30 Day Summer Shape Up, LAST DAY!

For the very last day of the challenge, I thought I would revisit an old fitness "foe," the KickButt! - Volume 4 - Floor Burn video from Amazon Instant Video.  I purchased this title around 2008, the last year I toured as a dancer.  I suppose the earliest onset of my physical injuries made me feel that I should get in better shape.  (I really wish I had followed through on that notion.)  This and a few other titles I bought ended up never really being used.  I remember getting through not even 10 minutes of Floor Burn and thinking something to the effect of, "Screw this - this woman is nuts!"  I may have even said that out loud.

I still think she's nuts, but in a way I can have an appreciation for these days.  I didn't finish the video today, but I did get more than halfway through it, which made me feel pretty good.  I also noted how proper form really changes the way an exercise feels, something I've been marveling at for this entire past month.  Also, I can manage pushups and chaturangas now, which I definitely could not one month ago.  

I didn't lose crazy amounts of weight  with this challenge.  I've lost what I've been averaging the entire time I've been trying to get fit  - about a pound or two a week - which is a good, safe rate at which to lose weight.  Somewhere in the middle I even gained a few pounds as my calorie needs became greater due to the work I've been doing and (I'm assuming) muscle building.  I feel stronger.  My "tight jeans" don't feel as tight as they used to.  That matters so much more to me than a number on a scale.  My back also doesn't hurt nearly as much as it used to. (Yay!)  Two months ago, standing for an hour or doing several loads of laundry would have made me feel like I wanted to cry.  I could do either without a second thought now. 

I'm proud of myself for powering through this past week's feelings of boredom and monotony to get to the end of this challenge.  These are feelings that all of us face when it comes to making a commitment to getting fit.  How we deal with them determines whether or not we achieve our goals.  I couldn't stress more the importance of keeping it fresh on a day-to-day basis.  If I was doing the exact same thing every single day, I probably would have quit at Day 10.  I feel very confident that I'll continue this effort on a daily basis.

Now I'm ready for summer!