My trainer says “try LSD” (yay!)

health

Mikki, my trainer from Fitness Transform, loves to throw new terms and acronyms at me. The latest is LSD (Long Slow Distance).

Apparently, I’ve been overtraining.

No really. Who knew?

My current training schedule consist of two days of strength training (in a gym, using weights) and three to four days of cardiovascular interval training (running stadiums) per week. Oddly, I’ve come to enjoy it. And lately, I’ve been going through another anti-growth spurt, so it’s pretty effective.

However, in the last week or two, I’ve been dragging through the day. And, my workouts have been affected since I can feel myself getting tired earlier than usual. So, Mikki recommends I cut back a bit to let my body recover. Rather than stadiums, switch to LSD, and only for two days a week.

LSD is the new term for low intensity cardiovascular work, and Mikki discusses the tradeoffs between the two in another article. So I’ll go back to running around the track for several miles and see how I respond. Not as impressive as “running stadiums” but still a challenge for me.
Maybe I just need a vacation – in Malaysai!

Caught in the Act Show Coming October 21

improv, Santa Barbara

We have a Caught in the Act show coming up Saturday October 21. For now, you can find the particulars in my Improv Blog post.

Last night we had a Caught in the Act meeting in order to get ready for the new show. Improv ‘rehersals’ are a chance for the troupe to work together, try out some new games, and plan which pieces we’ll perform. We’ve lost one player and are looking to bring in some additional players, so it’s also a chance to start learning each other’s rhythms.

Clothes for Malaysia

Malaysia, travel

Magellan’s is a fabulous travel supply store that has its headquarters here in Santa Barbara. We generally hit the place a few times before a trip, and the good news is that they have a big sale about this time of year.

This year, thanks to my weight loss, I need new travel clothes, and so this convergence of events led me to a buying spree. I now have two new pairs of nifty travel pants, and a new travel shirt. All are lightweight and quick drying: perfect for light packing and on-the-road, in-the-sink laundry. And they have LOTS of pockets. I won’t argue that travellers need lots of pockets, but it’s the way I like to travel.

Also this year, both Harriet and I were intrigued by the new disposable underwear. Yes, as odd as it sounds, these thin cotton briefs take up much less space than regular underwear, don’t require cleaning, and disappear completely by the end of the trip. More room for souvenirs despite the questionable eco-friendliness. The manufacturer claims that since they are 100% cotton, they are biodegradable. We figure they are worth giving a try, so we bought a couple of packages. I’ll let you know.

We also picked up a new water bottle carrying doo-dad. It has a rubber washer that fits over the spout of a water bottle, and a clip that can attach to a belt buckle or the strap of a bag. Over the years, we’ve tried a lot of water bottle carrying devices, and have yet to find the ‘perfect’ one. It’s amazing how useful such a thing would be since bottled water is something we seem to always want to have around (and no, I do not carry my big, diet soda mug around with me while travelling).

We also picked up a new collapsable umbrella. Unfortunately it looks like we will be getting a lot of rain during our trip. So, we’ll be packing ponchos and umbrellas.

Studio 60 and Heroes

tv

Okay, there are two new shows that I watch regularly, now. The first is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It’s on Monday nights, 10:00, on NBC. It’s Aaron Sorkin’s latest series. I loved Sports Night and West Wing for the same reason I’m loving this show. Brilliant writing with really smart characters. Matthew Perry (Friends), Bradley Witford (West Wing), and Amanda Peet (various movies) are the stars, but they’ve got a great supporting cast of characters, and they deal with interesting issues that come up when putting on a cutting edge comedy show for a national tv network. It’s really, really good. I’m laughing and teary eyed at the same time.

The other show I’m watching is Heroes. Also on NBC, also on Monday nights, but at 9:00. This show appeals to me because of its obvious superhero connections, but what’s interesting is how much Harriet likes the show. The characters are intersting, and the mystery surrounding them keeps us really focused. As long as they keep revealing more of the mystery fast enough, we’ll keep watching. But, I hope it doesn’t become like Lost for us. The first few shows of that series, we were completely hooked. But it was too S L O W, and when we missed a couple of shows due to travel, we didn’t go back. I hope Heroes keeps us more tightly engaged.

Santa Barbara Planned Parenthood Book Sale

books, Santa Barbara, social sevice

Every year, the Santa Barbara branch of Planned Parenthood puts on a big used book sale as a fundraiser. This thing is HUGE, taking up a large hall in the local Earl Warren Showgrounds. It’s pretty well organized with the books divided into categories, lots of tables, and boxes and boxes of books. A book browser’s dream.

They start on a Thursday night with a special preview. You pay to get in on that night (this year, September 21) for a first crack at all the books. They also serve some food. Harriet attended that event and had a great time elbowing through all the dealers. She came back with the first box of books.

This thing goes for nine days! We each went back individually and together. We brought back a couple more boxes of books. Then, on the Sunday a week later (yesterday, October 1) they have a 1/2 price sale to try and get rid of the last of the books. We were there again and got 2 more boxes of books.

I’m telling you, no willpower. All we needed was the excuse “it’s for a good cause” and all inhibitions are lost.