The yoga instructor taught two back-to-back classes and I had contemplated staying for the second one but figured I didn't want to overdo it, and my muscles already felt pretty beaten up from all the massaging with the alpha ball and whatnot.
So I set myself the goal of two classes today!
I showed up (a few minutes late) to the 9 am yoga class, only to discover that it was already at capacity. There was a sign out front and the instructor came to talk to the lady beside me and said "sorry, there's a spot for her but I'm already full". Well. Guess I'm not doing two classes. This was a 9:15 start so I'd already missed joining the other classes that started at 9. My next class wasn't until 10:30. Bummer. It's one of those time frames that seems too short to bother going home - you'd just have to turn around and come back again - and too long to just sit and wait. I suppose I could prowl around and do some shopping in the nearby stores, but why spend money when I don't have to?
So I ordered one of their healthy smoothies and grabbed a chair to play useless cell phone games for an hour. Oh well. Sometimes down time can be good. I had to stop playing the stupid ball jumping game because I could feel my muscles tightening up as I played because I was getting tense when I tried to make the ball go in the direction I wanted. I don't need to add extra muscle strain for a stupid cell phone game.
The smoothie was awful. I sucked a good chunk of it down, mostly because I hadn't had a solid breakfast - just come cereal quickly - but it was pretty bad. Yuck.
When I went upstairs for the next class, I think the instructor of the earlier class saw me because she started saying to someone else pretty loudly how they were full again that morning, and sometimes people show up at her class at 8:30 am to get a spot; they typically have to turn people away every time. Meh. Mental note: do not come back to this class.
I think it was some point during yesterday's class that I decided I really wanted to become a gym rat. I wanted to be one of those people who goes to the gym all the time, and builds up a whole lot of muscle. I even fantasized about getting ripped - not to the point that it's gross - but just enough that I'm pretty buff. Losing all of that extra weight and re-gaining an attractive physique. I imagined my childhood friend who had done a brief stint as a body-building model and thought of that as an ideal - quickly dismissed because I also remembered her saying she really didn't like how she had to modify her diet to make the muscles really "pop" out before a contest. Some distant part of me wanted to be the "hot" teacher. Not that I wanted kids looking at me in that regard, but I'd noticed this year in my department there were older and rounder-looking ladies, and there was this squad of 30-somethings who all looked thin and fit. There were really the two stereotypes and that was it. I'm 30-something, I don't want to belong to the rounder-looking stereotype. Plus there were recent photos of me at a wedding mid-July. I had spent way too much on a dress and thought I looked killer in it - and then I saw the photos and noticed I definitely look round. I had never really seen myself like that. Yes, I'm larger, but I'm tall and I carry it well - or so I thought. I am very definitely a big girl. (which, again, is fine, but it wouldn't hurt to tighten things up a little). You know when someone older raises her arm and all the fat kind of hangs down underneath and giggles a bit (or a lot) because there's no muscle tone? I'm heading towards that and want to tighten things up a little. There's no harm in that, right?
Anyway...
The "second" class for today was a Core, Balance & Stretch class. Sounds like exactly what I need. I didn't realize it was also a Yoga class. It seems I really like Yoga when it's in various forms. We focused on stretching out tight muscles and working a whole bunch of muscle groups that I wanted to focus on. I felt really good during the class.
She did this cool exercise where we stacked up blocks and stood on a blanket and then slid our legs in and out (to the sides) while bracing ourselves on the blocks. So cool. Hurt like a bitch. I typically view my legs as having a lot of strong muscles. Lower body is pretty tough and upper body is pretty weak. These were pretty challenging. It felt good though. And yet another reminder that my arms do not really have the strength to support my full weight. I could feel them shaking as I tried to shift the weight forward so I could slide my legs open and closed.
Then we did this stretch on the wall that opened up our side. You placed your hands on the wall, one over your head so it's like a big O, and then leaned your hips out towards the center of the room. I could really feel that pulling in the shoulder. So I leaned into it harder thinking I was doing a good stretch and working some of the sort shoulder muscles. Big mistake. It still felt sore afterwards and now I can feel it still tingling. Typing is mildly uncomfortable as I'm losing sensation in the arm. I may just have to call it a day and let you know how Day 3 goes. I got an email back and I'm seeing a personal trainer tomorrow.
<- kinda like this, but standing, and the other arm up on the wall too so the finger tips are almost touching.
<- this would be so cool, but I am sooo far from capable.
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