Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pushing it...

Today, I swam 28 laps. I pushed it up by 2 laps from yesterday. My original plan was to try and go every day adding two laps every week. Well, considering I lost a week because of well, life getting in the way, I felt a little discouraged. When I started up again, I kept thinking, I could do a few less laps. It would be understandable if I back-tracked a little. The thing is I just couldn't bring myself to, once again, backslide into that world of "Well, maybe tomorrow; maybe next week...maybe...next year..."  So despite not having a car (long story) and having to walk what I'm guessing is about 1/2 mile to the gym and then back after, I have continued to stick with my goals. This week I should have been to 28 laps. Next week I go to 30 and then 32 which, by the way, is a 1/2 mile. Really. Believe me, I did the math. Oh, okay, I used the converter on my cell phone, but I figured it out anyway.  You know, part of me just wants to be able to say "Yeeeaaah, I swim a half a mile every morning. No big deal..." Of course, I pray no one I know actually sees me swimming  as I gasp for breath every time I get to one end of the pool or another, haha.  I'm telling you, the breathing thing has been the hardest part. My arms and legs know exactly what to do. my lungs and heart...maybe not so much. I'm getting there though. I find that I get more laps done in less time. I'm not trying to race or anything; I guess I'm just getting more at ease with it. Each day I feel a little bit better, or at least closer to where I was before things got crazy (last week). So I just have to keep going. Two laps forward - NO laps back!! That's what I'm talkin' about.


Caren E. Salas






photo: William Salas

Monday, September 24, 2012

Circumstances Beyond My Control..

For those of you who don't know me personally, you may be thinking "What's your excuse this time?" I can hardly blame you. I've been off again, on again, so many times it's embarrassing. This time however, I think I can safely say, is justified. I had to take my daughter to the emergency room last week and it turned out that she had appendicitis. We went in late at night, and I spent the whole first night in a chair, literally. To give you the "Reader's Digest" version, she went to surgery the next day, spent the night in the hospital room (sleep wasn't part of the deal that night either) and then was released late the next evening. Such a fun week! I can't even begin to tell you.
Needless to say this did affect my workout routine. Even if I had had the time or the energy, leaving my daughter was not an option. I am happy to say that she is feeling much better (just don't ask her, haha) and over the weekend we went away and stayed at a hotel. This was a trip we had planned a while back and the doctors said it would be okay to take her. While there, I did go in the pool and get at least a little workout. It felt amazing. I can honestly say I missed my morning swim! (As in, I was disappointed I couldn't go.) Tomorrow things should be going back to normal(ish) so I'm hoping to get my laps in. I refuse to let this "break" to deter me from continuing. I'm still a little tired from everything, but that I know will pass.  Wish me  luck, wish my daughter a speedy recovery and wish yourself a great day!


Caren E. Salas


photo: William Salas

Thursday, September 13, 2012

My Inner Wimp

Formerly known as well...me, I have managed to suppress my normally wimpy self, until it has become but a shadow of what it was only weeks ago. Granted, I often have to fight with it, because, like an over-stuffed suitcase, it just wants to spew all over the floor, while I grunt and groan and jump up and down on it, until I get the latch locked once again. Every morning I think "Cool, I get to go swimming," and I zip over to the gym after dropping the kids off at school. I've already had breakfast, put on my bathing suit, grabbed my goggles, and packed my gym bag. I walk confidently into the gym, check in, smiling at the staff and march through the doors leading to the pool area. Still smiling, I stash my stuff in a locker, grab a towel, grab a kick-board and walk to the edge of the pool. Now this is where it gets sketchy. I put one foot in, and cringe.  The cold water mocks me. Yeah, it's saying, come on in, it's not so bad once you get in. The operative phrase being "once you get in". I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the shock that will hit my torso, making me gasp. One...two...th...can't do it. One more step down. Okay, gonna' do it this time...maybe not. After a few minutes I finally swoosh into the water (remember? not allowed to dive).  Okay, okay, if I get swimming I'll warm up fast. This turns out to be true...every time. Duh. First hurdle accomplished. I swim two laps and I want to die. By the fourth or fifth lap, my muscles are burning and I feel like there's no way in hell I will get across. Luckily for me, I'm not in hell...but maybe I could cut it short...just today, my inner wimp tempts me. It's just like in those old cartoons where the little angel sits on one shoulder and the little devil is on the other. No, I can do this. I can. Another few laps and I'm halfway done. Only half? Really? Actually, not even that, but I can do this. Before I know it, I've done twenty laps in the 25 meter pool. I started with twenty and have added two more each week. Now I'm up to twenty-four. Just four more to go. Just four. I can do this.
Can't be a cry baby!
So far my inner wimp hasn't gotten the upper hand. I don't plan on letting it. Wish me luck.
                               

