I should change the title of this blog, at least temporarily. I am not biking, at all, and I am not swimming, at all. Well, I do hop in the pool once a week in my bathing suit to take my two-year-old to swim lessons. But that doesn't come close to counting.
Nevertheless, last week was an excellent week, by any measure. I met my weekly goal: I ran twice and went to two hard hot yoga classes. I missed a third optional run on the weekend due to scheduling difficulties (and will miss this weekend too, due to same). But I saw and felt changes in my body after four consecutive days of exercise: my pants were too big, my belt needs two new notches. Weird. I don't think of myself as needing to lose weight in any way, and I don't think I'm actually losing weight; instead, I'm replacing a bit of fat with more muscle. Yesterday, in yoga class, I was fascinated by my reflection in the mirror (hello, Narcissus), and by the muscular changes apparent in my body.
I am not sure that's a good thing. Or a bad thing, exactly. I hope that I'll love and appreciate my body at every age and every size and every fitness level. But it is satisfying to see the work pay off in appreciable changes to my body. Even though I strongly believe what's on the inside is far more important.
There are changes there, too.
I've been more patient with myself during difficult work-outs. I remember to celebrate what I'm able to do, and to trust my body to tell me what it can and cannot do. When I ran on Monday, I was tired and hungry, and I did not feel great; but I also kept telling myself that I could do it, and that it was okay to run a little more slowly. I also enjoyed thinking about all the food I should have eaten (including my favourite night cheese!), and which would have made the run so much better. It was a good reminder that fuelling my body is critical.
The missing piece right now is sleep. I'm not getting enough. Yesterday, during yoga class, I was near dreamland every time we lay down, even during the brief rests. It's good to be incredibly and instantly relaxed during rest periods; it's not great to find one's mind drifting toward dream the instant the eyes are closed. I went to bed earlier last night, but negated the effect by rising at 5:40am for a run with a friend. Still, I hopped out of bed feeling chirpier and more willing than usual. The run itself felt easy, and my legs and lungs felt strong.
I am sitting at my desk with a strong back and a straight spine, with no pain (thanks to the chiropractic treatments I continue to get), and with hope of indeed completing a triathlon next summer, if that's the direction I choose to go in.
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