Zumba

Well, THAT's something I'm never going to try again! :-(

At least at this gym, Zumba class was literally CONSTANT impact. I can certainly see how it would be fun for many people but, with my knees, I was terrified the entire time. I slid out of the room about 3/4 through the class...and I hope that, even though I didn't do almost any of the impact (jumping jumping and more jumping), I didn't hurt myself.

I am a person who is very aware of my physical limitations and can usually adjust to compensate and not hurt myself. For the life of me, I have no idea how I could do that with Zumba. It's ALL impact. Reminded me of an old-fashioned aerobics class. Yuck. And I love dancing and can usually do it without hurting myself.

Good things:

- Even avoiding impact as much as I could, I got some good cardio exercise and got very sweaty.
- I am so scared that I hurt my knees that I am not hungry for dinner.

I'm very disappointed. But I still will probably join this gym to be able to take the occasional yoga class and use the machines. Hopefully the trainer I am meeting with tomorrow night will have some good ideas about how to strengthen my knees, not damage them further.

DB is out of town on business this week, so I'm focusing almost entirely on getting my exercise back in gear. (NOT that it's his fault in any way that I'm not in gear.) I may even get up and do the 6:45 am yoga class on Thursday... ;-)

The "new " gym

Yes, I did go check it out on Thursday night, got my 7-day free pass and took my first class yesterday! :-)

The gym is huge...looks like little to no line for cardio machines (a huge plus in L.A....I hate wasting time waiting for machines). I actually will probably use the machines only a little since I'm looking at this place for mostly classes but who knows? Machines are a great option to have when you can't make a particular class at a particular time.

Yesterday I planned to check out their yoga class. Walked over to the gym (about a mile from our house) and arrived in plenty of time. The class was full, but not crowded. At first, I wasn't sure about the teacher -- he was a little too into making funny voices and this is a GYM (a serious body-builder's gym), not a yoga studio, so i was feeling that he was catering to the body-builder/non-yogis in the class. However, as class went on (it was an hour and a half which was 15 mins more than it was scheduled for...which was fine with me!), I kinda loved it. It was a straight ahead old-fashioned hatha yoga class. In L.A., many (if not most) classes tend to be "flow" type...students seem more worried about what they perceive to be cardio exercise than in what I would call real YOGA.

The weirdest thing with this class was that it ended with NO savasana (final resting pose). I have never had a yoga class in my life that didn't have savasana. Maybe it was just a one-time thing, or maybe it was the gym-not-yoga-studio atmosphere.

I ended up really liking the teacher -- he was older and was really good at adjusting and teaching in general. It always bothered me at my last yoga studio that the teacher didn't really adjust students during the class. Being able to do that is a huge part (in my opinion) of being an effective yoga teacher -- you have to SEE the individual student and be able to communicate how they can improve/get more out of their practice. I do think this teacher has the potential to be that kind of teacher for me.

But, it's just the first class and the only other classes this teacher teaches that I could attend are at 6:45 AM two days a week. Oy. I am not a morning exerciser and this would mean getting up REALLY early and changing my whole morning and showering routine. But I might do it...we'll see.

I don't love practicing yoga in a room with mirrors, but yesterday I actually was able to use them to my benefit without being too judgmental on myself. And this room is fairly quiet for a gym...and it has a water fountain IN the room which I find to be really great...particularly if you sweat like I do (my hair was sopping wet at the end of class yesterday!).

Today my body is sore all over...not in a bad way, but in a "well, it's been a while, Helen" way. ;-) It's good to feel my muscles again.

Tomorrow night, I'll try the Zumba class (will have to leave work early and JAM to make it, but this is the big thing I want to try at this gym). Tuesday night I have a free appointment with a trainer to learn some of the machines, then will take the evening yoga class (different teacher).

This afternoon we are doing Xmas/birthday with some of the kids and grandkids...I'm really looking forward to it even though we're meeting at a Chuck-E-Cheese. ;-)

Exercise

(Copied from comment to Laura:) Like I've said before, I really really think that, for me, it's lack of exercise that starts the spiral into food. So today I went on-line and found a gym that offers yoga and Zumba (yay!) that is close to me. I am going over there tomorrow night to check it out, then am doing the 7-day free trial they have. Assuming I like it, I'm getting back on that exercise horse. I miss it. But somehow it's so hard to make myself take the time to DO IT. Grrrrr.

MIA

Yeah, well, when I'm not posting, it's often because I am so bogged down in "life" and that is YES when weight problems arise. I have now officially gained back 15 pounds of what I lost last year and I feel like crap. I got to the point over the holidays when I had the "who cares?" attitude...and THAT is death to good eating.

So, yesterday, after pizza and birthday cake at Bon-Bon's third birthday party, I told DB that I am back on the SERIOUS program starting today. Not only are my skinny clothes not fitting (I haven't been brave enough to try them in over a month), I am afraid to ski next week with an additional 15 pounds on my body. And my new ski pants from last year most certainly won't fit.

I attribute most of this gain to my absolute total lack of real exercise for the past six months. I have a lot of excuses...starting with not feeling well really since August. It has been hard for me to contemplate exercise when that makes me cough. Then, just when the coughing was down to only early mornings, I got a cold the week before Christmas and it still hasn't gone away. It is draining me. Finally, I had the D&C and polypectomy on Thursday. The general anesthesia seemed to quiet the cold for that whole day and I was so excited...then the congestion and coughing came back on Friday. I have slept innumerable hours the past few days and am so tired still today...I could go home and go to sleep with no problem (and I am NOT a napper).

