eaten. Must be the 25 years of living on islands.
But where are the goodies? Not there. No cookies. No baked goods. The bread I sometimes indulge in is made of brown rice flower. It is not like wheat bread. I am OK with that. Not eating gluten gives me a clearer head. Less allergic reactions. All around a happier life. And one more upside, it helps to keep the pounds from adding up. I also indulge in DARK chocolate from time to time. This is now a rare occurrence. I want that goal. That is the inspiration. Great healthy body.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Earth Day!!
Earth Day 2009, what are you doing to celebrate it? Are you thinking about that garden you might plant or maybe the shrubbery you want for next spring’s bloom? Are you thinking of the air or water quality in your city? Perhaps you are thinking on a more global scope and pondering the rainforest depletion or the expansion of desert lands. I am thinking on a very personal level today. I am thinking of my health and its impact on the planet.
As a personal trainer I tell people daily to drink filtered water, eat lean proteins and fresh vegetables, and do cardiovascular exercise. My job and lifestyle have a direct impact on the quality of my life and my environment. When I am taking care of myself I am taking care of the planet. How so?
Filtered water is of vital importance to the homeostasis of the human organism. Every metabolic function requires water. The tap water in most cities is more like soup than water. Municipal water is chlorinated to make it “safe” for drinking. Chlorine is not a chemical I am interested in ingesting. Most water is also treated with fluoride. Toothpaste with fluoride has a warning label on it. If you swallow more than a pea sized amount you must call poison control. Is this something we need to drink? I don’t think so. These are only two offenders. Think about the offense to the body for a moment and then think about what the impact is on the environment. I worry about the contamination to the ground that grows our food. I worry about the contamination to the waterways, rivers, lakes, and ocean. These waterways do more than provide fish for eating. They are of vital importance to the “metabolic function” of the planet. So I put only clean filtered water into my body.
Lean protein is a large category covering many individual items. I have been a complete vegetarian in the past but right now am eating poultry. I found that I have a sensitivity to soy products and this presents a difficulty for the vegetarian diet. The poultry and eggs that I buy are hormone free and free range. I try very hard to also buy locally grown. The treatment of animals in mass markets is deplorable to say the least. I ask my clients to give up red meat if they can. We are fortunate in Asheville to have some local farmers who are supplying “healthy and happy” lean red meats, including buffalo. If I were to subscribe to the red meat eating plan these would be my choices. Meat has a large impact on the environment. Many acres of land have been cleared in the name of producing meat for the mass markets. Once those acres are cleared the time they are able to feed cattle is limited. The meat must be transported to market thus, consuming further natural resources. Eating lean meats consciously grown and locally produced lowers the overall impact on the earth and the body.
As a vegetarian eating soy, I was happy knowing that soy beans put nutrients back into depleted soils. I am always grateful when one of my clients tells me they are eating a vegetarian diet. It is like a score for the home team. I do eat meals throughout the week that are void of animal products. These meals are rich in leafy greens and often also contain legumes. When I choose my fruits and vegetables I strive to buy local and organic. If I can’t purchase organic my next choice is transitional farming. It is such a great feeling knowing that the food I am eating is not laden with pesticides that will harm me or the wildlife in my world. Those pesticides do not stay on the plants. Portions of them wash off into the dirt and flow toward the waterways which are so important to our lives. Excessive spraying of berries is proven to harm birds and insects, which could take me many many posts to cover. Now that we are officially into the spring season the farmer’s markets in Asheville are open. I am looking forward to finding fresh foods grown in my own county!
By now I am sure you are wondering how cardiovascular exercise could be of benefit to the planet. As I increase the health of my body I am raising my resistance to bacteria and viruses. This lowers my consumption of paper products and packaged remedies. It may be of small consequence but each item adds up. Another benefit to being in shape is I am more interested in spending time outdoors. Outdoors is where my garden is. Outdoors is where the trees and shrubs are. Outdoors is where I can go hiking. Outdoors is where I come in direct contact with the EARTH and am able to celebrate our co-existence on a regular basis!
