walk in beauty

Native American Prayer...

Oh Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds, Life to all the world, hear me. I come before you, one of your many children. I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made, my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise, so that I may know the things you have taught my people, the lesson you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy – myself.

Make me ever ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes, so when life fades as a fading sunset, my Spirit may come to you without shame.
 ~ Sioux Chief Yellow Hawk

Wishing you all that is good in 2012.

~♥~

sometimes it's the little things

Here's the latest product I'm wild about...brace yourself. Lip balm. Had some gnarly dry lips after the oral surgery and nothing seemed to help. Until...Dr. Bronners lip balm.

I've also tried Whole Foods organic lip balm and it's equally good, maybe better. Either of these would make great stocking stuffers, especially for people who like to be outside during the winter months.

*mwah*

~♥~

merry holidays

Where do I start...well, I suppose an apology is in order. I'm sorry that I've neglected this blog for such a long time. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and the advice on how to deal with the back sprain. I followed your advice, especially the gentle stretching. Next time something like this happens, I'll be sure to ice it right away.

I'm doing well. My weight has been holding steady at 135ish and I'm happy with this weight. Sure, I'd like to get down to where I was before at 128 but that's probably not realistic for me anymore.

Had what I dearly hope is the last oral surgery back on December 2nd. Recovery from this surgery has been a walk in the park compared to the previous one even though this one also included bone grafting (sinus lifts). So, after a bout of the holiday blues, I'm feeling great physically and emotionally. Looking forward to the new year as it brings an opportunity to set new goals.

I wish you all a very merry and joyous holiday season.

~♥~

birthday blues

Last year around this time, I overdid it on the elliptical machine at my daughter's gym and came home with bursitis in my right hip. This year, we spent some time at my sister's beach condo to celebrate my birthday. I went with my sister to a couple exercise classes. Something I did in the second one (gyro-something) has made my back very sore. How do you deal with a back strain? When should I get back to bicycling? Will walking help or hinder my back's healing?

~♥~

moment of zen

Taken near the end of my ride yesterday with my iPhone.

~♥~

what she said

"I’m more interested in my experience of life now, rather than how other people experience me – appearance-wise, at least. And an exhilarating, rich and full life experience is largely dependent on feeling strong and well."

 - Kim Brittingham, guest post at MizFit

~♥~

today's mission

Maybe Lance can rock the biking shorts, but I sure can't. The time has come, I must shop for a new pair of bike shorts. BTW - What's the deal with "low-rise" bike shorts for women? Gah!

~♥~

pokey progress

Returned from a quick overnight trip to the coast last night. This picture was taken at Bean Hollow Beach. Looking at my exercise stats from last month, I see my riding is starting to diminish while I'm picking up learning some pilates exercises. Saw the scale get down to 138 a few days ago but looks like it was a month of staying at 139, my new plateau. Plan to start doing some pilates at home this month in between classes and to ride at least my weight in miles. Would also like to walk at least 20 miles. Who knows, maybe I'll drop another half pound. Good thing I'm in no hurry as long as I'm going in the right direction.

Added: Patience is bitter, but it bears sweet fruit. - Turkish proverb (found over at Sheesh -- really fits where I am right now)

~♥~

a life lesson

So, I learned something the other day. See there, you're never too old to learn! Here it is: When you have a little bout of asthma during a ride, that is not the time to push yourself into your longest ride of the year. I did this and it was not good. Very wiped out afterward. Today's shorter ride with good breathing was really fun although it was pretty dang hot.

Think I'm going to name my bike Bella because she's awfully pretty.

~♥~