exercise

Day 65: F Is For Friday

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Belly Buster in Alhambra, CA

 

Three Fs for Friday:

1. F is for Five K: I hit up the trail this morning with my wife for our latest craze: 5K Friday. Not sure if it’s a trending hashtag, but this is our way of getting our weekends off to the right start. It always feels nice to put in a few miles at the end of the week.

2. F is for Farmer’s Market: We bought fresh fruit and veggies today at the farmer’s market. The oranges we scored were local, organic, and delicious. The veggies will be used for smoothies: my wife is a genius when it comes to making sure I get my daily dose of fruits and vegetables.

3. F is for Flashback Friday: All of the healthy living and eating today was in anticipation of my return trip to Belly Buster Sandwich Shoppe in Alhambra, CA. I haven’t had a Belly Buster sandwich in over 20 years and I’m happy to report that they still taste the same: delicious. It’s not the best sandwich I’ve ever had, but it’s comforting to know that nothing has changed over the years. Their menu still consists of the cute names for the various sizes of the sandwiches: Belly Buster, Belly Button, and Dimple. Back in the day there were several Belly Busters at Southern California malls, but they’ve been whittled down to the original location in Alhambra. I’m not complaining one bit, either. As much as I love the Belly Buster (truth: I got the Belly Button), my waistline can’t handle these gut-busters that well these days.

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Day 64: These Boots Were Made For Hiking

Monrovia Canyon Falls

It’s been too long since I’ve been on a hike. The photo above was taken at the Monrovia Canyon Falls, after a simple hike (there are a few routes with different degrees of difficulty for more ambitious hikers). My wife and I were dating at this point and once a month I’d pick a trail from Dan’s Hiking Pages (an excellent resource for Southern Californians) and we’d go conquer that trail.

Living in Southern California it’s easy to overlook all of the resources we have at our disposal. I’ve never been a gym rat, so being able to make a short drive to a hiking trail is perfect for me. I’m not a fan of watching television while on the treadmill; give me a pair of hiking boots and a decent trail and I’m more than happy. Not only is the fresh air good for the lungs, but the disconnect from electronic devices of all sorts is great for the mind as well.

One item on my bucket list is to climb Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. I always envisioned doing it when I turned 50 years old, but after the last few years of a torn-up knee, bum back, strained Achilles, and other dings and bruises, I’ll have to do it before then, lest I suffer another physical setback.

If I don’t fulfill my Whitney quest, though, it won’t be the end of the world. I could always re-read Into Thin Air, my favorite book about conquering an even bigger mountain.

 

Day 54: Pug Life

Bruno the pug.

Bruno the pug.

It’s been raining the last two days and even though it’s good for us Southern California residents, I get antsy when I can’t go outside to exercise. I haven’t had a gym membership in years and I prefer it that way. I do miss lifting weights sometimes, but my modes of exercise these days consists of walking, running, or riding my bike. Does playing one of the Dance Central or Just Dance video games count as exercise?

My buddy Bruno (pictured above) is ready for the rain to stop, too. He’s not a video game fan, but he does miss going out to the park for his dose of exercise.