Feelin' Good

It has been a little over a month since I started going to the gym again and despite the knee & hip pain, I have been feeling really good lately. Even though I had to tone my workouts down a bit and start slower than I wanted to, it has all worked out for the greater good of things. I am doing yoga at least twice a week if not more and lifting weights as well. I am continuously working on stretching out my hips to avoid the pain coming back. I can already tell a difference in how my yoga practice has improved and how much stronger I feel in general.

Green monsters have become a morning staple for Christian and me. It is a great way to start the day and I am happy to be able to incorporate more veggies into my diet as much as possible. I have mentioned how the change in my eating habits has also made me feel good, so coupled with going to the gym...I'd venture to say I don't know when I felt this good last.

I am so aware of my body and how it feels. I find myself with more patience in general. I know when to push myself and when to let things be. I have more energy.....even though I still love sleeping.

Two weekends ago, I took a Bikram yoga class in Viña del Mar. Holy mother of peace. It was divine. Just what I needed after a stressful week at work to help detoxify my whole body and mind. I can't wait to go back for another class, even though they are kind of expensive. I think it'll be a treat to myself when we go to Viña. Even though I take yoga a the gym (in the Body Balance-or Body Flow class as it is called in the US), it isn't the same. And change is good.

For the first time, probably ever in my life, working out and changing my eating habits isn't for the sole purpose of losing weight or getting "bikini ready" or any of that other nonsense that we women tell ourselves. It has been about getting healthy, about feeling good and about being the best me I can be--whether that means losing weight or not. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I wouldn't be happy to drop some inches, but that would just be icing on the cake. I want these changes I have made to be permanent, to keep me on the path of being the most healthy person I can be. I don't want to starve just to fit into size 2 jeans. I'd rather stay in my size 4 jeans and enjoy life and feel fulfilled. Pleasure in food, in friends, in family and in treating my body well. That is my new goal.