one with the water.

I'm totally addicted to all of the water classes Harbor has to offer. I started out doing a couple and decided to add some and to get some more variety. I now do the Saturday morning Deep Combo class, and Sunday morning Aqua Rhythm again, AiChi, Graduate sometimes. I took a break from some of the cardio type classes because of some back issues I was having. I'm so happy to be back on track with my cardio and strength. I know I haven't written in awhile - not on the computer as much in the summer I guess! Most of my workouts have been in the water, plus I do cardio on the recumbent bike, and treadmill, plus strength exercises. The only regret I have is that I can't take more of the water classes that are during the day while I'm at work!

Weekly Goal

Last week I set goals with trainer Teri. My first week I didn't quite hit my 5x/week. I let the weekend slide without getting enough exercise. SO, to start out my NEW week, I went for a 40 minute power-walk throughout my neighborhood. What a BEAUTIFUL night! Tomorrow night is a full workout at the club (recumbent bike and back friendly strength exercises); Wednesday is a walk at lunchtime, and then AiChi water class at night; Thursday is a full workout at the club (treadmill and back friendly strength exercises); Saturday I plan on trying the morning water class. Have a great week all! What are your exercise plans for the week? Post here, or you can always email me at janetkj@tds.net

Off The Track For A Bit...whoa... Back On!

Wow time flies...it's been awhile since I've written! I have had some things come up that have de-railed my journey a bit, but I'm back on track again with help from my trainer Teri, my Chiropractor, and some good Doctor reports! Actually, me getting off track is purely mental and I totally gave into the anxiety of the back issues I've been having, as well as worrying about the nerve testing that I had recently. The Spinal Doc says that I have mild carpel tunnel and there is nothing that he is concerned about - "keep up the exercise!" were is very words - ironically at the time I got that diagnosis, I had wrenched my back really bad a few days before so I was in much pain! It dampened the good news at that moment, but I was so pleased to hear that I don't have to be concerned about surgery or anything radical like that. Now, the past few weeks I've just been working on getting the back healed!

I found myself "anxiety eating" which is always dangerous, and my workouts have been way less than I was doing because I didn't want to hurt my back more, so needless to say I've been feeling a bit sluggish. I have, however, been keeping up on my water exercises (love AiChi!!), and walking. I was in such a routine of cardio and strength exercises - I am happy to say now that I'm back doing regular cardio and "back friendly" strength exercises - thank you Teri for your encouragement and helping me get back on the track! We set goals that I would text her after each workout (check!), set the workout times in my calendar (check!), and to go off coffee. (I'm workin' on that last one!) I promise to write more often...

I found out the other day that some of the physical issues I've been having, like tingling & numbness in my feet and left side are not related to the "degenerative disc disease" as I posted last week. I saw a Spinal Doc this week and he said that has nothing to do with my neck and that I'm actually quite strong. He did however, order some further tests to see what might be causing the symptoms. I have been doing cardio, and more of my strength exercises are done in the pool lately, which I love. I might actually try to get up at 6am to make Marie's Mon/Wed/Fri water class. I proved that I can get up early on a Sunday morning, but can I be up by 6am 3 days a week?! I will do my best! Wish me luck! I hope you all are doing well, and if you are going through any obstacles, you can make it through as well. It's all part of the journey...

I've been doing a lot of warm water exercises this past week. Love the pools at Harbor! I feel like I get just as good, if not better workout in the water vs. working with weights. It's nice to have such a great variety though.

"Bring It On!"

I had a appointment Tuesday with my fabulous Harbor trainer, Teri and she said something quite funny, yet profound as we were talking about my recent physical health challenges. I told her that my doctor was concerned at a recent appointment when I was complaining that my left foot had been numb/tingling a bit. The doc had me go in for an MRI of my spine, and it showed that I have a slight narrowing in my cervical spine. (degenerative disc disease is the official name)

Well, I had just gotten this news prior to meeting with Teri, so I was pretty bummed and anxious about it. The more we talked though as I was cruisin' along on the treadmill, I realized that this is really just a bump in the road on my fitness journey. There are worse things to have to deal with; this is something that is quite common, and this is something I can adapt to. My mood lifted the more I walked and the more we talked. I came to the conclusion that nothing's gonna stop me from my goals, and then Teri yelled out "Bring it on!" We had a great laugh over it - (thanks Teri!) I will tackle this roadblock, just like any others that has come along. Like I keep sayin', deal with it...keep movin' forward...and keep my eyes on the prize!

Steady...

Ai Chi class tonight was so great. I love it every week, but tonight I was able to totally relax my mind, which is surprising because I have a lot going on in my life right now. I keep up with my exercising, but the food has been a bit more of a challenge the past few weeks... this is why it's called a journey... up, down, steady, up, down, steady...! I am still very committed to my fitness goals even though my body tells me different sometimes - have had a few back issues... it's frustrating, but I keep movin' forward (just not at an incline!) :-) It helps to write about it! I hope you all are doing well!