Did you survive?

Oh the Holidays ... what fun! 

This year we had the entire family at our house for 5 days, which provided us with laughter, love and absolute pandemonium.  Let me set the stage:

Dad -- My father.  Nearly 70, not in the best of health.  His days are mostly spent in front of the TV.
Mom -- My mom.  70, lively as a wire-hair terrier.  She is very active, a bit daft sometimes and easy to wind-up.
Tony -- My husband.  Lovely and, bless him, tolerant of my family.  He threatened to stir the pot between my conservative father and liberal brother, but kept his comments to a minimum and even cleaned the house while everybody was out one day.
Me -- You know who I am.
Our Son -- 17, inseparable from his girlfriend.
His Girlfriend -- 16, lovely and Jewish which meant her family didn't mind her spending Christmas with us.  Bless her she was tolerant of the endless questions from my brother about her religion, etc.
My Brother -- 5 years younger, priorities are him, running, family (I'm pretty sure in that order).  Will talk the leg off anybody and isn't the most PC person alive.
My Sister-in-Law -- How she tolerates my brother I have no idea.  I'm pretty sure she's a saint.
Neice -- 6 years old, first grader who is so smart the teachers are begging her parents to put her in 3rd grade!  You can carry on an adult conversation with her quite fine.  She's a little "Miss Know-it-all" but that's only because she does.
Nephew -- 4 years old.  His world revolves around trains, trucks and anything mechanical.  He's never heard the word "no" so at times he can throw a whopper of a temper tantrum.  If he wasn't so darn cute he'd be dead by now!

On Christmas day we were also joined by my oldest, his girlfriend, her 6 year old daughter and their 9 month old daughter.  That made 14 in all!

If you've ever watched the Christmas movies Christmas Vacation and Home Alone, our family times were very similar to the ones there.  Everybody talks at once (is anybody listening?) and it's general chaos. 

I had a little guilt asking my parents to stay in a hotel. We have enough bedrooms, but with two in-home businesses a couple of them are used for offices with no where for a bed.  In the end it worked out okay because my Niece watched a marathon of The First 48 with my Dad and being the braniac that she is understood everything that was going on. It scared the living daylights out of her and she decided she couldn't sleep in our house. Not sure how the hotel was better, but it was.



We had dramas ("I thought we were all going to the mall!  Why is everybody gone but me?" and "No, I won't babysit your kids while you go out to eat with Mom and Dad."), and Tony and I found ways to sneak off and grab a martini (or two) to settle our nerves, but all in all it was absolutely wonderful.  There's nothing like the faces of children as they open their presents on Christmas morning.  We did learn that we would have been better off letting the kids open all of theirs and then sending them off to play while the adults opened theirs. 
 
I don't know about you, but as an adult Christmas generally doesn't come with many surprises.  You make a list of what you want/need and people get it for you.  But this year my list was short (PJs and drill) ... there just isn't as much I need anymore.  But true to form Tony showed he'd been listening throughout the year and surprised me with a pair of snowshoes!  I am so excited to get out there and put them to use.  We had a great time in Lake Tahoe last March and as my business partner likes to snowshoe as well I can see many "office planning" days on the mountain.
 
About noon today the car was loaded and everybody said their good-byes.  The first hour Tony and I just sat there listening to the silence.  Then it was time to tackle the two loads of dishes and multiple loads of laundry to be done.  I spent DAYS preparing the house for company and right now it looks like I haven't cleaned in YEARS!  On the upside, I can go back to knowing where all my dishes are (dishwasher unloading help is wonderful, but it always makes for a game of hide and seek when you start looking for things) and knowing that if I buy a gallon of milk it will last more than 2 days.
 
I hope you all made wonderful memories over this Christmas and are ready for a fun celebration on New Year's Eve.  Wishing you all a happy and wonderful 2010.

Oh the souvenirs we bring home!

Shortly after returning home from Hawaii I noticed I was getting tired earlier in the evening.  I kept writing it off to our whirlwind trip, but within a couple of days realized it was something much more.  I had brought home with me the ultimate souvenir ... a virus!

Despite my best efforts to ward it off with Zicam it finally took a good hold on me.  By Sunday all I could do was lay on the couch ... ALL DAY!  Tony kept saying "you won't sleep tonight as you've slept all day."  But boy was he wrong!  I slept for probably 36 hours straight!  Monday was my day to hit the mall so I bucked it up and got all my last-minute shopping done, but by 4:00p I was exhausted again. 

Today I am actually feeling better and except for a lingering and annoying cough I'm pretty much back to good.  But of course, being the good wife that I am, I shared my virus with my dear husband who woke up with a sore throat this morning.  :(

One more day and I'll be back to the workouts.  Right now it's really a matter of breathing ... too deep a breath and the coughing begins again.  I once heard that if you're sick from the shoulders up you can (and should) continue to work out ... but anything below that you should wait it out.  So that's what I'm going to do.

Glad to be home ... glad to be on the mend.  Looking forward to working out again.

Final Day of Our Break

Monday was our last day in Hawaii.  Fortunately, because it's West of the mainland they fly red-eye flights back, so we were able to get a full day of sun and relaxation before heading out.

We decided to return to the quiet beach we had visited on Sunday.  Although the marathon was over, we were counting on the fact that it was Monday to keep the volume of people down.  We headed up Diamond Head Road, using the shortcut we found on our return the day before.  This route takes the bulk of the hill off and reduces the distance by as much as 3/4 mile.  Oh yea!

By the time we got there it was already over 80 degrees and we were very hot.  There were a few people on the beach, but not too many.  We found a nice space by a small wading/swimming hole created by the reef.  We had just settled in when a man walked up with two dogs and decided to set up "camp" right next to us.  Really!?!?  The entire beach and he had to pick there. 

He proceded to tell us that one of the dogs didn't have "towel etiquette" ... nice.  For a while all went back to quiet until another beach goer arrived with another dog.  For the next hour we had to listed to their owners whistle and yell at them to keep them in control.  It brought to mind a favorite saying of Tony's.  "Dogs are like kids.  If you can't control them, don't have them."

We did learn the "story" of the beach.  Until 9-11, the beach was the unofficial nude beach in the area.  But after 9-11 the brush and trees between the lighthouse and beach were cleared.  The lighthouse is the home of the admiral of the Coast Guard and after the brush was cleared he and his wife weren't too excited about seeing everybody's "plumbing."  The police do patrol the beach, but mostly on 3-wheelers so you can hear them coming ... and they only come down at low tide.  We heard a rumor that they were in the area, but we never saw or heard them.

After several hours we were done so we returned to the hotel where they gave us a room to shower and get ready for our flight home.  We bought a bottle of wine and enjoyed one last sunset from the deck before heading out for a quick bite and the airport.

While watching the sunset we talked about what made this break so special ... because it was.  First, we realized it's been years since we've been on vacation, just the two of us, without an agenda.  The last time we were away alone was London in Feb.  While there every day was filled with lots of walking and sightseeing.  But here we had no agenda, just time to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.  Second, we didn't rent a car.  This was an on-again, off-again decision, but in the end it was the right one.  When you have a car I think you feel obligated to use it.  Without a car we didn't feel the need to "go see" things ... and waste time driving around.  We found walking from place to place very relaxing.  And last, taking the time each day to get a bottle of wine and sit on the deck watching the sunset was a perfect, relaxing close to each day.

There are things we did miss being on an American beach vs. a European one.  The biggest was no alcohol.  It's not so much that we have to drink, but a nice glass of wine helps relax you a bit.  Personally I had a difficult time relaxing/napping on the beach.  On Monday we did sneak a bottle with us and it helped me relax and unwide a bit.  The second, as I said before, was that I had to wear a top.  We found a way around this on the beach we found, but we had to work at it.

