Day 14 - Project Fitness

Back in the days when I did full Primary Series three or four times a week I used to think of yoga as exercise as well as a moving meditation. These days as a Viniyoga teacher and practitioner, my practice has become much slower, more meditation, more healing. It stretches and tones, it calms and heals, it makes me breathe more evenly, but it doesn't really make me sweat!

So, as my health begins to take an upturn I have begun Project Fitness. I've written myself a programme to allow myself to gently and slowly raise my fitness levels (one of the best things about being a trained fitness instructor is one doesn't have to pay a personal trainer - I just shout at myself whilst I'm on the cross-trainer instead!), because I am determined to get better. My health has become too much a part of me and I know longer want to be defined by my health. Fibromyalgia is not who I am, it is merely a word.

So this morning I did:-

20 minutes on the x-trainer (3km, heart rate of 160)
10 minutes of weights
15 minutes of stretching
Short swim
Lounging in the jacuzzi (this is the best bit).

I'm hoping to do this twice a week, and then take a two mile power walk outside the other three days.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed a good workout. I've missed it. I've missed feeling like this. I'm so happy to be rediscovering my fitness levels (which really aren't as bad as I thought). A good workout is meditative and healing in it's own way -- and I think the balance between a yoga practice and a cardio programme works well.

Plus as yogis we know so much more about the importance of stretching and releasing the muscles, so hopefully the muscle aches will be at a minimum!

Namaste