OK...so I'm back to close to where I was two years ago. Not happy, but armed with tools to fix this problem. I want to lose 20 pounds and stay there. I won't be skinny, but I will be healthy and comfortable in my body.

And now to catch up on micro-blogs from FB:

December 28: San Sai spicy sashimi salad just made me a whole lot happy.
December 31: ‎40 fingers and toes up for Exit Through The Gift Shop!
January 1: We just watched a half hour ad for a Time Life compilation of 70s music. And I really enjoyed singing along.
January 2: Happy Birthday, [Bon-Bon]!! So happy you were born three years ago today. I love you. :-)
January 2: Finally cooking the Christmas ham ... not that we need any more food...

And above is us on New Year's Eve...Happy New Year to all!!

Happy Belated Christmas!

I'm sorry I've been MIA...have been fighting a bad cold for over a week and before that Christmas festivities, etc. just pulled all my time and attention. The latest micro-blogs to catch y'all up:

Dec. 17: [post Adam show] He killed it...and a sweetheart to boot.
Dec. 17: Two (school) nights in a row up past 1...not a bad thing.
Dec. 18: Eek ..Tonite past midnight and oh so worth it. Thanks Jay for a fun time!!
Dec. 18: Time to bake the gingerbread for Yule celebration tonight.
Dec. 19: Finished shopping for my loved ones on this snuggly rainy day...now addicted to vintage eyeglass frames shopping on ebay...shhhhh, don't tell anyone...my present to me...ho ho ho!
Dec. 19: My poor sweetie is so under-the-weather...and this is some pretty harsh weather to be under! Super unlike.
Dec. 19: Frankincense, pine, gingerbread...my nose is happy.
Dec. 22: I am sick of being sick.
Dec. 24: Presents are wrapped and I think I'm getting better...all I want for Christmas is for my sweetie to feel better too.
Dec. 24: Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad...I revel in the bounty with which I am graced during this beautiful season. Friends and family, YOU are the bounty.
Dec. 25: St. Nick [with photo of Doglet -- whose real name is Nick 'cause I got him 13 years ago on Boxing Day].
Dec. 26: Christmas with kids and grandkids rescheduled til next week due to illness.
Dec. 26: In line with 100 other people at Nordstrom Rack...the ancient Boxing Day shopping tradition is baaaack. Hoping this is the cure for lingering cold...

Still have very yukky cold with lots of green stuff coming out of my nose daily. YUCK. DB has been sick for ages and is headed to the doc again this afternoon. I am at work this week, but it is very very quiet. And my weight is SUCK. I ate like the bad-old-days over the weekend -- carborama -- and the scale shows it. Cracking down today to get in shape for skiing in three weeks -- at my current weight, I am afraid my ski pants won't fit! I have not been exercising for six months and it shows.

Looking forward to Black and White Ball for NYE...got a gorgeous gown yesterday (DB is wearing a tux)...I hope we are both better by then...

Merry Christmas to all and HAPPY NEW YEAR (if I don't get back here before then)!!

I keep forgetting to post micro-blogs here...

...when I do on Facebook, so here are my latest statuses from FB:

December 10: Heading out for groupie duty...and gorillas.
December 12: ‎80 degrees at Venice Beach...no holiday-wear for this weather! Maybe shorts and Santa hat...
December 15: Theatre Date Night!
Today: Tonight: Adam Lambert at Club Nokia...yippeee!

I'll try to remember to pop in here to do these...wish there was a way to link.

Hope everyone is hangin' in... :-)

The wheel turns

We had the memorial for Sheila last Saturday. Ended up not camping because it's been really cold (well, California cold!) recently. It was beautiful and moving. Starting late in the afternoon, we burned sage and incense around the shell holding her ashes, then had a champagne toast, then scattered many rose petals on the sand at the edge of the ocean at her favorite beach. We scattered her ashes on top. The tide was coming in to send her all over the world...as it should be...she was an adventurous world traveller.

After we scattered the ashes, some of us spoke. I read part of an e-mail I wrote to her the day she died and read a poem from a book of Rumi that she had given to me. Others shared their memories and love of our dear friend.

After sunset, we headed for drinks and appetizers (funded by her estate) in a beautiful location at the end of a pier to celebrate an extraordinary life.

Most of last week, we had two of her NYC friends staying with us and it was wonderful to get to know them. Sheila kept her friends kind of compartmentalized so many of us did not know each other well or at all. I had only briefly met this friend on a visit she made to Sheila here, then she and her husband drove us to see Sheila the last time we were in NYC (and the last time we saw Sheila...in the hospital). Well, it turns out that this woman and I have A LOT of weird things in common. I feel like Sheila left me a new friend. Thank you, Sheila! :-)

The other big thing going on (except for extreme "oh my God I have hardly gotten any gifts yet" stress) is that I'm going to have to have a D&C...trying to get it by the end of the month. I'm not sure if I wrote about it, but I had an interminable period in August, had an ultrasound and they found the lining slightly thickened. My doc and I decided to wait a few months to see if my body would slough it off. Had another ultrasound last Monday and it's the same...and a little bit thicker. There's also a small fibroid and they think there may be a polyp in there that needs to come out.

Sooo...I have to have another test next Monday and meet the doc who will do the procedure. They hopefully get it scheduled and done by the end of the month because I've met my insurance deductible for the year. I don't think I'm REALLY worried, but do want to get this done. Being on hormones, there is always an increased risk of problems.

Weight is steady...higher than I'd like, but...