There's a Pattern Here....

So I got this in the mail yesterday:

Advancing Health? How do they know how old I am? Seriously? Or rather,

Thank you, Emily and Pinterest (source)

This totally cracks me up every time. I can't even say "seriously" without thinking of this scholarly golden retriever and his expression. Sorry - just had to have an excuse to use it!

But I digress. First I get the old lady mailer, and then today when I went to the community center pool, there was a new receptionist instead of the cute 19-year-old that is usually there. I told her I was there to swim and handed over my $4. She looked at me and asked if I qualified for the SENIOR RATE!!! She then said it was for over 55, and I was not too proud to admit that yes, I was 56, and was happy to pay only $3!

So swimming is a new and humbling experience for me. Turns out it's not like riding a bike - you DO forget. When I told my dad I was swimming, he said, "Oh, you're a really good swimmer." He forgot to add the WAS. I can ride my bike or walk forever, run for a little bit, but swimming is kicking my butt. The first day I was there, I talked to the lifeguard and told her I was new and to feel free to offer any suggestions. I knew it was going to be a challenge when, on my way back from the far end of the pool, she was waiting at my lane with a kickboard. Which I accepted gratefully. I've been swimming since the beginning of the year, and I keep waiting for it to get easier. I'm really struggling with the breathing part - that tires me out faster than anything. And talk about different muscles - who knew I had lats?! I was talking with my son, the marathoner and Half-Ironman triathlete, early on and he said his upper triceps were what hurt when he swam. I didn't know what he was talking about. Until the next day.

He also said that when he started swimming, he lost 20-25 pounds without changing anything else except adding swimming to his exercise routine. This is a kid who is in top physical form with no weight to lose, and he couldn't put weight on. I'm still waiting for that to happen!

That reminds me - FOOD. Remember, food is fuel, I keep telling myself. I had the rest of last night's salad for lunch, but added a hard-boiled egg, an ounce of blue cheese, and some grilled chicken strips.

I usually use a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but decided to lighten that up a bit with just a spritz of olive oil from my mister and some balsamic vinegar:

It was delicious, especially made with this wonderful vinegar that Emily gave me for Christmas. She got it at a local shop in Des Moines where you can taste all the vinegars. She also gave me a chocolate balsamic that is a tasty topping for ice cream. (Why do I need to lose weight?) Anyway, if you're in the area or want to order, pick some of this up!

My afternoon snack was an apple and cottage cheese, and then I made the reuben again for dinner. It tasted as good as before, but this time the picture might be a bit better. The "chips" on the side are Special K Sea Salt Cracker Chips. Love them.

And that's all for today. Two posts in one day! I must have too much free time.