Rajah's exercise journal (comments very welcome :) )

[Rajah]

Since posting seems to bring more motivation (especially when there are positive and encouraging replies :teeth: ), I think I'll give this journal thing a try. :)

Some background on me. I'm currently 27, 5' 4.5", and around 135. I'm actually content with my weight (if I lose some, okay, if I don't, okay), but what I'm *not* happy with at *all* is the rest of my health and energy levels. I have almost no stamina (unless I'm on vacation, and then I pay for it for a month after getting home), I have very little energy, surely not as much as most people my age seem to have. I can't walk up two flights of stairs without being out of breath, and I can only partially blame that on my asthma. I want to change that.

I'm going to set a very easily attainable goal to begin with. Right now, I work on the second floor at work. I end up going up and down the stairs on average 5 times a day (that's 5 up/down sets). Most of the time, I'm slightly winded by the time I get to the top of the stairs.

Basic goal is going to be able to get up and down the flight of stairs at a quick pace (rather than the leisurely pace I usually do) and not be winded by the time I get up to the top. (Unless I'm having a day with asthma problems since I can't really help that). I want to be able to do this by this time next month.

More advanced goal involves school. Today is July 25th. Classes start August 25, exactly one month away. I'm taking 2 classes this semester (but they both meet at the same time essentially -- one independant study with the same prof -- so it counts as one). The class is on the 3rd floor of the building. I never take the elevator there unless I'm hurt, but that means I'm always winded for 5-15 minutes after I get to the top (between lugging book bag up the stairs and just climbing them in general). My advanced goal is to be able to make that 3-story climb and not be winded by.... hmm... does Sept 25 (one month after school starts) sound reasonable? Too easy? Too hard?

I'm going to start with a very easy plan. My starting plan is going to be to do one hour of fairly consistant exercise at least twice a week. Whether that's yoga, walking, making more trips downstairs and getting more exercise that way, shopping, riding the exercise bike, or what, I want to try to do one hour twice a week. If I can't get two one-hour shifts in, I will settle for one one-hour shift and two half-hour shifts.

I've never been able to keep that plan longer than 2 weeks before, so even though that sounds like a weak plan, to me it's a biggie.

Any comments?

To start off on the daily journal portion: I went to a yoga class for the first time last night. I've been curious about yoga for almost two years, but never have gotten up the nerve to try it. Too self-conscious about it. Finally last night I found a place that offers yoga classes at a time when I can get there right after work (for the remainder of the summer anyway) as long as I eat lunch in the office. I had a very good time and felt *wonderful* (I actually felt drugged or something I was so relaxed! Couldn't believe it) after the workout. I was more relaxed last night -- a state that lasted for 5 hours -- than my DH says he's ever seen me. I really needed to reach that state right now, so that's a good thing. :)

Tonight, I wish I could go back, but I don't get off work until about the time class starts, can't really slip out of work early again today (in fact I'm having to make up the time I slipped out yesterday), and I really need to get a better workout outfit and a workout mat anyway. So I think tonight I'm going to first hit Blockbuster and see if they have any Tai Chi videos and/or Yoga videos. (Checked the library's online catalog. They don't have any good ones available, all are checked out). I have 2 Blockbusters very close here and a third one on the way home so *one* of those should have it! Then I'm going to go shopping for a mat and a couple of workout outfits. Then, when I get home, unless I was actively walking while shopping for over an hour, I'm planning to pop in the Tai Chi video (I'm really curious, want to try that, too) and try a few of the basic moves. At very least, I need to do some more in-depth stretching exercises when I get home because I'm stiffening up after yesterday's class. Not as sore as I expected to be and I was still fairly loose this morning, I'm just getting stiff now.

Okay, enough rambling now. :)

[geetey]

Hi, Rajah! Congrats on your commitment to getting healthier!! That's what WISH is all about.
I have asthma as well, and I know you mentioned previously that you don't want to walk around mindlessly in your home, but I just want to put in a plug for the Walk Away the Pounds tapes/dvds. They are REALLY wonderful!! You will quickly be able to walk a 15 minute mile with Leslie. I bound up and down the stairs now without even a huff - and I credit that to the WATP series. I hope you check for them at Blockbuster! I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what you can do in 15 or 30 minutes on those nights you can't make it to yoga. :)

I look forward to reading more about your yoga classes! I have always been curious about them, and think it might be fun to add to my routine when I am closer to my goal weight. :)

[Rajah]

Hi Terry, thanks for posting. :) I looked for WATP but couldn't find it. :(

But, backing up to finish today's journal...

After work, I "ran" a 75-minute shopping marathon. I had an hour and fifteen minutes to check Blockbuster (2 of them) for a Yoga or Tai Chi video, go by Bed Bath and Beyond to get a Yoga mat (the best price I found by looking online), then Target to find two workout outfits. Then get home in near-rush-hour traffic before Amazing Race started. ;) (I work 15 minutes from home, and the Target -- third point in the triangle -- was both 10 minutes from work and 10 from home -- so a doable task)

Well, I tried the closest Blockbuster first. Nothing. No exercise videos of any kind. So I tried the next-closest place. One Yoga video, and it was checked out. Nothing else. No I know I used to see more exercise videos at Blockbuster not too long ago, but now that I *want* one, I can't find any there. :p

So I gave up on that and went to Bed Bath and Beyond. My BB&B didn't have the kits I was looking for (included mat, blocks, and video -- I'll try Walmart next), but they did have just the mat. And it's a prettier one than the plain ones. Has a pretty Hawaiian-style flower pattern in dark blue on a sky-blue background. At first I was a little embarassed about buying it, but now I like it.

Then I went to Target, and by the time I got there, I still had 40 minutes left. Not bad. :) I found their outfits very quickly, and they were easy to identify considering there was a huge "yoga" sign hanging over them. LOL! A fairly big selection, but almost all the tops were tanks, and those not tanks were even less. I don't do tanks. I surely don't do less than a tank! I want sleeve, just a personal preference of mine. But I did find some capris-length pants for $13 each and across the aisle in the "normal" clothes were a bunch of shirts on sale. Took a lot of hunting, but I finally found one pink light-weight shirt that would work, and one denim-blue one with dark blue, and a Mickey on the front! Got those, and actually got home in time for Amazing Race. With literally only 2 minutes to spare. :)

I tried a few stretching and balance exercises on my own that I could remember from yesterday's class, but it wasn't satisfying. So I ate dinner, watched Amazing Race, cross stitched, then decided to run out to the library since it was still open. If nothing else, I could get a book.

I ended up closing the library (30 minutes after I arrived), but (after much searching -- they weren't where I expected them to be!) I found one Tai Chi video, one exercise video that combines dance with exercise steps to Country music (Thought it might be fun), and a book on "20-minute Yoga exercises". Perfect. :) And when I checked out, the really sweet grandma who checked me out was really supportive (I expected some kind of teasing on the Tai Chi, and she did tease once, but with a smile and immediately went into supportive-mode after that). She was really sweet and encouraging, telling me about her daughter who exercises like crazy in those step aerobics and that stuff, but when the daughter tried the Tai Chi she was sore for a week. Hmm... maybe I shouldn't try this until I can afford to be sore for a few days! LOL! But she also said she knows there are a lot of classes offered nearby, and to check the parks & rec office for the local parks. I never thought of that! So I'm going to see if I can find a Yoga or Tai Chi class that will work as well/better with my schedule.

After that I came home and read through the instructions in the book and then did my first solo yoga routine. :) It wasn't anywhere near as rigorous as the class, I still want to do the class once a week anyway, but this routine is great for relaxing and/or between classes. After the routine, I didn't feel as good as after class, but I was certainly more alert and relaxed!

Now if only I could do a 20-minute routine (which took 40 btw since I had to pause between each pose to read the next one again) every hour or two at work, maybe I'd stay alert and focused enough to get more done. LOL!

Another interesting thing that happened during the routine today was the balance. In doing what they call the "tree" pose, it was strange. Yesterday, I couldn't hold that pose more than 5 seconds without losing my balance. The first 3 tries tonight, I did the same. But then it was as though something clicked and I found my balance perfectly so I was able to hold the pose on both sides (balancing once on left leg, then on right) for 20 seconds without any problem, and was able to hold the other 10 with little problem. And what kept going through my head as I counted that one? "Once you find your center you are sure to win"

Anyone recognize that?

