You can almost HEAR all the cracks and pops as I move slowly and carefully through my yoga poses. I have to move carefully because AGAIN I’ve been lazy and using excuses, rather than practicing, so I’m stiff and sore.
I’ve been doing the practice daily again for about 4 days now. I’m feeling a bit better, but I still have to MINDFULLY get myself into the living room and get my mat each afternoon.
Yesterday my dog, Amber (yellow lab) and cat, Abby, BOTH joined me when I got down on the floor. My husband finally started to laugh and then encouraged the animals to give me a break, rather than keep trying to lie down beside or ON me.
I’ve lost a lot of ground with all the excuses, so I’m trying to be patient with myself and just keep breathing into the stretches, waiting for my body to finally ‘give’ a bit in the right direction.
She and I are trying to encourage each other in our efforts to lose the lard and exercise.
She has lost a pound or two already recently and purchased a peddler that she can use several times a day, rain or shine, to try to build muscle and stamina. Huge kudos!
I, on the other hand, am a dismal failure. I do pretty well, and then my husband, trying to be nice, brings me a dish of ice cream with chocolate syrup. Or, failing that excuse, I decide I’m starving to death mid afternoon and have some pretzels, even after drinking a bottle of water first and waiting to try to curb my hunger. I’ve also been using my meager yard work as a substitute for my yoga practice. Bah. Humbug.
I’m trying to do one day at a time – even one morning at a time. I’ll try to get my act together VERY SOON – if not TODAY…
Running out of excuses for not doing my yoga sessions lately, I did a session of careful stretches yesterday, trying to straighten out, stretch, relax into old lady poses, and generally give myself a chance to heal.
Why I need to convince myself from time to time that it really HELPS me to do this practice remains a mystery. General laziness, I guess.
I had been feeling creaky, sore, stiff, etc. from yard work, helping my husband change the tires on our truck and more, and I was basically doing the minimum movement needed.
Being dumb is not something I cultivate, so now that I’ve proven it to myself once again, I’ll try to do at least half an hour daily, no matter what else I’m doing.
A shout-out this morning to my good friend Marsha.
She lives across the country from me, but in my heart all the time.
We are helping each other be the healthiest we can be by each motivating the other to exercise every day.
She is walking to the post office daily and also using a new pedaler in her home so she doesn’t have to depend on the weather being good.
I am doing yoga practice daily and then ‘something else,’ including, but not limited to, at least one of the following –
elliptical trainer in the garage
online walking and/or weights videos
yard work
walking around the yard
We KNOW that exercise is good for us, but each of us is a master at making excuses for NOT doing it. We care about each other, though, and are now comparing notes daily.
If we have done what we promised each other (and ourselves) we would do, we put a star on our calendar. If not, we tell them we love them and encourage them to do better the next day.
Yesterday we both got a star! We’ll try to do it again today. :0)
It’s freezing right now, but it’s sunny, and supposed to get to 51 this afternoon, so I have no complaints. It’s also “Lunch Bunch Day,” a chance to visit with my good friends. Kay called, and she’s feeling better, and thought last night that she would be there today. I haven’t heard from anyone else, so I’m hoping we’ll have a full contingent. It’s been 3 weeks since we enjoyed seeing each other.
I’m also planning to do my walking video and do my yoga this afternoon. I’ve stuttered on doing them every day since my arm was hurting, but now, since it’s getting better slowly, I’m going to try to do them daily. Lynn, my wonderful friend/massage therapist and I bonded even more yesterday when we told each other that we resented the fact we weren’t flooded with endorphins and balloons when we exercised, the way some people are. They say, “OOH, I feel so GOOD after I exercise!” Well, WE say, “Bah. Humbug” to that. We just pat ourselves on the head for doing what we know is good for us and go on. I was SO pleased to find someone else who felt the same. I really thought I was the only one. :0)
I KNOW this, and yet, seeing this in writing really caught my attention. Since I’m a ‘sparkly-stars-on-my-desk-calendar’ type of gal, I DO tend to feel like a failure and lose momentum when I ‘mess up.’ It takes me a bit to get going again.
