I just spent the morning at my healthclub taking a spinning class, lifting weights and lunching with a girlfriend.  It was the best morning I have had in awhile.

I felt totally empowered while biking, pushing my body when I thought I could not go on.  I realized my body is powerful and that made me feel GREAT!!! 

I also took a spin class which I try to do 3 times a week.

Today whilst spinning I repeated a mantra to myself saying "I have a happy healthy body full of healthy happy cells!" Im so grateful to be able to do all the things I can with my body and the mantra reminds me that I need to cherish my body not abuse it with bad food or alcohol!  I also burnt 720 calories and feel amazing, unlifted and happy.  A very small price to pay for an hour of excercise.

I too just finished a spin class today and felt great. I try and get two in a week in between the eliptical workouts.  Isn't it a wonderful way to burn a ton of calories.

You should post to LIME's forum on "What is Your Mantra".  Other people would be interested.

Have you joined LIME's Walk-Out Campaign? It's also a great motivator.  Love the name by the way!!!  

I spent the entire past weekend working with my husband and two sons on our flower beds.  We did a lot of work, laying stone, tarp and mulch on two large beds.  It was hard work, but the sense of satisfaction I get from looking at what we accomplished was pure joy!!! It felt great.

The child I care for is being baptised this Sunday, and friends and family from across the nation are coming in for the event.  I've spent the week scrubbing the house and cleaning outdoors (pressure washing patio pollen, cleaning furniture, getting the pool(!) ready) and it's felt great.  Tomorrow.....planting, puppy shopping, and desert biking!!  

Hard work can be very rewarding and a good workout too.  Going to the gym is great and I definitely enjoy it immensely, but working on my home or house with my two hands is another kind of physical exercise for my body and soul.

I have been doing a lot of walking lately thanks to LIME's Walk Out campaign, I can't tell you how good it feels to more active, and out and about walking as much as I can, it is so rewarding, and it looks like I have lost a couple of pounds already. 

Aside from climbing up stairs on oil tanks all day at work I like to come home and work in my gardens. I'd say the most labor intensive job is turning the compost. My bin system is made of pallets screwed together to make 3 bins. One is the collector and the other two are my processors. Somehow in my little desert town I find enough stuff to keep my bins mostly full. By the time I get done I'm beat, but happy. It's like lifting weights without going to the gym! 

Observe the world as though you were a child and enjoy the wonder of it all.

http://www.lime.com/blog/jlehrer/9589/the_compost_heap

Lime posted this blog on composting last week. Check it out.

Glad to hear that you are getting some form of exercise after a hard day working the oil tanks.  It sounds like your work and home life are quite different.  Working for the oil industry must present you with quite a different perspective on living a healthy life? 

Yesterday I got my first head cold of the year.  It hit me like a lead balloon.  Today I decided to go to the gym and sweat it out.  Believe it or not, I felt better after that spin class.  I heard that sweating out a cold may help and it did.

Keeps me active. Keeps me refreshed. Keeps my bones feeling young!

It makes me feel strong and solid.  I tend to walk taller when I exercise and feel better about myself.

My mom was in for mother's day and we decided to plant a flower bed.  It was hard work, but very gratifying.  She being somewhat older than myself was tired at the end of the day and her body ached.  She was surprised that mine was o.k.  In fact, so was I.  We bent down a lot and i carried many bags of heavy mulch.  But I have been hitting the gym lately and my  body responded.  It had become stronger.  What a great feeling!!!!

Just today I heard that sex is a great way to burn calories.  I know I had heard that before, but still it made me pause.  Also, the more fit you are the better it can be.  You have better "O's" if you know what I mean and can go longer.  Now that is some physical activity to get into.

Lately I have been playing basketball with my cousin's and my dad. It has been a big stress reliever, it helps me get out alot of my frustration out.It's helping me to get in shape! I have more energy to spare through my days now. And I am just a HAPPIER person all around when I get active!!

