Speaking English

In this morning’s dream I was part of a small group of Americans chosen to help foreigners learn to speak English. The method of doing that was to assign us a very small cabin-type room in which we were to complete a project as a group. We had a few foreigners assigned to us and we began work on our project with everyone making an effort to speak clear English while doing so. As we proceeded, one by one more foreigners were added to our group making the room very crowded. Eventually, they began speaking among themselves in other languages which none of us Americans understood. Finally, I became exasperated and demanded to know if they had not come to this project to learn to speak English. “No,” one replied. “We already know how to speak English. We came here to learn to speak American.” Finally, the overcrowding of our room became unbearable and we decided to break into two smaller groups. We intended that some of the Americans should be part of each group but several of the foreigners decided to stay together to become their own group without the interference of the Americans.

That dream set me to thinking about language and it’s impact on belonging. We belong to many groups. Our primary group speaks RVing. The members of the group we met with last night speak railroading. When we meet with Dave’s former coworkers they speak computers. I know a few diabetics and, when together, we speak carbs. My newest group is Weight Watchers and they speak points. What groups do you belong to? What languages do they speak?

TTYL,

Linda

Start, Do, Stop.

As you may have guessed, I sometimes have some weird dreams. Sometimes they seem to make sense. This morning I woke up having just finished a dream in which I was a student and the master (Think Yoda or The Karate Kid) was explaining to me, “Start when you are ready. Do what you do. Stop when you are done.”

Does that make sense? Of course it does. Let’s think about it.

“Start when you are ready.” How often have we started a project because we thought we should rather than because we were ready to do so? How did that work out? I’d guess not well. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you can gather the right tools? And the right motivation? Do we sometimes have to declare ourselves ready just to get started? If so is that OK?

“Do what you do.” How often have we tried to do what someone else thought we should do? How often have we tried to imitate someone else’s perceived success? Wouldn’t it be better to recognize our own talents and develop them? Let’s try being ourselves and see if that works better for us.

“Stop when you are done.” That seems so obvious, but is it? How do you know when you are done? Is perfection required? Or can we stop at good enough? How do we decide when it is right to stop? Instead of just going on and on would it be better to pick a point at which we just stop?

Start, do, stop. I wonder if I can?

TTYL,

Linda

Answers

I stayed up last night until 2 am reading other people’s blogs, comments, and replies. Then I woke up this morning wondering how many of my readers never comment because they think they won’t get an answer to any question they ask? So, I decided I better explain my system.

Every comment made on my blog comes to me as an email. And I answer every one. As an email. That often starts a discussion that may go back and forth several times.

Some of those discussions become very personal but many do not. The ones that do not could, obviously, be posted to the blog. But, I now generally answer those comments using my iPad and I have not figured out how to copy from my email and paste to my blog. So, it is very seldom that my answer to one person becomes an answer to many.

Is this the best system for my replies? Maybe. Maybe not. What do you think?

TTYL,

Linda

Getting Healthy: Circuit Training

Circuit training is, to me at least, a fairly new type of workout. In some ways, though, it is a old as the hills since it uses basic calisthenics. In health clubs it often uses machines but those are not required. What is required is timing.

The basic idea of circuit training is that you do intense exercises for short periods of time changing the exercise you do frequently. The program I do has been modified to meet my needs. It’s for someone who has been sedentary for a long time. It is for someone who is grossly overweight. It is for someone who has a bad knee and a bad back. And it is for someone who needs to do that workout in an RV which provides limited space and where jumping around is not really a good idea.

My workout has five exercises that are done for just 30 seconds each except one that gets done twice. I work my way through the list which take me five minutes since I still take short breaks between exercises. I’m supposed to do the list twice but I’m not yet able to do that. Each time I do them, though, I get a little stronger and a little more stamina. And my aerobic capacity goes up and my metabolism rises. I can tell the latter by how long I stay warm after each workout.

It’s important to count time, not repetitions. As I get healthier I will be able to do more reps in the same amount of time which will means my workout will progress as I do. I think that’s a sign of a good program.

