Getting Ready for Summer
Wait… spring just got here!
So maybe I’m rushing things, but I’m getting ready for summer and warmer weather. How? By doing my road trip planning. I recently got back from a 10 day adventure to New Mexico and southern Arizona. Got my Junior Ranger badges at 4 different places - Saguaro National Park (NP), Chiricahua National Monument (NM), White Sand NP, and Organ Pipe Cactus NM. Next week it’s on to Texas for exploring and to view the eclipse, stop at a few national parks and recreation areas, and get a few more badges. Once I get back I’ll plan my next trip.
I’ve also decided to make some adjustments to my diet and exercise program in an attempt to lose that “winter weight” that I put on. Even though I thought about going snow shoeing and I did some hiking (and even biking on the really nice days in February) I’ve been too sedentary these past few months. My niece Carly is a teacher and personal trainer, and she’s put together an online program she calls “Summer Shred”. It’s based on the diet, workout, and aerobic plan that she’s used to sculpt her body and ready herself for body building competitions. It’s a program anyone who wants to tone their body can do. I decided that I’d take part in it, not because I want to get into competitive body building - that would be something scary! It’s more because I want to lose a few pounds, tone up and feel better. Let me tell you what happened last weekend that told me I needed to make some changes. I went to Home Depot to get bags of sand and garden soil. I couldn’t even pick up the bag of sand - luckily some young guy came over and put it on my cart. I could lift the garden soil, but it wasn’t easy. For the past 40 years or so I’ve gone to Home Depot around this time of year and I’ve lifted bags of mulch, compost, soil, etc, without much effort. So I’m going to give Carly’s program a try and see how I fare on it. The thing I like about it is that everything is laid out for you. Adjustments can be made because she gives choices for food, exercises, and workouts. There’s also an Instagram group that members become part of that adds the accountability factor. If you’re interested in checking it out, Click here for the link. I’ll report back with my progress over the next few months.
So now I’m off to lift some weights, take a walk around the lake, and eat some healthy food. Then I’ll watch some Sweet 16 women’s basketball tournament games - LSU vs UCLA and Colorado vs Iowa should be quite good games.
And Furthermore:
Podcasts I’m listening to:
The Spy Who - story of the real spy who inspired Ian Fleming to create James Bond
American Scandal - right now I’m listening to the story about Rod Blagojevich, the disgraced congressman from Illinois who was removed from office in 2009