WETPTARMIGAN's SparkPeople Blog

What I Learned at the Spa

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:31:18 EST

Recently I was lucky enough to spend a week at a very nice destination spa. Though body "treatments" were available, the emphasis was on a wide range of exercise options and healthy eating and cooking rather than lounging in mud or wrapping up like a seaweed burrito. I went for a more active experience, and that's what I got.

My purpose for going there was to have a warm-weather break and to spend quality time with ...

Enter the Idita-Splash!

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 19:27:17 EST

Want some extra motivation for your workouts, plus a beautiful shirt, plus help some kids in a frozen part of the world enjoy a healthful activity? Step right this way and join the Idita-splash!

The Idita-splash is a cousin of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race iditarod.com/ a 1049 mile mushing race across most of the state of Alaska run in early March each year. It begins near Anchorage and ends in ...

Digital Snow Day x 4!

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:51:38 EST

The big wind storm in Anchorage knocked out our power supply for 4 days! I'm just now catching up with all the online stuff. I blogged the experience on my other blog, and you can see it at ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/

We're now back to nearly normal, with a healthier respect for the forces of nature vs. human technology. Just grateful it wasn't winter time! 40

Masterclass

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:47:13 EST

Whew! I did it! Gave a water aerobics instructor masterclass for my fellow teachers at the health club to share some of the ideas and techniques I got from the conference I attended in May. (blogged at http://subptropical.blogspot.com/)

Most people's big fear is speaking in public. Now add to that being in a bathing suit. And not young and definitely not cute! The antidote for that supposedly is to imagine your audience naked or in their underwear. But they were already in bathing ...

It's always better to show up at the pool!

Wed, 8 Aug 2012 12:22:20 EST

Just had to share this with fellow Sparkers, especially the Water Aerobics Team.

Working Out Sucks!

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:03:43 EST

I recently stumbled on this book at the library and just had to pick it up. www.amazon.com/Working-Out-Sucks-Doe
snt-Have/dp/0738215694/ref=sr_1_1?s=bo
oks&ie=UTF8&qid=1339425181&sr=1-1

It's a humorous yet well-grounded boost for your motivation. The basic format is "Working out sucks, but...X... sucks more." Some examples:

Working out sucks...but your excuses suck more.

Working out sucks...but having low self-worth sucks more.
<...

Blogging the AEA Conference

Sat, 12 May 2012 23:48:34 EST

Sunday (Mothers' Day) I am heading down to the opposite corner of the continent, Orlando Florida, for the annual conference of the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA). I will be blogging my experience there at subptropical.blogspot.com/ Come join me if you want to know what hundreds of water aerobics teachers can get up to for a week!

Got My Idita-Splash Shirt!

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:50:30 EST

Got my finisher t-shirt from doing the Idita-Splash this year. All the info about the event is here: www.idita-splash.com/ids/index.asp
The short story is that it's a water exercise event tied to the Iditarod dog sled race iditarod.com/ that's run across 1049 miles of Alaska in March. This event isn't a race, though. You try to complete 1049 minutes of water exercise and you get t...

Sparkversary

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:15:09 EST

This past week was my Sparkversary--for three years now I have been using this site, and here I still am. No huge achievements in the weight loss department, though stopping the yo-yo and having lost a few pounds and kept them off is a minor achievement for me, given what I was like pre-spark.

But the big shiny accomplishment worth standing on a chair and shouting about is my 3-year streak of at least 90 minutes of exercise per week. 157 weeks! (I missed one single week somewhere ...

You, Too, Can Participate in the Iditarod!

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:12:07 EST

Perhaps you've heard of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race , www.iditarod.com/ the 1049-mile race across Alaska that takes place every March. I've recently discovered a way for you and I to participate, have fun, exercise, and never have to leave our hometowns.

The Idita-walk www.idita-walk.com/idw/Index.asp is 1049 minutes of walking wherever you live. You log your time online (sound familiar?) and if you complete the total by March 31, you get a pin (othe...

Two Aqua Zumbas

Sat, 3 Dec 2011 12:05:31 EST

For the past few months I have been enjoying the new Aqua Zumba class at my health club and even beginning to venture into land Zumba via Zumba Gold. But the past few weeks I have been away from home visiting family, and was able to attend an AqZ class there. The contrast couldn't have been bigger. We'll call the two classes Home and Away.

At Home, the instructor is a bitty little blonde bundle of energy who has been a dancer all her life and a dance teacher for most of the adult...

Countin' Bob

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:32:26 EST

Several people at one of the private health clubs I visited said I simply MUST come to one of Countin' Bob's classes. Not so easy to do, as he only substitutes; he doesn't have his own regular class. I consulted the club's schedule and eventually found a class he was going to teach.

Countin' Bob is so called because he intentionally doesn't use any music. Instead, he gives a move to do and counts out the repeats: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. I was skeptical that one could keep up the motio...