It's from "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" from Mulan. :-D Figures a Disney song would be the trick for me "finding my center" so to speak. :-)

All in all, I'm off to a great start! I feel enough better after that routine that I'm adding another goal to my list -- at some point, I don't know when, I want to be able to get up 30 minutes earlier and do that relaxation 20-minute routine before going in to work. I'm SOOOOOOO not a morning person, so that goal is my tough goal.

As for now... I'm off to sleep.

(Next goal -- stop getting so stressed out because of that silly 8-smilie limit...)

[Rajah]

Just got back from my second Yoga class. Very relaxing. :) The assistant from Wed's class was the instructor this time, and she was actually even better about assisting me on the poses. :) She did a more relaxing / less strenuous workout than the other instructor did, so I didn't come out quite as exhausted as I did the last one, but still quite relaxed. :) And had a good time.

I may be imagining things, I don't think I am, but I think I was already more flexible this time. Not dramatically so, but I'm sure that compared to Wed, I was able to reach farther on the side-bends and stuff. I think I'm not imagining because I was so, so, so tense on Wed, then add that I was wearing jeans which aren't the most flexible things, and so I couldn't do the best stretching Wed. But after two days of stretching and loosening up muscles, and spending part of the work day today (about 10-15 minutes total) doing mild stretching at my desk to keep from tightening up again, I was looser going in to the session to begin with. And I was wearing the proper clothes this time. If I remember correctly, I was stretching more today like I used to do 10 years ago in high school. And it turns out that almost every pose I did today we did either in ballet when I was a kid (only in ballet the idea is to be a circle/curve, in this class the idea is to maintain the angles) or I did in gym/dance class as stretching/warmup for the more strenuous exercise. So other than not knowing the names of the poses, almost nothing was strange to me. :)

Now I just have to maintain motivation and go back again next week. :)

Tomorrow, I try the Tai Chi tape. I think. If not that, then at least another round on the 20-minute run.

[Rajah]

Well, Tai Chi didn't happen today. I *so* did not feel like it. Wasn't too sore from yesterday's Yoga, except in the stomach. That was so sore (from the sit-ups and such) that it almost made me sick all day, so I skipped the yoga or Tai Chi.

But, I did go bowling with a couple of friends and did 3 rounds with that with an 8 pound ball. Does that count? :D First time I've been bowling in 8 years. :) Had a good time, and did fairly well actually, though my arm was really giving out by the 3rd game.

Stomach-willing, I'll try the Tai Chi tomorrow instead

[Rajah]

Didn't get much in yesterday. Still no Tai Chi. :( I was sooooo stiff and sore from the bowling that not only was I stiff and sore, but trying to balance on one leg didn't work. So I just did a little stretching here and there, then put in 8 minutes on the exercise bike (working up from 5).

Not going to get a full yoga or tai chi workout in today, either, for the same reason -- I'd fall over if I tried balancing. LOL!

I'm also wondering what to do at that TOM? That's coming up soon for me, and I've read many warnings online saying don't do this stretch or that type of exercise during that TOM. So I'm not sure if I'm going to go at all during that TOM, either. Probably will put in some exercise bike or walking time instead. But that means I may not make it to yoga at all this week and I really enjoyed it. :(

[ohMom]

just popped in to let you know that I finished my workout today wtih 10 mins of yoga and I thought of you! i'm soooooo proud of you and your committment to do an exercise that you enjoy!

I don't know anything about Tai Chai (is that a tea drink? LOL) but I've never heard of not doing yoga TOM. Does your instructor have blocks that you can sit on the floor to place your hand on in you can't quite reach the floor and feel imbalanced?? I'd hate to see you miss a whole week of class already!! JMHO though :)

[Rajah]

Thanks ohMom. :)

I'm sure you've seen Tai Chi in action somewhere, or a spinoff of Tai Chi. I don't know much about it yet (still haven't been able to watch the video ;) ) but what i have seen is it's described as "poetry in motion". Basically think of a lot of the martial arts moves like the kicks and arms and stuff, but slow them into slow motion. So instead of swinging your arm around really fast to hit something, you move slowly in a similar motion, pretending that you're having to push through heavy air. It's very neat to watch and is supposed to be a great workout and will tone muscles and your sense of balance.

I hadn't thought of asking if they had something there that I could use (like a chair or something) to improve balance while my leg is weak, but today's out anyway. Due to a long lunch (wasted -- grrrr -- place we were trying to run an errand to turned out to be closed on Mondays) I won't get off of work until class is over. :( And tomorrow I've got a doctor's appointment which is going to push my quitting time to mid-way through class, so tomorrow's out. So it looks like Wed is the earliest. I'll just find something to do at home until I can go.

As for doing exercises at that TOM, I was reading through several webpages and books, and they *all* said on certain poses "do not do this during that TOM" (though with other wording). They all involve stretches that really work the stomach muscles and involve pulling your head back and arching your back. The rest of the poses are okay. I'm not entirely sure why they don't want you to do those poses, but they have me nervous to do any of it during that TOM!

[Rajah]

Okay, impressive.

I just did a 25 minute yoga floor routine (with several pauses as I consulted the book). After that, I could walk without pain almost all the way across the house. Considering I couldn't walk from my desk to the door of my cube earlier today without discomfort / stiffness, that's a wow.

Then, I popped in the Tai Chi tape and decided to try at least the first move. Okay, I'm going to do more Tai Chi! Wow, that is so neat! I'm sure I look far far far from as graceful as the people on the tape, but talk about neat! I was only able to get down the first move, and even that I didn't get perfect. But I can tell the Tai Chi is going to be even more impact than the 20-minute yoga workouts that I've been doing at home, and if I go through a full round of the Tai Chi instead of just repeating one pose 10 times on each side, it's going to be more of a workout than the full yoga routine. So I'm going to have to work my way into Tai Chi, but *yes*, this is something I want to learn! If I keep with this tape, I may even want to learn badly enough to check out the times of the Tai Chi class at the Baily's Gym not far from here. I just don't want to pay for gym membership unless I'm going to stick with it, so I want to stick with tapes and such for a month or two first.

Even more neat, though, is after a full day of barely able to move because of my sore hip/joints after bowling, after doing the combined 25 minute yoga stretches with just 10 minutes of Tai Chi moves, I could walk up the steps with no problem!

That says that my hip/joint problem after bowling is stiff muscles rather than full injury. :)

Okay. I wanna do more Tai Chi. :D

[Rajah]

Well, I'm actually impressed with myself.

Tonight as I left the office to go to dinner, I was so tired I'd decided I would take tonight off exercise-wise.

But, after dinner, I felt better enough that I ended up doing a 20 minute routine anyway. :) So I didn't drop the ball after all!!

[Rajah]

Well, again I surprised myself today. Ate some macaroni & cheese + chicken for dinner, which gave me a stomach ache (I sometimes have trouble with milk-products, despite lactaid and pepto -- but it sure tasted good! LOL!). I almost used that as an excuse to drop the ball, but decided that instead of doing the yoga stretches (which can aggravate the tummy) I'd just do at least 5 minutes on the exercise bike.

Not only did I make 5 minutes, or 8 (my previous record), I actually did a full 15 minutes and 2 miles! My new record. :)

[Rajah]

I've been thinking I was already showing results of the yoga exercises in my flexibility, but I didn't believe that was possible after only one week. Surely, I was just imagining it, right?

Well, I have undeniable proof now! For the first time in 12 years, I was able to touch one toe without bending the knee much at all! Specifically in that stretch where you're sitting, legs spread, and lean face-down over your knee to reach your toe.

Yeah, yeah, big deal to some people, right? Well, I'm long-legged and for the longest time, all I could ever reach was my ankle. If that. I'm not even positive, I don't really remember, if I ever actually reached my toe in high school, either. But back then, I was going through the motions, not *really* doing the moves. :) This time I'm doing it for the benefit to me, not for the grade where all you have to do is *look* like you're trying hard. ;)

And tonight, for the first time, I touched a big toe with my finger, and my knee was just barely off the ground! I couldn't believe it! Still can't do it with the other leg/arm, don't know if I'll be able to do it again tomorrow, but still, talk about a cool feeling! :D

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

(Obviously, I decided to do a routine tonight after all. Amazing how much better I felt after allowing myself to just sit back, stretch out, and relax during dinner then Amazing Race. After an hour and a half of relaxing like that, I felt well enough to do a few minutes of yoga, which turned into 15, which flowed into 10 minutes of Tai Chi. :D It really is true -- the more you do it, the easier it is to do "just two minutes more". And before long, those two minutes more become 5, then 10, then 20...)

