Marathon bike ride

Had a great workout day starting with a "marathon" spin class - actually a little longer - 1 1/2 hours and 30 miles, followed by the usual Saturday housecleaning stint and a 6 mile walk! Yay!

Zumba

The last two Mondays I've tried a Zumba class. http://www.zumba.com/us/about/ I had heard from so many people how fun it is. It is supposed to be an aerobics class based in latin dance. A week ago Monday a couple of girlfriends and I tried the new class offered in town. We enjoyed the class, worked off some calories and had a fun time. I went on my own this past Monday. There were only 6 zumbites in the class. I was a little disappointed as the music and the exercise program were identical to the week before. I have been really spoiled by our fitness instructors at our gym. The routines are always changing as is the music. The body doesn't have time to adapt much and you really get a great work out. The Zumba instructor is gone for 2 weeks and I'm not sure if I'll be going back when she returns.

Relay for Life

Yesterday my girlfriend and I walked our hour together so we walked for 2 hours. The sun came out and the track at St. Patrick's school was packed. There were competitions for decorated hats, cars, most raffle tickets sold, most ingenious booth. People were selling everything from organic vegetables to homemade chocolate bon bons. When we signed up to walk we knew nothing about the involvement required! Boy were we surprised. We stuck to our guns and raised money and walked. Lesson learned - before saying yes to any of these activities, ask what will be involved, how will it work etc. You'd think I'd learn after all my years but....anyway, we participated and the woman running our team did an awesome job and I think the team raised over $7,000.

Zumba

Last week I went in search of a dance studio that gives salsa and ballroom dance lessons. I came upon Dellos in town. They just opened a studio in a long vacant building. They didn't have what I wanted but they do offer other exercise programs. One of the programs is called Zumba. A number of friends on the east coast have been raving about Zumba and one of them has become an instructor. Caution - since she started teaching she has had many physical problems and a number of surgeries!

I made a false start as I misread the day the classes are offered. A friend of mine and I were all set to go last Wednesday. Fortunately just before I left, I re-read the flyer and noticed the class is Monday morning and Wednesday evening. Saved us a trip downtown. So we met again on Monday with three of us this time and took the class. It was a fun experience exerdancing latin style for an hour. I think once one gets the steps it's probably more fun. Have to loosen hips and torso to do all that latin swing and hip-hop moves! It's a nice alternative exercise class and I will probably go again. The price is right.

Finally a walk outdoors

Today was day 4 of the El Niño rain event hammering the central coast and southern California. We've had heavy rain, hail, high winds, flooding, mud slides, possible tornadoes and today a little peak of the sun. I haven't been able to walk outdoors for the last 3 days not so much because of the rain, but because of the high winds and the possibility of falling branches.

Today I tracked the radar carefully and was able to sneak in a 6 mile walk and was able to check out what the storms have wrought so far.
There were a number of areas that are flooded with some erosion. The ground on the mesa is sand and it doesn't take much to start the erosion. In the next picture you can see the measures the construction team took to try to prevent it on a couple of the new building sites in the area.


Up at the Arc Park in our development we lost 4 trees. The root systems are pretty shallow and narrow and the high winds just toppled these over. The crews were out while I was there starting the clean up.

On the 6th hole (I think) there is a new water hazard for golfers to hit over.

It was wonderful to walk outside. The air was very clean and fragrant with eucalyptus, cypress, rosemary, lavender and other wonderful sniffs.

Lots of exercise today

Today was a big exercise day. On Tuesdays there is a circuit training class that runs an hour and fifteen minutes. Then I fill in with some cardio for fifteen minutes and follow that up with teaching an hour t'ai chi class. Today I walked for an hour and a half with my friend Jane in CT. We talk via cellphone. She reminded me why we moved to CA. It was really cold there with windchills in the single digits, and it was in the mid 60s today and nice and sunny. So I got in 4 hours of exercising - a good start to keeping off any creeping holiday weight gain!

Finally getting some decent rain

It's been raining off and on for about a week now and for the first time since we've been out here we actually are ahead of normal (if you discount that deluge we received in October when I was in Hartford). Now if it can just keep it up with gentle rain the rest of the rainy season and snow in the mountains we may catch up. Knowing how the weather people love to talk about the weather they will probably keep emphasizing that we are low on rain/snow! I actually did my entire workout at the fitness center today due to the rain. It's pretty warm - in the high 50s - but pretty windy as well.