I also have to admit that I have been TRYING to change my thinking for a long time. If I had a gravestone, I guess it would be the truth if it said, “All or nothing.” My house is either ready for House Beautiful to come photograph it for their magazine, or looks like an explosion (or six) has occurred. I’ve either cleared out my garden and covered it neatly or it’s completely overflowing with weeds. I’m either eating exactly what I ‘should’ or have gone off the rails and am enjoying a bacon cheeseburger. I’m still on my ‘first husband’ after almost 54 years. Do you see a pattern here? :0)
A resolution I’m trying to keep this year is giving myself a break. Not only realizing that I’m not perfect, but ALSO realizing that it’s what I do MOST of the time that will make the difference I want. If I mess up, or I’m not feeling well, no one else CARES whether I did my yoga for the day, or ate more comfort food than I should have. What MATTERS is that each meal is a chance to eat in a healthy manner. Each day is an opportunity to be good to my body, giving it what it NEEDS, rather than what my mind might be craving at the time. Each day is an opportunity to keep my body moving, making my future full of what I would like to do, rather than only what I CAN do, given my limitations.
I’m patting myself – and my husband – on our heads right now. THAT -while typing this – is quite a feat! :0)
Because my husband found a new MP3 player and loaded some of my favorite music on it for me last night, allowing me to charge it overnight and have it ready for my elliptical trainer session today, I just finished 30 minutes of good exercise.
It had been quite awhile since I had been on the elliptical regularly, and the last two sessions I had to do it in complete silence, except for a squeak on my machine, making it just awful time. It seemed as if I had been on there forever, and it had only been a few minutes when I gave up each time. Just too boring and tedious. This old broad doesn’t need many excuses not to exercise…
So today, listening to songs I hadn’t heard for quite awhile playing on my MP3 player I had clipped to my shirt, was truly a pleasure. Doing my elliptical practice with my eyes shut, keeping time to the music, felt good almost all the way to the end. (Remember, I’m NOT an exercise nut and it had been quite awhile since I had done any real time on the machine.) I started peaking at the timer between the last three songs and then breathed a sigh of relief when I finished.
I thanked my husband again and put a sparkly gold star on my desk calendar. I giving myself one for the ellliptical trainer session or the warm-up and weights videos I’m doing in the mornings on alternate days, and a second star, this one silver sparkly, for my yoga session in the afternoons. Any other exercise I manage will be gravy.
MyFitnessPal.com is helping me get through the holidays and not cause the scales to simply give up on me, though they ARE definitely smirking.
I really like this site because they do a lot to make it easy to keep track of what you’re eating. I particularly like their extensive data base of what others have added so it’s usually quick to find and list it. If you’re making a home made thing that is not on the list, you can add the ingredients once and then save it so you can easily add it again by name and others can use it, too.
Exercise can also be added, plus how many glasses of water you’re drinking, plus note about eating or exercise. I keep the tab open on my computer so that I can add things during the day, or plan what I’m eating and then modify, if needed, BEFORE I make a mistake.
The scales and the app are both doing THEIR part – I just need to do mine…
I just came in from 1-1/2 hours in the front yard leaf blowing. And that, apparently, is just the first pass. (The lady is this picture is PLAYING compared to what I’ve been doing.) Since the wind was blowing and I’m not stupid, I blew in the same direction as the wind. I was still getting blow-back and swirling, so I just decided to try to get rid of the big PILES of leaves, particularly on the steps around our front porch.
By the time I got to a reasonable stopping point, I was thoroughly pooped. Unless my husband ASKS, I’m not going to bother telling him what I’ve been doing. To an untrained eye, he might not be able to TELL how many billions of leaves I blew off the civilized part of our front yard. The wind is such that it now looks like we have a “lot of leaves in the front yard,” and I would get angry if my slaving away couldn’t be noticed with at LEAST a WOW!”
This morning we got two days of mail from the mailbox at the bottom of our driveway. On the way down, I told my husband about my idea of lopping off some encroaching branches each time we came up. We found an area pretty close to the bottom of the driveway that needed work, so started there. It will also make it easier for us to see if traffic is coming down the road now. We attacked one more area on the way up and then called it a day. I think, if we do that each time we drive up, we’ll have the driveway under reasonable control by the time we’re facing ice and snow. (The evergreens are awful about grabbing every snowflake or ice pellet that falls, and then drooping down into the driveway and finally making it impassable unless we’re proactive.)
So, with the lopping and hauling of branches this morning and then the leaf blowing I just finished, this old lady has been ‘movin’ it’ today. AND, as soon as I rest a bit more, I’ll try to do a good session of yoga.
