For the last couple of days I have been doing something that I haven't done for ages - I have been jumping on the treadmill and having a bit of a jog.
This isn't really that big of a deal, I suppose. I mean, I used to run all the time. I've even done a couple of half marathons. But for the last few years, it hasn't really been part of my regime. Like, at all.
When I started to exercise regularly (which wasn't until I started working full-time), I loved to get my cardio on. Running, high-energy aerobics, boxing, dance classes - anything that got me out of breath and red-faced was my thing. I became a total gym junky, going to the gym 6 times a week, eating clean, drinking protein powder and cataloguing my calories.
And to begin with, it was great! For the first time in my life, I felt fit and strong and I looked the best I ever had.
But I couldn't keep the momentum up. After a while, I was just too exhausted to keep exercising at the same intensity (and on a relatively tiny amount of calories). My muscles ached all the time. And, thanks to what my physio informed me were "oddly small knees", I was constantly dealing with injuries. Basically, it stopped being fun.
So I took a break for a little while.
When I finally did join a gym again, I wasn't really interested in doing any of the cardio classes anymore. I think I was worried about waking my inner cardio beast or something. Instead, I was drawn to the calmer, more focussed workouts like pilates and yoga. I had been doing yoga and pilates before, but they were always as a supplement to my "real" workouts and were done on my rest day (which explains why I was always in pain and injured).
Now, though, they became the main event. I felt so good after class. I was energised and yet also calmer. It was brilliant! Soon, I wasn't do anything other than yoga. Whenever I could fit it in and any kind of class that I could get to.
While I have no doubt at all that yoga has made me healthy and strong, I do feel guilty about letting cardio-health slide. I have had health assessments since dropping the cardio and they confirmed that my cardio-health was "normal". Which I must admit got to my ego a bit - I mean, who wants to be "normal"?!? Also, I occasionally have those freak-outs where I start to wonder if I would be outrun an attacker or a rabid bear or some other kind of danger. Because, right now, unless the attacker (or bear) has asthma or something, I don't think I would stand much of a chance.
This week, while work is slower and the gym is quieter, I have decided maybe it was time to add a little bit of cardio back into my routine. Just a 15 minute jog before yoga. Nothing too strenuous but enough to get my heart-rate up. And it felt gooooooooooood. When I got to yoga, my muscles were already warm and it meant that I was able to get deeper into my poses sooner. Super-winning!!
Hopefully, I will be able to find the time (and will!) to keep it up throughout the year - even after I start my teacher training and become REALLY immersed in yoga-goodness.
This isn't really that big of a deal, I suppose. I mean, I used to run all the time. I've even done a couple of half marathons. But for the last few years, it hasn't really been part of my regime. Like, at all.
When I started to exercise regularly (which wasn't until I started working full-time), I loved to get my cardio on. Running, high-energy aerobics, boxing, dance classes - anything that got me out of breath and red-faced was my thing. I became a total gym junky, going to the gym 6 times a week, eating clean, drinking protein powder and cataloguing my calories.
And to begin with, it was great! For the first time in my life, I felt fit and strong and I looked the best I ever had.
But I couldn't keep the momentum up. After a while, I was just too exhausted to keep exercising at the same intensity (and on a relatively tiny amount of calories). My muscles ached all the time. And, thanks to what my physio informed me were "oddly small knees", I was constantly dealing with injuries. Basically, it stopped being fun.
So I took a break for a little while.
When I finally did join a gym again, I wasn't really interested in doing any of the cardio classes anymore. I think I was worried about waking my inner cardio beast or something. Instead, I was drawn to the calmer, more focussed workouts like pilates and yoga. I had been doing yoga and pilates before, but they were always as a supplement to my "real" workouts and were done on my rest day (which explains why I was always in pain and injured).
Now, though, they became the main event. I felt so good after class. I was energised and yet also calmer. It was brilliant! Soon, I wasn't do anything other than yoga. Whenever I could fit it in and any kind of class that I could get to.
While I have no doubt at all that yoga has made me healthy and strong, I do feel guilty about letting cardio-health slide. I have had health assessments since dropping the cardio and they confirmed that my cardio-health was "normal". Which I must admit got to my ego a bit - I mean, who wants to be "normal"?!? Also, I occasionally have those freak-outs where I start to wonder if I would be outrun an attacker or a rabid bear or some other kind of danger. Because, right now, unless the attacker (or bear) has asthma or something, I don't think I would stand much of a chance.
This week, while work is slower and the gym is quieter, I have decided maybe it was time to add a little bit of cardio back into my routine. Just a 15 minute jog before yoga. Nothing too strenuous but enough to get my heart-rate up. And it felt gooooooooooood. When I got to yoga, my muscles were already warm and it meant that I was able to get deeper into my poses sooner. Super-winning!!
Hopefully, I will be able to find the time (and will!) to keep it up throughout the year - even after I start my teacher training and become REALLY immersed in yoga-goodness.
1 comment:
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
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