Boot camp didn't kill me, so I knew personal training wouldn't either. But the question that always nagged me before each session: can I do what Denise instructs me to? What if I can't - does that make me a wimp? Every Saturday morning and Monday evening for the last four weeks, I've had a sense of dread as I headed to the gym, which was accompanied by a feeling of excitement and challenge.
Each of the 8 sessions with Denise were great. Some of the elements were the same each time, but there were always new, exciting (if you can call it exciting!) and more challenging exercises designed to push me a little further. There was always 'the dreaded wall sit' and stretching and treadmill time. I graduated from butt crunches to doing a bridge with one leg crossed over the other (graduated was Denise's spin on it); I had to do about a million squats while holding some hand weights; increased the hand weights to 8 and 10 pounds on some things; did some weight training for my legs on some machines; and increased the number of ab crunches (for lack of a better name) I'm able to do at one time. The final move last night at the end of our session was for me to lean back, hold a ball out in front of me, and turn the ball from side to side while in that position. Now there's the victory - I could barely do just the crunch move 10 times at the beginning and now I can hold it and turn from side to side! Who would have guessed....
Denise was so great during this session. Not only is she extremely knowledgeable about diet, exercise and all things healthy, she is funny, upbeat, encouraging and understanding. She knew how to push me to do one more set or try one more pound or make me hold it for another minute without making it seem like it was torture. We laughed a lot while I was sweating like a maniac, which made me not think about how hard it was to do what I was doing. She also helped me find my own courage to continue to work hard even when I didn't feel like I was getting any results. When the podiatrist grounded me last week from the treadmill and pool and I was ready to throw in the towel, Denise reminded me that at least I showed up for our session, which meant that down deep inside I really didn't want to throw in the towel, and that we'd find a way to work around my ankle problem. And we did!
So, now that it's over, I feel a sense of accomplishment and can see some improvement in my overall being. I don't jiggle and wiggle in certain places like I used to. I can tackle at least 15 minutes of cardio, be it the treadmill or bike, and can probably do more if I set my mind down to it. I can do the wall sit for at least 2 minutes. And I LIKE exercise.
Bring on Boot Camp Session 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
Until next time,
Kel
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Seeing a Difference...
Personal Training - two words I never thought would be a part of my vocabulary. But, after boot camp was over, I decided that maybe I should give it a try. After all, boot camp didn't kill me and I really liked Denise's training style and personality, so why the heck not? I 'bought' 8 personal training sessions with her.
We started our sessions on July 5. The first one wasn't so bad. We spent about 20 minutes talking about my health, what I expected from the sessions, things that I eat - basically just so she could get to know me a little better. The the workout began. 10 minute warmup on the tread mill, followed by various kinds of exercises from ankle circles to the dreaded wall sit to tricep work. I was tired after that first workout, but glad to know that I could make it through.
We've met every Saturday and Monday now for 3 weeks. Tonight will be session number 6. In just this short time, I'm proud to say that I've increased my treadmill time from 10 to 15 minutes and my speed is up from 2.4 to 2.6. And while the scale hasn't moved much (as of this morning I'm down 8 pounds, but let's keep that to ourselves!), I'm noticing changes in the way my body looks and feels.
As I was blow-drying my hair Friday morning, I got to looking at my upper arms. Hmmm, they're still kinda big and need to slim down some, but wait! The jiggle doesn't wiggle as much as it used to! I felt my arm and whoa - it's really tight! Yay for my arms and those weights I've been using - I've moved up from 5 pounds to 8 pounds during my workouts and I guess it's paying off! And earlier in the week, I had to move some equipment from one office to another, usually a daunting task for me becuase the equipment feels heavy and my back hurts and I huff and puff after it's done. Nope. Not this time. Picked up the equipment with ease, moved it, re-installed it, moved some other stuff around and no pain or huffing and puffing. Wow. Who would have guessed.
I've still got a long way to go, but I'm happy with my progress so far. I feel stronger and tighter and my clothes are fitting way better than they used to. That Denise sure knows how to whip a girl into shape and I'm happy that she's whipping me into shape!
There are only 3 more sessions with her, but when this session is over, it'll be less than a week until Boot Camp starts again. And, much to the disbelief of my friends, I was the first one to sign up. Hah! Take that, non-believers....
Wonders never cease.
Until next time,
Kel,
We started our sessions on July 5. The first one wasn't so bad. We spent about 20 minutes talking about my health, what I expected from the sessions, things that I eat - basically just so she could get to know me a little better. The the workout began. 10 minute warmup on the tread mill, followed by various kinds of exercises from ankle circles to the dreaded wall sit to tricep work. I was tired after that first workout, but glad to know that I could make it through.
We've met every Saturday and Monday now for 3 weeks. Tonight will be session number 6. In just this short time, I'm proud to say that I've increased my treadmill time from 10 to 15 minutes and my speed is up from 2.4 to 2.6. And while the scale hasn't moved much (as of this morning I'm down 8 pounds, but let's keep that to ourselves!), I'm noticing changes in the way my body looks and feels.
As I was blow-drying my hair Friday morning, I got to looking at my upper arms. Hmmm, they're still kinda big and need to slim down some, but wait! The jiggle doesn't wiggle as much as it used to! I felt my arm and whoa - it's really tight! Yay for my arms and those weights I've been using - I've moved up from 5 pounds to 8 pounds during my workouts and I guess it's paying off! And earlier in the week, I had to move some equipment from one office to another, usually a daunting task for me becuase the equipment feels heavy and my back hurts and I huff and puff after it's done. Nope. Not this time. Picked up the equipment with ease, moved it, re-installed it, moved some other stuff around and no pain or huffing and puffing. Wow. Who would have guessed.
I've still got a long way to go, but I'm happy with my progress so far. I feel stronger and tighter and my clothes are fitting way better than they used to. That Denise sure knows how to whip a girl into shape and I'm happy that she's whipping me into shape!
There are only 3 more sessions with her, but when this session is over, it'll be less than a week until Boot Camp starts again. And, much to the disbelief of my friends, I was the first one to sign up. Hah! Take that, non-believers....
Wonders never cease.
Until next time,
Kel,
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Nearly Three Years Later....
My sister Jamie called me a few minutes ago. She and my Mom and Dad are standing in a neighbor's yard across the street from my Mom & Dad's house, watching the wrecking crew as the demolition begins. I only wish I could have been there today to see it.
The red bricked tract house on Warwick drive was purchased in November, 1963 by a young couple starting a family. They were one of the first of many young families buying the cookie-cutter homes in the small subdivision of about 200 homes. Since that time, children have grown and moved on, neighbors have changed, houses have been remodeled, but the spirit of the people who still live there after 45 years is still strong.
The subdivision was built on a tract of land known as the "Marrero Ridge." My Mom worked for Jefferson Parish's Drainage Department back then, and when they were buying the house, the "old men" working with her told her it was the highest point of land in the area and that the levee on the Mississippi would have to break in order for it to flood. Imagine her surprise (and fear) when on May 3, 1978, she was home alone (with Pepe the black poodle) during a thunderstorm and the house flooded with nearly 18 inches of water! Luckily, the levee hadn't broke, but that day nearly every home and family in that small subdivision, as well as many other parts of the Westbank, experienced their first flood and the mess that came along with it.
It was the first of many heavy rain floods in the area, and with each, my parents dutifully dragged out wet stuff, tore out sheetrock and rebuilt and replaced what was lost. It was never a fun task or something that they wanted to do, but it kept the house liveable.
