Have you ever chewed a piece of gum for a really, really, long time? Past the time it gets pliable to the point where it's all tough?
That's about what my "core" feels like right now.
Model magic I am not.
Between the pilates class yesterday and the core section of aqua aerobics today, this is one hippo that's not dancing anytime soon...except that the only class that fits her time block tomorrow is Ballet Barre.
Balance, core exercise, and flexibility.
What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.
You have to damage muscle to build it.
No pain. No gain.
Where's my ibuprofin?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Pilates
Today I attended my first pilates class. Pilates is the practice of yoga that focuses on our "core". I'm definitely a "soft core" kind of gal. If there was any doubt about that at all, pilates was there to prove the point.
First of all, a good deal of the warm ups were done sitting "indian style" by most people. I just pushed by soles together butterfly style because I can't do that.
Beyond that, the beginning of the class wasn't too bad.
Laying on my back doing leg circles/extensions wasn't either.
Then she got to the "abs" portion of the workout.
Apparently "v"s aren't my thing. Try it sometime. Lay flat on the floor. then fold yourself in half balancing on your tail. Tear time. At least for me. I felt the burn. Heck, that fire could have burned the whole studio down.
Then she instructed us to get into "plank" position, balancing on our arms, facing the ceiling, legs extended. I couldn't even get up facing that way.
Next, was roll onto your side, and then lift your hips off the floor in a straight line. Fail there too.
Then we went on our bellies and did airplane style stretches and reverse leg lifts. That I could do!
In every class, there has been something I could do. The trick is to find that something, hold onto it, and build from it.
Sure I could just hang out in chair yoga. It feels good to know I can do yoga, competently, on some level. But how much better will it feel to take on a challenge and master it? Look back and see I rule my body instead of the other way around? Isn't that a goal worth reaching? I think so.
First of all, a good deal of the warm ups were done sitting "indian style" by most people. I just pushed by soles together butterfly style because I can't do that.
Beyond that, the beginning of the class wasn't too bad.
Laying on my back doing leg circles/extensions wasn't either.
Then she got to the "abs" portion of the workout.
Apparently "v"s aren't my thing. Try it sometime. Lay flat on the floor. then fold yourself in half balancing on your tail. Tear time. At least for me. I felt the burn. Heck, that fire could have burned the whole studio down.
Then she instructed us to get into "plank" position, balancing on our arms, facing the ceiling, legs extended. I couldn't even get up facing that way.
Next, was roll onto your side, and then lift your hips off the floor in a straight line. Fail there too.
Then we went on our bellies and did airplane style stretches and reverse leg lifts. That I could do!
In every class, there has been something I could do. The trick is to find that something, hold onto it, and build from it.
Sure I could just hang out in chair yoga. It feels good to know I can do yoga, competently, on some level. But how much better will it feel to take on a challenge and master it? Look back and see I rule my body instead of the other way around? Isn't that a goal worth reaching? I think so.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
4:30 am is not a bedtime anymore.
I can remember getting home from work at 4:30am. This morning, my phone alarm went off at 4:30am, alerting me it was time to get up.
I grunted my way around and I think I must have been up by 4:45, because I was "dressed" and ready to go at 5am. So I had 20 minutes to spare. You can bet I'm giving myself that 15 minutes in bed back on Thursday!
It took me a lot less time to get ready for aqua aerobics this morning than it did on Saturday because I loaded my bag and laid out my sweats last night. I knew my brain would be mush for the first half hour or so. What surprised me is I was fairly functional by 5. Tired, grouchy, longing for my bed, but functional.
So in the car I was at 5:20. K-love on the radio, ALDI diet cola in the cup holder. The streets were pretty quiet. After all, what sane person is up that early?
The class itself went okay, for the most part. I jogged. I twisted to 60's music. I "dolphin kicked," sort of. There was no pole dancing today. (Riding an aqua noodle.) Instead, they invented a new form of torture with those floating kick boards.
"All right ladies. Have them criss crossed flat like this, then push them down under the water, sit on them, and cross your legs under to hold them in place."
Mm,hm. Yeah. Sure. In chair yoga yesterday, I could barely cross my ankle over one knee sitting in a chair, and you want me to do what?
"Balance ladies. Don't forget your balance!"
