Friday 30 October 2009

First Pack the Bender Ball!

It’s snowing! It’s a bit early in the year, and it’s really only flurries, but I love snow. And they say that the mountains have already a foot of snow, and that by the Thanksgiving holiday there should be enough snow to open up the resort I want to go to. My wife is not so sure she wants to go skiing, though. She is worried about my fall five years ago, and thinks it could happen again, especially since I am five years older.

I told my wife she shouldn’t worry because since starting my work outs with my Bender Ball I actually feel five years younger than I did five years ago. So I got my wife to agree and we will probably make reservations this coming week for the Thanksgiving weekend. The first thing I will pack will be my Bender Ball.

Saturday 17 October 2009

Winter's Coming: Let's Go Skiing!

The days are really getting colder. Yesterday we had the biggest rainstorm of the year so far, and I heard that some snow fell in the mountains. I hope to get up to do some skiing this winter, a sport that I haven’t participated in for about 5 years. I used to be pretty good, doing the intermediate slopes expertly. But as I got older and was eating like a pig and not getting exercise, skiing became too much for me. The last time I went, I remember feeling so totally exhausted after the first day, that I just stayed in the lodge the next day playing cards and drinking coffee and hot cocoa all day. Bummer. The third day I went back to the slopes, but I took a bad fall and twisted my ankle, but it was so bad I got an x-ray to make sure it wasn’t broken. Like I said, that was the last time I went skiing, and that was about five years ago.

But this year I feel different. I really feel great since I lost weight with the help of my Bender Ball, and I’m hoping that I can ease into a few days of some real skiing fun. And since I can bring my Bender Ball with me so easily, I will be able to find at least 10 minutes each day to work out. I am really amazed how Bender Ball has changed my life.

Saturday 10 October 2009

My Doctor, His Secretary and My Bender Ball

Hurray. At the beginning of this week I had by long-awaited doctor’s appointment and I must say I made a real impression, not just on my doctor, but on the secretary in the waiting room, too. Sylvia has been the secretary there as long as I’ve been seeing this doctor, about 10 years, and she knows me pretty well. But she hadn’t seen me in quite a while, and when I walked in the door Sylvia said, “Steve, you really look great! You must have lost at least 10 pounds!” I told her it was closer to 17 pounds. Then she asked me how I did it? Of course I told her all about Bender Ball, and even gave her the address of my blog so she could follow my progress just like you are.

And what did the doctor say? Well, he told me that I have reached my ideal weight already. When he said, “Loose 20 pounds,” what he meant was “about 20 pounds,” and that the 17.5 pounds that I already lost is fine. He checked my cholesterol, which we discussed over the phone when the results came back, and he said I improved enormously, and if I can maintain this level, I won’t need to go on any medications. As for the blood pressure, that also went down a bit, back to acceptable levels, and the doctor is generally pleased with my progress. I told him about how I enjoy exercising with Bender Ball, which makes all the difference. He thought it was a great idea that I have this blog, and wanted to know if he could give the blog address to some of his patients that also need to lose weight and exercise more. Of course I said yes. The Bender Ball is a real life saving device, and I am so thankful I found it.

Sunday 4 October 2009

Facing Adversity with Confidence and My Bender Ball

Tomorrow I have my physical, but I am looking forward to it for the first time in about 5 years. I haven’t felt this fit since my college days and at my last physical about a year ago, my doctor told me to lose about 20 pounds and get my blood pressure and cholesterol down. I feel really confident that I have achieved those goals, except for the 20 pounds- I need another 3-5 pounds to lose to get to my ideal weight, according to my doctor. I have no fear about being able to lose a few more pounds, because I have my Bender Ball both at the office and at home, and I never miss spending a few minutes every day working on my abs and doing other workouts, too. I’ll let you know how I did.