This morning while taking a shower, I suddenly became aware that I believe the Universe has been trying to teach me a lesson for quite some time now: Just breathe.Let me explain.When I started working out with a personal trainer, I had trouble regulating my breathing. When the weights started to feel too heavy, I'd hold my breath in order to finish the set. But holding my breath deprived my brain from adequate oxygen and made me feel light-headed and dizzy. I'm blond; I'm already light-headed and dizzy! So I made a conscious effort to not hold my breath. The lesson? Just breathe.A few weeks ago I went to a free class on meditation. (I wasn't particularly interested in meditation, but the class was free and some friends were going, so I went too.) Meditation employs controlled breathing to assist in achieving a deeper sense of relaxation or awareness. I followed the instructor's guided breathing directions and was able to feel a sense of calmness and control of my feelings and emotions. There's much more to it, but that's what I got from the free class. The lesson? Just breathe.Last night I went to another free class, this one on yoga. I was excited about this because of all the positive things I've heard and read from others about yoga. The instructor shared a brief history of yoga, then talked about the Western practice of yoga as a healing type of exercise. It is accepting, non-judgemental, and non-competitive (like me). Before beginning with the stretching, we started with guided breathing exercises to promote relaxation and openness. The breathing exercises continued as we began our stretching and twisting. I enjoyed it a lot and hope to find more opportunities to practice it. The lesson? Just breathe.So during my shower this morning when I perceived that the Universe had been trying to tell me to Just breathe, I thought about how many other situations are improved with breathing.We've all heard someone say "Take a deep breath" before attempting something challenging or something requiring great skill or concentration. Now I realize that's not just an empty phrase. Taking a deep breath oxygenates the brain and allows it to work and focus better. The lesson? Just breathe.When someone is engaged in a 'spirited conversation' (read: argument) with a co-worker or friend but does not want to go too far, they may tell themselves silently 'Take a deep breath' before responding. This not only forces the person to wait before shouting a response they may later regret, but also sends oxygen to the brain which helps them think more clearly. The lesson? Just breathe.When my job is stressful and I notice every muscle is tense, I tell myself 'Deep breath; exhale slowly. Deep breath; exhale slowly" and it helps. Pent up stress can lead to all sorts of physical and psychological disorders, so don't let it build up too long. Remember the lesson and breathe.Just breathe.Crush du Jour: Charles Dera
Mon evening I went for my 2nd work out. Not that I'd given it a lot of fore-thought, but I guess I just assumed we'd do the same exercises as the first time. Au contraire! Just about every exercise I did Mon evening was different from the previous week, which I suppose is good, as they work different muscles.I suppose this is only of note to me because I am so unfamiliar with how to do everything. Having never worked out before I had no knowledge of what to do with all those machines, much less the fact that most of them have multiple positions for multiple exercises. This probably sounds silly to most, but as I said, I've never done this before so its all new to me. I assumed on my 2nd work out Rick would be able to say "Hug the bear" and I'd know the machine and exercise he wanted me to do. But I quickly realized I would have another night of learning the correct form and position to do these new exercises.Being aware of my breathing and making sure to take regular, deep breaths was VERY helpful this time. I made a conscious effort to breathe, which sounds weird when you say it, and found that it really helped keep sufficient oxygen pumping to my brain, which made the work out much more comfortable. I still sweat, but I didn't yawn like Rumpelstiltskin (a sign of insufficient oxygen to the brain) like I did last week. I'm not as stiff or sore this week as I was last week either. Mon evening we ended the work out with lots of ab work, so I'm definitely feeling that. But I'm less uncomfortable than last week. I suppose this is normal. I imagine that each week it will get easier... until Rick starts loading on the weights! I'm actually looking forward to next Monday's session.Okay, now please be aware that I know how utterly ridiculous this sounds, but it really did happen, and this is my blog so I'm going to write it anyway. The other day I was scratching a little itch on my arm and I became aware of feeling a muscle. It almost startled me at first. But being pleased with the idea that I could actually feel a muscle, I decided to flex my bicep to see if I could see any visible enlargement, and I thought I did. After just 2 work outs!!! 'Could it really be that visible muscle enlargement could be noticeable after 2 work outs?' I wondered to myself. Logic told me no, but I decided to tell myself yes, as it felt like a huge incentive to keep on working out. Silly, I know...Drag Queen name of the day: Keri A Load
Last evening history was made: I worked out for the 1st time ever.I made an appointment with Spouse's personal trainer (and our friend) Rick, and made him promise to take it easy on me. I explained I'd never worked out before and did NOT want to vomit, sweat, or be sore the next day. He laughed and said "Sure!"Rick is a good trainer and really tailors the sessions to his clients' needs. Obviously, if he forced me to do too much or made it too difficult and unpleasant, I wouldn't go back. But many times he checked in with me by saying "How ya feelin'?", to which I would always respond "This is hard!"I started with 5 minutes on the treadmill, which was a piece of cake. Since Spouse & I walk all over Lewes and Rehoboth I wasn't even out of breath after the 5 minutes. Then we moved on to the other exercises and machines. Rick was great to demonstrate the proper techniques for me since I'd never done it before.About 1/2 way through I began to feel hot and clammy as well as a little nauseous. I told him I thought I should lie down for a few minutes. He said I appeared to be holding my breathe some of the time while working out, and likely I wasn't getting enough oxygen. So after just a few minutes I resumed the work out and paid better attention to my breathing, taking nice deep breathes and exhaling regularly. It really helped!The work out concluded with sit-ups and 'elbows and knees', which look like one is riding an invisible bicycle while lying on one's back. When I finished I told Rick he was successful in not making me vomit, but that he'd failed in the part about not making me sweat, since I was glistening all over. Since I've done a good bit of walking I assumed that the leg work out would affect me less and that the upper body work out would result in more soreness. But so far today, it is the exact opposite! My thigh muscles feel stiff/sore and my upper body feels like normal, which makes no sense what-so-ever to me.I'm going back on Mon for my next session.Drag Queen name of the day: Ophelia Payne
