A smile hit my face and spread from ear to ear when I read Patti's e-mail saying that her trip had been canceled and that we could go climbing on the weekend.
Patti pulled a muscle doing the yoga portion of P90X. She would normally start out on a 5.8 to warm-up but started out in my neck of the woods on a 5.6. We played monkey see, monkey do for awhile. She climbed Truxton or Bust then I climbed it. I even attempted a 5.9 (Patti's neck of the woods) and made it half way up. When it was time to warm down, Patti asked me if I wanted to down climb the route. I did. When I came back down, Patti asked me if I wanted to climb the route again. I did. And I down climbed again. I went up. Down climbed. Patti looked at me with wide eyes.
Me: This might be the last straw...
Patti: I don't see any camels.
I went up again but this time I asked Patti to lower me because I was fatigued.
Down climbing was good though. I was much more aware of when my body wasn't squared off or when I wasn't properly balanced. It was a nice challenge to do laps on that route and I felt like I got in a great workout:
5.6, Truxton or Bust (Warm-Up) 5.8, Bright Idea 5.8, JW 5.9, One Liner (Attempted) 5.8, Face Plant 5.8, A Savage Salvage Project 5.6, Unnamed Yellow Route (Ascended 4x's & Down Climbed 3x's)
Went to a work-related luncheon today and was immediately greeted by slabs of cheesecake since the dessert and salad had been laid out before the participants arrived.
The lunch offering was not bad. Tilapia with some kind of salsa topping on the side, vegetables and a modest portion of spaghetti.
I refused to let my mind wonder about what the tilapia and vegetables were coated with.
The nine people at my table ate their cheesecake with vigor.
My big boss (the CEO) commented when I passed on the bread and butter and later asked if I was going to eat my cheesecake.
No, I said. It doesn’t even tempt me.
Well, not until she started talking dirty to me.
It’s so creamy and it’s the kind of cheesecake that you just can’t eat one bite of.
She mentioned the texture again and I started getting hot but I took my jacket off, LOL, instead of eating the cheesecake.
As I was walking down the hall at work, I ran into the complimentary colleague again and she said, Really, I almost didn't recognize you yesterday. You're doing such a good job...
I heard through the grapevine that The Wreck Center had evening open swim again. The Wreck Center is my nickname for one of St. Louis city's recreation centers and it's a wreck because the information on the website is outdated, the lifeguards like to rough house with the kids and water might get slammed in your face by a kid displacing water with a kick board. There are other reasons it's a wreck but I still like the joint.
I called before I headed out today and, sure enough, The Wreck Center was open until 6 p.m. When I got there, some kids from the MO School For The Blind were already in the pool. I waited until they got out because that's what I had been told was the rule before. So, I swam from about 5 to 5:55 p.m.
I practiced on my front crawl breathing and was surprised when the lifeguard asked me if I was a teacher.
Me: No, I've been swimming for about a year and a half.
Lifeguard: I would have never guessed. You have a graceful stroke.
Me: Thanks.
Internally, I was saying wow. I had actually been feeling self-conscious -- thinking that I was looking clumsy and awkward.
I remember watching an episode of Dr. Phil and he said that we think we have a target on our backs, but we don't...
As I was leaving, the same lifeguard told me that she was looking for someone to train with and wants someone that will push her. Ha, ha. She wants to train for some triathlon in Naperville, IL.
I was heading out to lunch to have my usual turkey sandwich, hummus, Wasa crackers and baked chips when one of my colleagues pulled out of the alley. I've worked with her for over five years but she said, at that moment, she almost didn't recognize me, wanted to know how much weight I had lost and couldn't believe that I wanted to lose more weight (a recurring theme lately).
Sometimes I forget how much weight I've lost but, yes, I have lost a significant amount of weight but being up close and personal with the mirror yesterday was also a reality check. My BMI is still in the obese range and I still have some heft to contend with but contend with I will.
I took it to the StairMaster today -- sore behind and all. I climbed for 45 minutes, came home and stretched for ten then soaked with some Epsom Salt in the mix.
