Category Archives: Exercise/ Fitness

End Of Third Quarter

29 Friday Sep 2017

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Yes Sirree, Boy!  Where did the time go?  It seems like only last week I was hip deep in the muck of a Presidential Election, but that was 11 months ago.  Now…  

It seems like I was just buying Hallowe’en candy to give away to the urchins pounding on my door, (or, most likely, eat myself).

It seems like only just the other day, I was wondering if I would ever see my abdominal muscles again or weigh under 200 lbs, much less 185.  Had you told me six months ago, I would swim two miles, without stopping, and think nothing of it, I would have laughed. Since April, I have shredded a lot of notions I held about what a 66 year old retiree is supposed to look like and what his capabilities are.

I have also become quite comfortable living with conflicting ideas about politics, relationships, the very nature of love itself.  Try truly not caring about what somebody else thinks, but just love them, not in a superficial and/or a sentimental way. Love someone in the sense that you care about their welfare, that you want to see them live another day. Love someone, expecting nothing out of it for yourself.

Right now the  figurative elephant in my cranium I’m avoiding writing about is sex.  My sexual imagination is rich, deeply influenced by ideas of domination and submission and their accompanying ritual acts.  Yet my sex life is chaste.  I wrote a little story House Boy , detailing a fantasy I had.  There are more up there.

Would I like to act out?  Hell yes, in the worst way, but I know how the real world operates.  I also love the woman I am married to.  That Love and that vow of love I made controls taking any action that contradicts that vow.

And you wonderful people who stop and read what I write, thank you. I read what you share. I am in awe of your courage and willingness to sit at a key board, pound the letters, and sweat blood. 

I am on my way to becoming a writer of online erotica, the least likely job/avocation I thought I would have.  It will be fiction.

“Don’t try this at home, kids!”  will be my motto. But sometimes it just needs to be written.

Sometimes You Eat The Bear…

20 Wednesday Sep 2017

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Sometimes the bear eats you.

I had my six-month check-up today. Weight at the Doctor’s office 186.8 lbs. BP is 120/80. We are waiting to hear about the blood work. Maybe there are no more statin drugs in my future. The cost for the generic is not great, but it sure would be nice to have one less pill to take.  Weight Watchers meeting is today. I weigh 183.6 lbs on their scale. Even better. Goal weight 179 lbs is only 4.6 lbs away. We have a great meeting, very positive.

Then….

I go swimming, a little tired, but I go. And it feels like I’m crawling through concrete about ready to set. I finish.  And I’m hurting, sore and aching. I go home.  And I want the pain to go away. So I’m resting with ice. And Advil.

Life is good. On balance. 

July

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

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I finished the month with one final swim. 2500 meters. My time was 56:15. I never thought I would swim this distance in under an hour since I had my surgeries in 2015.  But I did. I felt strong and fast and powerful. A great feeling. 

Every day I hear some ad that says men my age (66) or even younger need some sort of Hormone Replacement Therapy to regain their youthful vigor and even virility.  My own experience reinforces my scepticism around this claim.  I guess my suggestion is to get active over a sustained period of time before deciding on HRT.  Then again, I am not a physician.

Life is good.

64.5Kilometers

30 Sunday Jul 2017

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That is 40 miles. I set a goal to swim that distance over the month of July. I reached the goal with two days to spare. I swam twenty-five days out of twenty-nine days.

I’m tired. I did not accept the usual excuses for myself.  Great feeling. I will swim Monday. That means 26 days swimming out of the thirty one days in July.

61,750 Meters. 

29 Saturday Jul 2017

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I last posted when my distance swum was 50 kilometers (50,000 meters). Four days later, my distance is 61, 750 meters. Tomorrow, I plan to swim 2750 meters. This will bring my total to 64500 meters, over 40 miles. This was the goal I set. 

About Wednesday of this week, I saw where I needed to up my daily distance if I wanted to finish the goal with any contingency allowed for weather, or plain exhaustion. So I did some calculating and decided that I needed to swim 2 x 3250 m, and 2 x 2750 m to finish with two days to spare. Sunday is a family birthday party, my sister’s 65th. It would be nice to not have that pressure to swim Sunday. 

I have swim the longer distances before. I would make a big deal out of the longer distances, as if an extra 750 meters was of enormous magnitude.  But doing 3250 on Wednesday, then again Friday, the real deciding factor is whether I want to spend the extra time in the pool, not that my constitution won’t tolerate the extra distance.

I finished the 2 x 3250 m workouts (2+miles). I felt enormous pride. And self-confidence.  The old saying goes, “To build self-esteem, do estimable things.” Like swim consistently and pursue an unprecedented goal.

