# 107 - Tighten It Up Thursday - First Week Down

Well, last Thursday I began a "Tighten It Up Thursday" which embraces me trying to get into better shape through having more fun. I'm not trying to go on some major name-brand diet or to starve myself...I don't want to be skinnyfied, I just want to be in better shape. Stronger.

This week, we didn't get as much time to play because I've been cleaning out closets and old storage boxes on a serious level, trying to get ready for a garage sale.

However, I did play Rock Band and since I was the drummer, I did get a decent workout of my arms and my right leg...a FUN workout to great music. At least my right leg will be more tone. I was trying to figure out whether or not I could do the drumming pedal with my left leg so that I could alternate legs every once in a while.

Stefie and I being taken to downtown Houston by Deputy Dave
to see the Broadway performance of Phantom of the Opera, our favorite.
This was about two years ago...when I was having a blond moment.

As for my Rock Band drumming ability...it is pretty hysterical. I am able to do it, if I know the song. I do believe my classical pianist training helps with any kind of music fun, but I sure wish I were playing real drums. I think I'd have such a fun time that I'd never want to stop.

Deputy Dave and I have decided that we will keep playing our video games so we can keep up with today's generation a bit better. Heck, I'm already doing my part by blogging, so that's a start!

As for my Zumba dance video gaming that serves as a workout, I've yet to try it out. My husband has asked if he could set up a camera so that he could take pictures of me doing the "sexy" dance, but I don't think he realizes the magnitude of my clumsiness, especially when it comes to any kind of salsa-type of movements. God Bless my husband for thinking I look great when chopping vegetables or polishing the furniture. But, I think that my attempts at this Salsa thing might end up hurting his brain. It might be painful to watch.

Last year when Deputy Dave was in the hospital...boy I missed him.

Years ago, Deputy Dave and I took Swing Dance classes where the beat is to Big Band music and the moves are fun and spunky. We had a couple of people in the class who were doing the major swing dance moves with the girl flying in the air overhead and then swung low between the guys legs...Deputy Dave and I would stand there watching, then we'd look at each other and say, "NO WAY."

I didn't want to be swung around anywhere and Deputy Dave didn't want to be doing THAT much swinging cause his back would protest loudly. We were content to do our fun quick dance moves and to be in tune with each other. And we both sweat like pigs in a sauna each time we danced. No one wanted to dance near our zone of flinging sweat droplets. We were working so hard at every move, but we had fun!

Our class "graduation" led us to a Big Band club in downtown Houston where a live band put out the awesome strummed beats while we took our new moves to the real dance floor. The entire class had such a great time. It was a once in a lifetime enjoyable moment. Since then we've never been back to a big band dance club, but we sure do dig the music. I'm so happy we have done such fun things together.

Stefie and I this past year, on our way to a long-famous Jazz Club
in downtown Houston.

That swing dance class was extra fun because my dad and my sister took lessons with us. My mother, having Polio, was physically unable to use one of her arms and one of her legs, but my dad always wanted to dance. My sister always danced wonderfully, so they teamed up, and we four had a blast taking these lessons. However, my dad came from the days of doing the twist and other free-form dancing, so he would start off doing the proper steps for swing dancing and then he'd get carried away in his own world, with his own weird beat, and my sister would be left standing there as he wiggled around doing the "Dad Dance" all by himself.

Fun stuff. Frustrating, but fun.

So, my official record today as my first week of Tightening It Up comes to a close for my 25 pound goal of weight loss shows me to be at 0 pounds gained and 0 pounds lost. I am exactly where I started last week. Way to go Lana!

One thing is for sure, I need to get movin and groovin in order to Tighten It Up. Sounds like it's time to put myself on some kind of schedule so that I can actually force myself to have more fun. It's funny how we get older and we start to avoid such things, but once I'm doing it, I'm having a ball. I just need to force myself to get the ball rolling more often, then I can really test out the results.

If only I could muster the courage needed to open that Zumba game box and to put on that exercise belt with the motion detector remotes in the side pockets. I guess there's a side to me that knows that once I get started, I'll be hard to stop. And this means I'll be doing salsa moves as I head out to the chicken coop each morning, I'll be swinging my hips and kicking up my legs as I clean out the nests and search for eggs. Then, my neighbors will have it confirmed...Lana is Bananas.

Us having a picnic on the bay a couple of weeks ago.