Speaking of contenders, I love this Dayquil commercial featuring Apolo Ohno. I also have a thing for super heroes. Possibly my need to believe that good conquers all...
I love the thighs on the speed skaters and I love to watch them do that side exercise they do, with and without the special belt that is used. And here's a video that showcases what it takes to be an Olympic speed skater which, in the end, just makes me want to push myself harder.
I made it to class, as I usually do, with about two minutes to spare. Last week, there were only twelve of us in class and, this week, there were 20 plus which meant that the only space left in class was wayyyyyyyyy up front -- close to the mirror. This young woman and I looked at each other like, hell no, not so close.
And, so, it was destined to be and I had a front row seat viewing my animated self. In the end, it was kind of cool because I ended up doing synchronized squats et al. with the woman that was equally horrified to be exercising near the mirror. Really, we could have been Olympians with our synchronized squat routine, especially when there were just a few of us doing squats as a modification.
By the way, the woman next to me was agreeable, nay, amicable. Did I ever say how amicable folks move me in a Nina Simone kind of way? But I digressed...
Sometimes I succumb to my juvenile side and when things got rough, no, I didn't get going, I started making faces and I connected with this woman's eyes in the mirror and she was smiling and I was smiling and I got a, thank God, short case of the giggles which I'll just chalk up to butt-kicking delirium.
Kate is becoming more efficient at doling out pain. As a matter of fact, I'm going to start calling her the Warrior Pain Princess Hurricane Taskmaster Kate.
I looked at the clock at 5:12 and couldn't believe that only 12 minutes had elapsed. I think we did about 40 minutes of high impact cardio. For the record, I still hate imaginary tires and I'm not too fond of lunges.
Towards the end of class, Kate said that we still had six minutes for abs. Oh goody, I muttered. We tried to put our feet on the ceiling, turned our legs into scissors and slowly lowered one leg at a time. Ouch, that's all I'm saying.
As we exited the class, the condensation fresh on the windows, I noticed that my behind was already sore. No wonder all of my pants are sagging.
I stepped on the scale this morning and it said that I was up two pounds but, during the course of the work day, two of my colleagues implied that I was wasting away. One was surprised that I wanted to lose another 15 pounds or so. Plus, yesterday, my cousin Chiquita asked me to stand up so that she could take a better look at me.
I would like the scale to move but I'm not stressing out about it like I used to because, voilà , check out these once snug pants.
It's ironic that most of the weight is coming off my lower half since I would like to lose a little poundage elsewhere. What do they say? People in hell want ice water. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...
I had every intention of swimming tonight but so did a lot of other people. It was rush hour in the lap lanes. I ended up walking in the lazy river for close to an hour and my legs felt waterlogged when it was all over. Actually, it felt as if they had fallen asleep and I had to wake them up on land.
I went rock climbing and didn't know how it would go since I wrecked my body during a five day span. I took it easy on Thursday and Friday and I was hoping that I would be feeling up to speed.
Well, I could only do the simplest routes (5.6) with ease. I tussled with every other route and I was even getting tired of myself asking for takes.
On the other hand, Patti must have eaten multiple bowls of Wheaties (or new Wheaties Fuel) because she was feeling it. She has wanted to tackle this one 5.9 route that is lead climb only. This guy, Jeremy, actually climbed and left the rope so Patti got a chance to climb it and she almost made it to the top; it was a valiant effort, I tell you. I think Patti did a total of nine routes including one bouldering route. She later revealed her secret: at least three cups of coffee before climbing.
I came home from climbing, ate lunch and was thinking about what to get into next but I just couldn't keep my head up. I lay down and got up about four hours later. The sun had gone down and everything. So much for my theory that I'm not much of a napper.
I like the way I looked in my new workout top today ($7.99 at Marshalls).
Note to self: do not purchase anymore workout attire for awhile.
Or, shall I say, I like the way my upper body is coming along? I've basically developed it doing the upper body portion of 10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts and with rock climbing.
