23 1/2 hours

I think that this video is awesome. It was personally convicting, especially as I try to get back into a routine of going to the gym.

Joy in Suffering

I've never been one of these "no pain no gain" kinds of girls for many reasons. First of all, I have had significant problems (e.g., back) that I don't want to re-aggrivate. My general feeling is that pain is my body telling me to back off a little. Second, the sensation of pain is kind of foreign. Having lived a sedentary life for 85+% of my life, I'm not good at differentiating what's good pain and what's bad pain just yet (i.e., am I "feeling the burn" or ripping a muscle?). I am getting better at it, but it is taking practice. Third, I desire and need exercise to be a part of getting healthy forever. And for me? Pain is not really helpful in making that a reality.

For these reasons, I've said "Thanks, but no thanks" to pain. Until about a week ago.

I have gone to spin class intermittently for about 6 months. I've liked it, but not really loved it. To me, it's not nearly as fun as riding a real bike. However since it's 95+ outside most days of late, I've come to embrace spin as a viable alternative to riding a real bike.

Last Monday I had what I think was the best workout of my life during spin class. It really has changed my perspective on pain, as the workout was SO brutal and I could barely walk up the stairs at the gym when it as over. Despite feeling physically exhausted, I had such a feeling of accomplishment. It was incredible and, ever since that day, I have pushed myself past limits I never thought I could. And WOW do I suffer to do this.

I am embracing pain at the gym. I finally get it. There can be joy in pain. Not because of the pain itself, but because you feel like such a badass for pushing through it. The endorphins help too. I am a changed woman. It amazes me that, even though I've been at this healthy living thing for 2.5 years now, I learn something about myself, my emotions, my health, and my motivations almost every single day. Embracing pain is certainly is a new one, and one that I didn't see coming.

Challenge to Self

This weekend I am going to Yosemite National Park with a friend from graduate school. I am beyond delighted to see her, and to experience the beauty of one of our national parks. I can barely wait (though you wouldn't know because I haven't had much time to think about packing, getting ready, etc -- although I did order a fold up hiking stick).

My friend lives in California and has been to the park quite a bit. She knows the ins and outs -- she found us a tent cabin to stay in, knows which hikes are good, and so on. I am grateful to utilize her knowledge to help us plan our stay.

She suggested that we do the Upper Yosemite Falls hike. I am very excited about this, but also scared. The coin is always two-sided, right? It sure does seem that way.

Reasons for excitement: obvious. I'm in Yosemite, which is beautiful. I'm with my friend, who I love and don't get to see often. The views from the top of the trail are supposed to be particularly stunning -- as good as Half Dome, but easier to reach.

But I'm also nervous. The hike is 7.8 miles (which is in and of itself is a little challenging but not too bad), and the terrain is steep and rocky. My friend was a varsity collegiate track athlete for a Big 10 school. While I'm in reasonable shape, I am still overweight and carrying the extra pounds will be tough; my friend is literally half my size. I drink a lot and don't want to carry a bunch of heavy water up a mountain. I hate slipping and I have read that the gravel on the trail makes it kind of easy to fall. There's a reasonable chance of rain, making things slipperier and generally more unpleasant. So there are definitely plenty of things to be scared of or nervous about.

I expressed my concern to my friend -- mainly that I would be slower than she was, but that I was in good shape and thought I could make it if she was willing to be patient with me. I told her either way was fine. She responded

Let's give it a shot! We can take it nice and easy and if we don't make it all the way, it's okay. The important part is that we're together enjoying Yosemite this weekend!

First of all, what a great friend! Second of all, she's right.

After all, when will I be in Yosemite again? When will I get this chance to try this hike again? Life is moving on so let's just harness the proverbial bull by the horns and go for it! I will not let life pass me by just because I'm not at my ideal weight or afraid of heights. I will try this daunting task and probably make it to the top, even though it will be hard. If I don't give it a shot, I will regret it. And if I fail miserably? I won't wonder "what if"...and I'll probably have a good story to tell.

So here goes nothing -- Upper Yosemite Falls here I come! I can't wait to share with you how this goes!

Good Riddance Snow!

(L) My car buried in about 2.5 ft of snow after a historic snowfall. The snow was almost up to the top of the doors of my Honda Civic.

(R) After 1 hr, I freed my car with the help of 2 guys, 2 girls, 1 cookie sheet, 2 brooms, windwhield de-icer, a snow shovel, a Nissan XTerra, a tow strap, and a Chevy Silverado. Success!

I am over this snow. It was nice to have a bit of a break from school (we have had 6 or 7 days of school cancelled which is insane a) for Arkansas b) for a university), but I am so over this. SO. OVER. IT!

