Today on facebook I was reminded that a year ago, we made it to Gold's Fit for the first time. I have to say that I am still glad that we started it. It has been quite the experience and I believe that we will keep doing it. That said, I do not think we are quite where we want to be...and by quite where we want to be, I mean there is still some work to be done. OK, fine...I mean there is lots of work left ;)
Summer was a little hiccup, we both put on weight and didn't exercise as planned...Oops! Don't get me wrong, we had fun doing it...too much fun...haha. Our summers are a little crazy, but by August we started staying up late and playing Zelda. Next were the snacks and maybe a few adult beverages., even made it to the Biltmore finally...they have incredible ice cream and ... I think that you get the idea. I guess we will chalk it up as focusing on mental health.
So, we are now working on getting a balance of mental and physical health. We are back to regular trips to Gold's Gym (one reason this slowed down was that there are very few in the midwest) and even found a chance to go for a hike in the Smoky Mountains. We have also started walking although now it is a two-mile path. We decided that it may be more realistic in terms of timing and squeezing it in on a regular basis. Why is that becoming a challenge??? We have had a few changes...well probably more, but a few stand out. Mainly, Kara has started school to get a second Bachelors (and her teaching certificate) and we found out that she has severe arthritis in her knee. And as for me....nothing new...yeap, still pretty boring...lol
Kara going back to school has been great!!! I get to see her much more and we have started a regular routine that includes a fair amount of Subway....see healthy choices. That said, this also means lots of homework and class time. It took us a little while to even settle enough to understand what a schedule would look like, but I think we are getting there. Of course, Kara had a little getting used to, but let me just say that she looks just like the 18-year old I met in her first year of college :)
The arthritis was also a pretty hard hit!!! She has taken it really well, but over the summer her knee really started hurting. It has given her trouble for a long time, but not like this. So she finally went to the doctor. The doc was nice enough to give her a drawing and basically said the cartilage in her right knee is gone, but she is too young for a knee replacement. Well, I wasn't surprised at the young part, just look at her, but this also means that running is out and he was pretty clear that cross-fit is out too. When we told our trainer, he said, "Good news, you don't do Cross-Fit...you do Gold's Fit." His claim is that things can be changed and modified now that they know what the problem is. You will have to Stay Tuned to see how that goes.
So, it continues to be quite a trip...I will say this, whether we gained weight or not (and we did, but still), We have made several changes that have stayed with us and we know what has changed and what we need to get back to. I think it helps a lot that there are the two of us. We have started our usual pep talks on our walks...lol...yes we always say the same thing and yes we both know it, but it is great to have a sounding board, to hear it out loud, and to have someone agree and confirm that we can do it.