I overdid it in the last five days. My body is sore and my intuition was to do yoga.
I broke out my Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies DVD which I've done a few times. I've never gone to a yoga class so I feel like I don't know what I'm doing at times. Despite that, I opted to do the intermediate level since I've done the beginner level several times.
The intermediate level is twenty minutes long as opposed to hour-long at the beginner's level. I forgot to, like, deliberately breathe at times but I hung in there. I liked the point in the DVD when Sara Ivanhoe says:
Inhale to recharge. Exhale to relax.
After Basic Yoga..., I also did the stretch portion of 10 Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones! What can I say? My body feels taut.
I know my body doesn't look like this during downward facing dog. Also, is your body supposed to shake when you do that pose?
The phrase that I repeated most often today was Oh my God.
((('Drea Stands Up))) Oh my God.
Imagine a subtle moan if you will.
((('Drea Goes Down The Stairs)))
Oh my God.
Kate delivered a butt-kicking of epic proportions yesterday. My glutes and thighs are maximally sore.
The only option for exercise today was something water-related or nothing at all.
I went to The Heights and the lap lanes were busy so I headed to the lazy river where this guy was swimming against the current. LOL, I tried but I couldn't even walk against the current. Brownie point for him.
I watched from the lazy river and noticed when a lane opened up then made my move. I quickly found out that my glutes and thighs were not the only thing sore. I did ten laps and got back in the lazy river. Change is good, right?
After the lazy river, I got in a very warm hot tub. Nirvana, I tell you and probably just what my sore muscles needed.
This morning, as usual, I got on the scale and sulked (a little) afterwards.
When I looked at myself in the mirror at work, I noticed that my pants were a little baggy. I had on a more form-fitting top so that probably drew my attention to the pants.
The scale is not moving but I definitely have more room in my size 14 pants. It's ironic. Out of all the places that I would like to lose weight, my behind is not one of them. So much for spot reduction.
My cousin Chiquita is fond of saying: dot, period, the end. She does not like hemming and hawing and is pretty decisive. I was thinking about Chiquita on the way home.
I'm exhausted. Dot, period, the end.
I went to Kate's class, my Tuesday usual.
I'm exhausting myself with all of this yelling, she said. Then, I told Joy that I'm mean when I get tired. Thanks Joy for not sharing that piece of information with your classmates.
You know how people snort when they really find something amusing? Well, Kate has this sinister saucy laugh and she was doing that tonight. I think she knows when she's delivering a good butt-kicking.
I think the cardio stints were longer because we didn't do anything different --same ol' high knees, fast feet, jumping jacks, lunges, squats, engaging of the abs etc. but I wanted to splay out on the floor (about 15 minutes into class) and take a nap.
It was a technical knockout, y'all, and my pace for the rest of this afternoon is going to be on par with Teddy Pendergrass' Love TKO -- s.l.o.w.
P.S. I stood my thick self (in a sea of petiteness) smack dab in front of the glass door to the classroom since it was the only spot left in class when I squeaked in at 4:59 p.m. I'm becoming less self-conscious and I'm going to count that as a non-scale victory.
Okay, so I saw this tweet from Bob Harper this morning. Do I really need a lot of incentive to do crazy things? Negative.
How is it that I got up before 8:00 a.m. and still managed to be late for a 10:30 a.m. Step class?
I guess that I do like to get up gently which is why I have a moonbeam clock which flashes light to wake you up.
I went back to Stacey's class which I really enjoy love. Only, I don't get to go often since her classes are at 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Stacey is calm and friendly and she has easy steps but you still get a good workout. In fact, she might want to consider naming her class Step For Dummies. Stacey did something today that I've never seen before. She used two step platforms. Platform one was Home and the one to the right was Away. We left just enough space between Home and Away to do jumping jacks. I absolutely loved the stomp move that she incorporated and I don't think that I was the only one. Stacey also had me chuckling with her curl and repeat command since it sounded like we were in a salon.