Today it was 70 so I was able to go for a bit of a bike ride. It was so nice, and for an Ohio girl quite odd to have a day of biking just a couple days after having 24" of snow dumped on us this week. Arkansas is just not equipped to handle this kind of weather and neither am I after having lived here for a few years. But I digress...the biking weather this weekend was lovely.

Having missed so much school and being stuck in my house for days on end has severely messed with my routine. That is, there hasn't been one. I also noticed today that it has messed with my body too. Because I have not been able to go to the gym that much and have not been disciplined about doing exercise at home, I think I have lost a slight bit of definition in my arms. I also realized today that I don't do much explicitly to workout my lower body these days -- I think the closest thing is the spin class I do on Tuesdays (when I'm not stuck in my house due to snow...). I really need to pick up my strength training/toning game because it helps me to feel better about myself and stronger. Also I am sure there is some truth to the metabolic benefits of being more muscly than fatty.

This week as I re-establish some sort of routine (no chance of snow this week -- thank goodness), I am going to be intentional about getting a well-rounded workout schedule. I want to incorporate a couple days of cardio, some good strength training/toning, and it is critical for my back that I am intentional about stretching and yoga.

What do you guys do to workout? (i.e., how much strength training vs. cardio? what types of exercise do you do) Any suggestions for me? I'm willing to spend an hour a day, 6x/week and I want to make sure I get a total body workout over the course of a week.

My First 5K

The morning of Thanksgiving, I went to do my first 5K. It was called the Turkey Trax, and I had found out about it online. It was in the low 30s the day of the race (not remarkable for my friends and past life up north, but I now consider it unseasonably cold weather for where I live), so I dressed in layers.

I was proud of my decision to register for this 5K. My registration was significant for a few reasons...

1. I sought this out. It wasn't something that I had a bunch of friends participating in and I decided to tag along. I did the research, found out about something happening in a town 5 hrs away from where I usually live but where I would be on Thanksgiving, and registered.
2. It was my first 5K. I really didn't know what to expect - would this be a "fun run" where there wasn't much pressure? Would this be super competitive? Would there be walkers or just runners? I wasn't sure, but decided I didn't care: I would try anyway, letting the chips fall where they may.
3. This represents a shift in my priorities. Thanksgiving is another day; exercise and healthy living is no less important on one day than any other. Now, I'm not saying it's not ok to indulge every once in awhile (holiday or otherwise) and in fact I did indulge food-wise on this day; however, it is important for me day in and day out to make healthy living a priority, and this 5K is one way that I did just that.

So how did I do? I'd say the answer is mixed. I had entertained the idea of trying to run/walk it. I decided I would stretch a lot both before and after, but would just see how in shape I was if I decided to go after this run/walk idea with no training whatsoever. That ended up not happening because early in the walk my back started to hurt. I was walking relatively quickly, but was not jogging. I was happy I listened to my body and did not push the running thing.

I finished the 5K in 49:09, which means my pace was 15:49/mile. I finished 424th of the 448 people who participated. Though my stats are unremarkable (maybe even poor), the decision to participate at all is something I am so so proud of.

Zumba

The majority of the searches that I get on my page are about Zumba -- what is it? Why do my feet hurt when I do it? How many Weight Watchers points is it? and so on...

I would like to attempt to give an overview of what Zumba is, interjected with a few of my own opinions and experiences and anecdotes. Per the Zumba website, Zumba is a dance-type class that "fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away." When I first started Zumba, I would not agree with the assessment that the moves were easy to follow. They weren't rocket science, but it wasn't something I picked up right away either. The good news is that -- although the songs in a class will change periodically -- there is usually some consistency from week to week, and the choreography for a song is always the same (often even from teacher to teacher). This allows you to improve over time, and to get the hang of what is actually going on. With time, new routines are easier to learn too (the basic steps or building blocks are the same, although they are combined in different ways in each song).

Here is a video of folks Zumba-ing. I like this one because it shows that there are people of all levels who Zumba. In the classes I've been to, this has definitely been the case. I started out like the person in the green who could barely keep up, but now I'm more like the one in the black who can do the moves, but doesn't exactly look natural doing them.

Depending on the teacher you have, there may be more or less of an emphasis on the Latin music. For example, I go to a class that has all Latin songs and moves and one that has a mix of Latin and more hip-hoppy songs. Find one that you like and works for you, and give it a shot.

A lot of the Google searches I get are about people's feet hurting. This happened to me and was initially enough to make me give up on Zumba. As I lost more weight, the pain dissipated and was less severe (I first Zumba-ed at probably around 270; now I am about 240 and have changed my body composition significantly so that I am now a lot of muscle). The key, though, I didn't discover until a few weeks ago.

