What A Week

The past couple of weeks week have been strange and fragile.

Two weeks ago in the drizzling spring chill of Chicago, Mr. BB30 and his entire cast had been sniffling and one of my co-workers decided it would be brilliant to come to work with The Plague and breathe it all over me.  Despite preventative measures of EmergenC and positive thinking, it was no use. Two weeks ago today I starting feeling awful, and by the next evening I was shaking and crying in a hot shower like a baby. I am the worst sick person. Maybe it's because I am the baby of the family. Maybe it's just because I am a baby. Nonetheless I am a bad sick person. What was crazy is how furious I was. I was not furious so much because I was sick (sadly, I am still without show prospects), but I was furious that it meant I couldn't go to fitness class. Unreasonably furious. Perhaps I am obsessing? Perhaps I wasn't so off when I mentioned exchanging emotional eating for emotional exercise. Going to class after work has become my release, my meditation time, my endorphin rush. I was so achy and miserable and my throat was raw.

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The days that followed were tough. Tuesday I stayed home sick from work and also accompanied Mr. BB30 to the wake for his sweet Grandpa. Seriously, I am so privileged to have known Grandpa Hohs and I cherish the wonderful speech he gave at our wedding and the beautiful picture of him we have of it. He was the mayor his town for 8 years and was loved by so many people. Wednesday was the funeral. I came home and starved for movement I did Jillian Michaels Shred level 1 then 2. Thursday I went back to work, still wrecked, but forced myself to go to Kicklates, a new class the fitness place created combining (you guessed it) Kick Boxing and Pilates. Friday was Good Friday and I was still a mess. I stayed home from my standard Friday night Kwando Kickboxing class. I felt like an uber failure (which is lame, I know, I was really under the weather!). I was getting tired of this. I was exhausted with being sick. I was so drained (and snotty) I couldn't do much over the weekend, but I got nice and (medicinally) drugged up and did get some time on Easter to canoodle with my insanely cute baby nephew. The next day I was still a coughing snotty nightmare and went to the doctor. EIGHT DAYS? This was some kind of mutant super cold. I couldn't lay down (which is all I wanted to do) without coughing. He assured me that I was only contagious the first couple of days (so I ran no risk of getting my nephew sick), and gave me some prescription strength cough suppressant and antibiotics. Today is day 14 and I am still a little clogged and drippy, but much better. I feel like I have been in a snotty haze for two weeks.

My best friend:

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I know this was a mutant super cold because 1) I never get actual coughs 2) It lasted two weeks (obviously) 3) I lost my appetite. I simply don't do that. I would wake up hungry-ish and eat some cereal. For several days the only things I wanted were salty brothy soups and oatmeal.

Let this be your public service announcement to wash your hands and cover your mouths people!

This week I made it to my classes. Most exercises in the non dance based classes have levels for each move. The instructors had mercy when I had to dropped to a level one since it was clear that I was about to lose my lung. Nonetheless, I prevailed.

Monday-Tabata Boxing followed by Cardio Barre Sculpting
Tuesday-Off
Wednesday- Cardio Barre Sculpting followed by Cardio Blast (old skool calisthenics)
Thursday-Kicklates followed by WERQ (my FAVE)
Friday-Kwando Kickboxing

Tabata Boxing is the same TaeBo style of boxing, but it moves in intervals (a fellow named Tabata came up with the theory of interval training it's based on). For example, one tabata might be jab-cross-jab-uppercut. So, for twenty seconds we do as many reps of that as we can (everyone at their own pace) - then rest 10 seconds. You do eight sets of each exercise and we do about twelve tabatas over one hour (including a few minutes at the top and bottom for warm up and cool down). Supposedly you increase your post workout calorie burn by about 14 percent. I'll take it. The instructor told us on Monday that the class was a bit tougher that night. No wonder I was coughing like mad.

Thursday was tough. I paired two very high energy classes together, but I think that in order to keep on sliding down the scale I need to up the ante and double up on classes.

I get to work from home tomorrow (bliss!) and then Tuesday is my birthday and I have the day off! Yay! Although it never gets easier to post pics, I will post some comparison shots and bust out the tape measure. Wednesday and Thursday it's back to work then Friday it's off to Texas for the retirement party of one of my dear professors.

I wish you all happy, healthy weeks!