• Mural on greenway
    Fun in Knoxville,  Motivation,  Working On My Fitness

    Relearning Old Skills is Easier When You’re Kind to Yourself.

    Recently we went for a bike ride. This was a big deal for me. I haven’t ridden my bicycle in at least six years…maybe more like eight years: I can’t recall. Twelve years ago I rode my bike a lot because that was the summer when the price of gasoline jumped to nearly five dollars per gallon and I was absolutely not paying that just to drive myself to the salon for my part-time job, or to my workouts at the gym. I rode about 75 miles each week, something I can’t imagine doing at this point in my life. Anyway, we have this great ten-mile green way near our…

  • Working On My Fitness

    The Best Kind of Fanatic

    I just returned home from the doctor, again. I was last there six weeks ago, when I had my very first appointment, a meet-and-greet-but-also-checkup with this new-to-me Knoxville doctor, after having gone to the same awesome doctor in the Chicago suburbs for nearly twenty years. (Ouch, saying goodbye to her hurt so much!) I talked with my new doctor about my health history and told her that I would love to get to a point where I could decrease my blood pressure medication by one (of two). She listened intently, agreed that my goal was not ridiculous in the least, and told me to come back in six weeks to…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Working On My Fitness

    Go Float! (Part 1)

    Disclosure: I am writing this post in exchange for flotation therapy at Anicca Float Club, which I can’t wait to tell you about. As usual, all opinions are mine. I had no idea that floating was a thing. Well, maybe I did. I can’t imagine that it has been a thing since the 1970’s and I could never have heard of it. Maybe I had gotten wind of it at some point but if so, I stuffed it into the recesses of my brain. I have too many other things to think about/obsess over…which is probably why I ended up floating. Confused? Let me explain. I am in a constant…

  • Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Roxie,  Working On My Fitness

    Thoughts From This Morning’s Walk

    I hope I don’t get rained on. Why does Roxie have to bark at EVERYTHING? I need someone to walk a block ahead of me, warning everyone that she’s a loud barker but harmless. I love that I can listen to music on my iPhone while walking. So grateful for Steve Jobs as well as those who invented the Sony Walkman before him. Walking with a boom box would’ve been way harder than this. I really need to make time to file the 1500 read emails that are sitting in my inbox. I’ll feel better after I do that. Maybe tomorrow. It just occurred to me that I take really…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Confessions,  Working On My Fitness

    If You Give A Melisa A Fitness Tracker…

    I started wearing a fitness tracker on Sunday. I never had plans to get one, even though approximately 7.6 out of every 10 of my friends are using them to track their daily steps. Then Jim, who uses one himself, ordered one (the not-technically-released-yet Garmin Vivofit 2) for me. Note: This post is not sponsored. Jim used real money to pay for my fitness tracker; I just assumed that if I didn’t mention which one I got, somebody would ask. I adore it. I adore my husband for many reasons too but in this case it’s because he’s a genius, and here’s why: He knows that I am extremely competitive…

  • Confessions,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Working On My Fitness

    Rebalancing.

    Making it through last week felt like a huge victory for me because, well, you probably read all about it already. Besides the moving parts of my life over which I have no control that I ever-so-vaguely mentioned, the other main source of my internal crisis was a repeat offender: hormones. THANKS, MOM. KIDDING, MOM. I took some action over the weekend and reached out to a friend who is a wellness coach and so smart about and active in treating things holistically that one of her nicknames is “Witch Doctor”. This is NOT my thing. I’ve always been skeptical of the healing properties of oils and other natural—what shall…

  • Amazing People,  Working On My Fitness,  Zumba

    For The Zumba Newbie In The Back Row

    I always admire people who walk into a group fitness studio for the first time and aren’t afraid to speak to the instructor, whether it’s to say hello or ask a question. When you asked the instructor what you should do, strategy-wise, if you couldn’t “get” all of the movements during class, she told you it was a great question. Indeed, it was. Trying any new class can be intimidating and worrisome, but Zumba moves quickly and as much as it’s supposed to be about having fun, if you’re worried about it the fun doesn’t come easily. She answered your question by telling you to focus on either the arm…

  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    A Belated Anniversary Love Letter To The Dailey Method

    My one-year anniversary at The Dailey Method came and went about six weeks ago, in mid-June. I fully intended to write a post at that time but it’s been a busy summer around here. Better late than never. (P.S. This is NOT a sponsored post.) Dearest The Dailey Method Naperville, What a ride so far, right? In preparation for writing this, I reread the other posts I’ve written over the past year thirteen-and-a-half months (you can find them by clicking “The Dailey Method” at the very top of this page). I can’t believe how far I’ve come. It amazes me for many reasons that it was only a year thirteen-and-a-half…