So with our break coming to an end we called the taxi that brought us in and made our way to the airport.  Our hopes were that we would get some sleep on the flight back to Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, the First Class seats were as crowded as on the way over and neither of us slept much.  As well, we had a tremendous tailwind that got us into LA almost an hour before our scheduled arrival.  That made our layover even longer!

We landed home to rain and cold weather ... which didn't fit well with my sandals and cotton dress.  Oh well.

By the time we got home all we could think about was sleep and warmth.  Tony's napping and I'm cozied up by the fire as I type.  Now it's back to busy preparing for the holidays.

Getting Away from the Maddening Crowds

As yesterday's venture onto Waikiki beach left me with some much unwanted tan lines we set out to find a more private beach for the day.  We had heard about a nude beach below the lighthouse off Diamond Head Road and yesterday during our walk saw a paved path leading to a long narrow beach in that general area so we decided to give it a try.

So we walked 1.5 miles upstream of the 25,000 marathon runners and took the short path down to the beach.  We turned right towards the lighthouse and found a secluded section of beach.  It was occupied by no more than 10 other people as far as we could see.  All were clothed, but with extremely small thongs ... and all were men!  We found a nice patch of sand (the sand is like Waikiki ... little pebbles), stripped off and enjoyed several hours of sunbathing and relaxation. 

A gentleman sitting a ways away walked over after a while and struck up a conversation.  He said because of he marathon this was the best day to be on this particular beach ... because you can only reach it by foot.  And that confirmed what we had noticed the day before.  When we walked by on Saturday the street was lined with cars of people surfing and playing on that beach.  However, because the last few miles of the marathon were on Diamond Head Road and it was closed to traffic.  He said most days the beach is very crowded with surfers and families ... and topless and nude sunbathing is very difficult.  He also confirmed that while it is "supposedly" okay to go topless on Waikiki he had a friend try it and she was told-off by several families on the beach until she just put her top on and left.

When it was time to leave we learned that there was an ever shorter way to get to the beach without climbing the hill to the pathway.  If you're walking up Diamond Head Road, before you get to the lighthouse is a road that drops off to the right (the only one).  There is no parking down here so only go this way if you walk.  The street ends at the beach.  What's weird is that the sand at that end of the beach is as soft as powder ... but as you walk along it changes to a more pebbly type of sand.  Weird.

The only caution about going down here is to take lots and lots to drink.  It got really hot and the water we brought along got too warm too fast.  By the time we got back to Waikiki all we could do is walk straight into Cheeseburgers in Paradise (on the corner by our hotel) and down several glasses of beer (Tony) and Soda Water (me). 

The sun left us tired so we bought a bottle of wine (at the ABC Store) and sat on the deck of our room watching the sunset.  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

Following sundown we walked down to Nobu for sushi.  Tony has been to Nobu in London and San Diego, but I've never been and had been craving sushi for a couple of days.  The food was fantastic ... but the restaurant was cold.  I wouldn't wait to get out of there and warm up ... which was too bad because it was a very nice restaurant in a very lovely and modern Parc Hotel.

Over the past couple of days we've been talking about when was the last time we took a relaxing vacation just the two of us.  Or for that matter when was the last time we had a nice relaxing dinner, just us two.  Turns out the answer to both was around June this year for our anniversary!  At home we got out a lot, but tend to split an entree' at the bar or our favorite restaurant, Urban Farmer at The Nines hotel.  And all of our recent vacations have been with other couples or groups.

So this break (we don't think we can call it a vacation as we're only here for three days) has been extra special.  Today is our last day and we still haven't decided what we're going to do.  Our original plan was to rent a car today and see the island (we're on a red-eye back to Los Angeles) but the city seems to be sold out of all rentals, and we're really having such a good time around here that we didn't see the need.

Today I think we'll let the winds of the island direct us ... I'll let you know what we get up to.

Things We've Learned About Hawaii

Yesterday started with a 4 mile walk along Waikiki up towards Diamond Head and ended with a fabulous dinner at the Ocean House in the Ocean Reef Hotel. 

Along the way we learned a few things:

1. There are approx. 25 ABC Stores along the 1 mile Waikiki Beach road.  These stores sell everything from alcohol to sunscreen to souviners.  They're more frequent than a Starbucks in Seattle!
2. When the cab company that picked us up at the airport said all drivers spoke English we didn't understand ... but after a taxi ride to dinner last night we figured it out.  English and Hawaiian are second languages here ... the first language is Japanese.  Even signs in stores are written in Japanese first ... English second.  It's CRAZY!  Our cab driver couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand her.  I'm surprised we got where we wanted to go.
3. If you're traveling West on Kalakaua Avenue, walk.  Because of the archaic one-way street system what would be a 10 minute walk can take 20 by car!
4. There are more millionaires per capita in Honolulu than any other US city ... and more homeless per capita.  Everywhere you look there are homeless people with their carts and tents set-up in parks, along side the road and in alleys.  We learned that nearly 40% of them have arrived in the past few years from California.  It seems Governor Schwarzenegger rounded up homeless in California and offered them $100 and a one-way ticket to Hawaii to leave the state.  I'm not sure how the Governor of Hawaii stood for it, but it happened and here they are.  It's sad.
5. Despite wide-spread rumors and chat rooms professing toplessness is okay on Waikiki beach, we didn't see on person topless and came to the conclussion it is not allowed.  We're going to try to find a remote beach today where I can hopefully relax sans-top.  The two things I hate most about tops are 1) the tan lines and 2) the fidgeting you have to do with them to keep them in place! 
6. Althought Waikiki Beach is called on of the Top 10 beaches in the world I'd have to differ.  The sand isn't really sand at all, but small pebbles and just off shore are large patches of reef that make wading in the water extremely difficult and painful.  I can think of 10 better beaches I've personally been to than Waikiki.  However, it is good for one thing ... people watching!  Tony and I agree the women (and men) are better to watch on Waikiki because they're so fit.  And if they're not of the fit, athletic type, then they're of the fun-to-watch type ... putting up their shade structure, hauling out the BBQ and generally creating their own little patio in the park.

It's now the morning of our second day in Honolulu.  The 25,000 marathon runners have passed our hotel and the road is open ... time to go out and embrace another day in paradise!

Ah, Warmth!

We've successfully landed in Hawaii.  Tony found this great cab company that will pick you up sort of like a town car (by your schedule) and return you to the airport whne you leave for one set price ... nice!  Our driver was a very talkative, but interesting 4th generation Hawaiian (but caucasian) that had a very interesting and somewhat sad story to tell about big corporations, being pushed out by stock holders and age descrimination.  He has degrees and hasn't been able to find a job in 12 years ... so what started out as a temporary job is now his permanent means of supporting he and his wife. :(

Tony:  "Look at all the people running."
Cheri:  "Well, it is evening and I suppose it's the coolest time to run."
Later ...
Tony:  "Wow, the hotel is 100% full."
Cheri:  "That's weird, I thought right before Christmas Hawaii would be really slow."
Even Later ...
Cheri:  "Oh look!  The Honolulu Marathon is on Sunday."  :)

Yep, we picked the weekend of the Honolulu Marathon to visit and would you believe it goes right past our hotel!?  Sunday was our day to get a car and see the island, so now we're going to have to head out extra early to avoid getting caught in all the closed roads, etc. 

The reverse jeg-lag is weird.  As night we walked down to the Waikiki Shopping Mall, did some window shopping and stopped off at P.F. Chang's for dinner.  Although the clock said it was 9:00p, it was 11:00p for us.  WAY later than we should have been eating, and after an early morning we were both extremely tired.  So it was "early to bed" for us.

