Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Denise and Pedro Rampolla: The balancing act continues
It has been six months since our last New You checkup and I am pleased to say that I think we have held our own. We are still as busy as ever with soccer, Air National Guard Family Readiness Program activities, flag football, Boy Scouts, Leadership Cheyenne, work and school. It seems we are always whirling from one activity to the next.
No slow down but plenty of attention to eating regularly, eating right and getting as much exercise as possible. The kids are staying active through sports and outdoor Boy Scout activities like hikes.
Pedro and I still manage to visit with our new (third) trainer, Jason Hammock. He is a great kid of 21 who makes us feel old! He spares no effort to push us hard and has even taught me what it feels like to pull my back out. As this really did occur the day after a workout session during a May business trip to Washington for a National Military Family Association Board of Governors Meeting.
I looked silly sitting with my head cocked to the side and had to stand with my upper back compressed against the wall during most of the meeting. I learned to pay attention to my body and its messages. Don't push to much past uncomfortable and don't laugh while lifting weights.
I can not believe some of the exercises that we now do. I was ecstatic when I excelled to 42 pushups in 8 weeks and that was just regular pushups. Now Jason has me doing them balancing on a Bosu Ball, which is like a half circle with a hard flat top on it. The balancing was hard at first but has gotten better within a couple of weeks. It has become even more challenging as I can now balance much better during the pushup, but now I have to raise one leg into the air behind me at the same time.
I guess this is a testament to what we have learned from New You --- it has been a balancing act.
We have moved to a new home, inspired by our New You need for more kitchen space and a more conscious effort to cook healthy and eat healthy. It's been a great deal of fun and has taken some real conscious effort to instill these habits. It's still hard to remember to slow down and eat -- but I do.
New You has made a New Me. It has shaped our health vision for the future of our family and has set Pedro and I down a road that will hopefully be free of some of the family history of heart disease that we are so aware of each and every day.
Huge thanks to Sanjay, Stephanie Smith, Mary Holte, Jason Hammock and all our friends and family around the world, in Cheyenne and with the 153d Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard. Thanks for the encouragement!
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