The balancing act of working out

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The hour is early; well at least for me but apparently not of the neighborhood birds that are squawking louder than what I can sleep through. Don’t those feathery creatures know that it isn’t even 5:00 am?

As I toss and turn trying to figure out a way to muffle their constant chirping I can’t help but think of everything that is on my plate for the day, the balancing act that is my life.

What needs to be done for the day? Work, home and then of course when will I get my workout done and how much time will I have to devote to it in the few hours that I can call my own.

So I sit here typing before the sun comes up because the birds were so loud this morning that sleeping really wasn’t an option. And so my day begins.

I went to the local cement-swimming hole yesterday and enjoyed every minute that I got to spread my wings and glide through the water. I love the freedom that swimming allows me, especially the quite it provides me to just let my mind go and my thoughts run wild as the water washes over me.

There are only two months out of the year that I can make my early morning swims a part of my daily workout routines and I try to fit it in as often as the weather and my schedule allows. The fact that my morning crawl at 50 yards a minute burns about 540 calories per hour is a great plus for me.

I know that swimming isn’t for everyone but walking in water helps take the pressure off aching joints and provides 12 times the resistance of air. The calories you could burn can equal my efforts of doing my morning swim.

Every morning the pool is filled with older women walking back and forth for hours. The 86 year-old woman that walks beside my swimming lane is there every morning and she often comments to me that she is just glad to be there every day and smiles about how she looks forward to just waking up tomorrow and getting her feet wet.

I just smile back at her and smile and tell her that I couldn’t agree with her more and then we are off to enjoy our summer workouts.

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Summer time in the Midwest

My favorite season has only a few short months and all I can do is think about how I am going to fit in all the warm weather things I love to do in such a short period of time; walking, farmers markets and of course my first love, swimming.

I moved back to my beloved Ohio nearly 15 years ago after a long stint in South Florida. I think I moved back just to be near the fresh tasty riches that come from the fertile fields of my homeland.  Buying produce right out the hands of the farmers that grew the treasures is not only good for the economy but for your waistline as well.

My grandmother instilled upon me at an early age, “Honey if it doesn’t smell like what it should taste like, then don’t buy it.”

The first farmers market opened this month and I was all to eager to take a walk at lunchtime to see what was available early in the season.

Tables full of strawberries were the first things that I spotted as I approached the handful of stalls. The smell of the farm-fresh berries was intoxicating. I bought two quarts and happily passed by the booths with yummy baked goods knowing that I had something better to eat in my sack.

I went back to the office and washed them off and polished off a quart at my desk. A coworker stopped by and commented that they couldn’t believe I ate the whole quart but the irony was that person was holding a bag of chips from the vending machine. I pointed out that the chip bag had more calories than the quart of pure nutrition that I just devoured. I am not sure that person really got the message, oh well, their loss.

Summer time is here and those lush fragrant sweet berries were just the beginning of what is to come, I can’t wait for peach season.

My advice: Take the time to visit your local farmer’s market meet the people that grow the sweet treasures of summer.

Well it is time to go hit the pool and do some laps. The TV is off for the summer and it is truly the season of perpetual motion for me.

Enjoy!

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