I had very nice sneakers that were designed to be supportive. I got them specially fit at Fleet Feet to help with my overpronation and I have expensive arches to support my flat feet. However, I still had days wearing these sneakers when the work in Zumba made me want to keel over and die from the pain in my feet -- NO LONGER!!! Here is the secret (at least for me - and I was so skeptical): do Zumba barefoot.

The reason why is because your feet need to bend in the middle, similar to the way they would to point your toes. They can't do this when they are confined to a sneaker, and your arch will fight you and hurt like a mother to be able to do so. Have you ever seen dancing shoes? They basically have a sole only on the ball and heel of the foot, but in between (like on the arch) is leather so you can bend your feet. To Zumba I would suggest either getting a pair of dance shoes or just going barefoot.

Since I have gone barefoot (about 2 weeks ago), my feet do not hurt anymore during Zumba -- I think because they allow my feet to bend. The only problem with going shoe-less is that you lose a little support on songs where you have to jump -- but overall I highly recommend shoeless Zumba. Also, depending on the cleanliness of the gym or dance studio where you Zumba, your feet may get dirty. I don't consider it a big deal, but you might.

I have a BodyBugg that counts the number of calories I burn. As I said, I weigh 240ish so with that factored in I typically burn between 600 and 750 calories during an hour Zumba class. Not too shabby, eh? For Weight Watchers, I definitely consider this vigorous exercise and I factor it into the activity tracker accordingly.

Overall, my appraisal of Zumba is high. I first tried it last summer, and have been doing it on and off again since January. I really enjoy it, and I love that it is fun, goes quickly (more quickly for me than, say, working on a treadmill), and is helping me to move better. (I'm not ready for So You Think You Can Dance or anything, but I do feel more confident shakin' what my momma gave me now.) I recommend giving Zumba a shot. Please feel free to ask me any questions about Zumba in the comments -- I will answer them the best I can, or ask a friend who is a Zumba instructor.

One Year Fativersary

4/21/09 I said enough. Enough being fat. Enough making excuses. Enough being unhealthy. Enough enough enough.

I had been going to counseling for awhile to work through some major depression issues, and finally I decided that I could take charge of my weight too. No more giving away my power to bags of chips and boxes of cookies. Although these things made me feel good for very brief moments, they had ultimately robbed the life from my eyes and the joy from my heart. And, one year ago today, I said enough.

I joined Weight Watchers. I decided to get serious about getting healthy. I decided I was worth it. I decided to make a change.

Today I can say that in many ways I am just not at all the same person I was a little over a year ago. The life is back in my eyes. I can do so much more than I could a year ago and, actually, more than I would have probably thought I could do ever. I am back in the game, and I love it.

To show you one of the ways in which I have changed, I will illustrate with a small story. Two bloggers -- Jen and Tony -- challenged each other to an exercise-off. Tony challenged Jen to do 99 minutes on the Stairmaster, and Jen accepted. They also challenged each other to get 200 other people to join them (virtually) on 4/20 for an hour long workout. I accepted (TEAM TONY!!).

Let me provide a little context for you. This is the end of the semester. I have been slammed. I haven't had time to watch any TV or to get on FB that much. It has sucked to be so busy. Tonight I had a banquet for work. I didn't get home until about 9:30. In the past that would have been the PERFECT excuse to not be able to do this workout. In fact, I probably wouldn't have even needed an excuse not to work out because I never did work out really!

Today, though, I soldiered through and did 1 hr. 15 min. at the gym despite my insane levels of busy-ness. I was proud of my self. Working out and taking care of myself trumps the excuses not to work out. Plus, I had to honor my commitment to Team Tony.

As a part of the challenge, Tony challenged us to get out of our comfort zone at the gym today. I realized, you know what? My comfort zone is pretty darned large and growing all the time. I remember when I started going to the gym a year ago, I only felt comfortable swimming. (Yes, I too find it ironic that the only place this 300 lb lady felt comfortable was in a bathing suit in the pool). Swimming was the one form of exercise I knew I could do without a problem. I remember a friend of mine at the time challenged me to take a group exercise class, and said it would be harder than swimming laps. I protested.

"Do you know how hard it is to swim laps?!" I asked. He did not relent. Eventually I went to a class to prove him wrong. However, I realized about 15 minutes into my first water aerobics class that he was right. Oops. I persisted though and now I think those classes are not bad. I feel I get a good workout in, sure, but I no longer want to die at the conclusion of each class.

