team chunk!

I’ve been hitting Bikram and got my unfortunately traditional sweat and something else in the room makes me break out rash(I suspect it may be the carpet or the eucalyptus oil used in the room). It usually just looks a bit tragic, but this time it hurt. After a few days of switching ot gentler cleanser, witch hazel wipedowns and whatnot I feel less Frankenstein.

That said I think I am going to go back to primarily walking and working up to real jog. I love Bikram and will attempt to pop in twice a week but getting back into to it all the way isn’t smart right now.It’s a time suck and I feel like I get more out of the park since my brain isn’t looking to “do the pose to the best of my ability” it wants to knock some shit out and be done. 

Workout in the Park was interesting. High Fives to PopChips for the invite, but Self needs to consider a larger venue, actually working out wasn’t something that looked pleasant especially when people basically trick-or-treating for samples were on top of you. 

I mostly wanted to try out the Reebok branded version of Crossfit but got conflicting messages from staff on whether or not we needed bracelets to participate. We finally loaded up on PopChips and water and got our workout for the day walking down the water on the West Side from 72nd to 14th. 

Going to be at the Self Workout in Park today…Shoot me a tweet @patricec and we can say hey! if you are there as well….

So I wasn’t feeling going to the park today so I finally made it back to Bikram. I absolutely love Bikram once I get back into the habit of doing it. Today my body was mostly protesting the idea of doing it again. I’ve also done it enough in the past that I know the flow of the poses and spend time dreading the ones that make me feel like I am failing at them rather than actually experiencing the pose that I am currently in.

But, it gets fixed with time. Considering doing another 30 day challenge. The studio is 3 blocks from my house and I’m sure I could pick up a work study shift again so I wouldn’t even be paying for it. Not to mention we have a washer/dryer downstairs so washing sweat drenched clothing daily won’t be as much of an issue.  

On paper it seems ridiculous to start yoga at 108 temperatures when the weather will be getting warmer, but it makes sense to me for some reason. 

I’ve walked 13 of the past 19 Days. Another 2 of those Days I did Bikram or worked out at home. 

I’ve tracked what I’ve eaten no matter what for 16 of the past 19 days. I’ve only gone beyond what I’ve been allotted calorie wise 3 of those days. 

That means I haven’t given up drinking, but damn near close. 

So last night when I went to a party and had 4 vodka cocktails for dinner (and a few pieces of sushi instead of an actual meal, I thought it made total sense at the time) my body/nervous system went dumb. Thankfully it didn’t result in a hangover, but I haven’t been that drunk on so little (they were juice based drinks and I swear not that strong) in ages. I then cabbed it home and in the interest of health I decided it was best to make a drunk salad. Better known as half a bag of Mixed Salad Greens, Two glugs of Lite Italian and a fist of trail mix. 

I almost skipped walking today, but the internal dialogue went: 

Me: I don’t have to be anyplace, I can just snug in and sleep I even have water at arms reach and I drank a bunch and feel less than 100%. 

Where did she come from Me: Girl, get up, nobody told you to drink all the drinks. and take the water with you. 

Doesn’t help that I’ve been hanging my park clothes in the eyeline of my bed. I get taunted by compression pants in the morning. Compression pants can be real assholes. 

Happy Friday! 

So this morning instead of cutting across Center Drive, Amber & I decided to do the full loop and pass the lake. Why we chose the most finger numbing chilly day of the month to do it, I have no clue. 

I’ve never been up to lake before and it was lovely, but because of the added distance by the time by the time we hit the incline in the home stretch (typically referred to as “Fuck This Hill”) the Fuck This was most definitely capitalized. 

Amber’s solution running up it to make it go faster. Which I joined in on till we broke stride because she’d started to leak all the quarters in her pockets. She went back to flinging herself forward now actually chanting “I hate this hill” and a woman running in the opposite direction shouted that she agreed. 

In the 20 seconds it took her to pull ahead of my walking a older fellow jogged up next to me to ask why I wasn’t running with her. He then started to show me how to find a stride and jog more than walk. I fought my subway instincts of passing on the advice and asking to be left alone and jogged with him up to the top of the hill where Amber was collecting herself. 

Lo and behold it wasn’t terrible. He actually taught me a thing or two and I can see myself starting to add bursts of jogging to the walking (which is basically Couch to 5k). Mystery jogging teacher then took off in a full on Pro run and shouted back at us that he’d see us tomorrow. 

I commented that he’d probably won the Marathon last year or something and Amber replied “Fucking Brooklyn”. 

…slightly blurry overexposed picture of me when I was 18 and weighed 335+ edition…

Coffee then off to loop the park in a few..weighed myself and I’m down 5 pounds since i last weighed myself on the 19th.