Friday, May 24, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend - what do you plan to read this weekend?

I was hoping to get out of town this weekend, but work interfered.  So, I'll be home, but with some time to kick back and relax.  The beaches will be crazy busy, but I might take a book to the Y and spend some time next to the pool tomorrow or Sunday.  So the next thing to think about will be what book should I take?

Summer reading usually means romance or mystery for me.  I just finished Susan Mallery's newest book Just One Kiss this past week, so that won't be this weekend's reading (and her next one is a whole month away!).  If you like a romance set in a small town with wonderfully quirky characters, you should check it out.  I loved the book!

So, I'm looking for suggestions.  What will be in your weekend/beach bag this weekend?  Would you suggest anything new or old that is a must read?

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

30-Day Challenge - Walking 30 minutes every day

I'm going to write another post this week about books, but today I want to talk about fitness.

To begin, with my flexible schedule, I'm often home during the day and will catch random talk shows while channel surfing (or just eating a late breakfast with the TV on). I don't have any show I typically watch, because I'm not home consistently enough days to commit to watching the same show.

On Monday, The Doctors had a segment on a 30-day challenge - that if you do something for 30 days it will become a habit, rather than something you have to choose to do.  One viewer/participant talked about walking for 30 minutes every day.  She didn't claim it was easy; in fact, she said the first week was hard.  But she completed the challenge.  After hearing her story, I thought "I can do that".

I've been wanting to get healthier for a while, but was having some trouble executing a fitness plan.  At the beginning of May, our local YMCA had a special where you could join and the joining fee was the same number as the day of the month.  After I paid $3, I now just have to pay one fee each month.  I've been taking water fitness classes 2-3 times each week since I joined, but the number on my scale hasn't changed.

Today, I started the 30-Day Challenge and walked for 30 minutes.  It wasn't easy.  My legs ached a bit and I had to stop to stretch my calves a couple of times, but I did it.  I also changed into a swimsuit and went into the pool to stretch and do some resistance exercises.

I'm going to keep this up, then walk in the Neon Vibe 5K in Fort Lauderdale on June 29th.  I'm excited to see what this month will bring.