I also liked that Stacey invited questions and feedback. One class member told her of hip discomfort when she steps and Stacey asked her if she wanted to stretch. First class...
When I finished with Step class, I made a pit stop at home, grabbed a Clif Kid bar and headed to Upper Limits to climb a few routes. Remember what Trainer Bob said now.
I didn't have a belay partner so I used the auto-belays and, because I suddenly got a little freaked out by being up 30 feet up with no person on the ground to lower me, I climbed down every route. All that to say, I'm beat and my hand calluses are tender from back-to-back rock climbing stints.
The moral of this story: take what Trainer Bob has to say with a grain of salt.
It's been exactly seven days since I stepped into Upper Limits. Finally, my jones was fulfilled -- for now.
Remember that 5.8b route, And You're Ready Now?, that I tried to tackle so many times and finally was able to ascend? Well, it's gone now -- a bouldering competition casualty. I was straight up looking forward to ascending that route more smoothly.
Guess that's just a little life lesson about being prepared for change.
I did try a new 5.8 route, A Savage Salvage Project, and it was a tad bit, as indicated, savage. I didn't think that I would be able to make it to the top but I called for a take mid-way and I was able to get up the rest of the route.
I also tried a bouldering route even though I'm not that fond of bouldering since I unexpectedly fell off the wall once. I think it was helpful that I wasn't expecting the fall because I was more relaxed. Plus, the floor is rubbery. Still, I can see how a person could injure themselves. The bottom line is that I probably should not do a whole lot of climbing without a belay system.
While I'm not enthusiastic about bouldering, here's one young lady that loves it. This video is pretty cute.
And, oh yeah, just in case I didn't say it, it's the falling that I don't like when it comes to bouldering.
I'm jonesing to go rock climbing today but there's a bouldering competition going on at Upper Limits; so, no dice. My jones will have to wait until tomorrow.
I've been reading Eric Horst's Training for Climbing. A lot of the advice applies across disciplines: strengthen your core, be relaxed, eat properly, get enough sleep etc. Chapter seven, Personal Training Programs, had me chuckling:
As a final note, the belief that physical performance tends to be worse during menstruation is not absolute. While the menstrual cycle's affect on performance varies widely among individuals and from sport to sport, at least one study has shown that grip strength was greater during the actual menstrual phase (Davis 1991).
No doubt, the grip is stronger. I know that I've wanted to put my hands around some necks, instead of holds, during that time.
In the same chapter, there's also a section devoted to special considerations for females and "juniors." Horst mentions teenager Tori Allen, who is already an accomplished, award-winning climber.
Here's a video from a segment that the Discovery Channel did on Allen.
As I was changing clothes in a fast and furious manner, I saw a familiar face, Joy, who said that she takes classes because she operates in that manner:
I need to be told what to do.
I went to Muscle Works, a new class for me but taught by the same Kate that teaches Tuesday's Cardio and Muscle.
Muscle Works:
Time to target muscles and get lean and toned! See and feel the changes in your body!
We warmed up by marching and doing, of course, the grapevine but we didn't do a whole lot of cardio. We did a lot of squats. A whole lot. What's more interesting than a regular squat? A squat with your leg elevated on a step platform.
You all are going to love me tonight.
Sure, Kate wished us a happy Valentine's Day but she didn't mean love in that manner; she was all about the tough love.
My favorite exercise of the night was leg work with the resistance band. We waddled for awhile and I couldn't help but think about March Of The Penguins. Waddling made me smile and you can't beat smiling while working out.
Kate reminded us that, for extra work, we could hold our abs in during most of the exercises. Kate's reminder made me feel like I had homework. She also reminded us to breathe. What is it about holding in ones abs and repeating shoulder presses with heavy weights that makes you want to hold your breath?
It was kinda of weird not doing high impact cardio and I was tempted to jump on a machine after class but I've wanted to do more weight training so, voilà , I got weight training.
As I was leaving, one of my classmates told me that I looked wonderful. It's hard for me to be on the receiving end of a compliment but I'll take it.