I’ve been a really ‘good girl’ lately. I gave up added salt. I’ve been eating healthy meals. I have not been eating between meals. I’ve been drinking water. I’ve been working in the yard and doing daily yoga sessions. I’ve started doing the plank pose. And are my scales impressed? THEY ARE NOT!
It’s been two weeks now, and one would THINK that the scales would at least wave a little in encouragement, but NOOOOO. Bah. Humbug.
I’m TRYING to be an adult about this, telling myself that it will take awhile for the scales to show anything. It will probably be a month or so before the measuring tape gives me any encouragement. I tell myself that changes take time, to give myself a break, to concentrate on other things. Do I listen? NOOOOO. :0(
How fast time seems to go by definitely depends on what you’re doing. 20 seconds if you have your finger on something hot would seem an eternity. 20 seconds for a kiss is just really getting your attention and response. :0)
20 seconds holding the plank position for some would seem that they have just really gotten into position and that they’re concentrating on their good position and trying to relax into it a bit. For ME, 20 seconds in the position is absolutely all I can do at this point.
I can tell I really need to do this position in my daily yoga practice (DAY 117 today) because it is so difficult for me. I get into position and start trembling immediately. I start counting in my head, trying to make sure my body is straight. Maybe I could do a few more seconds if I were wearing shoes, but it seems like a silly thing to stop and do in the middle of my practice.
I’m hoping that if I just do the best I can each day, eventually my core muscles will strengthen. If my core muscles get stronger, my flexibility and balance and posture will improve, and that’s more and more important since I’m definitely getting long-in-the-tooth now. I’ve read about ladies in their 90s doing yoga, and they are my role models.
So far, I’m more able to WALK a plank rather than hold this position.
“The plank strengthens your spine, your rhomboids and trapezius, and your abdominal muscles, which naturally result in a strong posture as they grow in strength. Developing your posture can improve on a number of ailments, and prevent the onset of other ones. Good posture means you’re keeping your bones aligned.”
“Planks are perfect for burning belly fatbecause they engage multiple muscles at once, boosting the metabolic rate and benefiting core strength. All in all, a plank is an excellent choice to stimulate the whole body.“
What I’m HOPING at this point is that holding the position for ANY amount of time works to strengthen my core. The second I get into this position, my whole body starts to tremble, moving to shaking before I have to stop. (AND, the most embarrassing part is that all this happens within 15 seconds.)
The only good thing I can say about my efforts is that the 15 seconds is up from the 10 seconds I started with. I will continue trying this every day, HOPING that my poor pathetic muscles will get stronger in time. I’ll compare it in my head with the fact that when I started yoga, the hardest part of everything was getting down on the floor and back up again! It also took several months for me to be able to bend over and touch my toes. This is a strength issue – rather than a flexibility issue – though, so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m not getting any younger, though, so the time to be doing this is NOW.
Now that my practice is becoming a routine part of my afternoons, I’m trying to add to it a bit. Recently I added the cobra pose (above), and another that I call, “The Basket” where I’m on my back with my feet up in the air. I hold onto my legs with my knees bent, then hold my ankles and try to hold it. I’m doing a pose called, “Downward Dog,” where I’m on my stomach, then push up to an inverted “V” and hold it, trying to push my heels down toward the floor.
I’ve added some abdomen exercises – one where I’m on my back. my arms are on the floor stretched out behind my head while I do a modified bicycle motion with my legs for as long as my back doesn’t hurt. The other is where I’m again on my back, arms beside me, legs bent. I push the middle of my body up using my legs and abdomen, kind of like a push up, pushing my abdomen up as high as possible and then letting it back down again as many times as I can.
When I was at Lunch Bunch recently, my friend Patty (Linda’s daughter) was talking about her exercise. She looks GREAT, so I was eagerly listening. She said the biggest thing she did three times a week was THE PLANK. She said she held the position for 4 MINUTES! My mouth dropped open. That’s impossible.
lifestyle.livemint.com
I’m now doing two versions of this – one with my arms like those above, but knees down (that’s the easiest form of it you can do), and then a second version, as you see above. Remember, I’m old, so I hold the positions as long as I can, but it’s laughable. I can hold the version with the knees down for about 1 minute. The position above I can hold 12 SECONDS. I KNOW, but at least I’m TRYING – every day. Also remember, I’M the lady who used to congratulate myself for getting down on the floor, AND back up again!
