Happy Halloween!

     This is one of my favorite holidays because I love any excuse to dress up in a costume!

     This year I did think about being a volunteer scare cast member at a local Halloween event.  My plan was to walk in wheel pose toward people to scare them.  It would have been quite physically challenging, but a lot of fun too.  Ultimately I didn't do it.  I was stuck with other obligations, oh well.

     Here's a living room photo of my idea:

     Of course, had I done the event, my clothing would have been different.  October is chilly in Minnesota (it has been in the 20's (F) for the last few nights).  Which brings me to another thought.  It is not safe to engage in stretches cold, which is why I always warm up before any kind of stretching.  But right now, my workout room is very cold.  The heater broke and I am waiting for a replacement (it was really old and started pumping out CO).  That means I have to do a long and careful warm up before my workout, and then complete my stretches before my body finishes cooling down after my workout.

     Here is another picture of me trying to pose in a creepy way, from the same photo session (before my daughter recommended that I remove my boots):

 
 These pictures bring me to the topic of back bends. I have always enjoyed back bends.  I do have mild scoliosis, so my spine is certainly not perfect, but back bends have always felt good and a bit fun.  Because I enjoy them, I never stopped doing them.  I would use wheel pose for silly photos now and then, or try them in yoga now and then.  But after a couple of decades of only doing them a few times per year, they were not as good as they had once been.

     Practicing and stretching for back bends has since become a regular part of my routine.  It also helps me to take photos of my wheel pose, so I can see where I need improvement.  I found that my upper back and shoulders had been getting stiffer with the years, so I needed to work on that.

     Here is an old photo (2017) that shows how stiff my upper back and shoulders were:

 
 Sorry about the poor lighting and quality of this photo!  Anyway, back then I could only do a short and plain wheel pose with poor form.  I could not straighten my arms or shift my weight at all.  I could not even try to lift an arm or a leg like in my Halloween photo above.  My form has improved, but most notably, I am more comfortable in the position such that I can now lift an arm or a leg!

     Since then I have worked on my spinal flexibility through Easy Flexibility's "Back Bending Beginner" program, plus adding the counter stretch, arm circles holding a strap, and sometimes handstand shoulder stretches, after workouts.  These have allowed me to feel much more stable and comfortable in wheel pose, and to improve my form.  I still have room for improvement, but it is so much better than it was!  How my wheel pose looks now:

   

     Disclaimer: As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone clicks on the link in the text and makes a purchase.   




Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.



    

About Me

Hello!

     My name is Jennifer and this blog is my platform for writing about my current fitness journey.  It is a new beginning, at a weakened time in my life.  I say a weakened time because I used to be fit.  I used to work out almost daily.  I did workouts from the old BodyRock TV, I went running, I lifted weights, I took martial arts classes, I went horseback riding every week, and I used my bicycle for a lot of my transportation.

     Fast forward to 2019.  I had been through long distance moves and serious health problems.  I tried to keep up my fitness, but couldn't.  My health did not allow it.  Anytime I got the gumption to workout more than two or three days per week, I would catch a bad cold.  I hung on to some fitness through my dogs.  Once or twice a week I would take them trail running.  Unfortunately during this past winter the crazy thaw and freeze cycles that we had here in Minnesota turned all of the local trails into ice and it was too dangerous to use them for running.  Shortly after, I developed seasonal depression.

     To cope with my depression, I signed up for aerial classes in January (specifically Lyra, and for a time Pole Chair Fusion until that class was cancelled).  The idea was to force me out into doing something.  It did provide temporary relief, and I started to want to get better at it.  I realized quickly how much fitness I had lost.  My flexibility had gone downhill and I found myself weak.  In the past I could do fancy types of push ups, and had since degraded to the point where even a modified push up from the knees was almost too hard to do.  I once could do chin ups and a couple of pull ups, but by this time neither was even close to possible.

     I didn't have the emotional strength to improve my physical strength at that time, but I did think I could improve my flexibility.  I had heard of Easy Flexibility from a fellow aerial student, and decided to purchase a few of their programs for splits and back bends.  This method has recovered my former flexibility and allowed me to move past that point, towards my goals (even though I honestly haven't practiced as consistently as I should). 

     After months went by and the summer sun lifted the dark cloud from my emotional well being, I decided to add one more fun thing.  A Lyra class every week is the first fun thing.  The second fun thing was signing up for bellydance classes with my daughter.  I had never taken any kind of dance classes prior to this, so it is quite a deviation from my norm.

     By the end of August I decided to make  big change, with my sleep health.  My sleep has definitely been a negative point in my health.  To start with my bedroom window is only about 30 feet away from a busy highway with heavy traffic.  I didn't have a schedule and would oversleep all of the time, yet felt tired.  So, I began a strict sleep schedule of going to bed by 9:30 pm and waking at 5:30 am.  I added blackout noise-reducing curtains to block headlights and reduce road noise.  I started taking melatonin and CBD to ensure I would get sleepy on time.

     Once I started that strict schedule, it became easier to improve other areas.  So I started to follow the Beginner schedule in the ZGym.  At first I did every other day, but after a week I started following the workout schedule every day.  It has now been 91 days since I have started this strict schedule.  Now every morning I wake up, drink a cup of Zuzka Light's Pre & Post Workout Adaptogenic Mix, then I sweep the floor, lay out a big yoga mat and do a workout from the ZGym schedule and follow it up with about 15 minutes of stretching and/or yoga.  For the first time in years my sleep quality has improved and I workout every day without getting sick!  I can do regular push ups again and my splits are the farthest along they have been.  It feels good to see progress, and this has inspired me to want to share my journey with others!

     Of course it feels good to see progress, but my reality is that there is a lot more that I can improve on.  I am still only using the Beginner ZGym schedule, and just starting to mix in a few Intermediate workouts.  I am much closer to the splits than I was, but I am still not there yet.  My back bends are deeper, but there is room for them to improve.  I still haven't regained my pull ups yet.  My arm balances are not all there yet.  My nutrition is sorely lacking.  My emotional health is OK, but needs to become more solid.  Baby steps.  That is how I have been tackling it this time around, and although it takes patience, I am seeing results for the first time in years.  :)


  Disclaimer: As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone clicks on the link in the text and makes a purchase.   






Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.