Week one - check!

Week one is done, dude! (That was a Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead reference, movie buffs). I just finished up Kempo X, which at least slightly satiates me craving for boxing lessons. It made me remember that my shoulders were kind of messed up for a while, which is a reason I stopped vinyasa power yoga - all the downward dogs were killing me - but the soreness was manageable and I did some of the shoulder stretches we'd done in the shoulders exercise to help curb any damage. I am not sure which exercise I like most - it's between Plyometrics because it's so brutal and goes so fast, Legs and Back because it's so dynamic and well paced, and Kempo X because of the aforementioned reasons and because it's so damn fun (really!).

E. is downstairs now finishing up his workout. He claims to be sore and hate the whole thing, but after the first admittedly very sore days, I have mainly felt strong and sturdy and overall just plain awake. I love these workouts, even when I am exhausted. I'm also differently goal oriented, looking forward to smaller increments of satisfaction, which is easier to see.

The diet has been challenging for both of us, but doable. I feel sometimes like I'm cheating, even though I'm allowed a certain number of snacks per day, but it's hard for me to eat when there's so little at my disposal and the food I do have is expensive anyway and I don't want it to go to waste. E. has been sticking strictly to the diet and has been doing a great job, though he claims it's been very hard and he is always hungry. I'm pretty hungry too but I also generally eat less than E. does so I don't need a lot now. After meals, when my body is conditioned to have something sweet (like ice cream), I eat a date or have some decaf chai with almond milk. See, not totally cheating, but debatably not totally legit.

I'm also doing this largely for strength training, and also to tone my sick bod. The last time I did P90X, people (fellow athletes) were all, "damn did you see her arms?! that chick's back is cu-ut!" I mean, maybe in not so many words, but really - I was pretty defined, muscle wise. Not in my abs, but in my legs, back, and arms. My abs were definitely super strong, though, and are still fairly strong, under all this fluff and soft, but it was nice to feel like I could lift anything, hit anything, ride my bike up any hill without getting winded. I've lost a lot of that strength and am really looking forward to that strength. I already feel it coming back, in the way my back holds me up, but I know there's a lot more in store for me if I keep it up and do my best (and forget the rest, right?).

I rode my bike to work yesterday and there was a party for my old boss on the South Side, which is close to my work in the Strip District, but only if you go over a huge hill. I was planning when I rode to work to allot myself enough time to take the long way all the way down to the point and around the bend, taking bike paths the whole way, but was feeling spritely after closing (and was also running late because the last client took a bit of time), and decided to go all the way up Polish Hill, up through the Hill District, and down across the Birmingham Bridge. It was a great ride on a gorgeous night, and I'm glad I chose the more physically demanding route. I'd previously been a bit afraid to ride my bike that way, which is more or less the way I drive to work, and doing it on a single speed with knobby tires was a good look into how fit I am already getting, how great my cardio is, and also a good barometer to see how much more fit I can afford to become.

Anyway, I'm glad we took photos this time around. I hope I am able to see changes in my body. Last time I felt them and had a feeling I looked different, but couldn't really see them until I started getting soft again. The photos might be motivation for us both to keep going - both with the food plan and with the workouts. I feel really positive at the end of week 1 (tomorrow is rest of stretch, so nothing really to write home about) and hope E. and I can both keep this up without fighting about it. I look forward to when we are able to work out together and support/challenge each other to be psychos (ala Eric in the Legs workout).