Our Anniversary-Today or Tomorrow?

Ok, well there has been quite a lot of drama around me lately but I am happy to say that I have managed to come out the other side with my most important relationships intact. I am happy and peaceful again. It's how I need to be.

Today is a my 34th anniversary. Yep! I've been married to Pat for 34 years now. To top that off we had been together for 7 years before we got married. If you add it all up we have been together 41 years. Man, that's a long time.

I remember the day I got married. I remember thinking that it was funny that I woke up in the morning and said "See ya at the wedding". There was no-oh, don't see the bride before the wedding. It's bad luck-crap. That's pretty much how our marriage has been. Very laid back and very happy. Of course there have been some tough times but not many looking at the whole picture.

Even after all these years, I never know when we are going to turn off the lights to go to sleep and have something strike us really funny. It happened last night. My sides were hurting laughing over someone's last name on the PGA tour. It was Afabarnrat, which struck us hilarious sounding like half a barn rat. I know it's stupid but it's just the way it was. I was crying from laughter. He makes me very happy.

Pat and happy me

Scotty, Stevie's son, got married today in Chicago. Kerry was supposed to go but she got the first case of the swine flu at Notre Dame. I guess God struck her down with the Swine Flu for being the only Jewish student there. :) I'm glad that I got to speak to Scotty today and wish him well. It's a good luck day.

Kerry and Scotty

I miss Kerry very much today. She was the perfect addition to our family when she came. She ended up growing up with with Pat's and my sense of humor. I have so many wonderful memories of her growing up here, with me. Now, she's all grown up and living her own life at Notre Dame. I'm so proud of her but so sad that she is so far away. How did she grow up so fast? Where did the time go?

My baby Kerry

I was very happy to teach my Saturday yoga class today at Etro Salon. It was a small class with only two people but they seemed very happy when they left. Pat's nephew Johnny and his girlfriend Sherry are in town and we will be having dinner at Pat's favorite restaurant, Tijuana Flats. Not the most romantic day or evening but Pat has to work early tomorrow anyway. I think we will just make believe that our anniversary is really tomorrow. :)

2010-A new decade

Ok, well, here we are. It's January 1, 2010. It's hard to believe. I remember when I was a kid I would think to myself that I would be 48 in the year 2000. It seemed so old and so far away. Fast forward to now. It's 2010 and I'm 57 turning 58 in a few days. My mom was right. "You turn around once and you're 65". It seems that the older I get the faster it's going.

I'm excited about the upcoming year. I'm going to start my yoga teacher training in a few weeks and I should be finished and ready to teach at the end of April. I'm very excited about starting my new life as a registered yoga teacher. I truly feel that a consistent yoga practice helps ground you and allows for happiness and joy. I am always very grateful for what I have after a good yoga practice. That's why I'm going to Joy's class in a little while. In my opinion, there is no better way to start the new year.

Kerry's life is in flux but she will figure it all out this year. She is sending out application to University of Chicago, Colorado State, University of Michigan, Notre Dame and some other schools as well. She is hoping to get accepted to a PHD program somewhere. I'm thinking that someone somewhere will want her. She has so much to offer. She is very passionate about her research and her field. She's got good GRE scores, great letters of recommendation and lots of experience. I think she will be a huge success. I'm not real happy about her moving so far away but she promises that it won't be any different that it is now. She says that she will be more likely to come home because she won't have to make the 5 hour drive anymore. Let's hope so.

I have made 4 resolutions as Richard has asked me to do. They are as follows:
1) Finish yoga teacher training, obtain my certification and teach a class.
2) Stay positive
3) Do some kind of exercise 5-6 times per week
4) Continue to be happy

I think these are doable goals which is important when setting goals. They must be able to be acheived. I have decided to add one more resolution and that is to be more consistant with this blog. On looking back on this blog I realize that it's like a diary. I like having all this info to look back on.

I am looking forward to Tim Tebow's last game as a Gator tonight in the Sugar Bowl. Kerry is coming home from Ft Meyers to watch the game with me. What a fantastic way to start the new year. Yoga class and Gator football with Kerry. Go Gators!!

So that's it for now. I am looking forward to a wonderful 2010. Off to yoga class I go. Namaste!

Burn, Baby, Burn

Leaving my job at Curves may have been the best thing I have ever done for my health. I woke up this morning and I can truthfully say that my heel pain is better than it has been for a very long time. I guess standing up for 4-5 hours a night was not helping my Plantar Fasciitis and Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. I even worked out to Sweatin To The Oldies 4 yesterday without any heel pain. Things are looking up for me and my foot issues. I think I am going to do something I haven't been able to do for months and months which is workout two days in a row. When I finish this post I am going to go inside and crank up Disco Sweat which is one of my all time favorites.

