obligatory "sorry i've been gone" update

So... last you heard, Joe, Bill and I had joined a gym. We have since gone on "stand-by" there, so we pay a $10 monthly holding fee. The summer has been a lazy one, other than the Pilates classes I took in June at Thrive Pilates because of a Groupon. We were going to sign up for a bootcamp class (another Groupon), but only Bill actually used his. The times they offered sessions (all outside) didn't actually work with our schedules.

I started taking yoga classes once a week, on Mondays, at Sun and Moon Yoga Studio. I was inspired by a yoga class I took at Thrive - I was able to hold bakasana (Crane Pose) for the first time ever. For maybe 2 seconds, but it was something! So far I've had two classes at Sun and Moon - an all levels class. They have both been very relaxing classes, and seemed very "easy", though it hasn't stopped me from being sore the next couple of days. Eventually I'd like to be taking two classes a week. One maybe more challenging than this one, though.

Being outdoors has been really hard this summer because it has been SO HOT. I used to go on walks at lunch almost every day but going outside is near impossible. Its even been too hot for me to run in the mornings before work... not that I've been making a valiant attempt or anything.

There are some mornings I wake up and walk to my car for work and think "If only I'd been able to wake up earlier this morning...." I do need to get a better handle on my sleep schedule. For a while, I had my phone set to an alarm at 10:30, which meant it was time to stop what I was doing and get ready for bed. Eventually I just kept hitting snooze, like I do in the morning, and before I know it, its midnight. Should stop doing that...

We've also not been very good about what we've been eating. We try and make it out to the farmer's market every weekend but even then, we do a lot of take out and a lot of going out to eat.

Overall, this summer I've gained some weight. Not only has the number gone up, but I can see it in how my clothes fit, and feel it in how my body feels. Some friends and I went out dancing on Saturday and I was getting cramps in weird places, almost like side stiches, and my knees still hurt - I actually had to ice them when I got home. Regardless that I weigh 183 now (and my goal is 160), I need to feel like my body is actually working. I want to be able to challenge it - learning to surf, going hiking and rock scrambling, a high ropes course I want to try out, holding bakasana for more than 2 seconds...

In addition, I recently told a friend of mine that he needs to take care of himself - eat healthy, maybe lose a bit of weight - because I care about him and his well being. I was giving him all of this advice and realized I hadn't actually been practicing what I preach. That was a good kick in the pants to get back to SparkPeople and start tracking my food and exercise again as well.