Tenuous, I decided to explore other parts of the gym. In June I got a personal trainer. She taught me how to use the weight machines. She helped me understand how to lift free weights. She taught me about planks and pushups and Bosu balls. She got me started using that machine that I hated, the freaking elliptical machine.

Eventually, I got really pissed off at that stupid elliptical. How could I let this machinery beat me? I would definitely have to show it I could in fact conquer it. When I started I used to be able to only do about 10 minutes at level 1. I would then feel like I was going to die. I worked and worked and worked at it. My goal was to, eventually, be able to do an hour. I remember the first day I went 45 minutes in August. I felt so powerful. A few weeks later I knocked out an hour. Now it's not a problem to do an hour or more at all, even on level 10.

With time, I became more and more of a gym rat. I started doing Zumba. At first I couldn't follow the steps, and it definitely hurt my feet. Now I can do it without a problem, and it is something I looked forward to. I started going to spin class and I loved it. I went to BodyPump regularly (a weightlifting class), and eventually decided that I wanted a gun show. I continue working toward that goal now, and making very good progress. There really are no classes at the gym now that intimidate me. It's not that I can do everything in all of them (psh, don't I wish!), but the point is that I am not afraid. I do what I can and get better at these things every day. I have a very large comfort zone at the gym. I think the gym is my place of refuge now. Given the lengths I used to go to to avoid going to the gym it is ironic, isn't it?

I have not written about this on my blog, but our town hosts a big biking stage race every year. It is a big deal, and the cyclists who participate are professionals. I remember being curious last year and deciding to attend the criterium (basically like riding laps on the road in a bike race format). I remember being impressed at the cyclists' legs, particularly the definition of their quads. I silently thought to myself, "You know, I wish I could do that." It was so far out of my comfort range, though, I thought I would never be able to bike.

Fast forward a year. I am loving bike riding. I made a goal awhile back that I would bike 75 miles by my fativersary and I can very happily report that I made that goal last night, with a bit of room to spare. I am not going to pretend to be a cycling pro, but I have confidence that I will be a proficient road biker by the end of the summer. Someday I will even be confident in spandex; for now I just grin it and bear it though. Although biking is getting to be more in my comfort zone, spandex still is not.

In the last year I have lost almost 60 lbs.

In the last year I have gone surfing.

In the last year, I have been able to not need the belt extender on airplanes anymore.

In the last year, I have gone from a size 26 to a size 18.

In the last year, I have started to rock a gun show.

In the last year, I have begun to cycle.

In the last year, I started lifting weights.

In the last year, I have reached a level of fitness I thought I would never see again and maybe am in better shape than ever.

Most importantly, though, in the last year I have reconnected with myself. The light has returned to my eyes. I have regained my life. That is worth more than any weight loss is.

Happy one year fativersary to me. To bigger goals in the upcoming year.

Times, for the record

One of my favorite outdoor things in my town is to walk around Lake Fayetteville. There are trails -- both paved and off road -- and they form a 5.5ish mile loop around the Lake. Last year, I used to clock in right around two hours and would usually take a break that I did not count towards my time (more to check Facebook than because I was tired -- addict much?). I think my lowest time was something like 1:59. I went last Saturday and my time was 1:37:11 -- dropped my time by almost 20 minutes and didn't stop for a break! WOW!

Yesterday, they timed us doing a 500 (almost 1/3 mile) in swim class -- I did it in 10:52. I want to document my times so that I will be able to see the progress. Sadly, my shoulder started hurting during the 500, so I need to make sure to ice it today and stretch it out. I don't want to get a shoulder injury so I can't swim :(

Swim Class Fixer Upper

Do you know how “they” say that you should buy the fixer-upper in a really nice neighborhood as opposed to buying a mansion in the slums (whoever this proverbial “they” is)? In swim class I totally feel like the fixer-upper, and it is really a great place to be.

I wrote before about my astonishment to be placed in the fast lane in swim class. Today I write about the flip side of the experience. Although I am in the fast lane, enough people have dropped out of swim class that I am now the slowest in the fast lane. Not just a little slower, either, but significantly slower. I am the one who is bringing the rest of the property values in the lane down -- making them go slower and wait for me to finish laps to start the next set, etc.

However, it's a great place to be. I am so competitive and so it is really good for me not to completely excel at something but not to give up either. Additionally, I feel pressure (internal, fortunately, not from the teachers or my lane-mates) not to let the rest of the lane down -- I want to finish strong and I certainly want to go faster. I really try to push it and bust my hump on the work we do. This will help me in the end, I am sure -- pushing me to test my limits and ultimately helping me to become a better swimmer.

