At my age, getting out of bed each morning should be an Olympic event worthy of a gold medal. I can hear the breathless announcers:
“She’s got one foot out, Bob. Will she be able to move the other one in the next five minutes?”
“Look, Brian. Now both feet are on the floor. The form is a bit wobbly but she stuck the landing!”
The crowd goes wild. I hobble to the podium in my well-worn nightgown, my hair is disheveled, and I squint without my glasses. I bend to receive the medal but I need help getting up again. My back aches, my neck is stiff, and one leg has a cramp, but I’m still standing. A single tear rolls from my eye but catches in a wrinkle. Yes, I did it! Now, what’s for breakfast?
I’ve enjoyed watching the Olympics and am amazed at the physical and mental strength of the athletes. I wish I had a fraction of their discipline. And, as the late comedienne George Burns once said, if I knew I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself.
If you are what you eat, I’m a gigantic chocolate chip cookie floating in a vat of red wine. But now I have a new zeal to live long enough to irritate my future great-grandchildren. I’m in an intense exercise program with the goal of jogging in the St. Luke’s Women’s Fitness Celebration in September. At this point, there’s a 50-50 chance I’ll make it to the starting line and then take a detour to the scone booth.
The course is called Body Back Boise and it’s designed for women who want to get back in shape after having a baby. My youngest (Baby #2) is 31 years old, so I’ve decided it’s about time. The instructor is a lean, charming woman (Baby #1) who inspires a group of six women to sweat until we crumple like empty candy bar wrappers. She met us at a grocery store and taught us to shop on the outside of the aisles – that’s where the fresh, organic produce, dairy products and lean meats are displayed. Now I’m afraid to go near the rows of packaged, processed foods because some bell will ring, lights will flash, and I’ll be disqualified from class.
It’s still amazing to return from the store with kale and cucumbers instead of cake and candy. I’m trying to cook and eat healthier, and I even made a dinner with quinoa – an organic, high-protein grain – sautéed with fresh vegetables and herbs. Studley added a cube of butter, some Cajun spice, and a pork chop and said it was delicious. In the true test of discipline, I’ve limited the amount of red wine that I enjoy. Note the word “limited” as opposed to “eliminated.” Not even world-class athletes are perfect in everything!
Today’s blog is fueled by ONE GLASS – yes, one glass – of 2007 Francis Ford Coppola Director’s Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County. It’s lush and fruity with a hint of berries and spice. And, it pairs nicely with a grilled steak and fresh salad. Some warm pecan pie with ice cream would be a nice touch, but I think my fitness instructor installed secret cameras in my house…
