Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain
Showing posts with label Tai Chi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tai Chi. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The first week ...

This first week of January is always a weird week for me. While the rest of the world slips out of the holiday mode and sheds their festive garb, I am still keeping up my decorations for one more week.

Every year we have a Christmas Party at our house with a gaming group we see monthly during the year. My preference is to squeeze the festivities into a period prior to January 1st, but those weeks are so busy that getting a date that works for all is pretty hard. So for years we have celebrated this party on the first weekend after the New Years!

Thankfully this party is pretty easy to pull off. We typically have a spiral cut ham and roast beef for those who aren't ham eaters, store bought salads, I make stuffed mushrooms and a few other easy dishes and someone brings dessert. And we exchange gifts. It is a fun and relaxing time for all because we aren't competing with all the other seasonal commitments.

Next week the tree comes down and the decorations get packed away - at least the ones that survive the yearly purge.

I am busy with what is best described as "puttering" - and it is making the house feel a little more organized and settled - especially after the last few unsettled months. I blogged about some of the changes a few days ago - and they continue. I still have a list of things I would like to complete, but for now I am happy to just take my time doing little stuff. It fits in with my winter mojo - staying focused on the home and scaling down expectations. I just love January ... I love the winter ... I love the fact that weather forces you to focus on the space within your four walls.

And the birds have returned to my deck with gusto - actually, it is fair to say that the Cardinals have returned in mass. I am always amazed at the number of Cardinals I have - it is nothing for me to see 4 or 5 males and an equal number of females every single morning. They far outnumber the other birds. It helps that I put out seed they like ... :-) I am pretty sure that they aren't showing up because of my sparkling personality.

And I am walking ... woohoo!! The little person on the top of my blog shows 4 miles towards my 1000 mile goals. Please, please! Keep down the applause. :-) I am just glad I figured out how to work the little person so it shows the correct total. My knees seem to be unhappy with this new push to be more active. Little do they know that I plan to pick up Tai Chi again come this spring ... and maybe yoga.

Visits to assisted living continue to go pretty well. Mom seems to have moved passed her moody stage. I have noticed she is moving things around in her room now ... sort of doing her own version of "settling." Last week I talked with her about getting her hair washed and cut this week ... which she promptly forgot, until the hair dresser stuck her head in the door this morning (while I was there thankfully) and said she planned to take mom (take her upstairs - not far) to do the cut today. Of course, mom put up a small resistance, but I just barreled on saying that we talked about this last week, and she agreed, and she always says how much better she feels after it is done, etc. etc. etc. By the time I was done talking, she was done complaining ... :-) Works well for both of us.

So the first week of January is pretty uneventful ... I am loving 2012 so far!

Oh, that's right, it is only January 3 - the year is very young, so much can go wrong!!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Let me introduce you to ...



... to Robert Hitcho
through his beautiful pictures.

Bob and I met through Tai Chi. He has a passion (and a talent) for photography that he pursues in retirement.

Recently Bob asked his Tai Chi friends for input on a few pictures he was submitting to a contest. Picking my favorites was exceedingly hard. I asked him if I could share his beautiful shots on my blog, and he gave his permission. These shots were taken a Centennial Park, in Columbia, Maryland.

Hope you enjoy the three I have picked for this posting. I will spread the joy by posting a few more later.

Thanks, Bob!

Enjoy!


Just one more note:

My Tai Chi group was recently featured in a our local newspaper, the Columbia Flyer. Please check the link to see what a fantastic group of people they are.

As some of you know, I took Tai Chi for 2 years and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately I had to stop Tai Chi this past spring. The winter and spring were hard for mom and I, so I had to drop some activities. Tai Chi was one of them.

Not long after I stopped attending, they all moved on to Tai Chi with Sword - which was referenced in the news story.

Man, I sure wanted to own a sword ... there are days when having that sword would be useful!!

:-)





Thursday, March 10, 2011

Back Again - to Curves!

OK, so I returned to Curves yesterday.

Curves is a gym designed for women. The Curves program includes all five components of exercise - warm up and cool down, cardio, strength training and stretching -- and works every major muscle group while helping to keep you in your heart rate in the training zone.

I belonged to this gym several years ago and found it very effective. You can get a full body work out in 30 minutes. The gym has long hours, is open 6 days a week and can be used on your own schedule. I think this change will fit my fickled personal schedule better than attending a class with a fixed time.

My goal of staying active remains a high priority. Progress walking is moving forward well, but it isn't improving my strength. And although I found Tai Chi to be beneficial to my balance and leg strength, getting to a 4:00 Wednesday fixed class time seems to be doomed lately. I have missed more and more Tai Chi sessions this winter due to conflicting demands and schedules. And once it is missed, it can't be made up at another time. Unfortunately - after 2 years of practice, Tai Chi has taken a back seat to so many other things that just happen to fall at the same time.

So I will replace Tai Chi with Curves.

Yes, I have a crazy schedule at times, and yes, there are priorities that do bump my personal life with increasing frequency, but if an exercise option is flexible enough, it can fit into anyone's schedule - if you make it so!

Welcome back to my life - Curves!




Monday, January 10, 2011

Favorites of 2010

I know.

This is not an original idea or post. But I like the idea of remembering what is special from the previous year!

So before the month of January 2011 totally slips away, here is my list of "2010 Special Favorites". They are in no particular order. Believe me, narrowing it down to 10 was hard.

So here goes.

1. My kids - Everyone says their kids are special. But this year my kids did more for me than just be "my kids". Previous posts tell the story. It is sufficient to say that they demonstrated in small, quiet ways what wonderful adults they have become.


2. My coat - Ok, so I agree this sounds strange. But my dog-walking coat was my friend so many times in December. To state the obvious, it is a warm coat even if it makes you look 15 pounds heavier. This coat goes all the way down to my ankles and when the collar is pulled up, it covers me to above my ears so a hat is seldom necessary. And at the hospital, this coat served as my blanket many many times, and at other times it was a wonderful pillow. I was never too hot or too cold. It is the best coat I have ever had - and last month - it was my best friend.






And when I am not wearing my coat, Wally is wearing it. No joke. The coat has a rustling sound when it is moved and I always hear it slipping to the floor.




3. My mom - I have learned alot about myself through taking care of mom. Last year the lessons learned unveiled many of my short comings.
  • I am not the patient person I always thought I was. I am learning patience.
  • I am not as understanding about the complexities and frustrations of aging as I thought. I am peeking inside the aging process. It is pretty scary in there.
  • I am not as generous or kind a person I think I am. True generosity and kindness is expressed when you respond to a need without being asked and when there is no expectation of recognition. Learning, learning, learning.
4. Big snow storms - My God! I love a big, big snow storm. And in 2010 we counted our snow in"feet". It was very big!

5. My blog - Who would have thought writing to yourself could be so rewarding!!

6. Tuesday knitting group - My Happy Pill. Boy, if I could stick my knitting group into a bottle and sell it, the world would be a better place (and I'd be rich) ... or maybe we would all just warmer in hand-knit stuff.

7. Tai Chi - I returned to Tai Chi last Wednesday after missing 6 weeks - my legs were very unhappy! The rest of me was thrilled!

8. Time with cousins and my sister - Simply stated ... I don't get enough.


9. My four-legged family members - Max, Wally, Meathead, Grimace and Milo. It's a real zoo here sometimes!

This is Max. He isn't allowed on the kitchen table. He is on the kitchen table.





And, in typical cat fashion, he seems to be saying, "No, I am not on the kitchen table and, no, I am not checking out your purse for cookies - and there are no cookies in there, just in case you were wondering.

10. My good health! This year I did little to improve or even maintain my good health. At the risk of making my daughter totally nuts - I will share.
  • I didn't do the walking I wanted to do.
  • I didn't always eat right.
  • I sometimes missed taking my pills (this week I went back on my blood pressure medicine when I causally discovered that my pressure WASN'T normal on its own *sigh*. I bet the same can be said of my cholesterol medicine).
  • In December borrowed aggressively against my good health with lack of sleep and worry.
And I am still relatively healthy. But not stupid. I am back to focusing on me (when I'm not focused on mom.)

So that is my list. Do you have a list?

Today's walk: 4458 steps, 1.8 miles, 36 minutes

Friday, October 29, 2010

We made the news!!


Here is a wonderful news article on our Tai Chi group written by Maureen O'Donnell. This article was published in a new online local news site called The Columbia Patch. The link below takes you into that web site. If you are a local reader, you really need to check out The Columbia Patch.

Thank you Mo, it is a great article and really captures the essence of Tai Chi.

She even captured the sound and beauty of our Friday practice site, Centennial Lake.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Ahhh! Fresh air, ducks and Tai Chi



What do you have when the morning air is cool, the sky is blue, the ducks are singing and the trees are beginning to show their fall colors?


What you have is a perfect day for Tai Chi in the park - made more perfect because it was Columbus Day and a holiday for our Tai Chi instructor - who came to our practice!!! I tell you, this Tai Chi outside could become habit forming!!



Here is our instructor leading the group through a difficult movement.

So this move looks easy, but I can tell you, it isn't! Balance, balance, balance. That is what it is all about along with lots of concentration. Our instructor makes it look easy. Guess if you have been doing this sort of thing since you were a child - it should look easy.





We are looking really good here! At least I think so.

But this move is just prior to another one legged balancing move. When I am doing this, it is right about here where I am thinking ... "ok, now concentrate, don't embarrass yourself, don't pinwheel your arms, don't think about anything but balance, balance, balance."

Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. That is why I am taking the pictures! ;-)





Our instructor has such grace.

This move isn't that hardest one, but getting the weight on the correct foot is critical for me. I am forever trying to put my weight on the front foot, and then trying to slide on the front foot. Take it from me. Back foot for the weight, front foot for the slide.

Anything else ... failure!

You would think that the knowing and the doing would go hand and hand.

Not!


The beauty of this lake can't be overstated.
It is the perfect back drop to the peaceful practice of Tai Chi.



Friday, October 8, 2010

Walking the Lake



Today I got the rare opportunity to walk Centennial Lake. I left Milo at the vet's this morning (he wasn't all that happy), and I hurried to a Tai Chi practice. I was late, but able to practice for maybe 30 minutes. The picture was taken from a distance and under the tent it shows a few of the Tai Chi members practicing the movements. It is a beautiful and peaceful place for Tai Chi.






When practice ended I took off for a walk around the lake by myself. The sun was brilliant, the lake follage was beginning to show its colors. I was thrilled to have 45 minutes alone to enjoy a beautiful walk. Crisp, cool, clear.

How wonderful it would be to walk this lake every day.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Goal Setting and Soul Searching

This posting will be a bit dry so I thought a cheery picture would brighten it up a bit. So this is "A View from my Walk" picture - and it just proves that not all beauty and color in nature comes from flowers!



I am nearing the end of the first month of this 20 year journey, and plan to look back and see how things are going around September 1st - but how to do that! Six goals out of 20 are published and without some method of review, it is just a list!

Realistic goal setting for me has always been hard. Oh, yes, I can set goals easily and I love to set goals and make to-do lists, but I have the "eyes-are-bigger-than-my-stomach" syndrome - I set big goals and lots of them ... goals that usually aren't realistic in light of limited time. I am a Type A personality - I like to be the best, achieve the most, and control all the processes (i.e. do things without help and delegate almost never). I don't think these are positive traits anymore, but they have been part of me for as long as I can remember. As I have gotten older, I have given up some stupid stuff - my house isn't perfect and not always clean. I am not going for the slimmest body and I try very hard to not "lead" (having done that for a number of professional years.) But I do need sort through what can be tracked and what will be assumed.

Let's start with the easy ones!

Walking - this is pretty simple. Use a pedometer and improve the daily average steps each month. The starting goal is 10,000 steps average. That should work for awhile - until the daily step totals average 15,000 steps (or whatever number seems like a stretch). Then it is just a matter of keeping it up. Wa-la!! That was easy! I am doing great, don't you think? :-) (I think Type A's like to hear that they are doing well - so yes, I am fishing for compliments.)

Tai Chi and Stretching - this is pretty simple, too. Count the time and improve it each month. And this month, I did such a lousy job of keeping up with Tai Chi and I did no stretching. It won't be hard to do better next month. I would assume that these 2 would also reach a certain plateau, just like walking, and then just maintaining. I'll still need to figure out where that plateau is. (Type A's like to set themselves up for success - so I did bad this month so I can do better next month - yes, that works for me.)

Keep Learning - now things are getting harder. I have enthusiastically invited 3 things into my life this month that weren't there last month. So maybe if I blog about what I have done with these things for this year, maybe 3 times a month, I will at least show continuity. The downside is that I've invited 3 things in this month, but done nothing with them. More thinking, more thinking.

Photo Family History - this is a long term, episodic goal. Over the last few years I have worked on this project during a September beach week. Beach week is when my kids and my sister's family go to the Outer Banks. I used to go on this trip, but mom can't make it comfortably, doesn't really want to go anymore and my husband doesn't drive so I don't feel comfortable leaving them behind without back up when I would be 6 hours away. So if I work on this project once a year during beach week, it counts.

Friendships and Family - these are not objective elements. And up to now, they have been part of my life like breathing. I see family several times a week and friends socially every week, and email others. My blogging should be evidence of my commitment. I think these can be assumed to be valued at a high level already.

So, the initial sort of where I am going and how I will assess my progress is done for now. I will be back around September 1 to look at this again. I can tell you right now - I have earned an F in some of this! Type A's don't get F's ... maybe I can consider this a "growth" opportunity as I force myself to relax into a Type B personality.

No ... I am still a Type A. An "F" can't be translated into a "growth opportunity" no matter how you look at it!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Tai Chi Practice - perfect!!


More Tai Chi practice !!

Today is another Tai Chi practice day at the park. Lately I haven't been able to attend these Friday morning sessions. Disappointing, but unavoidable.

Here are pictures from a mid-summer practice session at the lake. The previous pictures shown on the August 3 blog post were taken during the spring. When you compare the two sets of pictures, it appears that we have improved over the summer. We are all doing the same step at the same time. While that doesn't seem like such a big deal ... it is. Anyone who has seen a Tai Chi group perform knows that performing in unison is part of the beauty and the discipline.

We applaud our efforts after each run through and comment on the fact that we are "perfect". Our instructor uses other words to describe us at times (words that are less perfect than perfect), but all I can remember is "perfect" so that is what we are! ;-)


Of course, our instructor tweaks our movements during class, but he let it slip that we were now an "intermediate level" class. We were thrilled. And at times I am sure he wants to take back that slip of the tongue. Too late, we heard it! Intermediate!! It is now cemented in our brains. Yes, perfect and intermediate.

Now onward to the next level: More Perfect!!

Looking at the last picture, you can see the beautiful lake in the background that is our view during these practices. We are so fortunate to have that view, to have our talented and patient teacher, and to have the friendships we have developed.

Total Steps: 14, 214 (good total - walked for an hour, had 3 dogs, multiple dog walks)




Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tai Chi in the Park










Earlier this summer our Tai Chi class started practicing at a local park one morning a week. We were lucky find a covered pavillion for our practices. We had shade and we had a beautiful lake for the backdrop to our practices. During one of our first visits to this site, local geese would gather to watch our efforts. When the music started playing, they would "sing" along.

I need to practice more.


Saturday, July 24, 2010

#2 Tai Chi - and stretching

Oh my how hard it has been to get time over the last 3 days to sit down and write. My weekends are usually filled with 3 dogs (my "kids" dogs - my grand-dogs) and this weekend has been especially busy since my daughter is in New Jersey seeing a friend. I usually have her helping hand. This morning is a good example of how most days go with 3 dogs. Got up at 6:00 am (got to bed early so I wasn't dragging like usual), got them all out together for a walk - well, "walk" isn't the right term because they all have their own agenda and there is alot of confusion, tangled leads, corrections from "grandma" about not picking up and eating everything that comes along (well that is only the puppy, Milo) and stuff like that. Then we come in, I feed them - all 3 have different meds that are added to their food - managing their pills is harder than managing my mother's meds, then we had bone chewing time (there was peace for about 10 minutes while that was going on), then the puppy started leaping on the older dogs, so penned him in the kitchen with me while I had breakfast - then we all walked again - this time Meathead, one of the older dogs has loose stools - something he gets when he stressed (Milo is a "carrier" of stress - not stressed himself LOL), then I took them all inside, crated Milo, finally got dressed (yes, I still was in my PJs - I am sure my neighbors wonder about me), and then FINALLY took Grimace, the other older dog, out for his "grandma-only, walk" which I give him whenever I can in the morning. Of the 3 dogs he LOVES to walk and when he is with the other dogs, he doesn't really get to walk, or to sniff all the places he likes or to even pick the direction of the walk. It is small thing to give him his grandma-only time. We are back now at 9:15 am - the weather outside is steamy already - it is predicted to be the worst day in a series of really terrible hot and humid days *sigh* - how I just love winter. Yes, even last winter with all its snow and cold. Give me winter anyday.

FINALLY everyone is settled down for a morning nap - except me - and I am thinking I could use one too. LOL Anyway, enough about the little "time-eaters" in my life. Must take advantage of these quiet moments while I have them.

Another high value activity for me is Tai Chi. Unlike walking, I have been active in Tai Chi for about a year. I have wanted to take Tai Chi from the moment I saw two elderly residents in my community doing Tai Chi in unison one morning in a local park. It was so tranquil and graceful. Starting Tai Chi at a local senior center, I discovered that Tai Chi is also strength building and strenuous - not in the way walking or running is strenuous ... you don't get breathless, but physically demanding enough to make you sweat in an air conditioned room. Besides the grace of the exercise, it builds stronger legs and improves balance. Both of these are important for me. My mother lives with me and in the last 4 years I have watched her slide down the slippery slope of mobility. She walked with a cane some when she moved in, she now can't walk without it, holds on to furniture as she moves around and when she is outside, she uses a walker. She can't climb the stairs to the bedroom level, so we had to put in a chair lift. And she is unable to get into a standing position from sitting without a firm chair with arms. She works her arms more than her legs. I am hoping that with Tai Chi, I can avoid that fate. Currently we have learned the 18 form routine and starting in August we will learn the missing 6 movements - movements that require more leg strength and balance than all the others. The advanced Tai Chi class (they have been with the instructor for 2 years or so), they now work with Swords ... really cool - waving the swords around while doing the moves.

In conjunction with Tai Chi and Walking, stretching must become (once again) part of my routine. I have been in physical therapy for various conditions and they all improved with stretching. I used to do various yoga moves and had a regular routine of stretching mixed with yoga. And as with walking, I felt great - so great that I stopped!!! I am secretly hoping that this behavior of dropping positive and life-improving activities is a human failing and not just my failing LOL.

Hoping for cooler weather tomorrow.