The Lists

I was chuckling at my list of lists that I have on my door. I created the lists so I don't forget any crucial workout paraphernalia. I even double-check it once I have my bag packed. I need to put my extra pair of tennis shoes in the car as well. On Tuesday, I went to open swim at Mehlville which didn't start until 7:30 p.m. I knew the marching band was not a good sign and, sure enough, when I went to the pool house, there was a sign saying that the pool was closed for a week even though I hadn't seen any previous announcements of the kind.

I could have gone to a branch of my gym about two miles from the pool. I didn't have on ideal workout clothes but I could have made it work except for my shoes because I only had flip-flops. I was so disappointed that night and ended up forgoing exercise. My newest list is the bicycling one and it will be longer soon.

Bicycling List

Bike (duh)

Emergency Poncho

Fruit

Gatorade

Helmet

MP3 Player

Pepper Spray

Sunglasses

Water

Swimming List

Contact Case

Contact Solution

Counter

Flip Flops

Glasses

Goggles

$ -- If Necessary

Pre-Workout Snack

Plastic Bag

Soap

Sunblock Lotion

Swimming Earrings

Swimming Suit

Towel

Undergarments

Water

Workout List

Lock

Lotion

Magnetic Gym Card

$ -- If Necessary

MP3 Player

Nikes or New Balance

Pre-Workout Snack

Socks

Water

Workout Bottom, Top & Towel

Sunblock is a new addition to my list. I didn't wear it before because I was a little cavalier about the pigment quotient. I thought I had enough pigment to protect me until I read Health magazine. This woman held the same belief that I did and ended up with skin cancer and that's the reason that sunblock is now on the list.

I went to the pool today. Whenever I see post-swimming droplets, it makes me think of the St. Louis Blues' advertisement: Do you bleed blue?

The Last One To Leave

I know why I go to the gym immediately after work. Since The Wreck Center has changed its open swim times, I decided to go to afternoon swim at Mehlville's pool.

I came home, got out of my work clothes, ate dinner and threw a load of clothes in the washer. I was rather relaxed and felt like I had already done something and I certainly wasn't feeling like exercising at the point but I pushed on. I got in my gear and headed for the pool.

Apparently, quite a few people had the same idea. When I got to Mehlville at 7:30 p.m., at least 25 other people were there as well. I ended up sharing a lane with two people. Then, a father wanted to show his son how to dive off of the platform in our lane. The lifeguard finally told him that he could not do that while people were swimming laps. I was the first one in my lane and I was the last one to leave because, you know, a girl likes to get in her laps. With the sharing and diving etc., I only got in 18 laps but I was satisfied considering the circumstances.

I saw this article in the New York Times. I really did not want to read it but felt like I should be informed.

In Some Swimming Pools, a Nasty Intestinal Parasite

Will I Ever Be Normal?

My work posse is like the canary in the coal mine. About a week and a half ago, several people started telling me that I looked slimmer or commented that they were going to start exercising because it was working for me.

The ultimate authority on all weight loss manners i.e. my scale finally weighed in (no pun intended) and registered what the canaries had foretold.

For some reason, I googled BMI calculators. I find it quite annoying that after losing 54 pounds that I'm still considered to be in the obese category. Are you kidding? Really. There's a whole tab between obese and normal and I'm not shooting for normal either.


According to the Mayo Clinic, here's what I can do about my BMI:

Consider the benefits of achieving a healthy weight — a reduced risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, increased energy and improved self-esteem, for example. Then talk to your doctor about the best weight-loss approach for you. To get started:

Embrace healthy eating as a lifestyle by choosing a variety of nutrient-rich foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Exercise. Before exercising ask your doctor about the right level and type of activities for you. Remember, even small amounts of activity provide immediate health benefits.

Set action goals focused on specific healthy activities such as starting a daily food and activity diary.

For more information on body mass index, check out the CDC's website:

About BMI For Adults

I went swimming today. There were only a few folks there when the doors opened. When it's quiet at the pool and, particularly, when I'm doing the back crawl, I have a tendency to start thinking about stuff, especially about the time when I was taking swimming lessons.

