Catching Up

Well, it's been about six weeks since I last made a blog. I'm not quite sure why I haven't written...maybe because I've actually been busy DOING things!

As I look back on the past month and a half, I realize some nice things have been going on in my life. Here's a summary not only to get you up to speed but also to remind myself of the good things I've been doing/experiencing/learning.

Back in February I took an Ayurveda class at Whole Body Yoga Studio. I knew very little about  Ayurveda prior to enrolling in this three hour seminar. Well, I knew enough to know that a three hour lecture was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to studying this ancient science. I wasn't sure how or even if anything I learned would be applicable in my own life, but it sounded interesting so I figured, why not? Turns out, it was!

University of Maryland Medical Center describes Ayurveda as this:

Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well balanced lives. The term Ayurveda is taken from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. It has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years and has recently become popular in Western cultures. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies.

The class was fascinating! I'm interested in incorporating herbal remedies into my own lifestyle, but so far I haven't really experimented with any of it. 

Later in February I took a self defense class at the Maximum Impact Karate. I have taken a few classes like this in the past, so I had an idea of what to expect. What made this class different was that the instructor wore the head and body gear necessary for us to basically poke, punch, and kick him mercilessly during each of the drills. They started with easy, fun role playing, and then escalated into full-on attack type scenarios. It was intimidating but fun, too. I think it's really important to learn self-defense skills and repeat them often, or least until they become second nature. I'm not sure if they would come naturally for me yet, but I definitely took away some valuable information.

Moving into March, I decided to sign up for a Boot Camp class which is held at the same karate location. This class meets twice a week for 6 weeks. I had never been to 'boot camp' of any sort, so I really had no idea what expect. And I was scared! Turns out, the drills we're doing are all things I have done in the past with the personal trainers from Better Bodies or my own personal trainer (and husband), Marty. The exercise use minimal 'props' including things like ladders, bands, cones. The class lasts an hour and since we are constantly moving, we burn 500+ calories. It's tough!

We started the session with body assessments and measurements. Grrrr.... The good news is that Becky, our Instructor, is not interested in our weight. She just wants to see changes in inches. The next thing we learned is that we have to keep a daily food journal AND turn in the results every week so she can grade us. Have I mentioned I despise food journals? I hate them with a passion. Had I known about the food journal prior to the start of class, I seriously would have reconsidered joining. But I had already paid, so I was committed. 

As it turns out, the journal is slightly less painful than I thought it would be. The app we are using is easy, and at the end of the day it tells you "If every day was like today you would weigh XXX in 5 weeks." That was an eye-opener. Like a smack in the face. It's easy to know what to eat and what not to eat. But putting that knowledge into action is the (ridiculously) hard part for me. Seeing the possibilities - good or bad - on the computer screen every night is really helping me think twice before I indulge in a sweet treat. I still have a lot of habits to break and new ones to make....my love of sugar, the ease of grabbing processed food, drinking more water, the need to increase greens and proteins in my diet, etc...But I am making progress and I think the accountability of the journal helps significantly. Oh and it also factors in the calories burned from exercise. So I got a new battery for my heart rate monitor, and I'm wearing it again and pushing myself to burn those calories. It's definitely motivation to exercise most days of the week.

So far, the class has been good. My only issue is that I still have to be really careful of my lower back. Some of the things we are doing taxes it. Not good! On top of that, I can't stand saying "my back hurts" over and over because I don't want it to look like I'm making excuses. But it is what it is, and there's not much I can do about it or about the way people react to it. Sigh...

That leads me to my next adventure in March...a personal yoga training session with Rachel at Whole Body Yoga. I knew Boot Camp would be rough on my back so I figured this one on one might help. Rachel knows all about my low back problems, so we met for an hour and she taught me some new exercises and some modifications for the yoga moves I've been doing. At $75 per hour, it's not cheap. But the session was invaluable. I loved it, and I'm planning on a second session to take it to the next level.

In the meantime, I have been riding my spinning bike in the basement pretty consistently. Or at least enough that I needed to buy a third pair of shorts to make sure one is always clean. I want to be ready for riding outside in the upcoming months with my dad, Marty, and Lara. Last year was somewhat disastrous. My heart wanted to be out there, but my body wasn't ready, and it so it stressed me out and screwed with my mind. I want to be ahead of the game this year and be able not only to ride the miles but also enjoy them. 

It's been a few years since I concentrated on spinning, but it's all coming back to me nicely. I'm working on the cardiovascular part, but my form is there and I am truly enjoying the ride. So much so that my next adventure - with it's own upcoming blog post - is about hoping to teach a spin class again. Stay tuned!