Fabulous Friday

Today was an amazing exercise day.  I started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, and then survived an incredibly painful personal training session.  Imagine this:  standing in tree pose while doing overhead triceps presses with a weighted ball.  Yeah, I did that.  I also did one legged calf raises and one legged ball squats.  She really had a thing about single limb use today.  But, I survived, and even remembered to stretch when the torture was over.

So, that was the morning.  The evening exercise was so much more fun.  I was so sore and tired when I walked into the gym. The instructor for the Friday night yoga class has been switching things up a little bit each week.  Tonight she did a really great quad stretch.  When I left the gym I felt almost good as new.  It's amazing what a good stretch can accomplish!

I surprised myself!

Normally Thursdays are really hard for me.  On office days, I come home really, really tired.  But, tonight I surprised myself.  I had originally planned on coming home and getting on the elliptical for half an hour.

But, it was so pretty out this evening, I really wanted to go for a walk.  I gave myself permission to do a short walk and just enjoy it.  But, when I got to the turn around point, I realized that I wasn't ready.  I ended up doing my full 5k route!  And, my average speed was just over 3 miles per hour.  So, I was really, really proud of myself. 

I love when a day I was skeptical about turns into a really, really good day!

Big realization today

For some reason I took out my drivers license this afternoon.  I looked at the picture, which was taken just a few months before I started this journey.  When I look at the face in the picture, I almost don't recognize myself.  Even though I'm nowhere near my goal weight, my face is so much thinner now.  And, I actually weigh more than 50 pounds less than is on my license.  That's amazing.  I am going to remember this whenever I get frustrated with my progress.  I really have come a long way.

Today was a fairly easy day.  I did 30 minutes on the elliptical at lunch time, and then went to yoga tonight.  It was a good day.  I am really noticing that my flexibility is better.  My tummy is getting in the way less.  Overall, I'm thrilled.

I love Mondays??

I love Mondays.  I know that sounds really weird, because I definitely like weekends more.  But, there is something about my double class on Mondays that really starts the week of right.  Tonight, in Muscle Challenge, we really pushed hard.  I was drenched by the time we got to the halfway point in class.  Then, yoga was just as challenging.  I was so tired from the first class, I did have to take child's pose several times.  But, I also noticed that I'm finally getting a little better in some poses.  So, even though it was incredibly difficult, it was fun, too.  And, the group of people that go to the classes makes it even better.  So, tonight at least, I do love Mondays!

Gentle Sunday

I was really, really sore from yesterday.  So, I decided to do a restorative yoga class that I'd been thinking about for a while.  It was really relaxing.  By the time the hour was finished, I felt like a new person.  I will definitely keep this one in my pocked for days I need something really gentle!

Long, Painful Day. But Really Good.

Today was a great day, but it was also really scary.  And painful.  The gym I go to has a barbell based strength training class several times a week.  I've never wanted to attend it, because I've been afraid of the barbell part.  I did try it once, but I just wasn't ready.  Today, I decided to try it again.  It was still hard, but I did much better.  What I think is good about the class is that it's lighter weights, with many reps.  It's pretty much the opposite of my Monday class that uses high weights and fewer reps.  I think the combination will be a great synergy in my program.  So, I'll be adding this class to my schedule as often as I can.

So, the morning was pretty wonderful. When I got home from the gym, I felt pretty good. I spent most of the afternoon watching a web broadcast of an autism summit.  It had some really good information, but I was getting restless just sitting and watching.  So, when it was done, I decided to go for a walk.

Steve warned me that I shouldn't do the full 5k path.  But, did I listen?  No, I didn't.  I should have.  My legs were still tired after the class this morning.  I guess all those lunges tired me out more than I realized.  By the time I got back home, my feet and legs were killing me.  I took an Epsom salt bath this evening, but I'm not sure if it helped or not.  Tomorrow is going to be an easy day.

Another good day

Today I planned on exercising at lunch, and did a great job.  I put in 30 minutes on the elliptical, and got another great calorie burn.  It felt really good!  I love that level twenty is getting easier - my legs are getting stronger, and my endurance is better.  That's a great feeling.

Then, I went to yoga tonight.  The Friday night class is usually really relaxing.  But, when the weather warms up, she does make the class a little more intense.  It's still my favorite class, but tonight it was just a bit more challenging.  I love it!  And, I love that I'm feeling more confident, and enjoy moving more.  This is a good trend.