More history and my plan

'Fat and Disgusted' may be how I feel today--well, maybe yesterday--but it's not in my future. If nothing else, I've always had good plans of attack on most obstacles in my life, and I've come up with one to achieve 'Healthy and Pleased'.

I had my left hip replaced in 2004 at the age of 43, and last year I had my right hip replaced--now I set off all the bells and whistles at the airport but I have bionic hips! Thank God to all the orthopedists out there who make this possible--if not I would most definitely be in a wheelchair. So this spring, when the Arctic tundra of Wisconsin turned to hard brown grass and eventually fields of green, I began walking--again. I was very consistent throughout the summer--walking 4-6 times a week for about 40 minutes. I felt good and had stopped the weight gain anyway.

This September, my mom who's retired and living in East Tennessee, develops a bowel obstruction, and her hubby cannot deal with it. So...Kate to the rescue...leavin' on a jet plane...silver wings shinin' in the sunlight...down to soggy land of rain and humidity. My walking plan came to a halt. Mom happily lives on to exercise another day--all of 108 pounds of her after no food for a week, and I return to the Great North.

But the cold Canadian winds swept into Wisconsin early in the autumn of 2009--snow flurries and gloomy skies. And, I also had the fortune to join the Swine '09 Club--two weeks of weakness, sore throat, and desert-dry hacking cough. At one point in this very confusing season, I had the wherewithal to realize that my walking days were numbered--icy, frigid winters in Wisconsin are not conducive to a consistent walking program. So, I checked into the financial assistance that my local YMCA offers to those community members who are 'economically challenged': Me; out of work and poor as a church mouse (more on that at some other time). I was able to join the Y at an affordable fee. Yeh!

So, before, the oink-oink flu had me in its' grips I was able to attend one Deep Water Exercise Class, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Having been unemployed since the first of the year, I have isolated myself way too much. Truth be told...I'm kinda' shy. But...today, I made it back to the pool for a Monday morning class...only to find out the schedule had been changed! Classes are now Tuesday through Friday, but there were a number of other women who were as misinformed as myself and we 'suffered' on.

So...in the past week, I have walked on five occasions for an average of 40 minutes, I did one session of weight training, and I exercised in the pool today--including swimming laps for 15 minutes--for a total of 45 minutes. I've also been logging all of my calories into Livestrong.com.

Tomorrow: More pool time, and if the weather continues to hold...another walk in Wisconsin November light. Track calories on Livestrong.com...continue to pursue new career goals.