This morning I went swimming for the first time in over a year. The university gym pool has lane swim every tuesday and thursday mornings so I thought I'd check it out. I got there way too early and had to kill time, but I wanted to be sure i had time to change and get ready and ask my nerdy questions...and it all went fine. I swam lanes for about 25 minutes until I really couldn't swim much longer. I was counting laps but was really zen about it all and stopped after about 15 laps there and back and just kept swimming until 25 minutes was up. I used flippers for most of it. I don't know if it is a better workout with them but I go further so I feel better...I know my entire legs are very...fatigued. It felt nice tho - the pool is a nice ambient temperature so I didn't get hot or cold and there were lots of people there, but everyone was friendly and I wasn't the slowest swimmer there (which surprised me). I think I will definitely make it a ritual of at least once a week, if not twice. It's different. I like different. I wimped out and didn't wear my heart rate chest strap. I think I'll just be content in what the internet says I burned for slow steady swimming for 25 minutes - about 250 calories. I'm more in it for the overall fitness and not hurting my knee.
I am a bit concerned as my hamstrings are wound up tight -I did a bunch of stretching this morning waiting for the pool and have been doing stretches. I think I'm going to make a point of doing some quad work on the weights tomorrow to make sure I don't put out my knee again. The doctor that looked at my knee originally recommended simple leg weight work I could do to help strengthen my knee...I guess half the issue can be the muscles in the back of my leg getting tighter and pulling things out of alignment so they can rub. If I can work to strengthen the front of my thighs, hopefully it will keep things where they should be and not rub (and make me sore in even MORE interesting places. Fun fun). My upper body has been OK (a bit stiff...) but it's my legs mostly protesting at what I've had them doing this past week. I'm not overdoing it (I don't think) but I am pushing myself. I'm working hard, but listening to my body and not doing anything that hurts and stopping when I'm fatigued. Hopefully I won't overdo things...I love how it feels and I want to be able to keep doing this.
I think tomorrow I'm going to just walk on the treadmill and do the leg lifts and take it easy...no spin class. I don't want to do too much too soon. I'm really bad for that. Here's hoping in a few weeks I won't be so stiff. It's not unbearable or anything...but it is very noticeable I've been working out :)
I've been eating healthily all week as well, which I'm pleased of. I'm not trying to lose weight or anything (altho if a few pounds came off I wouldn't mind) - I'm trying to develop good eating habits in my crazy schedule...have healthy snacks. Like my new desk snack:
Fruit d'Or dried cranberries...they're a canadian company that sells and produces organic healthy fruit snacks and juices together with organic maple syrups. A nibble of 15 or 20 of them is a sour/hunger killing snack. I like them. They're sweetened with a bit of maple syrup and the only ingredients are cranberries, maples syrup, sugar and oil. No chemicals...I like. They were on sale when I saw them last week and so I hope that doesn't mean they won't be sold at my grocer anymore because I LOVE them...
I've also been given a great gift from our chinese grad student - a "travel buddy" tea infuser from China. He had one and I kept raving about it so he had a friend send me one. I LOVE it. It's a thermal bottle designed to make tea in- it's vented but you can still screw on the cap so you can toss it in a bag AND the bottom comes off and lets you put whatever loose tea in it you like. So I can drink tea whenever I like and not spill it...I'm going to get my liquids into me however I can if it kills me! I don't like water on it's own...it needs something in it, so I can start having herbal teas (I have apple tea this morning -yum) as well as water. I have a bunch of crystal light lemonades but I'm not entirely comfortable with drinking that much aspartame...I've been adding just a bit of it to my water bottle and not a whole package. I just need "something" in the water for me do drink it...I've learned this.
I've got granola and yogurt at work and I think on the days I workout the granola, yogurt and a piece of fruit will be my breakfast. It keeps my hunger in check *almost* as well as oatmeal. I'm planning on experimenting with making oatmeal the night before and reheating it ans see how I like it...I'm big on texture so it'll come doen to how mushy it is...we shall see...ANYways...I'm off to lunch before my break is over (Mmmm...borscht)and back to work...stiffness and all. I'm curious how 25 minutes of swimming will make me feel tomorrow...
