Julie, our water aerobics
instructor, is a patient, patient woman. As a general rule, as we swish body parts around
in the water, our mouths get more exercise than the rest of us. She’s getting
pretty good at using pantomime to signal each change in the routine.
There
are usually about twenty who show up faithfully, and except for one outlier who
stands at about 5’9”, we’re mostly limited to one section of the pool unless we
want to exercise underwater or shiver in the shallow end. Thus, our powers of
concentration are also put to the test as we weave through the slower movers
while still maintaining our conversation with the person traveling next to us.
As usual, the talk began with
diets :
“. . . end of the year. . .5 new pounds. . . kale for
breakfast, spinach for lunch!. . .”
and the hazards of
stretch jeans:
“. . even if you gain 15 pounds,
they still fit!”
moved on to Christmas
decorations:
“. . .yeah, I have three reindeer,
four Santas, and lights on all the bushes. . . .electric bill went up $100. . .”
Then to life as a retiree:
“. . .I was on a committee like that, too, and then figured,
What the heck! I don’t want to do this anymore, so I quit! . .”
And returned to staying in shape:
“. . . and her book says we shouldn’t just sit
around all the time, so I get up and run in place during the commercials. . .”
We
must have been especially motivated after all that holiday eating because
this was one of the few times I didn’t leave with a new recipe or restaurant
recommendation.
Quitting a committee is always a liberating decision, whether you're retired or not!
ReplyDeleteBig smiles.
ReplyDeleteYou will, of course, have to double up on recipes and restaurant recommendations next time.
Any day now I expect us to go to the next logical step - continuing our conversations to somewhere for a big fattening breakfast.
Delete"run in place during the commercials", great idea. I usually run around doing stuff as quickly as possible, drying dishes, wiping out the bathroom basin, folding clothes, anything that can be accomplished in the ad break time. But that's only if I have those things to do. Usually I just read a few pages of my book. I think running in place is worth a try.
ReplyDeleteHa! Half the country must be on diets right now. I managed to keep my three extra pounds from increasing, but it wasn't easy. I laughed at your conversations, thinking also how often they are being repeated. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo familiar! I somehow gained back that eight pounds I struggled to lose before Christmas. I've missed your stories and determined to catch up. Reading your blog always makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteAh but think how trim and fit your jaw muscles are. I envy you the water exercises though not having to put on a bathing suit to do it.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
there were easily twice as many people in yoga class last night as usual. it will taper off by the end of the month but in the meantime I have to get there early to get a good spot.
ReplyDelete