Motivational Monday...In Sickness And In Health

This past week, I wound up getting sick. I hate being sick. It slows me down to the point where it takes me longer to get anything done...and some things don't get done at all. It was some kind of stomach bug, and I had some days that weren't so bad, allowing me to get workouts in and work on my writing. Other days, it left me so shaky that I could not even focus for more than a few minutes at a time on anything.



Yesterday was especially bad...I had been up most of the night and wound up missing not only my son's bowling tournament, but my niece's birthday party as well. As much as I hate not getting things done, I really can't stand missing out on important events with my family and friends. I wound up sleeping a good part of the day, which my body obviously needed, but not getting anything else accomplished. I spent the evening vegging out in front of the TV watching the Oscars.

I did manage to lose .8 pounds this week, in spite of riding the Stomach Flu Roller Coaster. (Note to Cedar Point: Do NOT even think of creating this ride...it will NOT be popular. In fact, it might even drive people away from the park. I know they will not want to ride it after eating all of that food on a stick and funnel cakes!) Part of the reason I started on my journey to weight loss and health is that I don't want feeling awful to stop me from accomplishing things or attending events. I know that on occasion we all get sick like this and it cannot be helped. But spending my down time yesterday reflecting just reinforced this issue for me. The better I treat my body, the less likely it will be that I come down with illnesses that wipe me out for days. I will be able to overcome symptoms, and not need quite so many days of rest to recover. This in turn will help me have more time to do what I want and need to do.

I picked a fitness professional for my motivational person this week. You may have seen Katie Uter in Oxygen Magazine or other publications, and she is all about staying healthy throughout your life. She has an 11 year old daughter, and since I have a son that age, I can relate to her on so many levels. Check her out at www.katieuter.net to find out more about her. I am going to make the picture of her that you see above my computer wallpaper, to remind me of my goals and inspire me along the way.

Even though I am still not at 100%, I am feeling well enough to start working out again. This week I am going to more than make up for being sick. Here's to a healthy week for all of us!

Swimming My You Know What Off!

This past weekend we went to Castaway Bay, which is an indoor waterpark in Sandusky, Ohio right at the entrance to Cedar Point. We had promised our son that if he made Honor Roll at school all year we would go, and we also had paid in advance for the room, before my husband got laid off, so we didn't have to worry about coming up with the money for it and could just go enjoy ourselves. My son also brought a friend, since four passes to the waterpark are included with the room.

We've been there before, so I always look forward to going when we get the chance. Now mind you, I don't actually know how to swim...but I love the water! I know I should learn, and I still plan on doing that. There is a really shocking tidbit I must share with you...my dad was able to get into the Coast Guard when he was younger without knowing how to swim! He was stationed in Key West, and even went out on rescue missions in a small boat with one other guy, or by himself! Neither of my parents knew how to swim, so I wound up never learning. (And my dad still doesn't swim!) My son does know how to swim, which I am very happy about...we started him off when he was very small, and he is such a fish in the water.

I love being in the water, and I can do enough things to get decent exercise out of it and have fun. When I was younger, a friend of the family taught me a couple of things...standing up in the pool and moving my arms around, and holding onto the side of the pool and kicking out from there. Both give my the feeling of being lighter than air. (thank Mrs. L...shout out to you in heaven!) I've also added some water aerobics to my time in the water, so I can get even more of a workout from my pool sessions.

In addition to that, I love the wave pool at Castaway Bay. I stand so the waves hit me about waist high, and it really gives me a rush. I can only imagine the rush I'd get if I could actually swim the waves! Then I stroll on over to the hot tub, which starts inside the park but has a walk-through to outside, where there are also lounge chairs for sunning. (Please use your sunscreen of course!) The doctor OK'd me for the hot tub, as long as I didn't sit in it for longer than 15 minutes at a time, which was fine. That's what the park recommends for eveyone anyway.

I did really well eating this weekend, not only because I didn't want to negate all of the exercise I was getting, but also because I didn't want to feel too stuffed to get back into the pool. I stuck with salads and lighter foods, and I'm happy to report that in addition to the regular fare of hot dogs and pizza in the snack area by the pool, they also serve salads and fruit. It's awesome to have to have the chance to get something healthy if you get hungry while in the waterpark.

I was feeling so good that I also took the stairs everywhere I went. I only used the elevator twice...both times were when I was carrying all of the luggage. I went for a walk through the resort, and discovered a lot of things that I didn't even know were there. Hopefully next time we go I will be able to use their spa services too.

It was so nice to spend a healthy weekend away. At least I know that I won't spend the rest of this week trying to undo everything I did over the weekend...I can just continue the exercise and healthy eating habits that I kept up while on my mini-vacation. Back to dancing my you know what off!