tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76888681320134601662024-03-19T05:55:26.665-04:00I Hate Exerciserealbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-89474647707740434822011-11-21T11:57:00.000-05:002011-11-21T11:57:54.280-05:00Days 4 & 5Day 4 was Sunday, so I didn't do much. I ended up taking a vigorous 2 mile walk right before nightfall. Today (Day 5) I knew I wasn't going to make it to zumba class tonight because of an extra-long tutoring session, so I set out to do the entire 30 minute Turbo Fire DVD. Wow, I think it's equal to an hour long zumba class! My heart rate was so high during the fire drills, I wondered if there is a level above high intensity, because I was there. Maybe it's the 'I'm-going-to-pass-out-in-5-seconds-if-we-don't-stop-this' intensity level. I had to back off for a bit so I didn't pass out. I think I'll do this one again tomorrow and see if I can push myself a little harder. I also did the optional 10 minute stretch at the end, and that was very enjoyable.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-47564196197452095262011-11-19T11:47:00.000-05:002011-11-19T11:47:09.385-05:00Day 3Yay! It's still morning and I've already worked out for today! my neighbor let me borrow a Turbo Fire DVD and I finally got around to trying it. Whew! It's as high intensity as my Zumba class can be. I only did the first half and I am pooped. I think I'll try to do the whole thing tomorrow afternoon. I wasn't prepared for something that rigorous this morning.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-50333915468904812732011-11-18T22:01:00.000-05:002011-11-18T22:01:44.196-05:00Day 2I did NOT want to work out today. I had a difficult morning/afternoon and was feeling yucky again tonight after dinner, so I kept putting it off. I finally had to ask myself 'do you really want to quit on the second day of a challenge?!' That's my biggest motivational tool--a challenge. So I got up and went for a brisk 15 minute walk with Chica. Not the hardest workout ever, but it counts. I'm planning for an early workout tomorrow.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-53233727423829663482011-11-17T21:39:00.000-05:002011-11-17T21:39:51.391-05:00A 40 Day ChallengeI have been issued a challenge to work out for 40 consecutive days. It was not directed specifically at me; my aunt is doing it and posted it for all her Facebook friends, but I am picking up that thrown gauntlet nonetheless! The rules are you must work out every day or you start back at day 1. For me, a workout will be at least of moderate intensity and for at least 15 minutes (I figure I can do anything for 15 minutes!) Today I began by going back to zumba class. The results, a 55 minute workout of high intensity :) I don't aim for that every day, but I think it's a good way to start. <br />
In other news, I picked a bunch of green beans from our garden to eat for dinner tonight. Mmmm they were so good: I sautéed them lightly in EVOO, salt, & pepper. And talk about fresh--picked at 5PM, eaten by 6PM. That's the way we were meant to eat!realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-50192213554989686792011-11-14T21:32:00.000-05:002011-11-14T21:32:56.387-05:00Yucky TummyIt's been a hard last few days. I've been sick to my stomach all weekend! It makes getting motivated for workouts that much more difficult. I have managed to keep up on laundry and get some housework done, but that's about it. I even had to skip out on zumba tonight, so sad :( Hopefully this will have passed by next Thursday.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-20772696236486032552011-11-11T13:30:00.000-05:002011-11-11T13:30:22.712-05:00Missed a DayYesterday turned into quite a busy day, despite no official work. I had my normal busy Thursday morning and then I was able to go with a friend on her 32 week sonogram in the afternoon. It was so neat to see a developing baby, hear his heartbeat, see him move around inside her. I can't wait to have one of my own. Then, last night, I went back to the zumba class. There were fewer people this time so the instructor had us working with weights. Wow! That was quite a workout! After zumba I spent some time just talking with a friend at Starbucks, so I didn't get home until late. I am super tired this morning. I may end up taking a nap, after I go weed out the vegetable beds.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-38910474387019401622011-11-09T23:05:00.000-05:002011-11-09T23:05:54.632-05:00BlahHad a down day. Battled a headache all day. Hope tomorrow is batter.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-17009113905371544112011-11-08T23:24:00.000-05:002011-11-08T23:24:04.211-05:00Errand dayAfter a morning teaching English & a quick lunch, I spent the afternoon grocery shopping. I shopped off my list, but I still didn't do as well as usual. I aim for 50% savings when I shop at Publix but I think I only got 30%. I never do as well when I buy meats: I can never find coupons for them! Oh well, at least I got what I needed and stayed within budget. For dinner tonight I made mushroom soup. I thought my husband would be happy, he loves mushrooms. But he let me know (after I had dinner ready) he did not like mushroom soup! Apparently he doesn't like his mushrooms pureed. Well, I had him try it anyway, and he said it was good. So my first attempt at mushroom soup got a thumbs up from a difficult audience :)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-28448031953382315492011-11-07T22:17:00.000-05:002011-11-07T22:17:52.109-05:00PaperworkI spent most of this day catching up on my husband's business paperwork. I am his (unpaid) accountant. He gives me handfuls of receipts & I reconcile them all to the bank statements and input them into my spreadsheet for the end of year taxes. It's a lot of work, especially if you haven't done it for 10 months. Then I took another shot at zumba. I thnk I did a little better this time, but I'm still not all there with the coordination. My feet were working a little better and I managed to get my arms to match theirs about half the time, but my hips are still not cooperating. It's gonna take a while to get some Latin blood into this white girl!realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-29818709417554610502011-11-06T23:10:00.002-05:002011-11-06T23:10:43.932-05:00Sunday!A day of rest :)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-77192073376693608132011-11-05T23:01:00.000-04:002011-11-05T23:01:00.665-04:00Lotta Walkin'As my Nana would say, I'm tuckered out! We went out to the corn 'maize' in Hilliard this morning and walked throughout the farm. It brought back so many childhood memories! I didn't grow up on a farm, but I grew up in the Florida countryside and this farm reminded me of home. After conquering both sides of the maize, walking through the barns, and shopping in the general store, we headed home to begin our weekend job. We had 3 lawns to do today, but one had already mowed their lawn, so we were able to spend extra time on one ladies yard doing some extra work that she wanted done. I ended up pushing the lawn mower & pulling vines for about an hour, in addition to riding the big lawn mower (which doesn't really count as exercise). So with all the walking and physical activity, I am pooped! Good thing I get and extra hour of sleep tonight :)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-30075069403806453752011-11-04T22:59:00.000-04:002011-11-04T22:59:49.682-04:00OuchI am sore! I did manage to work in a walk with Chica tonight. Hopefully that will keep her accident free tomorrow morning. I watched my husband play his first gig with his band tonight. They did pretty good, but they still need to work on the balance between instruments & vocals. I could tell the lead was singing, but I couldn't make out the words! Hopefully their second engagement will have the kinks worked out.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-4309668172270442452011-11-03T22:34:00.000-04:002011-11-03T22:34:33.230-04:00ZumbaOuch, I hurt! After a busy morning & a full afternoon, I was very tempted to back out of attending the Zumba class my friend had invited me to, but I made myself go. I've attended some dance workout classes before, so I am familiar with some of the steps they did, but I have no dance flair! And I don't know how they get their bodies to shake & shimmy like that! It reminded me of the time I tried a belly dancing class at the YMCA--epic fail. My hips & shoulders have never learned to cooperate. I try to shake the top and the bottom moves; I have a little better success with the hips, but nothing like the girls in this class. It was all I could do to mimic the feet movements. I managed to follow along fairly well, and I tried to keep moving throughout so that it would be a true workout. I am now thoroughly tired and I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow! Hopefully the next time I go I'll be able to add arm movements and (eventually) torso? It's gonna take a lot to teach this white girl new tricks, but I'm up for it :)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-86971710900324005022011-11-02T23:53:00.000-04:002011-11-02T23:53:42.061-04:00AccidentsI didn't get much exercise today. After staying up late waiting for my husband to get home, I slept later than usual this morning. I went straight to Chica to walk her, but it was too late. Every time I move her bed onto the perch under the window, she does her business on the floor! She loves sleeping up on her perch, but until she stops with the accidents, it's not gonna happen. Anyway, she went into time-out while I cleaned up the mess and we did not walk the block. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, since she is sleeping on the floor.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-71528401151305072592011-11-01T21:40:00.000-04:002011-11-01T21:40:24.118-04:00Day 2Two days in a row. That's a fair start to beginning to build back habits that were lost. <br />
Even though I had to leave relatively early this morning, I managed to get in a short walk, mostly because that was the only way to make sure Chica did not have an accident while I was gone :) I also worked out in the garden for 30 minutes, weeding out the same old white rooted weeds that I had been fighting before. They just keep coming back! I guess that's what makes them a weed. I do have a nice crop of lettuce growing, along with a few late-blooming tomatoes. I'm hoping it doesn't get to cold, since that's what killed my late bloomers last year. I think the carrots are doing well too, but there is really no way to tell other than to uproot a plant; so I'll wait until it's time to harvest and hope for the best. Oh, and the green beans have flowered. Hopefully that means they'll be developing soon. I can't wait to eat what I've worked so hard to cultivate!realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-59786299170720723332011-10-31T13:04:00.000-04:002011-10-31T13:04:51.964-04:00HabitsIt is so easy to let slip a habit that I worked so hard to create. After the unusual week, with my husbands' parents visiting, I am completely out of the habit of writing and mostly out of the habit of exercising. So now I must try to build these habits back. I started today by walking Chica and now by updating my blog. I think I am going to have to start walking Chica every morning anyway because she doesn't want to go out in the morning anymore now that it's getting cooler. She will walk with me, but she won't go out by herself. It's forcing me to walk again :) The writing daily, well that's going to be a bit harder of a habit to reform. We shall see how it goes.