Surpassing Monday

Home-made and scaled down thrusters (I realize the colors of my garb don't match :)

I'm basking in the post workout glow after a quick workout followed by a 3-mile run (first 3-mile run I've done for as long as I can remember). Today, the endorphins did me good.

Assisted pull-ups

Yesterday, not so much. Despite keeping my reps and rounds low, I pushed myself to the point of nausea. After a power nap, I felt better enough to work up enough courage to face the fear of my directionally-challenged self and I left the safe-feeling confines of my parking lot. I got as far as a Walmart (while looking for Target) and Publix. A couple more key favorites and I'll be set :)

Anyway for now, I'm relieved to have surpassed what felt like an unsurmountable Monday -- a feat that comprised of sleeping through the night without paranormal visits, followed by reducing the volume of fears and thoughts that ran rampant during the first couple of hours at my new job.

Now, I'm happily embracing the comfort of silence in my new home and giving a special part of myself to this blog not only as a way to document my journey, but to see how my thoughts evolve ... or, de-evolve in time ... :)

Here are the dark chocolate tuttles that I got a dozen of from Kilwins. I owe a great deal of my motivation toward yesterday's workout to it's consumption at breakfast yesterday, lol.

I type this partially under candlelight and it lends a very romantic feel to my evening (the picture doesn't give the candle glow justice, and the noise is a bit much, but oh well):


Ok, that's it for now. Time to visit with my Buffy "friends" now as I wind down for the evening :)

Moving and Grooving

I dipped my toes into the idea of starting belly dance again to see if I missed it enough to return. I watched soloists on DVD and although I was not inspired enough to want to do anything on a strict level, I was inspired enough to expand the moment with coined hip scarf shaking and swirling around with a flowy veil. :) This art was once a natural part of me and I forgot just how fun, healing, sensuous, challenging and rewarding it can be. Since I have such a wide repertoire of movements at my disposal, it makes sense to incorporate them into my workout to mix things up and keep it fresh.

Anyway, as I danced around, I looked in the mirror and thought, Wow, could I use plastic surgery, lol. The signs of aging suck and it can easily do a number to one’s head. Although I don’t rule out plastic surgery, for now, I choose to focus on how funny our frigid attitude toward aging can be. The movie, Death Becomes Her, immediately comes to mind, where the two women chose eternal youth and beauty, but at such a high and humorously tragic cost.



When my belly dance website came down, so did all corresponding pictures. Fortunately, I retrieved a couple from another site, and decided to incorporate those here, in remembrance of my “past life” as professional belly dancer :). The photo with my long locks was professionally done, with tints I added via Photoshop. I really like how my long hair looks here. The picture at the top was taken at a gig for a birthday party. I so loved the hot pink veil I was wrapped in.

I made such remarkable strides with Crossfit and feel put off that I’ve had to quit in light of my move. It offers really hardcore workouts with basic, yet effective equipment. There’s not a facility close to where I’m moving, so I will have to make do with home workouts.

My workouts have been sluggish the last few weeks, as I’ve been working on building momentum after getting over a foot injury that occurred when I was curious and stupid enough to see what it was like to walk in 9-inch heel stripper shoes. After a couple of steps, I toppled in a really bad and embarrasing way, lol ... I’ve also allowed my body time to heal from a cold, but I hope my momentum builds and that I’m able to recover strength and endurance as I become more consistent.

The last few times I worked out, I focused on basics. On good days, I would do 4 rounds of pull ups, thrusters (30 pounds), knees to elbows and push ups followed by running a mile. Running was hard, as my feet started to hurt and my calves were sore. But I did lay off for a bit and last night, I ran 2 miles with no problems in just over 23 minutes. I thought that was decent, considering.

Anyway, after my move to the new location, I intend to hone my workout and aspire to get some really, rocking results. :)

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Lastly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the many who were/are affected by the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti :( It's so surreal, and really difficult for me to fathom the magnitude of grief, destruction and loss ...