Jan 26 - Day 17

When I got up, I checked the weather on my computer and it was 32 degrees outside, not as cold as two weeks ago but quite chilly.  Paula says there is a snow storm predicted for Thursday and down here they do little plowing.  She thinks there might be as many as 6 plows for the whole town.  I'm not sure what it means for DFC, but I'm sure they will tell us ahead of time if the center is closed for a bit.

After breakfast, I worked out on the Nu-step for two - 30 minute sessions, with a break in between when I went to the nutrition office and purchased a few paperback books.  Then it was to the pool where I "Water walked" for 20 minutes and spent 50 minutes in a "Water Power and strength" class.

My legs are feeling so much stronger in just two+ weeks, which I find amazing.  In addition, the pain in my right shoulder is less and I have increased my range of motion a bit. I could not raise my right arm over my head when I got here and now I can do it to some degree. I believe all this is a result of my strengthening of the muscles around the knee and shoulder. I asked my trainer if I could start using the treadmill and he o.k.ed me so this afternoon I spent 30 minutes on it. I guess that made it just over 2 1/2 hours of aerobics today!

We have begun classes on planing our exit strategies once we leave DFC. I can't believe a week from Saturday, it will be over.  I have made so many friends here.  I feel it's like a college campus with all the classes and the pressure of getting to them on time, especially after being in the pool, and the sitting around in between, chatting.

After lunch I went to a hypertension discussion and found it very helpful.  Dr. Eisenson the director here lead the class.  A few days ago I had looked at the CD that we received the first day with class notes and power-point presentations for all the classes we have attended on it.  My disk was missing the medical presentations so for the last two days I have been telling anyone in authority here about the glitch.  Today, I told the "Big cheese" about the disk during a break.  He was a bit dismayed and said the center had switched over to a CD from paper a few weeks ago and he would look into the problem.  I went outside the room during the break and a friend told me that new disks would be available by 3PM. Then she came into the classroom with one of three new disks!  I guess "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" as someone in class said.

The last class today was about Low Carb Diets. The final word was, "all diets work, it's up to the dieter to adhere to it. Also, all diets improve metabolic functions and weight loss". One tidbit I want to pass along from the class: The nutritionist's favorite grain is "quinoa" very similar to brown rice but, as she said, has much more flavor.  You need to rinse it well before boiling as it can have a bitter taste if you don't. You will find it in a health food store or many grocery stores carry it in their natural foods section.  If you try it, let me know. I definately plan to find some when I return.  It might be a great substitution for the Wild Rice Salad that Sudie put into Dragon Feast.