Feeling Gloomy

I know that the best way to fight the gloomy feeling is to be active, but I just didn't want to.  I will be out of town for a few days on an adventure and I know that will peek my activity level.  I decided to get off my gloomy behind and work on some craft projects today and that seemed to help.  I debated going for a swim for the past two days.  I didn't go on Friday and mowed the yard instead.  I think that I will not swim on the yard days anymore.  I just am drained by the end of the day if I get up early and go swim and then mow that afternoon.  If I am planning on going out on a Friday night it stinks because I get goofy acting when I am tired.

I learned this last weekend when some friends asked me to go to dinner and a movie for a girls night out.  I declined on the movie because I was tired and had only slept a few hours the previous two nights.  I ended up driving them all a few towns away to dinner because a delay in movie times and we had a fun little adventure but my driving skills were scary by the time I dropped them off at the movie.  I was fine by myself but oh so distracted when sleepy and driving in an unfamiliar place.  It was fun and memorable, I will give it that.

I plan on swimming the next two or three days but not laps.  The hotel has a pool and I know that I will be the one on kid pool duty.  The walking will be a fun and interesting change as well.  I am thinking that I should really get back into walking on the mornings that I don't swim and during the evenings on the days that I do swim.  Enjoy nature this week.  I hope to have some pictures to share sometime by the end of the week.  I would like to share pictures of the facility that I use and some of the equipment.  Don't get water logged.

Sticking with a Plan

It is so important to stick with a plan.  I went for a swim, but not until this evening.  I really must swim 3 or more times a week.  This is just a requirement for me.  I get out of whack if I don't go that much.  I just need routine in all aspects in my life right now.

Today I got my butt handed to me by the chick in the next lane.  I will not ever judge another swimmer by their appearance.  She dove in the water from the side of the pool and started swimming freestyle.  She did not stop swimming at all while I was in the pool.  She had a descent speed and did a flip-turn at each end of the pool.  This wasn't an impressive timed turn or even really correct, but it was a turn.  I finally just stopped and watched her.  Now I can swim my whole routine without stopping if I want to, but I cheat.  I swim 100 free, 50 back, 50 breast, and then swap it up and do whatever feels right for the last 100.  I am pretty proud of a 300 without stopping at this point.  Really I am stopping though.  I don' have to worry about my breathing and my speed slows on the other strokes.  She had some crazy amazing endurance for her size and shape.  I was very impressed.  Not to judge or anything at all.  She is the best swimmer that I have ever seen in that pool since I started back.  Most people don't have a clue what they are doing and the others are senior citizens that are as slow as molasses compared to her.  She did have a guy with her.  I don't know if he was a friend, spouse, or son to her.  I had on my goggles when  they came in and didn't stop to really figure out the relationship.

The water did feel great today.  It was nice a cool!  I did cut it short today and only did 1200 meters today.  I really, really have to start going every other day so that I can get in a habit and start actually improving instead of just sticking in the muck.  Tomorrow I would really like to get in another swim, but I am planning on waiting till Friday.  I like the every other day stuff.  I also have a killer headache and have absolutely no idea why.  Can you get a headache from embarrassment?

Seeing the Unforeseen...

Okay, so I had every intention of going for a swim last Wednesday but ended up over sleeping and not making it in time.  I then had to drive a family member to a doctor's appointment and missed both the midday and evening swims.  Thursday and Friday I spent time with my mom because she had to have her gallbladder removed.  I took the weekend off, as usual.  Yesterday and today I was a little swamped with work and trying to get things accomplished here, like dishes, dinner, and laundry.  So enough excuses and bellyaching already, right.

Tomorrow is a new day and it will again have been a week since I was in the water!  I plan to will hit the pool tomorrow morning and get back in the swing of things.  The water will be soooo nice, even if it is warm.  Thursday and Friday afternoons I have to take family members for doctor's appointments.  The mornings are free and I will make sure to fit in a swim and get some work done as well.

