I'm getting amphibious with my bad self!
I'm all about exercise trends. No, not diet trends....those never work. Exercise trends usually DO work AND they provide a break from the same old, same old. Back in January I shed 26 pounds in the gym with the treadmill and elliptical machine and weight training. I HATE weight training. Then I had trouble getting on the machines due to other early birds wanting to work out. So I began swimming a few days a week. I didn't realize how much I had missed the long strides, natural stretching, and relaxation it gave me. But, it didn't do enough toning so I had to use it with the weights and cardio.
Then, we went to visit family and I sprained my ankle. BADLY. AGAIN. In college, I had twisted my foot over my ankle joint and it took months to heal. So, I did it again just to keep life interesting and three weeks later, I'm still not ready for cardio.
My hairdresser first mentioned Aqua Jogging to me and said she lost 25 pounds doing it. I googled it and found many other success stories including many serious athletes who use it to train for marathons. Many of them started it when they injured themselves because it is zero impact and the water actually helps the muscles heal.
So, I've aqua jogged every morning this week in our indoor community pool. I go at 5:00 a.m. and have the place entirely to myself. The belt around my middle keeps my head and neck above water and my feet off the pool floor. The weights are just foam but they provide resistance forward and backward to work my arms both directions. So far, I feel great! My legs and arms are tingly for hours after I work out and I already feel like my energy is returning.
I've decided not to weigh myself this go around because it distracts me and water workouts can make your water weight vary. Instead, my jeans will tell me how I'm doing!
Andrew's birthday weekend started off on Friday afternoon, when I brought cupcakes to school. I don't have any photos to post from it though, because I had to give out the cupcakes with gloves on and well, it didn't make for easy access to the camera in my purse. I did take this one at home Friday night when Andrew got his hands on a special cupcake I bought just for him.
Saturday was exciting as Andrew and I loaded ourselves into the car and traveled to Oak Island Airport for the Big Toy Day.
There was a real version of every little boy's favorite sandbox toys. There were helicopters, airplanes, cement trucks, firetrucks, race cars, tractor trailers, farm machinery, and construction equipment. Andrew was in heaven.
The kids were even allowed to sit in many of the vehicles.
Saturday night Andrew hung out with his Aunt Jenny and Uncle Wells who aren't family but are very close friends. They enjoyed some rides at the beach while Mommy and Daddy attended a friend's wedding.
Sunday was the day of the big Par-tay. Andrew was very excited when the decorations starting going up. He couldn't understand why we were tying balloons to doors and fences and chairs, but it looked great! We set up stations along the yard. Mini-golf, t-ball, sandbox, playset, and bouncy room. The bouncy room was a huge hit!
This little guy at the bottom of the photo is little Jackson. He's a year younger than Andrew and was one of the youngest at the party. By the end, he was in there with the other crazy kiddos!
(Check out Mr. sweaty pants!)
We waited until the other kids left before opening gifts. This age is difficult for explaining that the present is Andrew's!
He had almost forgotten about them and was delighted to rip into the paper after everyone had gone home.
Happy Birthday Andrew!