The boardwalk in front of our hotel goes the full length of Waikiki Beach and is the gathering place for all sorts of people, street vendors, beggars, etc.  There were the typical sellers of handmade bracelets and leis, drummers (lots of drummers ... don't know what that's all about) and some misc. performers.  But the saddest one we saw was two little girls (let's say 10 and 8) singing to canned music while dad collected money.  They weren't horrible but someone has clearly told them then can sing ... and they really can't.  They get a big round of applause for trying and singing at the top of their lungs (they really didn't need the microphones) as if they were Mariah Carey ... but they're not.  We stopped in a store across the street and made comment to the girls working their about the sound (it carried all the way across the street and into the store).  They said they are there every night.  Can't that be considered cruel and unusual treatment?  If not for the girls, then for the people who have to work around there?

This morning we woke up to a beautiful, clear, warm day.  I have to say it's a little weird being in a hotel that overlooks a main street and where the balconies basically touch (maybe we should have stayed at the J.W. Marriott further out of town).  I alsmost did my usual morning ritual of wrapping in a towel and sitting on the deck, but at the last minute I decided it was better to put on some actual clothes.  And good thing 'cause the people in the room next to us were sitting on their deck with their young kids.  I may have nudist tendancies, but I'm not an exhibitionist! 

The day is going to start with a walk along the boardwalk and then who knows ... I can't wait to see what it brings!

And We're Off!

As I’ve mentioned in the past few days, we’re off on another vacation. Actually, it’s more of a necessity trip. When you have status with an airline, the perks are many and for Tony the most important perk is not having to pay for checked bags. Although we fly as light as possible for pleasure, when Tony flies for work he travels with three large (put-a-body-in-them-sized) bags. For each trip checking these bags would cost him as much as $300 per trip. But when he flies more than 100,000 miles in a year, that cost is waived.

Well this year, in late November he was doing his calculations and realized he was going to be about 2,500 miles short of his 1K status. So a last-minute trip was necessary. We put together a list of places that would take us to warmth or friends … Miami, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, etc. But can you believe the cheapest place we could go was Hawaii? Evan Los Angeles was more expensive … even though we connect through there!

So off to Hawaii we go for a quick 3 ½ day trip! And let me say, this trip came at exactly the right time. Our weather, like much of the country, has been extremely cold … and Saturday’s forecast is for freezing rain and/or snow. Ah, the sunshine is going to feel good.

It is surreal packing for 80-degree weather when it’s below freezing outside. The good part was that there wasn’t much worry that something we wanted to take with us was in the laundry! I had to dig into storage to find short skirts, light weight dresses and swimsuits. On top of all that light-weight, sun-friendly wear is a Santa’s hat! We figured a couple of pictures laying on the beach wearing it would be fun. LOL

The biggest dilemma of it all was what to wear to the airport. Our flight was at 7:30a, which meant we had to be out of the house by 6:00a. The past few weeks the temperature has been in the teen’s around that time, and this morning was no exception. So I dressed in a light weight cotton dress, cropped tights and high heels, then bundled up in a big puffy coat and blankets for the ride to the airport. It was only as our son parked directly outside a door that I shed the layers and dashed into the airport. I have to admit it was fun watching people’s look at me as they walked around in their jackets, boots and hats. I think they thought I was crazy!

As I said, we got a great fare to Hawaii, but the route wasn’t the most convenient. On our way there we have two stops … and the first stop was in San Francisco with only a 30 minute layover.

For the first time ever, when we landed in San Francisco, we landed from the North … which meant everything was backwards. This usually wouldn’t matter to passengers, but it seems even ground control was having problems with the change and the ground traffic was all backed up and messed up (the pilot’s words). We finally got to our gate, only to find another plane still in our spot!

The flight attendants knew there were several people with tight connections and they kindly made an announcement requesting that anybody with more than 20 minutes for their connection or anybody staying in San Francisco please stay seated so those people with close connections could get off first. And you know what? Everybody on our plane had a close connection! With the exception of 2 people, everybody jumped up as soon as the fasten seatbelt light went off. Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m close to missing my connection I move like the wind when it comes to getting my stuff together and getting off the plane. But not these people. We only had 4 rows to go and I swear everybody in front of us was moving as slow as molasses in January!

Once off the plane, we found the departures board and found out … of course … that our flight was departing from the other end of the airport! Tony took off like the wind … with me jogging along behind in my high heels … lovely! We barely made it to the gate before they closed the doors, but we made it. Unfortunately, they didn’t have two seats together for us and being the laste on the plane the overhead bins were full. After some wrangling we convinced a couple of people sitting around us that their backpacks would do just find under the seat in front of them instead of the overhead bins so we could store our luggage.

Ah, we settled in. I had two very nice gentlemen next to me … and it was a good thing because the first thing I did was spill my drink on me! Luckily, not them. UGH! It soaked my puzzle book, lap and the blanket I was using to keep warm. Lovely. At least it didn’t get on my phone or computer … which were also on my tray.

I have to interject here that planes aren’t what they used to be. When they started the beverage service for the flight they announced there wasn’t any coffee or tea (WHAT?!?!?), or water in the bathrooms. They said the bathrooms were functioning, but I don’t know … without water? No thanks. Luckily it was a short flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

LA was, well, LA. Nothing unusual, just lots of men talking loudly into their cellphones, trying to act all important. It was actually a relief when they boarded the plane. Until we got seated. Tony had upgraded us to First Class … and if the seats we’re sitting in are First Class then I’d hate to see what the seats in the back of the plane look like. If the person in front of us puts their seat back it’s impossible to use the tray for a computer, or really anything. I’m not that big so it doesn’t bother me much, but poor Tony gets really cramped. As well, he has bad knees and stretching them out is the only way to keep them from locking-up. Even in First Class on this plane it’s a big difficult for him. Poor baby.

As I write this, we are 1 hour out of Honolulu. Ah, the warmth! The sunshine! I can hardly wait. We haven’t been to Hawaii in over 8 years, and specifically Oahu in over 13! We hear they’re having 50 ft. waves on the North side of the island so we’ll have to check it out … more to come I’m sure.

Working Out -- Day 26 (Plyometrics)

Yes, I've been completely out of the routine of working out since I got back from Thanksgiving.  I have to admit it's difficult for me to get motivated to do something I know I'm not good at; although doing it more would make me better at it!  So I've found a lot of things to keep me distracted from working out ... like working, preparing the house for Christmas, cleaning, etc.

But after a well-intentioned, stining comment from Tony I decided I was not going to let our upcoming trip stop me from getting back into it ... even one day is better than nothing.  So this morning I put the Plyometrics DVD in the player and got to it.  I've said it before, this could easily be my favorite workout ... if it weren't for the fact that it kicks my butt BIG TIME! 

I'd like to interject that our son is doing the DVDs too.  He's plays club and high school soccer and is generally a pretty fit guy.  So let me admit it was pretty nice to see him struggling with this workout ... and I even had a little bit of satisfaction when the next day he was taking the stairs very slowly because his thighs hurt.  Let that be an example of just how difficult these workouts are.  Even if you're in shape for one type of activity, it will find your weaknesses and exploit them. 

So anyways, I did the workout.  I will admit to a few moves where I had to stop a few second short or do the low-impact move, but with the exception of the "bonus" exercises I completed it all.  My BodyBugg says I burned 281 calories in the 58 minutes of the workout.  I'm sure that if you kept up completely and did the bonus you could easily get this to 350 ... so I'll get that as a goal.

For the next few days I may make comment about working out, or not, aswe're headed to Hawaii in the morning.  I'd much rather talk about that ... and you'd probably like to hear more about that as well.

Day 26 down, 78 days to go.

What's Been Going On?!?!?

Some of you may be wondering what the heck has been going on with me ... I just disappeared!  Well, here's a general update:

After returning from Thanksgiving with my parents, my first couple of days back were filled with preparing for the next event I was working on, which began December 3rd.  The good news is that when I'm actually working an event I really burn calories.  On the 4th I worked at the airport for 8 hours.  During that time I burned 1336 calories and took 8,570 steps.  That was awesome!  Then in the evening Tony and Ashton returned from England.  They were tired and jet-lagged, but they sure were a sight for sore eyes.  I missed them so much!