Went swimming even though there's snow on the ground and I had an inkling that the water would be cold. I stood in the pool for a few seconds hoping that the water would suddenly warm up but it didn't and I submerged.
I worked on my front crawl swimming and remembered how my teacher used to say that I could breathe as often as I needed which translates, in my mind, as I can breathe anytime I want to. Once I reframe it this way, I'm able to breathe better.
Even though I wish I had learned to swim much earlier, I so enjoy my time in the pool and there's nothing that you can do about the past. You can't even have the last minute back that just elapsed.
It took me an hour to get in 20 laps.
Maybe these FINA-approved suits from Swim Outlet will help me swim better???
My swimming suit is actually getting looser. It's time to make some alterations before a wardrobe malfunction occurs.
I had plans to go swimming but just looking at the snow on the ground made me shiver. Don't believe the hype about those indoor pools being heated.
The snow made me wonder if I should stay at home or go.
I hit the gym around 7:20 or so and decided to hop on the StairMaster which is not the most logical choice after you've done back-to-back days of rock climbing. My hip flexors protested but the kinks worked themselves out after about five minutes.
My goal was 45 minutes and whenever I have a StairMaster goal like that, I hone in on this yellow poster directly in my line of vision:
Ask Us HowToEnhanceYour Goals
I focus on that poster the way I pick an item to focus on when I'm doing the tree pose. I like how this cross-training thing works.
But even with my focus, I started to buckle with about 13 minutes left. I have a new MP3 player and it has a Go List, a very appropriate title methinks.
A few songs on my go list:
Bad, Michael Jackson Super Bad, James Brown World, Hold On, Bob Sinclair
By this time, I'm telling myself all manner of things. I'm bad, hold on. Yadda Yadda Yaddda.
My car was pretty much clear of snow when I went into the gym and here's what it accumulated while I was working out.
And here's a little video that I took at the world's longest stoplight.
My stats:
490 calories, allegedly burned 180 floors, allegedly climbed Level 7, Highest (Average 5) Total Time, 60 minutes
No wonder I popped my head as I was getting into my car.
Yesterday was my first time making it not only over the arête but up the dang And You're Ready Now?, the 5.8b route that I have been trying to ascend for what seems like forever.
I wondered if my muscles would remember. They did. Unbelievable. There were so many aborted attempts to get over the arête. At one point, I felt like a 12-month old trying to stand up but I couldn't stand up in order to reach a crucial hold -- even though I knew the power was in my legs and that climbing is best done relying on one's legs.
And You're Ready Now? is still a challenge but getting over the arête doesn't seem nearly as onerous a task as it did before.
As I was waiting for the route to open, this guy climbed And You're Ready Now? I was captivated by his ascent. He moved up the route like a sloth -- maybe slower than a sloth.
Patti was telling me that's how great climbers ascend a route. When Patti and Jessica took their six week introduction to rock climbing course, one exercise included wearing bells on their shoes with the goal being to make as little noise as possible while ascending a route.
Right now, I'm bullish about my ascents -- not intentionally; that's just the way it is right now. The sloth has been climbing for four years. The whippersnapper started the sport when he was 18.
I climbed eight routes:
5.7, Sol (Warm-Up Route) 5.6, Truxton or Bust 5.7, Gymnopaeda 5.7, Unnamed 5.8, Bright Idea 5.8, Face Plant 5.8b, And You're Ready Now? 5.6, Sunshine (Warm-Down Route)
Climb X Media has a series of videos featuring accomplished climbers. Lynn Hill's main advice? Patience. In this video, she scales a rock that looks totally unscalable.
The final piece of the puzzle is in place. I scoured the internet for a harness and decided to get one from Upper Limits and I'm glad that I did. The harnesses have instructions but there's nothing like a human telling you that you need to double back on your buckles or that you can belay and climb on the auto-belay through the belay loop but for climbing you need to have two points of contact for your rope.
I also got to try on the harness and climb in it before I made my decision.
