Off Screen

The Players, Miami, Florida, USA.

Much of my time is spent in front of a computer screen, sitting down. When I go to work, I spend about 9 hours in the dark, on the computer and when I come home, I spend time returning emails and time on the internet. In the winter, this is particularly downright depressing. While I'm not a couch potato, my work days always drain my energy, and getting a workout in is hard when you have to factor in eating, commuting plus other chores. You might be just like me. I've lamented in the past about my behind getting bigger from my mostly sedentary lifestyle but now I've finally taken a move in the right direction to be active and healthy.

In January, R and I joined a Y in PA. We both like exercising (when we have time to do it) and love having access to a pool. We had a fairly open schedule so we went about 5 days a week. If you tack on all those walks for Clyde, we were getting a decent workout. When I returned to NY, I had to figure out a way to maintain a workout without a regular gym membership. Gyms have to be accessible so that you can actually get to them to use them. If you don't have much of a budget, they can be cost prohibitive. For a while, I used my Y Away membership and when I went to my sister's house to hang out with her and the kids, I used her treadmill.

In one of my 'genius' moves, I also packed one of my Jillian Michaels dvds with me (30 Day Shred – an oldie but goodie) and was using it on heavy rotation. Her videos are great – you don't need much to workout, just some space, a set of light weights, and a yoga mat. I looked for more online and have since developed a routine for working out to her different programs daily. JM's more recent workouts are less repetitive and more dynamic. I've also started listening to her podcasts at work (R makes fun of me for devoting so much time to her) and they keep me motivated. I've since cleaned up some of my eating habits based on some of the suggestions and information I've learned listening to those podcasts. Calories in, calories out- maintaining healthy weight is adding and subtracting. Counting calories is something I've never really been aware of and now trying to be conscious of while eating.

I'm now waking up early to exercise before work (I'm a morning person anyway), eating a primarily vegetarian diet and heading to work on a good exercise high and have great energy throughout the day. Now that the weather is nice, I'm also taking walks after my lunch break and after dinner. I've also cut out lots of screen time at home. While my email correspondence is slower, I am living a happier life, off screen.

What do you do to stay healthy? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Buttermilk Falls

The Waterfall, Beaver Falls, PA.

The Ice, Beaver Falls, PA.

We took a short hike to Buttermilk Falls on Sunday. It's a short drive from our apartment and we assumed that the path wouldn't be too treacherous since we had a sunny weekend. The ice formations were spectacular and the light was so beautiful underneath the rocks that we decided to go back the same afternoon and make some pictures. It's always hard to start but I'm glad to finally be making work in PA.

Along the Beaver and the Ohio

The Bunker, Beaver Falls, PA.

The Beaver River, Beaver Falls, PA.

Seeing Sol Lewitt, Cleveland, Ohio.

I walk Clyde along the Beaver River several times a week. There's a rail trail of sorts and it's his favorite walk. I spent some time photographing in and around it last week, freezing my hands off. So grateful to have a nice place to take Clyde and let him pretend to be a puppy.

We went on a day trip to Ohio the other day to pick up some fire brick. Made a short day trip of it and visited Garie and the CMA. So impressed and glad to know it's not so far out of our way to go see some great art and a good friend.

A Visit to New Brighton

Driving around New Brighton (the cute little town next to us), we discovered Big Rock Park. Clyde loved every minute of walking up and down the gentle slopes and getting close to the water. We walked out of the park and a bit further down past the dam into another little park area with great views of the dam. There's an area for fishing and what looked like a potential area for swimming. I'm very eager for any and all swimming opportunities so this easily made my day. We capped off our mini adventure with lunch at Waffles Incaffeinated, a cute sit down place we have been meaning to try. Ross had the Bananas Foster Waffle (yum sourdough recipe) and I stuck to a good savory panini on ciabatta. All three of us want to take lunch time walks in New Brighton more often.

Clyde Minzenberg

We have adopted the thirteen year old family chocolate lab, Clyde, to live with us full-time. Ross and I both grew up with dogs and we've always wanted to adopt a dog. Having Clyde with us at our new little apartment in Western PA makes it feel like home. Clyde is a sweetheart. He is great with kids and has a gentle disposition.

Since he's a bit of a senior, he sleeps just about all day except during his walks and when he's eating. He has some joint issues but gets around well enough (we've started giving him fish oil to try and ease that pain). He plops down where ever we are working and just wants to be near us.
 
We run lots of errands and take Clyde with us in the back of the car (or truck) so that he's not left alone at home.
 
Though it's a commitment with lots of work and maintenance, we're pretty lucky to have him by our sides. We are extremely grateful that he is our constant companion. We love you Clyde!