Until August 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina roared through the Gulf Coast area, devastating people's lives from Louisiana to Alabama. The wind did a number on the old house and of course, the flood waters rose in the neighborhood once again. Even though it wasn't the amount of water seen in New Orleans proper, it was enough to finish the job that the wind started. The water sat in the house for several days (we don't know exactly how long since 99% of the neighborhood had evacuated and didn't return for nearly 2 weeks) which had never happed before - most of the time the water receded withing a few hours.
Since that time, my parents cleaned and repaired the house to the best of their ability, but have been fighting mold and mildew constantly. Jefferson Parish had a program to help homeowners raise or rebuild their houses; unfortunately, our house's foundation cracked and it engineers determined that it could not be raised and that it needed to be rebuilt. Off the ground, of course!
It's taken one month shy of 3 years for my parents to navigate the complex world of applications, meetings, paperwork and phone calls that has become life in post-Katrina Louisiana to get the work started. But started it has. And they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel: their contractor has said that barring any unforseen problems, they should be in their new house in about six months.
Then they can live happily ever after.
Until next time,
Kel
The red bricked tract house on Warwick drive was purchased in November, 1963 by a young couple starting a family. They were one of the first of many young families buying the cookie-cutter homes in the small subdivision of about 200 homes. Since that time, children have grown and moved on, neighbors have changed, houses have been remodeled, but the spirit of the people who still live there after 45 years is still strong.
The subdivision was built on a tract of land known as the "Marrero Ridge." My Mom worked for Jefferson Parish's Drainage Department back then, and when they were buying the house, the "old men" working with her told her it was the highest point of land in the area and that the levee on the Mississippi would have to break in order for it to flood. Imagine her surprise (and fear) when on May 3, 1978, she was home alone (with Pepe the black poodle) during a thunderstorm and the house flooded with nearly 18 inches of water! Luckily, the levee hadn't broke, but that day nearly every home and family in that small subdivision, as well as many other parts of the Westbank, experienced their first flood and the mess that came along with it.
It was the first of many heavy rain floods in the area, and with each, my parents dutifully dragged out wet stuff, tore out sheetrock and rebuilt and replaced what was lost. It was never a fun task or something that they wanted to do, but it kept the house liveable.
Until August 29, 2005. Hurricane Katrina roared through the Gulf Coast area, devastating people's lives from Louisiana to Alabama. The wind did a number on the old house and of course, the flood waters rose in the neighborhood once again. Even though it wasn't the amount of water seen in New Orleans proper, it was enough to finish the job that the wind started. The water sat in the house for several days (we don't know exactly how long since 99% of the neighborhood had evacuated and didn't return for nearly 2 weeks) which had never happed before - most of the time the water receded withing a few hours.
Since that time, my parents cleaned and repaired the house to the best of their ability, but have been fighting mold and mildew constantly. Jefferson Parish had a program to help homeowners raise or rebuild their houses; unfortunately, our house's foundation cracked and it engineers determined that it could not be raised and that it needed to be rebuilt. Off the ground, of course!
It's taken one month shy of 3 years for my parents to navigate the complex world of applications, meetings, paperwork and phone calls that has become life in post-Katrina Louisiana to get the work started. But started it has. And they can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel: their contractor has said that barring any unforseen problems, they should be in their new house in about six months.
Then they can live happily ever after.
Until next time,
Kel
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Get Out of My Personal Space!
If I have to exercise, my favorite way to get some movement is water aerobics. Despite what many people think, water aerobics isn't just for the blue-haired set at the local retirement village. It can be a tough workout or can be a relaxing stretch, depening on the particular class and teacher.
When I joined the Y over a year ago, one of the selling points for me was the pool and the various water aerobics classes offered. They offer 5 classes a week that are convenient for my schedule; if I counted up the total number of water aerobic classes offered throughout the week, I'm guessing there's more than 20.
I've learned something about myself while in the pool this week: I have personal space issues. Especially when I'm exercising. Especially in the pool.
