A Complete Training Day

 

The weather was lovely today, a bit hot for my liking.  It seems like winter has fled Southern Florida and we skipped spring for summer. LOL I’m crossing my fingers for a few more “winter” like days here.

My training program this day consisted of strength and conditioning for my legs and then after lunch I returned to do some swimming, sprint eights via 50yrd freestyle sprints and 50yrd breaststroke for recovery.  This is a tremendous anaerobic workout and each time I do it the intensity is rough, to say the least.  And that’s why I love it!  Considering that each 30 second exertion must be done at 95-100% intensity level, one can understand that by number 4 the remaining speed efforts are will and belief alone.  With only 1:30 for recovery between sets, this is a great engine building exercise without putting stress on the legs as a running workout would.  I also enjoy sprint 8’s on the elliptical and do it this way once or twice a week depending on my need to swim more or not.

SwimmingwfinsAfter my sprint 8 work, and for cool-down, I did kicking with my fins to loosen my leg muscles, in particular my lower leg muscles.  It feels really good to cross train in this way.  I think this type of kicking and the breaststroke kick would assist runners dealing with runner’s knee.  The fluid movements in the water help greatly relax the knee and allow it to open up to a more natural position we all had when we were young children.

Relaxed and ready, this is next…

Round and round we go...

Round and round we go…

I remember these times.  So much energy and vibrancy.  I’ve seen my boys slide directly onto their knees while in play.  Oh the pain!  I feel we need a balance as adults.  Returning to this type of life outlook with the wisdom that comes with aged experiences.  These young beings are so free and open to life with gusto while we stomp around pompously and self-importantly.  At playgrounds alone kids show us how to live and connect.  They’ll find a peer and simply ask, “will you be my friend or lets play?”  Its wonderful! Where, as adults, did we lose this aspect of ourselves?

I must say, tonight’s dinner was fantastic, thanks love!

Chicken with sauteed onions and tomatoes, fried rice, kidney beans and a Florida avocado.

Chicken with sauteed onions and tomatoes, fried rice, kidney beans and a Florida avocado.

I am not a calorie counter and for someone who trains as much as I do one would expect an eight pack, etc.  Nah, I’m au naturale and I enjoy eating so much I don’t see the point on counting calories.  I don’t plan on being a super ripped body builder and I am happy with how I look.  Using the word diet for a weight loss program is silly.  Diet just consists of our eating habits primarily based on our cultural experience.  One person’s diet may be right for them and wrong for another person (e.g. imagine eating like the Inuit people).  Find what’s right for you and enjoy it.  Denial and avoidance is the path to indulgence.

Now I’m not sure I should follow that last sentence with what I ate for dessert.  LOL

Homemade oatmeal bites with organic milk

Homemade oatmeal bites with organic milk

There were four of them to begin with, but one of my challenges in life is to NOT eat food once put in front of me.  Oh I SOOO want to dig in asap.  LOL I’ve found myself literally reaching for a succulent morsel and snatching my hand back in dismay – discreetly of course – as it would have been an inappropriate thing to do at the time.  I’m getting better and learning to be stronger in this respect of my life.  Hey, no body is perfect and each and every one of us has a shortcoming needing to be explored and used constructively.  More on that later. 😉

 

En joy! 🙂