And So It Begins

Transformation of body, mind and soul. Sweet growing boys are now 3 months old and both body and mind are ready to once again be challenged. Said as if life with 10 isn't challenging enough. In all reality and all romantic dreamy notions aside, life with 7 kids ages six and under...or really, more the 5 kids 4 and under......is enough to shut down any mental capacity or activity that had ever formerly existed within the entire frontal, parietal, occipital or temporal lobe. And the crap that Ivye gets into is enough to do any sane person in....but then I was never sane to begin with so, in the end, just doesn't quite matter.

Tiny town, population 320.....on a good day.....has been caught up in the whirlwind of the latest fitness craze....Zumba. And I love to dance....whether I actually can is not entirely relevant at this point. So it is that I laid aside any and all self conscious inhibitions that ever even thought of existing and I attended class. Fun loving self figured we'd just laugh the entire time while attempting to move but quickly found that six 55 year old out of shape women sucking wind heavily do not really possess the ability to laugh while trying to dance. By the end of the class I'd been voted the one with the best moves...which in and of itself is more than a little scary and quite telling of my fellow Zumba-ers. The first 5 minutes had me hooked. So it is that I attend Zumba class 3 times a week now and attempt to look like I know what exactly I am doing. The class was inspiration enough to begin running once again and so it is that I am back to running. 1st run since 21 weeks of pregnancy and I managed to crap out at the mere 1/2 mile mark. But.....I did run. The feet felt good pounding out the dirt roads...and when I say pounding, pound they did. In fact, I am quite certain that the county no longer has need of rolling our rural town roads because I just pounded it out quite successfully for them. And given the current elephasized status I have attained I did a pretty thorough job.

I Zumba on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and run after each hour long class. So far I'm running a 1/2 mile and walking the other 2 1/2. Kind of depressing after leaving off at running 2 miles at 21 wks pregnant. But, the fact that I can even still run is enough to encourage the heart and keep on keeping on. And the fact I was not half dead nor lying on the road passed out was a little encouragement too...and, in all reality, was only barely out of breath. Monday's goal is to up it to a full mile run. It remains to be seen if I'll live through that one.

Along with the Zumbaing and running I have taken the 90 day P90X challenge. So I awake with studying husband at the ungodly hour of 5:30 every morning...long before lots of little feet ever hit wood floors....and Grayson and I do those hour long workouts. And let me assure the world at large that not only will it wake one up but it will also leave one half dead before the day has even begun. I do love it though. It is power. It is strength. It is the feeling of life...fully awake and living. Sore muscles, blood and life pulsing through veins, heart racing. And I know that I am alive and well and life is good. It is health. It is energy. It is everything I want to to be and more. It is drive. It is purpose. It is the journey to better myself in every way...from mental stamina...mind over matter....to bodily shape and changes, to focus, determination, and commitment.

And with the return to running and working out I began juicing again and have begun my 30 day sugar fast. We'll see what I feel like 30 days from now!