I'm terrible about blogging. Seriously awful. Anyhoo, so many things have happened while I was away!
I started as a teaching assistant for aerial kids and beginner classes. While teaching, I was injured (detached an intercostal muscle from one of my ribs). I stuck it out until the final session and decided to take some time off to study for my NASM personal trainer exam. All in all, I was inactive for a good four months.
Being injured was awful. I was miserable, depressed, and cranky. All I wanted to do was eat junk food and play video games, and I did a lot of both. I was drinking a liter of Coke a day. Ugh. Weight bearing exercise was out of the question, as your intercostal muscles support your skeleton and any movement (upper or lower body) caused stress on the detached muscle.
The good news is that I passed my exam!!!! That was a huge relief. Next, I'll be studying for a nutritionist certification. I want to be as well-rounded as possible, and that includes being able to provide clients with an understanding of how important nutrition is as a part of their fitness routine. Alas, I digress.
Four months and six extra pounds later, I had lost most of the strength I had gained. So, at the end of February, I purchased a recumbent stationary bike for clients (and myself) to use for cardio. Once it arrived, I was able to work myself back into some sort of routine, even if it was only 30 minutes a day on the bike.
After I had been on a somewhat regular cardio schedule for a couple of weeks, I decided to start adding strength training back into the routine to see how the ribs handled it. It started with a single circuit consisting of one exercise for each body part at about one third of the weight I was used to. The first time was like my first strength training session all over again. I was huffing and puffing and so sore for days afterward.
That was...annoying. All of my progress - gone! So frustrating. To top off the annoyance, I have a brand new aerial rig that I can't even use yet, because I'm so flipping weak, and my intercostal muscle isn't quite ready to let me stay in the air for very long. I can't even do a pull-up.
I have to say, though, that the recumbent bike is my new best friend. I still have cellulite on my bum, but that pesky under-the-butt area is toning up quite well, and when I flex my glutes, the layer of fat is much smaller than it was after my four month exercise hiatus. AND NO SADDLE BAGS! So, at least there's that slight victory.
The six pounds is hanging on for dear life, but at least I'm seeing visible proof that things are improving. There will be gradual progress, as is to be expected from any sensible fitness plan, but I'm confident my goals will be met, and I might be ready to start aerial again in the fall.
