Yesterday was a tough day for me. This morning I awoke with a ton of energy, though. More than I've had in two days. I think that's because of that day off I took on Monday for Pilates. It took me about two days to really get my energy levels back, but I bounced back big time this morning.
I woke up and felt almost as perky as Cassey. Almost.
It was a beautiful day outside. The morning was the best. It was like fall out there, perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky, and some seriously good air. The air was just a whole other level of sweet tasting. So, I went and got about two hours of morning outside time.
It was a fun two hours. I didn't feel that sore from yesterday's workout at all and throughout the day I was bounding with energy.
When we got to this evening, I was feeling ready to conquer whatever was before me.
The first video was merely a revisit of last week's cardio video. It wasn't difficult then and it wasn't difficult now. Again, I found it fun, but I didn't find it challenging. I ate it alive.
Video two was a different beast all together. This video concentrated on the legs, working them, and it required some serious balance to pull off. Now, as some of you may be aware, balance and I have a tense relationship. We've had many issues over my long life and I probably still hold the record for "number of chairs flipped over backwards in" at my high school.
There was no sitting in this video, but as you see we did need a chair in the beginning. These are very dancer-centric exercises and I couldn't get my legs as far up or as far back as she could. I still did it to the best of my abilities, but after the first set of exercises using the chair, we went without.
Later on, it was about balancing on one leg and not falling over. It was tough for me. I could easily blame my room (not exactly the widest space available) but I was tipping pretty bad on some of the one legged exercises. I was using the wall and the chair every so often to keep my balance (yeah, I cheated a bit) and it was tough. I felt it.
But my favorite exercises out of this video, the ones I found most challenging, were the squats. These really got my blood pumping and my legs a shakin'. After the first set we move on to squatting and keeping our heels off the ground, which I found fun and challenging. No wonder dancer legs look so good.
Once these two were done, all we had left was the last video. It was a workout to a Britney Spears song (she was still around in 2011, I must have banished that fact from my mind) and it was INTENSE. I hate to admit it, but in the last minute of the video I was a pile of hurt.
Just hurt.
My abs were throbbing and the pacing, though not as fast as some of her other videos, was a big challenge after everything else I did. I didn't finish strong. I finished very weaksauce.
So, I didn't quite own this video like I thought. But man, I was happy with the way things went today. I had fun. I got a good workout during the day doing various things (trash hauling, stair climbing, ect.) and then I got some Pilates at the end.
And, to make the day even better, I got word this morning that my grandmother seems to be back to her normal self. No serious damage they can find.
This makes today one of the better ones in memory.
Which is awesome because today is my two year anniversary of going Primal (yeah, I'm linking it again ... it's important). Two years, at least 133 pounds lost, a year in maintenance (scary word) for me, and I'm in the best shape of my life.
I gave you the short version of the events yesterday and that's where I'll leave it. But I continue to grow and get healthier.
Pilates is key to that right now. Will it be a year from now? I don't know but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. The benefits continue to make themselves apparent. My body prefers Pilates days to non-Pilates days, based on feeling. I just FEEL better with Pilates ... my muscles aren't so tight and tense. My back actually works, sort of, without slouching. My posture is improved. My body, overall, seems to be getting a bit more toned.
For the first time today I noticed my calf muscles were kinda defined. As I sit here, I'm in small t-shirt that, when I bought it, fit but was tight. It's not tight today. A bit roomy. Maybe this is due to multiple washes, but I haven't worn it in weeks because it was tight.
I've shed about a pound since I started this, which is fine by me, I don't mind, but the pound on the scale seems to represent more. My body is definitely liking this, even though I'm hurting now (and will be sore in the morning I'm sure), the feeling of accomplishment is good.
I think the unwinding aspect to this is even better. I get to look forward to this at the end of the day. Pilates just helps me relax. I've slept better these last ten days, overall, than the last ten days. A small sample size, to be sure, but I find it nice to be able to get decent sleep.
Two years into this new life of mine, into this new body, and I still have a lot to learn. I'm still discovering new things I can do and I hope I'll continue to do that as I go on in life. I don't want to ever get to the point where I'm stagnant. Progress, small as it is, is progress.
That's it for today, folks. Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow for Day Eleven.
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