As I look back to when I first started my old lady yoga stretches, trying to build a ‘habit,’ I see several improvements –
When I started, I –
Had trouble getting on the floor on the mat
had to wait a full minute or so for lying on my back to quit hurting
could not put my arms behind me over my head
could not bring my knees up high enough to grab them
could not even THINK about touching my toes
could not lift the front of my body up on my arms while lying on my stomach
had trouble balancing while on hands and knees for any stretching
Et cetera,. Et cetera, Et cetera. (Like Yul Brenner in “The King and I.”
I’m still old – even older now, but I have made a lot of progress. Each day I feel I’m a bit looser than I was the previous practice. It’s not a miracle, but it makes me feel better – more flexible, with less pain, able to balance much better. Some of my muscles are getting stronger. It has started to offset any overdoing I do in other things, bringing me back to being able to relax.
Daily yoga is not a habit – yet. I seem to be one of the harder nuts to crack about how long it takes to make something a habit. But I’m definitely seeing a difference and determined to keep going.
Today is DAY 82 of my efforts to make a habit of doing a daily session of yoga.
I will need to be particularly mindful in my practice today because I have pain on the right side of my back in particular today. I think I hurt myself yesterday evening trying to get the empty new trashcan in the bed of the truck by myself at the bottom of the driveway. My husband and I had a ‘discussion’ about it on the way back up the driveway. He agreed – since he doesn’t want to leave the new can at the bottom of the driveway – that he will get out and help me get the can in and out of the truck.
I discovered that the addition of another small pillow allows me to stretch the stiff part of my back safely. I actually felt better – much looser – after my practice yesterday.
My practice lasts from 30 to 45 minutes these days, depending on how I feel. Each stretch is still uncomfortable at first, but my body is beginning to actually look forward to the stretches, relaxing into the poses more quickly, as I feel so much better afterwards. :0)
The time to fully relax, taking as much time as I want, is a good time for me. I’m calm and happy when I finish.
Today is DAY 60 of my “trying-to-practice-yoga-every-day-no-matter-what” project. I LIKE round numbers (except when we’re talking about age), so today is a good day.
“What is the 21/90™ rule? Basically, we believe that it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to make it part of your lifestyle. After you complete the 90 days, the habit will be as much a part of your daily lifestyle as brushing your teeth.“
___________________
“It can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.”
___________________
I’m not sure which of these is right. Maybe it just boils down to determination. Whatever it is, yoga is becoming a priority around which I plan my afternoons. I’m still delighted to put a sparkly star on my desk calendar after I do my daily practice, so I haven’t ‘matured’ much, but it DOES motivate me, and gives me a small pat on the head for doing what I ought to be doing anyway.
I’ve added 4 new poses to my basic routine lately. One is called, “The Cobra,” and another is called, “The Boat,”. I’m not sure what the others are called. They are still quite difficult, but they’re good for me. Slowly but surely I’m becoming a little less stiff, a bit more flexible.
I simply melted into a puddle when I saw this photo. What a sweetie! I want to cuddle him.
We’re going to shop for supplies today, hoping that when we go down to the bottom of the driveway, our trash is gone and we don’t have to re-gather strewn trash all over. Time will tell.
Cheezburger
Today is DAY 55 of my daily yoga practice. Yesterday my husband remarked that he was “proud of me” for keeping up with the daily yoga. That’s the equivalent of an Olympic medal around here, so I’m feeling really good. :0) The stretching is helping me feel better – more energetic.
I spent much of the day yesterday bouncing back and forth between listening to music on my computer and reading. Lazy, wonderful afternoon after the morning’s yardwork.
My dog, Amber, doesn’t ‘yog’ with me, but she snuffles and nuzzles me each time I start my practice now, getting as close to me as possible, turning over on her back with her feet in the air, cavorting around, biting one foot, thoroughly delighting in yet another chance to be loved, make me laugh – and possibly get another cookie.
I can’t say I’ve built a ‘habit’ of daily yoga practice yet, but I’m definitely automatically making time for my practice each afternoon, choosing my yoga over other activities if I’m running short of time. If my husband is in his chair, I automatically bring him a throw as I flip the switch that starts the ceiling fan, turning it off when I finish.
