Good Sore, Bad Sore

This past week, I've really focused on adding some variety to my exercise routine, particularly oft neglected strength training. This in addition to my entry level C25K.

Mon - Body Conditioning class at my gym (1 hour). I liked it! Basic squats, lunges, shoulders, abs, etc. Most done on an incline step. Rookie mistake: using weights that felt good at the time (mostly 8 lb dumbbells and 12 lb body bar). Could. Not. Walk. Very. Good. Frankenstein shuffle up & down the 2 flights of my apartment building stairs, possibly scaring the neighbors. But still a Good Sore in that it faded after a day or two.

Tue - C25K in Central Park, followed by a nice, long walk through said Park, because, hey, I was already out there and it's beautiful. And it felt good to try to loosen up my Frankenlegs.

Wed - Iyengar Yoga (1 hour) class at my gym. Wasn't sure what this would entail, but I was sore and figured some flexy/bendy moves would be good. This fit the bill. Loooots of Warrior II (not my favorite), but definitely stretched out my quadriceps nicely. Then walked on the treadmill since I was there.

Thur - C25K at the gym, followed by a walk with lots of inclines on the treadmill. I like to make up lots of programs to do on the treadmill, mixing up the speed and incline just to make the time go by. And keep me from falling asleep on the treadmill, which would be a lame sports injury.

Fri - Body Definition class at my gym (45 minutes). Eh. One of these classes with the Cult Instructor in short-shorts. Lots of whoo-whoo! from the class. Which I could get over were it not for the super speedy sets of strength moves. I'm not a fan of speedy lunges or speedy back rows. My knee gets wonky (Bad Sore!) on the former and my form goes crap on the latter. Another pet peeve is when the instructor offers no modifications for beginners or injured peeps. But I stayed after class and got some cardio (speed walking) in on the treadmill.

Sat - C25K followed by Vinyasa Yoga (1.5 hours) Finished Week 2 of C25K (woo hoo!) and the yoga was full of flow and twisty stretching.

Sun - Rest Aaaaaaahhhh.....

I felt good about accomplishing my goal to add variety to my fitness and exploring some strength training class options. I would do the first class again (tomorrow maybe!) I have been shooting for an hour of "activity" per day, usually lots of walking after whatever else I have slated for the day. I also wanted to write this post on a non-weigh in day to give myself props unrelated to little digital numbers on the scale.

Dear Future Self, this was sort of a Platonic Ideal of a Week in Fitness and should in no way be regarded as a standard. C25K is good because it sets a framework for exercise that can be built upon. Just add a yoga class, a strength class and some walking and ~voila~ a clear head and caloric deficit (* assumes "Calories In" side of the equation is within desirable range) await you. Be nice to yourself, listen to your body, find exercise and food that you enjoy and this whole endeavor should be sustainable and dare I say, enjoyable??

Cheers to that, fit fans!