At first, it felt weird not climbing in the rental Yates -- probably because I've been renting and wearing the Yates exclusively. I should have invested in a harness a long time ago but I wasn't sure if I'd be really bitten by the rock climbing bug. And, oh boy, have I been bitten. I miss the wall almost as soon as I step out of the gym.
I finally managed to get up the 5.8b (a.k. a. #1 nemesis) And You're Ready Now? route. It took me many takes and I don't really know how I made it over the arête but I did; I'm hoping that my muscles will remember. I was sapped after that 5.8b and could barely muster enough energy to make it up less demanding routes. Nevertheless, I was quite satisfied to have finally made it up And You're Ready Now? Yay!!!
Here are some videos about how to look for a harness and how to put one on.
On a final note, looking at my, woo hoo, smaller butt makes me think about Greta over at Big Bottom Blogger.
Two weeks notice seems like such a short time when you've worked with someone for more than 365 days.
Of course, there are some people that I work with that could walk out the door without delay and/or ceremony and my feelings would not be hurt.
Tim, the colleague in question, brought in two boxes of donuts today (((groan))) but he was also nice enough to bring me a container of fruit. How cool is that?
Yesterday, I ordered Tim a pretzel from Gus' Pretzels since it's one of his favorite joints. I decided to go with the pumpkin design. Don't ask why; it just amused me.
Did you say pumpkin?, the clerk asked. Mind you, her question came after I said that I wanted to order a pizza...The eyes rolled around in my car so it doesn't quite look like a pumpkin.
Later on, a group of us went to lunch at Basil Spice. I did some reconnaissance and decided that I would go with soup. I also ate half of a spring roll -- my first time trying a non-fried one.
Maybe I can just have broth-based soup whenever I dine out?
I like the decor in Basil Spice. The music, lighting and modest water fountain had me more than ready for a siesta.
Okay, so I lost a pound recently and I've been dwelling on how it would be nice for one or two more pounds to join the reindeer games. One seems like the loneliest number until I think about how some Biggest Loser contestants have foregone $10,000 dollars to have a one pound advantage.
'Drea is trying very hard to focus on the non-scale victories. Each time I put on a pair of pants, they are loose. (((And the crowd goes wild))).
My pants prove that there's progress. My focus on the pound had me thinking about Miss Q'n, a Zap Mama song; it could be because I've been listening to old music. It could be that I just like Zap Mama. Along with Sweet Honey in the Rock, I feel like they've never made a lackluster album.
There's always multiple interpretations to a work of art but Miss Q'n reminds me of my fascination with pounds.
Lyrics to Miss Q'n:
When i was a little child i dreamed to be a princess when i tried to be this princess i dreamed to meet a prince when i was this princess i dreamed to be a queen when i was this princess i dreamed to meet a prince travelling from the north to the south
Travelling from the north to the south, southern stories South to the east. East to the west we all looking for the best
Travelling from the south to the north, northern stories North to the east East to the west were all looking for the best
When i met this prince i dreamed to be a queen when i tried to be this queen i dreamed to meet a king When i was with this prince i dreamed to be a queen When i was this queen i did not know what to do with this prince
Travelling from the north to the south, southern stories South to the east. East to the west we all looking for the best
Travelling from the south to the north, northern stories North to the east East to the west were all looking for the best
When i was this queen like society tell us to be I realized that i was indeed i was empty inside When i was this queen (2:30 in song hard to understand) I realized that i wanna be... I wanna be, i wanna be, i wanna be me
Travelling from the north to the south, southern stories South to the east. East to the west we all looking for the best
Travelling from the south to the north, northern stories North to the east East to the west were all looking for the best
Dont try to be somebody else Dont try just be...
(Thanks to maria for these lyrics) [ Miss Q'n Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]
The original version of Miss Q'n is slow but I like this house mix too.
I used to think that salmon and shrimp were the ultimate 'Drea slayers but standing at about 5'3 and 110 pounds, Kate is proving to be a formidable opponent.
Heel. Heel. Heel.