Boat Pose
Yesterday I added another pose to my practice. It’s another pose that focuses on the core – or abdomen – specifically, called, “The Boat.” There are some other poses in that article that I’ll add as I go, but one new one at a time is enough for now.
I’m hoping that my daily practice will allow me to move as freely as possible, with as much flexibility and balance as I can without a lot of pain as I age. I would like to increase my stamina. Since I hope to live a lot longer, this is a really important goal for me. I want to be able to do what I’d like for as long as I can, enjoying freedom without a lot of fear of falling or breaking bones.
I’ve improved a lot on my stretching since I started my goal of daily practice 50 days ago today. I haven’t gotten any younger, but I’m able to stretch farther in each of the poses and hold the poses longer now, or do more repetitions. I’m able to do my ‘normal practice’ plus now look for a bit more to add. Good progress.
Good morning! I wish I were with this seal, enjoying the ocean. Did you wave back?
YARD – I’m about to go outside and finish the weed whacking I started yesterday. My husband mowed yesterday, so when I finish, it will look like someone cares around here again. It’s actually cool right now, at 76 degrees F., so it shouldn’t be bad to work.
Blue Bird Corporation
SCHOOL – School starts here in Greenwood tomorrow morning. There is one main road between our home and the larger road that goes to town, and having two schools on this road has been a real problem. It’s not so much the school buses, but what my husband calls, “the mommy traffic.” The moms come to pick up their kids from school and they quickly clog up the school driveway in front of the schools. Then they think nothing of spilling out onto the road and blocking through traffic.
The biggest problem, other than being really annoying, is that emergency vehicles are unable to get through, so if you have a fire, need the police, an ambulance, etc. you’re out of luck. I wrote a very careful email to the administration last year, pointing this out, and asking if more parking could be set up for the moms off the road so that the stalled cars didn’t put the community at risk.
A kind lady wrote me, saying they were discussing staggering the start and stop times at the schools, hopefully improving the problem. We still avoid leaving the house either before school starts or when it is due to let out, but we haven’t been caught in the traffic since.
Robert Henri-art by Dori Patrick
ART ROOM – Once or twice a day I go up to my art room to add another layer to the Christmas cards I’m painting for my friend to send out this year. They’re starting to come together, and I do a lot of grinning because each part is so much FUN. For awhile I can put everything that is bothering me aside, concentrating on colors, design, sparkles, and more. Such a beautiful break from ‘the world that is too much with us.’ (I guess my middle name should be ‘Ostrich,’ I spend so much time escaping.)
BoredPanda.com
DAY 30 – Today is day 30 of my daily yoga practice – an effort to make my yoga sessions ‘habit.’ Lately I’ve had to make choices as to whether to do my practice or not because inadvertently, I run out of afternoon time. I’ve made the choice to ‘YOG’ as my husband calls it, so I’m keeping my priorities straight.
Today will be DAY 26 in my efforts to make practicing yoga daily a HABIT/ROUTINE/REGIMEN, rather than merely something I “should’ do.
I managed to do my practices this week in spite of being under the weather. I did a somewhat abbreviated version, not doing as many repetitions as I do when I’m feeling well, but I did the whole routine and felt better for it.
I’m starting to believe that I can actually get to the point where I don’t even THINK about making time for it – I just DO it.
Slow start to the day today. I got up before my husband, did our morning stuff, and he came walking blearily into the office to say “Hi” a few minutes ago. I slept well, but I’m not feeling like chasing any tigers this morning.
Awesomelycute
I’m happy all the way down to my toes because my husband again told me last night that he is proud of my yoga efforts. (Today is DAY 23. )
“What’s the 21 90 rule?“ (On forming a new habit)
“The rule is simple enough. Commit to a personal or professional goal for 21 straight days. After three weeks, the pursuit of that goal should have become a habit. Once you’ve established that habit, you continue to do it for another ninety days.” – if this is true, my yoga should be a ‘habit’ by now and I’m into ‘doing it for another 90 days.’ :0)
Austin Children’s Academy
I dreamed about a couple of tweaks to the Christmas cards last night. Otherwise, I left them flattening yesterday. I should be able to finish them today. Then I’ll work on cleaning up the art room to clear the decks for whatever comes next.
I told you recently that I’m really trying to turn my focus to losing some of my lard, now that the Mediterranean style of eating is agreeing with my digestive system and my thyroid medication is finally working again after some unfortunate meds interaction.