It's amazing how easy it is to stop exercising. Why is that? Excuses come and I embrace them. "Oh, I can't workout today because of my heel pain" or "I can't workout today because I don't have the time" are two of my recent favorite excuses. Why is it so easy to stop doing something that has so many health benefits? You would think that knowing all I know about exercise that I would continue doing it no matter what. But no! I was busy thinking up excuses not to do it. Well, I'm done with that now. No more excuses for me. Hear that Richard?

I am going to take my time getting back to the track. Outside power walking is extremely hard on my heel and I don't want to set it off again but that's no reason to sit on my butt and not workout at all. I have large collection of workout DVDs that will raise my heart rate and make me sweat. I have enough Richard Simmons' DVDs to use a different one every day and that's what I'm going to do.

I used to say that I exercised every day because it gave me a calorie cushion. If I worked out hard for an hour a day I could pretty much (dare I say it?) eat what I wanted within reason and not gain weight. I want that cushion back and not hanging off my butt. I'm going to get back to exercising each day starting with cardio. I actually do yoga almost every day anyway but I need more so I'm cranking up my DVD player until my foot is completely healed (or heeled LOL) and then hopefully get back to the track soon. Maybe I'll go one day next week if I am still feeling good but for now, today, it's Disco Sweat in my living room. Burn, baby, burn.

So I'm back baby and it feels great.

Thank you, Ang

I had a good food and exercise day yesterday. Committing to Ang's summer challenge has really made a difference in my eating habits over the last couple of days. I am eating real healthy meals instead of just grazing all day and I even did a hard toning session yesterday that I am feeling today. I guess that's a good thing. I am planning to do some yoga a little later today. Maybe it will help my mental status which sucks.

I just finished up my healthy breakfast which was an egg cooked with Pam, a piece of whole wheat toast topped with some ICBINBL and a very tasty orange. For me, this is a definite improvment over what I was eating. Now, if I can just keep it up....

Exercise is hard to do. My foot pain is still there and not being helped by having to stand up at Curves. The doctor visit didn't really help much and I'm feeling very down about all of this. Yeah, I know, exercise in a chair. Yeah, I know. The reality is it's not going to happen. If I'm going to exercise I have to enjoy what I do. I loved going to the track and walking but I can't do that now. I loved doing Richard's tapes but I can do that now. Exercising in a chair? I am not feeling the love there. I'll just do the best I can.

Each decision, whether it be about food or exercise, is made taking Ang's challenge in mind. Once again, thanks to Ang for going to all of that trouble and keeping me in line...somewhat.

Wednesday Is The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

Today's exercise will be an hour and a half yoga class and I'm happy about that. Wednesday's class is a ramped up hatha yoga practice. It includes vinyasa flow, more standing postures and sun salutations. It kicks my butt. I need to remember to bring a towel. I know Richard doesn't consider yoga exercise but he has never taken Juliana's Wednesday class. It would kick even his well toned butt.

Here is Juliana on the beach. Hey Richard, let's see you do this!!

Here I am in Downward Facing Dog

This is Pidgeon pose

I know you' ve seen this one before but it is one of my favs. Richard and me in love!!

I have promised Laura that I will behave myself during the holidays where food is concerned. In keeping my promise to my fellow fabbie this morning's breakfast was an egg white scramble with onions and red peppers. It reminded me of the fab breakfasts I get when I am on vacation and staying at the Hotel California aka Chez Laura. The food is outstanding and there is lots of it but I still manage to lose a couple of pounds when I go. So hey, hey, I'm on my way. OK Everyone sing along.....

Busy And Lazy All At The Same Time

Hi Everybody, :)

Yeah, I'm still here. I really don't have any excuses for not posting other than I have been busy and lazy. Ah...now that's interesting. Busy and lazy all at the same time.

Let's see. Busy. OK. Busy with work. Not only have I been working my regular shifts I have also been filling in when needed as well as going around to local businesses and schools to try to spread the word about Curves. You see, there are some health insurance policies that include full payment to come to our facility. We have lots of teachers and Broward County employees that are coming free of charge and we are trying to stir up some interest at these places. We are also trying to make some new contacts around town. Bra stores, tanning salons, nail salons, day spas and any other place that we think the ladies might hang out. New sign ups can sometimes mean more commissions. Note I said sometimes. No, commissions are not paid for the ladies who sign up with insurance. Only non-insurance people are counted for commission payment however we are always trying to increase our membership. The club must make a profit or I won't have a job. Yeah, I 'm busy keeping my job.

