Category Archives: Exercise/ Fitness

Fully Alive

07 Friday Jul 2017

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We have all these ideas about what that term “fully alive”means. Some associate the term with the adrenalin rush of sky diving or bungee jumping. Not being female, I can’t imagine what the experience of childbirth is like. But I suspect there is a heightened sense of what it means to be alive after the experience is over. Or maybe not.

What got me thinking about this was today. I took a car that was overheating into the shop, wondering if it would make it there, especially after it stalled out at a busy intersection. There, at the shop, serendipitously was an AA buddy who drove me home, despite that it took him out of his way. 

I had one of those monster cookies at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble. Triple. Chocolate. Chunk. It was good, but I would rather have had a mango.  Our preferences change.

And I thought about sex. Sex. The sweaty passion. And the noises. And the sacrifice of dignity as we come. And your lover knows your secrets. How you like to be touched. How you trust that lover, for at least that moment, and maybe, if you’re lucky, forever.

 I swim and the cold water feels good. My muscles stretch, reach,  and move me through the water. When I’m done the shower feels great and the soap smells good and I feel clean. 

The night comes. I feel tired, and hurt a little. As sleep settles in,  I’m euphoric. I want more. Of this day. Of the subtleties that enrich each moment of this blessing called life.

Thunderstorms and Defeat

05 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, sadomasochism, Uncategorized

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According to the YMCA, who manage a bunch of indoor swimming pools across the length and breadth of the Good Old U.S. of A, lightning can travel through glass and strike an indoor pool.  Understandably this would be bad news for anybody swimming in an indoor pool at the time of the lightning strike.  Currently we are having a thunderstorm.   I have yet to swim today.  The chance of a swim looks sketchy right now. But I get plenty of exercise.  Still I want to go swimming. Right now.

It has been a good day, all in all, despite watching the Yankee relief pitcher walk, yes, walk in what would be the winning run in a 7-6 loss.  This is torture, real torture for me. Tie me up. Beat me. Spank me. Peg my ass with the biggest strapon you own. Just don’t let me watch another fiasco like this

What A Day. 

30 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Bloggers, Catholic Life, cooking, Exercise/ Fitness, Family, sleep

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There is a phrase around AA that talks about packing much into the stream of life. I felt that today was one of those fully-packed days. I did not sleep all that well, waking up around Five AM, after sleeping maybe four hours.   I made coffee, texted with a friend,  and decided the 8:00 AM Daily Mass was in order. So I went.

I was hurting a little, OK a lot, and was not up for the standing and kneeling during the Mass. Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, so the Mass included the Gloria and Credo, usually omitted on weekday Low Masses. Getting out around 8:45, I went shopping. I got a deal on a pork tenderloin and will fix it real soon.

After creating a breakfast that took parts of an Egg McMuffin, eggs Benedict, and creamed chipped beef, I made a poached egg sandwich on a whole wheat toasted English Muffin with chipped beef  and goat cheese. I ate it open-faced with a knife and fork. The protein made it quite satisfying,

Now I was sleepy, I slept another three hours. I woke up, spent some time on the computer, then went swimming at the Y while D, my stepmother did her exercise. Very satisfying experience. I told D that the worst part of driving was simply getting in and out of the car.

When I got home, I made a fresh tomato sandwich, using without hesitation or regret, real mayonnaise. FULL FAT. No feeble substitute. Worth every calorie.

During the day, I read blog posts, hoping my friends in the blogosphere triumph over their hardships.

After another nap, I whip up a satisfying supper from leftovers. Life feels pretty good right now. What I feel is love and connectedness to the world about me.

S Is For…

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Catholic Life, Exercise/ Fitness, food

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Sitting, Shaming, Swimming.

At the Weight Watchers weigh in, I did weigh in at 203 lbs. This is a big personal victory.  My next weight loss goal is to weigh in under 200 lbs. But enough about weight, the real fun lies in doing the things that get me to my goal, eating well but sensibly, exercising, meaning swimming and not worrying.

Eating well today featured a bowl of pho, that great Vietnamese dish. I figured the Weight Watchers Smart Points©. I guesstimate about 11 and that didn’t sound bad. It was tasty,

I was all set to sit a bit today, but by the time my stepmother and I got to the Y, I was up for a swim. I cranked out 2500 meters. 

“Shaming” came into my mind as I considered sitting around while D my stepmother did her exercises. I think “shaming” is more a Millenial concept, but I can’t think of a better term for my sitting around while my 91 Year Old stepmother worked out. So I swam. And fully enjoyed every minute.

My swim over, I decided going to daily Mass at 5:30 would be next. Mass was most restorative for me. 

So here I am finally sitting, savoring the moment.

Morning High

24 Saturday Jun 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, Health Issues

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It is a morning where I am aware of the fatigue in my body, in my shoulders and lower back.  It is not really painful, more like sore.  I have a little bit of a headache, noticing how the sensation radiates from temples to my neck. 

My first response is that these sensations need “fixing” specifically, be made to disappear. Instead I will be with these feelings a little longer. When I finish this post I will sit back and enjoy them.  This is, I believe, an endorphin high.  It is healthy, a side benefit of swimming distances.

In a perfect world, I would feel my lover’s naked, soft and pliant body next to my nakedness. We would be languid, lazy, lethargic, caught in the afterglow of sex. That is not the case. So this high is mine and mine alone. Oh well. It’s s damn site better than feeling nothing, or worse, nursing regret.

Weigh-In.

14 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, Health Issues

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I hadn’t planned on losing eight pounds this week, but I did. I just followed the Smart Points guidelines of Weight Watchers.  The plan works, at least for me. I realize an eight pound drop is exceptional. I have no expectation of a weight loss of that magnitude this week. 