On a different note, spring is here!  I get to spend time in the yard.  I will hopefully get to spend some quality time fishing and perhaps turkey hunting as well.  The fishing is always convenient for me, because if I get bored I can always lay out on the back deck of the boat with a book or my journal.  Just being on the water is so nice and relaxing.  "Bad Luck Charm" is the name I have taken as my own when it comes to accompanying my husband on outdoor adventures.  I haven't ever had this problem when I am fishing or hunting with anyone else, but when I am with him we don't come home with squat.  This should be a sign that he should have his hobbies and I should have mine.  I mean he doesn't come swim with me or sew or craft or anything.  Maybe I should just find a different person to go do the hunting gig with for a change.  Happy swimming to you all...I will get out of bed tomorrow morning, I will get out of bed tomorrow morning, I will get out of bed tomorrow morning...

Holy Cow!

So I was in the pool again on Wednesday the 14th.  I was having a good swim and had finished up the 1800 and wasn't really wanting to do the last 200 but felt a little ambitious and decided to try something that I hadn't done in years, literally years.  I attempted to swim butterfly!  I only made it to the other end of the pool (25 meters) and didn't think that there was any way that I was even going to make it that far.  My core is all mush and I didn't have the upper body strength to get me up and out of the water.  My legs were working but my arms were a little slow.  Needless to say I did not attempt to swim a 25 butterfly on the way back down the pool.  I settled for a very slow breaststroke so that I could breathe really easily.  When I got to the end I decided to take it easy and just hang out for a few minutes before dragging myself out of the pool.  The guard and myself were the only two souls in the entire pool area and that is the only reason that I even attempted the feat.  The feat that defeated me.

I intended to go back on Friday morning but there were thunderstorms expected and I didn't want to make the trip just to drive back after a few minutes of swimming when the storm hit.  I went out of town this weekend to visit my mother-in-law and didn't return until late Sunday evening.  I recovered from a long weekend on Monday and braved the water again today.  It was tough after being out for nearly an entire week.  This morning wasn't too very bad.  The pool was uber hot and that was a bummer.  I trudged through though.  I even went all out and did a full 2000 today.  It felt great to be in the water, even if it was 89F.

On my trip this weekend to see the in-laws I did pick up a few things for the pool.  I got a new swim cap, mine ripped a perfect half circle out above my right ear.  I also got some earplugs that suck and hurt my ears.  My favorite purchase was new goggles.  The ones that I was using were found in a collection of spare lost goggles that my sister collected as a swim coach.  Kids would either get new ones or just leave their goggles and she started a collection.  These came in quite handy when a little one would show up to practice just to realize that they had left their goggles in the car or at home.  You can imagine how scratched up and tattered these goggles were.  They did serve their purpose, but they were either uncomfortable or nearly impossible to see out of.  I am very appreciative of my new eyes.

I am seriously thinking about getting up in the morning and going for an awesome swim...  It is nearly 1:30AM here so I am not totally convinced this will happen.  I will hold out hope.

Getting Back on Track

Well, so much for planning ahead.  I did a 2000 meter swim on Friday morning and an 1800 meter swim and 10 minutes of treading water on Monday morning.  I think that I prefer to swim in the mornings.  The way that the pool is set up is better for morning swim.  There is a solid wall on the East side of the pool and the West side is all windows.  This isn't bad if you are just leisurely going for a swim.  I don't like the sun in my eyes when I am doing laps though.  Morning swims are also nice because it is dark when I get there and the sun is up when I leave.  The water isn't too warm in the mornings either.

When I go for a morning swim I seem to be more alert throughout the day and just more productive in general. If that is what gets me going then I am up for the challenge of swimming only in the mornings.  This week I am going to try to stick to the morning swims every other day.  That means that tomorrow I will be hitting the water again.  Maybe I will continue to have this energy and be more efficient during my daily activities.  Since my mom is on a vacation from work this week and next week I am going to see if I can steal her away in the mornings and have her go along with me.  She likes the pool and I think that she will enjoy being able to get in and relax a little.  She is a morning person and I am sure that she will enjoy the time in the water.