I've also been busy with Kerry. She calls me in between classes so she has someone to talk to while she is walking around campus. She calls me 100 times a day. Well, maybe not 100 but many, many times a day. If you count up all the calls we spend hours on the phone every day. She decided to come home last weekend and we had a really wonderful time together. We went shopping! Surprise, surprise. We spent way too much money on a Diane Von Furstenberg Dress that looked so fantastic on Kerry that I just couldn't say no. There's my problem again. Saying no. I don't do it well especially when it comes to the kid. I really don't mind working for a month to pay for Kerry's new dress. LOL. It's all worth it in the end. It's time spent with my only daughter who means everything to me. So, yeah, I'm busy with Kerry.

I'm busy with yoga. I have increased my yoga practice to classes three times a week along with my own private practice which is done a couple of times a week in my living room. I actually have yoga class today and I need to get going. Yeah, I'm busy with yoga.

I'm busy with Pat. We make sure that we spend time together. With him working every day and me working at least three nights a week it can become really easy to come home, say hi, have dinner and go to sleep. We try to make time to pay attention to each other every day. Now, am I the one doing most of the trying? Oh yeah but I don't mind. He's a guy. I get that. I realize that I do most of the "work" in our relationship but we are still very happy and in love even after almost 40 years together. Did I say 40 years? OMG!! Yeah, I'm busy with Pat.

Rigby keeps me busy too. I'm either pulling things out of his mouth, drying off the drool, combing him, feeding him, taking him out, chasing him around or trying to keep him quiet which is a full time job. He's worth the effort though. He is, after all, my son. :)

Now comes the I'm lazy part. On my off days (and if Kerry isn't home) I spend an amazing amount of time sitting in front of my new big screen TV. The Olympics and the US Open tennis match have kept me glued to my TV. Now the college football season has gotten under way. Go Gators! Go Tim Tebow! I gotta tell you, HD is a wonderful thing especially for sports and for Paul too.

I find it really easy to be lazy. I'm not one of those people who have to be doing something. I love being lazy and doing nothing.

So yeah, busy and lazy. That's me. I gotta go. It's time to get ready for yoga. It keeps me busy.

Why do I do these things?

OK. I have decided to get back on track....again. I stepped on the scale this morning and I am one pound away from a weight I haven't seen in a long time. Yes, I knew it as I was doing it. I know that I shouldn't be eating ice cream every night. I know I shouldn't be eating out all the time. I know I shouldn't be eating black and white cookies but I do these things anyway. Why is that, do you suppose? Why is it that even though I know I shouldn't be I am drinking the coffee with the crappy for you and caloric Hazelnut coffee creamer I do it anyway? Why do I do that? Why?

Why is it that I get up in the morning and the first thought I have is "What excuse can I use so I don't have to go to the track and exercise?" Why is that? Once I get there I actually enjoy my powerwalks. I love the music that I listen to (thanks Paul) and I love being outside in nature. I even enjoy being all smelly and sweaty when I am finished. Why would I not want to go? Why would I look for excuses? I even look for excuses to blow off yoga and you all know how much I love yoga. Why would I even think about not going?

Why would I not want to exercise here every day?

I need to exercise every day and eat more healthy food. I need to do these things so that I can bring down my marginally high blood pressure and cholesterol. I need to do these things so that I can fit into my clothes. I need to do these things so that I can be alive to see Kerry graduate medical school and become a doctor. I need to do these things so that I can enjoy my retirement years with Pat. I need to do these things so I can be here for my family and friends when and if they need me. I need to do these things to be happy.

One of my main reasons for stayng on track

So here I go again. Wish me luck.

What should I do today?

Work, work, work. It seems that's all I have been doing lately. I have been working doubles now for two weeks and I'm ready to collapse. I haven't been able to get to the track in the mornings because I have been working. I haven't been able to get to yoga because I have been working. I haven't even been able to see much of Pat because I have been working. Oy Vey!

I finally have a day off today. Yay! OK, now, do I go to the casino or do I go to Juliana's 3 hour workshop? Well, after thinking about it I have decided on the workshop. It's been over 2 weeks since I last practiced yoga and I definitely need it. I also committed to this class a long time ago and it wouldn't seem right to blow it off to do something as shallow as spending my hard earned salary in a money sucking casino. Oh, alright, yeah, I'm shallow. If I hadn't already paid for the workshop I would hit the Isle casino in Pompano Beach.


