Xercise365

In case you are wondering, I am still doing my X-365 plan (recent pursuits included hiking in Colorado and snowboarding at Loveland Ski Area and Steamboat - which was heavenly!). I had been faithful exercising everyday from July 1, 2007 until Decemer 29th. Then came the dreaded traffic gridlock on our way to Florida. It took about 14 hours to get there and I just forgot to exercise when I arrived. SO….I started again on January 1st and have been exercising every day since then. My main blog under went a transformation recently at the design of my blog-sultant. I have plans for this one as well.  Stay tuned and get outside…there’s lots to do and air to breath.

Tonight, I enjoyed the most awesome Christmas program I have ever seen in a church. It stretched my mind, my spirit, and my ears. It was simply amazing and an event in which John Rutter would be proud (if you don’t know John, get to know him this holiday season)  The good news is for anyone in East, TN is that it will be on WBIR on Christmas Even and twice on Christmas Day (though I am sure it won’t be as goo as it was live). I sat three rows back with my older three while my wife sat in the back with the baby and the three year old. It had so much variety and with a full orchestra, steel drums, and a wonderful homily. That could have been my X for the night but I had to do something to get my ticker going even more than the music so I walked home to a beautiful star-filled sky. I have determined that as much as I would like to run a marathon running or do another triathlon, just exercising for enjoyment everyday is what fuels me. What fuels you?

BTW, I am contemplating some big changes for this blog in the new year (though I am really not sure if anyone is reading - will you let me know). What I am thinking is have the blog be focused on others who integrate exercise into their lives, how they do it, why the do it, and the benefits is had for them. Of course, I’ll still be X-ing along but after al, it’s not about me!

I never thought walking would be an exercise for me. I have been at it every day for one month and I have not only liked it, I’ve loved it. It has caused me to think and be more observant than when I fly by on my mountain bike which was my preferred form of exercise until my surgery to have my gall bladder removed.

Today, as I often do, I walked through the Maryville College woods. I noticed trees I had been by dozens of times perhaps more than a hundred. I really studied them. I looked at a tall pine backdropped by the blue sky. I saw a knotty maple with whithering leaves. I saw a tree with a scar. A scar caused by a fatal impact of a careless young man with his life ahead of him. A tree that wishes it had never been in the way of a speeding automobile. A tree surrounded by flowers and words written by people equally as young forever changed by a loss. I read the notes left by friends and looked at the flowers wishing they had never been bought. I walked alone and said a prayer for the grieving friends and family of a young man who only days before had walked tall in his life.

Though I will still be exercising, it will be light since I am recovering from my surgery. I will be putting a lot of mental energy into the project I started to connect the globe for good - check out the World’s Biggest Blog Party and exercise your mind while doing good.

My exercise plan is going to change this week (and probably next) as I had my gall bladder removed yesterday. I did 25 situps and 15 pushups right before I put on the “gown”. Last weeks exercise included roller blading and lots of biking. This week will be lite. 

I must confess, it is getting more difficult to do the X-plan. First there are the shorter days, Then there were some health issues. I’ve been having x-rays, sonograms, etc to determine what’s going on with the my gall bladder.  Plus, I have been keeping a pretty hectic schedule (often in the office at 6 am or before). However the X-time is keeping me sane. Here’s the week in review:

- Sunday - family hike in the woods. It was great and having a little one on my back helped get my heart pumping).

- Monday - Skiing! My favorite form of exercise lately. We had the lake almost to ourselves and the water was like glass. I told my friend’s the Leslies that I am about my happiest when slicing through the water. We watched the sun set on the lake and it was glorious. I wrote on my other blog this summer about how we were playing catch up and trying to milk the ski season for all we could.

- Tuesday - Biking  through the trails at the Maryville College woods. I am very fortunate to have such quick and easy access. I can be in the woods in less than two minutes from my house on some fun single track and some wide open trails.

- Wednesday - Skiing. Twice in one week! I was in heaven.

- Thursday was crunches and floor exercise day. Not much but better than nothing.

- Friday and Saturday - Biking.  Nuff said.

Today we were at the lake again…ahhhhh Life is Good!

We’ll the X-tivity wasn’t as varied as last week.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I biked through Maryville the college woods near my house. With the leaves starting to change and the sun peaking through the leaves, it was a different sight each day (some days I rode in the am others late day). Thursday was light (crunches) and Friday swimming and little biking. Saturday I biked with my son and worked in the yard and today, a short ride and a family walk in the woods. Thursday night I attended the first board meeting of the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation for which I am now Vice President. I am happy to serve particularly since Kathy (Jeff’s widow) is so passionate about helping save the lives of cyclist through education and increaded awareness. There are LOTS of cyclist on the road and people need to know the 3 foot rule. One morning this week, some knucklehead (which is really being kind), yelled at my daughter and me as we crossed the road safely. I looked at him as he rode by and he gave the universal sign for #1 one. Then slowed, turned and came back. He used his CB radio to say additional unintelligent things that fortunately neither of us could hear. Lots of work to do to educate the uneducated.

Our the Labor Day weekend, my family and I rented a cabin in the beautiful western Carolina mountains. My exercise over the weekend was run/walking up a very steep incline. It felt good to breath in that mountain air. It was delightful. After surving a stomach virus taht didn’t want to go away, I am going to pick up the X-plan a bit. There were some days, it was all I could do to do some sit-ups.

While I’ve been absent from writing here, I have still been at it. It’s been difficult to enjoy the outdoors with the heat index and now add fires in this part of the country. I did enjoy a wonderful ski ride on Saturday evening which of late is my favorite X-tivity. It was dusk, the water was smooth, and the moon was coming up over the mountains. It truly was a fantastic evening!

 How are you dealing with the dog days of summer and heat like an oven?

Lately, my Saturday exercise routine has revolved around chores. Today I did some painting with the fine help of my eight year old daughter. I took three of my girls swimming and walked around my yard and garden a lot to make sure that the many dry areas of my yard were well watered. In between all this, I got in a few situps. I am as tired as if I had run five miles or biked twenty five. Still going…