I almost checked to see if there was a dog but it was Kate's reminder for us to get our heels down while doing jumping jacks since we didn't want our calves to miss out on any action.
Kate's other chant for the night was:
Quicker, quicker, quicker.
They're already called fast feet; what more do you want Kate?
We did cardio in eight minute sets tonight and that's what almost killed 'Drea.
Suck those abs in.
Girlfriend was expecting us to do a lot at once. We were sucking and shuffling and jumping and my abs couldn't keep up.
We're going to do a lot of hopping tonight.
I was very aware of this fact as I hopped from one leg to the other.
And the thing about your tires, Kate said, they're far apart.
Of course, why wouldn't they be?
I hate imaginary tires.
We worked on our abs and glutes and it's funny how everyone, instinctively, went into child's pose at the end of the glutes portion of the program.
I feel like I'm yelling a lot tonight.
I love people who are self-aware.
Tonight, I left the push-ups alone since my arms are still sore from trying to climb that 5.8b on Sunday.
When I told Patti about my sore arms, she wrote:
No pain, no gain?
Believe it or not, I had forgotten about that expression.
We stretched on the floor after ab work then stood up. I really dug a simple stretch that just involved placing your hands in the small of your back. I also dug a kind of reverse Namaste gesture; you place your coupled hands at the top of your back. I can use these simple stretches in my arsenal...
Inhale as early as possible and for as long as possible.
Try to keep one eye in the water.
Keep your head on the same plane as your body.
from Freestyle Breathing Technique video
If it is in the wrong position, soon everything else will be, too.
In swimming as in life, you gotta get your head in the right place.
from Breathing While Swimming by Coach Dee, Excel Triathletes Blogspot
The greater the distance between your finger tips and your toes, the better.
Have Goggles, Will Swim, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training
In proper freestyle swimming, the head moves with the body to take the breath; it never moves independently. You don’t want any lifting of the chin to take a breath. You don’t want any looking forward or to the side of the pool to take a breath. You want to rotate your head in line with the your body…
Bob Bowman
Indulgences
Alexia Oven Fries (Olive Oil, Rosemary, Garlic)
Almond Butter, Creamy With Sea Salt (Trader Joe's)
Banana Split SO Delicious Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Minis (Made With Coconut Milk & Agave Sweetened Center)
Bunny Grahams (Annie's Homegrown)
Chocolate-Covered Peppermint Sticks (Bogdon)
O'Coco's Organic Baked Crisps
Soy Creamy Mini Chocolate Sandwiches Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert (Trader Joe's)
TLC Banana Chocolate Chip Soft n' Chewy Bars (Kashi)
Kryptonite
Bahlsen Truffet (Meringue Biscuit with Cocoa Cream Filling and Swiss Milk Chocolate)
N.Y.L. (New York Laundry): Relaxing, Exercise, Shopping, A Fun Time, Being Seen In, Anything
Navy Blue Speedo Ultraback (RIP: Jan. 2009 to July 2009)
Steamfresh Specially Seasoned Southwestern Corn
Trader Joe's Multigrain & Flaxseed Water Crackers
Wasa thin & crispy rosemary flatbread
Mantra
The Best Life Diet is not a diet in the usual sense of the word. You don't go on it, then off it as the term diet typically implies. It is, instead, a diet in the traditional sense of the word: a way of eating - for life. It's based on a well-balanced regimen of interesting, satisfying, nutrient-rich, and easy-to-find-and-prepare foods...
Roasted Red Potatoes With Chive Butter Sauce (Steamfresh Lightly Sauced)
More Climbing Advice
To climb fluidly and under control, you must settle in and relax.
from How To Rock Climb! by John Long
Put your weight on them (feet), trust them, and utilize them to save your strength by resting on them... Feel stuck? Look for a foot hold, exhale, and move to it.
from Mock Rock: The Guide To Indoor Climbing
Motivation
I'm going to give it all that I have then I'm gonna give it all that I don't have.
I feel like I had a pretty good month exercise-wise. I've gained two pounds but my clothes are loose.