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-66105975594034266202011-10-24T09:50:00.000-04:002011-10-24T09:50:23.140-04:00A Whole WeekI cannot believe a whole WEEK has past since I updated my blog! Well.... maybe I can believe it since I have been super-busy cleaning and then hosting. We had so much fun!!! My husband & I took them through St Augustine and all around Jacksonville, though there were still some places missed--there is only so much we can do in the few days they were here :) Dad loves fish but doesn't get much in Arizona, so we introduced them to 2 different fish camps. Mmmmmm! I am going to have to work out hard to avoid putting on weight this week! And we must have hit almost every Starbucks & coffee shop around town :) After a wonderful visit, they headed out early this morning and the housed is back to normal (or it will be after I clean up a bit). I should get back to regular schedule tomorrow.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-19036582364862709752011-10-17T22:22:00.000-04:002011-10-17T22:22:56.225-04:00A Full DayThe craziness continues as I prepare for company. I hadn't realized how long it's been since I gave my house a thorough cleaning! I keep the living areas presentable, but I hate to dust, and floorboards or behind furniture? Forget it! I need to get on some kind of schedulen so I am cleaning more often than whenever family or friends stay the night. Anyway, the front room is now completely cleared, de-cluttered, and cleaned. I also went back and did a few overlooked parts of the living room. Tomorrow I'm moving on the the kitchen and possibly the bedroom. Oh! And I weeded out the garden beds again. If we dont get more rain soon I'm going to have to start watering. Com'on clouds!realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-200354128010636622011-10-15T23:03:00.000-04:002011-10-15T23:03:18.529-04:00Cleaning DayToday has been a day of hard work! With family coming, I decided to do some deep cleaning that I had been putting off. 12 hours later, the living room is completely dusted (and with all the decorations DH has brought home, that's a LOT of dusting) and the office/music room is cleaned out! Now THAT is an accomplishment. We took the keyboard up to the music shop to put it on consignment, cleaned up the accumulated junk that was lying about, cleared the office desk and dusted the majority of the room. It looks completely different. Now someone will be able to sleep in there when company comes. Much accomplished today :)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-6377705126974399552011-10-13T21:51:00.000-04:002011-10-13T21:51:15.878-04:00MigraineOuch! I have been in pain for the majority of my day. 2 hours my last chiropractor appointment, I "cracked" my neck and something went wrong. I ended up with a headache that would not stop. It grew for 2 days straight, so after a morning of working through the pain running my various Thursday errands, I took myself back to the chiropractor to fix what I messed up and then drove home to sleep off the pain. Then, an hour later, I got a call from my husband--he had sliced his finger on a mower and needed me to come help him out. Both of us down for the count at the same time, not a good situation. I've got the migraine mostly under control right now, but his finger is going to take some time to heal.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-65970887892691549472011-10-11T22:36:00.000-04:002011-10-11T22:36:18.877-04:00Teaching, Shopping, & MowingBusy day today. After a VERY late night waiting up for my dear husband, I got up ealier than normal to make it to my Tuesday English teaching. I love my class, even though I'm just assisting. The girls are all so sweet; it's awesome getting to knew ladies from different cultures. Then this afternoon, after a stop at my chiropractor, I hit the store for some sweet deals. I ended up saving just over 50% with all my coupons + sales :) I use a website called SouthernSavers.com which makes it so easy. If I put in more time, I could probably save more (not like those extreme couponers you see on TV, but closer to 60-75% off). But I am busy enough and a 50% savings is good for me. After bringing home the goodies, I was off to assist my husband in our 2nd job--lawn care. 2 lawns later it was getting dark and I was finally home for the evening. So I guess I did walk today, but it was around a store and outside working, not quite what I had planned. Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there tomorrow.