OOOOWWWW!!!!

I'm not one for just sliding into the water and taking things slow. I jump right in, cannonball style. Which is what I did on Monday.

I had forgotten that Zumba doesn't start until 12:30 on Mondays, so I got there at 10:15ish for the earlier class. Oops. It would have been stupid and a waste of gas for me to go home then come back, so I decided to just do a full workout. And by full, I mean FULL. I not only did weights, I ADDED abdominals and obliques. And it's been so long since I've done weights....Oh holy protein balls!!! Yeah, when it comes to shoulder presses, MEG IS A WUSS. It's two days later and the muscle sort of behind my armpit is STILL sore. After weights I jumped onto the elliptical and did a really hard two miles. I was keeping pace with the guy on the treadmill next to me, and he was running pretty hard. Finally, it was time for Zumba, so off to class I went. And within 10 minutes I had such a stitch in my side I had to fall out for about half a song. I felt so stupid, but IT'S NOT SMART TO PUSH THROUGH A STITCH. I learned that from my cross-country runner hubby. So I went in the back and drank some water until I felt better, then I was able to get in and "baile, baile!!!"

Now, it's all well & good to get the exercise in...but I didn't go back yesterday. I was so tired (we old folks really need to start going to bed earlier!) I really should have, because the repetition would have helped with the soreness. The plan is to go back in today, depending on what time I can get to the doc and to the chiropractor. (More on that in a moment.)

The thing about exercise that I think we all tend to try to forget is that we need the consistency. Doing a good, hard, two and a half hour workout once a week just doesn't cut it, no matter how intense the workout is. We need to exercise at LEAST three days a week, preferably four to five. I think it's something that we really let slip to the wayside in the business of life. And if we don't have somebody that we keep ourselves accountable to it's even easier to lose track of our focus. When we only work out once a week or less, we're not seeing the results that we want and end up so discouraged that we end up giving up.

Like I tell my kids...you won't see the results unless you put the hard work in! Post-workout pain can be rather discouraging as well, but with the consistency will come tolerance and less pain. And sexy, sexy results!

Who are you accountable to, besides yourself, when it comes to exercise? Do you have somebody that you keep posted about what you do? I post it on my Facebook, not for all the pats on the back that it gets me (but hey, those feel good too!), but because when I don't post about my exercise for a while there are people who will ask me if I HAVE been working out. They keep me on track, and challenge me to do better. If you don't have somebody to be accountable to, find an exercise buddy! Confide in somebody that you trust, and ask them to be your cheerleader. Make time for yourself to get the solid, consistent exercise that your body craves, and give yourself the opportunity to SEE results.


(Re: The doc...the rash is back. It's on my left side & lower back above my butt, and it hurts like hell. It's apparently just contact dermatitis, not the yeasty beasties after all, but it comes back every time I sweat. I CAN'T WIN. So I'm calling the doc again today and asking for another steroid shot. I have a feeling I might be on the juice for a while, the steroid cream isn't cutting it.)