On the 4th and 5th we spent the days decorating the house for Christmas and getting our tree at a local tree farm.  It's a great family tradition that we all go together to pick and cut our own tree.  I grew up on a Christmas tree farm so I can't remember the last time I had to get a tree from a pre-cut lot.

Because the entire family is coming to visit I want the house to look very special. So with a lot of begging and pleading Tony finally let me climb up on the roof and hang lights. It's been years since I've done this and I forgot how scary it can be. The top peak on our roof is about 3 stories up (or down) to the driveway. Once I settled in I was fine, but I had lots of visions of Clark Griswold swinging and swaying on his ladder. In all, it took 8 strands of lights just to do the front. I admit that in my eagerness ... and then fright ... I hung some backwards and had to do them over. But now that I have the hang of it I've created a "map" of how do to it and next year will be much easier. :)

Then on the 6th it was back to work for me.  I was up at 2:45a and at work by 3:30a.  By the time I got home later that day I had already worked 11 hours!  I love what I do, but the hours can be long and tiring sometimes.  The good news is that I did burn some good calories and got some good walking  -- 1,163 calories and 6,893 steps.  Not as much as working at the airport, but still pretty active without a workout.

Making the day all the harder was the fact that we're having a cold-snap; our high temperatures aren't reaching the 40s and the wind chill is down in the teens.  I know this may not sound horrible for some of you, but for sun-loving us it's COLD!

Yesterday, our son began the P90X program too.  While I was typing this he completed his first Plymetrics workout ... and he's dog tired.  Even he had to take a few breaks ... I feel better already.  Tomorrow, since I've taken such a long break, I'm going to get in sync with his workouts; basically acting as if I was starting anew.

I've actually really missed it.  I am not sleeping as well and am finding that my hunger is greater than my activity ... NOT GOOD!  Generally my weight has stayed the same and my clothes are feeling like they fit a bit better.  But this past week off has taken it toll and I'm looking forward to getting back into the routine.

Of course, I'll get back into it just in time to get out of it as we're heading to Hawaii on Friday.  But I'm going to try traveling with the program again and either doing a workout a day in the gym at the hotel, or convincing Tony to "power walk" with me.

We haven't been to Hawaii in about 6 years and haven't been to Oahu in over 12.  The timing couldn't be better either as the warmth is going to feel so good after all this cold.  In fact, they're calling for ice and/or snow while we're gone.  Awww, too bad.  ;)

Working Out -- Day 18

Dear Readers:


As you can probably tell from the lack of posts, I haven't been working out lately ... or at least not doing my P90X workout program. 


While on vacation for Thanksgiving, as mentioned, I took along my workouts on my iPod and did do one of them, but it turned out to be more difficult than I thought.  The bands weren't affective for many of the shoulder and arm moves and without the chin-up bar doing chin-ups (or using the ands to simulate them) wasn't easy.  It also was couter-productive to take an hour away from my family to workout on my own.  Instead, every day my mom and I walked over 4 miles at sub-15 minute pace.  The time we had together to talk was very special and to me that's more important than following a program that took me away from that.


I returned home late Monday night and yeserday was filled with rushing around trying to catch up on the work I'd missed Monday, as well as preparing for a big project I have that begins tonight.  So I haven't worked out since returning home either.


The interesting thing in all this is that the walks and not doing weights allowed my muscles to rest and slim down a bit ... a welcomed situation.  Yesterday I found that my jeans were fitting better than they were before I left (even after BIG eating over the holiday).  I also found that my appetite subsided substantially ... which was a good thing.


I hope to get back to the workouts later today once all my prep work is done for my event.  Tomorrow will be a tough day to get a workout in as I'll be on-site at my event all day ... but I won't be idle.  My work involves putting on LOTS of miles (last time I did this event I did over 15,000 steps and burned over 2,000 calories in one day!). 

Yesterday I talked with my former trainer ... he's even getting ready to start the program ... and discussed with him my difficulty with push-ups.  He explained that "the girls" are affecting my ability and that I just need to back-off my expectations and do my best ... I love this guy!  His recommendation was to not try to do any straight-leg push-ups (also known as military) and focus on getting as low as I can while on my knees.

I also contacted my friend that has been doing this for 6 months and asked her about the push-ups and chin-ups (since I can do neither).  She said she started out as I have ... using the bands for chin-ups and doing the best she could on push-ups.  Even after 6 months she can't keep up with all the push-ups, but is just doing her best.  She said she has progressed to using a chair to support herself with the chin-ups ... so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!


By Friday I should be back into my routine ... YEA!  I'll post when I get started and let you know how my "rest" affected my ability to complete the exercises.


Thanks for your patience and understanding.

So I'm 18 days in, but I still have 79 to go.

Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper -- Day 14

Wow!  It seems like more than 14 days since I began this program.  I've missed a few, but I think I've been pretty dedicated overall.  I even had a friend make .mp4 files out of the workouts so I could put them on my iPod for travel.  However, because I hadn't done these workouts before, the iPod was a little awkward.  Trying to view the screen to see the exercises, while keeping my headphones from getting tangled up in the bands was a bit of a challenge.  I think once I know the exercise I will be able to listen without much looking at the screen, which will help a lot.

Generally, I really like the Back & Biceps workout and I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more when I'm at home with my own space and weights.  Because I'm traveling I brought along my bands, which I only use for chin-ups at home (using the chin-up bar).  Here, I had to use them for every exercise ... and that wasn't fun.  First, for many of the exercises you have to make a loop and stand on the band to get the right tension.  But because the space I'm working out in has carpet the bands kept slipping.  So I was constantly pausing the iPod to re-wrap and/or tighten the bands.  They also provide a very limited range-of-motion for shorter exercises.  Then, when it came to chin-ups, I had to improvise by looping the band between the door and the hinge.  It worked fine, but I was a little worried about pulling the door off so I took it a bit easy on these exercises. 

The Ab Ripper is just that ... a ripper!  I'm glad I listened to the intro because Tony Horton gave caution to doing too many exercises.  If you kept up with them you would do over 300 ... which is WAY more than you should do when you start.  As well, from my Pilates training I've learned it's quality over quantity.  So I did no more than 10 of each exercise, but focused on keeping good form with my abs tight and good breathing throughout.  I do wish I'd have started this at the beginning as I know my abs would be looking good already.

So after two weeks here's my assessment ... I do feel stronger in my arms and legs, but I'm not losing any weight.  In fact, I've put on 2 lbs since I started!  I am still very motivated to keep with the program, but I am beginning to think that the 90 days isn't going to be enough for me to get into the "shape of my life."  I can see sticking to the program exactly how it is (without upgrading to the intense level) for a full 6 months.  For now, though, it is interesting enough that I don't think I'll get bored even after that amount of time.  I'm hoping that in the next two weeks the weight starts to come off ... then I'll really be sold.

Day 14 down, 79 to go.

Holiday with the Parents

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with love, family and good food.  I definitely had all the above.  Despite my mom being a vegitarian and my dad being on a fairly strict diet, they cooked the full traditional Thanksgiving dinner for me and it was wonderful!  Of course after dinner and dishes, we did the all American thing and passed out while watching TV!


We do not participate in Black Friday.  I dislike shopping, traffic and crowds enough already ... I don't need to add to the mix the frenzy that comes with people rushing around in a panic to snap up all the savings they can.  I suppose if I had everybody's Christmas lists, or if we purchased big-ticket items for Christmas presents it would be important; but we don't, so it's not.


Instead we started the day with a long, fast walk (4.5 miles) through M&D's neighborhood.  It is so nice to walk/run around here because it is perfectly flat.  At home, there isn't a flat stretch of road within 15 miles so running is extremely difficult (for me, someone who doesn't run anyways).  On the downside, it was 30 degrees with a windchill of about 20!  I thought my face was going to freeze!  At least I got some description of a work out completed and some nice one-on-one time with my mom.


