sports and gym

Well, today I`m here to talk a little bit more about what i`m doing in my American every-day life. Since I came here, six months ago (can you believe it?) I`ve been putting on a lot of weight. At the beginning I just complained a little bit, then I started getting pretty upset, then my clothes started to get tight and now I`m finally ready to take things under control.
In order to lose weight, at the beginning of january I went on a diet, the South Beach one, that really worked very well while I was strictly following it. After a couple of weeks, though, I started giving up and my weight came back. That`s when I started to really think seriously about a gym. I looked around and talked to some friends...I found out I could apply for financial aid at the YMCA, and so I did. I got a nice discount, and now there I am, almost every morning, trying to burn some calories. Besides the improvement Imight have in my attle against weight and fat, I also think some exercise will be good for my heath, and specially for my mood. When I go to the gym and run or lift weights I think I am getting rid of the stress i accumulate during the days I spend at home. This makes me feel much more optimistic and happier about my experience in here.
Bottomline: exercise and be happy :)

Ice skating

Ok, for those who know me I know it sounds quite strange. What do I have to do with ice skating? First of all, ice skating is considered a sport. This should be already enough to place me hundreds miles from an ice rink. Also, when we think of ice skating, we think of slim, gracious girls sliding and moving gracefully on that slippery surface.

Well, for as impossible as it might seem, I enrolled in ice skating lessons. And if you are surprised, there`s actually more: i`m doing pretty good.
My first class, at Cabin John Ice Rink, was very nice. The very first thing we did was sitting on the ice and trying to get up (not hard, but of the utmost importance if you are a beginner - this meaning that we are expected to fall down a lot, which was not exactly an encouraging start). Luckily, we all (my classmates and I) did a very good job. Soon we were trying out a borad range of exercises and I saw myself doing things i`ve never dreamt of (going backwards, for instance). Today I had my second class (we only have a thirty-minute class per week) and I started feeling more confident. We had more exercises to learn how to break, move forward and backwards. We also learned how to move counterclockwise in a circle just the way experienced ice skaters do it: putting one foot in front of the other in a way that you sort of cross your legs. Of course, I did pretty poorly if we consider what experienced ice-skaters do. However, I`m pretty happy with my results. Now I need to practice, pratice, practice so that I will master what I learnt.
For those who live in the area (Montgomery County, MD) check out the website of Cabin John ice rink! If you take group classes, you`ll pay 87 dollars for six 30-minute classes, and this includes skate rental ando live in the area (Montgomery County), check ou 6 passes to go to the ice rink for practicing what you learned. I think it`s a good deal :)