This is so much better than being the stud in the slower lane. I would not need to push nearly as hard if I were leading the other lane. I am very grateful to have the chance to push myself to the limit in the fast lane.

Like I mentioned before things lately have been starting to click on the exercise/lose weight/get healthy front and I have another victory to report! I have never been able to get out on the blocks of the pool -- instead I would always have to swim over to the ladder and get out this way, aka the wimp way. It has been a goal of mine to be able to get out on the blocks so I can swim in whatever lane I want and not have to worry about getting a lane on the periphery of the pool. Well, I can finally get out on the blocks! I went in Saturday and practiced over and over. There were only three of us in the pool (usually I'd guess there are about 15-25ish people) plus the guards, so I felt way less self conscious practicing. I finally was able to pull up over the bulkhead once. It took several tries and I was unable to repeat the feat (although I did get a nice blister on my pinky to show for my 20 minutes of hard work). Yesterday after class, though, I was able to do it again. I am confident that by the end of the semester it will be a piece of cake. I love that I was able to find synergy between this goal to get out on the blocks and my quest for the gun show, as really a lot of it is upper body strength.

I love being able to meet goals. I feel so empowered. GUN SHOW HERE I COME!

Skating

One of my friends from work invited me to go to adult night at the new skating rink in town. I pictured all sorts of debauchery (although I am not sure what kind of debauchery can occur at a skating rink?), booze, etc. at an adult night. It, fortunately, was nothing like that.

First of all, I can attest that booze and roller skating just shouldn't mix. Ever. I am so freaking uncoordinated without the booze, I can't imagine even a hint of booze mixed with roller skating! Apparently I am not alone because, seriously, someone broke their ankle stone cold sober the night I was there. With booze I am sure the situation would have been a much messier one.

Second of all, let me tell you that skating is nothing like they say riding a bike is. It is not something you decide to do and then feel awesome at right away after not practicing for years (at least it wasn't that way for me). This proved to be somewhat problematic becauase although adult night doesn't mean "booze and sinfest", it means "no kids so all the really good skaters who get annoyed they can't go faster on regular days come out to skate" night. So, let's just say I was in the less evolved portion of the skaters -- and by that I mean probably the first percentile. *Maybe* second if we are generous.

I had fun anyway. I willed myself to keep skating and probably made around a total of 20 circles around the rink. I mean, I'm not signing up for rollerderby anytime soon or anything, but it was a nice way to burn some extra calories and it was nice to get a chance to hang out with and get to know a friend a little better.

I love that my new life includes activities that are fun and I don't feel too abnormal doing them. I mean in the past I would blamed the fact that I sucked at skating on the fact that I am overweight. While I am still overweight, I think the fact that I suck at skating is due to lack of practice and/or innate athleticism. I am trying to strip away the excuses and try new things -- and, although I hate it, that means admitting I am not good at everything I try.

I would not consider my skating career over. However next time I think I'll go on kids day where maybe I will be in the 30th percentile of skaters, not the first or second :)

Zumba

I tried Zumba again today. I tried it a couple times this summer and it hurt my feet and knees like none other, so I decided no Zumba for awhile. However, I tried again today and I will say...I hated it less. Actually I didn't hate it at all. I think to say that I "liked" it would be a bit of a stretch, but it wasn't bad. My arches hurt a couple times, but I pushed through and the pain went away. It's probably the shoes that I got at Fleet Feet that were a huge help. I almost rolled my ankle twice, but I caught myself both times. I am not sure if it's that my reaction time is better or that my joints (ligaments?) are stronger or what, but I am delighted that I did not get hurt and that I even kind of enjoyed myself. I love the music, I love the energy, and I love knowing that there is pressure not to quit. I am a lot less likely to walk out of a class halfway through if I'm not feeling it than I would be to get off a treadmill. I also love knowing that doing an hour of Zumba burns 600-800 calories.

Overall: I give my experience with Zumba a B. I will be back. Maybe someday I will even love it.

Christmas break

One of the beautiful things about academic life is the Christmas break we get. It is sad to read people's facebook status updates and blogs and think about them having to go back to work tomorrow. Sigh.

I have to say, this break is not ending up like I thought it would. First of all, this allergic reaction was not on my radar screen at all. Neither was the snowstorm we got on the night of Christmas Eve. As a result of the snowstorm, I stayed at home all day and had a low key day rather than just vegging out at the movie theatre as I had planned. I didn't want to go down the hill in my car or otherwise on very poorly-cared for streets. People in Arkansas have no idea how to take care of icy or snowy roads, and I heard the trucks weren't even out since it was Christmas Day.

