Getting healthy, finally!

Unbelievable what a cruise can do for you, as long as you try.

Wayne and I headed out on another MacMania cruise (check out the blog and pictures at http://www.thebatzers.com) in February of this year. When we got on the ship, I was in pretty bad shape. Blood pressure for the last 2 years has either been borderline hypertension or fully hypertension. My resting heart rate was low to mid-90s. And I was terrified of the scale, which is still true. But I made a vow before we went on the trip that I would pay attention to what I ate, and be reasonably fit. I also bought the EA Sports Active 2, which provides a heart rate monitor to watch your heart rate.

When we got on the ship, we met up with our friends Sue & Ivan Samuels, with whom we had cruised two years earlier. Wayne and I met up with Sue in the gym, and she told me she had signed up for "Boot Camp" during the cruise, and encouraged me to join up. I was a little anxious about it, but thought seriously about it. In the meantime, on our first morning out to sea, I went to a sunrise stretch class, followed by a cardio class. It was wonderful! I then continued to do that each morning of the cruise, plus went walking every day. And, I joined in the boot camp training. It was $120, but it was also a great jump start on getting fit again. If you look at our travel blog, you will see my face losing weight (doesn't it always start there?) over the course of the trip. I also looked for another boot camp program in Hawaii, and wouldn't you know the new Pearl City 24 Hour Fitness had it, right around the corner! At only $50/month, it seemed like a steal.

I also found out about an Elemis body detox program, 3 months long, and decided to buy the algae caplets and start my own liver/kidney/body detox program.

When we got home, I started the 3 week cardio kick start with my Sports Active, and signed up at 24 Hour Fitness. 2 weeks later, my resting heart rate was down from 92 to 75! And one more week later, it is now 68! I'm almost finished with my kick start program, and ready to start my 9 week challenge. Combined with walking, the gym, and better eating/drinking choices, I know I can't go wrong.

So thank you, Sue, you started something big. And thank you me for deciding to finally do something and get fit!