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-16049925060442372292011-10-10T22:20:00.000-04:002011-10-10T22:20:59.546-04:00Pet Store VisitWell, I did it--I got back to walking today. I took Chica to the pet store about a half mile away. She really likes to sniff around the store--so many interesting new smells. I came this <> close to buying her a doggie toothbrush, but I wasn't certain she would let me use it on her. Plus, her mouth is so small, I'm not sure a finger brush would fit comfortably inside anyway. After walking home, I spent an hour weeding out all 3 of the tiers of my planter. Whew! If I don't stay on top of things those weeds go wild FAST! All weeds have been vanquished (for now), but I'll have to keep an eye on it. More walking on the agenda for tomorrow.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-56547549507826116902011-10-08T20:19:00.000-04:002011-10-08T20:19:20.343-04:00Rain, rain, & more rain!It has been raining all day! Bands of heavy rain followed by bands of light rain with maybe a break here or there. During one of the short breaks I managed to get outside to do some more weeding, but that was about the extent of my exercise for today. It was truly a lazy day, but we all need those every once in a while :) I made a Mexican pizza for dinner tonight, complete with a homemade whole wheat & cornmeal crust. It was ok--a little on the dry side and not quite crispy/thin enough, but fairly good.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-5334585667436118192011-10-07T11:54:00.000-04:002011-10-07T11:54:22.975-04:00PecansBoy, yesterday was a BUSY day! I ran errands all morning, visited a friend with her new baby in the afternoon, and cooked and helped my hubby at night. The whole day slipped by without a lick of "exercise". Oh well. Much was accomplished anyway. We now have a new programmable thermostat installed! No more messing with the lever trying to get the house to cool off!! YAY!!! Now to figure out how to work it..... This morning I went outside to check on my plants (which are getting plenty of rain thanks to the nor'easter sending much clouds our way) and discovered 2 things: 1) Those pesky white rooted weeds that I rooted out of the middle tier are growing under the platform for the rain barrel on the top tier! After I planted all 3 tiers of the planter with vegetables, my husband decided it would be a good idea to move our rain barrel up high. So he built a little ledge on top of the end of the garden for it! I had to respace a strawberry plant for that thing! But hopefully it will come in handy when we need water later on. Anyway, the weeds are growing right up through the slats in the platform! It looked like a forest of white roots when I took a peek underneath. That is going to be difficult to weed out without destroying the plants adjacent. I did a little this morning, but then got distracted by discovery #2) Chica was trying to eat a pecan. That may not seem too weird, but I had not given it to her, nor had I ever fed her one before! How did she know that it was good to eat? A mystery.... I investigated (after I cracked it open for her :) We have a pecan tree in our neighbor's backyard that grows over into our backyard. We've been waiting for the fruits to ripen, but it is still loaded down with green buds. However, after walking around the shed to the back of the property, I noticed my neighbors walking their yard while intently looking at the ground. The pecan tree belongs to them, and they held something (I assumed pecans) in their hand, so I asked them what to look for. When pecans ripen and drop, they do not look like they do in the store. They have a dark outer shell attached, and they usually drop so hard that they are half-buried. The best way to find them is to feel them under foot. (good thing I had flip-flops on) So I proceeded to feel around and picked up a good double handful of the things. Hopefully they will be good eats for us tonight. That explained where Chica got the pecan, but how did she know it was food? She learned it from the neighbor's dogs! They get out there and find, crack, and eat the pecans along with their people! In fact, their little dog has gained quite a bit of weight from eating so many of the nuts :) Mystery solved, I came inside, washed my nuts ;) , and set them out to dry.realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7688868132013460166.post-60369442568627257742011-10-05T13:03:00.000-04:002011-10-05T13:03:08.980-04:00Wicked White WeedsYeeHaw! Hot diggidy! Git er done! After breakfast and a 20 minute walk (about 1/2 mile backwards to change it up), I let Chica into the backyard to chase lizards and started on my daily weeding. I try to weed one of the 3 tiers of the planter daily to keep up with things, and to get a good feel for the moisture in the soil. Well! Today I set out to weed the middle bed, and 45 minutes later I had a pile of these pervasive white rooted weeds that are constantly popping back up! I just decided to dig as far down as I could to find the source, and boy howdy! those things grow deep. I usually dig down about a hands length and just snap them off, but this time I took a cultivator and dug down about 2 feet anywhere I saw the heads of them so I could find all the other branches and (hopefully) get the source out. I did this all along the 10 foot length of the middle planter. Whew, that was a job, but quite fun. I love a challenge, and theses weeds have been just that! I don't think I got the root in all of the places, but I certainly put a dent in their growth. Hopefully they'll get the hint and not bother to grow back ;)realbeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13367070030119976776noreply@blogger.com0