Wagons

Fell off the wagon for a while there.

Appear to be back on track. At least sort of! Yesterday was a bit chilly but not only did I go grocery shopping (lots of walking!) but I also went swimming! I'd forgotten how much fun swimming could be.

Of course I'm sore now. Guess swimming for 45 min will do that to you!

Day 2

Welcome to Day 2.

In many respects Day 2 was (and I suspect perhaps Days 3-7* will be) a rerun of Day 1. Today however was a accompanied by a strong feeling of procrastination and "do not want". Why? I have no idea.

In part however, I was procrastinating because today was not my day off of work. Today I had to get up and join the rest of the world in "being productive". Hurrah. In my world that means sleeping until the last possible moment before levering my zombie-self out of bed and making coffee.

So I'm sitting my computer reading blogs and waiting for the coffee to perk when it occurs to me, I should exercise now. As in this morning. Drat. More blog reading commences and eventually the coffee is done and I get up to pour myself a cup and think, "no the coffee will my reward--time to exercise!"

So I pretty much repeated the steps of yesterday with the difference being on my kitchen floor in my pajamas.

Thoughts while doing the exercises this morning:

1. I am sore from yesterday.
2. Today is not helping.
3. Wow it is amazing how much I need to do this.
4. Holy cow, I'm... motivated?!
5. *shock*
6. Drat that means I have to do this every day.

*Day 8 of course being Week 2! and therefor at least different in terms of nomenclature if not substance.

Day 1

Observation:

I have the body of a goddess.

Exercise: 12 total individual exercises. 4 each for Core, Arms, and Legs.

Duration: 15min
Pace: light
Sweat: moderate
Am I feeling it now? Yep.

What I did.
Leg lifts:
1. Lay on side, raise top leg, keeping knee straight. Lower leg. 1 rep. x10

2. Same side, raise bottom leg. Lower. 1 rep. x10

Rotate and do opposite side the same.

3. Hands and knees. Straighten one knee and lift leg from hip. Lower. 1 rep. x10

Repeat with other leg.

4. Lay on back. Lift one leg keeping knee straight. Lower. 1 rep. x10

Repeat with other leg.

Stomach:

1. Lay on back. Lift both legs and hold for a count of 10. x1

2. Lay on back. Bend knees and do half sit up, straight forward. Hold for count of 10. x1

3. Lay on back. Bend knees. Stretch one arm out at 90*to body and bend other hand behind head. Bend up with elbow towards opposite knee. Hold for count of 10. x1

Repeat with opposite side.

4. Hands and knees. Hump back up in middle. Lower back and puff out stomach. 1 rep. x10 (this one looks vaguely pornographic fyi)

Arms:

1. Lay flat out on back making T shape with arms out to sides. Lift one arm vertical using shoulder by bringing towards nose. Do not bend elbow. 1 rep. x10

Repeat with opposite arm.

2. Hands and knees. Straighten one arm at the elbow. Raise above back by lifting with shoulder. Keep arm straight. 1 rep. x10

Repeat with opposite arm.

3. Sitting. Bring hands up and into middle of chest. Keeping back of hand on top pull elbows together towards the back. 1 rep. x10

4. Standing. Lean against wall with arms straight out and hands shoulder width apart. Bend elbows to do a 'push-up' against the wall. 1 rep. x10.

First Post

So last night I couldn't sleep. And it occurred to me that I should start exercising. So I did.

Welcome to Day 1.

***

A quick history of my physical health...

I break things. Regularly. Snapped both bones in my right arm at 5, 1 in my left arm at 12 and my collarbone at 18. Along with various fingers and toes along the way.

I've been riding horses regularly since 9. Competition level hunter/jumpers from 10-20. JV track and lacrosse, varsity equestrian through high school.

My senior year of high school I decided I wanted to attend the US Air Force Academy. Breaking my collarbone in a riding accident put an end to that plan but I joined the AF ROTC program in the fall of my freshman year at college. I continued riding.

Except for various accidents and illnesses--broken toe, sprained ankle, mono--my physical fitness rate was climbing rapidly. 5 hours of mandated work out a week + 1 hour of horseback riding pretty much guarantees it.

Then I was diagnosed with Leukemia. Oof. The Air Force medically disqualified me. And I gained a chronic pain disorder, Fibromyalgia.

I haven't seen the inside of a gym for 4 years beyond spectating.

Now I occasionally walk with a cane, cannot go long distances, have almost no strength (opening jars is a problem!) and am regularly dripping in sweat from a walk acrossed a parking lot.

I am very, very, very unfit.

For a long time I have thought of my body as letting me down. Today, for the first time, it occurred to me that perhaps the opposite is true.