So sorry for not writing last week. What I have yet to mention in this blog so far is that I had to have surgery 7 weeks ago (everything is fine, I’m totally okay now and I hope we can just leave it at that, okay?). I was not able to work for 4 weeks and not able to workout for 6 weeks. Let me repeat that…I was not able to work for 4 WEEKS and not able to workout for 6 WEEKS! Needless to say, I was going pretty crazy being so sedentary, feeling out of shape, and being away from my job that I love and my clients and students who I’ve grown so close with. On a positive note, I had time to start this blog (something I’ve been wanting to do for a long long time), get a new certification and spend some time with my ridiculously adorable nephews.
I got cleared for exercise last Monday from my doctor and I think my reaction may have freaked him out a little (there may or may not have been a few tears of joy). I rushed to the gym to get on the treadmill and MOVE!!! I felt pretty out of shape after 6 weeks of inactivity, but I was running on adrenaline and the run went surprisingly well. The next day I went to a spin class, trained with Amanda (if you read my blog, she needs no more explanation), and went to a yoga class. I went from feeling sheer joy at the doctors office, to complete devastation at the gym and in the yoga studio (where they may have been some different kind of tears). I knew I was out of shape, but was honestly shocked with how much I lost my cardiovascular fitness, my strength and the most shocking, my yoga practice. In spin class last week, my heart rate was pretty much at the max heart rate the whole time, and I just couldn’t seem to recover. In yoga, I could barely touch my toes when normally my hands are flat on the mat. I have been on one giant ego trip for the last week. I didn’t recognize my own body and what it is capable of doing. I was in a bad place. So, I decided I was gonna hit it hard (REALLY hard) everyday until I felt like myself again. Well, I’M BACK…and it only took 9 days! 9 days of REALLY REALLY hard work. A lot of those days I asked myself why I even missed it or why I even liked it. After 9 days, I know the answer… I love feeling strong, I love feeling flexible, I love the energy that being fit allows me to have, I love how yoga balances me out, and I love the sense of accomplishment I feel after a long run or a great spin class.
Today I went to Kyle’s spin class at 6am. At Eco, we have the Polar GX system which is a heart rate based training program that monitors your heart rate and puts it on a big projection screen during class (it’s freaking awesome). Kyle plans a ride based on specific goals (today was a power progression to build lactate threshold), and tells you throughout the class where your heart rate should be. Last week, I could not begin to control my heart rate and was in zone 5 for the majority of the class. See picture below. Check out the top right corner, that is me, in Zone 4, EXACTLY where I am supposed to be, and my heart rate continued to be where it was supposed to be throughout class. Also, in the picture are the names (and nicknames) of 6 of my best friends (rgs, beaver, meredith, miles, kirstin and ss). There is nothing better and more motivated than finding people with common interests, and walking into a spin class with familiar faces. You always have someone cheering you on, and it makes the 6am thing SO MUCH better.
After my morning clients, I trained with Amanda. She has been easing me back into things because she knows how hard I can be on myself when I feel like I am not performing. Today she made me do burpee pullups with a plyo pushup, and I looked at her like she was on crack. But guess what…I COULD DO IT! Then I went to a post-lunch yoga class with one of my fav teachers, Cathy Morse, and had a yoga practice with a body I am starting to recognize.
I am not telling you this to brag about all the things I can do right now (believe me, I still have a long way to go). But I made a commitment to get back to “the fit life”. The last week was hard and some days I felt like shit, but it is all worth it. I know that ANYONE can do this. If you want it and make it a priority, YOU CAN GET IT OR YOU CAN GET IT BACK. As awful as the entire 7 week experience may have seemed, I know that it will make me a better trainer and a better person…more sympathetic, more passionate and even more confident in this process and its importance.
