This time last year I was in crazy good shape, and was much more physically active than I have been lately. I was in dance rehearsal nearly every day, I performed on stage at least two to three times a month, and I was doing a lot of charity runs/speed walks. It never felt like work to me, since I loved to dance and I loved my abundantly active lifestyle. However, a reoccurring broken foot, a decreased interest in dance, and extreme over commitment to other things in life slowed everything down. Soon, working out was no longer a fun thing to do while getting better at my technique. It became work.
At some point during the height of my pro-fitness mode I had started taking a hot yoga class with a small group of friends. They loved it, I loved it, everyone loved it! It was everything you could have asked for, and while I declined into little Miss Lazy, they continued taking the class, and the class size grew.
Eventually it all caught up with me. I hadn't gained any weight during the months where I slacked off, but I lost almost all of my muscle. Bottles were hard to open, charity functions required more effort and brought more pain, and I was unhappy with how little I cared for my own body.
So, I started working out again. I got a gym membership, secured a workout buddy to run/lift/and swim with me, and started taking hot yoga again. Last night was my first class in six months, and god, did it hurt.
Hot yoga, for those that aren't familiar, is an hour long workout/yoga class that focuses on core strength (and bodily pain), where they crank up the heat and surround you with 20-something hot bodies. I'm pretty much ignorant to any of the names used to describe the actions or poses we did, however I do remember that child's pose is god's gift to mankind.
And while I woke up sore today, and everything hurts and I'm walking a little funny (damn you, alligator pose), I feel great. I can feel muscles that had been forgotten, and my abs... Oh god, my abs! Combining this with a regular fitness program and diet alterations (less fast food, less condiments and soda, and more water/veggies/low processed foods) is one of the better decisions I've made recently.
I highly suggest enrolling in at least some sort of activity or class, and commiting to whatever you feel comfortable committing to. It takes effort to show up, work, and then motivate yourself enough to do it again, but over time it gets so much easier. I promise.
