Back to square 2?

This fall, I totally fell off track on all my fitness plans. Pole, running, yoga, nutrition, sleep, strength training, all of it. I've gained 9 pounds, my blood sugar levels are up, my depression has worsened, and I just generally feel awful.

So, I've been trying to creep back into good habits. For some reason, food logging is always a tough hurdle for me. I've made it to a few Zumba classes in the past couple months, and this weekend, I did a 5-miler. Well, now I have shin splints, so I  have to rethink that. I've also tried a couple of "tv workouts" but that's inconsistent.

So, stay tuned for a nearly complete re-working of the plan.

Move Your Body

In addition to running, pole, and strength training, I've been throwing in other activities here and there.

In particular, I've done a lot of Zumba. So much so, that I'm actually considering becoming a Zumba instructor next year. I really love the high intensity and the music. I still remember going to my first Zumba class; about 10 minutes in I thought maybe I had made a terrible mistake & I was going to die before the hour was over.  For several months, I still got that feeling, but it came later & later into the class. Eventually, I got to the point of being fully functional even after an entire class.

I also tried Bellydance! It was great, and I plan to go back to it. But I have too many different types of workouts going on right now. It was definitely a great core workout though.  After my first class, I was pretty sore.  I think I could feel each individual rib.

I'm planning to delve into cycling a little bit, but I need to acquire a bike first. When I took a spin class a few months ago, my butt hurt for 2 or 3 days, so finding the right fit is fairly important.  Still, I really love the idea of  a bike for quick local errands.

Non-Scale Victories

Since starting my journey to better health & better fitness, I've lost about 20 pounds.  But that's not the point.  Here are a list of things that have happened along the way:

• I can walk up 4 flights of stairs without needing to stop to rest (or thinking I'm going to die.)
• I can button my jeans without looking or feeling like a sausage.
• That would be my old jeans that I couldn't fit into for the 2 years before that.
• I have completed 3 5Ks.
• I can climb on pole (a little bit).
• I can see definition in my biceps.
• I have successfully worked out more days than not for the past 3 months.
• I have lost 2 inches on my waist (which I mostly only care about as it relates to my clothes).

I Pick Things Up & Put Them Down

I've started strength training.

I've resisted strength training for most most of my life, because I find it too cerebral. In a Zumba or Yoga class, I don't have to think too much. I follow an instructor, and I don't need a plan for what to do next. I don't need to remember what weight I'm up to or how many sets & reps I'm doing of anything. Smartphones have helped with some of that, and the Fitocracy ap has especially made following a plan simpler.

A friend introduced me to  The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and I'm really enjoying it so far.

It has 7 stages of progressively harder  routines, each of which you intensify  along the way to help move you along the journey. It's designed to be really efficient.  I haven't read the original New Rules book, but I suspect I would like it better. 

In the short time that I've been doing it (4 weeks) I do see a bit of a difference in my body. visually, but more importantly in my actual strength.  It's definitely showing up in my efforts on pole.

Stay tuned for more about muscle!

Pole Pressure

I've taken up pole dancing as a major component of my fitness regime.

Well, sort of. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I'm using pole to mark my progress. One of my major goals for the year is to invert on pole. I'm not strong enough yet, but I'm actively working on that. It requires more upper body strength and a lot more core strength than I have right now. In the meantime, I've learned a couple spins, and I can climb one level. There are more spins & higher climbs in my future, my for now the primary goal is that inversion!