It's our second week belonging to a local gym, and we're rather enjoying ourselves. I had some reservations about gym membership. I've always enjoyed being outside. Since I've hiked for years, I've always enjoyed walking to keep in shape. When walking, the view changes, you experience current weather -- both good and bad, you might get to see some critters, and in our neighborhood, you get to visit with friends. I thought I would miss that.
I do miss it some, but I'm really enjoying hanging out at the gym.
Donna and I seem to have found our favorite time at the gym. We now try to arrive about 6:30 and we stay until at least 8:00. People who work tend to get there around 5:00 or so, work out for a while, then shower, dress, and head to work. Late sleepers tend to drift in around 8:30 or later. So, we squeeze in between these two groups. We also have started a routine of going to the gym on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. That gives us 4 days of good workouts.
I've developed a routine. I usually start of by walking a mile on our little track to just loosen up. Next, I do the first of two rounds of upper body workouts, using the various machines, such as Arm Curl, Back Extension, Chest Press, and various others. I currently have about 10 or 12 stations, and I do 10 or more reps on each machine. Following this, I go downstairs and climb on a recumbent bike for what is currently my favorite workout. I plug in my earphones, play some good music, start pedaling, and watch a virtual video tour of some beautiful trails and roads. Sometimes I plug in to the TV feature on the machine. These new exercise machines have all sorts of neat features.
Last Tuesday, for example, I started by touring a road circling a lake in the French countryside. The mountainous country was beautiful.
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| Please forgive the glare. My time is bottom center (0:50 seconds), and it shows I just started my tour of the French countryside. Mileage is to the right (0:16 mile), and calories (3) to the left. |
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| In a slot canyon at just over 12 minutes and 2½ miles. |
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| Near the end of my ride: almost 5 miles and just over 24 minutes. |
After my bike ride, I return upstairs for another walk and then another round of upper body conditioning. I finish my workout with some stair stepping. By the time I climb aboard the stair stepper, I don't have much left, so I don't last long on it.
I then hit the locker room, clean up, and head to the coffee room to wait for Donna to finish.
We both feel good about our workouts, and we feel this is something we should have been doing long before now. Walking is fine, but it simply isn't enough. As we get into better shape, we'll probably add on some other workouts. I'm looking forward to swimming laps in the pool, and Donna wants to do some group workouts. I'm also interested in yoga to help with my arthritis. I've done yoga on my own for years, but it will be nice to have a pro show me some things.
Super Bowl
I gave up watching football long, long ago. I used to spend entire weekends watching first college ball and then professional football. At some point I woke up and realized what a great waste of time it was for me. I was spending all of this time watching other people do things while I did nothing. So, I turned off the games, put on my hiking gear, and hit the trails. And when I wasn't hiking, I was working in my yard or doing something else productive.
I'm ready for the Super Bowl to be played. I'm ready to get past it. It seems to dominate the news and everything else. I just don't understand why we spend so much money and time watching grown men who are vastly overpaid play a game. And how many people will miss work on the Monday after?
Weather
We've been enjoying some pretty good weather lately. Oh, we've had some chilly nights, but the days have warmed up consistently into the 50s and 60s. The next week or so should be particularly nice, with highs in the 70s. Yeah, the wind blows a lot, but that is just a fact of life where we live.
Usually, by the end of February, I can feel a change. In good years, I might even start seeing some spring blooms by the end of the month. In East Texas, I would see daffodils in bloom late in the month. I look forward to warmer times. Donna and I just don't do cold very well anymore.
Napoli's
We enjoyed another good meal at Napoli's this week. This Italian restaurant is currently my favorite place to eat in town. The decor inside is bright and spacious, and the service is superb. Every part of the meal -- from bread and salad onward -- is great. This time Donna had the eggplant parmesan while I enjoyed the manicotti. We thoroughly cleaned our plates. I think I saw Donna licking hers.
Let's Rodeo
While the rest of the country is excited about the Super Bowl, folks around here are excited about the annual San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. The big show here lasts slightly more than 2 weeks, and it dominates all local news. After all, San Angelo is the center of a vast ranching area. Heck, the city of Pecos, just a short 200 miles west of here, claims to be the home of the world's first rodeo (July 4, 1883). The rodeo culture is pretty strong in West Texas. This big show brings in lots of folks from our region, the state, and even other parts of the country. The local rodeo began in 1932, so it has been around quite a while.
Ending the week
We ended the week with an hour or so of geezer bingo. Wow, those old folks are surely competitive! It's kind of like commando bingo.
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