Unfortunately, my appetite would kill a horse. It’s too late to ‘complain,’ now that I’m older than dirt, but when the “you’re full” signals got passed out, they skipped me. I can eat a full meal, and eat another one an hour later, or snack to the point that a pig would put out his paw and say, “No more!” I have had this problem ever since I started getting pregnant a hundred years or so ago. My signal left, never to return.
My SIL suggested that I do something that has helped her on snacking. She puts her snack for the day into a small container. When she’s hungry, she takes out the container and eats what’s in it. Sounds simple, doesn’t it. I hope it will help ME, too.
My exercise program actually makes my appetite problem WORSE, if possible. The other thing I’m trying to do is be content with eating some cottage cheese mid afternoon (or after my yoga practice) along with a big bottle of water.
Otherwise, I will just strive to keep my mouth shut.
I say, “Wonderful Wednesday” because I’m leaving in less than an hour to get a haircut. I look like a dandelion gone to seed right now and saying that I can’t wait to be ‘healed’ is a vast understatement.
It’s going to be hot today (102 degrees F.) with unknown heat index – SURPRISE! – but we might get RAIN tomorrow, so I have hope.
I’m looking forward to playing in my art room this afternoon. The jury is still out on whether the cards I’m trying to paint will be ‘keepers’ or not, but I’m having a great time experimenting with different ideas and techniques. One of the reasons I start making presents and cards for Christmas so early is that what I’m ABLE to do doesn’t match what I would LIKE to do, and so several false starts are inevitably involved.
Our tomatoes are mostly gone now. I have a few that may ripen, so I check the plants every few days for treasure. I will soon pull up the sweet red onions from the garden to start them drying.
I’m on DAY 19 of my yoga. I’m determined to keep on keepin’ on until this practice becomes as ingrained as brushing my teeth in the morning. This practice, I think, is one of the keys to my health, my ability to do what I want without a lot of pain. I want to live a long time so I can continue to annoy my husband. (53 years and counting…)
I hope you have something fun planned for today, or if not – you have a pleasant, happy Wednesday.
I’m getting into the practice of adding more veggies and fruits to our diet, eating in a more Mediterranean fashion, and my husband and I are feeling better for it.
I’m on DAY 18 of my daily yoga practice, having increased the length of my practice from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, adding a few more poses and some abdominal exercises. I’m trying to build a HABIT/ROUTINE/REGIMEN where I just DO it, rather than having to talk myself into it, shame myself into it, etc. I AM noticing some differences, so that’s encouraging.
I’m ready to focus on losing the lard again, after putting some health issues behind me.
My starting point is
26.8 pounds down from my heaviest
24.15 inches down from my largest
I’m going to focus on 5 pound increments on the weight loss, and plan to measure again at the beginning of September.
I’m gradually deciding that I’m going to concentrate on ‘eating healthy’ rather than ‘losing weight.’
We’ve been feeling better – and our systems are working better – since I started adding more fruit and veggies to our diet – while watching my husband’s blood sugar readings carefully. As long as his numbers look good, and he’s feeling good, I’ve decided I’m not going to worry about anything else.
Technically, since he’s a Type II diabetic, he’s supposed to avoid all sugar, including fruit. I’ve just decided to change from ‘low carb’ to a more Mediterranean style of eating, although it’s my own form, since I’m having trouble finding recipes that he will eat. He looks at me in horror when I mention most veggies, and does things like stop me when I’m serving veggies at dinner. He DOES agree that he’s feeling better since I’m concentrating on serving him more veggies. As long as his numbers are good, I’m serving fruit, too.
As far as my dieting goes, I’m trying to either not eat at all between meals, or be very careful what I’m snacking on, watch my portions at meal times, and exercise.
I love having a ‘colorful’ plate of food. It lifts my spirits. Hopefully, all this will come together to give us the results we would like. :0)
Today I will earn sparkly star # 12 in my efforts to build a habit/regimen/routine of doing a session of yoga every day. My husband noticed yesterday I’ve added straight leg and bent leg crunches and a thing I don’t have a name for, where you’re on your back with your knees bent, arms on the floor beside you. You lift up your torso, so only your shoulders and feet are on the floor, then come back down over and over. I’ve built up to 12 repetitions so far. I’m also doing a ‘bicycle’ (I think it’s called) exercise. I’m trying to build up my core doing both more regular exercises plus the yoga stretches.
