Sometimes my body gives me a warning shot and I ignore it. This is always a bad move. Thursday it was a somewhat crick-y back that I silently willed to leave me alone. So, Friday morning when I hobbled out of bed bent over I realized I’d been bitch-slapped. My body does not fool around, when it wants attention it demands it.
This is entirely my fault and I was kinda being dodgy. Barely doing Pilates, barely walking with all this cold and snow, barely hooping or Spinning. A very hectic two weeks at work didn’t help, there were several 10+ hour days. I emailed my boss that it was a work from home day and hobbled into the studio (walking helped to loosen my back a bit) and then spent an hour stretching and doing light Pilates to get it loosened up. Ah-ha! Super tight calves, tight hip flexors and a cranky back … stretch, stretch, and a little kindness were what I needed. Today, I feel much better although still a bit crick-y.
It has been five months since I started my new job and I love it. I am jazzed about my work every day and my skills have been improving (I’m even learning HTML!) and I definitely made the right choice to wholly switch careers.
But, my fitness life has been a disaster. Food has actually been pretty good overall, mostly salads and healthy lunch choices, breakfast and dinner have been healthy. I still have to watch the snacking … but I’ve gained 7 pounds and gone up a dress-size and most of that I think is from sitting in one place all day, every day. I underestimated how active I was at the studio. Also just taking 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there and noodling around on the equipment makes a big difference in how I look and feel.
So, I’ve got to figure this out and there have been many attempts. I pretty much had it when it was warmer and I was walking half-way or all the way to work. That was keeping me sane (I hate the MBTA) and getting some movement in. But I do need more. Spring is coming and I want to look a bit better than I do now.
Thank you body for the wake-up call. Thank you for reminding me that I need balance in my life. Even fitness pros lose their center from time to time. Hopefully this is the first step to getting it back.