Looking at the above picture makes me think screw the workshop, go to the casino. LOL! I am going to be strong today and keep my word to Juliana and the cosmic world. I'm sure I'll be happy that I stuck to my yoga guns today.

I also have tomorrow off but if Kerry has her way we will spend the day digging through the sale racks at the Town Center Mall again. This kid never gets tired of shopping. It's too bad there isn't a shopping section on the MCAT or she can't chose shopping as her specialty in med school. We'd all be rich. :)

Actually, thinking about all of this, I got a promotional mailing offering me $10 free slot machine play on Tuesday and I may actually have the morning shift off. Hummm...wait...is the offer at the Isle or is it for the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek?



I get entirely too many gambling mailings. I guess the word is out about me.

Vinyasa Yoga workshop

Yesterday Juliana taught a three hour Vinyasa Yoga workshop at The Yoga Source. Vinyasa Yoga is a form of "flow" yoga where you are in almost constant motion. Each asana flows into the next one. It is definitely a challenging form of yoga not to be done by beginners.

I have been practicing for 10 years so when I asked Juliana if I was ready for this class she said "absolutely". I met up with my yoga friend Ruthie before class started and at 12:30 we were sitting on our mats waiting for the class to begin. I was a little apprehensive knowing that this was going to be a very difficult class.

We started with breath of fire and pranayama which are forms of controlled breathing. It helps to warm you up and also quiet the mind. Once we were all warmed up the "flow" started. We flowed for about two and a half hours doing sun salutations, down dogs, cobras, planks, pigeons, wheels, backbends and all the other poses that were required. I was glad I had brought my towel. I was so sweaty that my hands were slipping all over my mat. It was a hard workout.

Triangle pose

Wheel pose

Downward Facing Dog

We were in the last half hour of the three hour class when we started doing inverted postures. I find inversions very difficult. I have a hard time relaxing in inverted poses but Juliana puts them in every class. She says they help the whole body including the central nervous system. Usually we do plow pose into shoulder stands. In plow pose you roll on your back and put your feet behind your head with your legs as straight as possible. From there you tuck your shoulders under your body, put your hands on your back for support and kick your legs up so that your are balancing on your shoulders with your feet up in the air. Well, yesterday Juliana wanted to kick it up a notch so we started doing forearm stands which led to head stands which led to hand stands and scorpion pose. It's all very involved but suffice it to say it was hard. Really hard. I have done head stands before but forearm stands, hand stands and scorpion pose were new to my practice. I had seen them done before but always thought that they were beyond my abilities. I guess I was wrong because before I knew it there I was standing on my hands with my feet up against the wall. From there I bend my legs and lowered them into scorpion pose. OMG!!

We ended the class with a nice long meditation and chanting session. I was completely whipped. I told Ruthie that I felt like a quivering ball of sweat but I was a very happy quivering ball of sweat. I did things that I never thought I could do. It sure feels good when you can accomplish something that before you could only dream of doing. I guess my yoga practice is a work in progress. I am progressing and that is a good thing.

Back in the saddle again

Lately I have not been going to the track as often as I should. I have used the excuse that I don't have to go because I work at Curves and get a lot of exercise there. While it is true that I work at Curves it is not true that I get that much real aerobic exercise while I am working. Usually, I am standing in the circle and moving but not enough to get my heart rate up and certainly not for the 50-60 minutes that I need to keep my weight under control. I have finally come to the realization that I need to go back to my old exercise habits and go to the track every day or at least 6 days a week. I started back on Wednesday and walked 3-4 miles every day so far.

My favorite place to exercise-"The Track"

I also have to start weight training in my home again. Yep, I stopped doing that too. I always found it easier to stick to my walking regiment than to the weekly weight lifting sessions. I know that yoga definitely helps with toning but it is not a substitute for 3 good, solid, hard, weight training sessions every week and I need to get back to that as well.

So.......I am here to say that I am getting back in the exercise saddle again. I have already started going to the track again and it feels great to be back. My attitude has improved and the scale is already moving in the downward direction albeit very slowly.

My weight training sessions will be starting today. I will be working my shoulders, chest and triceps with free weights while watching the Grey's Anatomy DVDs that the kid bought for me on my birthday. Oh yeah, I am totally addicted to Grey's but that's a subject for another blog. LOL

The cast of Grey's Anatomy

It feels great to be back in the saddle again. I guess I never should have gotten off the horse but we all have to learn our life lessons in our own way. I'll let you know how it goes.