Waiting....

Last week when I went to the doctor she gave me an order for some blood work and an xray. In CT I always tried to get the doctor to order the blood work before my physical so we could discuss the results. My CA doctor didn't want to do it that way. I'm trying not to think that she wants to get a second office visit to discuss the results. She asked for all the usual blood work that I would have expected plus a Vitamin D test - the only one I would not have known to ask. So, this morning I went to get some blood drawn as requested by my doctor. I arrived about 30 minutes after the lab opened. I figured I would let the early birds get done and it would quiet down. Wrong! The entire waiting room was full and we were waiting outside the lab for room to open up. I waited over an hour. Good thing I'm not one of those fainty types who doesn't do well with fasting. Then to add insult to injury, when I went to get the xray, there was another hour wait but at least we weren't lined up outside. Now the good news is that it is really pleasant here and I met some very nice people who were waiting with me. Many of the people waiting were "old" people but wait....I guess I'm getting to be one of those "old" people now!

As a result of the waiting, I missed my usual exercise class. One of the benefits of having the fitness center right in our development is that I could stop on my walk and work in an elliptical workout.

On fabric cutting party

I have embarked on a project to design and make new coverings for the fitness center rebounders. After 2 versions, we have a pattern. It seems to work pretty well. The most time consuming part of the project is the cutting out of the pattern and secondly the serging of all the edges. Yes all the edges. There are 16 rebounders and I've completed 4. The owner of the fitness center pulled a small group of people together to help cut out the pattern and we met at the gym with 4 of us. We alternated roles, one pinning, one cutting, one serging etc. She bought us all lunch and we cut for about 3 hours and got 5 of them cut and 1 fully serged and ready to make. I figure if I make one a day, I should be done in a week and a half.

Back in the saddle again!

It felt really good to get back in my routine today. Had a very productive day starting with a 7:15 spin class, followed by some hula hooping, weight machines, a 6 mile walk, grocery shopping and work on A Hand Up. Had a great talk on Skype with K and now going to make dinner. Yay!

The other side of success

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I started using a weighted hula hoop at the fitness center to test out the claim that if you hula hoop for 10 minutes a day for 30 days you can lose up to 3 inches on your waist. Well, as I reported I didn't lose 3 inches but I did lose almost 2. I've continue to use it and I'm now down just over 3 inches and many, many other people have started to use it due to the perceived success, so much so that I often can't use one myself because they are all being used. The fitness center has 2 hula hoops. I ordered one for myself and it arrived today. My thought is that I will put my name on it, hoping that will reserve it for my use if I'm at the fitness center but make it available to whomever wants to use it any other time. It arrived today, so I'll take it up tomorrow and we'll have to see if that works.

Quiet Sunday in AG

Today was a very nice relaxing Sunday in AG. The routine includes the 8AM church service; home to practice guitar, read the paper and get ready for spin class. After working up an appetite it was time for lunch and some yummy leftovers. Followed up with a 6 mile walk and some work on the computer. The weather cleared after early morning "marine layer" and was in the low 70s - perfect!

Busy day

Today was a great exercise day, starting with a rebounding class (jumping on mini-trampolines) including additional full body weight workout, teaching t'ai chi class and a 1 1/2 hour walk. Later in the afternoon there was an A Hand Up board meeting.



T'ai Chi class has 4 of the original students and occaisional drop-ins. The last couple of weeks we've had a t'ai chi student visiting from Hawaii. She has been practicing for 2 years. She studies a modified Yang style t'ai chi. Her motions are a little different but she caught on pretty quickly to our form. She enjoyed the class and said she learned a lot and will be back in November when she visits her son again. Our class has been working on smoothing out the form while keeping the pace of the exercise slow, while practicing our breathing and focusing on our form. We are all still learning. With media coverage on t'ai chi additional people have started asking about the the discipline and are expressing an interest in trying it.

The board meeting went well and we were able to address everything on a very long agenda in the alloted time.

