3 Things I have learned in 30 days

1. If I do not swim laps or do Aqua-fit everyday I am stressed-out. 

2. I must work-out especially when I am sore. Within 10 minutes of starting the work-out the soreness goes away and I feel even better.

3. People concentrate when they work-out. I have seen this happen and have never experienced the need to do this. See my previous post about this called "Zumba Legs." While exercising, which I do like 2x a year, I like to look at others and smile, make a joke, or pant in mutual effort, but never have I ever wanted to be SILENT and FOCUSED.

What has changed? ME.
I have spent the last month working-out almost everyday save 2 or 3. I have lost 9.5 pounds and have gone from a size 18 to 16. The previous 15 pounds I lost are just the same I gain and lose every year. Thanks to Facebook I figured that out. The summer 9 pounds that I have lost since June 14th are ALL NEW AND MINE.

What am I doing?
Aqua-fit and laps.
Aqua-Fit 3-4x a week for 30 minutes and I swim 24 laps every day. It takes about 30 minutes to finish the laps. The first 10 suck, the second 10 feel smooth, and the last 4 I earn.

One day I did 30 laps. I have yet to get back to that. Someone else at the pool did 30. I was inspired and then felt internally challenged. 

One day last week I didn't work-out and I felt edgy. Or as my cousin Raquel observed, "You're f#ckin insane stressed."

I was stressed. I thought I hid it well. Clearly I didn't.  We walked for an hour and a half that night. I felt great afterward and couldn't really walk the next day. But I still Aqua-fitted and did 24 laps. I am stronger. I am not tired anymore at 3-4pm. I am playing with my kids in the pool now everyday. 

These new feelings and experiences are refreshing for 41 years old. I have spent 40 YEARS not working out. I told my lifeguard at the pool about the stress build-up. The another lifeguard replied "that's what athletes feel like. We need to work out and then we feel good."

"OMYG-D, I am starting to feel like an athlete?!!?" 

Back to SILENT and FOCUSED:
I appear to do neither well. Especially the silent part. Yesterday I worked-out hard. That statement in my mouth sounds funny. Not authentic. But it was true. I jumped higher than I ever have before. I pushed my arms in the water and made waves till I felt the burn. I took those 30 minutes and said:

THESE BELONG TO ME. 

These 30 minutes are when I focus on being healthy and moving to live. These 30 minutes are the minutes that I take to make myself strong and make myself healthy.  

During the work-out I went silent and counted. I breathed and focused on not holding my breath. I stood straight and sucked in my stomach. I learned to hold in my gut, breathe, and count concurrently. I focused on me. 

I finally understood what I saw in other people's eyes when they worked-out.  I became silent. Mindful.