Enjoy Your Exercise; Realize Your Limitations

Wow, it's been a while since I have been here, but I am ready to get back to it. So sorry it's taken me so long but here goes. A few articles back I started talking about trying new forms of exercise in an effort to branch out of my comfort zone. I went to a Zumba class at the Y that I thought was for beginners. WRONG!! It was actually a regular Zumba class, but the instructor was so nice and really made me feel comfortable. It was a blast!! I am not the most coordinated, so the steps were my main focus, and I probably did not experience the exercise portion of the hour as much as I had hoped. I still had sooo much fun as it was like going to a dance for an hour. The different types of music (latin, carribean, indian/bollywood), along with the different moves, and steps were amazing, and I kept up better than I thought. I knew this would be something I would continue, and if I wanted to really get the benefits I would have to keep coming to get used to the steps and be able to experience the whole process. The ladies in the class were so supportive and friendly, and they assured me that it would get easier each time. It was a wonderful experience. A couple of weeks later my daughter came home from her cruise job and she convinced me to go back with her as she had been going to classes on the ship, and was interested in becoming an instructor. She started going everyday to different Y locations in our area that the girls recommended. They could see that she was good at it, and really enjoyed it. I went a couple of times a week and started getting more familiar with the steps, which enabled me to really let go and feel the music. I felt great after every class, and couldn't wait to go back.

I was also interested in trying hot yoga but was a little concerned about the heat being too much. My hot flashes are pretty much under control but extreme heat still brings them on. I bought a groupon for 10 sessions at Chesapeake Hot Yoga. They have a light and warm class so I decided to start there and see how I fared with that level of heat before jumping in full force. It was hot but bearable. The yoga itself was more difficult than I thought it would be due to the extreme stretching that I was totally not used to. I had been to a yoga class at the Hindu temple which was more meditation and yoga. This was all yoga stretches. I felt good afterwards, and was a bit sore the next day or so but was determined to go back and push thru the pain. I went to 3 classes in a week and a half. It was not getting any easier, and each time there was a different instructor so the workout was constantly changing. I was also doing Zumba in between, and racquetball on the weekend. By the next week my sciatic nerve was KILLING me. Constant hip pain going down my leg. I realized that I had overdone my exercise and would have to stop some activities. I should have stopped everything but no, not me. I am invincible, or so I thought. This had to be a result of taking 3 yoga classes in a week and a half and not taking a day off from everything here and there. What was I thinking!! I finally decided to stop all activity other than walking, to let things heal and get back to normal. It has now been about 3 weeks and the pain is not going down my leg anymore but I still have hip pain when sitting and laying. I went to the doctor last week and he put me on a steroid pack for a week which I will start today, as I was in Myrtle Beach for the weekend playing golf, and didn't want to deal with the possible side effects. I am fine standing, walking, and playing golf, of course. I will slowly add my activities back this week to get back to a normal routine but I have learned, once again, that I need a break in between heavy exercise for at least a day to let my body recover. I am not 20 anymore, even though I think I am.

The point of this article: let your body rest and recover when trying new things, and realize your limitations. I always feel great after my heavier exercising, but I always feel the pain the next day. Your body needs time to recover and rebuild, and constant pounding and pushing on your  muscles is not the answer, especially if you are older. I realize that racquetball has taken a big toll on my body for the last 16 years, and now I must let myself heal when trying new things. Listen to your body, and it will tell you what you should or shouldn't do. Never stop exercising, but like I always say: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!!

Still Recovering

It’s A Holiday and I’m On Vacation (part 2)

Vacations can be a bit harder, depending on where you travel to.  I just got back from a few days in Puerto Rico with my son. We started with a big breakfast everyday, as the resort where we stayed: Wyhdham Rio Mar, had a great buffet; made to order fresh omelets, homemade waffles, Nova Lox & bagels, breads, pastries, juices, fruit including fresh mango and papaya, great chorizo sausage, etc. Needless to say, it was a feast worth feasting on. We sort of snacked during the day as we usually ate breakfast late, and just hung out on the beach. Drinks, of course were on the menu, but we were pretty calm about that as well. The resort had alot of food everywhere; Tiki grill on the beach, Asian Fusion restaurant, snack bar by the casino, the big dining room, etc. We had some great snacks at the snack bar such as,  pizza, tuna and egg salad sandwiches. We usually split the sandwiches. The best thing at the snack bar was the Quesitos, which are long danish like pastries with a cheesecake filling. OMG!! Need I say more!! Dinner was always an adventure. The first night we went to a restaurant on a horse farm where I had been for my birthday back in April when I was there. They were known for their skirt steak as they marinate it for 2-4 days, or something like that. Anyway it was so tasty and tender, it melted in my mouth. My son had a whole stuffed snapper, and when I say WHOLE, I mean WHOLE; head, tail, everything. We thought it was just stuffed with scallops, shrimp, and fish, but when the seafood inside was gone, all the meat from the fish was still on the fish, and easy to eat. It was quite the specimen.  That was our most memorable dinner of the three nights. We ate in a Mexican restaurant in Old San Juan the second night, and I had great Puerto Rican food; white meat chicken with rice and vegetables, fresh cut avocado, and fried plantains. I am a sucker for the local favorites. I eat Caribbean food with my friends at their house alot and it is very similar. I love it. I ate all the chicken and veggies and left about half of the rice, even though it had a great flavor. The last night we were exhausted from hiking at the rainforest (El Yunque) all day. For all of you Puerto Rico lovers, we went to kiosk #2 La Parilla in Luquillo. I had pork stuffed with homemade ground beef,and plantains, and my son had mofungo (mashed plantains) stuffed with seafood. I forgot to mention my son is a vegetarian, hence all the seafood.

I know this sounds like a food fest of a vacation but we got quite a bit of exercise as well. Everyday we walked on the beach for about an hour, as well as walking in Old San Juan, and hiking trails in the rainforest.  I felt totally justified to eat whatever I wanted knowing I was getting the exercise I needed to maintain it. It was a great balance in a wonderfully warm and beautiful location.

Vacationing For Life