The Rest of the Tour de Splash

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:59:05 EST

My pool's finally fixed up and open again. Hurray! The water was 75 degrees the first day, and I had no takers for a polar bear class, but we were at 82 this morning and back to normal.

But I still need to update you on the rest of my local water aerobics tour. I experienced 4 different classes at a nonprofit organization's pool, and they were quite a mixed bag. It was the type of pool with two shallow ends and a slightly deeper middle, which led to a curious arrangement that I h...

Further Along on the Tour de Splash

Wed, 7 Sep 2011 19:49:18 EST

I made two visits to another private health club venue, and experienced two more instructors whom we will call C and D. Both of these were closer to on time (hurray!); both taught the entire class from the water; both were adequate. Though music was playing in both instances, neither made much use of it. Neither displayed much enthusiasm or energy or, come to that, a sense of humor. It was a bit like being led by Eyore.

Both of these ladies are certified instructors, which says...

Water Aerobics Tourist

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 18:47:41 EST

BOTH of my health club's pools are closed for two weeks of repair and renovation. Apparently the contractor's desire to get it all done at once in both locations trumped the members' desire for the water, so we are left high and dry for about two weeks.

After a bit of a grumble and some teeth-gnashing, I decided that this time would free me to check out other water exercise venues and instructors around town. So I have become a water aerobics tourist here in my own back yard, and...

Exploring Uncharted Waters

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:38:59 EST

For the past couple of weeks I have been on a family visit "outside", as we in Alaska call the rest of the country beyond our state. Determined not to take a vacation from my healthy life, I made sure I exercised every single day. I tried to eat mindfully while enjoying reunions and celebrations, and the result was on the scale when I got home: three pounds lost in two weeks!

Some days I took my exercise in water aerobics classes at a local commercial gym, and the experience was ...

Plateau Shattered!

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 11:59:17 EST

Two years ago (has it been two years already?) when I joined this site, I lost 6 pounds and tracked my exercise. Then the weight loss plateaued and after a brief further effort, I concentrated on the exercise. I continued to eat pretty healthily, but got my kicks from piling up points and streaks and trophies from working out. My weight was incredibly stable, probably more so than any previous time in my life, fluctuating only about a pound up or down. But no more than that.

The...

Arctic Mermaid

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:25:32 EST

Being a water exerciser in the far north gives a person some special experiences in the winter.

One of them is frozen hair, which I actually enjoy once in a while. When you come out of the pool building with wet hair into single-digit weather, the water in your hair freezes. When you shake your head it doesn't clink like icicles in cartoons, but it does kind of rattle. Don't worry--I don't walk or bike home in this condition! My hair "melts" right away when I get in the car.

2011 Reboot

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:53:31 EST

It's a brand new year; I'm coming up for my second anniversary on the site in February. Time for a little reflection and re-dedication.

First, the positive. Through the Spark's system of points, streaks, and awards I have really ramped up my fitness efforts and I can feel the difference. I exercised before, and was a water aerobics teacher when I came here, but my workouts consisted almost entirely of teaching classes. The water is still my main exercise location (one has to fo...

Chain of Fitness

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:55:18 EST

Around this time of year, people's commitment to exercise often wanes to near non-existence. At one of the classes I teach we've developed a scheme to try to counteract this and to give a little extra incentive to folks to keep exercising, keep coming to class, maintain the level of fitness they've worked so long and hard to attain.

It's based on the principle that after 48 hours, the muscle tissue you have built through exercise starts to deteriorate and diminish. Keep exercising...

Back in the Nest

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:11:48 EST

I'm back from the South Pacific vacation and to my utter astonishment I have not gained (or lost) an ounce! This was a vacation that included a week on a fancy-schmancy cruise ship, stays in beautiful resorts, fantastic French food & wine, dessert most evenings, minimal exercise (snorkel here, swim there, but little else 'cause it was HOT). What the flippin' heck was going on?? I know people who brag about "only" gainin...

Ptarmigan goes ptropical

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 19:12:35 EST

So long for a couple of weeks, Sparkfriends. I am going on vacation to an exotic undisclosed South Seas location. 244 I am trying to unplug from constant electronic contact, but will be taking notes and pictures to show when we get back. I plan to take care with the food and drink intake, keep on keeping track of my exercise time, and enjoy myself to the hilt! What I do after that TBA. Meanwhile, have fun and keep on sparkin'!
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Personal Trivia Survey

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:50:41 EST

Found this survey on FAIR*ISLE's blog and liked it:

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? open.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? no

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? out

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before? no

5. Do you like to use post-it notes? Yes! Perfect for marking your place on a knitting pattern. I have an embarrassingly large stash of them.

