Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘Exercise’

ADMITTING TALENTS

Words coming out of my mouth surprised me the other day. I was in the entrance of a book store, looking at a collection of adult coloring books. A woman was standing there also, trying to decide if she wanted to buy a book, commit herself to coloring and trying to decide what materials she wanted to use. I shared my experience. She thought coloring might help with her anxiety.

At my daughter’s retreat in the Fall, I saw a group of women enjoying coloring, sitting at a table — using colored pencils. Shopping for Christmas presents, a selection of coloring books caught my attention. I bought a different book for two of my daughters, then bought a book so I could play too. I wanted to include tools so they could color right away. I bought 3 sets of markers. I was very happy with the deep color on the page — I WAS VERY UNHAPPY when I noticed the color soaked through to the other side. I returned two sets of markers to the store.

Next I tried crayons but once again I was unhappy with the results. Third try was colored pencils — I bought a set of 24 pencils. I was happy with the finished effect. When I paint, I often mix my own colors, or add white to get different shades. Having only 24 colors that I couldn’t mix was too confining. Thankfully our son had a big set of colored pencils that he shared. His set has more than six shades of green — just what I needed for coloring a garden that had many different leaves.

So when I was talking to the woman about coloring, I shared my experience. I also mentioned that I was a painter — those words, coming out of my mouth, surprised me. I usually don’t admit to having a special talent.

That isn’t the first time this week that my mouth opened to share something about myself. In this case I wouldn’t call it a talent. I accompany my husband to an exercise class at the Veteran’s clinic he attends. Recently a new person joined our group — it was his first class. And the class was more energetic than most. I was wearing my watch that measures my heart rate — I have trouble finding my pulse — and the reading was over 120. I couldn’t help but notice the rapid breathing of our new member — my mouth opened — words came out cautioning him to be careful — rest if he needed to, we didn’t want him to collapse onto the floor. Afterwards I explained to one of the volunteers that I can’t help mentioning something when I see or hear something hazardous. After my cautioning words, the volunteers gave him more assistance.

I seem to have become grandmother to the world.

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AGE

In the past, my age didn’t bother me. I actually had to stop and think — “How old am I?” when asked my age. Depending on the day I felt anywhere from 10 to 100. Sadly that time has passed for the time being. I’m feeling my age and I DON’T LIKE IT! I don’t know what specifically has caused that change in my attitude. Depression — possibly. Too much weight? The tornado? The damage to my shoulder — unable to exercise like I used to? It could be one of the above or all might be adding to the mix.

I used to be able to lift a box of water off of the display and put it in my grocery cart. They have increased the size of their package from 36 to 40 16 oz bottles. I don’t remember if I could lift the 36 but I know I can’t lift the 40. I wait for a stronger male to assist me if my husband isn’t with me. Recently a younger female asked if I wanted a case and easily picked it up and put it in my cart. I remembered when I could do that. Of course that was before I injured my shoulder. I’m grateful that my shoulder seems to be healing — I have more range of motion without pain but I still don’t have the strength back.

Reaching for stuff is becoming harder. I’m shrinking — an inch or two is gone. Stuff on the top shelf or at the back is next to impossible to reach. I look for a tall person. At home I use my grandchildren’s step or a ladder. I’m rearranging my shelves. The day will come in the not to far future when my grandchildren will be taller than me. Stretching exercises are NOT helping me to keep my height.

There are some things that I can do. I can lose weight. (Right now it loves me and doesn’t want to leave.) I can exercise more and strengthen my arms. I can concentrate on the positive things in my life and not spend as much time on the negative. Some things are impossible — I CANNOT REGAIN MY YOUTH OR MY HEIGHT.

I constantly meet people who are in their 90’s with good quality of life. That is my goal — not necessarily reaching 90 — God’s plan, not mine.

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NO ICE

I am EXTREMELY THANKFUL this morning. I will admit that I was very stressed yesterday. The forecast was for rain, snow, than dropping temperatures — into the teens with below zero wind chills. Two weeks ago, we had rain, sleet and temperatures that dropped into the twenties. After two weeks, we still have remnants of that mess on sidewalks, streets and alleys. I was grounded for a day — (advised to stay inside) pavements were very icy and restricted for a few more days. I was very worried that we were repeating that mess. And when I am stressed I nibble continually.