I have been maintaining a level of physical activity that includes house work and exercise.  At the same time, I acknowledge that such pursuits may seem terribly superficial.  Then again, life feels pretty damn good right now.

Rambling Guy

25 Thursday May 2017

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So about 2 weeks ago, I went back to Weight Watchers. My weight was climbing upward, because I rebel against the idea of managing what I eat. So I’ve been toying around with program. My first weigh-in showed I lost about 3 lbs and my second weigh-in had me gain back about 1.5 lbs. That was yesterday. 

I finally admitted to myself I wasn’t being rigorous enough. I know what I can and should eat to have a sustained weight loss over time. I’ve purged a lot of crap from the pantry, freezer, and fridge.  This morning I went to Richmond’s best produce store, Tom Leonard’s Farmer’s Market and the fruits and vegetables practically jumped into the cart. Leading the way was a quarter of a watermelon. Seriously yummy,

I came home started dinner, a slow-cooker prepared chicken rosemary and mushroom stew-like concoction with tomatoes. I found these great canned tomatoes at Tom Leonard’s, Sclafani’s from Norwalk CT. Sclafani imports these tomatoes from Italy. They are delicious.

Next I started some red beans, Cajun style. With Cajun spicing in beef stock, slow cooked. Added only garlic and shallots.

I went to the Y w D, my stepmom. My swim of 2500 meters was three minutes faster than yesterday. And the weight gain I showed yesterday was gone today.  Go figure. Weight varies daily, that’s about the first thing one learns at WW, so it’s the trend that matters.

My stepmom wanted me to take her by KFC to pick up some dinner. I just offered to bring some of my chicken stuff over. She said yes. Nothing like a good deed done to make one’s day,

3250 Meters Swimming

22 Saturday Apr 2017

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Uh, fascinating. Really? I had last done 2+ miles four weeks ago. It feels great, that sweet exercise high that beats the pants off dope or booze.

I was busy trying to talk myself out of working out today or taking it easy.  But once in the water and moving, all the negative self-talk disappeared.  I actually felt my mind relax, focusing on the laps.

Last week I swam 10,000 meters and to repeat last week’s totals, I needed the 3250 meter distance today. And it really wasn’t hard. I finished, actually lost count of the laps swum. 3250 Meters is 65 laps in a 25-meter pool or 130 lengths. Putting my brain on auto-pilot and just being mindful of my surgical sites (lumbar spine and right shoulder) was my emphasis.

Mrs CorC? and I went to one of our favorite unpretentious restaurants, with good entrees, costing not too much.  I had a blackened rockfish Caesar salad. She had crabcake sliders with sweet potato waffle fries. 

Richmond is a restaurant town. There are lots of start-ups with new concepts. I can tell you that Bruce Springsteen goes to Mama Zu’s on Oregon Hill when he is in town. It’s owned by a buddy of his.

Now FIOS is bringing me a baseball game, Washington Nationals at the Mets. Good game in extra innings. I am at the point where I don’t care who wins. I just want it to be over. My son mentioned to me tonight that the real value of sport is that it is inconsequential. True that.

Tuesday: Random Thoughts

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in cooking, Depression, Exercise/ Fitness, Sport

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Last month, we ponied up the money to get FIOS.  So far, I am happy with it for both the internet speeds and the television package. My new favorite sport is Women’s College Softball. The women are great athletes and competitors and the game is very interesting and fun to watch. It’s worth the cost of FIOS to watch these athletes. 

I did some house cleaning, floor mopping, tub-scrubbing, deep-down cleaning. I worked up a good sweat and had a generally fun time. 

I fixed some salmon steaks for dinner. Used the convection oven  feature. Nice fish. I went with the wild sockeye salmon rather than the farm-raised kind.

It was a good day that included a 2500 meter swim. Life is good. 

When I do positive things, I feel positively about the state of the world. It’s not as if there are no problems and concerns.  Rather, I feel that there isn’t an issue that can’t be resolved. Enemies? None that I’m aware of.

Treading Water

15 Saturday Apr 2017

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Well, not literally.  As water goes, I’ve been swimming fairly consistently.  I have swum for the last four days, 2500 meters each day, a total of a little over six miles.  The opportunity to exercise is the best aspect of retirement for me.  I would have made a marvelous English gentleman of La Belle Epoque .  They made an art of not working, a worthy avocation if there ever was one.

I have a fruit salad to make this morning to bring to my Thomistic Philosophy discussion group at Church.  Bananas, pineapple, strawberries, and maybe a pear or two, should make a tasty treat.  I’m so tempted to say “Eff-it!” and go buy some donuts, but this is the wiser course of action.

Mrs CorC? and I will attend the Easter Vigil Mass.  It has a quiet dignity that is quite compelling.  Maybe, if we are lucky, the choir will chant the Litany of Loretto, in Latin. Tomorrow we will go to brunch at the local Maggiano’s. We have gotten out of the habit of elaborate family get-togethers at Easter and Christmas because my sister, a church musician, has a pretty demanding schedule.

My dream is to have the family here.  That would require that we get the house presentable. Mrs CorC? has given no indication that this is a priority for her.  To be quite frank, I consider her reticence a lack of interest in my family and my needs. And I am hurt.  Communicating my needs is a fruitless activity, I’ve learned.

My needs.  Every damn day, I long for affection, sexual intimacy, a little politically incorrect banter.  However, I have the relationship/marriage that I have.  Any change will have to spring from both her and my own personal transformation.  Dammit.