Ready? Here we go.

10 Minute Circuit Training Inside Your RV

There are five exercises. As a warm up walk once through each exercise to get them firmly into your mind before you start timing them. You’ll get the best workout if you don’t have to stop and figure out the direction between exercises. If you’ve been sedentary as long as I have, use the need to reread the instructions as an excuse to take a break between exercises. Once you feel ready, do each exercise 30 seconds and move on to the next one.

Step1: Step Jacks

Done like jumping jacks except step to the side and back without jumping, moving your arms up and down as you go. Switch sides with each step.

Step 2: Squats

Keep your head up. Tilt your hips back and bring your hands out in front of you. Start to lower your body slowly like there is a chair behind you. Bend your knees to 90° bringing your hands down to your sides as you move back up. Do not push your knees forward. Hold onto a counter or chair back if you need it to steady yourself but watch your knee angles. I can’t yet get down to 90° without losing my balance but I’m going lower than I was when I started.

Step 3: Standing Push-ups

Start in push-up position, with your hands about shoulder width apart on a kitchen counter or other immovable surface; keep your abdominals tight. Slowly lower yourself towards the counter, then come back up. Try not to arch your back but keep your body straight.

Step 4: Stride Steps

Like step jacks, but your arms and legs move forward and back instead of side to side. Go forward and back with one leg several times before switching to the other leg. Move your arm the opposite direction as your leg swings. I like to put my right foot and left hand back and my right hand forward before I begin to move so I don’t confuse myself too much.

Step 5: Reverse Lunges

With feet together, step one foot back about two feet and drop that knee towards the ground with all the way down being your ultimate goal. Alternate legs. If your balance is not yet well developed, it may be helpful to hold onto something like a counter. Keep your hips tucked in and your body upright and don’t let your front knee move forward. Your back leg should be doing the work.

Step 6: Push-ups again

As above.

Step 7: Repeat the circuit from the top

Done. Don’t you feel good? I do. Except my bad knee may need some ice. And Advil.

For me a bonus benefit is I get to track this exercise on my Weight Watcher’s program which lets me eat more food if I want to do so. At least, it will once I start doing these regularly.

TTYL,

Linda

ps. WW week 2: I earned a gold star for passing the 5 pounds lost goal.

 

Getting Healthy: Mobility

As many of you know I cannot walk far without pain. For the last several years I have used a Segway as a mobility aid. But, I fell off it and broke my face. And even though I got right back on and rode it again, I never lost my fear of riding it. So when my friend, Bruce, set me a link to this site, http://www.travelscoot.com/, I decided this might be the thing for me.

And it is.

It arrived while we were still in California and Dave unpacked and assembled it inside our house.

After testing it to be sure it would work for me, Dave folded it up and put it in the back of our car. And there is sat. Until now.

Now I am ready to use it. I need an easy way to get me to the pool to do my aqua aerobics now that the weather has warmed up and the rains have, more or less, ceased. And I need a way to go grocery shopping for my healthful foods. And I need a way to get to Weight Watchers meetings when I can’t park close.

So, today I tested my ability to get the TravelScoot out of the car and set up by myself.

Here is is in the car all folded up.

My readings about how to use this thing suggested lowering one end to the ground then the other so I did that.

Then I released the locks and opened the base.

Added the seat.

And the battery.

And away I go. Out of the driveway, down the road, and up to our house.

For those of you who are new here, yes we live full-time in that RV traveling around the country seeing what there is to see. Which is another reason I needed a TravelScoot.

But, we are parked here for the summer so my next trip is to the grocery store. So back into the car goes my scoot.

Unfolded this time to make getting ready to ride easier.

And yes, I picked it up and put it in there myself. It only weighs 34 pounds with the battery installed but I took the battery out first which made it even lighter.

Can you say Freedom?!!!

TTYL,

Linda

ps. Anyone in the market for a used Segway that includes a folding seat?