Well, let's just say it was neither the best of times nor the worst of times. It was just some times. Ups and downs and lots of work. Unfortunately, though, I have strayed and have not striven (thank goodness I finally got to use that word! bonus!) to be just a little bit better each week. That was the original purpose of this blog.
Instead, I have been in a sort of survival mode and as a result, a bit of myself has drained away. And I put my fat shield back up. It's not as fatty as it once was, but it is substantial. And yes: badonka donk donk. Last night, in a sorry attempt to show my nephews how to practice for a cartwheel by doing a mini one, my shirt flipped up and revealed my tummy. As I thudded to the floor, the nephews shrieked and laughed and then proceeded to stick their fingers into my fat belleh. (It a fairly pillowy shield, good for poking and providing a cushion for a pug's snoring self.)
Worse than regaining the fat shield and the bejunked trunk, I've lost my muscles and my stamina. I puff up stairs and slog across campus. I am weary and weak. I know that, while I am actually very healthy, I am heading down a path that will lead me into a lumpy, blobby old age of knee replacements and warshing sticks and phrases like "fetch me another piece of that cake" and "does this muumuu make me look fat?" That is not where I want to go, although...cake does sound pretty good right now...but no, this is not what I want.
So it's time for a new journey and new goals. I have my bag packed and I am ready to climb into my big grey flying critter and start this new adventure. (Image by Laura Berger; her stuff is awesome!) I am working on my goals. I definitely need activity, although I am not sure what form this activity will take. I miss Bulldog a lot, but I am not sure I can take it on at this point -- and I always struggle with my schedule and the workout intensity when my teaching starts up again. But the kettlebell and my former muscles are definitely calling me back!
In 2001-2003, I went through a wogging phase and did the Portland Marathon and other fun races and I loved it. I did train on my own for the marathon, but, in general, running also was hard to maintain. I admit to poking around some race sites last night and getting a new pair of shoes, but I'm always tempted to take on too much too fast -- and I am 11 years older now (whut?), so I'm not sure about doing races as a goal. Plus, what happens in the winter?
So, I am still figuring all of this out. What else will go into this plan? Meditation, healthy Whole9 living, and an eye toward small, maintainable improvements for the long term. Every week, just a little bit better. Time to start climbing!
4 comments:
So I don't wanna be That Person who says "Have you considered YOGA?" but....have you considered yoga? I was incredibly skeptical of it for years, and remained skeptical for the first few months that I was actually doing it, but then I happened to find a really great, intelligent teacher (who spoke in full sentences, didn't say weird New Agey stuff all the time, and held a degree in exercise science from NYU) and started taking her classes religiously, and finding them fun and challenging -- where one of the challenges is actually RESTRAINING yourself from pushing too hard to get into poses that are still a bit too hard for you. Anyway. It never *seemed* like I was working hard enough to build real strength, but then one day I went upstairs from the yoga studio to the weight room and knocked out a few sets of pushups, and I was like "Oh. I guess the yoga is actually doing more than I thought."
Anyway, that's my pitch for yoga -- strength *and* balance and coordination and all that good stuff, plus it is calming -- and now I will crawl back into my hole....
Thanks, Rebecca! Actually, I am considering yoga and tomorrow night I'm going to an informational meeting for a new class that is starting, so we'll see! How often do you take classes?
Best of luck on your self-quest, bunny! :)
Hello again! Hmm, well....right now I am supposedly taking a post-natal yoga class that meets once a week, but I skipped it today because the baby was being a goblin and also I'd only had 3 1/2 hours' sleep, and I'm not one of those crazies who says "Oh! Exercise will ENERGISE me!" when I haven't had enough sleep....but anyway, back when I had more control over my schedule, I *aimed* to go three times a week. Probably succeeded about half the time. I do sometimes do it at home, too. One nice thing about it is you don't need much space or equipment, and once you know some poses, you can do them whenever. The main thing that I've gained from yoga, which I didn't mention above, is a greater awareness of and integration of my body's movements generally -- so that I'm much less likely to throw my back out when I reach to grab something from the back corner of the dishwasher, for example. It's like I've been trained to instinctively recruit the right muscles and engage my core for support. I also have an easier time keeping my balance on the subway :)
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