Day Fifteen: PROGRESS

Well, today was a surprise. Really. I didn't expect there to be definable progress today. Not after staying up late, once more, last night. I have stayed up late a bit too much this week, admittedly, but I haven't paid for it dearly.

But it has impacted my daily recovery from Pilates. Woke up this morning and my arms/legs were both killing me. They've been stiff all day and that can only be attributed to my lack of sleep. The body isn't getting time enough to heal. By the time I get to the evening I got enough to go another round, but I need to do better about getting sleep.

The first video was beginning stuff. I am no longer that much a beginner, but the movements were still challenging to me. However, I was able to make it through the video without getting winded. I was able to do every Roll Up in the video (sitting up from the floor unassisted never felt so rewarding).

The second video was the one where definable, real, progress was found. It wasn't apparent at the beginning of the video. I did the movements but was feeling my endurance begin to slip. But I was able to do the Single Leg Jack-knife   much better than last time around. I didn't feel like I was straining all that hard at all.

When we got to the back-end of the video, I wasn't looking forward to it. I audibly groaned. We were going to do the Butt Lift and the last time around with this video I came away unhappy with my performance. This time, I found I could actually do these and keep up.

I mean, I really could do them. I felt like my back discovered a key and unlocked itself. I was able to move my lower back and get it up there, without really straining.

The euphoria was short lived as we moved on to the Roll Backs. I could not do these the last time around, not at all. Getting my legs to go that far back, getting my back to cooperate ... no way. But it was part of the video. So, I started it when she started it.

And I got stuck. My legs DID in fact go back as hers did and I sat there, half-scared I was stuck, half-giddy with the fact that I was actually doing it. I was laughing at this as she continued on with the workouts. I managed to get back down, get calm, and I repeated the movement.

It wasn't a fluke. I was able to do it multiple times and it was FUN. This is by far the most fun I've had with these videos, this one movement. It was a stupid little thing, but I can't remember the last time I was able to do anything remotely like that. I could have backflipped, maybe, if I really wanted to be brave.

This represents the first definable progress as far as Pilates movements are concerned. I've made other, smaller gains, so far but this is big. My lower back just got free, more free than it has been in years (maybe dating as far back when I was a young child).

I was very, very pleased, with the way this went today. The ability to do the Roll Backs is awesome. It's fun, just hanging there ... upside down. I'm a bit euphoric at the moment.

PROGRESS

So good. Very pleased with this, especially as I was yet again reminded during the first video of how my sack of loose flesh still just hangs there nasty-like. I hate it but the unlocking of my lower back (or perhaps the strength gain in my abs?) makes up for that cringe-worthy moment.

I did double-check just to make sure I didn't imagine it. Still able to do it. :)

Thanks for reading, folks. See you for Day Sixteen.