Still, I've seen some of the movies I wanted to -- Up in the Air, Invictus, Precious, Avatar, the Blind Side -- already. However there are still more that I want to see, most notably Nine, Princess and the Frog, and Brothers. Brothers is already out of the movie theatre near my house, so I will probably go to a theatre about half an hour away to see it. Not sure when I'll see the rest.

In order to justify taking the day to go see a movie or three, though, I felt I had to work out before I went. The gym at school is open over the break (which I think is great!!!), but its hours are very limited. Today, for example, it is only open from 1-4:50. I opted instead to go to the mini-gym in my apartment complex. It's small, the equipment is not top notch, but it works in a pinch. I did 30 minutes this morning on the elliptical machine. It felt pretty good, but the time I-N-C-H-E-D by. I was too bored to continue. I might need to do a second shift tonight to feel like I actually got a decent workout done today. I must say, though, after two days of not taking a walk or doing anything official to work out, it felt good. Now I think I have earned some time to sit on my butt and enjoy a movie. I might even go out to eat today. I haven't eaten out since Monday I don't think, which has to be some kind of a record for me. We will see if I try to be stubborn and prolong my eating out-less streak, or whether I treat myself to some On the Border. Their guiltless grill shrimp fajita tacos are quite tasty. (In the spirit of honesty, though, I usually do get a little side of cheese dip to go with my meal. TSK, TSK.)

Walking

One of my goals for this break is to work out regularly. I'm trying to mix it up and do things I wouldn't normally have time or the opportunity to do. Since the days are so short and the weather is typically chilly in the winter, taking a walk is on that list. The weather today was 50-60. In Ohio and Michigan, that doesn't happen too often so I figured I'd better seize the opportunity.

Unfortunately I didn't get my act together until around 4:30 and by the time I got my shoes on and drove to the place where I was going to take my walk it was 4:45. This was solstice-eve, i.e., the second shortest day of the year. You know, when the sun sets at 5:06. OK, better get my walk on. Here's a picture of me rockin' my headphones. I love to listen to This American Life while I am walking.

I decided to go on a trail that I am very familiar with. Turns out, I am not as familiar as I thought. I thought that I remembered the trail was lit; it isn't. No big, except that last year there was a rape on this trail (mind you, there are two sections of the trail: a nice, paved section, and a more rugged, unpaved section in the woods. I was on the [safer] paved section, not the unpaved section but I was still kind of freaked out when I realized the trail had no lights).

The trail is 5.5 miles and goes around the circumference of Lake Fayetteville. The lake is actually pretty gross (stagnant -- manmade I think, and with no inflow/outflow, you can imagine how disgusting the water is). However, the trail is nice. The paved part has mile markers every 0.25 miles to help you track how far you've gone. I figured they'd also come in handy in case I needed to call 9-1-1 about a rapist...not like I ever overreact or anything.

Anyway, I decided I would go until the end of the paved trail, and then I'd turn around and head back. When I got to the end of the paved part, though, I was greeted by construction equipment and a sign about trail expansion.

Most curious, I decided I still needed to turn back since I was headed into unfamiliar territory and since it was getting dark. Here are some shots I took on the way back.

The moon was beautiful, just a sliver of crescent.

It was too dark for this picture, but if I would have had a tripod, it would be really cool...

I think I went about 4.5 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. Not bad. I vowed that I would be back the next day to explore the new part of the trail and, sure enough, I was. More about that another time.

Good news

I have gone to water aerobics twice this week. There are certain things I can't do or that hurt too badly to do, but overall I would say I am thrilled to be able to work out and get moving again. Also, this morning I was 258.2, which is moving closer to my control limits. Now to get firmly inside them again, and hopefully on the low side. I think I can do it before Christmas if I get and keep my act together.

Blood pressure

My blood pressure was high this morning. 119/89. I need to get back to exercising. I hope I can.

Not on track

This morning I weighed in at 259.2. Saturday morning, I was 255.something. There is a very real possibility this is all real weight, not salt or retained water weight. Yuck. I am embarrassed.

My food Saturday was...indulgent. I went to the movies and even ordered popcorn. What a waste. It was good, but not good enough to justify all the calories. On the way home I stopped at a gas station and got two hot dogs (I had driven 2 hrs away so I could see Precious, which is not playing in our market and is unlikely to) in addition to a stick of cheese and Doritos. I forget what all I ate Sunday, but I do know that I made delightful Christmas cookies and ate a lot of them. And I have eaten a lot of them in the days since. They were not good enough for me to take to work (too hard/not soft enough), but of course I had no problem jettisoning them down the hatch. Maybe I should get rid of the rest. I guess it is progress that at least some of them have survived to today? That's a very small consolation prize.