[Rajah]

Stuck with it again! Did another 30 minute yoga workout tonight. :) And once again I was able to touch my toes in that same pose. Even able to barely touch the left toe this time as well.

[Rajah]

Didn't feel like doing too much this evening. I did go shopping for 2 hours with my mom, enough that my back started hurting from carrying my purse. :/ Dunno if any of that counted. But I was so wiped out from that (I just can *not* take the Houston summer heat :( ) I crashed for the evening. I did force myself to do 2 miles on the exercise bike, but that was just 13 minutes. At least it's something. I want to do more Tai Chi or yoga, but I'm too wiped out to do so tonight.

[Rajah]

Well, I was going to say that I only did a token amount of exercise last night, but I guess that if I'm slightly sore today, it actually counted, even if it was only about 10 minutes, doesn't it?

I popped in my new Tai Chi dvd last night and did nothing more than the warm-up and cool-down exercises. I figured that's enough to start out with, but really just a token amount to be able to keep up the streak of doing *something* every night. I think the warmup/cooldown took all of 10 minutes or so.

But, they involved a lot of standing with knees bent, and by the time I finished, I was feeling the strain in my legs. And I'm slightly sore this morning, so I guess it really does count, doesn't it? :)

[Rajah]

I never expected this journal to actually make 2 pages, but if I'm not mistaken, this post does it! :bounce:

Last night, I exchanged a defective yoga dvd (a yoga zone one) for a working one (yoga journal, I think, it's yoga for women) and did the 20 minute routine from that dvd. But that was such a minor routine, I threw in a few poses from the book I had from the library. Then I decided to try some more of the tai chi dvd. Did all the warmup, all the beginning exercises (kinda a phase between warmup and the full workout) and the first pose of the actual tai-chi exercises.

Oddly enough, I'm not sore at all this morning. My shoulder is stiff, but otherwise I'm doing fine. I think that's because I started with the yoga first to loosen up better than the tai chi warmup, and *then* did the tai chi.

[Rajah]

Pretty much took a break tonight. Did about 10 minutes of misc yoga stretches while watching a movie, then did 1 mile on the exercise bike. That was it though tonight.

[Rajah]

I keep pushing the time later and later, but I once again actually did my exercise tonight. Even if it was 11pm before I started. LOL!

I did just over an hour (hour and ten minutes?) of yoga tonight. I went by half price books and found the book that outlines the more rigourous routine they do in the yoga class (even though it's for beginners!) and followed that for the most part tonight. Took longer since I had to look up each pose and read to make sure I was doing it right, and some of them I didn't repeat twice (I didn't want to be up until 2am after all!!) but I did do as much as I could tonight. For the first time in a while, maybe even since the first day of my exercise plan, I feel like I actually did do a *full* workout rather than just a token amount.

Now hopefully I can sleep tonight. LOL!

[Rajah]

And tonight, about 25 minutes of Tai Chi. Got through the warmup, "focus" exercises (I'm not sure how else to classify them), then the first pose which I knew, then took the time to learn the second and watch the third.

[Rajah]

Two updates now.

Last night, wasn't feeling too well, mostly just dead exhausted for some reason I can't really explain, so I almost backed out for the night. But, with some encouragement from DH and knowing that I wanted to be able to post that I actually did it, I hopped on the exercise bike for a few minutes. Few minutes turned into nearly 20, and just over 3 miles! :teeth:

Then today, I popped in that "Hot Country Workout" I got from the library. I'm glad I just got it from the library and didn't waste any money on it -- did not like that. Even though I love dancing, it was too high-impact for me and very boring. Not what I enjoy and not what I hoped it would be. The only part I enjoyed was the warmup doing a combination of 3-step sliding and heel-toe-ing. And that was too long and repetitive to be fun for me (do you *really* need 10 minutes of the same 3 steps?). The rest... not me. Too high impact, and I even strained my calves trying to keep up with them. I gave up about 5 minutes into the actual *workout* (going... um... where's the country music?? I sure didn't hear any :p ) and put in my Tai Chi DVD instead. Doing those warmups (about 10 minutes) pretty much successfully stretched out the hurt calf, and then doing one round of the first two poses ("stepping forward" and "parting the wild horse's mane", I think...) took me to a full 30+ of workout.

[Rajah]

Have I mentioned how cool Tai Chi is?? :D :D :D Tonight I did the warmups, qigong exercises (what I was calling "focus" exercises), the "follow along" steps for the two poses I already knew, then went through the instruction and "follow along" steps for the other 3 poses that I guess are all that's on this DVD. The last one we learned, "Repulse Monkey", is *very* cool. I did 30-40 minutes of Tai Chi, I'm not sure which -- I forget whether I started at 9:20 or 9:40. LOL! More likely 40, though, and if I didn't have this work project hanging over me that I *must* finish as much as possible tonight, I would have gone another 20.

I'm probably going to outgrow this DVD shortly, though. But it's *cool* and a good way to get the basics and I know which DVD to order for part 2. :)

If I keep up with this and enjoy it as much as I am now in 3 months, and if I can fit the classes into my schedule, then I'm going to sign up for the Tai Chi classes at a local martial arts center.

And man do I feel so much more focused now! I wish I could bring the Tai Chi dvd in to work to do mid-afternoon. :( Oh well, once I learn the routine better, I can do it by myself without having to follow the video.

[Rajah]

Did a bunch of stuff today. Did two 10 minute rounds of Tai Chi warmup/exercises at work to try and focus on work (helped for all of 2 hours...), then got home and did 30 minutes of my Yoga DVD. Not really sure I like this DVD, I think I like the book from the library better. But, of course, being from the library, I can't keep it, and I haven't seen it anywhere else. I'll check amazon.

[Rajah]

Got just a little behind.

Tuesday, I took a day off. Wasn't feeling well so I decided to skip it. The only thing close to exercise I did besides my usual walking around the office was going up to the University and walking about half a mile round trip between the parking lot and the building my classes are in, then up the stairs to the 3rd floor and back down.

Yesterday (Wed) I still wasn't up to much, just too tired, so I just did 2.25 miles on the exercise bike and about 5 minutes or so of misc stretching.

I'm hoping to get some Tai Chi in tonight. :)

[Rajah]

Did 45 minutes of Tai Chi last night, and for the first time, actually put all the foundation moves together into one flowing set instead of individual moves. That was a lot harder to follow than I expected, but I have now learned all the moves off the DVD I have. I'm nowhere near *mastering* those moves, but it won't be long before I'm ready for the next DVD :)

[Rajah]

Took another day off somewhat yesterday. Had to do a "spring cleaning" of the office yesterday, so that had me worn out so I didn't feel like doing anything last night.

But, today I went mall-walking, then came home and did 45 minutes of Tai Chi.

[believe]

"Spring Cleaning" is exercise. Great job on the mall walking and Tai Chi.

[Rajah]

Thanks Believe. :)

Okay, I think I overdid it a little yesterday. Went gaming with some friends yesterday afternoon/evening. We did a round of 18 hole mini-golf (indoor -- the only indoor minigolf in Houston that I know of!), then spent a couple of hours playing games at this adult-version of Chucky Cheese. It's a place called Jillians and is what you get when you mix pool, bowling, arcade games, a bar, and a restaurant. Kinda like Dave and Busters, only I like Dave and Busters a little better. We spent about 4 hours there playing various games, then went to Walmart and spent about 20 minutes wandering the toy isles trying to find a good board game before we gave up and called it a night.

Then I came home and did 20 minutes of Tai Chi.

My legs are *killing* me today. LOL!

[Rajah]

Another low-energy night for me last night, so I just did 1.5 miles on the exercise bike and some misc stretching.

[Rajah]

Woohoo!! Thanks to the inspiration and support of my fellow WISHers and my PM buddy, I got back on track tonight. :) I'd skipped Tai Chi for the past two nights, even skipped the exercise bike last night just because I was tired and had had a bad day.