I started to think about how I would take what Jim called the Nestea plunge when I attempted to float. I also thought about how my goggles fell off in the deep end. Jim asked about the whereabouts of my goggles. I matter-of-factly said, they fell off. I was thinking that that was $11.69 at the bottom of the pool because I was not even thinking about retrieving them but Jim was kind enough to get the goggles for me.

I got in 17 laps before I had to share a lane which I don't do well. I once watched as some girls from the Mehlville swim team practiced in circular fashion in one lane. Their lane sharing ended up being more like synchronized swimming. Another time, the pool was also well-populated and I felt something on my leg. I actually stopped in ten feet of water (minus treading) because I had forgotten my location. I feel lucky that I didn't panic. It was one of the girls from the swim team and she was lane sharing but, alas, she didn't know with whom she was sharing.

Today, I shared for three laps to bring my total to a nice even 20 then I exited the pool. As usual, sleepiness descended swiftly.

Loughborough Ave.

As I was heading down 55 South, I passed the Loughborough Ave. exit and whenever I pass this exit, I can't help but think about when I was exiting to go to my swimming class at the YMCA. I can still hear my swimming teacher Jim say I want you to strive to get to the end of the pool.

Later on, Jim basically threw down the gauntlet and told me that I was not to stop and I was thinking that there was no way that I would make 25 yards doing the front crawl and I didn't make it that time but I didn't put my feet down either; when I felt like I could no longer breathe, I simply starting doing a breaststroke-like action. I'm quite fond of combo styles. If I get tired of doing the breaststroke, I'm liable to resort to the sidestroke about 12.5 yards into the effort.

I was traveling down 55 South because I was headed to the Mehlville pool which also made me remember how Jim and Shannon used to jump right into the water and I'm beginning to think that they had the right idea. Just jump in. Adjusting to the water is worse when you try to, no pun intended, wade in the water. Mehlville tends to keep their water quite chilly and I was staring to ponder the benefits of a wetsuit. Well, today, the water was just right. While the water was right, I wasn't. I struggled to swim 16 laps in one hour.

I had the pool to myself until two girls got in. One girl was about eight or nine years old but rocking the butterfly and back crawl. She rocked about everything as a matter of fact. In fact, she looked like a future Olympian.

I love to watch people swim the butterfly. It's poetry in motion.

Doing Better

I went swimming yesterday even though my arms were still quite sore from Thursday's rock climbing. I completed about 13 laps but can't be sure since I misplaced my lap counter. I sometimes lose count even with the lap counter; c'est la vie.

I'm trying to decide if I should order a new ultra-cool counter or get a used one from Amazon like the one I lost. Maybe I should get a red one which would be a little harder to leave behind.

I went to swim at one of my favorite places which will now be known, from this point on, as "The Poo."

"The Poo" is almost my favorite watering hole but I would really like for the water to be a tad bit warmer. I hear that competitive swimmers like the water cold but cold water is not my cup of tea. I can't imagine why. Of course, I wasn't imagining why when I went to the Wohl center once and the water was very cold. Since I had traveled so far, I stubbornly went ahead and got in the shockingly cold water. Once in, it wasn't so bad since I was continuously moving around but I did have to tell the disappointed woman who had come for water aerobics and who followed me into the locker room to get my opinion about the water that, yes, the water was artic-like.

Mehlville's pool was pretty crowded yesterday. There were two girls from the school district's swimming team. Their black team swimsuits are rather cool with green panther tracks on the suit and swimming cap. The one girl's butterfly stroke is a thing of beauty to behold.

Several kids were taking swimming lessons and the ones who weren't were exuberantly jumping off the creaky diving boards. Twin five-year-olds, who had on bulky floating devices, got into the act and started jumping off the boards too. I was later surprised to see one twin treading water without her float suit. I wish that I had learned to swim as a child.

I also heard the swim team crew talking about how many calories they had possibly burned. I never thought about such things in high school. Although, I'm sure we burned quite a few calories playing basketball.

I also wish that I had paid better attention to nutrition and fitness before. Oprah Winfrey likes to report that Maya Angelou told her "when you know better, you do better." So, here's to doing better.