I’ve written how I must be extremely needy since I receive HELP on a regular basis. Yesterday was a good example. In the morning I opened the bible to Psalm 146 — Trust in God the Creator and Redeemer. Queen of Angels reading was titled From Sickness to Health. Did that stop me from worrying? NOPE! It wasn’t only the weather, family matters were also causing their own concerns. But looking back on the day, I have to admit that I wasn’t nibbling from morning to night. I made a pot of chili, I took Robin for two walks while the pavement was wet but not icy. I walked to the store to get something I needed.

Today, the wind chill was below zero. I dug out my heavier coat and put on my boots. Robin got to wear a coat too. My husband had put salt on our outside steps the night before. I didn’t know how far I would be able to walk — staying upright, not falling was a concern. As soon as I stepped onto out sidewalk, “THANK YOU!” exploded from my mouth. NO ICE! The storm went further north so we didn’t get as much snow as forecast. The wind must have dried the streets, sidewalks, and alleys. There was still some ice, but not as much as I feared. Robin and I were able to take our normal walk.

This morning when I opened the bible I read from Psalm 84: “happy are those who trust in the Lord.” Queen Of Angels — repeated the theme “to trust God totally.” AND I DO but I also know that it is God’s plan, not mine! He/She could easily have planned that I would wake to a city covered in ice. And I would TRUST that I would survive the mess — hopefully not falling and causing damage to body parts.

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FRACTURED

It was a busy summer, which is putting it mildly. Because of the tornado and our granddaughter’s wedding and normal life, we visited our home on an irregular basis. We were home only long enough to pay bills, wash clothes, unpack and pack again. Usually we were at home base for only three to four days before we were gone again. And the constant travel has caught up with me.

Shopping at a store, shoes that were very comfortable began to hurt. If I was smart, I would have taken them off and walked barefoot through the store or cut my shopping short. I did neither and although I switched shoes as soon as I arrived home, the damage was done. Somehow I must have walked on the side of my foot and that area is SORE. I have tried walking in stockings at home, putting shoes on for dog walks and other outside excursions. I tried cushions on the foot — corn, bunion, — but my compression socks make it hard to put them, they curl and don’t lie flat. Sadly, although better, the soreness isn’t gone yet. When we were in the country, I averaged over 10,000 steps a day. Since then, my step count is in the 7,000 range. My sore shoulder had caused me to stop exercising, now the sore foot is causing me to stop walking. My weight which wasn’t good has increased.

I noticed that my eyes were watering more. It had been very windy and I don’t always wear glasses when I’m out and about. I don’t know if I’ve got a cold in my eye or if something else is going on. Years ago, I used a solution of Boric acid as an eye wash. In the stores, I found an eye wash solution that contained that product. It helped for a short time but then I went out again on a windy day without glasses.

At first I thought I had an allergic reaction to something when my hands started to itch. Then the itch started to travel — hair, ears, shoulder, back — etc. I put hydrocortisone cream on my hands to stop the itch but I can’t put it on my whole body. Various teas have helped but it the itch is still here.

I decided that I would stop taking all my vitamins and drink more water, trying to flush out what ever it was that was aggravating my system. Stopping taking the vitamins WAS NOT a good idea. After two days, cramps in my leg reminded me that I was low on magnesium. Vitamins are back. Itch remains.

My daughter suggested that it might be hives. Maybe it is a new variety. When I’ve gotten hives before they were raised bumps in various areas that I could treat with cream. This itch travels.

If it is nerves, hopefully staying in one place will allow my body to relax. My frog fountain has been cleaned and is operational again. I like listening to the falling water when the house is quiet. I have confidence that I will have the time to get rid of the pile of mail on the table.

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DID IT AGAIN

DID IT AGAIN

It would be VERY nice if I would learn from my mistakes and NOT REPEAT THEM! Maybe that is why I get so much help from the other side. I NEED IT!

I have written that I was trying to lose weight and was exercising. I have admitted that I STOPPED exercising and wasn’t careful about the amount of sodium in my diet. I haven’t only taken a break for a week, if I’m honest, it has been at least SIX.

