The Climb and Size Matters. Maybe.

Hello All,
Sorry I went MIA there for a few days.

Life intervened. ;-) In the past 2 weeks I've had 3 separate crisis type situations in my family. At one point, when the 3rd thing happened, I just started crying and sobbing that it was "too much stress". Not so fun.

But now things seem to be getting better. My SIL and her sweet, sweet baby are doing better. I got to go down and see them and snuggle Miss Macy and chat with Jen and it was just what the doctor ordered. I also got some time in with my sisters, who I don't get to see nearly as often now that we've moved.

I also got my new batch of hormone drops from Dr. Ray, and I have noticed a HUGE improvement. So things are on the upswing. =)

I weighed in at 140.4 this morning, and I am happy with that. I had this irrational fear that since I haven't been weighing every day that I'd step on and see I'd gained 3 or 4 pounds. But I actually lost a bit since last Monday. So that's nice.

While visiting my family I stopped at the mall there, at the one place I've found jeans that fit me perfectly. They have no return policy, so as long as you have the receipt and the clothes aren't demolished, they'll take them back. Even if you washed and worn them for weeks. Which I had. So I took back a long jean skirt, size 11/12, a long jean skirt size 9/10 and a pair of pants size 9/10 that I had been wearing on a regular basis.

I was nervous that the size 7/8 pants wouldn't fit, as I'd tried on a pair of size 8 Mossimo brand jeans and they were quite snug. HOWEVER. I tried on the 7/8's and they were too big! Baggy in the rear/thighs. :-O My rear and thighs are definitely the biggest part of my body. So I tried on the size 5/6 pants. THEY FIT. I was and still am in shock.

I'm convinced this particular store is just very generous with their sizing, as I definitely do not fit into a size 6 anywhere else, much less a 5. But it was still fun to fit into something with such a small number on the tag! ;-)

Now, onto the Climb. Well, let me back up a bit. Let's discuss Owen.

The boy is crazy in the head. He abhors the gym. He hates it. He despises it. He loathes it. I have no idea why! It's a kid's dream world in the gym daycare! Movies, Wii, arcade type games, ball pits, McDonald playplace type structures, arts and crafts, etc... But yet, he acts like I'm throwing him into a dungeon when we go.

And it starts first thing in the morning. He wakes up asking if we have to go to the gym. And when the answer is yes, his whole morning is ruined and my whole morning gets 100x harder. He won't eat, he won't get dressed, he won't go to the bathroom, he won't brush his teeth. Nothing. Because he doesn't want to go.

I am a little unsure what to do about this. He screams and cries and I have to peel him off of me. He is frantically trying to put his shoes back on while I take his coat off, or put his coat on while I take his shoes off. He sticks to my leg like white on rice. USUALLY he screams for a minute or two after I leave and then he's okay. But today he screamed for 30 minutes. =(

I really don't know what to do! He acted like this when we first moved here and started going there, and it was one of the factors that made me stop going. I feel bad for him! I know he is in good hands, and he is only in there 1.5 hours max. But still, it feels like I'm neglecting him or something.

So, any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! I don't want to stop working out, but I also don't want to make Owen insecure and feeling abandoned 3 times a week.

Anyhoo, on to The Climb.

Today's spin class was brutal. Incredibly brutal and hard. More than one of us had to slow down lest we puke. Me included. Jee, the teacher, is amazing. He really knows how to lead a hard, intense class yet make us all push ourselves harder and more intensely than we think is possible. He involves everyone. He gives us pep talks. He'll walk around the room and encourage people individually. He has fantastic music. I'm very glad he is the instructor here.

But. He loves climbs. In spinning, this means turning up the resistance on the bike to think-you'll-pass-out levels. Today we did a 12% and 13% incline. That doesn't sound like much, but believe me. It is. Probably Lance Armstrong and other cyclists encounter it during the Tour de France. I don't know for sure, but probably. ;-)

The climbs last a long time. Steadily climbing/increasing resistance for up to 20 minutes without a break. And we do this 4 or 5 times per class, which is an hour long. Today we started right out with a hard climb. We were sweating and exhausted and it had only been 18 minutes. I honestly don't know how I finished the class, but I know I had to take 5 minutes off and pedal slowly lest I lose my breakfast in front of everyone.

At the end of class Jee actually had to tell us all to wipe our bikes, but not worry about the floor. Everyone had a puddle of sweat under the bikes on the floor. Not a few drips, but a full on puddle. Sweat was dripping/running off of me like I was standing in a sprinkler. This is probably a good, healthy thing, but man. I felt like I was going to pass out and die.

It was by far the hardest workout I have ever done in my entire life. It feels good, but it felt even better to be done with it. :-D

Anyway, I'd encourage you to try a spinning class. It really is a full body workout and if you have a good instructor it's totally worth taking the time to do it. I've realized that when I went to the gym on my own I pushed myself maybe 60% of what I was capable of. Jee makes us push ourselves 100%. And it will bring results. I know it will. Cuz if it doesn't I'm going to have to stop and just sit on my couch and drink coffee for an hour every morning. ;-) Just kidding. Sort of.

Well, this has become quite the mammoth post. I'll wrap it up for now. I hope you all had a great weekend and are having success in your healthy living and weight loss journeys!