Last night was our department's annual Christmas party. Our boss goes all out and we have dinner at the swankiest of swank restaurants in town each year. This year's was great. There was also some good news here. Because the restaurant was so swanky, they give tiny portions, not the 2-3 realistic meal sized portions you'd get at, say, the Olive Garden. However, I did have all four courses of the meal. It was delcious and there were some indulgent choices, but not an all out bingefest. I would give myself a B-/C+ on that meal. Too bad I had a plate full of cookies when I came home in addition to a normal-ish sized meal.

I am bummed that I cannot counteract any of this with exercise. I may try to go to the gym today anyway; it just depends how I am feeling. I am absolutely slammed at work (that is what happens at the end of the semester), and am not sure if I have time to go and obviously I am not sure if I am physically capable of going.

I have tickets tonight to an event at the Walton Arts Center which is about the Rat Pack and Christmas. I LOVE the Rat Pack, and I am ok with Christmas but this thing looks like it will be a festering turd. I really wish I had traded in the tickets for credit to use to go to something else. I do not really think I have time to go, because I need to pack for a trip (out of town tomorrow through Sunday; serving on an NSF panel). We will see. Somehow I will manage to get this all done, and hopefully I can still get some sleep. We will see. I need to stop writing this post so I can get a jump on my day.

Great News - I can exercise again!

So the good news -- in case you're not friends with me on Facebook -- is that I can exercise. WOW! Who would have thought that that would be something to make me ecstatic. Back in the day I would DREAD the thought of exercising. Celebration would have been the last reaction I would have had to the ability to exercise. But now? I AM SO PUMPED!

I went to my new doctor and I really liked her. She seems to think that the degeneration in my back is not nearly as bad as the chiropractor thought, and that I should absolutely exercise to help get over this. She said that I would probably have back problems for the rest of my life (sorry folks, I'm not allowed to lift heavy boxes or help with moving), but that I could expect to have about 20 or so years relatively pain free other than the occasional flare up.

Last night I went to the aqua abs class I usually go to and it wasn't bad. It was the easier of the two teachers which probably worked out better for me in that I could ease into it. I also decided to get my elliptical on and did about 35 minutes there. The intensity varied from high hills with a lot of resistance to not much resistance at all. I really wanted to quit a couple times, but I soldiered on and it ended up feeling great. This time I will try to remember my headphones though, to make things more enjoyable :) Tonight I am going to try to do both the abs class and the aqua aerobics class...and maybe even some elliptical if I am feeling ambitious. If anything starts to hurt, though, I am going to take it easy. Don't want to aggravate things.

Overdue Hiking Post - Glory Hole

I took this hike last weekend and promised a post on my hike eventually. Sorry it is overdue, but here it is...

First of all, get your minds out of the gutter. I went to the Glory Hole which is not what you sickos think, but rather a pretty neat waterfall in Arkansas. The name is derived from the fact that over the years water has eroded away at a hole though which comes a pretty neat waterfall. I had seen beautiful pictures, but was honestly slightly disappointed when I saw the hole myself for the first time.

First of all I had read this is an easy hike. I would kind of agree, but also disagree would caution future hikers/guidebook writers not to mistake "short" and "easy". The hike is relatively short (~2 miles round trip), but it is STEEP and the trail is really beat up -- you really need to watch for potholes or you will roll your ankle, guaranteed. It is worth the trip though. Let me start at the beginning.

The trail is not easy to find unless you absolutely know what you are looking for. The directions say to look for a split in the road and 5.7 miles from the split, look for a barn with an "E" on the side of it. I was expecting a hugely painted E -- the E is not small, but it is pretty modestly sized. Nothing at all like a full-sized Coca Cola ad or anything of that magnitude, but still big enough to see. Heaven help future hikers finding this trail if the owners of the barn decide to paint over that E! You are then supposed to pull over and park across from the "house". Let me say that to use the term house on the structure that this trail is across from is pretty generous. It is a structure to be certain, but use your imagination to come up with a stereotypical vision of what you would picture as an Arkansas house, and sadly that would be about what this "house" looked like. When I get into rural Arkansas (which is usually only when I go hiking or kayaking), I am amazed at the poverty. It is really quite startling.

Back on topic...I saw there were 10-12 cars pulled off to the side of the road and figured I must be in the right place. I thought for sure this couldn't be a good idea to park like this but I did it anyway since I had driven about 2 hours to get to this place. Turns out my car was fine.

There is about a 1/4 mile walk from the main road to the trailhead. It is not a bad walk -- flat with some potholes but overall fine. At the trailhead there is this marker. Ahh, rustic Arkanas at its finest. Gotta love redneck advertising and the unnecessary quotes.

