Day 1 Bootcamp–I survived!

This month I am doing a 3 days/week for 4 weeks Women’s Adventure Boot Camp. Something totally out of the norm for me, I’m taking it on as a challenge!

4 am – alarm goes off!

4:30 am – green smoothie in my Vitamix – made a big one to divide up before and after workout and later in the day – 2 bananas (frozen), 2 cups frozen cherries, 2 large handfuls baby spinach, 1 cube of frozen wheatgrass juice, 2 TB chia seeds, 2 TB hemp protein powder, 1/4 cup plain kefir, 1 cup original almond milk, 2 cups cold water

5:10 am – mat? check! weights? check! water? check! towel? check!

5:25 am – realized I forgot my LivingSocial printout, figured he wouldn’t send me home so started walking to warm up

5:30 am – we got right to it! There were probably at least 50 women there this morning, our mats laid out in the parking lot, in the dark – many likely wondering what we’ve gotten ourselves into. I was excited to see what he had planned and what the style of the workout would be. For the next hour we did interval training – 4 different exercises, mostly with our weights, 20 reps each, then 2 minute bursts of cardio – running, jumping jacks, simulated jump rope, butt kicks, punches. LOTS of arm work with weights (I brought my 7lb that I had last used at Jazzercise and I still think it’s the right weight for now for me) – and THEN push ups (after my arms were jelly!). We ended with some ab/core work – forearm plank and tabletop alternate leg/arm balances, then some stretching which was all taken from yoga – child’s pose, half pigeon, bound angle and a final hamstring stretch.

6:30am - Whew! I got a good workout in and feel confident I can do this and not look ridiculous! My heart rate monitor tells me I burned 401 calories, with an avg heart rate of 125 and a max heart rate of 164. Not bad for the first day!

Building Fitness Confidence

As I've talked about before, one of the things I've struggled with lately has been concentrating more on what I can't do in yoga and not having confidence in my abilities. I do see that changing and I feel like I've come far in being open to just trying even when something looks hard or that it's something I don't think I could do - and the results have been both surprising and positive. A couple weeks ago with encouragement from both Thad and the teacher, I started going to the 201 class with Thad on Thursdays. I had not been going Thursdays because 201=advanced class, and to be honest, I was afraid! With Thad and Debbie's encouragement I took a chance and was so happy that I'd gone. I learned a tremendous amount in one hour and came back the next week! I just do what I can and push myself to just try anyway. I'm building confidence.

After class Thursday night, again Debbie encouraged me to try something else new, at another local studio. She and another one of the teachers were attending an advanced 4 day intensive immersion class. On Saturday morning the studio's regular morning class is taught together with the group in immersion. Thad went to it last time and got a lot out of it - but I insisted I wasn't ready for it. I gave it some thought over the past couple days and decided, why not? So I went this morning and am so glad I did! There had to be 80-100 people in the class, co-taught by the owner of the studio and a teacher well known in the Anusara yoga world (both men, incidentally). We were crammed in with 6 inches between mats, sweat pouring off us for 2 1/2 hours. Thankfully the focus of the class was on backbends, something I feel more comfortable working towards and have some flexibility, versus something like arm balances where I'd have been way out of my league. I learned a lot from their technically step-oriented teaching approach, and tried everything (even if I could only get to the top of my head trying to go into wheel). I left feeling good - and exhausted - but proud of myself for going.

In writing this blog entry I realized that this confidence issue with fitness is something I've had to battle along the way, and probably a lot of people do. When I started Jazzercise, and probably up until the Fall when I finally got to the point that I could do class 100% high impact, I know I had a lack of confidence in my abilities - or perhaps it is just frustrating with myself of wanting to already 'be there'. I am certain that there will always be frustration along the way, no matter what I'm doing, but I'm going to really try harder to be confident in my abilities to TRY something - rather than holding myself back - because I keep surprising myself ;)

Fitness Update

First - a recap - I think the last time I checked in I was whining about what I couldn't do in yoga and feeling so humbled by it after being in good shape and doing jazzercise for so many months and how different the two are. Well I have moved beyond that! Like most things in my life - when I am faced with a challenge, I attack it head on. No one would ever say I'm not a determined person once I set my mind to something.

For the past several weeks I've been going to yoga about 5x/week. Mostly power yoga classes, with a couple basic and restorative classes thrown in. This week I even did a double - a power class followed by restorative - which was awesome! I'm amazed at my improvement and increased strength and how I feel.  Last week I got a better handle on my crow pose - at least a couple seconds before crashing down :) I was even able to do a supported headstand against the wall (assisted). I also started in position to get the feeling of what kicking up into a handstand should feel like. And that low plank of mine in chatarunga is getting much stronger! It makes me feel amazing and really shows how a continued practice builds onto itself each day.

On the downside - I've barely made it to Jazzercise - last week not at all and the week before only twice. I need to find a better balance in my week to get it in a few times because I really enjoy it - but I find that if I do that in the morning and yoga at night, I'm worn out by day 2. So, have to try something else this week!

It's also very exciting that we're finally at the first day of Spring! YAY! I am so so done with Winter. Spring means we can start going to Kensington for walks with Izzie in the morning again. I love the peacefulness of walking along the lake out in nature and the special time with Izzie and Thad. :)

Fitness Check In

This week has really felt great. Getting back into my fitness routine and cooking as well just feels, well, right! I went to a Jazzercise Circuit class on Monday, regular Jazzercise on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then took a Yoga Basics class at Divine Yoga Friday morning and rounded out the week with a regular Jazzercise class this morning. Do I sound insane that I felt like I was 'cheating' by not going to Jazzercise yesterday and doing yoga instead? crazy, I know.

I actually really loved the yoga class Friday. There were only two of us and we talked first about where we're 'at' and looking for from the class. The other woman runs and does a video the rest of the week, so we're kinda on the same page of wanting some stretching and flexibility poses. It made for a great class! I also had an instructor I'd never had before, Denise, and I think it's fun to experience different teaching styles. The one thing I find so challenging about yoga is that I always used to think I was so flexible, but I get into a yoga class and find that I have a long way to go. I think if I started going more often it would really make a difference. My biggest issues seem to be having too tight hamstrings, not being able to open my hips up enough (i.e. it's challenging for me to do a double pigeon pose, my knee won't lay flat/hip wont open enough), and upper body strength to go into low plank from high plank well (and a multitude of inversion type poses that require more upper body strength). I'm sure if I went more often and as I continue to lose weight (and then have less weight to support), all of those things will become easier.

Today's Jazzercise class was also a great one. I haven't had Kim in awhile and her class is always fun - somehow it always ends up kicking my butt when I least expect it. Several 'heavy' songs in a row will do that! It was also interesting that today was 'movement screening' for people interested in becoming instructors. There were 3 women that came for it and part of the screening was them doing the cardio portion of the class with us. None of them were actually from our center. I can imagine the nerves they must have had. Kim tried to convince me before class to do the movement screening but I just don't feel I'm ready for that yet. At least now I know what it involves a bit more and after having seen them participate - and not always be on beat or doing the moves correctly - made me realize that it is something I definitely could do at some point down the road. I just feel like, at least for me and the standards I expect for myself, I need to lose some more weight and be in better shape before I could be an example for a class of others.

Tomorrow my goal is to make it to a body sculpting class!