It's official...... I am definitely stronger......

When I went to my NIA class last Thursday, I felt much stronger than I remembered feeling in past classes. It had been three weeks since I had been to class (Christmas break and all, not laziness on my part.... but I know how one might jump to that conclusion), and I thought it was a fluke. Last night when I went to Yoga (after the same three week absence)I was STILL strong, so it MUST BE SO! And it is only January, I still have the whole year ahead of me to continue to gain strength (and better balance).

I have been taking Yoga (once a week give or take) for sixteen months now. The first couple of months of classes are burned in my mind forever to be remembered as torture. Though I was able to hold most of my comments (a grunt or two managed to escape) inside my brain was active...."She wants us to do what? You've got to be kidding! I knew I was out of shape, but this is down right embarrassing." The absolute worse was when after twenty minutes of this punishment, the teacher sweetly said "Okay! I'm going to put on some music, and we will start now." I can remember it being a toss up as to whether I wanted to kill her or myself. Somehow, I managed to make myself go back week after week (I actually paid money for this pain and frustration), and little by little I began to do a few of the poses without wanting to pass out, and I thought I noticed a carry over into my daily life. After about three months, I was doing downward dog in one class, and glanced over to the side and noticed ACTUAL BY GOD TRICEPT DEFINITION! Not much, but if I held my arm just so others could also make it out (once I pointed it out to them of course). After a couple of weeks of bragging (Yes! I even showed aquaintances in the grocery store.... Have I no shame?), I began to connect that I was also calmer inside (which led to less outbursts of emotion.... let me tell you, my teenager loved this benefit), and I found myself doing yoga breathing whenever I felt stressed (Like when I was in the backseat of the car while above teenager was taking her driving test and rolled through the first three stop signs, after I had endured MONTHS of twenty minutes pauses at every single stop sign so she was postive she had stopped). These were benefits that I hadn't even planned on, but have been life changing (in a good way!).

Last October was when I added weight training to my yoga and NIA classes, and I have kept on running. Now four months after faithfully lifting three times a week (actually since the beginning of January I have been lifting six times a week, doing legs one day arms the next, because I can do this in twenty to thirty mins per day rather than sixty every other day), I am really feeling the benefits of my hard work. Being a person that is CONTANTLY working on increasing her patience (with minimal success), it has not always been easy to keep plugging away without seeing big results. I guess maybe those that maintain "it is the slow consistant results that have a bigger overall impact when one looks backwards", might know what they are talking about after all. How long does it take a catapillar to turn into a butterfly? Longer than overnight that's for sure! At the very least, they say it takes a minimum of two months to form a new habit. I keep asking myself when I will begin to LOVE working out like some people (claim to). I do it, not because I enjoy it, but so I can brag that I am doing it. Whatever works.... didn't we decide that was okay?

One more thing to take note of..... I was feeling hungry and had my oatmeal by NINE AM today. This means that either stomach is learning to speak up, or I am doing better with not eating at night, so I actually AM hungry in the morning. Either way, this is another good thing that I will celebrate today!

Blessings to each of you.