The Retail World

The fitness center is trying to attract more clients and to offer some new class options. It's a small place with an aging clientele. People have said they want introductory classes for spinning and circuit training classes. The owner asked about best times etc. and put together classes but inevitably the people who ask for the classes don't show up. Sometimes others do come to give the new classes a try. I've decided I don't have the temperament to work in the retail world and it's a good thing I had skills in other areas! This Saturday the owner is having an open house and is having demos of all the classes. She's tried to get people to sign up to be part of the demos in each of the classes (10 minutes each). It should be interesting to see how many show up for the open house and the demos. I'll be demoing t'ai chi at 1:10 if anyone wants to check it out!

Gardens, the cousins and t'ai chi

I can't help but marvel at the beauty that surrounds me. It's pretty mild throughout the winter and many of the bushes continue to flower throughout. You'd think that spring couldn't really "pop" around here like it does in CT but you'd be wrong. Everyday brings more beautiful garden presentations for me to admire and appreciate. Here are a few examples of how things are looking at the moment - beautiful!

T and I went to SLO for dinner with the cousins. We invited everyone to our place but we are all going to a mutual friend's home tomorrow evening and P&S thought it would be too much traveling for Aunt L. So we each brought something to P&S. Delicious lamb dinner with couscous, mustard greens, baby bak choi with black mushrooms and a lemon-lime cake with lemon-lime curd as frosting. I used fresh lemons and limes from P&S's trees and they really make a difference. I really admire KM's commitment to the care of her mother. She has come almost every 6 weeks and stays for a week and takes care of the many things that need attention that the caregivers don't attend to. She stays with her mother and can get a real sense of what's going on.

Picked up a couple more t'ai chi students. The drop-in format seems to work for some. A number of the students have come back a number of times and some have just stuck with it. The drop in students learn the form of the day and join in the full practice with the forms they know. It encourages them to learn more - I hope.

New bike shoes

S from the fitness center gave me a gift certificate for bike shoes to use for spinning class. I have been "cost per wear" kind of buyer for many years now and at over $100 a pair for bike shoes I didn't think I could get the cost per wear down fast enough. However, I have been spinning 5 days a week so now I think perhaps the cost per wear will come down pretty quickly. I went to Ira's bike shop in AG - a hole in the wall type bike store that is crammed with everything and got a pair of red and black ones. Ira installed the pedal clip and gave me a lesson in getting the shoe seated on the pedal - basically just line it up and start pedaling- and getting disengaged - twist the heel. I tried them this morning and they do help make pedaling easier. I highly recommend them if one is cycling or spinning on a regular basis. Ira said that if he depended on the cycling community alone he might sell a 10 pairs a year but with all the spinning classes he sells over 50 pairs a year.

Lemon Squares

I was perusing the St. James's Cookbook the other day looking for a yummy recipe. Tom had asked for lemon squares and as it turns out there was one in the cookbook. P&S have some wonderful Meyer lemon trees in their yard and I am stocked with beautiful lemons on a regular basis (bear limes and satsuma oranges as well). This recipe is really easy (it's all mixed up in a food processor) although it doesn't have time guides in the recipe. It was sumitted by LP and EP and is really delicious. Here's the recipe with my notations on time and tips that I found worked for me.

Lemon Squares
Crust
2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter (softened a little - a little firmer than room temperature)

Filling
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 T. fresh lemon juice (1 very large lemon)
2 tsp. lemon rind (1 large lemon)
4 T. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make crust: Blend flour, powdered sugar and (slightly softened) butter in the food processor. (This takes about 2 minutes of processing and the mixture is very fine and consistent in texture). (Spray the 9x13 pan with cooking spray). Pat the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13- inch baking pan. (Press the mixture down very firmly.) Bake for 20 minutes. To make filling: (You don't have to wash out the food processor.) Combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice and rind in food processor until fluffy. (This takes a about 4 few minutes as the blade is not as aerating as a regular mixer attachment. It doesn't actually get "fluffy" but turns a pale yellow.) Add flour and baking powder and mix until blended. Pour filling on baked crust and return immediately to oven. Bake another 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with powdered sugar. Cool and cut into squares. Thank you LP and EP - delicious!

