Cl...cli...clichéd....

Sorry...had a little trouble getting that word out. :p

Edit: Hmm...I realized I rather repeated myself a couple times in this post, and my commas got way out of hand...I think I got it fixed now. :p

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I'm planning to this year work on being healthier....well, as much as it's in my power. :) And that's where the clichéd part comes in, because almost everyone starts out the year resolving to be fit and exercise and be so super-healthy in the new year. And then they give up on it in a few months...or maybe around Valentine's Day when there's candy to eat. :)

Well, anyways, this isn't exactly a resolution, it's more like doing something about the fact that I've been feeling way older than I am...and I don't mean mentally, I mean things like the fact that my knee aches on cold mornings. Seriously! The weather shouldn't be affecting me yet! :p

So, for starters I've been remembering to take my vitamin D, calcium, drink some milk every day, and drink more water. And next thing I need to work on is exercising. I figured out that the muscles in my back are sort of out of alignment because I have a habit of leaning slightly to the right. When I sit in the car I slouch to the right unless I'm driving, I sit on my computer chair the same way...although I'm fixing that a little by sitting on the exercise ball I got for Christmas...and when I'm at work I carry the baby on my right hip. So I need to do something about that!

I got a fascinating book from the library about back pain, and I think I'm going to have to do some more research about what she talks about in there. The basic theory is that the main muscles in your torso, the psoas muscles, also affect how the rest of your body functions. That sounds a little out there, which is why I say I'm going to have to research it more. But if it is in fact true, which it may be, that might help more than my back. So I'm definitely going to look into that more, and the exercises that go with it.

I also need to get back to lifting weights as well. And I realized I've found one actually enjoyable cardio/aerobic exercise...contra! :p Laura and I went again this week (with a couple of friends), and it was when we were on the way home and Laura was sighing with exhaustion and saying "that really was a good workout", I realized that it really was. Ha-ha...I mean, obviously it's good exercise, but it hadn't occurred to me that it was painless cardio exercise! Unlike jogging/running, jumping rope, or bicycling, it doesn't leave me with a pain in my chest, cramp in my side, and my knees hurting.

But mainly I have to do something about my back, so I'm going to try to find out more about what the author of that book is talking about. Especially kinesiology (which the book also talks about), because it sounds pretty interesting. I hadn't even heard the word before the Olympics, but beach volleyball player Kerry Walsh had had a shoulder injury and was wearing kinesiology tape which is somehow applied in some way to help the muscles recover. At any rate, kinesiology sounds interesting....NOT to be confused with "Applied Kinesiology" which is a bunch of nonsense. :p But kinesiology is human kinetics...and stuff like that fascinates me. :)*

I'm thinking of perhaps doing some studying/research on health and fitness this year. I think a lot of people worry too much about health...go to the doctor all the time, get flu shots, stuff like that, but there are many practical things we can do. Although as far as that goes we eat fairly healthy already, for example; so certain health things may be nothing different for me. Nothing against anyone who goes to the doctor, I just don't see the point of it, especially when during cold and flu season you're more likely to get sick from going to the doctor's office and being exposed to all those germs. On the other hand, since I work for a pediatrician I suppose I shouldn't complain about people going to the doctor and in the process paying her salary. ;) And we do go to the doctor if we have to, we just don't have many actual reasons to go.

So, I have no idea if any of that made sense, but it's just some of the stuff I've been thinking about. And I wanted to blog because I haven't blogged for...oh, about a week! :) I meant to write something earlier but I've been busy.

Sometime I need to post my reading list from last year too...I kept track of all the books I read. And that reminds me: I need to start a list for this year.

*I think my two favorite schoolbooks were my physical science textbook and the algebra program that finally worked...I guess I love mechanical and slightly abstract concepts. :D ...like centrifugal vs. centripetal force. Thus...human kinetics fits right in there.