I was reasonably good food wise in Hawaii. Except for sodium, my weight had only gone up a pound or two. But life continued and I seemed to be chasing my tail without time to exercise. Before vacation, I exercised three to four times a week. I tried to do strength training two or three times a week to build up the strength in my arms. I did tai chi to help the pain in my knee and hip. I GOT LAZY — I STOPPED EXERCISING and I’m now paying the price. My weight isn’t up that much — but my knees and hip are yelling. Did I do something to my sciatica — I don’t know. I continued to walk in shoes that were hurting for a couple of blocks. The shoes hadn’t given any indication that there was something wrong. Looking at them at home, they seemed hardly worn. Friday my right leg hurt from my toe to my hip. My husband was leaving on Sunday, I would have two dogs to keep me company. Then my son had to fly for business on Monday — I would have two dogs to keep me company. (I offered to watch our daughter’s dog while they were gone.)

We have survived. Because of the pain in my right leg, I haven’t accomplished as much work as I wanted. Maybe I wasn’t supposed too. The girls missed the men — but we survived. Robin still will not do her business in the back yard, she gets her three to four walks a day. Maggie is happy doing her business in the back yard, she is a heavy weight Golden and too strong for me. I have gone back to my exercise — strength training, stretches and tai chi. My leg is slowly improving. I haven’t been stressing it. I’m walking around the house in socks, over my sexy socks — no shoes.

If I thought I would eat healthy while I was by myself — I was WRONG — no energy. After our damp, snowy winter, we are having a rainy spring which is supposed to continue for three to four more weeks.
Hopefully this time I won’t get lazy — or forgetful. Hopefully I will put exercise back on the to do list — DAILY. Hopefully I have learned a lesson this time that I won’t forget.

This was scheduled to publish in July, but because I wrote an update on the tornado damage, I’ve rescheduled it until August.

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FEELING COCKY

I finally did it. The scale registered my weight three pounds lower. I was so happy, I actually jumped for joy. And I was able to keep that weight for a WHOLE THREE DAYS. Then it happened — the scale rebelled — or was it my body. And once again I was almost three pounds heavier.

I don’t know exactly what happened. It wasn’t as if I was eating ice cream and cake and cookies. I didn’t have a lot of chocolate or any pizza — maybe a little bit more bread — maybe a little bit more sodium. Whatever the little bit was — there is a little bit more of me.

After all, I’m still down three to four pounds. Something to celebrate — RIGHT? I tried on the winter coat that I bought that was just a little tight. IT STILL IS. I pulled out an old belly dancing DVD that I did a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it then — I was huffing and puffing NOW! I didn’t remember it being SO LONG or SO HARD. Okay, so I was at least two years younger — but I have been exercising regularly. Evidently the exercise that I have been doing is gentler on my body. I’m not giving up. I know where my belt is that jingles.

I’m wearing my pedometer every day. I’ve increased the number of steps I take from around 5,000 to close to 10,000 — on a regular basis. Robin is benefiting from the longer walks, I’m not sure my body is. I’m still not giving up but I sure would like to see some progress that would stick.

I just realized that I have celebrated my third anniversary writing this blog. And evidently I’m not done yet. I hope these rambles have helped you connect to your friends or relatives on the other side or at the very least, realize that there is another side. Recently the priest at church asked if we have ever been saved. He was commenting on the apostles hiding in the room because they were frightened. I couldn’t help but remember my mother carrying me out of our burning house and returning for my brother. She rescued me then and I’m sure there are many times when she still comes to my aid. I am extremely grateful!

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MUCK

MUCK

Gooey, slippery, smothering — muck. It is hard to get out of it — it grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Sometimes there is a reason for it. Rain causes the ground to become a muddy mess. That wasn’t the kind of muck I was stuck in. AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOR IT. I had been trying to lose weight — unsuccessfully. The weather, although moderate wasn’t to blame. No snow — temperatures above zero — I was able to get out of the house, safely take Robin for a walk. Thankfully no serious health problems or money problems. Okay, not enough money to go on a shopping spree but again, thankfully, no bill collectors calling on the phone.

Grey skies or if you prefer gray skies — the good news — kept the temperature up — I tried to convince myself to be happy for the blanket — warmer weather. I missed the sun, the blue skies. I exercised — I even added strength training. I tried meditating — no progress.