50 Kilometers

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

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I got to the 31 mile mark (50Km) today. I did not want to swim. I was tired. But I went to the Y, got in the pool and began. I finished and was proud that I stuck to it. Nine miles to 40 miles. Seven days to finish.

At AA today, one of my gardener buddies was giving away squash and tomatoes. I thought a winter squash was a summer squash. Boy was that rind tough! But I managed to make a tasty dish.  I managed to clean up the kitchen after dinner while I still had the energy.

Feeling the sleep coming over me. 

Quest for 40 Miles And Other Stuff.

21 Friday Jul 2017

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I am swimming an awful lot this month, averaging six days out of seven.  At one point, I saw that I could swim a total of forty miles this month.  Then, when my sister and her husband went on vacation to Florida, I saw that this goal was readily within reach. You see DH, my brother-in-law, usually takes D my stepmom to the Y on days when I don’t. So with going to the Y daily darn near mandatory, there was no reason for me to wheedle out of a swim.  As of yesterday, I have swum 26.4 miles (42.5km). This leaves a little over thirteen miles left with ten days to finish. At 2500 meters per day, this is readily do-able.  The good news is my repaired parts, especially my rotator cuff, are holding up.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen,  I have been trying new stuff.  I had some leftover slow-cooked cilantro lime chicken I made pulled chicken tacos with. I did cheat and use a packet of Old El Paso Chicken Taco Seasoning.  I found Ortega Blue Corn Taco Shells.  Even 60+ year-old Adults like Taco Night.  I also made a sweet & sour red cabbage/apple side dish, spiced with cinnamon, clove and coriander that was also yummy. Real easy to make: slice or chop the red cabbage.  Core a Granny Smith apple and cut in rings.  Put in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, turning frequently. Add the spices. I don’t measure. I use the “That tastes good.” standard. When good and cooked down, I add a tablespoon of turbinado sugar (brown sugar would also work) and a tablespoon of vinegar.  Maybe more, if that sweet/sour experience is your “thing”.  Turn down the heat to warm or thereabouts. Remember to eat it.

At three A.M, when I couldn’t sleep, I woke up and read a story in a Lesbian BDSM anthology, I “inherited” from my deceased lesbian cousin’s cache of books. The Second Coming  is a collection of stories essays and photographs compiled by Pat (now Patrick) Califia and Robin Sweeney. (Alyson Books, 1996). The story “Possession”  by Sorel Husbands is a pretty powerful gang rape fantasy, that works because of how it deals with emotions and psychology.  Not for the squemish, but the author emphasizes that it is fantasy.   My erotic sensibilities and experiences are, more or less, on hiatus.  So I read a lot of stuff, somewhat dispassionately.

The balance of today will consist of the Y and a swim, AA, finding something for lunch, and dreaming up something to fix for dinner. Salmon appears to be winning. I’ll find some asparagus too.

Life is good.

Hug your children.

Love your lovers .

Make sure your pets are well hydrated.

Keep cool.

 

More Baby Steps

14 Friday Jul 2017

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I was all stoked about getting the Schwinn back in working order to ride. However…

I am NOT in working order and ready to ride. My adductors, in my left leg particularly are more than a little inflexible. These muscles are not stretched out; swimming seems to make no difference. I discovered this when trying to mount the bike.  I got my leg over the bike, but took a tumble before we had a chance to adjust the saddle height. Balance issues too. 

They say one never forgets how to ride a bike. “They” don’t say anything about getting on one in the first place. 

 Baby Steps That Make For Success

14 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, Family, Sexuality, Suburbia

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I bought a bicycling helmet today at REI. What a great store! I definitely will get the bike rack there.  My brother’s old Chicago-made Schwinn 10-speed is ready. So cycling is in my future.

Today was another hot day, but I took care of myself, exercised, ate right, and even took a nap! It would be nicer if I weren’t hot, but this day was filled with the little accomplishments that make for satisfying days.

Tomorrow I pick up the bike, hang around the house for the HVAC service call, and go to the Y with D, my stepmother and workout buddy. It won’t be in that order. But close.

What Is Called “Onederland”

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, food, Health Issues

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It has been a long time, a long time since I weighed under 200 pounds. At the Y, I weigh in every day I work out. I’ve shared how I have been going to Weight Watchers regularly and following their Smart Points© system. It works. It’s fun to track. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to eat some delicious food.

I wasn’t expecting to weigh under 200 so soon after I went back. The swimming helps. But following the plan is what makes the difference.

I have plans for the rest of the week. Believe it or not, I am intimidated by the Kitchen Aid stand mixer that is parked on the kitchen counter. One of my projects is to use the Kitchen Aid to make pizza dough.

I must say I am touched by the “likes” and kind wishes around my previous posts. It means a lot. I’ve grown very fond of my fellow bloggers whose posts I read and who, in turn, read my posts. Thank you. I love you all,