Mental Attitude

This is week 4 of Boot Camp, which means, it. Is. Hard. The pep talk touched on mental challenges, no not that way, but how we allow our mind to limit us in so many ways. I've always said that anything I do, is driven by my mind, what I think I can do, and what I think I can't do. If I think I can't do something, chances are, I won't do it because I've already convinced myself that I can't. However, if I think I can, if I believe I can, I will, no matter how impossible it may seem (to a point). So today, as we were running suicide drills, my body started to feel "lightheaded", "short of breath" (hello, we were running), and almost as if my vision was tunneled. Now, was I really feeling like this physically, because I just didn't want to do this, or was I really feeling this way because I hadn't had enough to eat. Maybe a little of both, but I thought, "no, this is not going to beat me, I am going to give my 100% of what I have, however large or small that is". I got right back in there, continued the drills, and they did not get any easier, rather, they got harder as I tired more and more. But, I did it! Perhaps it wasn't even pretty, but I came out on top. I was proud of myself, and my team, as we all persevered and finished strong! Two more classes of week 4, and we start over again next week at the beginning! I feel stronger, I feel capable (most of the time), and mentally, I feel more focused & my endurance has increased. Oh, and I did 22 push ups, too! I've also started logging my food on the My Fitness Pal app, and it has made me more aware of how much I am eating, and what I am eating. It is an eye opener, and I am committed to log everything, no matter how unhealthy or boozey, because, hey, I am only cheating myself, right? I also ordered a FitBit to track my exercise, as if Boot Camp wasn't enough! Anyway, talk soon...

Another Friday Night

Not sure what is going on with my knee, but this is the second week that I am in pain. It started on or about Labor Day, laying pavers. At first, I thought it was the bending down/over to pick them up, but I thought I was careful to use correct form, you know, use the legs not the back to lift. Maybe what I thought I was doing right, I was doing wrong. I continued doing Boot Camp, because, quite honestly, when I am active, it doesn't hurt. It is when I sit for long periods of time, read: work, that it stiffens up. The suckiest part of this is that now it is BOTH knees that are messed up. Don't get old, my friends, don't get old! This week's Boot Camp still had a fair amount of running, though mostly strength, and today, we did Power Yoga. Don't get me wrong, it was still a workout, still got the heart rate up, and lots of stretching. We had a pep talk, but no sharing. I kind of missed that part. The other "odd" thing I noticed was when we were in savasana, and Carie was providing a meditation, I felt an emotional release. I had to tamp it down. That hasn't happened to me before in yoga. Full moon tonight, and it was HUGE! It started coming up behind the Rincons as I was driving home from Boot Camp, and by the time I got home, it was high enough that I could see it through my living room windows. I wish I could have sat outside, nice cool evening, but being the big ol' fraidy cat I am, here I am, 8:30 pm on a Friday night, with the alarm already armed. Welcome to my boring life! Two soccer games tomorrow, early enough to bypass the heat, I hope. Then on to mom's, whose TV is on the blink. She has asked me to call a repair shop to check it out, but quite honestly, it may be less expensive to just buy a new one. Flat screens are not that expensive any more, and due to the age of the broken one, it may be more economical in the long run. Of course, they just replaced their refrigerator earlier in the week to the tune of $1K, so maybe not! Talk soon...

Another Friday Night

Not sure what is going on with my knee, but this is the second week that I am in pain. It started on or about Labor Day, laying pavers. At first, I thought it was the bending down/over to pick them up, but I thought I was careful to use correct form, you know, use the legs not the back to lift. Maybe what I thought I was doing right, I was doing wrong. I continued doing Boot Camp, because, quite honestly, when I am active, it doesn't hurt. It is when I sit for long periods of time, read: work, that it stiffens up. The suckiest part of this is that now it is BOTH knees that are messed up. Don't get old, my friends, don't get old! This week's Boot Camp still had a fair amount of running, though mostly strength, and today, we did Power Yoga. Don't get me wrong, it was still a workout, still got the heart rate up, and lots of stretching. We had a pep talk, but no sharing. I kind of missed that part. The other "odd" thing I noticed was when we were in savasana, and Carie was providing a meditation, I felt an emotional release. I had to tamp it down. That hasn't happened to me before in yoga. Full moon tonight, and it was HUGE! It started coming up behind the Rincons as I was driving home from Boot Camp, and by the time I got home, it was high enough that I could see it through my living room windows. I wish I could have sat outside, nice cool evening, but being the big ol' fraidy cat I am, here I am, 8:30 pm on a Friday night, with the alarm already armed. Welcome to my boring life! Two soccer games tomorrow, early enough to bypass the heat, I hope. Then on to mom's, whose TV is on the blink. She has asked me to call a repair shop to check it out, but quite honestly, it may be less expensive to just buy a new one. Flat screens are not that expensive any more, and due to the age of the broken one, it may be more economical in the long run. Of course, they just replaced their refrigerator earlier in the week to the tune of $1K, so maybe not! Talk soon...

22/22

A couple of weeks ago, or really only 20 days ago, I was challenged to do 22 push up per day for 22 days. What? I can't even do ONE push up off my knees, and even then, I am unable to go all the way chest to the ground. What possessed me to think I could do this this challenge? Oh, and, the rule was to videotape it and post it on Facebook! I accepted the challenge, because to be tagged and not do it, would have been worse, especially by Facebook standards. So here I am 20 days in, only 2 more days to go. But this isn't about me. The challenge was accepted to bring awareness to the cause that 22 veterans take their lives every day. More suffer from PTSD, and could, very likely, become a statistic. I have to say that this touched me deeply. Not only were my dad and tata, both veterans, my niece's husband is a vet, my cousin is currently active military, another cousin's son just completed boot camp last month. I was just talking to my 15 year old grandson this past weekend, and he talked about joining the military. I never knew he had that inkling! I have to say, though, I am very proud of him, he is already thinking about his future. Perhaps because 9/11 is just a couple of days away, the US suffered its worst terrorist attach on home soil, I am just feeling more patriotic than usual. I don't fly a flag (my dad does), but I can't even get through the Star Spangled Banner at sporting events without choking up. Anyway, I am almost done with the 22 days, and I am not quite sure how I will feel about it once it is complete. I do believe I will continue to do the 22 pushups per day, I just won't be posting it on FB, but surely, I will be thinking about the reason why I started doing them in the first place. Talk soon...