The remainder of the day doing Mom and Dad stuff ... replacing and setting up a printer, setting up shelves in Mom's "office" and generally puttering around.  It was while doing these things that I learned my fate for the evening.  UGH!


My parents are very musically talented; my dad traveled with a gospel quartet most of my childhood and my mom is a piano, chior and band teacher.  This means that they are very involved in the music at their church.  Throughout the day I had heard them mention that they needed to practice for church service the next day, but I thought it was going to be just the two of them at home.  Boy, was I wrong.  Instead, I spent 2 1/2 hours sitting in their church listening to them practice with several other musicians.  I love music of all kinds and this wasn't bad music, but listening to people learn music is just one step above fingernails on a chalkboard ... especially when they're trying to change the key on the fly so being out-of-tune was a regular sound.  I finally succumbed to putting on my iPod and playing it a full sound to drown out what I was hearing.  I love my parents dearly, but no child (or adult child) should be subjected to that!


When they finished I found a different set of religious rules than I was raised on.  Growing up, our world stopped from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.  No TV, no shopping, no work (that part wasn't bad), no nothing.  Typically the majority of the cooking for Saturday was done Friday afternoon so the work after church was minimal.  So you can imagine my surprise when we went out to eat after practice at the church.  Then, when we got home, Dad turned on the TV to watch the football game.  The funny thing was he didn't turn on the volume ... like maybe that wasn't breaking the "rules."  Finally, after we all sat there for about 15 minutes watching a silent TV I suggested he turn on the sound.  He seemed reluctant, but I didn't come from the "talkies" era and silent TV isn't for me.


I did get out of going to church today ... I don't mean that as bad as it might sound.  It's just after years of being in the church and attending church school, and the struggles that created in my life, I prefer not to go when given the choice.  So I was thrilled when attendance was presented as an option ... and I opted out.


I've had a good sleep in and am going to tackle Backs and Biceps with the Abs Ripper (finally!) now.


Day 13 down, 80 to go.

Shoulders, Arms and Back -- Day 12

Due to a 4 hour difference between Tony and Ashton's flight, and mine, I decided to go back home and get a workout in before I left.  I know when I get to Mom and Dad's we'll do lots of walking/running (mom will walk and I will run to keep up!), but I wanted to get at least one disc workout in.

So it was Shoulders, Arms and Back today.  This is a killer workout that is supposed to be part of the second 4 week rotation ... but I decided to do it today.  The difficult thing for me was it contains LOTS of push-ups ... something I'm still not able to do very many of.  I'll admit to skipping through the push-ups after the first 3 because I simply couldn't do any more.  They were doing sliding push-ups, one armed push-ups, etc.  Maybe someday I'll be able to do these, but not right now.  I was in fear of getting a rug burn on my forehead from falling!

I recomment waiting on this one until the right rotation as I can now see how a full 4 weeks of the first rotation builds you up for this one.

Now I'm off to shower and leave for the airport.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Day 12 down, 80 to go.

Getting the Family Ready to be Up, Up and Away!

Obviously, Tony and I are pretty seasoned travelers so the packing process to get out of town is fairly painless for us.  We pride ourselves in only taking carry-on bags and have learned the secrets of minimization, while still having an outfit for every occasion.  Our son, however, does not have our same efficiency thoughts. 

I have two wonderful sons, but I swear my youngest is part girl.  I'll start with the fact that he can have 5 loads of dirty clothes in his hamper and still have enough clothes to last another week without doing laundry.  His double-decker closet has two full rods of nothing but t-shirts.  And another with nothing but hoodies and jackets!  Add to that the fact that he has over 26 pairs of sneakers, and you have a packing nightmare.

"No, honey, the people in Grandma's village won't be impressed that you have matching shoes for every outfit."  And "No, dear, you don't have to take a different hoodie for every day."  You should have seen his face when Tony told him he could only take two pairs of shoes (including the ones he wears on the plane).  Or when he was told that one coat and two hoodies would last him the week (and that's being generous).  I'm pretty sure he's ready to call Child Services for cruel and unusual punishment. 

Then of course, you have to add to all this the electronic entertainment that he has to travel with.  BMI Baby limits your carry-on to one bag that weighs no more than 10 kgs (est. 22 lbs) which means that's how much/little his backpack can weigh (yes, for the final leg of the journey they're going to have to check their clothes bags).  Thank goodness finals are over and no school books will be going along!  But let's see ... we have the cellphone and accessories (no thoughts that it won't work in England ... he's got to have it), PSP and accessories, iPod and accessories, toiletries (thank goodness for 3 oz. limits!), and a portable DVD player and accessories.  The backpack is sure to also contain no fewer than 3 baseball caps (another thing he has in abundance), at least two scarves and gloves.  I'm pretty sure he's going to be pushing the 22 lb. limit. 

Our son's packing production began a few days ago with laying out all the items he wanted to take, us cutting it back, him adding more things and us cutting it back again.  So as his big packing production continues, I can promise you that at 8:00p tonight Tony and I will pull out our suitcases, lay everything out and by 8:30p be fully packed and ready to go.



As for my workout today ... it's not looking good.  I thought I was all caught up on laundry, etc. then Ashton appeared with several arm loads of dirty clothes that magically materialized in his room in the past two days.  So I'm spending my morning washing, drying, folding laundry so everybody can pack finish packing this afternoon. 

Following that the house has to be cleaned (yes, I've turned into my mother).  I never understood why she cleaned the house before we left.  But now I do it too because it's just so nice to come back to a clean home.  So please don't think just because I might miss my workout I won't be getting any exercise!  My office is 3 flights of stairs away from the laundry room ... so it's up and down I go all day. 

For now I'll wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving ... Cheri

P.S.  I may sneak in an Abs workout (yes, I got my disc back!) before day's end.  I'll let you know.

Plyometrics -- Day 10

Well, the day finally came to do Plyometrics again.  I admit I was a little nervous going into this workout.  I just did not want to fail  And guess what ... I made it all the way through!  YEA!!!  I'll admit to not doing a full 30 seconds on all exercises and to hitting the pause button (twice) to take a few extra seconds rest, but overall I did everything.  Okay, I didn't do the bonus exercises.  But hey, that's not bad.  And you know what? I know that in just a few weeks this is going to be my favorite workout of the entire program. 

I sincerely love a workout that makes sweat drip in your eyes, and this one does that.  You're moving, jumping, pushing, pushing some more ... and then when you think you've reached the bottom you're pushing again.

The weird thing is, there are some exercises that are seriously difficult, and others that I don't find difficult at all.  Twist like you're skiing?  I can do that all day long.  Jump over a creek?  Yep, that one too.  Jump in the air and hit your knees on your hands?  Not so much.

Yes, muscles burn.  Yes, you sweat a TON.  Yes, you can feel like you're going to collapse.  But at the end you feel wonderful.  My BodyBugg says I burned 300 calories in 60 minutes.  And I know if I'd have done the full time on each exercise it would have been closer to 450.  That's fantastic!

Despite the difficult workout, I was able to function the remainder of the day without any ill affects.  Typically after a workout like that I'm battling between eating everything in site and taking a long nap.  Didn't do either today ... didn't even feel like doing either.  One trick I took from the disc was to spike my water with a 1/2-strength dose of the post-workout drink.   It's now 6+ hours after my workout and I still feel energized and ready to go.

The only thing I regretted today was eating my energy bar about 30 mins. before I worked out.  I know I should have given myself more time, but time got away from me a bit.  I didn't get sick or anything, but there was definitely about a 10 minute period when I was realizing what a dumb mistake that was.

My workouts are going to get a little crazy for the next few days.  Typically up next is Shoulders and Arms.  But tomorrow I'm going to do Chest, Shoulders and Triceps.  There will be some other modifications this week due to Holiday travel, but I'll let you know what I substitute and how well it works out.

Day 10 down, 81 to go.