The main thing so far is that I feel a lot ‘looser’ when I finish. I’m trying to drink a big glass of water after my practice as part of my exercise.
Gradually, Amber (our 90 lb yellow lab) and Abby (our cat) are accepting that I will be on the mat in the middle of the living room floor on (hopefully) a daily basis and that their ‘help’ is not required. Both of them thought I wanted to play when I first started and dive-bombed me. Then they wanted to nuzzle. Now both come over to check on me, seem to be happy with a quick pat and kiss, and then Amber gets on her bed (unless the cat takes up residence first) and Abby goes to sit on the arm of my husband’s recliner.
Doing my practice mid to late afternoon is good for me. If I’ve been working in the yard or doing heavy cleaning in the house, I get sore and stiff. The yoga is a good way to undo the tight, protesting muscles I’ve tied in knots during the day. Drinking water and then resting gets me ready for a nice evening.
I just earned my 11th sparkly star in a row for my desk calendar, doing my yoga session.
I still have to talk myself into actually doing my daily sessions, but once I’m on the mat stretching, it feels better when I stop. (By that I mean, it still is uncomfortable doing the stretching, since I’m stiff and sore, but once the session is finished, I feel looser and better than I did when I started.)
I’m making fewer excuses each day for why it wouldn’t matter if I skipped one session. I just get down on the floor and DO it.
I’m still quite motivated – like I was at school a hundred years ago – by sparkly stars. The ones I have now, that I ordered online, are even prettier than the ones I worked so hard for in school. These are silver sparkly or gold sparkly stars. Now that I have 11 in a row, I don’t want to break my record…. :0)
Even if I never actually build it into a habit, something I NEED to do, the fact that something is working to get this old lady to fold herself into a paper airplane is the important thing.
I’m TRYING to form a new habit of doing a yoga session every day. My body has informed me that I NEED to do this or I stiffen up and get and stay sore. Even with that ‘proof,’ I find myself making excuses.
Today is DAY 5 of doing my renewed daily practice. I just looked up forming a habit. I’ve found – “It can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” This sounds intimidating, so I’ll just do it one day at a time – giving myself one sparkly star on my desk calendar each day, and see what happens.
Lucia Hefferman
My husband is trying to be supportive, though he was under his throw in his recliner, drinking a sugar-free soda, eating an oatmeal-raisin cookie and had a bag of Fritos to dive into next, while watching me.
I’m pouring over the Big Yoga book by Meera Patricia Kerr, finding several poses I’m trying to add to the practice. It takes me awhile to absorb a pose if it has several parts, so progress there is slow.
Lucia Hefferman
I’m proud of myself that I finished my practice well before our bug spraying man is due here today. :0)
I FINALLY got off my duff and did a good, long yoga session – including some of my new poses from Big Yoga by Meera Patricia Kerr yesterday afternoon. I put a nice, sparkly star on my desk calendar to commemorate ‘the occasion,’ hoping that will motivate me to do it again TODAY.
Giphy
This amazing lady is NOT me, but I love her ability plus the ‘family’ nature of her exercise. :0)
I felt a lot better when I finished my practice AND I noticed later on in the evening I wasn’t feeling so creaky when getting out of my recliner.
May the star yesterday be the start of a whole calendar FILLED with them!
I downloaded this to my new Kindle this morning and have been pouring over it while I made a new system disc and new data backup disc for my computer.
This appeals to me because of the limit on ingredients and inferred simplicity of the recipes, particularly since I’m just trying to get started.
So far, I’ve started a notebook of generalities about the Mediterranean eating plan. It may very well be that I just collect recipes here and there and end up with a new lifestyle using their suggestions for healthy eating, but not-so-much their actual recipes.
My main concentrations are on
including LOTS more veggies,
some fruit – but mainly as a ‘dessert’ or substitute for sweet things,
a LOT less meat, (little red meat. Chicken and turkey are okay)
more fish, (twice a week)
more whole grains,
more nuts and seeds.
beans
less dairy (twice a week, rather than every day)
I’m a bit worried about the fruit. I love it, but it contains a lot of sugar – something we’re trying to avoid. We’ll see how our numbers do.
Of COURSE they want us to drink more water and exercise.
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