Days 135-138: Making It Through

Although you have not heard from me as regularly lately, rest assured that I am in a happy, live-living, joy seeking and sweating-finding place. Also, I have taken a small step back from the blog in order to make more space in my life for my coaching clients, fiance, needy cat and myself.  As always, I am thankful for your continued support and encouragement as I shift my way through life!

Days 135-137:  I am still (seriously, I am in the running for the world record’s longest cold to inhabit a healthy body) fighting the funk and thought my body could use a few days of walking to recover.

On day 135 it was almost sixty degrees and I walked for over an hour from my neighborhood to Cherry Creek.  I even ditched all of my outer layers a few minutes into the walk so that I could soak up the sun and sweat freely.

Heading into Friday a.m. Denver got about three inches of snow, but I decided to brave the cold and head out for a walk.  Despite the strong winds, I have found that a great pair of Sorel boots will help out a walker in any temperature.

On Friday evening Mike and I went to the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse game with some friends.  It ended up being the most fun night we have had in Denver and we did not get home until a little after 1 a.m.  If you know me at all, that’s like saying we got home at 5 a.m. to a normal person.  Needless to say, it threw off my workout schedule and left me with walking to work on Saturday as my only workout option.  It takes me about an hour to get there, so I was ok with that being my daily sweat.

Day 138:  Today Mike and I decided to try out the local 24 hour fitness to see if we might want to join.  It was really nice to be back in a gym after over a month of just hitting up the outdoors and yoga studios.  I ran on a treadmill for 25 minutes and then did the elliptical for 15, followed by a hefty amount of abdominal work.  It was a nice refresher of what it feels like to have a gym routine- maybe some day too my gym commitment phobia will go away and I will actually join one!

Days 131-133: Gentle

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” says Jim Carey’s character from Dumb and Dumber.   This really insightful quote nails what I am feeling on the head.  February has been a month wham-jam packed of one bug after the next for me. Typically my body acts like a black belt in karate and fights off anything that looks like a bug, but this year- nut uh.  It’s taking a break and letting every darned bit of sick hit me like a ton of bricks.  Great timing black belt, grrrreeat timing!

Day 131:  Regardless of how I am feeling, I am determined not to let this month of yuck let me break my challenge.  On day 131 I also worked in three ten minute walks.  My body was thankful when each of those walks was over.

Day 132:  Yesterday my fiance and I went to the home and garden show at the Denver Convention Center and walked around for over three hours.  After that we walked about two miles total to and from to get lunch.  Hey- after that, my body was done.  Therefore, that had to be my workout.  Walking that much really does count as a low impact workout and that’s what I am all about until my black decides to make a much anticipated appearance.

Day 133: Today I moved our coffee table out of our living room, set up my yoga mat and practiced my own (much needed) flow.  I turned on some country music and just listened to what my body needed.  It was screaming at me to open up my hips- so I did a runner’s lunge, lots of warrior’s and finished off with a long time in child’s pose.  I wonder if sickness likes to hangout in the hip joints?  Just a thought.  Listen, be kind and be gentle.  Those things have always been important, but it’s even more important when all your body wants to do is take it easy.

Days 109-111: Sweating Through The Pain

Day 109: On Friday morning my friend Jenny and I went for a three-mile walk in Washington Park.  I had planned it to be an easy day of working out since the rest of the weekend was going to be packed with high intensity workouts.  Unfortunately, I ended up catching a bug that knocked me out the rest of the day on Friday and all day on Saturday.  My friendly friday walk was the last amount of big movements I’d be making for the next 48 hours.

Day 110:  I read recently that people who consistently workout average one cold a year and people who do not workout consistently average four colds per year.  Since I am now characterized as a person who works out frequently, I knew that there was a chance of sickness at some point during this challenge.  This was my time.  Friday night I could barely swallow and my head was pounding.  Saturday morning it became apparent that sweating was going to be a painful challenge.

Thankfully, I have a fiance who held me accountable.  We got super bundled up and went for a twenty-minute walk around the lake at Washington Park.  He even held my arm the entire time because I felt super weak.  Do you remember that entire lazy body feeling you would get when you were a teenager and your parents would ask you to do something and it felt like your muscles couldn’t physically move?  That’s what I felt like all day yesterday.  Hence the need to lean on someone during a walk.

Day 111:  Today I woke up feeling a little better, but still not fantastic.  I knew I was going to have to take it easy again.  Mike planned out a hike for us at Red Rocks that was 3.3 miles with a 600 foot elevation gain.  That sounded doable to me if we took it slow.  Fortunately the breath-taking views kept my mind occupied from the pain in my throat.  The trail ended up getting really icy in spots, which naturally slowed us down- which made my achy body happy.  Overall, it took us 80 minutes and we came straight home to relax right after.  I am really hoping that my body decides to continue to heal after small gentle sweats all weekend.  Here’s to finding out if workouts can lead to a cure.