Chest and Back -- Day 9

Today I was back to the first workout of the program.  I'd love to say it was easier the second time around, but it wasn't.  Despite feeling stronger, my push-ups were worse that before!

Well, maybe that isn't completely fair.  Last time I did all of them from my knees.  This time I focused on doing all the push-ups in the first round in true push-up form.  My reps were exactly 1/2 what they were the first time, and I wasn't able to achieve the depth demonstrated on the DVD.  The second round I ended up doing them all from my knees, but maintaining the same number of reps ... the depth was inconsistent.

For the chin-ups, I am still using the "red" band, but positioned myself further back and worked on making sure that my chin was well above my hands on each rep.

There are a few exercises in this workout that use weights and I am happy to say that I was able to use the same weight as before while maintaining the same number of reps.  In addition, I have already ear-marked one exercise for more weight next time around.

I can tell this workout gets to me.  After my workout I had to quickly shower and dress for a meeting.  Putting my eyeliner on with shaky hands was quite an experience!  After two tries I decided today I would go without ... I thought that better than having a squiggly lines all over my eyelids!

Tomorrow is the dreaded Plyometrics.  I am going to try DESPERATELY to get through the entire workout in one session.  Wish me luck!

Day 9 down, 82 to go.

Stretch X -- Day 8

Ahhh ... stretching.  So peaceful, so wonderful.

I was originally going to skip the Stretch X disc this week and go straight into starting at the beginning because I had taken a "day of rest" earlier this week.  But Staurday after my workout I spent several hours in the yard cleaning up leaves and generally doing Fall gardening.  That left my already tired and sore (in a good way) muscles even more sore Sunday morning.  So I decided to go ahead and stick with the program's schedule and stretch; and boy did it feel good!  I could feel my muscles loosening up and found that on some exercises I am already getting lower and deeper into the moves. 

So for the first week I was fairly dedicated (only missed one day) and didn't get on the scale for the entire week.  At the end of my stretch I broke down and stepped on the scale.  UGH!  This is the point in working out that I typically lose my focus.  My clothes are tighter and the scale says I've gained 2 lbs!  I know this is part of what happens, I know that muscles build-up faster than the fat goes down so for a while I'm toting both around.  I also know that muscle weighs more than fat so my weight is going to go up before it goes down.  But it was still a bummer.

I have an Apex BodyBugg that I haven't used this first week (due to a flat battery).  So this week I'm going to wear it during each workout and report how many calories each workout burns.  I admit I haven't been logging my food intake (I typically use livestrong.com because they have the best food database) but I haven't been eating bad either.  This week I'm going to focus on wearing the BodyBugg for each workout and making sure I don't have any wine or desserts during the week.  I know it's Thanksgiving week, but I will be with my parents who are really healthy eaters and don't drink so this shouldn't be difficult.

I am taking my discs with me over Thanksgiving so I can keep up the workouts.  I do wish there was an iPod version of the workouts available in the package.  For as much as we travel it would be very handy and make it easier to keep up on the program.

Because I won't have my weights there (I'll take my bands) and their workout space is fairly small, I'm going to mix up the discs and take those that will be easy to use while there (e.g., no chin-up exercises, no jumping around).

Day 8 down, 83 to go!

Kenpo X -- Day 7

There are two things I am finding very important to this program.  The first is the post-workout drink.  I'm not much of a believer in these things, but I can definitely tell a difference in the days I drink it and the days I don't.  I don't feel as tired the rest of the day and I feel like I rehydrate a lot faster.


The other thing is my Body Stick.  If you don't know what this is, it's a short stick with handles at the ends and rollers in the middle.  It is amazing for rolling out sore, stiff muscles.  I got one for PT after I injured my leg last year skiing.  I took it with me to the Grand Canyon (I even carried it into the canyon) and rolled my legs out several times during and after the hike.  And it REALLY helps!


After yesterday's legs workout I was definitely both sore and stiff this morning, but nearly as bad as I thought I would be.  A quick roll with the Body Stick and I was ready to go.


As suspected, the Kenpo X is kick boxing-like moves.  One thing this workout makes you keenly aware of is your body's coordination.  I am not very coordinated when it comes to boxing moves like jabs, uppercuts, hooks, etc.  I am so glad I am doing this workout alone or the other person would have died of laughter at my spastic moves!  On some of the exercises, I did just the footwork for the first half of the time, and at half speed.  I also have to admit that I didn't to the last 4 exercises on the disc ... I just jumped ahead to the cool-down.  This is mostly because these were complicated moves and I felt like I would probably hurt myself trying them.  For this workout, my goal is to one-by-one master the exercises with regards to getting the moves right.  I feel confident that once I get an exercise down, I'll be very good at it.


Tomorrow is supposed to be my rest/stretch day.  But because I skipped working out two days ago I'm going to start right back at the top with Arms and Shoulders tomorrow.  The goal for tomorrow will be to increase the band resistance on the chin-ups and the weight from 5 lbs. to 10 lbs. on half of the weighted exercises. 


Day 7 down, 84 to go!

Legs and Back -- Day 6

I got back to it today; although I didn't get the two workouts in I had hoped.

I was a little concerned about the Legs and Back workout.  I just was worried with how difficult the other discs have been if I'd be able to do it.  So I took it slow and smart ... actually almost too smart!

On the first pass of exercises I was smart about the weights I selected and the # of reps I pushed myself to.  Often if the "minimum" reps was 20, I would do 15.  And by mixing the back with the legs, you keep your body warm and working, but give your legs a nice rest while doing chin-ups.  Here again I was conservative with the # of reps I did ... but I did increase the weight* from my previous chin-ups.  I just really wanted to be sure I had enough to do it all again.

And then guess what!  There was no second round.  Just when I think I have the pattern of the workouts figured out, the next disc is different.  But I guess that's the idea.

There are some CRAZY moves in this program. The most interesting (and difficult) was the three-way lunge. Now, doing a lunge 90-degrees to the side, 45-degrees to the side and straight ahead isn't that big of a deal. The kicker is just that ... a kick! As you come back from the lunge you are supposed to kick (like in karate) your leg. I did it, sort of. Not much height from me (the people on the disc kicked seriously high), but for every lunge I did something that could have been considered a kick.

I was also supposed to do the Abs Ripper X disc, but it's still with my friend ... I really need to get that back!

Tomorrow is Kinbo X, which looks like it's going to be a kickboxing working.  I'm a little scared after my experience with Plyometrics, but I'm also looking forward to giving it my best.

Day 6 down, 85 to go. 

*For every exercise there are alternatives for less and more difficult.  I know I am not strong at chin-ups and don't want to over do it right away.  So the alternative is to use a band looped over the chin-up bar.  You then kneel down and angle your body so the movement is the same as if you were using the bar.  There are other "baby" steps to getting to a full-blown chin-up and I'll tell you about them as I get to them.

Working Out -- Day 5 (Not!)

It's happened already!  I missed a day working out yesterday.  I could say I have good excuses, but I also know that no matter what you can make the time.

I had my day all planned out ... dentist, leaf blower at Home Depot, Costco, home to work out and clean house.  But this is the day I got ... dentist, visit with friend to finalize Burning Man money, home to baby sit, clean house and Costco.  By the time I got back from the store it was 6:30p and I had dinner to make!  On top of all this I'm trying to scan 100s of photos of our son for Christmas books for our parents which takes a lot of "babysitting" of the scanner.

So yesterday I just didn't get to it (and didn't get my leaf blower either!).  I'm going to try to do two workouts today ... one in the morning and one in the afternoon before I pick up Tony at the airport.  But the morning one is legs and back, and the afternoon one will be something like kick boxing.  I don't know if I have it in me to do both, but I will try.

So it's 5 days down, but still 86 to go!

