I plan to go to dinner with my housemate and dear friend, Sr. Mary, and then for a walk tonight. This is a good plan and much healthier than working until 9:00 P.M. ,eating dinner at 9:30 and then going to bed at midnight.   There is hope for me!  Sue Coburn had agreed to walk the 10K with me in the Pig, but she walks like she was shot out of a cannon and I will not be able to keep up. If she has to slow down for me I will be mortified. Well, maybe that will be a good incentive to pass up the cake and candy or stay with the training program over the next 4.5 weeks.  

This is Sue C. (middle) I may hate her.

This is me.

Training Tip

How you hold your body is important to walking comfortably and easily. With good posture, you will be able to breathe easier and you will avoid back pain.

• Stand up straight.
• Think of being a tall and straight. Do not arch your back.
• Do not lean forward or lean back. Leaning puts strain on the back muscles.
• Eyes forward, not looking down, rather 20 feet ahead.
• Chin up (parallel to the ground). This reduces strain on neck and back.
• Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, your shoulders slightly back.
• Suck in your stomach.
• Tuck in your behind and rotate your hip forward slightly. This will keep you from arching your back.

Wisdom Words

"To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."   (I think there is a correlation between "senior moments" and exercise...less of the former with more of the latter!)

Blessings on our decision to live a healthier lifestyle!

Sue

Day 1

OK...now comes the hard part....to make time to exercise daily.

I walked 2 miles this morning. I could have walked more (that's good), but ran out of time, as I had an early morning meeting. I believe this will be the biggest challenge for me, and maybe for you as well...making the time to exercise. Trainers suggest that we schedule this just like any other meeting and then treat it as such. I am pretty good about keeping my commitments to someone for a meeting. However, I am very bad at doing the same with myself. So, this is definitely a habit I need to acquire. That being said, I have now scheduled a 30 minute walk for Thursday morning at 7:00 A.M. Let's see if I keep it!

Two things that I pass on from my learnings from true athletes:

•  Don't forget to stretch first before taking off on your walk or run;
•  Stay hydrated. It's easy to forget to drink until you feel thirsty and then you are already behind the eightball.

Finally, here is a reminder of why it is part of our spiritual path to be sure we take good care of our boides.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have received from God. So use any part of your body to give glory back to God." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Let us show God our deepest gratitude for this precious gift by taking good care.

Blessings,                        
Sue

Pig Ponderings is Launched

First of all, I cannot believe I am doing this. Anyone who knows me well will be shocked that I have overcome my resistance to engaging in social networking. Another example of the good advice to "never say never"!


This "blog" is meant to serve as a report on my now public statement that I am going to begin to exercise regularly as part of choosing to forego my unhealthy lifestyle for a healthier one, and to invite my team members at Mercy Neighborhood Ministries and other family members and friends to join me in getting ready to walk in the 5K or 10K race of the Flying Pig in just 5 weeks.  I am new at this blogging thing, so I hope I get it straight such that when you check in here there is something to read! 

Now, here's some extra fun...I am issuing a challenge to all you readers to encourage you to join me. 
If you report your training mileage on this blog (or, for my MNM staff, to me in person), I will pledge to contribute $.50 for each mile you walk or run, or convert from another type of exercise (see chart below) during these five weeks. You can use it to pay for your registration fee for one of the Pig Races or as a sponsorship for Team MNM. Since this is a fundraiser, I hope you will invite your family and friends to support you in your efforts to get healthy and raise funds for MNM.  So, to encourage that, I will add another $.25 to each dollar you raise for Team MNM.  Now that is putting my money where my mouth is....the first step toward a healthier diet!

Today, March 29, is day 1of a five week training schedule (well, we are one day behind already...yikes!). I am listing this for others who choose to join me, or do your own thing. Either way, let's just get going!


10 K Race Training Schedule.
Week 1 (March 28- April 2)  
      Daily walk 30 minutes for 5 days to build a habit.
Week 2  (April 3- April 9)
      Add 5 mins./day for 4 days of walking. On 5th mileage building day, walk 45 minutes.
Week 3 (April 10-April 16)
     Add 5 mins/day for 4 walking days. On 5th mileage building day, walk 60minutes.
Week 4 (April 17-April 23)
     Add 5 mins/day for 4 walking days. On 5th mileage building day,walk 90 minutes.
Week 5 (April 24-April 30th Race Day!)
    Walk 45 mins./day for 4 walk days. On 5th day - Race Day - walk 6.2 miles


5K Race Training Schedule
Week 1 (March 28- April 2)  
      Daily walk 15 minutes for 5 days to build a habit.
Week 2  (April 3- April 9)
      Add 5 mins./day for 4 days of walking. On 5th mileage building day, walk 30 minutes.
Week 3 (April 10-April 16)
     Add 5 mins/day for 4 walking days. On 5th mileage building day walk 45minutes.
Week 4 (April 17-April 23)
     Add 5 mins/day for 4 walking days. On 5th mileage building day, walk 60 minutes.
Week 5 (April 24-April 30th Race Day!)
    Walk 30mins./day for 4 walk days. On 5th day - Race Day - walk 3.1 miles

Last, but not least, here is a conversion chart for exercises other than walking for the challenge above.
One mile equals:
10 minutes high impact aerobics
15 minutes low impact aerobics
15 minutes stationary biking
15 minutes elliptical machine
15 minutes swimming (leisurely)
12 minutes swimming (moderately)
17 minutes water aerobics

"Talk" to you soon.
Sue