I got two … count ’em … two workouts in yesterday, on a day off from work. And it felt pretty fabulous. I decided to hit an aqua aerobics class at the gym (photo example left, of course) because I was curious and also thought it could be a good workout. It had been years since I took that type of a class; the last time was at my parent’s condo pool with my mom and some of her neighbor friends.
I was one of two younger-ish women in a class of 25 to 30 students. At 11 a.m. on a Monday, I didn’t expect a lot of younger people. We aqua’d to the oldies, if you will, doing sprints, lunges and twists to dance-ified versions of “Under the Boardwalk” and “Jailhouse Rock.” I could barely hear the music during most of the class, but the instructor was great in providing encouragement and keeping us going during the 60 minutes of class. She stayed on the deck the entire time and I know she’s the teacher, but she was pretty impressive in mixing it up and even providing some in-water stretching at the end. The heater was broken, which made for a chilly entry into the pool but I and others obviously survived.
I hadn’t then planned on going to yoga, but my friend, L, wanted to meet up because she didn’t get her workout in earlier in the day. 90 minutes with Steve, who shared thoughts about equanimity at the start of class. It sounds like a tricky thing to strive for though it’s been discussed before in class in different terms – not letting either pain or pleasure really rattle you. It seems like the ultimate in reaching a zen and Buddhist state, too.
And now, on to today. 30-ish minutes of walking, including a nice long walk in the middle of the day, when the sun was shining here in Seattle despite the cold. 10 minutes of the walk today came at the end o’ day, walking with D. from the office to vehicles parked offsite. Here’s hoping we’ll have more sunny days during the rest of the week. I’m pretty psyched about the way I’m closing out this second half of the 40 days.
Mary Guiden 