No problem with forgetting it. How about just finding it? First you want me to sit on two things under water that are meant to help people float on the water, and then you want me to take my feet off the bottom of the pool and cross them vertically indian style to keep them from escaping. Sure. That may happen. In six months. Fat floats, and I think that worked against me.
Thankfully that section didn't last long. I can crab walk, soldier kick, frog kick, whatever. Just save the balance for yoga.
I grunted my way around and I think I must have been up by 4:45, because I was "dressed" and ready to go at 5am. So I had 20 minutes to spare. You can bet I'm giving myself that 15 minutes in bed back on Thursday!
It took me a lot less time to get ready for aqua aerobics this morning than it did on Saturday because I loaded my bag and laid out my sweats last night. I knew my brain would be mush for the first half hour or so. What surprised me is I was fairly functional by 5. Tired, grouchy, longing for my bed, but functional.
So in the car I was at 5:20. K-love on the radio, ALDI diet cola in the cup holder. The streets were pretty quiet. After all, what sane person is up that early?
The class itself went okay, for the most part. I jogged. I twisted to 60's music. I "dolphin kicked," sort of. There was no pole dancing today. (Riding an aqua noodle.) Instead, they invented a new form of torture with those floating kick boards.
"All right ladies. Have them criss crossed flat like this, then push them down under the water, sit on them, and cross your legs under to hold them in place."
Mm,hm. Yeah. Sure. In chair yoga yesterday, I could barely cross my ankle over one knee sitting in a chair, and you want me to do what?
"Balance ladies. Don't forget your balance!"
No problem with forgetting it. How about just finding it? First you want me to sit on two things under water that are meant to help people float on the water, and then you want me to take my feet off the bottom of the pool and cross them vertically indian style to keep them from escaping. Sure. That may happen. In six months. Fat floats, and I think that worked against me.
Thankfully that section didn't last long. I can crab walk, soldier kick, frog kick, whatever. Just save the balance for yoga.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Chair Yoga
After my not-so-gentle introduction to yoga through a "gentle yoga" class, I wasn't really sure yoga was something I could do. Today though, I found it is!
Yes folks, there is a yoga for dummies. It's called chair yoga.
Led by a perky, enthusiastic gal about my age, I rolled out my mat and set out a folding chair w/ a half dozen ladies twice our age and embarked yet again on the journey.
This class had none of the cursed inverted v positions, so I was ahead right there.
The chair was there for me if the "tree pose" fell, or I overlunged.
Towards the end of the class we did the "monster mash." No, they didn't call it that, but I guarantee you that's what it looked like, especially w/ the Bee-gees playing in the background.
So I learned yoga can be fun.
And the importance of being stacked. (No, not my massive mammaries, my body alignment!)
And that I can do it.
And that yoga is not a race. It's a slow, leisurely walk. I'll get to walk the dog eventually, but right now I'm just a toddler finding my feet. and that's okay.
Yes folks, there is a yoga for dummies. It's called chair yoga.
Led by a perky, enthusiastic gal about my age, I rolled out my mat and set out a folding chair w/ a half dozen ladies twice our age and embarked yet again on the journey.
This class had none of the cursed inverted v positions, so I was ahead right there.
The chair was there for me if the "tree pose" fell, or I overlunged.
Towards the end of the class we did the "monster mash." No, they didn't call it that, but I guarantee you that's what it looked like, especially w/ the Bee-gees playing in the background.
So I learned yoga can be fun.
And the importance of being stacked. (No, not my massive mammaries, my body alignment!)
And that I can do it.
And that yoga is not a race. It's a slow, leisurely walk. I'll get to walk the dog eventually, but right now I'm just a toddler finding my feet. and that's okay.
Welcome to dancing hippo land.
I've decided to split off my journey towards health from my kid blog, to be fair to all of us.
The real beginning of this blog are the "fix me" and "gym" posts on my parenting/life experience blog http://mamamsplace.blogspot.com/
My kids are awesome. They deserve their own space.
I am working towards awesome. That's what this space will be about.
Join me, whether laughing, smirking, or crying, as I try to find the balance and where fitness fits into my hectic family life.
My kids are awesome. They deserve their own space.
I am working towards awesome. That's what this space will be about.
Join me, whether laughing, smirking, or crying, as I try to find the balance and where fitness fits into my hectic family life.
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