But thanks to everyone, I got 30 minutes of Tai Chi in tonight and remembered how much I enjoy doing it. I'm slowly getting better. I still have to watch the TV to check my moves and I'm not turning quite enough on some of the turns, and I'm still not getting two of the transitional moves quite right, but I'm getting there!! :) I'm going to order the next DVD in the series soon. And since this DVD had 5 forms and 2 transitionals, a tape of 24 forms should last me another 2-3 months! :D

If any of you are reading this, thanks for the push!! :D

[Rajah]

Just finished my Tai Chi for tonight. (Daisy, are you reading -- did you do your end of the deal? :teeth: ) I felt rusty on the transitional moves, so focused on those today. Ended up taking 45 minutes because of it, but I do feel I have a better grasp of the routine now than I did when I started. I'm getting noticably better with each routine. :) And though I feel kinda silly, I really enjoy doing it, so it's worth it. :)

[Rajah]

Wimped out tonight. Had some friends over so didn't have time for much, and didn't feel well so only did 1 mile on the exercise bike.

[Rajah]

I have been so bad this weekend. :(

The best time of day for me to fit a few minutes in of exercise is in the evening. Well, every evening this weekend I was busy either out away from home or with friends over until past midnight, and since the exercise tends to energize me for a little bit (except for yoga but that takes 30-40 minutes), I don't like to do it *just* before going to bed. So I didn't really get any measurable exercise in for the whole weekend, and today may not be any better since I have class tonight and may not get home until almost midnight. :( If I do get home before midnight, or if that Tai Chi class is offered this afternoon (I haven't checked yet), I'll do some Tai Chi tonight.

[believe]

Great job on doing exercise even when you don't feel well. Hope you are feeling better.

[Rajah]

Much better. I got some walking in at campus yesterday (despite the heat) and did 20 minutes of Tai Chi when I got home. I feel much better this morning than I did yesterday. :)

And while I haven't quite met my goals (making it up one flight of stairs without being short on breath at all), I was able to *walk* around campus instead of *trudge*. It was a much easier walk than it used to be, despite the heat. :)

[Rajah]

Okay, I stand corrected. :)

A couple of friends had the WATP tapes, and let me borrow the 1 mile tape to see if I liked it. I just tried it tonight, and I actually enjoyed it much more than I expected. The 60 second video preview I saw didn't do the show justice. I also discovered just how much Tai Chi has done for my stamina. I couldn't believe it, but I made it through 1 mile with no trouble. A month ago, I would have practically collapsed after the 1 mile tape. Tonight -- it was just a warmup for another round of Tai Chi. And I definitely must get that next Tai Chi DVD.

[Rajah]

Did a repeat of last night. 1 mile WATP followed by 2 runs through the Tai Chi For Beginners set (2 runs takes about 8 minutes maybe?)

[Rajah]

Ugh. Next time I think I'm not really feeling well enough to exercise (as opposed to I'm not feeling well but could survive some minor exercise), remind me to listen to myself. :( Did WATP 1 mile again this evening, but wasn't feeling well. It was *SO* much harder to get through this time, and I feel miserable now. :(

[DoeWDW]

Rajah, I hope you're feeling better this morning. It's so hard for me to figure out when I'm just a bit lazy and when I'm not feeling up to exercise. I haven't found the answer - just wanted you to know you're not alone. You're doing great - keep taking it day by day!

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe. :)

Well, last night I didn't feel up to it. I had no doubt that time since every time I got up to even move around the room I started feeling sick. Ugh. :(

Today was a little better, though I still didn't have the stamina I usually have (and that's less than average I think :( ). But I did go shopping with my mom for about 4 hours, and if that wasn't more exercise and walking than I'm used to, my legs and back are lying to me. ;) Didn't make it to do any more than that, but at least mall walking is something.

I hope I can shake these whatevers off quickly. I hate feeling like this. :p

[DoeWDW]

{{hugs}} Rajah!! I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon. Until then, listen to your body. If it says to slow down, then it obviously needs its energy to heal. I'm sure you'll be back to normal and exercising soon enough. Take good care of yourself!

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe, that's true. I'm just getting frustrated that I *want* to do something, but don't feel up to it. :(

Still haven't shaken the blahs enough as of last night, so just did 1 mile on the exercise bike.

[Rajah]

Didn't happen yesterday. I was too tired after 10 hours at work and 2 at the library then getting things ready to leave tomorrow. But I'm not too worried about it this week, because tomorrow morning I'll be at Disneyworld! :bounce:

[honeymo78]

Have a great trip!!

Don't forget that all that walking around WDW is exercise too!

[Rajah]

Oh, I sure didn't forget that!! My body won't let me! LOL!!

Okay, catching up...

Thursday, lots of walking in the parks, and actually the best I've ever felt at the end of a full day of walking. I've never left the park at the end of the first day without having my feet ache. It was neat!!

Friday, lots of walking around Epcot and Animal Kingdom. *Now* my feet were hurting. ;)

Saturday, walking around the resorts as we toured AKL, Contemporary, Poly, and WL.

Sunday, just a little walking around the Swan and Dolphin then the airport, but it was enough to count.

Monday, I skipped. Felt too tired and run down, and also was having an allergic reaction to something and my new temporary allergy medicine leaves me T-I-R-E-D and slightly dizzy.

Today, again mostly skipped because I'm still worn out, and again because of the medicine. But I did walk in place for about 15 minutes (too lazy to put even WATP in)

[DoeWDW]

Rajah, sounds like you had a wonderful trip!! Let your body rest a bit - you got plenty of exercise at the Mouse's House. I'm glad that all that exercise paid off when you went to the parks. Have you checked your weight since you got back? If it's up, I bet it's not up by much and you know exactly how to move that scale back down!

Welcome back!!

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe! I actually hadn't gotten on the scale since I got back, but I checked last night and if it was anything close to right, I may have lost a whole 5 pounds. I think it's probably wrong, though -- I wasn't *there* long enough to lose 5 lbs. 2, maybe, a full 5...? Plus my scale is worthless anyway. :p I did eat healthier this trip than I ever have, though, so that's a plus. :)

As for journal -- I did some walking, just basic walking, around the house last night. I think about 12 minutes again, but for some reason my leg is aching. I'm trying to find out if it could be shin splints, or if it's more likely due to not enough water. Whichever the case, I'm concerned about putting weight on it, and trying to exercise it seems to hurt worse rather than help. So it looks like I'm still out of things. :/

And my new Tai Chi tape is at the post office, too. :( But I sure don't want to do Tai Chi with my leg hurting like this!

[DoeWDW]

Rajah, I hope your leg is feeling better!! It's better to take it easy than to push an injury into getting worse. Hope all is well where you are!!

[Rajah]

My leg is mostly feeling better, unless I'm going down steep stairs. But I think I'm going to have to just start over. I haven't done anything in nearly a week now, and I've been able to since Friday. I've just been way, way too exhausted and tired, in part due to the allergy medicine. But I don't think that counts. I may just not be able to keep up with things now that school has started, I don't know. :(

[DoeWDW]

Rajah, you are such a busy lady! Why not give yourself credit for the exercise you get over the course of a normal day? I wear a pedometer now. Instead of setting aside a time for exercise, I just count my steps for the day and try to get 10,000 per day. That way, I can work a few extra steps in throughout my regular day instead of setting aside a time to exercise.

Don't know if it would work for you, but I thought I'd pass on the idea!

Be good to yourself! You're doing just fine!

[Rajah]

That idea would work Doe, if it weren't that the majority of my time is on the computer. :(

[Rajah]

Man, what a difference a week or two makes! I found myself with an extra hour this evening somehow so finally put in my new Tai Chi DVD and found myself at almost the point I started at nearly two months ago. But it felt good to get back into Tai Chi, even if it turns out I end up doing it only rarely.

The second DVD isn't as good as the first, but I think in actuality the 24 forms DVD (my new one) came out in video form several years before the Tai Chi for Beginner DVD that I started with. So they learned a lot before doing the "For Beginners" DVD. I'm going to try to stick with it, though, even if this 24 forms DVD isn't as good.

[Rajah]

Okay, long time no see. ;) I kinda fell out of my program after I returned from WDW in Sept -- but, I have an excuse. LOL!! When I was in WDW, I picked up some kind of rash/hives and since then have been on so many drowsy-causing medicines that I haven't been able to keep up with any kind of exercise. Then, of course, the holidays, and all the time I might have spent exercising, I spent finishing Christmas presents instead.

I'm still fighting the hives and medicine, but I've at least become more accustomed to the drowsiness and am able to function better. I feel that the weakness I've been feeling lately has been loss of strength rather than a side effect of the medicine or hives (or virus, which I also had. Sheesh), so I'm trying to get back into it a bit. Start the new year off right and all that. :)

Last week I pulled the Tai Chi for Beginners DVD out again and started over. As when I first started, I barely made it through the warm-up exercise (but they last for 15 minutes, so that counts. LOL!!) and finished up with about 5 minutes on the bike.