Yoga -- Day 4

First, I have to admit that I'm not much for instructions or directions.  So today as I was looking through the booklet that came with the discs I realized that I'm not doing this entirely correctly.    Generally I had it right, but there is a week-by-week routine order.  Like Weeks 1-3 you do these discs (some days you do two discs!) then Week 4 you do a different set of discs, then Weeks 5-7 you do a different set of discs, and so on.  I'd have probably survived doing it my way, but I'm glad I figured this out because it actually has a day of rest built into each week!.  As well, I found out I didn't have to make my own worksheets ... they are downloadable from the website.  Oh well ... I like mine better anyways.

So today was Yoga.  I have been looking forward to this for two days.  I LOVE yoga ... at least the stretching part.  I'm not so good at the balancing part, which became painfully clear today.

This workout was a lot longer than the others.  I had originally tried to fit it in in the morning, but when I realized it was a full hour-and-a- half I knew I wouldn't have time, so had to do it this evening.  The first 45 mins were very difficult and I know I'm going to feel them tomorrow.  As usual, I tried to keep up with the trainers on some of the more difficult moves.  So I got really tired in this section.

The second 45 minutes started with balance poses and had me tipping and falling all over the place ... but I made it through.  These poses were made a little harder because I am working out on a padded/carpeted floor.  I finally got smart and used the balance board from my Wii Fit, which did help a bit ... I just need more practice.

I've had some Stott pilates training so one thing I'm struggling with is keeping my body aligned while doing the poses.  Until I get more flexible I think this is going to continue to be an issue for me.  I don't want "untrain" by body what I spent so long training it to do right.  It's not to say the yoga poses are wrong, it's just when you're not fully flexible they don't give you a lot of other options to make sure you keep good form.

I feel like once I've made it through the all the discs once I'll have a better handle on how to pace myself.  Tomorrow is Legs & Back ... and Ab Ripper X.  The only problem with this is I loaned this disc to a friend (thinking it was the last one I'd use in the set).  So next week I'll do all this 100% "by the book" ... and we'll call this week a trial run.

Day 4 down ... 86 to go!

Shoulders and Arms -- Day 3

I am SO PROUD of myself! 

Although I worked this morning, met with a girlfriend for coffee, am babysitting this afternoon and working this evening, I made the time to work out.  My typical self would be to take what little "down" time I had to putz around the house.  But I sucked it up today and got 'er done!

I am also proud because I'm learning ... rather than jump right in with the weights I'd like to think I can lift, I went with something lighter to pace myself; and it worked!  I was able to complete all the exercises and all the groupings and all the reps/times without stopping.  For some exercises the weight was just right, but for some I made a note that next time around I need something heavier.

I really liked this workout.  The warm-up included stretches that loosened up the muscles that were still a little tight from my first workout and prepared me well for what was ahead.  Although all workouts are an hour long, this one seemed to go by really quickly. 

I have to say that's one thing I really like so far.  The running commentary by Tony Horton isn't so insanely cheezey that it drives you crazy ... yet. 

So it's Day 3 down, 87 to go.  Tomorrow, yoga! 

What Is High Maintenance?

I often hear people talk about being or knowing someone that is high maintenance.  But how do you define that?

Is it someone that is emotionally demanding?  Or someone that is financially expensive to maintain?  Or is it someone that generally has to have things their way?

When we were at Burning Man a woman was looking at an "art" display of women's breasts and commented that you don't see many "fake" boobs at BM because those women are too high maintenance.  I took a personal offense to that.  I don't see myself as high maintenance (although Tony may disagree). 

Without making judgement, I think of women that need regular spa manicures/pedicures or that spend a lot of money on cosmetic treatments as high maintenance.  But maybe that's how their men like them and therefore the men don't see that as an issue.  For that matter, is being high maintance an issue in a relationship?

What are your thoughts?  Have you ever had a relationship with someone who's "needs" were just too demanding or expensive?  If yes, what were the issues and how did you resolve them?  Can men be high maintenance?

Working Out -- Day 2, Part II

I finally completed the 2nd disc yesterday.  The second half was just as difficult as the first, but now I was doing the exercises on tired/sore legs; so I'm not sure it was worth stopping half-way through. 

It's interesting what you learn about your body with the Plyometrics exercises.  Some of the ones they said were "killers" I didn't have much trouble with ... and others that would appear to be fairly simple I found to be most difficult.  There's so much jumping (something I'm not good at) and leg-lift moves that my legs feel like they've just done the Grand Canyon again ... although not quite as bad.

To be honest, the only way I made it through the last-half of the workout was to take my competitor hat off and be realistic about what I could do.  For some exercises, rather than try to keep up with the pace they set, I worked on keeping good form and going slower.  This often meant that while they may have done 20+ exercises in the 30 seconds, I generally completed 10.  This also was a good pace that allowed me to do the same number of reps for the repeat.

By the end of the day I was pretty tired and achy all over (in a good way).  I'm glad the Yoga Disc is only two days away!

So now I can officially say 2 days down, 88 to go!

Plyometrics -- Day 2

We'll start with how I feel after Day 1.  Generally, I felt good ... as long as I didn't try to do too much with my arms!  Right now, they feel like they weigh 20 lbs each!  So I started out the morning (after my 4:30a wake-up call to take Tony to the airport) with some good, slow, long stretches.  And I've kept doing them throughout the day.  The stretches are definitely helping, but my arms can certainly tell they did something yesterday.

This afternoon I loaded up Disc 2 (Plyometrics) and got ready for Day 2.  Right from the start you're told this is the "Mother Of All P90X Workouts."  Great.  They had to make this Disc 2.  No letting you get stronger before killing you ... they just jump right into it.  And I used the word "jump" on purpose, because that's what this workout is all about.  Jumping and landing soft; with a lot of work in between.  I warmed up with the disc (I LOVE that they have the warm-up built right in) and started in on the exercises.  I won't say that any one exercise is difficult, but added together they are killer.  For this program they put together groups of 4 exercises that you rotate through twice before moving on.  Each one is based on time vs. reps (something I like).  I was able to keep up with the workout crew wrt reps for most of the exercises ... even through the second set.  But truth be told I only made it through two sets of the first two groups of exercises before I was done.  And believe me, I tried and tried to push myself harder.

My one BIG weakness is aerobic.  I've never been much for things like running and jumping rope that increase your aerobic ability ... and it sure showed in this workout.  It probably took me a good 5 mins. until my breathing returned to somewhere near normal.

It's late in the day and I probaby won't tackle the second half of this workout tonight; so I'll save it for tomorrow.  I'll re-do the warm-up and pick-up where I left off.  I do hate that I'm stopping half way through, but the moto of the program is to Do Your Best and Forget The Rest ... and for today I did my best.

So it's day 1.5 down, 88.5 to go.

Chest and Back -- Day 1

Well, despite still being sore, I loaded up the DVD and began my P90X workout today.

If I had read through the materials correctly, I could have done all the prep work yesterday.  There's a lot more than just doing the workouts.  First, I didn't have a sheet to document my progress.  I'll have to make sure I get one made before tomorrow.  Second, the program comes with a nutritional book that I need to spend some time reviewing.  I could/should have done that yesterday.  And third, like all programs, they push their own supplementals.  Because it came with the starter package, I got the post-workout drink, but nothing else.  As I progress through the program I'll determine if I want/need these things and let you know.

The first thing I noticed about the workouts is that they build in time for you to write down how many reps you did and what weight you used.  The second thing I like is that before an exercise begins they ask you to set a goal.  So you're not trying to keep up with them, you're trying to reach or break the goal you set for yourself within the timeframe of the exercise (each exercise last about 2 minutes with a clock running on the screen so you can pace yourself). 

This particular routine is going to be a challenge for me because it includes A LOT of push-ups ... something I am not very good at.  A bad shoulder break when I was a kid has left one shoulder extremely weak.  But the way this is set-up, I didn't feel like a failure for only getting in 5 reps.  Again, it's about setting the goal.  This is where the documentation of reps, etc. comes in; it's all so you see progress.

