Friday, May 29, 2009

Learning from my body, the hard way

I went to bed last night already feeling a little sore, after the workout of yesterday morning. When I woke up, the stiffness and painful muscles were in full effect. But, I figured a nice warming walk would help loosen me up. So, off I went for a thirty-minute rapid walk through the neighborhood. Hindi chants on the iPod. Birds chirping. Wind blowing the feather-light drizzle around. Very nice. And by the time I got home, this old body of mine was humming, and limber-ish.

Fast-forward to just before lunch. I was hobbling. Shuffling. Moving slowly on purpose, to nurse my sore muscles and trying to avoid pulling a muscle. But Yoga class was calling.

I almost didn't go. I thought it through. I worried about the possibility of hurting myself if I didn't take it easy. But...I figured...what the heck. I'll go. I'll take it slow. I'll stop if I start feeling any pain.

And for most of the class, it felt like I'd made the right call. I warmed up, I stretched, I kept up with the quickening intensity of our practice. Feeling' no pain.

But it wasn't the pain I should have been noticing. It was my energy level. By about forty minutes in, I was spent. Not in my mind. Not sleepy. My quads weren't burning. They weren't hurting. They were exhausted. I couldn't make my legs move they way I wanted them too anymore. They felt like almost dead weight. Yes, I pulled back. I slowed down. But it was too late already.

I left early from work today, heading for a couple of end-of-the-school-year events. My eldest daughter had a recorder recital (in which she played beautifully...she's REALLY coming along). My little son had a graduation ceremony (part of which was a talent show, during which he and his sisters sang a song they made up...so proud of them). But before I could even get to these, I needed pain killers. I made it through. I enjoyed the festivities very much.

The little dose of Ibuprofin helped, but it's getting on toward bedtime, and it's going to be a sore, stiff night.

My father tried to warn me (thanks Dad). This whole exercise thing is still very new to me. I'm learning what my body can take, and what it can't. Unfortunately, I ignored the wisdom of my elders and had to let trial-and-error whip my butt.

I'm supposed to go for another walk tomorrow morning. We'll see. Right now, I feel like I've been run over. Twice. Right now, I'd rather BE run over than exercise more.

There is, however, a very shiny, very cool, silver lining to this stormy story. I weighed myself this morning. 222.6lbs. Which, my friends, is my lowest weight since...well, I don't know when. Lowest in years and years. Like, since college. Or possibly high school. I'm very, very proud of myself for this. I'm very, very motivated to keep this up and get down to a healthy weight. My body is sore, but I feel GREAT!

Food log:

Breakfast: half a bagel with cream cheese, fresh melon from our CSA box, blueberries from the farmer's market, and a glass of milk.

Lunch: leftover stir-fried tofu, bok choy, water chestnuts and rice. A dozen cherries.

Dinner: was had at the pot luck at my son's graduation ceremony: salad, a little hummus with carrots, some tuna and white bean salad (our contribution), two little meatballs and a very small slice of pizza. Also a chocolate-chip cookie and a meringue cookie. What can I say...it was a good night to indulge a little.

Snacks: a carrot, with some roasted red pepper hummus. A cracker, and a small handful of raisins.

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