6. Do...

Ice Whacking: The Alaska Breakup Workout

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 17:50:16 EST

I have really added to my exercise minutes in the past couple of weeks with an activity I do every year at this time. In Alaska, late March through April are a special season known as Breakup. The snow and ice melt, the ground begins to thaw, there are dirty puddles everywhere and everybody's car is filthy from getting splashed. While the rest of North America rejoices in flowers and birdsong, Alaskans are looking out their windows at the increasing daylight (Hurrah!) and the slowly shrink...

Healthy Living Survey

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:09:50 EST

I saw this on FAIRE*ISLE's blog and swiped it for me, too:

1. What did you eat for breakfast?
I make a special blend of whole grains--including but not limited to wheat, kamut, barley, oats, wild rice, spelt. I cook up a huge pot (takes about an hour), keep it in the fridge and nuke some every morning. I love the taste with all kinds of different toppings and flavors, and it makes my digestion work perfectly!

2. How much water do you drink a day?
I don't tr...

Sparkiversary!

Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:34:14 EST

This is approximately where I came in 1 year ago. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed at the possibilities and opportunities of the huge site. Exercise plans, exercise tracking, food journals, nutritional analysis, recipes, blogs, teams and more and more and more. It was hard to take it all in and daunting to think about keeping up with everything. So, as with any successful change of lifestyle, I started with just a few parts of it--tracking my exercise, joining a few teams, blogging when ...

Remembering Jackie

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:20:28 EST

Today I attended the memorial service for a member of one of my water aerobics classes who passed away recently. Jackie's absence will leave a hole in the water and in the little community that has formed among the members who have been coming for many years. She was one of the happiest and most positive people I've ever met. Though life had thrown her some big challenges, she chose not to let them bug her and looked for and found the fun in everything she did. As often happens at memoria...

Blogging elsewhere for a week

Sat, 9 May 2009 19:52:19 EST

Tonight I leave Alaska for the other corner of the continent--Orlando, Florida, to be exact. I'm going to attend the annual international conference of the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) and I'll be blogging it here: ptarmiganptracks.blogspot.com/ for the benefit of my water colleagues. Wander over and take a look if you like. 213

Does the biggest loser really win?

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:03:12 EST

My local paper this past weekend had a really interesting article on Kai Hibbard, a local woman who was a Biggest Loser finalist in 2006. She's married now and battling the weight she gained having a baby. Here's a link: www.adn.com/life/health/story/740127
.html There's video, too, both of her as she is today and a couple of video diary entries from when she was at home working toward the final. The diaries were considered too negative for inclusion in the show.
...

Am I Competitive? A Nerd? A Competitive Nerd?

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 14:05:44 EST

Having completed my first month on the site, just for grins I looked up my position on the fitness minute charts for my teams. On 50+ with 50-99 lbs to lose, I am #327 of 125,729 members. On SP class of Feb 8-14 I'm #46 of 17,116. On the Anchorage team #8 of 1516. On Ravelry Knitters I'm # 13 of 500. On Zumba Lovers #19 of 454. Water aerobics #12 of 126. That puts me in the top 1% of Anchorage, 50+ 50-99, and my SP class, top 9% of Water Aerobics, top 2% of Ravelry Knitters, top 4% of ...

Water Instructor Workshop

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:41:48 EST

Whew! The whole day has been spent in an instructor workshop learning new stuff for Continuing Education Credits to maintain my certification. The major part--4 hours all together-- was practical application in the pool, which was exhausting, but fine with me since the only way I can learn movement is to move myself. Actually, one remark from an instructor really registered with me. There are no new moves. There are only so many ways the human body can move, and they have all been discove...

The Day After the Zumba Before

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:31:20 EST

I am surprised at the effects of the first big Zumba class yesterday. I had thought that muscle soreness would be my biggest problem--my quads were screaming during class and the usual effect of a new activity on my body is sore muscles that I forgot I had. The muscles are OK, though feeling well used, the sign of a good and balanced workout. Hip and knee joints not so happy, excess weight and gravity taking their toll. I think I will do things a little bit differently next time. No need...

First Zumba Class

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:17:15 EST

I went to my first Zumba class today. Whew! What a workout! It's been a long time since I did anything with fast fancy footwork and on land to boot! By the second half of the class I was at the back adapting the dance for lower impact and less arm waving. I can definitely see the advantages of Zumba Gold that's pitched more toward the older and de-conditioned body and adapting Zumba for the water. Nonetheless, I intend to persevere. I figure familiarity with the moves will be a big hel...

Hi there!

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 15:37:24 EST

I'm just getting started on SparkPeople, and there's a lot to look over and learn. I hope I can soon identify the parts I need the most so I don't have to spend all day at the computer! I really like what I've discovered so far. To introduce myself--well, the teams tell most of the tale--I'm fast approaching seniorhood, a bookworm, a knitter, a water aerobics teacher in Anchorage, Alaska.