Quick Update

I did two 35 minutes sessions of intervals on the elliptical today.  I decided to change things up a little:  I bumped the level up a notch for the whole time, and then did the intervals with the incline maxed.  So, for each set I did five minutes flat, five minutes full incline, repeating until I was done.  My heart rate was way up, and I loved it!  I love that I am getting a little more adventurous with my workouts.  Who knows what I'll be willing to try next...

Monday Fun Day!

OK, normally Mondays aren't much fun at all.  But, tonight's muscle challenge class was actually fun.  At one point we were doing a little kick boxing for cardio between weights.  It just put a smile on my face to kick nice and high, and maybe let out a little aggression.  I normally don't smile during the cardio segments!

Yoga was hard tonight!  After the first class being so much fun, I had hopes for yoga.  But, it was definitely more challenging than fun.  That said, I always feel great after yoga.  I love that feeling of working hard, and then resting at the end.  And, I love that tomorrow is a rest day!

Easy Day

I'm still really, really sore from Friday's training session and yesterday's CST session.  To the point that I can barely lift my arms above my head.  I just hope I recover before tomorrow's class or I will be in real trouble!  That said, I figured I needed a relatively easy day today.  I played the walk it out game for an hour and covered 3.1 miles.  So, even though it was an easy workout, it was still the equivalent of a 5k.  I'll take it!

Rough Day

I had a CST session this afternoon and she worked on both my ankles.  She warned me I was going to be sore afterwards, but that I'd feel better tomorrow.  Given the amount of pain I've been in tonight, I'm really hoping to be better tomorrow.  The good news is that I do have much better range of motion in both ankles.  It was painful, but she definitely released a lot of 'stuck'. 

After I got home I figured I'd get on the elliptical and do two sessions, just like normal.  I did the first session and realized I was limping afterwards.  So, I decided one session was enough for the day.  Now, I'm on my way to an Epsom salt bath and an early bedtime.  I know, wild Saturday night!

Another Full Day

Today was another full, full day.  I started out with 20 minutes on the elliptical, then did an intense personal training session.  I love feeling strong.  I love being able to lift heavy weights.  And, I love having so much more stamina than I have ever had before.  So, even though I felt like a wet noodle when the session was over, I was brimming with pride.  That's a wonderful feeling.

Tonight's yoga session was really great, too.  It's been really, really cold this last week or so, and sometimes when the class starts off slowly, it's hard to warm up.  That wasn't a problem tonight.  Once we were moving, the class kept us nice and warm.  I loved how she changed some of the static poses into flows, guaranteed to generate heat.  It was a nice switch up for the class, but it was still wonderful and relaxing as well.   Overall, a great end to a wonderful exercise day.

Busy, Full Day

Today was a busy day.  I did two 35 minute sessions on the elliptical, 2 sets of side planks, 2 sets of ball squats, and yoga.  My legs feel like they are going to fall off.  That's a good thing, right?

Nice, Quiet Day

Today ended up being a fairly quiet day.  With the snow forecast, my boss sent an early email saying I could work from home if I wanted.  I really appreciated that!  And, with so many others being snowed under, it was a fairly quiet day at work.

At lunch time I figured I would move my rest day to Thursday and get some good exercise in.  I started off with 75 minutes of walk it out.  I managed to go 4.4 miles and over 15,000 steps.  And, I had a lot of fun.

Then, I got a text from my trainer with today's exercises:  planks, ball squats, ball pullovers, dips, and calf raises - 2 sets of each.  I did the exercises and threw in two sets of push ups.  I don't know why, but I always seem to add one extra exercise to round things out.  Maybe I really am nuts?

The good thing about it all is that I'm starting to really clarify what my goals are right now. Ever since the trip to the Biggest Loser Resort last year, I'd been dreaming about going back 50 pounds lighter.  Unfortunately, I'll be going back right about the same weight.  That had me really depressed for a while. 

But, today I realized that even though my weight hasn't changed much in the last year, I have.  I have changed a lot.  I'm so much stronger than I was.  I am healthier.  I have endurance.  I understand the importance of taking care of my own health. I've learned some hard lessons in the last year, but I've come out the other side knowing more, feeling stronger.  And, I've learned that the friends I've made are really and truly special.  I've learned to lean on them when I need help, or inspiration. 

Back to the goals.  Right now I just want to focus on being as healthy and happy as I possibly can be.  I'm breaking up with the scale and will focus on different measures of success.  I want to improve my walking speed.  I want to increase my endurance even further.  And, I want to be even stronger. So, that is what I am going to focus on.  And, I want to thank all my friends for sticking with me and letting me know that I am loved.  That is truly what makes me smile at the end of the day, and, at the end of this year (since last year's trip to BLRN).  So, thank you, and let's see what we can do this year that we couldn't do last year!