Keeping On

My summer resolution to get back in shape and lose some weight is slowly showing results. I started a boot camp back in May and have been getting myself out of bed on Saturday mornings to (hopefully) work my butt off. My weekday workouts have become more regular with my husband’s help with the boys and in July I started spinning at home at 5 am five times a week. The spinning workouts have really helped my endurance and I like that I don’t have to drive anywhere at the crack of dawn to get some exercise. And along with increasing endurance and strength, I’ve finally started dropping weight and not gaining it back the next week, a total of 10 pounds so far. Not nearly as much as I would like but every little bit counts.

Even after all these weeks of boot camp plus the spinning, the boot camp still kicks my butt every time. Most days I get to the 30 minute mark thinking I’ve made it through pretty well, then our instructor Kelly throws in some twist that leaves me gasping for air or groaning in pain, usually some tough cardio burst or ab routine.

During our most recent boot camp workout, the killer was the 50 pushups followed by the tricep pushups, all towards the end of our 60 minute workout.

By the time we started the tricep pushups, I could lower myself to the ground but couldn’t push myself back up. My chest ached and my arms felt like rubber. As we pushed and panted face down on our mats, she walked up and down the line demanding, “What are you here for? Get what you came for!” I kept thinking about how hard I had worked this summer and how I still wasn’t at my goal weight. I wanted it so bad so I kept pushing but to no avail. Those pushups had done me in.

But we weren’t done. We went from the pushups to the ab routine, a 10 minute rotation of exercises lasting 30 seconds each with little to no break in between. I liked the variety, but of course it got harder with each rotation. My core burned like it was on fire and I had tears in my eyes a couple times. I would occasionally pause and pant, trying to ease the pain so I could keep going, then would get back to it. When we finally finished and started the stretch and cool down, I put myself in child’s pose and just laid there for about two minutes. I felt like I couldn’t do another sit up or crunch or leg lift or bicycle or oblique crunch. I was done.

I sipped water on the drive back home and arrived hot and tired, but not totally exhausted. Then about six hours later I began to really feel it, first in my left heel which I think I bruised. I hobbled around Costco in some cute black sandals that I desperately wanted to ditch and trade in for my heavily cushioned house sandals. When we got home I had trouble standing up to get out of the car and my legs felt heavy, as if I were dragging around weights. By Sunday morning I hurt in my legs, core, and chest, and I tried spinning for a few minutes to help blood flow and try to reduce the pain, but I didn’t notice much difference. I spent the day gently stretching every few minutes and moaning every time I tried to sit or stand.

But all that pain is ok because I’m getting better, slowly but surely.

Original DC Metro Moms Blog post.

Andrea Meyers writes about cooking, edible gardening, and her four hungry guys.