Go outside. Celebrate your co-existence with the EARTH. Breathe the fresh clean air that is being produced by all the beautiful spring vegetation!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Attention Divided and Undivided
How many times each day do we focus on that which we do not want or approve of? How often are we faced with the unpleasantness life has to offer and feel that is all we can have? A quick shift of focus can easily bring life back into our endeavors making them once again joyous.
My current cardio-knit project is a perfect example of this unpleasantness. I completed my second round of Chart A on the Lakeside Socks. The first round I had to rip back a portion to insert the missed yarn overs. As I came close to the end of my second go of the chart I found I had committed the same error in a different portion of the lace. I fear I spent too much of my time knitting this lace while my thoughts were focused on what I do not want in my life at this moment. I was frustrated during the first go through of the chart. My frustrations were focused on current familial issues. I was again frustrated during my second go through of the chart. However this time my frustration was with my inability to get the first go through correct. In my focus on what I don't want in my life I proceeded to recreate that unpleasant outcome! Knitting lace while performing cardiovascular exercise is not the easiest task in the world. It is not the simplest project I do in my life. However, it is not as hard as I have made it on myself this week.
With the beautiful opportunity to look at my life from a different perspective I am anxious to begin anew with my knitting. I am looking forward to shifting my focus on the familial issues. I am full of optimism with respect to my financial obligations. In short I feel the world has just opened itself to me. There are ever-so-many opportunities to serve my community and to receive the financial rewards for that service.
I end this week in gratitude for the obstacles it presented to me!
Monday, April 6, 2009
SNOW???
OK done whining.
I did cardio-knitting today. I managed another 40 minutes, 7.7 miles, 7 rows on the second sock. I may have been talking too much. I might have needed to stop that and concentrate on the knitting part of cardio-knitting. How am I ever going to get that sock done if I don't get faster at the knitting part? Yes, there is the cardio part. I could ride faster. I could clock more miles. Today was not that kind of day. Today was the kind of day I am happy to get the cardio part in at all. The cardio-knitting project is still Lakeside. I have to get through these so I can start the KAL (knit-a-long) socks. Might have to knit them inside out though. They are reverse stockinette. That could be tedious. All purling. It could also be quite a workout for my hands. Strong hands. That is what the cardio-knitting is producing.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Progression of life and socks
The cardio has been going well. I am able to knit the Lakeside sock on the bike. I am so able to knit it that I am now on sock number two!! Here is a pic of the first just before toe closing...oops use your imagination until later. I left my phone at home today and that is where the marvelous pictures are. It is fab. I am energized to get the next one going. The start out on the bike is not too much fun though. It starts with a provisional cast on and then knit together to form a casing. Looking forward to getting that completed and move on to the lace portion.
I joined a sock knit along. The point is to knit 6 pairs of socks yearly. I think I am over that quota on my own. I'll try it for a while. No obligation. Main thing is to be trying out some different patterns. The pattern for April/May is titled Pothos. It has a beautiful raised leaf pattern on reverse stockinette. The whole sock is knit reverse stockinette. The sock pictured is green. I don't have any green sock yarn. I have some latte colored sock yarn. It might work. I am on a yarn diet so will have to make these out of something that is already stashed. They are also waiting to be next in line for the cardio knit. Got to get some of the other projects completed at home.
Cardio? How is it going? Mileage for March was 40.6. I think that is decent considering I only rode 5 times! Today is the third of April and I already have 2 days logged in! I'm feeling good about it. I want to get back to lifting. I want to build some muscle. It will be on the waiting list. I tried a starter upper body weight training. My body told me it was not ready for the pressure of lifting. It is not ready for the exertion. It is not ready to be pain free. I on the other hand am beyond ready!! Guess the body takes a bit longer than the mind to heal.