Then for New Years (well, for Christmas, but we didn't get together until New Years ;) ), a couple of friends of mine got me the Dance Dance Revolution Max game and the dance pad. I spent about an hour, maybe an hour and a half cumulative playing that last night over the course of 2.5 hours. That was FUN!! Now I'm on the hunt for the Disney Dance Revolution game, which can only be found used now. DH may have gotten me that for either my birthday or our anniversary because when I started to look for it, he steered me away. So I'll wait until I find out if he was throwing me a red herring or if he did order it for me. LOL!!

Today I was too sore to safely do DDR again, so I pulled out the Tai Chi DVD once again. Did the warmup and one cycle through the move Parting Wild Horse's Mane. Not much more than I made last week, but it's one step farther. :)

We'll see if I'm able to keep up with this this year. :)

[TammyNC]

Sounds like you are getting back on track and the new exercise with the DDR sounds like fun. I'm glad you are feeling much better after your problem with the hives/rash.

You will work yourself back up to the exercise point that you were at in no time. The good thing is that you are making your effort again. Keep up the great work.

[Rajah]

A little disappointed in myself tonight, but oh well. I *wanted* to do some Tai Chi and some DDR as well, but I barely made it through the warm-up on Tai Chi before my legs wanted to give out.

Sigh. Gonna take a while to build my strength back up again to what it was back in Sept.

[TammyNC]

I just have to say at least you are going for you and doing as much as you can. It will take some time but the best thing is that you haven't given up and you better not:D . Yu can do this, I know that you can. Keep trying and I'm sure you'll surprise yourself very soon.::yes::

[Rajah]

Okay, I *love* that DDR game. :) I just spent about 40 minutes playing, and even found the training mode, which allows you to slow the tempo on songs (which works well for warmup or cooldown).

[Rajah]

Okay, bad me. I didn't have time to do anything tonight. :( Unless the pseudo-tummy-crunches I did on the couch while trying to balance the cats and beadwork I was trying to do count. LOL!

Ahh well, one day isn't a killer on my program, so as long as I pick it back up tomorrow I'm still within my weekly goal. :)

Well, actually, I did end up doing about 3x as much walking at work as I usually do.

[TammyNC]

I love your humor in your post. I did exercise yesterday either and I didn't this morning, but maybe I can get a walk in this afternoon. Keep up your great work.:D

[Rajah]

Well, believe it or not, I actually did some Tai Chi tonight. Just the majority of the warmup, and I focused on a few specific stretches to target specific areas of tension. It helped my migrane a little, but only for about 30 minutes.

I'm also going through bottles of water like insanity.

[Rajah]

Got the Disney DDR last night from DH. Played a couple of songs.

[DoeWDW]

Good morning, Tammi! :sunny:

I know you've had a lot going on lately. Just wanted to let you know we haven't forgotten you on the Journal board. :D

My whole family is on the lookout for DDR now. Even my teenagers recognize they are not exercising enough and want to use DDR to help them get moving. Thanks for posting about it and giving me the idea.

If you find the time, maybe some exercise will help you too!

:hug: to you, Tammi. Come back when you're ready. :happy1:

[Rajah]

Okay, I'm back. Let's try this *again*. :p

I'm now under 3 different "doctor's" orders (different type/level of doctor) to exercise, so I'm back to trying the Tai Chi again. I've even asked if my friends, who frequent a nearby gym, could pick up a schedule of that gym's classes and price lists for their classes. I'm hoping Tai Chi will be one of them at a time I can go. My friends said they might go with me if I did

Anyway, tonight I just did some warmup exercises again. Doubled-up some of the warmup exercises, the ones that focused on the muscles I'm having the most trouble with (back especially). I was going to do some DDR as well until I almost fell over when I stopped the warmup. :rolleyes: Man I'm in pathetic shape now. :rolleyes: So, rather than risk injury, I stopped. And will try again (if people will give me some pushes please) tomorrow.

Anyone taking bets....will I make a week? :rolleyes:

[DoeWDW]

You'll make it Tammi!! You're doing the right thing - taking it slow and easy. Ease yourself back into the groove. There's no rush.

Tai Chi sounds so wonderful and soothing. I've often wanted to try it. Have you done it before? Let me know how it is, OK?

We did finally get DDR and the kids use it on a regular basis. I have yet to try to use it for a workout. Mostly I end up laughing at how uncoordinated I am! :p I truly should work it into my schedule though, especially on rainy days like today when I won't be able to walk outside.

Glad to see you back! Take your time and you'll be amazed at how quickly exercise becomes second-nature to you again!

[Rajah]

Hi Doe

I started up with some Tai Chi (from DVD) about 8 months ago. Did it fairly well for about 2 months, then got these hives and stopped and haven't done more than the warmup since. :( But I love it -- it's beautiful, very focusing, relaxing, the best way I've found yet to stretch out those "kinks" you get in the back sometimes. Easy to do but at the same time healthy. Perfect for me, especially in my current situation.

I also realized after talking to a friend last night that my arm wasn't tired-weak from the Tai Chi, it was from the computer game I'd been playing that involved a *lot* of mouse use. It had completely slipped my mind that I'd already worn out that arm before I even started. So maybe I'm in a little better shape than I thought. Not much better because I still had to sit down, but I was able to stand in the knees-slightly-bent pose for most of the exercises, which is about 10 minutes.

Dunno if I'll do any tonight. Probably not because a couple of friends of mine are kidnapping me to go to the Rodeo tonight, but I suspect we'll be getting enough walking in for that to count.

[DoeWDW]

May I ask which Tai Chi DVD you're using? I'd love to add Tai Chi into my workout routine. If I do something very aerobic in the evening, I have trouble winding down to sleep. I'd think that Tai Chi would help me work those muscles while being relaxing enough that I could still get to bed on time. Also, I work at the computer all day and my back muscles could use the stretching!

The rodeo sounds like fun!! Hope you have a great time! ::yes::

[Rajah]

Doe -- it's called Tai Chi for Beginners, by Dr Paul Lam. And it's great. :) The next DVD, the 24 forms, isn't as good, but I *very* highly recommend the Tai Chi for Beginners.

And I do the Tai Chi / warmup close to bedtime all the time -- it can either help me wake up and focus (like at work when I do the warmup there when my cube-mate's not around) or slow down and relax at night. Really it seems that however I approach it is what it does. If my mind is focused on waking up and getting energized, that's what happens. If it's focused on relaxing and slowing down, that seems to be what happens. Dunno if that's just me, though. :)

The rodeo was great! This, believe it or not, was the first time I've been to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo even though I've lived here for almost 15 years. We had a *blast*. And we're going to try to go back for another concert if that one isn't sold out.

I didn't get quite as much exercise as I expected to get, but I got a *lot* more than I usually do, including even some "weight lifting" -- sorta. LOL! You know those rides that spin you really fast and if you're seated with others, whoever's on the outside gets squished and whoever's on the inside better hold on tight to try to lessen the squishing of the person on the outside? Well, I was on the inside. LOL!

We did do a good deal of walking - surely not as much as even a slow day at any Disney park, but a lot more than I'm used to.

I think I'll probably still go do a few minutes of Tai Chi warmup so I can try and slow down and go to sleep. :)

[DoeWDW]

Thanks for the info on Tai Chi, Tammi - sounds like something I'd really enjoy and could easily fit into my schedule!

I'm glad you had a chance to get out with your friends and have a great time! The ride sounds fun! I've never been to a rodeo - is it like a fair or carnival with rides and concerts, only with the added attraction of all the rodeo events?

Hope you had a good night's rest and are ready for the weekend! :sunny:

[Rajah]

Sure Doe, hope you enjoy it. :)

The Rodeo in Houston is a combination traveling carnival (you know, pay wayyy too much for tickets to ride on pretty much cookie-cutter rides? ;) But with a few good ones thrown in), food show (like the Food & Wine Festival at WDW), animal show (mostly farm animals, with petting zoos and pig races and stuff), rodeo (bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, chuck-wagon racing, etc), shopping festival, concerts, museums of things like kid's artwork or crafts, and a bit more thrown in. Way too much to see and do in just one day. :) I didn't realize it was that big myself until I got there. :)

Anyway, to my exercise for the weekend -- didn't do anything yesterday because I started some new meds and, as warned, they made me dizzy, weak, tired, and upset stomach. Not good conditions for exercising. So I exercised my way right to bed for the night. LOL.