We took them to P and S's place for dinner Monday evening. Aunt L and her current companion came and we had a wonderful meal of steak, meat loaf, salad, garlic mashed potatoes and cucumber and carrots. We are taking dinner to Aunt L's on Saturday to fill in for a companion who is working at a restaurant from 5 to 9.

Started working out with the weight machines today after spinning. Got a lesson in how all the machines work and did a circuit and some work with the exercise ball. I hope to do a couple of days of weights a week after spinning. They also have a great set-up with bands that they use for golf conditioning and are the same ones I used for rotator cuff rehab so I'm doing those too - why not! Hopefully I can keep them healthy.

T'ai Chi and sunsets

This is week 8 of 10 of my t'ai chi class. We are a stalwart group of 5 now and they are getting pretty good. T'ai Chi practice is usually done to one's own pace predicated on one's breathing pace. The question came up about doing t'ai chi in groups, for example in the parks in China. If t'ai chi is done to the rhythm of one's own breathing, how do the classes all seem to be doing it together - wouldn't everyone be doing it at a different pace? Well, the answer is that in a group setting the practioner follows the pace of the leader and adjusts one's breathing to that pace, out of respect. The question brought to mind a wonderful memory from my teen years. When I lived in Hong Kong, at one time my bedroom window faced the front of another apartment complex where each apartment had a balcony. In the morning as I was getting ready I would look out at the many balconies and see many people practicing their t'ai chi on their balconies, unaware of each other's pace or place in the exercise. There would be many people all moving at different paces working through the forms! I wish I had taken a picture.

This reminds me of the sunsets here. Almost everyday the sunset is spectacular. The local newspaper prints a picture daily submitted by local residents in the classified ads section. Recently they commented that due to the large number of sunset (and sunrise) pictures, people will have to wait a long time to see theirs in print. I was going to take a picture of the beautiful sunset this evening but heeding the warning by the newspaper, I resisted - therefore no picture today.

Jane and Dan's excellent adventure

Jane and Dan arrived early afternoon on Monday and hit the ground running although they had precious little sleep the night before. Jane and I finally walked side by side after weeks of blue-tooth walking. The weather didn't show its best side with cloudy skies all around. We walked every street, path and walkway in the development. Dan and Tom took a shorter walk but did explore the area. We took a walking tour of AG, checking out the swinging bridge and the downtown streets.

After an early evening, we started today with a full morning of exercising, including walking, exercise classes and T'ai Chi. Jane got a great work out in the gym, Dan went for a walk and Tom hit his gym. After devouring a hearty lunch we headed north, took a tour by the first house we rented in Los Osos and found some sunshine in Morro Bay. The weather was warmer and we spotted a few harbor seals lolling on the piers, poked our heads into some galleries before heading further north to San Simeon and the elephant seals. They come back to the same area by the hundreds to birth and breed before heading back up north to either Alaska for the bulls and to British Columbia or Hawaii for the females. It was a great nature experience. We returned to one of our favorite seafood restuarants to partake of a great dinner hosted by Jane and Dan. On our way back we stopped in Pismo Beach and walked out along the pier before returning to have some carrot cake. A great day!

Happy New Year

Yesterday was a busy day split between exercising and cooking. The rebounding class was filled to capacity and after a few of the T'ai Chi students asked for a little review. I was able to help them out and practice my form as well for the day. I started the food prep the day before getting the drunken chicken dish made. After rebounding class I dipped and honey coated the Peking (Beijing) ducks and strung them up to dry for the afternoon before heading out for a blue tooth walk with Jane. I also managed to practice my Spanish with an on-line Spanish site.

We had a terrific walk catching up on each other's news and the time flew as usual even though my walk took me back and forth in front of our house. The workers were here again trying to weatherproof the exterior door from my bedroom. They wanted to get it completely dry so it was open and I didn't want to leave the house "wide open". The workers are coming back again this morning to try to seal up the door - we'll see. In spite of the repetitiousness of my path, I almost didn't notice it as Jane and I were engrossed in our conversation.

I haven't made Peking duck in a couple of years so it was fun to make the pancakes and see how they turned out. Everything was delicious. The SLO cousins are not in the habit of celebrating the Chinese New Year but they all declared that it was a great new tradition and we all want Peking duck every Chinese New Year! The cousins are off to Tahoe to ski for the weekend.