Wednesday Workout Update

I'm just back from Denton - we spent the last few days helping Sam shop for furniture and a washer and dryer for his new apartment.  What fun to start out with everything fresh and new all at once - I will admit to a bit of envy!  Anyway, it was fun and tiring, especially on Monday, when we shopped for hours and hours at Ikea, followed by some more shopping at other furniture stores (looking for a couch) and then back to Ikea to double-check some things.  We were on our feet all day long, and I have to say that while I was ready to finally sit down, I was not completely beat...and I have to give credit to my overall fitness.  Apparently being fairly active on a regular basis DOES help when the really busy days crop up - a few years ago, I would have been in physical pain after just one day like we had, not to mention I wouldn't have lasted shopping all day like I did.  So here's another hurray for lifestyle changes!

On with the update, because I know Helen will be sad if I don't talk about my fun workouts. :)

I've been swimming 3 days a week, although next week I think I'll be in town all week so I should be able to make it 4 days.  Keep in mind this is Shelley Swimming™ which is a special version...no standard laps for me, lol!  I try to do 1000 meters, which I break down to four laps of each (the pool is 25 meters long):

1. kickboard
2. sidestroke
3. kickboard
4. walk/jogging the length of the pool
5. backstroke
6. kickboard
7. more walk/jogging
8. sidestroke
9. backstroke
10. kickboard

I also pretend to ride the redumbent bike underwater for at least two intervals of five minutes (it's actually not so dumb when it's underwater).  I have to tell you, while I knew that my legs would feel the swimming, I had no idea that my arms and shoulders would get such a workout, especially now that I'm wearing my fitness gloves.  I may just end up with some decent shape to my arms yet!

As you know, I tried yoga while I was in California, and I liked it.  Last Thursday Joni and I went to a yoga class at the gym - it was fun.  The stretching felt really good, and then we did the traditional yoga poses, which are intense!  I was shaking while doing a couple of them.  The class was pretty small - I think there were about eight of us in there, so the instructor was able to give Joni and I extra attention in working with our form.  It's amazing how limber some of the women in the class are - and hard to fathom that someday we might be like them.  I'm planning on making at least one yoga class each week; possibly more, depending on my schedule.  There is one that meets at 8:30 p.m., and I am tempted to try it because I have a feeling I'd sleep really well after that!  Oh, and I'm sure you will not be surprised at all to know that I bought a yoga outfit. What???  I had to! ;)

The last part of my workout has been walking - not a lot, because my orthopedist really recommended against it, but when I'm in town, I like to go to the Saturday runs with my running club and walk half the distance that they are scheduled to run - that way I finish around the time most of the runners are starting to come in, and really, how bad can a couple of miles of walking be for my ankle?

So that's it - swimming, yoga and walking.  If you would have told me a year ago that this would be my workout, I would have fallen off my chair laughing.  What, what and WHAT???  No way!  Well, way, apparently. I dare not EVEN predict the future of my workouts.