To make matters worse, my memory took a vacation. I’m usually good at writing checks, remembering to pay bills. The muck affected my ability to think. I won’t bore you with some of my mistakes, hopefully it isn’t long lasting. Our car needed a repair and I miswrote the check not once but two times. I went to the bank the same day — that was definitely a mistake. Thankfully the clerk was very helpful. I thought my forgetfulness was past until I totally screwed up when it came to filing our paperwork to save money on our taxes. Thankfully I discovered my mistake in time and was able to get the paperwork downtown before the file date.

Depression? Winter Blues? I don’t have a clue. I don’t have any energy — I have the time to make some progress on our house but no desire to do anything. I wandered to the store on Saturday — I met a member of our church. She shared the news that a parishioner had gone into the hospital for surgery and something went wrong, she had just attended his funeral. We should be glad we are still here. And I am — I just want to get out of the muck. The week before, at the store again, a woman ahead of me confided that the calorie count for exercise on the program I’m using to try to lose weight is high. And I thought that allowed me to eat a few more calories. WRONG!

Still trying, but some results would be nice.

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WAKING UP

An alarm went off at 6:15 this morning, waking me up. The interesting fact is the alarm was in my head, not an alarm clock or the radio. I’ve been having trouble sleeping all night. Members of our household have been waking me up at 3:00 AM and I have stayed awake for at least two hours before falling back to sleep. Last night I got to sleep off and on until 4:00. At 5:15 I was still awake and must have drifted off to sleep after that. WHY DID I HAVE TO GET UP AT 6:15? We didn’t have plans to go anywhere — no one unexpected or invited was coming to our house. Why did I have to get up?

I’ll admit that I have been receiving “help” from my friends in high places. I’m still trying to lose weight. I have already mentioned “their help” with my plans for breakfast when we were going out. They haven’t stopped there. I suppose it is my age but the weight is not falling off, instead it is giving me hugs and refusing to move. Recently I opened a 1996 Cooking Light book to an article on how strength training is of benefit to older people — 70 years to 90. The day before I read a magazine article on the same subject. I’m getting the message — I join Jane Fonda’s DVD once or twice a week to lift some weights. My weight, on the other hand, is still stuck.

My husband mentioned that when I danced to Richard Simmons I’ve lost weight. In desperation, I put a DVD on the machine and prepared to Party Off The Pounds. My note on that DVD said that I had only made it through the fourth dance the last time. That might have been the same this time except the phone rang and interrupted me for enough minutes that I was able to continue to the end. I still have all my pounds but I did get hungry.

The food that I’m logging and the exercise I’m doing is showing that I’m not eating all my exercise calories. I received an e-mail asking me if I thought I should eat the extra calories I’m working off or save them for an outing. Since I’m not melting the pounds, eating the extra calories doesn’t make too much sense. Something has to move this weight.

On another front — my mind or memory. I have been receiving messages to join Luminosity to help my brain. That probably would be a good thing if I would do it consistently but life gets busy and the best laid plans of mice and men fall by the wayside. I have much experience starting programs — some paid for and others free that have been forgotten within a short period of time. I received a message inviting me to try Fit Brain — it is free, up to a point. I must admit that I’m having fun, but I’m planning to stay at the free site. I won’t feel bad if life gets busy.

I probably should also state that the number of invitations to try various diet programs are increasing. If I could plan just my menus they might work, but including my husband sinks them before I start. I really don’t like preparing two separate meals. I’m stubborn, I’m not giving up — JUST YET.

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SLIPPERY SLOPE

It was just a tiny slip at first. A memory that took me back to places I didn’t want to visit anymore. I caught myself quickly, as soon as I realized where I was headed. But that was just the beginning, the prologue or the introduction, as it were. It set the slide in motion. I was brave at first, determined to stay out of the dark places in my mind. It didn’t help. And this time the slide was very slippery, one remembrance quickly moved to another. All of them hurt. Once at the bottom, I couldn’t climb out.

The weather didn’t help either — not as bad as last year but all of a sudden the temperature was minus zero, the wind chill frozen and it stayed there. Warnings of frost bite was on the television. Normally I would go for a walk or go shopping. Anything to distract my mind from the thoughts that were surfacing. When I’m sad, depressed or stressed — I snack, OFTEN. My resolution is to lose weight. Not only was my arm hurting but now my hip and back had joined the game. I hoped losing weight would help — snacking would not help. Should I mention that my weight refused to move down.

