Working Out: Why I Started CrossFit at 49 and Lived to Tell the Tale

For most of my life, I didn't work out. That means from infancy through my mid-30's, I didn't do any kind of purposeful exercise, except the kind I had to do in school. And for the most part, it all worked pretty well for me. I was blessed to inherit some good genes from my parents, and myself and my siblings were always skinny. Skinny for me meant slender but not overly slender; I had what someone once described as "chicken legs". I could eat what I wanted without a care in the world. It also helped that my parents weren't flush with money, so we didn't eat out, didn't have much junk food, and I don't think I drank much pop at all until my mid to late teens. It helped that the proliferation of crap food we have today didn't really exist much when I was growing up. 

All that: genes, the era in which I grew up, and my parents lack of money for "fun stuff" all helped me stay thin. But I did, of course, also suffer from feeling fat; after all, my sisters were all smaller than I was--95 pounds to my gigantic 105. I look back now and shudder at how dumb I was ever thinking less of myself. 

In my mid-30's I started running, mostly because I was tired of walking and I wanted to move faster. That lead to running races, and winning a free year's membership to the local YMCA. That started me on the path of having a personal coach help me with the machines and getting some muscle. But I didn't get very much muscle, actually. I went to the YMCA for about 7 years, all the while running on the side. I wasn't a fast runner, but I did all sorts of races, and actually challenged myself to complete a marathon when I was 42. It took me 5 1/2 hours, but I did it. The last big race I ran was a half-marathon in Savannah, Georgia in 2011. I trained hard and ran my best race. I was pretty proud of myself. All that running helped me lose some weight, because by then my metabolism had slowed down, and I was gaining weight. The weight creep--every year, another 5 pounds or so, until I was about 30 heavier.  Eek! 

Flash forward to 2016. By now, I'm 49...turning 50 in November. It's the summer. I've got a new job, regular hours, and I'm finally able to do something I've wanted to do for a few years: try CrossFit. Why CrossFit? Mostly because my niece and nephew had joined a CrossFit box in their city and had amazing results, and said how much they loved it. I had quit the YMCA- I needed something that had someone there to push me, help me, and encourage me. I didn't find that in random classes at the YMCA, and I always felt a bit lonely and unhappy by myself at the gym. 

In May of 2016, I got up the courage to sign up for a 6 week FitKamp. I was about to get my ass handed to me on a plate...

I'll continue this story in a few days!  Stay tuned...

In the meantime, tell me what your fitness journey has been-or if you've never even had one! Everyone is different, and everyone finds what works for them. Walking, biking, running, weight lifting, yoga. What works for you?

via GIPHY

We Skipped Spring and Went Directly to Summer

I've lived in my little house for 18 years. I can't believe it. I bought it in May of 2001, thinking it would be the place I lived for the rest of my life. 

2019, I'm still here, but I know it won't be the place I spend the rest of my life. Bud and I will have our own place (or a few places) and we've been discussing our wish list for some time. It's a given I'll have a large kitchen, a big island with a sink, and plenty of spaces for folks to gather. Of course, we'll have a bar. Just goes to show you're never too old to dream about your perfect home. 

For now, my little home is still my favorite place to be. Years ago, I had a blank slate in my back yard. It just had a big tree next to the neighbor's fence, and nothing else. Over the years, I worked hard, putting in flower beds, lots of hostas, rocks...and it looked so beautiful for years. 

But times have changed; I'm busier and I just don't have the energy or drive to keep up big flower beds. We've taken out the largest bed and it will now revert to lawn. But that side bed...the one next to the fence--it needed an update. Bud built me a beautiful deck a few years ago, and it sits right next to that long, narrow bed. Sit on the deck, and see that fence and the hostas. Try and mow between the deck and the hostas and there's not much room. Last weekend we dug up a HUGE hosta (it started from one leaf all those years ago! One leaf!) and I rearranged the brick border, brought it in closer to the fence, so I can get my mower through. It's all Bud's idea...but once he talked about it, I saw the wisdom of a little makeover. It was also a chance to dig up the bricks and reset them. I found bricks in spots I had completely forgotten about. 

The makeover started like this:

Then, I had to shop for flowers:

Flowers are my weakness. Even having just a small space, they still managed to add up quickly! 

After all my running around yesterday, I was sweaty, tired, crabby, and swatting gnats. But I got a start:

It's a small change, and most of the side garden has stayed the same. Bud suggested annuals in the one clear space I have, so I planted purple petunias. I added the fun flowers on the fence after my plan to hang potted flowers literally fell through. I hung all five little pots, turned around, and they all fell off the fence. 

I've still got a lot to do to a few other spots: the front yard and my little side garden next to the house. I've run out of energy, however. The late start to flower planting has left me less than enthused. Stay tuned as I watch my little garden flourish! 

I'M BAAAAACK: It Took Four Years, But Here I Am

Life decisions can turn on a dime. Or in my case, laundry. 

Today is a beautiful day: sunshine, slight breeze, and birds are chirping. It's perfect. A day to hang laundry outside. As a kid, I absolutely despised hanging up laundry, and most of all, taking it down. But we all know that as adults sometimes we realize stuff we disliked as kids turns out to be alright. Hanging laundry outside is one of them. It also helps that I'm only hanging up laundry for one person; as a kid, well, there were so many of us! It truly was a chore. 

I sent a photo to Bud of my laundry hanging outside, mostly to thank him for stringing up new clothes lines so I could actually hang laundry outside. There's something very satisfying about laundry blowing in the breeze; somehow it anchors me to my house and my yard in a very good way.

This all leads me to a moment very soon after pegging my last sock on the line, when I was thinking about this blog, and how long it had been since I'd posted or even though about it. I realized the simple act of hanging laundry gave me the answer to begin again with my blog. 

I have no idea what I'll post; mostly musings and odd little happenings. Successful recipes and cocktails. Mostly life as a fifty-something. So I hope you'll join me in my journey. And if you get a chance, invest in some clothesline for your backyard, and hang some sheets and towels out to dry. It may inspire you, too. 

Sue

Photo courtesy of: Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay