It's all about BALANCE

I hear you about the paper -- deal with it right away. I try - I really try. But here's what I face. At the retreat, I made a list of things I needed to send to people. The list is half complete. I bought a magazine and wanted to share an article with a colleague - it's still sitting on the desk. I must finish writing some documents - the paper is still on the desk. I must follow up with emails - some of that paper is still on the desk. I got a book from the library to help with one class. Guess what? Yep - it's still on the desk. 

That's my biggest issue - I need to take the time to make phone calls and write emails, but it's a very time-consuming thing, and well - I'll get through it - it's just going to take time. 

Have you ever noticed that life is all about balance? How much time and resources do you have? Then, you must decide how to spend your time, money, or whatever the resource is. 

However, another type of balance is equally important. Today's blog is a bit late because I was at the gym. This was the first morning with the personal trainer, who emailed me last night to see if I could come at 5 a.m. Sure, I can do that. 

While I think I'm in good shape, I'm not! Yes - all the walking and the cycling, with nothing else, has been a naughty thing on my part. I needed to stretch and build ALL my muscles, not just a few. So, it was an eye-opener this morning. I'm not weak - I can use 10-pound barbells for shoulder presses - just! 

But what about the other stuff? Like lunges? Oh boy, we had to modify that one—the knees and legs just didn't want to dip deep! Brooke was very kind and supportive as I went through those motions. 

However, I excel at one thing—balance! I had to stand on one of those half-bouncy balls (a BOSU ball). I was a little shaky the first time, but soon, I could do 30 seconds on either leg with zero movement in my arms! 

Physical balance is critical and can prevent falls, increase longevity, and reduce pain. Some studies indicate that the better your balance, the better your mobility, and hence, the better your longevity in life! Funny - we were just talking about balance at the retreat! If you try doing the balance thing with your eyes closed, it's much more challenging. Since I can easily do 30 seconds with my eyes open, I need to work on 30 seconds with my eyes shut! 

Here's hoping the strength training and stretching will become as good as my balance, and I'll be ready to go!

Once we finished the routine, I got to try the compression legs! The what? Yep, compression legs. They are like very long booties that you put on, and then, like a blood pressure cuff, your legs get compressed. It's the weirdest thing, but sitting there for 15 minutes while your legs are squeezed is pretty cool!

Compression legs

It was a weird feeling, but it was relaxing. Hence, I'm late because of the leg compression routine! 

Yesterday, Muprhy was in her glory, with all the wind and leaves blowing around. Then she found some pine cones, which she tried to convince me were indoor toys. They are NOT! She was not too happy but content to play outside with them. 

MOM - pine cones are for indoors! 

MOM - I'll play outside with them, but it's not as fun!

The birds are still wary of the suet feeders but love getting water from the pond! 

A giant birdbath

There are so many things I want to learn - there is NOT enough time for it all! I made significant progress on the homework to present tomorrow, but today will be busy. There will be no embroidery or quilting going on! It's all about taking pictures, sewing, and taking more photos and loading them into PowePoint. 

I better get going - the girls are getting anxious to get on their walk! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!