Why Do I Garden

...it keeps me grounded

...it's good exercise

...while gardening is a lot of work, 

it slows me down and mostly, I find it meditative 

...I like the quite and solitude, even when gardening side by side

with hubby, we are deep in our own thoughts and

don't have to listen to each others yakking

...it's the only time I get to wear the same sweaty, 

soiled clothes two days in a row 

without feeling crappy

...it's the only time I wear perfume... "eau de OFF"

...the palette is constantly changing

...it's cheaper than therapy

...it's less depressing than religion

...gardening keeps me healthy, 

not only because of the exercise benefit,

but because digging in the earth and getting my hands dirty is good for me. 

It exposes me to lots of micro-organisms that 

keep my immune system strong.

...and yes Mr. Kipling, 

it does take time and sweat to keep one's gardens

 looking beautiful, 

and perhaps there is less time for sitting in the shade

...but all that hard work 

just makes the sitting more

 enjoyable.  

WHAT'S NEXT?

I thought it was time to do a little spring cleaning around my blog so I packed away my snow covered birdhouse header and replaced it with a new photo that reflects both my love of gardening and the color purple. Other than a few other minor changes I left it pretty much the same. I hope you like it.

Now that spring is here it's good to see people out in droves raking their lawns, cleaning out their gardens or biking, walking, jogging, playing ball and just having fun. Spring always seems to have that "kick ass feel" to get people outside and moving after a long tired winter. I managed to do quite well this winter to stay active...walk every day, some skiing and snowshoeing plus some time working out on the equipment in the basement all in an effort to stay as fit as I can, although there is always more I can do.

One of my favorite sections of the daily paper is "Arts and Life". I'm always interested in reading about new health studies or the latest exercise trends, but sometimes I am totally amazed. I think pole dancing would be a lot of fun as well as an excellent total body workout, and although I don't think I could ever go for "hot" yoga...I hate being hot... I can see the value in it and that some people would love it. But the latest craze to come out from California, "nude yoga"classes has me scratching my head. Slow to pick up coed participants, it is picking up steam among the male crowd...MEN!...you gotta love em! I wouldn't want to be in a back row in that class!!!

Another trend that started in the US but has made it's way to British Columbia, is the Street Strider. The Street Strider is a mobile elliptical (or elliptical on wheels) that combines fun and the excitement of being outdoors with a proven high calorie burn rate. Supposedly, you can burn three times as many calories as running and it's easy on joints. If you could get past the fact that everyone would be staring at you, it could be a lot of fun. It would sure beat a stationary elliptical or bike...at least you would get from point A to B.

6 FOR 6

That was an intense thirty minutes!

Boy, I thought I was flying!

After last night, I feel great!

Four times a week is good!

Get your minds outa the gutter!

I'm talking about last nights workout!

So, I programed my treadmill last night for thirty minutes on a level I had never attempted before, and for a while I felt like I could take off in flight...right off the end of the runway, before I had to slow that baby down a little. I kept picturing myself ending up on Funniest Home Videos or Howdy Do It.

I have just completed week one of the 26 week X-Weighted Challenge and already I feel better than I have in months. Since I had never watched the show, I signed on for the online challenge not knowing what I was getting myself into, but so far so good. I have put in three hours of moderate exercise walking every morning and three hours of intense exercise in the evening with my treadmill, elliptical machine and weight bench. I did have to take 20 pounds off the bar as I couldn't even lift it off the rack at the weight I had been lifting the last time I went on a workout binge. Just goes to show how fast your muscles go to puddy when they aren't being used. Hopefully, I will stay committed for the entire 26 week chalenge...we'll see.

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HAD IT... LOST IT...WANT IT BACK!

Jamie's question this week for Wish Casting Wednesday is;

"What do you wish to experience?"

I would like to experience just a smidgen of the rush...the euphoria that some people claim they get from running or working out. I'm not asking for anything orgasmic here...just a warm, total body feeling of "umm...this is good"...sort of the feeling you get when eating a big slice of cheese cake.

For awhile this summer, I had it (read Pumped) and I loved the feeling of accomplishment while it lasted but it was fleeting. I want to experience joy in getting out there and "doing it"once again.

MOVE

Jamie's question today for Wish casting Wednesday is:

What do you wish to say yes to?

I would like to say "YES" to movement, specifically... exercise. I have a home gym in my basement that has been gathering dust since last winter. I have a tread mill, an elliptical machine, a weight bench, a reclining ab bench, a rowing machine, a trampoline, and a stepper, not to mention numerous balance balls, free weights and workout DVDs. While taking advantage of the weather and choosing walking instead of exercise equipment has been working for me all summer, I have really fallen off the wagon the last month or two. Except for belly dance lessons twice a week, my workouts have been limited to intervening in disputes between a bunch of two and three year old's. It just seems that lately it's just too easy to say "no" to anything requiring exertion. In fact, tonight was the first time I've gone for a walk in two weeks.

But starting now, I am going to rekindle my relationship with my sadly neglected equipment in the basement. Instead of giving it discouraging and guilty glances, I am going to going to jump on and move...well some...one step at a time!

STIFF AS A NAIL AND TWICE AS RUSTY

When it comes to exercise, I sometimes fall into a rut…a very deep rut…that’s very hard to crawl out of. While it usually last a few days, it can drag on for weeks, especially after a long weekend or holiday, as was the case over Easter. You would think having a four day break from work would be the perfect opportunity to fit in a few workouts…right? I generally find it easier to get motivated during the week. Weekends are meant for relaxing…after shopping, laundry, housework, gardening and preparing meals for the following week, a little “sloth” is called for which feels soooo good but only makes it harder to get back into to a routine.
So, after a rough day of caring for overtired kids (first day back after a weekend home with Mommy and Daddy “Monstrous Mondays” is always hard ) I forced myself to go for a walk, followed by some ab and hand weight exercises in front of the telly. I attempted to do some of my favourite standing inverted yoga poses, which I find beneficial for arthritis in my upper back resulting from years of “big boob fatigue”. WOW… rigor mortis! Now, I’m not dumb. I know the benefits of regular exercise, so why is to so hard to keep at it, especially when I always feel so great afterwards?