They go through the set of exercises twice in one workout.  But the difference with this program is the order of the exercises is different the second time around; keeping the focus on the workout on muscle confusion. 

I also like that they cool-down and stretch with you at the end.  That is one thing my trainer at the gym never did and an element I always thought was missing.

Despite the fact that I didn't keep up with their rep numbers, I feel like I got a very good workout.  My arms are very tired and I'm sure I'm going to feel it tomorrow.

Day one down ... 89 to go!

P90X -- Workout Day 1 (Not!)

Today was supposed to be the first day of my P90X workout. Unfortunately, yesterday's little mishap left me a little more bruised and battered than I originally thought. Those things that hurt the most immediately after have now taken a back seat to aches and pains all over my body.


In hindsight, it was a good thing my hands were full when I went down, or I probably would have tried to grab onto the adjacent bookshelf and pulled it down on myself. So I'm pretty lucky the damages are as minor as they are.


I will definitely start this thing tomorrow. And I'll give you a full report when I'm done.


Have a great weekend everybody!

Working Out

I'm not a gym rat, but I do like working out.  My biggest problem is motivation.  I can ALWAYS find something better to do and my promises to myself to work out "in 15 minutes" never seem to happen.   My second problem is know what do to when I get there. 


Last year I committed the time and money to work out with a trainer 3 days a week and what a difference that made!  He kept the workouts interesting and allowed me to work all parts of my body without having to put too much thought into it.  But who can afford to keep that up?


For my birthday I requested and got the Wii Fit program.  It's great for testing your balance, core strength, tracking your progress, etc.  But it doesn't give me the level of intensity I'm used to.  And the trainers are a bit corny.


So this year at Fantasy Fest I saw four friends I hadn't seen since last year that looked absolutely FANTASTIC!  When asked what their secret was I was surprised to find out they were all doing the P90X workout.


For those of you that don't know what this is, it's a set of 12 DVDs by Tony Horton (http://www.beachbody.com/) that are based on keeping your muscles "confused."  Each of these people said it was very difficult, but "fun" because it was always something new ... and their results were undeniable. 


So I ordered the discs.  I was surprised at how inexpensive they were compared to a personal trainer.  For the price of all the DVDs I could only get about 3 training sessions, so right there I'm ahead of the game.


Well, the discs arrived today.  And with all the anticipation of Christmas I dove right into the boxes.  First up was assembling the chin-up bar.  Right there I got my work-out.  I'm pretty handy and am used to assembling things, but this was a real challenge.  The stay-tight screws were very difficult to get tightened and 45 mins and a lot of tools later I had it completed.


Now came the fun part ... mounting it on the doorway.  It's not a permanent mount, but you do have to install brakets that hold it in place while you're using it.  So to my office door I went (best place to mount it).  I got the screws, anchors, hammer, etc.  But with my hands that full I didn't wasn't able to carry a ladder as well ... and who wants to make two trips!  Luckily (or unluckily) I have a desk chair in my office that I thought would work perfectly.


Dear readers ... please DO NOT try this at home!  I rolled my bar stool-height chair to the door and began my measurements.  Oh dang!  The chair kept turning.  So I thought it would be "smart" to steady myself by putting one foot on a shelf inside the door while I began marking the screw holes.  Bad idea!  The minute the chair began turning and I put weight on my "support" foot the shelf gave way and me, my tools, the shelf and everything on it went crashing to the floor!

I'll let you contemplate that visual for a moment ...


I am now sporting a severly banged up thumb and a scratch/bruise on my hip that is going to leave a lovely mark for a few weeks.  Still trying to decide if I need a Dr. or not.


Once I get the status of my thumb and am able, I'm going to start a daily blog on my workouts.  You, my reading audience, are going to be my motivation ... and I'll review the product for you as I go.  When I work out, I'll tell you and let you know what I thought of it.  The days after, I'll let you know how bad I hurt or how good I feel.  If I don't work out, I'll tell you that as well, but I expect you to hold me to only GOOD excuses.  No "I was just too lazy" posts will be allowed.

For today,  I think I've had enough of a work out.

Answers to Some FAQs

Every so often we hear from people with feedback on our website and they often have the same comments/assumptions … that we were raised to be living this life.

So I thought it might help others if we set the record straight. I was raise in a very religious family and attended private, church schools through my first year of college. It wasn’t until I was married with my own child that I started looking at who I really was and what truly made me happy.

That did not always create a harmonious environment with my family. My actions are not to be disrespectful to them, but to honor me and how I have chosen to live my life.  Luckily, we finally came to an understanding that they shouldn’t ask the question if they couldn’t accept the truth. It still took a couple of years for them to full accept the life that Tony and I have built. I’m sure there are still things they don’t know, but overall they have come to accept and love us as we are.

Our home has many pieces of art, and many of them feature the naked female form. As well, there are several nearly-life-sized nude photos of me throughout the house. Over the years, it has been very interesting and amusing to see people’s reaction to them.

There was the elementary school mom who wouldn’t allow her daughter into our home after she saw the photos and there were the neighborhood boys I caught peering through the windows to see the pictures. I began telling parents ahead of time that we had artwork featuring a naked woman in our house before we got into an awkward moment at the door (I admit I didn’t tell them it was me!).

My favorite situation was when we had our son’s little league team over for a post-season BBQ. Everybody was out back and we though the boys were playing baseball in the cul-du-sac. I was in the kitchen when suddenly our son came in asking if I’d see the boys. He found them in the living room starting at my nude photo over the fireplace. His reaction was priceless! He said, “Come on guys! It’s just a naked woman. Let’s go play ball.” I was so proud!

The funniest and most liberating story was for my mom’s 60th birthday. We had invited her friends, her conservative, religious friends … one of whom had been my orthopedic surgeon since I was a kid (see my previous blog about my feet!). Some came into the house, took one look at the picture and retreated into the kitchen, never to return. Others purposefully seated themselves in so their backs were to it. Towards the end of the evening as the group was getting smaller the orthopedists said, “I see you don’t have your feet showing in the picture.” And that was all it took. It opened the flood gates with questions about when I had them taken, where I had them taken, was I nervous, etc. Turns out everybody wanted to talk about it, but nobody was comfortable bringing it up.

In hindsight I think that was a major turning point for my parents as well. I know they were nervous having their friends into our home, but bless them for not asking me to take the photos and art down. And after they saw how their friends didn’t judge me (or them) because of it I think they really realized it was okay.

I am also often asked if it isn’t difficult to walk on the street in Key West with nothing on but body paint. My first thought is that after standing still for up to three hours being painted, I am painfully aware that I am not naked. On the other hand, walking down a street naked would not be a problem for me. It’s not a sexual thing, it’s just how I am comfortable.

There are also a lot of photos taken at FF that might appear that I am more “open” than I really am. In general, I am not one to show it all just for the fun of it. However, over the years we have become friends with many professional photographers, who ask nicely for certain shots. And I do accommodate these requests. Of course it is impossible to ensure that only they get “the shot,” but as soon as they say “Thank you” the pose ends. I don’t sit on the bikes or get body painted to draw attention to myself; although I realize both of these things do draw attention to me. Again, if people are respectful of me, I am willing to accommodate them.

So, yes, we live a very liberal lifestyle. But we weren’t raised that way. It took us testing the waters and finding out which ones worked for us … and then being willing to stand-up for what makes us happy.

There aren’t a lot of people around where we live that know about, or would understand, how we live our lives. And many that do know and don’t get it. I had a friend introduce me once as her “nudist friend.” I was horribly offended! It might be what I do, but it is not who I am. We have lives very similar to 90% of the population … we volunteer in the community, attend sports games and are parents and grand parents.

We just have found what makes us happy and comfortable, and pursued it despite what others might think. And as long as we’re not hurting anybody else, what harm can there be in being happy?