Should I mention that the sun also went into hiding — gray skies matched my grey mood. I don’t know how many days were without the light of the sun. My daughter phoned and told me she saw blue skies. I looked outside and saw blue skies too. I took a picture with my camera to remember what it looked like in case it vanished again. A few days later the weather man announced that there was a small envelope in which the sun was shining, clouds covered the rest of the area. We were lucky, we had the sun. I took Robin for a walk. Our neighborhood stayed in the envelope for the rest of the day. When I took Robin for a later walk, we walked in sunshine.

I’ve tried meditating — still getting no where. Learning different techniques for breathing. Count the in breath, count the out breathe. Reverse the counting. Count each inhale and exhale. The one thing positive that this does is distract my mind from its track. With a little bit of help, I can stay positive for an hour or more. It also helps when I’m unable to go to sleep.

I’ve rejoined a calorie tracking program on our computer. Not only does it track the calories of the food I’m eating, but it subtracts the calories of the exercise I’ve done, giving me more calories to eat. Of course, the program is only as good as the information I input, how honest I am. Since it subtracts my exercise it motivates me to exercise. When I first started with some of my tapes, I learned just how quickly my body has lost strength. I will admit my stubbornness is pushing me forward.

Finally the scale is moving downward — just a trifle. Nothing to get excited about, or buy new clothes but enough to make me smile. Enough to make me want to plan my breakfast when we went to Bakers Square. Sadly their computer listing didn’t give the calorie count for their offerings. The program I’m using, I call it Skinny Bitch because I just don’t remember the name. Anyway, I found the calorie counts for many of the breakfast offerings. I switched back and forth many times. I logged in my planned breakfast then decided to change my mind. I didn’t remember the calorie count of the item I wanted to eat instead. That is when I experienced a little bit of “help from my friends.” The computer LOCKED — I was unable to retrieve the original data even though I had seen it before. I made a big decision to stay with the lower calorie menu — telling myself I could have the other when the scale dropped a bit more. I knew that they were still “helping” when at the restaurant I put my hand in the pocket of my jacket and felt something soft. ?????? Pulling the item out I was surprised to see my glass case. ???? How did it get in there — I never put my glass case in my pocket. I had even asked customer service at the grocery store if I had lost it there.

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DROWNING

Notice the big “I”! I thought I was dealing with the stress of my life. I thought I was exercising enough to lose weight. I thought I was doing enough to stay out of the “BIG D” — in my case depression. I was WRONG! Like a thief in the night, all of a sudden I’m underwater AGAIN. I don’t know what caused it. I know that I didn’t lose a pound, might have gained one or two — which of course doesn’t help. Even though I was walking in the country — up and down the hills for at least an hour each day. It also doesn’t help that I’m finding things at our camper and in our house that I don’t remember. Keep in mind that my father had Alzheimer’s disease. Now I don’t think that is my problem at the moment. I’m hoping that the revolving door of my life has lead to much of the forgetfulness. Automatic pilot — trying to do what needs to be done now — not worrying about the rest. I’ll admit that the years of pain from the ulcer on my leg probably didn’t help. I’ll admit that facing the big 70 this year is not helping. I’ll admit that I’m grousing BIG TIME.

And then I get a nudge. First I opened the daily paper to an article celebrating Ella Jenkins, turning 90, releasing her 40th CD — children’s music of the world. I’ll admit that I didn’t read anything else in the paper. Didn’t read her article at the moment either. Decided that I needed to exercise and turned on Jane Fonda’s Strength Training. Before I switched the TV to VCR, Rachael Ray announced her guest — Tony Bennet — still performing in his 80’s. I’ll admit I had to watch the show — he exercises 3 times a week, warms up his vocal cords before each performance, still loves to entertain. I’m sure if I had a job that I loved, I would still be working. As it was, I had a job from hell that would have been the end of my life if I would have stayed. Beginning of Lent, I quit, and gave up money.

Okay, OKAY, I get the message. I’m not that old. I still have work of some kind to do. And once again I will try.

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