Being sick sucks

I woke up Wednesday morning not feeling well. I was sick enough to call Juliana and cancel my private yoga session. You know that I must have been really sick to do that. She was very understanding considering I gave her less than an hours notice that I was cancelling. I layed around in bed most of the day in hopes that I would feel better the next day.

I woke up yesterday feeling worse than I did on Wednesday. That blew off another yoga practice and once again I spent the whole day in bed. I drank tea, took aspirin for the aches and pains and curled up with Rigby. Once again I was hoping that I would feel better when I woke up today. Well, that didn't happen. I am still feeling pretty crappy. I have a headache, my throat is sore and my nose is clogged and I can't breathe too well. Someone get the Afrin.

The main problem with being sick is that with nothing else to do I find myself with my head in the fridge. You would think that not feeling well I would not have any appetite. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I have yet to be too sick to eat. The last two days have been horrible eating days. I need to get back on track with my food.

Work just called to see if I could come in this morning. Michelle didn't recognize my voice. She thought I was a man. Well, that's not good. Too bad. I could have used the extra hours. I am on the schedule for tonight so I am going to hang out in bed this morning and hope that I am feeling better later on in the day.

Next year I am getting a flu shot. Being sick sucks.

My double yoga days

Yesterday was my very favorite exercise day. It was my double yoga day. First I had my private practice which lasted for an hour. After my private came the group practice which always lasts for about an hour and a half. That makes two and a half hours of yoga. I always look forward to these double days.

Juliana said that we should take some pictures to put here on my blog so I dressed in black and brought my camera. Here are a few of the pictures that we took. I hope you enjoy them.

This is my beautiful and most wise yoga teacher, Juliana

This is the yoga studio complete with the Om on the wall and the gong which is used at the end of the practice during meditation. Feel the vibrations traveling through you.

This asana is called pigeon pose.

Next is a spinal twist.

This is a side angle pose

Here I am doing a downward facing dog.

This is called tree pose.

This is a toughie. It's called wheel pose. Be careful of your back.

This is my favorite picture. It is me doing a full forward bend holding my feet and spreading my toes.

Namaste

I love yoga so much. It always leaves me feeing peaceful, happy and mindful. I hope you will all give it a try. It really is easy to do if you find the best yoga teacher. Oh, you can't. I've got her. LOL

Harmony And Balance In My Living Room

I'm a yoga freak. I love the quiet surroundings and joyfulness that I feel when I finish practicing yoga. This morning I decided to practice in my living room. It's not the same as a private with Juliana at her yoga studio but it's certainly a wonderful thing.

First I lit my Beatles candles. Not only does it give off a beautiful light it allows me to see Paul which is my favorite way to start the day. Then I lit some jasmine incense and turned on a new CD that I bought called "Feng Shui Music For Balanced Living". These things help quiet my mind so that I can focus on my breathing.

After a few minutes of listening and feeling the breath I started my practice of pranayama. This is the practice of controlling the breath. You feel yourself expand with the in breath and release with the out breath. After a few rounds of this you hold the in breath for a few seconds and then add a pause at the end of the out breath. It is really harder than it sounds. It was especially hard when Rigby came over to see what I was doing and started sniffing me and licking my face. That can really mess up someone's mindfulness. Sniff, sniff, sniff, lick, lick, lick.

After the pranayama I started doing the yoga asanas also known as postures. Knees to chest. Sniff, sniff, sniff, Spinal twist. Lick, lick, lick, Fish pose. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Bridge pose. Lick, lick, lick. "Rigby, cut it out"!! "Rigby, go away"!! "RRRiiigggbbbyyy, cut it out!!!

I knew I was in real trouble when it came time in my practice to do downward facing down dog position. In down dog you are in a sort of triangle and in the perfect position to have an upward facing real dog wreck havoc with your yoga practice. See below.




It seemed like the more I pushed him away the more he had to investigate. I realized that there wasn't much I could do to rescue my practice from the whim of my Lhasa Apso . I decided to give him a treat. I did a head stand against the wall. Oh, wow!! That was really cool. Rigby was completely enthralled. He came over to sniff and lick as I was standing with my hands underneath my head and unable to push him away. I laughed and laughed. I think he did too in his own doggie way. I think next time I decide to practice yoga in my living room I'll let my "Sweetpea" out in the back yard.