Couch vs Exercise & a Chihuahua

It's 3 a.m. and the Chihuahua woke me up.

I think she was either spooked by maybe some thunder rumbling in the area (I heard nothing) or she was hungry.

Now I'm wide awake and she's snoozing on the couch beside me. Oh, the things we do for our pups. She'll also get to sleep all day while I go to work. I think I'm going to have to take her for a nice long walk tonight to make sure she sleeps through the night.

I've walked two miles a day for the past few days. When I finish my legs feel like lead. I don't remember this from when I used to walk...age? I think no matter what happens after 50 we tend to blame it on age. Eyesight? Thinning hair? (Take the Hair, Skin, Nails vitamin in the pink box.) Sore joints?

Bah! I'm thinking it's not age that got us there, but inactivity. As we get wrapped up in life, exercise takes a back seat and that couch looks better and better. Then the couch becomes our habit and it's all down hill from there. So from now on my mantra is; Exercise before Couch. If the couch calls, I must earn the couch time with walking and weights.

Except at 3 a.m.

Good night ....again.

Election Day in New Jersey

Wake up New Jersey and Vote in that Primary!

I used to work for an election board here and I've seen elections turn on ONE VOTE.
Never think your vote doesn't count. Every vote counts and is counted by your local Board of Elections.

More than once I've seen elections won by one vote. I've seen them turn by the voters who use Mail in Ballots.

When an election is that close, either party can ask for a recount and always do. Then every vote is recounted. I've never seen it changed. The election board, if they're doing their job, count and recount the votes that come into the office before offering the final count to the public.

On a lighter note;
I've seen a lot of write in votes for Jesus, Micky Mouse, and several cartoon characters. I guess those people were frustrated with what was offered.

So today stop by your local polling place and vote. Know your vote is important and can change the world. 

P.S. If you don't know where to vote, call your county election board.

Monday Motivation

Hello Monday!
Back to the grind. Although I love my job, it does cut into my writing time.

It was a four mile weekend. Yay!  Walking two miles a day and I have hope this is just the beginning. With the help of Map my Walk, I've charted out kind of a track through the neighborhood that is exactly two miles. I tried to include as many of the little hills I could since that would improve the work out. I was about a mile and a half yesterday when it started raining. A light drizzle, nothing that would make me quit. I was back in the house less than a minute when the downpour started. I'm glad I wasn't on the far side of the neighborhood when that hit!
 Haven't hit the weights, yet. Really have to get that part done. However, I ate the last frozen yogurt bar in the fridge and I pledge not to buy any more until I lose 20 lbs. Ha! Wish me luck. I think I'm addicted to frozen yogurt!

Summer is here and the weather finally warmed up. It's nice to be outside again. Each new season makes me think it's time to set a goal. Not just exercise, but everything. I'm thinking about going back to school. I have a partial degree in English/Creative Writing and I'd like to finish. If I can finish the associates, there's a place in Vermont that will let you finish the bachelors within a year. It's called "low res." You go up for a week for orientation, then work on your own. I'd like to try this one. Even at my age, I still want that degree. It's been a big regret in my life. I should have done it in my 20's.

Any regrets in your 50's and 60's?

Exercising at 50 or 60?

Does exercise get scarier when we get older? Maybe, to some.
Then I see an older man running past me as I walk the neighborhood. He looks great, runs at a good pace, and, I imagine, has no fear of pushing his body.

The thought of working up to a run kind of scares me since I haven't run since I was in my 20's.

There's a program called Couch to 5K that combines walking and running/jogging to get a person ready to run a full 5K. Which I think is 2 or 3 miles? Yesterday I walked 2 miles through, up and around my neighborhood. Stupid me, I did it at 1 o'clock in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day. I really can't take the heat when I'm sitting still so by the time I got home I was kind of dizzy. But I did it! (There's a phone ap called Map My Walk that will track it for you.)

Today calls for rain so unless there's a break in the rain, I might just hit the weights today. I was reading Body for Life by Bill Phillips and one of the success stories was an older woman, 60+, who did the program. They showed her standing there in a bikini with an amazingly buff body. Made me think it was possible. A quick internet search found Bonnie Ave, champion body builder at age 60! So I believe there is hope.
Not sure if I'm ever going Couch to 5K but I am going to get off this couch.
Anyone else start an exercise program after 50? What's your story?
Come on! I need some inspiration!

The Empty Nest Syndrome

Life changes dramatically after the kids grow up and leave the nest.

I think this hits women more than most men. When my kids lived close, it wasn't so hard. We'd meet for shopping or dinner. It was a fun relaxing time. They were still here, just a little over there.
Now my kids are states away from me and it's very hard. I've given up our usual shopping haunts for online shopping because I can barely step into those old favorite stores without tears. We used to go out for coffee and lottery tickets. We'd sip our coffee and scratch the tickets and talk. I love coffee and lottery tickets. I've bought some scratch off tickets, but now can't bare to scratch them. They sit in a forlorn little pile on my desk. Who knows? There might be a winner in there somewhere that I'm missing.

Maybe I'll just mail them to the kids.

I know enough about loneliness and loss that I should keep busy. I lost both my parents while i was still in my 20's. I think the only thing that kept me going then was my kids. They weren't even in school yet so they kept me very busy. I think they saved me then.

I write. I have a couple of books up on Amazon and I'm working on two more. I have a full time job. Things that keep me busy, but weekends are hard. I know I should just schedule writing hours or painting hours or blogging hours or exercise time, but for some reason I hold back. Guess I have to kick my own butt here and DO SOMETHING! Plotting to move and job hunting in that far away state where my kids are consumes a lot of time, but when nothing tangible shows up, it's depressing.
Still its time to shake it off and DO SOMETHING. I think I'll start with setting up a weekend schedule.

New Saturday Schedule

• Clean till noon
• Write till 3 p.m.
• Run errands (Always better to do this in the late afternoon as most like to get this done early. Less crowds in the afternoon.) 
• Exercise-probably walking

New Sunday Schedule

• Exercise-walking
• Painting till noon
• Laundry -all day :)
• Write

Wish me luck!  All advice welcome! Please leave a comment and let me know your best advice for Empty Nest Syndrome.

What Happened Here?

Sooner or later almost everyone wakes up and thinks, "What the hell happened?"
While out partying, goofing around, raising kids, having a job...Sixty is creeping up and springs upon you with the stealth of a viper searching for prey.

Hello Sixty! I see you creeping around the corner. I'm 58, soon to be 59 in August. Then Sixty will be here.

I view this as a right of passage. I've always welcomed each new decade of my life with enthusiasm. Like a new vision of hope, filled with wondrous experiences. In some ways, the changes are evident.

• Body changes 
• Style choices
• The way people view you 

The changes in your body creep up slowly. Had a little trouble with your back? Had to hold onto something to stand back up? Need a hoist off he couch? 

At almost 60 I look at my high heels and think, why bother? Who the heck am I squeezing my feet into those most uncomfortable shoes for? Certainly not me! Choose the flats! 

When you work with a fairly young crowd, my immediate supervisor could be my son, you learn they can see you as a mother figure. Or someone who has no computer experience. The latter can be a problem in today's business world. 

So as i gear up for sixty I'd like to know what else is on the horizon? What do you see happening from 50 to 60 and beyond?