I have been slacking on the whole eating healthy part of my lifestyle.  This week I am going to work on that a little better.  Tonight we are eating deer steak and veggies for dinner.  For the remainder of the week I intend to kick it up a notch and eat breakfast and a light and healthy lunch.  Maybe I will improve.  I have errands and favors for others that must be completed throughout the remainder of the week and I might not get a chance to post any updates until the weekend.  Have a great week and maybe I can squeeze in a few short posts in between the various meetings.

Benefits Abound

Well, so much for the socializing comment the other day.  I am just a nice person and got stuck at the end of the pool talking to a stranger.  I ended up using the excuse that I had somewhere to be and needed to get finished up with my swim.  All I could do was smile and try to refrain from laughing since I knew that I was eating my words because of the comment the day before.

I was able to swim a 2000 meter combination swim on Thursday.  I went back and did a 1200 swim on Saturday because I was pinched for time and the water was really, really warm.  I don't like swimming in water when it is that warm.  I can perform better and have improved endurance when the temperature is cooler.  I took off yesterday because I had some meetings.  I plan to start back in my routine tomorrow and swim a minimum of 2000 for my remaining trips this week.

Since I have been swimming I have experienced an increase in physical and mental energy.  I already feel better and I have only been at this for about a week and a half.  I am a sucker for an independent sport.  Knowing that I am responsible for me is great.  The responsibility of other's performances is a frustrating challenge for me.  Sometimes I step up to that challenge in other aspects of my life, but usually with this aspect.

Enjoy your week!  I am looking forward to a week of continued challenges.

Finding an Exercise You Enjoy

When thinking about hitting it hard and really working to take off some weight or even just define your body and get in shape it is so important to do something that you enjoy.  I have heard this type thing over and over for years.  It has not really set in until recently.  I mentioned the other day that I had ordered a swim suit online and was awaiting its arrival.  Both of the suits that I ordered came in before the estimated date of arrival!  (That is always an unexpected surprise.)  They are both really the same suit, just one is blue and one is black.  For the price and wear I hope that it gets it is just a good idea to have two.

I have actually been able to go for a couple of swims in the past week.  In the future I hope to be able to go up to 3 or 4 times a week.  When I was growing up I swam competitively for most of my childhood.  When I was in the pool, even competing and practicing it never felt like I was working.  Now that I am back in the pool and swimming regularly for the first time in about 12 years I don't understand why I stopped in the first place.  I know that I stopped early on in high school just because of school commitments, but I should have stuck with it and made it a priority.  Since I can't change the past I can only hope to stick with swimming for the future.

When you find an activity that you enjoy it is important to stay with it.  There are many different activities that will help to keep you toned and in shape and not feel like you are working out.  Some people enjoy walking in the woods, roller-blading, bicycling, canoeing, swimming, volleyball, baseball, basketball, football, gymnastics, and the list goes on and on and on.  If you are taking part in something that you enjoy you will just concentrate on that activity and not on  the exercise aspects.  The length of time and effort put forth to complete the activity is sometimes the portion that people focus on when exercising.  If you are doing an activity that you like and is more like a sport or something enjoyable you concentrate on the whole of the activity and don't view it as a chore.

A few weeks ago I tried to do some more routine exercises and they just didn't really work for me.  I went walking a few mornings a week for a few weeks.  This is something that I didn't mind, but I got a little bored with that.  I do still like to get out and walk around before the rest of the town comes to life and plan to continue to do that when the weather permits (and I am actually in the mood to wake up early).  I also went to the gym one morning to try that out.  I HATE the gym.  It seems like it takes me forever to go the same distance on a treadmill that doesn't anytime at all when I am walking outside.  I don't like having to wipe down machines and just be around other people when I am working out.  I am a very social person and when I am working out I don't want to be distracted with smiling and making nice gestures to strangers.  If I am in the pool it really limits socialization unless I want to socialize.

Swimming is that activity for me.  I enjoy swimming and don't feel like it is a chore.  I hope that everyone really thinks about something that they like to do and look forward to doing that will improve their health.  Always be sure to practice safely when starting a new workout regimen.  Have fun!