Jessica Hildrum

I love that you care but cheer me on don’t tell me to take it easy

Here I am really putting heart and ass (and I mean the latter literally) into this getting in shape project and most of the feedback I’m getting is to take it easy, it seems that most people are  concerned that I’ll get bored and burn out (or injure myself).  This is the whole reason for the short iterations people!  I will only plan 7 days ahead, no more.  7 days is doable, I know that at the end of those 7 days I can stop entirely or modify – I inspect and adapt – all the while keeping the overarching vision in focus.

Yes, I am indeed using an Agile approach to get into “Cougar” shape.

Now for those who really know me, you know that I tend to get a little flaky, particularly where exercise is concerned, because – well, I hate it.  So another reason that the working out every day thing works is that there is never an excuse for not doing it.  Remember, given the chance to flake out I’ll probably take the flake out for a five course meal and then home for a romp or two in the hay. Therefore it is a good idea to give myself no alternatives.

So how do I make sure that I do not get bored or injured?

1. I do not exercise to the extreme every day; I take harder/demanding classes only a couple times a week.
2. I use knee bandages to protect my crappy knees and do not push myself to do anything that hurts – in the wrong way that is (all exercise is after all painful if not to the body then to the very soul – soul I tell you).
3. I try different kinds of stuff to make it more interesting, asking myself, what I hate the least.  So far, the elliptical machine with some really good music does just fine for me, and given I can find a solution to the strangulation by boobie thing, the Yoga wasn’t too bad either.

This is my sports year, so I am sure that some interesting sports alternatives will also be working their way into my regime, this coming weekend I am going on a ski trip with work (3 year olds ski better than I do, so my poor colleagues do not know what they are in for – MUAHAHAHA).

And we must not forget that the increased heart rate, sweaty palms and slight (to moderate) nausea that dating induces is also helpful to the general weight loss.  What is not helpful, however, is the killer death-breath accompanying not eating or drinking enough (due to the dating induced increased heart rate etc.) which ultimately may lead to interesting prospects fleeing at faster than Cougar speed in the opposite direction!  This thought of course is an excellent incentive to stay hydrated and properly fed.

So I ask that you not worry about me, although I am, glad that you do.  But that said, I would much rather have a cheering section, help me reach my “Cougar” goal, don’t let me get back into butt fusing into the couch mode.  Remind me that I too can do it!

Thanks Alistair – you really helped me my by reminding me and cheering me on when I was about ready to let my butt fuse to my oh so comfy couch!

And come on guys and gals, invite me to your sports stuff, I promise to say yes and will try and not embarrass you too much.

Yoga is totally a spectator sport

I took a classic yoga class for the first time today.  I have taken some pilates and a yoga course while massively, hugely whale-like pregnant, but never a classical yoga class.

It actually went pretty well, the instructor was definitely interesting both kinda hippy dippy yet cool surprising us with comments when we least expected them, like while lying flat on back with legs straight up in the air he said “this exercise is known to iron out those wrinkles on your face” and the best one was when we were stretching out at the end and he did the “classic” lotus pretzel with arms under and through his crossed ankles, knees bent (obviously) and grabbed the back of his OWN head, and said “Do this to really impress your friends at parties”.  It was wonderful, I will absolutely be going back for more.

If I can survive that is, I nearly suffocated.  Let me explain, I was lying on my back, obediently, legs straight up in the air, further lifting my buttocks off the floor as to propel my legs yet further towards the ceiling – no mean feet (haha) – the next step was to bring my legs down behind my head to touch the floor with my toes.  This, was actually easy! Except that in my case I experienced that my OWN Hindenburg sized breasts were suffocating me, one on each side of my windpipe, slowly cutting off the air to my brain. I needed to create my own “classical” Yoga interpretation by using my arms which until this point were meekly at my sides palms down on the floor, I instead had to use them to manually adjust my breasts’ positioning by pushing them apart and down (that is actually up in that position as my feet are behind my head), Thus bringing the airflow rushing back to my nearly brain dead yet transcendent existence.

I think I may have to tape my breasts to my knees (!) before the next attempt although I may risk becoming deaf with my knees next to my ears.