In case you can't read it, the sign says "The 'Glory' Hole". I can only imagine how the subtitle was written. I believe it first said "About 1/2 mile". I think as an afterthought someone wrote the + so it read "About 1/2+ mile". The most hilarious part (and the reason I took the picture) is hard to see, but beneath the subtitle someone had written in chalk "about 2 miles back". So so true (even though it is the exact same trail that leads you both down and back--this absolutely seems accurate!).

The hike down is not a huge deal. It probably takes about 1/2 hour or so. It is noticably steep though. I had to say it made me nervous to hike back while taking this huge drop in elevation on the way down there.

The trail ends pretty abruptly. Thankfully, there was a group of hikers down at the bottom who told me that this, indeed, was the end of the trail. From the end of the trail, you are able to clearly see the hole through which the water falls (if you know to look for it that is).

From the hole, though, it is a non-trivial (but short) hike to get to the falls itself.

The hike from the hole shown above to the falls basically sucks. This picture hopefully gives you a little appreciation for the difficulty of reaching the bottom (at least for people who have lived ~29 years/30 worth of a sedentary lifestyle).

It's worth it, though apparantly the time of the day when I came was pretty underwhelming from a lighting perspective. I was unable to capture some of the beautiful shots of this place I had seen in books and online. Oh well, I guess we can't all be Tim Ernst, can we?

The hike up? Let's just say it sucked. And the people who said it was 2 miles back? That seems about right. I could not find online the elevation gain on the trail, but it was so significant, especially for someone from the flatlands of Northwest Ohio. I was glad I had my 32 oz waterbottle with me, and a gallon of water in the car. I think I had about 80 oz of water during/immediately after this hike -- and it was only about 65ish degrees (which, incidentally, I am convinced is the perfect weather for hiking)!

My final verdict on this hike is that it is really nice, but not worth a 2 hr drive. If you're in the area, absolutely stop in. If you can couple this with another hike in the area, do it. However, don't just drive 4 hrs round trip to see this. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I do have to say this hike left me a little disappointed. However, I got to listen to 3 episodes of This American Life, so it wasn't so bad afterall :)

OUCH

I went to the gym this morning at 6 as planned. However, I only worked out for 20 minutes. The pain in my back was excruciating. It felt like a huge pinched nerve. Fortunately, I am starting to understand and feel where and how my back is out of alignment after having this happen so much recently. I came up and laid down and twisted the way I thought I needed to go back into alignment. Got a huge crack and a little relief right away. Hoping today is a good day and that this pain is gone for the day!! I have to sit ALL. DAY. LONG. (meetings) so I am hopeful that I can make it. And go for a REAL workout once I get back to Fayetteville!!!

Hiking @ Lost Valley

This past weekend I went hiking at Lost Valley. This is a part of the Buffalo National River protected area. Most of the hike is very easy, meandering parallel to the Clark Creek. The amazing thing about this is the number of incredible features that are contained along this short 2 mile hike. First of all, there is a natural bridge which has pretty neat waterfall coming out of it.

To me, the neatest part of this is that the creek has carved itself a way through the rock. It is hard to describe but it is so neat to see in person. Basically, there is a very narrow opening through which the water can enter (I think it is a cave), and then it comes spilling out the other side. It is beautiful.

The highlight of this trail, though, has to be Eden Falls. There are three falls -- the lower, the middle and the upper falls. This picture shows all of them (although not super duper well)

I have read varying reports on the height of the lower falls, ranging from 35-50 feet so I am not sure how tall they really are. Here is me next to the falls, though, to give a little perspective. I am in the foreground and the falls are about 15-20 feet behind me. The water flowing over the falls and into the creek below is crystal clear. Thank you NPS for preserving this treasure!!!

Past the falls, I think the trail gets a little dicey. You basically climb up above the falls (aka very steep elevation gain quickly) and you can explore this cave behind the falls. It's my understanding there are waterfalls in the cave as well. Here is a picture of the mouth of the cave. You have to climb in to the left of the waterfall.

Some experienced hikers familiar with the area said that this time of year the cave is sandy and it is kind of dangerous in there. I was not sad for an excuse to bail out. Plus it will give me an excuse to have to come back. I'm definitely not sad about that. I have said it before and will say it again. Arkansas is a beautiful place. This hike is about 1.5-2 hrs from my house and I feel very fortunate to be able to do this kind of thing. I feel guilty for missing out on these opportunities the first two years I lived here. I am glad to be reclaiming my life and my health so I can explore this beautiful state.