As you may know, I am a SCUBA diver. I enjoy the heck out of it and have even done some instructing. I’ve been inactive over the last year or two mostly due to the fact that my favorite dive shop closed and work and family have placed increased demands on my time.
Mona is not a SCUBA diver, nor do I think she will ever be one. I should say that the likelihood of her learning to dive is about the same as it is for me to give birth to our next child. I accept that.
Neither one of us is in the kind of physical shape we were in when we met.
Mona is actually thinner, but when we met she worked outdoors a lot and took regular Yoga classes.
I am about 20 to 25 pounds heavier. When we met I was teaching SCUBA 2 or 3 times a week and was in the gym 11 times a week. Heck, I was almost buff.
Now neither of us do those things anymore.
So Mona, largely in an effort to help me get into better shape and get her out of the house more, has suggested we find a new hobby we can take up.
I’m giving some thought to Krav Maga classes, but it’s not a great deal. And in addition to not being a diver, Mona is not interested in punching someone or worse yet, being punched herself.
Which brings me here. You guys were great when I asked about financial aid for school, so I’m coming to you, my trusted advisors, once again. I need some suggestions for things that we can do together to have some fun and get a little exercise. If we can involve The Peanut so much the better.
One final note of caution: I have 2 mild to moderately herniated discs in my lower back. It has forced me to give up golf (a game I really enjoyed at one time and that Mona would like to learn) because I can’t bend and turn at the same time. Skating whether on ice or pavement also guarantees a back injury for me.
I can carry heavy loads as long as they are on my back. Out in front of me is no good. I am also recognized by Guinness as the world’s second slowest human, so competitive track and field is pretty much out.
Other than those restrictions there shouldn’t be anything I or Mona can’t do.
So there it is. Your chance to pick my new hobby. Have at it, and as always, all suggestions are given full consideration and received with genuine gratitude.
The winning suggestion may be announced and rewarded with heartfelt thanks and possibly a warm handshake should we ever meet in real life.
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8 comments:
Five years ago we had the same problem. And we bought a puppy. We learned her to walk long distances, the kids loved her, her only minor problem was that she didn't like to walk in the rain. ;-)
Not only will you get some exercise, but you will have a friend waiting for you when you get home. :-)
I continue to read your blog, I am not responding always, but I read it and enjoy your writing.
Greetings from a sunny Netherlands,
Pamela
Pamela,
First of all, thanks very much for the suggestion.
We actually have a dog, a 97 Lb (about 45 Kg) Labrador Retriever. She's a good dog, but a little overweight.
As someone once said, if your dog is overweight chances are you're not getting enough exercise.
I'd say that's true in our case.
Walking is something that my wife wants to do. I'll probably give in eventually, but I'm still trying to keep my options open.
We're also thinking about picking up an Auxiliary dog. We have friends moving to Australia and the cost of transporting the dog is enormous.
Finally, I’m really very excited to have an international reader. As far as I know, you are the first, so thank you very much.
Welcome, and please feel free to comment any time the mood strikes.
Walk, walk, walk. I was out of shape and overweight. I started walking at our mall, which opens early in the morning, just that purpose. (That way, you can walk in bad weather.) Soon, I was walking faster than those at the mall, and moved to the park, which has a meaured mile to walk. You need to "walk with a purpose". Try to achieve 15 minute miles, then work it down to 12 minutes, if possible. I walked 4 miles a day, lost almost 80 pounds and 12 inches around the waste, all this in about 10 months. Of course, I also made some dietary changes: lowered fat content, eliminated alcohol, and reduced the volume of food I ate. One important caveat: be sure to strech before and after walking. This is very important. Before I knew about stretching, I tore up some junk in my ankle, which took six weeks to heal before I could continue. Good luck!
Hi Jorge,
Thank you for welcoming me here!
Our dog was overweight too, but our vet told us it was impossible to walk enough to get her weight down. We had to give her less food, about half of what she got, and give her half a can of green beans. Don't know the exact name in English. And it worked. In three months her weight was good and we got compliments from a lot of dog owners about her shape. :-) She still gets the beans with her new owners. She loves the beans...
I will keep reading your blog. I enjoy reading it. Enjoy every bit of your life, try to see something positive in everything.
:-)
Pamela
Um, who the hell is Erika?
I have to agree with Pamela, get out and get walking. Or buy bikes and get moving that way.
Yoga?
Kathleen,
Where were you when I was editing this post?
My secret is out- I'm a poligamist.
Just kidding. Erika is Mona's secret identity, her Nom de Blog, if you will. I'll explain where that came from some time.
Mona is pushing the Bike idea, and that might be my fall back.
She used to do Yoga until she went back to work. Fora time she even did a Mommy and Me class up in Royal Oak with the Peanut.
I went with her a couple of times when we were dating. I gave it an honest try but the more advacned stuff beat on my back a little too much and the basic stuff wasn't enough of a workout for me.
If Mona wanted to get back into Yoga I'd totally support her.
It's probably going to be bikes unless someone can come up with an idea that wil generate a little more adrenaline.
There's a yoga studio on Michigan Avenue near where the Jacobson's used to be. A co-worker takes yoga at the Dearborn Performing Arts Center and she really likes it there. Just some ideas for Erika/Mona that don't include driving out to RO. ;-)
Swimming?
Oh, and there are classes through the Dearborn adult ed group that geared to getting people moving. Two friends of mine took boot camp last year and water aerobics.
Crap!
...that *are* geared...
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