I did it! I managed to stay true to my goal of only fruit juice on day one. I spent all the morning and some of the afternoon on the computer. I fixed up this blogging site and then went to Google Bill Phillips. Bill Phillips is widely regarded as today's most successful fitness author - Body for Life - Eating for Life - and now an updated version titled Transformations. In his dedication to his book "Eating for Life" he writes: I am happy to dedicate this book to anyone and everyone who, like me, loves food and also desires to live a healthy life, in a fit body. Those words encompass my goals so eloquently.
The detoxing of my body is on track, so today's focus is on setting up my exercise goals. Unfortunately, and maybe fortunately, yesterday and today has brought Wisconsin one of the worst blizzards in history, or so they say. No one should be going anywhere. Schools and some work was closed early yesterday and closed for today. My husband Stephen was up at 4am to blow out the drive way to get to his work at the VA Hospital. He was to pick up a doctor on the way. He got stuck on the exit going to that doctor's home. It is that bad, and Wisconsinites are not known to give up easily in the snow. So here I sit for two days now, unable to go to the fitness center I am planning to rejoin. But the good of that is it gives me time to think out my goals and organize my exercises so that when I do get to the gym, I will be able to ask the right questions and just slip in the name of the machine, etc.
I love to swim. Always have. My mother tells a story of me at only 2 years old going swimming in Lake Michigan at Bradford Beach. Funny hearing that story, for in my teen years I loved riding my bike down to that beach and sitting on the lifeguard benches trying to figure out the meaning of life. I introduced my own children to the water as infants by joining "Mommy and Me" swim lessons at Shorewood High School. "Blow bubbles, my sweet babies." And how they blew those bubbles, right into being on swim teams, becoming swim coaches, and lifeguards - all three of them. Krystal, my oldest, at age 31 still works for the county running the pools in the summer and training the lifeguards all winter while coaching both girl's and boy's high school swim. My youngest daughter, Annelore, has made a career out of lifeguarding as well. I guess those swim lessons paid off, huh?
Well to get back to MY goals, my favorite part of exercise will be swimming. I doubt I can get my heart rate up for long enough swimming at first, but I definitely plan on starting to build on it. I begin with stretching in the pool first, as I am getting use to the temperature. I reach high, I do side bends, pull and push out my back, and stretch out my legs. The swimming routine begins with breast, free, back, breast. My first 3 days in the pool will be 3 sets of that routine. I will build by adding one more set every 3 days until I get my stamina back and my heart rate up.
Also for cardio I am planning to bike. My husband loves to bike and enjoys going on the MS150 for years now. I would love to accompany him this August on a bike, and not in the car. I will start on a recumbent bike and build myself to a regular bike. My knee replacements have made me a bit weary of regular bikes. My balance seems to be off. Now that I also have a new hip, I do not even know how that will complicate matters. But as they say, it is like riding a bike - so let me get on it and take a spin!
For weight training, I will be using Bill Phillip's succession. He has a journal that goes with his book "Body for Life where he has workout worksheets already set up. I am planning on getting a little notebook that I can easily carry with me as I go from machine to machine and verify my weights and sets. I look forward to tomorrow when the roads will be cleared and I can get to that gym! I get a free week and I plan to make the most of it as I set everything up and begin my being "fit for life"!
Run down, today is day two of detox - water and juice only. Tomorrow I introduce vegetables. I look forward to salad, carrots, and mixed veggies. Always nice to have something to look forward to...
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