Dog days

ugh...i....can't....

Well, I did it. I actually got up yesterday at 5:30am and hopped on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes before embarking on a very long day. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life. I would get off the machine and stare at the numbers....okay....I can go 15 more minutes.... I can go 11 more minutes. So, now I know. Mornings? Not so good for me. But, I got my daily activity in. I'm trying not to be smug about it.

I'm also trying to get into the habit of stretching and massaging my wounded IT band, which is literally a huge pain in the ass. But I have my foam roller and three-pronged massager, which I brought home from the apartment in Bethel--I had conveniently forgotten I had them...hunh--and I've been groaning my way through. The pain is pretty severe, so if you're not a runner/speed walker and you're going to start working those legs, do yourself a favor. Stretch.

I also grabbed my fitness ball to do situps. (I just laughed out loud. I'm not doing any situps on the fitness ball. If anything, I'll probably use it as an office chair.)

instruments of torture

(Ha! That made me laugh even more.)

I just noticed my fitness ball is from a company calling itself "Fitness After 40 by Vonda Wright." I don't know why, but that really irritates me. Did this fitness ball come with hormone pills and a running John Hughes montage? Is John Cusack going to be my personal trainer? What makes it for people over 40?

shut up, Vonda

I have to say it again, though. I really am noticing a difference. I can still balance a tray on the shelf that serves as the top of my substantial tuchus, but I feel good. In fact, I called a friend on the phone yesterday morning and while leaving her a message, I broke into nearly hysterical giggles because the endorphins were raging through my body. Exercise is making me very very happy so, I'm pleased to report, Groom is safe for now.

I spent the day on a boat yesterday, about two to three hours in some huge rollers. Boating can be really exhausting (I will put a dollar in a douchebag jar for that comment). But, I noticed I was able to keep up with the boat rolling and slamming because my core was fully engaged. A day on a boat can lead to lower back pain and just an overall sense of feeling banged up. Instead, I was just sun tired at the end of the day.

i swear it's really tough to be out there all day

I was accompanying a woman who was delivering her boat to Southport. My role was to coil lines and generally irritate her with my constant chatter. This is a friend who once said to me, while we were driving to Boston together, "Dev, you don't have to mention every single thing that pops into your head, you know." So, I know. She filters out most of my comments about the other boats, the birds, the waves, the sky, the thing I heard on the radio this morning, the type of coffee I like to drink.... She speculated that maybe this blog is an outlet for that part of my personality. I can't argue with that.

I realized yesterday that this woman is also a bit of an inspiration for my new life plan. She started working out last summer and has been doing it regularly for a year. I can see the difference for sure. She mentioned that she hasn't lost weight, but I don't think that's important. She hopped about the boat, leaned over the railing, climbed from dinghy to dock without a single zombie noise. She looks comfortable, and not in the "I wear an elastic waistband on my slacks" kind of comfortable. It's inspiring.

So, I say to you, if you're reading this and think you can't get outside for a little activity: Think again. I feel great and all I do is park farther away from the restaurant so I'm forced to walk an extra block; I walk to the store instead of driving; I hold my body still in the car with my stomach muscles rather than my arms. Yes, I have the luxury of hopping on the elliptical because I have one in our house, but you can mop the floor and get just as much of a workout. Trust me. I was sweating my balls off the other day with a mop in my hand.

too hot for the critters

Speaking of parking farther away from the restaurant, I have to mention that I chose Shaw's over the more local Brackett's to pick up some fruit for our boat ride yesterday. I realize, when I have the dog with me, my "shop locally" edict gets much more challenging. If there's no shade on a hot day or if there's nowhere for me to safely park the car with the windows down, I have to move on. For coffee, since we have none in the house, I had to opt for drive-thru coffee from DoDo's. I would have preferred Cafe Creme in Bath, but I didn't want this to happen to me.

This morning, after an evening in Boothbay Harbor that included a visit to the sweetest little olive oil shop (they sell a strawberry-infused balsamic that knocks me out) before a late dinner at Boathouse Bistro, I limped back to Bath to grab a yummy coffee treat at Cafe Creme where I saw all the Sunday morning couples with their wet hair and comfy clothes sipping lattes and reading the paper over shared scones. I hopped on the elliptical at home for a few minutes and took a nap. Perfect Sunday. We're getting a heavy downpour right now, which is cooling things off.

You know all this rain on a hot summer day is just everyone's sweat coming back down after rising into the clouds, right?