Mexico II 5/13/05

I did about 20,000 steps today and this is how my day went. 6am, I started my day getting out of Holiday Inn in Juarez and took a cab to Santa Fe bridge. (The driver charged me $20!) The bridge is not very long. Maybe a little longer than the bridge I cross if I go to Wal-Mart walking, going over I-40 on Eubank. At that hour, I assume most were daily commuters, either to work or school. With my passport with greencard, a backpack and a duffel bag, two officers at the Immigration corner asked me many questions. I had to make a brief statement of my life and a quick summary of my stay in El Paso/Cd. Juarez. Because I failed to prepay (I only seem to get one instruction and miss the second), my car had a boot, so I had to call the security office. I got home around 11:30am and called Sears if I can go early to make up the hours. When I went in the backroom, many packed racks were waiting for me! 9 hours later, I am here and 20,000 steps. I started to feel funky in stomach, so I took 正露丸 twice and drank plenty of water. I couldn't tell if it was from water or last night chile dip, which I liked and ate a lot. But now I feel OK and I am just waiting my favorite part of my night, fat free yogurt with dried cranberries and unsalted nuts. That will straighten up my stomach if there is still anything wrong.

Mexico 5/12/05

I have been in Ciudad Juarez since yesterday and my eating habits have been very irregular and my exercises routine has been interrupted. I have been online, but I have been very busy here. Yesterday I got here shortly after 10am and I have been eating paletas and drinking flavored water. Luckily this time, my stomach has been holding, so I guess I am OK. I can't resist studying every label of all sweets and food and just can't resist trying something new. Oh, that paleta de guava! Yesterday I walked over 25,000 steps and close to 12,000 aerobic steps burning 824 calories. Today was a little worse as I am spending a lot of time trying to update my web page. I swear I had an intention to go to the local gym and checked it out yesterday. They had machines for upper body on the 1st floor and cardio and lower body on the 2nd floor. I even bought a bottle of water for 1.5 liter for exercise. It is already 5pm on the last day and I am still not done with the web page update. I will try to leave here early tomorrow and maybe get to the gym back in Albuquerque.

El Paso/Cd. Juarez 5/11/05

This is the last week of break from my teaching, so I decided to come down to El Paso and cross the border to get to Mexico. Yesterday I got to visit a Japanese class and today starts my serious sightseeing. Today I am going to start with downtown El Paso and cross the border. I will be doing a lot of walking. I am totally curious about everything Mexican... TV, food, grocery stores and everything. Just being there will be fun. I feel like I should start a new blog... I am staying at another Holiday Inn where they have a basic cardio gym and a swimming pool. They seem to have an outside gym for a reasonable price, so I hope to check that out. I am just sooo curious. Stay tuned.

back routines 5/9/05

My weight training has three, or actually four parts. Ab routine works independently and it shows up every other day. So if I miss workout one day, I might be doing ab twice in a row. Other three shows up alternatively. My first set is: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Second set: Legs. Third set: Back and Biceps. Today ab was an off day so I got to do the third set and I had plenty of time to do stretch. I don't have particularly bad back yet, but stretching back everyday fells really good. I guess I like back set better when it is an ab day at the same time and have enough time to do extensive back stretch. After a good day of back routines, I feel I stand straighter and taller.

21 years old 5/8/05

For some reason, today, in the breakroom, one of the guys at Lawn and Garden department told me he thinks I am 21 or 22. I told him he had made my day and gave him a mint. Later girls who work in Women's (I know one is a minor.) were discussing age and I said I had been told I looked 21. Then I told them I was 38. And one girl said, as in the teenage tone, "I don't believe you." Of course, that was followed by a comment of another girl saying, "My mother just turned 40." I would say they think I am younger because I am on the bottom of the totem pole, not a manager or anything and I am rather new. But it is not a bad feeling to be told that I look younger. Gotta keep exercising!