Caren E. Salas




photo:  mamapop.com

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Side Effects

Normally those words make me cringe a little. Considering that half the meds I take are to counteract the side effects from the other meds I'm taking, can you blame me? In this case however I'm talking about another kind of side effect: the good kind. You know, when you do something and expect a certain result and hey...you get a bonus! That's how I've been feeling. Yes, I'm still swimming, every day! I'm so proud of myself. Honestly I figured I'd be sore and tired and it would just feel like one more activity to wear me out. I wanted to do it because I'm embarrassingly out of shape, and for the most part get no cardio-type exercise in my everyday life. I figured I'd do it a couple of days a week, and just get through it. Now that I'm going all the time, I find it almost addictive. I look forward to going the next day. I think about how to challenge myself a little more every time I go.
Here's the cool part. Instead of being more tired all the time, I have more energy during the day. I feel energized! It's awesome. Oh, I know that's what they tell you will happen and all, but they say a lot of other things too. To be healthy you have to do this! You have to do that! I guess there are some people who react well to negative reinforcement: people yelling at them, calling them names, trying to make them feel like a wimp for not being able to do 800 sit-ups. I've never been one of those people. I can put myself down well enough, thank you. I'm not running around saying "I'm in perfect shape, great health, and I don't even have to try." Hardly. What I want, is for someone to say "You can do this. It'll be hard, but you can do this. And just because you miss a day because you had to pick up a sick kid from school, or do some other unexpected errand, does not mean you have failed. You just have to get right back up and go the next day." Now someone does say that....me.

This, will not be happening, haha.
Today is a better day.


Caren E. Salas



photo: blog.helphub.com.au

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Of course...

Being a strong believer in Murphy's Law, it shouldn't have surprised me when I woke up Tuesday morning, the first day of school for the kids, feeling...blah. I was going to get so much done! I still went swimming, thinking maybe that would refresh me, but alas, no. In fact as the day wore on I felt worse and worse. By dinner time I thought someone had somehow fed me some horrid poison that was eating me up from the inside. I wasn't a pretty sight.
Yesterday, I skipped swimming, and opted to sleep in a little later than usual. I still felt...not quite right, but I got through the day and at least got a few things accomplished. I even walked to the store to get some meat for dinner because, by the way, on top of being sick, I have no car at the moment. The walk helped me to feel like I hadn't ditched my routine entirely.
Today, still sans vehicle, my plan is to walk to the gym, and do at least a little swimming. If I can do my 22 laps without feeling too...icky, I will. Speaking of which, I should get going. It's so easy to start doing things on the computer and suddenly hours have passed. So off I go to the gym!

Caren E. Salas














photo: constructionlawva.com

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Just Keep Swimming...

Wow, I have really been loving going to the gym this week. I even made a friend: Eileen. We started talking because I saw her doing the same "oh-my-gosh-the-water-is-cold" dance at the pool steps that I do every day. It's not really that cold, and it feels wonderful once you are in, but it's that initial chill that gets me. Unfortunately, my usual approach is to dive in all at once, but alas, this is against the rules, and I'm not really a jumper, so I step, step, pause then whoosh.
So I've been swimming my 20 laps and thinking that although I do enjoy swimming, it's a lot harder than it  used to be, haha. I mean, that while my muscles seem to know what to do, they are not always so willing to do it. Another thing is that apparently I have forgotten how to breathe. I know...breathe in, breathe out, but it's different when you're in the water, obviously.  Bad timing can really be...bad. Little by little however, I'm becoming more comfortable. As I count out my 20 laps, the little wimp inside me is screaming "STOP NOW!!" but the part of me that's fed up with the wimp is saying quite calmly (albeit with an exhausted tone) "Just keep swimming..." So I do.


Caren E. Salas

PS - I just realized I already had a similar post with Dory and "Just keep swimming". I guess she is more of an inspiration than I thought. The previous post was not about literal swimming though, so I guess that makes it okay, right?


Photo: fanpop.com