Today was better as far as initial side effects go. Mostly just a headache. Had a friend over for about an hour and she brought her two little girls (3 and 5) who were very well behaved, but I learned I'm in no way ready for kids of my own yet. LOL! Didn't do too much exercising keeping up with them, other than going up and down the stairs about 6 times. But then tonight I did my Tai Chi warmup again. Helped stretch out the back and neck muscles that had tensed up from the headache. Still got the headache, but not quite as bad as it was. I may even go dig out the DVD (been doing the warmup from memory) and try the first couple of moves again while I wait for my laundry to dry.

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I hope all is well with you! Here's some extra :sunny: for your Monday!

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe. :)

Didn't get any exercise in yesterday, but today I did both my Tai Chi warm-up, a brief review of the moves, then one run through the entire sequence (though I forgot one transition move -- otherwise, I remembered the sequence pretty well for not having done it in 6 months).

Overall, about 20 minutes of Tai Chi. :) (well, with some DVD fast-forwarding/skipping to get to the right areas ;) ) I think I need to bring out the 24 forms DVD again. :D

[Rajah]

Did another round of Tai Chi warmup and one run through the sequence (by memory) last night. Takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on how slow I move. And I'm impressed that I remembered everything except two transition movements without having to follow the instructions. :D

[marsh0013]

hi tammi, i'm new to your journal, hope it's okay that i'm stopping by :wave2:

that tai chi sounds like a really great way for you to get your exercise in, and also to relax you! i know it's hard to fit in time to exercise, but i'm glad you've found something that you enjoy doing and can fit into your schedule :)

keep up the great work, and i hope you have a wonderful day :sunny:

[Rajah]

Hi marcia! Of course it's okay. :D I welcome anyone who wants to stop by. :)


Didn't get much in last night, only about 5 minutes, but I was exhausted so I guess that's fair.


Let's see...have I done enough for the 1-week exercise clippie again?

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I vote YES! to your 1 week exercise clippie, especially if it will help motivate you to do more!! :p

Isn't it great how your body and mind have remembered your Tai Chi routine? It sounds like just the ticket for you right now!

Keep up the great work, Tammi!! :sunny:

[Rajah]

Yay, thanks Doe. :D

It really is great to see how well I remembered it. Surprising, but great.

And it's interesting to see how much I'm aching today after not getting my Tai Chi in yesterday. Ugh, I'm about to go up the walls because my back and legs are aching so much, and this is *after* 2 bottles of water and an advil. :( I'm about ready to get up right here and do some Tai Chi here in the office and so what if my coworkers think me strange. :p I've already taken 3 walks down to the cafeteria (round trip makes for a 5-7 minute walk), and am about to do a fourth.

[DoeWDW]

Your body must really miss the stretching!! Have a nice stroll to the cafeteria! :p

Tai chi in the office....hmmm, you may start a new trend! I say go for it!! :crazy: :teeth:

[Rajah]

No kidding. I've done a bit of stretching this afternoon and another walk, and the ache's gone down a little.

Definitely need to do some Tai Chi tonight.

[Rajah]

Made great progress tonight.

I did a full 35 minutes of Tai Chi tonight, consisting of the Tai Chi warmup, running through the instructions for what I was calling the transitional moves that I was getting wrong, then 3 times (or was it 4?) through the beginner's sequence, then even put in the 24 Forms DVD (the next step) and went through the instructions on one more move. I wanted to do more, but that was as much as my ankle would take.

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, hope all that Tai Chi has you feeling better this morning and throughout the day! :sunny:

[Desiree]

Tammi, hope your ankle heals up. Keep up the good work on the Tai Chi though and have a happy Friday!

[Rajah]

Oh yeah, it was doing just fine an hour after doing the Tai Chi. Apparently my ankles are just a little weak and I need to build them up. :)

[Rajah]

Got more Tai CHi in the past two nights. :) Still can't seem to get those transitional moves right. :( But I'm picking up the next move I'm trying to learn, and I remember enough of it that I've discovered just putting in the Beginners DVD and leaving it on the menu starts up the background music in a sequence that's exactly the right length for each set of warmups, and which works well for doing the Beginner's sequence. Then I just switch DVDs to the 24 Forms and try to learn the next form. I just wish I could get those transitional moves right. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with them. :p

[marsh0013]

hey tammi, just checking in to see how you're doing :wave2:

i'm sure those ankles will get used to it, just build it up slowly so you don't hurt them too badly. you're doing a great job with all this tai chi, hope it's making you feel good, both physically and mentally :)

have a great day :sunny:

[Rajah]

Thanks Marcia. :)

Well, I skipped doing anything last night, but tonight (Mon) I got another 30 minutes in, and reviewed the instruction on those transitional moves I keep messing up on. I've almost got one of them down. :)

[Desiree]

Good luck Tammi on getting those moves down! You sound like you're doing fabulously!!! Keep up the good work!

[Rajah]

Thanks Desiree :)


Went to the embroidery guild last night and helped set up and take down the tables, so that counts as some exercise. Then came home and made it through the Tai Chi warmup and the first half of the beginner's sequence before the phone rang, so that's all I got. :)

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, good for you!! I'm glad to hear you're getting to the Embroidery Guild meetings. You always make it sound like such a good time! Helping with set up and tear down is definitely exercise!!

I'm also happy that you're sticking with your Tai Chi on a regular basis. It sounds like a safe haven from the hectic world we live in. You'll have all those moves down very soon I'm sure and sometimes just trying and doing the best you can is enough.

[marsh0013]

hey tammi, just checking in on you to say hello :wave2:

what a great way to get in some exercise at the embroidery guild! get it wherever you can, and how fun that it can be with doing something you really enjoy ::yes::

keep up the great work, and have a great day today :sunny:

[Rajah]

Doe -- I love this guild. :) It's a fantastic group :)

Marcia -- Thanks :)



Well, no Tai Chi yesterday (actually, technically, while I was waiting for my mom I did one brief 5-minute run thruogh the moves of the beginner's sequence, but that wasn't really into the Tai Chi aspect, it was really goofing off to see how the puppy would react ;) ) but I did something much better :)

I took yesterday afternoon off, and my mom and I went up to Bayou Bend (a mansion with huge grounds that are absolutely gorgeous in the spring) to see the azaleas. They were in peak bloom yesterday and we walked all over the grounds, even twice over a couple of areas, and took a ton of pictures. Which means for me doing several deep knee bends and getting into odd angles to get the picture I want, "weight" lifting in the form of the camera and my purse, and lots of walking. :) Outdoors in the beautiful weather.

And what's really neat -- usually after a day like yesterday, I'm really sore the next day because of all the unusual exercise (deep knee bends especially). Not even the slightest bit stiff or sore today. :) And the only thing I'm doing differently than in past years is 2 weeks of Tai Chi. It helps a lot more than you might think! :)

[marsh0013]

tammi, bayou bend sounds absolutely wonderful!! and what a great way for you to get in some exercise :smooth: . fresh air, beautiful scenery, plus the added bonus of moving around. how wonderful :bounce:

hope you have a great day today :sunny:

[Rajah]

Marcia -- Bayou Bend has some very nice gardens, and during the spring when the azaleas are in full bloom, they are among the most beautiful gardens I've seen. I know there are prettier gardens out there, but I haven't been to them yet ;) And I'd venture to say the Bayou Bend gardens are the most beautiful in Houston during the time when the azaleas are blooming. :)




That was strange. I wasn't stiff yesterday morning, but by bedtime I was quite stiff. I was also very tired, so only did about 10-15 minutes of Tai Chi, and think I rushed through it. It helped a little, but would have been better if I hadn't rushed so much.

*Today* I'm stiff again when I woke up, and rather tired. Still not really sore, though. :)

[Desiree]

Hopefully the stiffness will go away today! You seem to be doing really well with your Tai Chi! I'm glad that it's working for you!

Have a great Friday!

[Rajah]

Changed up my routine a bit yesterday. Mid-afternoon at work I was so wiped out and stiff I decided to try my Tai Chi right there at work and was able to go through the whole routine. (Helps that my cubemate was gone for the weekend ;) ) That took about 15 minutes.

I was going to do another round last night before bed but was just too tired.