I just ran my first 5K yesterday! It was the most amazing feeling ever. I have been a runner for years but have never ran in a race. It was such an accomplishment for me and has made me feel great! I always feel so much better when I am active and in shape. It makes me a healthier person all around.... in my work, my friendships, and my life. Running is my way to relieve stress and sort through my thoughts. Physical activity just makes me a happier me!

Congrats!  I am with you about feeling happier when I am in shape.  It helps to free my mind so I can concentrate on other aspects of my life.  I admire people who like to run.  I have tried, but I am a spinner myself.  Keep up the work, maybe the New York Marathon next yer.

I completely agree with you Vicki.... exercise helps me to free my mind.  I can think more clearly about the things going on in my life and put things in perspective.  I have always wanted to take a spin class but my gym does not offer them at times when I'm available.  I have heard great things and how great of a workout it is.  I would love to run a marathon someday.  It's something I think about but never actually train for.  I should just pick a race next year and decide right now to run it.  I believe I'd start with a half marathon though.  Then in another year build up to a full marathon. 

Run Therapy

 

It is 5:00 in the morning and my alarm clock reminds me that my most important daily ritual is just an hour away.  I get out of bed knowing that hitting the snooze button on the clock is not an option.  Down the street there is another person also waking up to keep our plans to hit the pavement running as the sun comes up and the birds start to sing.

 

What started out as morning walks has progressed to far more than a ten-minute mile.  It has become friendship, laugher, endurance, an educational forum and a time to share whatever thoughts might come to mind.  It has become what we now refer to as “run therapy”.

 

Winter, spring, summer, fall, rain, shine, or even snow, the ritual for us AM warriors happens regardless of the conditions outside.  Sporting flashlights in hand and goofy hats intact, our spirits are lifted just keeping the commitment to one another and to our individual goals.  It is one time during the day that we can count on being completely in the moment with nothing else to do but the task at hand.  Our conversations each morning seem to move with the rhythm of our bodies as we do our best physically to stay healthy and fit. Run therapy is holistic self care at its’ finest.

 

We run before most people have even had their morning coffee.  Each day we explore topics ranging from extending the shelf life of produce to achieving world peace.  Often it seems that we have finished our route in no time leaving our topic of conversation to be finished the next day.

 

Regardless of how fast or slowly we might finish our exercise; we always end our ritual the same way.  Every day we both agree that we probably would have hit the snooze button, allowing ourselves time to find an excuse to stay in bed if it were not for our plans to meet one another.

 

Run therapy has proven to be most valuable in achieving optimal health.  I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody who needs help fitting exercise into his or her daily routine.  Not only does run therapy get you outside with nature every day, it allows you the opportunity to be in the moment while developing a special friendship and it does the body good!

 

If running isn’t something that motivates you, the run therapy approach to holistic self care can be applied to a variety of physical activities.  Walking, hiking, water aerobics, extreme snowboarding are just a few examples of the vast array of alternatives that are available. I can certainly testify to the positive results of finding a person who shares your interest in some type of physical activity and running with it.

Your story was delightful to read.  It seems that your physical activity has a spiritual ring to it.  Sharing the experience with a friend is great for the soul.  How lucky you are!

I LOVE to run!  Haven't had a chance to do it much since having a baby recently, but soon enough I'll be back out there hitting the pavement.  It is the best feeling when you think there is no way you can make it any longer, but you push yourself harder and you do!  And the best reward is the all over body tingles when you are done!

I prefer running alone in the AM.  It's my "me" time and I get to clear my head for the start of another great day.

Did you get a chance to check out the  blog on tai chi running on LIME?  Sounds interesting if you like to run.

http://www.lime.com/blog/savasthi/15679/running_the_tai_chi_way 

Even though my son is 22 years old, whenever he brings his family down to our house, about once a month or so, we will always put on the old mitts and go play catch in the front of the house. That keeps me going. But my main physical activity is yardwork. Thats what keeps me looking young...

Is that a picture of your son as a baby?  I guess he will always be your baby.  I have two boys, 7 & 10, but I  know that I will always think of them as the  boys who I nursed and loved as children.  Right now they are very active in sports and keeping healthy is always a priority for me, so I can keep up with them.

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