Time to Take Care

The New Year has brought me a renewed commitment to eating right and exercising regularly. We are thankful that our life of leisure allows us to spend the time required to do both properly without feeling frenetic.

Seven years ago (the year after recovering from my bout with colon cancer), there was a period when I was getting up at 5:30am to get to the gym by 6. I’d work out for an hour, then hurry home to get ready to leave for work. Work days were long…often lasting until 6 or 7pm. Exhausted and really hungry, I got into a bad habit of eating whatever I wanted and making it worse by eating late in the evening. Somehow I felt like I “deserved” it…for being good about my workout regimen, and giving so much to my job. Phooey and Hogwash!

Now retired, it’s a pleasure to take the time to take care of ourselves. I can do an extensive workout, taking about an hour and a half. Usually I do 45 minutes to an hour of cardio (elliptical or treadmill, and stationary bike), 100 to 150 abdominal crunches, and a short circuit with weights for some strength and toning. Here at Talking Rock Ranch, we have a first-class fitness center. The cardio equipment has TV’s and headphones, which keep me from staring at the clock. (“All I need to do is watch another HGTV show, and I’m done!”) No excuses in Chicago either, as Ron’s Man Cave has a TV, an elliptical, free weights, and a mat for floor exercises and stretching. Since I’m getting into the routine in Prescott, I can continue my goal to workout 5 days a week when we get back to the city. Ideally, I would like to drop another 20 pounds.

As far as eating goes… We know how to do this right. I have to count my carbs, to keep Type II Diabetes at bay. Low Carbs = No Meds for Laurel. Lots of protein, plenty of fiber, some dairy, and the right veggies and fruits are the ticket. We stay away from most processed/packaged foods. Those we do buy, we check labels carefully. Read the nutritional information! Many so-called “healthy” products are loaded with unhealthy carbs, silly levels of sodium, and other chemicals you don’t need.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. Actually, I was giving myself a pep talk. Onward to a better body!