Today I'll be surprised if I get any Tai Chi in, but we're going to the rodeo again so I'll get my exercise. :)

[Rajah]

Nope, no Tai Chi. I'm way too tired, but we got a *lot* of walking in, and quite a bit of stair climbing, so I sure don't think I'm slacking by skipping Tai Chi tonight ;)

[Desiree]

It's good to take a break sometimes. How was the rodeo? Hope you guys had a great time!

Wishing you a healthy and happy Sunday!

[marsh0013]

hehe, i'm picturing you doing tai chi in your cube at work :p . but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do :)

and since you got in so much walking and stairs, you're definitely not slacking by skipping tai chi. get some rest and you'll be ready for it again tomorrow ::yes::

hope the rest of your day goes well :bounce:

[Rajah]

Desiree -- the rodeo was great!! We had a fantastic time. The only disappointment was that the horse show portion was over and they were just having mules that day.

Marcia -- hey, it worked. LOL! And I'm probably going to do it again today after my cubemate goes home, since I'm so sore.




As for exercise -- I absolutely did not slack on Saturday, if how sore I was yesterday (and still today!) was any indication of the amount of exercise I got. LOL! I almost couldn't climb the stairs yesterday, I was so sore.

Mid-afternoon, I did my Tai Chi and that helped a bit, but that's all I did yesterday and only about 15 minutes.

I'm still really sore today, too.

[Rajah]

Another boring day yesterday ;)

I'm even still a little sore and quite stiff today. :/

Just did about 15 minutes of Tai Chi in the office yeserday afternoon after my cubemate went home, then went to my mom's and went through some boxes looking for stuff, then "weight"-lifted some clothes back to my place. Man those clothes can get heavy. LOL!

[Rajah]

Put my Tai Chi back at the end of the day again yesterday, about an hour before bedtime. I haven't been sleeping well the past two nights and it's either due to taking 2 benadryl at bedtime or not doing Tai Chi just before bed. I did only 1 benadryl and my Tai Chi late, and slept very well again last night. I think there's a connection.

Got 20 minutes of the Tai Chi in again, and think I'm finally getting those transitional moves down right. Now I just need to find a chance to learn more of the new moves again, because I just haven't had time to put in the next DVD lately.

[Rajah]

Skipped doing any Tai Chi or exercise night before last, I was just too tired.

But last night I did about 30 minutes of Tai Chi again, and learned 2 new moves. Or, rather, went through the initial introduction on 2 new moves.

I'm so close to being able to learn the "24 Forms" set! I've got most of the moves down now, so I'm excited that soon I'll be able to learn how to string them together into something that is more than the beginner's set. :)

One thing I really want to do is master the 24 Forms (or at least get to where I'm confident I can do them without having to go through the DVD instruction) and keep advancing until I can get into the version that uses swords. I don't know why, but having a sword (totally decorative, you probably start out with a dowel stick) seems so neat. :D Not one of those huge midieval ones like you can get at Cinderella's Castle (though those are neat, too), but a rapier-type.

[Rajah]

Ohh yeah, definitely been getting my exercise in this weekend.

Yesterday, I went by my mom's house and helped my mom, aunt, and uncle go through some stuff to put out on today's garage sale. Which involved a pretty good amount of heavy lifting. I actually strained my back a bit trying to lift a briefcase that was heavier than expected. :( But, that's where Tai Chi training came in because I almost immediately did a few back stretches from Tai Chi and took care of it before it got stiff and worse. :)

Then I came home and did 20-25 minutes of Tai Chi last night.

Today, I was back over at my mom's again helping a bit with the garage sale then putting items away (though I didn't do much there). The big exercise was helping my uncle put some of the shelves back together, which involved helping to hold up some of the shelves.

Then after coming home, my friends invited us to go ride bikes (YAY!!) and we went riding for a little bit. No idea how long we were actually out, but I'd say probably about 15, maybe 20 minutes. I do know by the time we got back, my legs were killing me and I could barely stand up. LOL! First time I've actually ridden a real bike (not the exercise bike) in several years, but that was fun!

[Desiree]

Sorry to hear about your back but glad that all that Tai Chi you've been doing helped you out before it got any worse! Bike riding is so much fun! I just wish I had a place around here I could go to do it. Glad you had a good time doing that! And good luck with the Garage Sale. It's that time of year again for sure. They're sprouting up all over the place around here too.

Have a great Sunday! :sunny:

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I've just caught up on your journal and it sounds like Tai Chi is becoming an important part of your life! That's so wonderful!! It seems to provide stress relief for you and that's an excellent benefit! A sword sounds cool! My kids were in marial arts and I can remember them needing a staff. We bought shower curtain rods, cut them to the right length and put plastic caps on the ends. I can't imagine what you could use for a sword - you might have to make a shopping trip or check the internet for that one!

I checked at the library and there are no decent Tai Chi instructional videos there so I'll have to buy one. I'm ready to add something new to my exercise repertoire so I'll start looking.

Hope your Monday is sunny and relatively stress-free! :sunny:

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe, Desiree. :)

Ugh. Got some "bad news" this morning. ;) When I got in to work, my cube-mate reminded me that the time change is next weekend. Ugh!! LOL! I love having the extra sunlight during the day, but I am sooo not a morning bird. LOL!

I wimped out yesterday, though. Only did about 10 minutes of warmup, if that. I was so tired. I actually think I'm coming down with something (again. :rolleyes: ) between being so tired and my sore throat and cough. :/ But I did enough to loosen up the tight muscles before going to bed.

[Rajah]

Another night of not doing much. I did about 5-10 minutes of Tai Chi Cat Style (that's Tai Chi with a kitten doing figure-8's around your feet and legs, and reaching up to bat at a hand every time one comes within reach. LOL!), followed by about 5-10 minutes of walking, cat style (that's walking around and around the ground floor draging a kitty toy behind you with 4 kitties chasing after the toy. ;) )

[marsh0013]

hey tammi, i just wanted to stop by and say hello :wave:

i must say, cat tai chi and cat walking sounds like lots of fun :p . hehe, at least you're getting in your exercise :)

hope you have a great day :sunny:

[Rajah]

Cat Tai Chi is my favorite style. ;)


I've been *SO TIRED* lately it's insane. :( It's driving me crazy, too. :(

All I had energy to do last night was one run through the warm-up and my beginner's sequence, and I even rushed through those so only did 5-10 minutes. :(

I'm so tired of being tired!

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, could there be something medically wrong?? When my body and mind are that tired it is usually a sign of my depression rearing its ugly head. My body will just shut down and all I can do is stay in bed for a day or two (hiding from the world until I'm ready to face it again!). I'm not saying that you have depression, but I wanted to let you know that what you're feeling might have a medical reason. It's the Mom in me - I can't help but worry about my friends! :hug:

I think a little Tai Chi is better than no Tai Chi and Kitty Tai Chi sounds like fun!! My mini-dachshund will sometimes "help" me with my Pilates routine! I'm vulnerable because Pilates means laying on the floor! :teeth:

I hope your week is going well! We're halfway to the weekend! :sunny:

[Rajah]

Doe -- I'm already on meds for depression, but we found out I do have an infection and got started on some antibiotics last night. Already I'm feeling a lot better. Still not 100%, but better. When the meds are helping that much that fast, that says yes it was an infection. So in a few days, I should be up and running again. :)

Again, all I did was about 10-15 minutes of Tai Chi and rushed through it. I tried to do it slower, but just didn't have the energy. It is a nice stretch, though, and now that I know why I've been so lacking in strength I feel better about it. :)

[marsh0013]

hey tammi, glad to hear that you've got some meds that should fight off that infection. hope you're back to your normal self and not feeling so tired anymore as soon as possible! but don't rush it, give your body a rest so you can get better :hug:

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I've gotta echo Marcia's words. Even though the infection meds are helping, you are still recovering. I posted on your CB thread that you should take a break from some of your busyness this weekend and now that I've read this, I'm even more sure. I'll try to turn off my Mom-mode, but it's hard!

I'm sending you an extra :hug: and some energy-enhanced :wizard: just in case you can't get out of some of those weekend activities. I know that there are times when we just have to keep going, despite how we feel.

I'm hoping you get your energy back soon! :sunny:

[Rajah]

Thanks Marcia, and thanks again Doe. Energy-wise I'm feeling better. Still not 100%, but better anyway (of course, when *am* I ever 100%?).

And Doe -- you don't have to turn off mom-mode. :) I don't mind. The more people I have telling me to take care of myself, the more likely I am to do it.




