Day 70: Learn How to Breathe

One of my problems with exercise from the very beginning was my inability to coordinate different parts of my body doing different things at the same time. For instance, I am nearly retarded in ability to do a jumping-jack—I just can't do it right. So it should not be surprising to readers that coordinating certain other things like breathing while swimming, or other exercising has always been a challenge. Aside from low self-confidence and a bit of klutziness, I think that was a contributing factor to my avoidance of most exercise—I didn't get a thrill out of it as much as I realized I was probably working harder than other people and not getting the maximum benefit because I wasn't doing it right. As I walked around the track this afternoon, after doing 35 minutes on the exer-cycle, I realized I may just be slowing down enough to be able to breathe AND exercise at the same time. It's amazing what you can do when you concentrate.

Breakfast
3 (!) Strips Jennie-O Turkey Bacon (something is wrong with my math that I always have the wrong number of pieces left)
2 Eggs Over Easy—Done Perfectly (thanks Amy)
Tea
1 Tsp Peanut Butter

Snack
Lite Jarlsberg
Granny Smith Apple
4 Strawberries
8 oz "Lite" Peach Yogurt
20 Peanuts

Lunch
Tuna Salad
Broccolli
Banana Peppers

Dinner
Talapia a la Emily with Fiddleheads

Felt like a HUGE eating day, but I always feel so hungry after being at the gym. I am starting to get interested in the other machines there and very soon may get on one of those stairmaster things. I also walked around the track 10 times, and realized that it wasn't so bad without music (I used to think I wouldn't be able to do it without music). I realize now that nearly everything I thought about both diet and exercise was wrong. No matter how good I feel when people say I look good, or whatever, the bottom line is that this has been a very, very humbling experience.