In each of the classes I've attended over the last 2 weeks (Tuesdays, Thursdays and a Saturday), there have been some new people. Before I go off on my rant, I will say that I realize that there's a learning curve for anything we do. Even I have to take some time to get used to a routine. That's not my problem. My problem is that the pool is 150 feet long, and there are 3 full lanes open for the class (about 30 feet wide), yet people have to come and stand so close during the class that there's not enough room for me to stretch my already short arms out to the sides!
I mean, come on . . . it's not like there's 200 people in the class. It's usually less than 20. There's enough room for us all to spread out and not act like a bunch of sardines.
And, while I'm on a rant, why can't people follow instructions? Move to the left when the teacher says 'travel to the left.' Or, to the right when you're told to 'travel to the right.' Here's a novel concept - go forward and backwards when you're told to do that. Oh, yeah, that also means you shouldn't be moving in any direction when you hear 'stay right there.'
These minor annoyances of mine would really be just that, except for the woman who has joined the class who can't seem to get the concept of find a place in the pool and stay put. She moves from open space to open space, doesn't even try to do the exercises correctly (she mostly just jogs in place or to her next spot in the pool) and is constantly in someone's way, either running in to them or hitting them with her hands or kicking them under the water. Last night, she ran into me 3 times. On the last time, I grabbed her arm and said "you need to move to the side of pool so you're not bumping in to me." She still didn't get it.
After talking to my friend Joyce last night about it, I told her I came to the conclusion that this annoys me because of all my years of dancing. You're taught to move in any direction in a straight line, and you never get into someone else's dancing space. She agreed, having taken tap and some ballet when she was younger. She said it's usually one of the first things you learn. At my age, I should learn to be more understanding because not everyone can do the straight line thing.
But I need you out of my space when I'm in the pool!
Until next time,
Kel
When I joined the Y over a year ago, one of the selling points for me was the pool and the various water aerobics classes offered. They offer 5 classes a week that are convenient for my schedule; if I counted up the total number of water aerobic classes offered throughout the week, I'm guessing there's more than 20.
I've learned something about myself while in the pool this week: I have personal space issues. Especially when I'm exercising. Especially in the pool.
In each of the classes I've attended over the last 2 weeks (Tuesdays, Thursdays and a Saturday), there have been some new people. Before I go off on my rant, I will say that I realize that there's a learning curve for anything we do. Even I have to take some time to get used to a routine. That's not my problem. My problem is that the pool is 150 feet long, and there are 3 full lanes open for the class (about 30 feet wide), yet people have to come and stand so close during the class that there's not enough room for me to stretch my already short arms out to the sides!
I mean, come on . . . it's not like there's 200 people in the class. It's usually less than 20. There's enough room for us all to spread out and not act like a bunch of sardines.
And, while I'm on a rant, why can't people follow instructions? Move to the left when the teacher says 'travel to the left.' Or, to the right when you're told to 'travel to the right.' Here's a novel concept - go forward and backwards when you're told to do that. Oh, yeah, that also means you shouldn't be moving in any direction when you hear 'stay right there.'
These minor annoyances of mine would really be just that, except for the woman who has joined the class who can't seem to get the concept of find a place in the pool and stay put. She moves from open space to open space, doesn't even try to do the exercises correctly (she mostly just jogs in place or to her next spot in the pool) and is constantly in someone's way, either running in to them or hitting them with her hands or kicking them under the water. Last night, she ran into me 3 times. On the last time, I grabbed her arm and said "you need to move to the side of pool so you're not bumping in to me." She still didn't get it.
After talking to my friend Joyce last night about it, I told her I came to the conclusion that this annoys me because of all my years of dancing. You're taught to move in any direction in a straight line, and you never get into someone else's dancing space. She agreed, having taken tap and some ballet when she was younger. She said it's usually one of the first things you learn. At my age, I should learn to be more understanding because not everyone can do the straight line thing.
But I need you out of my space when I'm in the pool!
Until next time,
Kel
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