Skipped anything last night. I really should have done 5 minutes of Tai Chi at least, but honestly I was just too depressed. :( Of course, woke up stiff and sore today because I *didn't* stretch out last night and because I was so tense.

I did do about 5-10 minutes of Tai Chi at work again, though, after the cubemate went home. Helped a lot for my energy and attitude for the day, and I plan to do some more tonight, too. Maybe just another 5-10 minutes, but the stretching really does help my attitude, sleep, and energy.

[Rajah]

Okay, did another 20-ish minutes of Tai Chi and watched the instruction for a little over half of the 24 Forms set. Turns out the first 8 moves are the same moves taught in the Beginner's set so I already knew that part and it's an easy transition into the next. :)

[Rajah]

No Tai Chi this weekend, but I did get a lot of exercise in in other forms. Both Sat and Sun I helped my mom go through some things and buy/set up curtains and stuff like that. I was exhausted both nights, so I think I did enough exercise. ;)

[marsh0013]

if you were so tired both days, i'm sure you got enough exercise ::yes:: . sometimes, the best exercise is when it's not in traditional "exercise" form. seems like it's not such a chore when we dont' call it exercise. just my 2 cents anyway :)

hope you're not suffering too much from all the work you did with your mom. if you're stiff, just do cubicle tai chi again :hyper:

have a great day today :sunny:

[Rajah]

Actually I'm not stiff or suffering at all from that.

Just from this infection I still have. :/

[Rajah]

Well, I've got another one to add to my "strange ways to do Tai Chi". ;) I've got cubicle Tai Chi, and Tai Chi Cat Style. Now I have "It's 1:30 am, my back hurts, and I can't sleep, so I'll do Tai Chi". :p Even though it was only 5 minutes and only the warmups that focused on the back, it worked. :)

And Tai Chi warmup, Cat Style, part 2: doing Tai Chi with only one hand because the other hand is holding the cuddly kitten to your shoulder. ;)

[DoeWDW]

I love your creative ways to get your Tai Chi done in spite of everything else going on! :p A cuddly kitty - now THAT would reduce my stress - gotta love to hear the purring!!

I continue to keep your Mom in my prayers. Hope the financial situation is looking better!

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday, Tammi!

[Rajah]

Ohkay, let's see, backing up here since I got behind on posting. :)

Wed I didn't do any Tai Chi, but I did do some cleaning and organizing. Took out all of *my* stuff from the hall closet (cross stitch stuff, took up 2.5 boxes worth of space in the bottom), put together some small shelves, and reorganized the materials so I can actually get to them now. That involved lots of running (okay, *walking* LOL!) up and down the stairs and carrying things and stuff. By the time I went to bed, I was exhausted. :)

Last night I did a brief run through the Tai Chi workout, but it still didn't help my back. :(

Today, woke up with a stiff back so did some stretching trying to take care of that. Still hasn't helped, though. :( Then tonight I went over to my mom's to help her collect a bunch of stuff she has a charity group coming out to pick up tomorrow. That involved a *lot* of lifting and moving of things. (And *still* have that stiff back :( ) I did a few of the back-focused Tai Chi stretches, but that's about all I think I should do tonight.

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I'm hoping your back is getting better. I'm sending hugs your way - I'm guessing it was not an easy weekend.

I'm thinking of you and hoping you have a good Tuesday.

:hug:

[Rajah]

Hi Doe, thanks. :) :hug:

My back is getting better. Still have that "kink" in my neck which is keeping me from full range of motion, but it's not nearly as bad as it was and I know from past experience it'll go away shortly.

Actually, the weekend turned out to be very good, even though I'm *exhausted* from it. :)

Saturday morning my mom called and said let's go somewhere, so she and I took off (even though we didn't get out of town until just after noon) and drove up to Brenham 3 hours away to do some wildflower sight-seeing again. It was later than we've gone in previous years, so the flowers were a little different, but still beautiful.

Then we stopped by the Antique Rose Emporium just past Brenham and spent a while looking around there and I picked up 4 roses for our back yard. (DH should watch what he says when he says "I like roses, why don't we have any roses, I want some roses". LOL! I'll take him seriously!)

The only bad part of Saturday was the drive home, which was in pretty heavy rain and a few slightly-flooded streets. Like rim-deep on the wheels type flooded. That was a bit nerve-wracking since I hate driving in the rain, but the good of getting out of the house and a bit of different scenery (not to mention getting ROSES! :bounce: ) was worth the rain. :)

Sunday we pretty much took it easy. Didn't make it to church (okay by me, I wanted to avoid the crowds) but did go to brunch with some friends, watched the Nashville Star episode we recorded, then my mom helped me figure out where to put our roses.

Then yesterday I went all over after work trying to find just the right pot for the one rose we want to make a container rose. :)

Exercise-wise, that meant a *lot* of outdoor exercise on Saturday, plus a full round of Tai Chi to try and loosen up after the drive in the rain. Then Sunday didn't really do much. Yesterday was lifting pots and bags of potting soil and stuff.

[Rajah]

Ouch. :(

I don't know what I did (or didn't do?) but my foot and calf cramped this evening. I did do some more walking and lifting in the form of getting more gardening materials (I really better stop that method of exercise and start with the method of PLANTING said flowers!!). Then after my leg cramped, I figured some Tai Chi focusing on my back, neck, and that leg would be a good idea. Helped a little but not much. I need to do that some more and more often again.

[Rajah]

Okay, getting caught up since I'm *way* behind...

Don't remember what I did Thursday. I think something in the garden or related to the garden, but I don't remember ;)

Friday I toured some gardens with my mom, got a lot of neat ideas. :)

Saturday I pretty much took it easy all day. Did just a little bit of garden-related stuff, but pretty much just crashed for the night.

Yesterday (Sunday) we did a lot. First helped my mom finish putting up her curtains (and that's harder work than it sounds!! Mental note: No more draw-string curtain rods!!), then went to Lowe's and got some garden stuff, then went home and planted our roses. :)

Today, I'm stiff and sore and my throat hurts. I hope only because of allergies from doing the roses.

[Rajah]

Nothing special yesterday. Just wandered around a nursery for about 30-45 minutes looking at flowers. :) Didn't find what I wanted, but I did get some walking in.

[Rajah]

Did some more nursery-walking yesterday, and followed up with one round of Tai Chi warmup and exercises yesterday. I really need to get back active on that. I'm getting my exercise with planting flowers and stuff, but it's not as effective as even 15 minutes of Tai Chi nightly was being.

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, you're going to have to make a rule of "no TV before Tai Chi" or some other rule that will compel you to take that 15 minutes which you KNOW will help you feel better. I know it's easier said than done - I've tried it myself! :teeth:

You're going to have such a beautiful yard with all that gardening work! I have a black thumb and kill everything :rolleyes: .

I hope your Monday is turning out to be a good one! :sunny:

[Rajah]

LOL! When I wasn't sick, I was doing Tai Chi *during* TV. But with this infection I'm still fighting, I'm just too exhausted. :(

[DoeWDW]

Tammi, I hope you're feeling physically better. I also hope things with your mom are manageable - am keeping her in my prayers.

Don't forget how good you feel when you get a little exercise in - even 5 minutes is better than none!!

:hug: and :sunny:

[Rajah]

Yeah, I've been doing very poorly lately in getting my exercise in, and my back's starting to tell me about it. Still haven't gotten rid of this bug or infection entirely.

I have been doing some gardening, though, so that counts. Nothing regular, though. Just haven't had the energy. :/

[Rajah]

Not exactly the type of exercise I *want* to get, but I got a *lot* last night.

It's been raining pretty badly here the past few days, and we discovered a small leak in our roof that had soaked the drywall. Our attic is easy to get around in, so DH was able to find and put a temporary patch around it until it stops raining long enough to have a roofer in to fix it. Well, finding that got my mom hunting in her house, and *she* found a leak. Only she can't go up in her attic very well and doesn't want to do so by herself, so we went over to her house to help. (See, this is one of the good reasons to live nearby)

Well, her attic only has "walkways" to get to the main section of the A/C and heater. Other than that, it's open attic, and guess who got to be the one to "walk the balance beam" to get to the far back corner of the attic and find the leak. :p

Took about 30 minutes of hunting, but I did find it and got to do all sorts of deep knee bends and stuff to get down and fix it. She's also going to have to have a roofer come out, but at least now it's leaking onto a bucket instead of the drywall.