Week One

I've been here one week. Tonight at dinner we were no longer the "new group" of people. Beginning tomorrow morning at breakfast, we can sit at any table we choose. We've been sitting at Table 1 all week, by design. No longer the "freshmen" we will make our way through the final weeks here. Two of the ladies who have been in our "little group" are going to be leaving next weekend, and I'm really trying to not think much of it. I know I'm going to be sad to see them go. Laurie and I seem to have especially hit it off. I'm going to miss her. But, I'm not going to dwell on it at the moment, because I've got a whole new week ahead of me.

One thing I wanted to do was show you what a typical day at Structure House is like. The days really vary based on the classes being offered, but you'll get a general idea. I'll put two days down so you can see the variety offered. Plus, there are tons more. They offer about 80 classes a week.

7:10 - Duke Trail
8:00 - 9:30 - Breakfast (if we've done the trail we don't usually eat until about 8:45.
9:00 - Nutrition Made to Order (or Supermarket Sleuths)
10:00 - Water Fitness
11:00 - Lifestyle Change Workshop
11:45 - 1:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Relaxation/Creative Visualization
2:00 - Food Pharmacy: Herbs & Other Dietary Supplements
3:00 - Mindful Living and Eating Class
4:00 - Stress Management
5:15 - 6:30 - Dinner
6:30 - Mall Outing

Example 2
7:10 - Spin Class
8:00 - 9:30 - Breakfast
9:00 - Eating Out Smart Workshop
10:00 - Controlling Your Food Environment
11:00 - Staying Structured Session
11:45 - 1:00 - Lunch
1:00 - Antecedent Awareness Workshop
2:00 - Weight Room (personal time)
3:00 - Personal Therapy
4:00 - Fat Controversies
5:15 - 6:30 - Dinner
6:15 - Target Outing

The days are pretty full. But the don't have to be. They offer lots of classes in the areas of Exercise, Nutrition, Behavior/Psychology and Medical. You can take as many or as few classes as you wish. There are some people I only see at meals and never at a class. There are some people who come here and stay for several months. There are a few that moved here to Durham and come here daily. Since I'm only here for 4 weeks, I do want to attend the classes/workshops and learn as much as I can. The first week there were lots of classes that we had to attend. This next week, and those to come, we get to make some more choices about what we attend. At each hour there are usually 2-3 workshops or exercise classes to choose from. You can always "skip" a class and go to the gym on your own and get your workouts in. They strongly encourage you to get in about 30-60 minutes of cardio each day, a stretching class 2-3 days a week, and weight training 2-3 days a week. I try to get in at least 2 classes in each day of exercise and then to weights every other day. If I can't get a class in, then I try to get on the treadmill for about 45 minutes in the evening or at some point during the day.

The days move pretty fast for the most part. After dinner is usually the first time I've been back to my room and then I log on to chat or read blogs, or just surf. I haven't really watched much TV since I've been here. I really don't care to. I'll have much less homework this week so that will help me free up some of my evenings.

Weekends, well they are a different story. This Saturday and Sunday I did two athletic classes in the mornings, such as Stretch and then Water Fitness on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I walked the Duke Trail again and then did Sun & Fun Outdoor Water Fitness class. After a shower it is usually time for lunch. Yesterday we had a big day after lunch. Laurie, Judy and I went and had pedicures. It was a great time. Then we headed to Target to pick up a few items and then headed back to campus. The SH shuttle took a few of us to an outdoor mall (shopping center). We went to Dick's Sporting goods and grabbed a few things then Laurie and Nancy wanted to look at some new shoes so we went to Omega Sports. We finished up at Barnes & Noble because I wanted to get a new book. The SH shuttle took us back to campus and we had dinner. After dinner we each headed to our apartments. I read a book and surfed the Internet for a moment, then headed to bed. I'm really not getting enough sleep, so I'm trying to get to bed a little earlier each evening. This afternoon was really wide open. After the Duke Trail and the Water Fitness class we had lunch. The afternoon was totally unstructured. I spent a few hours with Henry Grossman. He is a world famous photographer that is staying here until August. We shared lenses and stories, and he shared some amazing pictures in his portfolio. He taught me a few lighting tricks that I can't wait to put to use someday soon. He was complimentary of my images, and that made me feel really good. He told me I had "the eye". I walked a bit lighter.
After chatting with him I came to my apartment and watched a movie I had rented on iTunes. Then I headed to dinner. Now I'm here typing this.

Well, it's about 8:30 here. I'm going to shut down and get comfy and read for a little bit before I go to bed. I've got an early day tomorrow! Spin class at 7:10.

Thanks for keeping up with me. I'll hopefully have some more interesting posts develop this week. I'm really going to try and take some pictures this week as well, promise.