Has It Really Been 51 Days?

Yes, in fact, it has! Just 10 days left to close out month 2 of Operation Sweaty Summer. I didn't think it would go by so quickly! More exciting is that I didn't think I'd enjoy Operation Sweaty Summer as much as I am, injuries and all. And boy, oh boy, are there injuries.

Before we get to the routines, I've got to tell you about the blood, sweat, and tears more sweat that was shed this week.

Yes. Blood. That is not an exaggeration. I'm still doing most of my movements modified, which means my knees and elbows see a lot of floor. So I thought I was being smart by placing a rug over the rubber tiles while I worked out.

On Tuesday, Day 47, I began my routine, but by the second round of planks, my arms were burning like crazy! At first I thought I must have gotten stung by one of those annoying yellow jackets that's always buzzing about. HA! Carpet burn. I'll spare y'all an image (cause by now it sure is ugly!), but it'll be at least another week before I'm ready to give planks another shot. 

Come Thursday, Day 49, it was time to move on to another rep challenge. This time it was 800 reps. Whoa. I kept looking at that number thinking, "There's no way I'm ready for 800 reps!" I looked at my numbers for Day 43's 600 rep challenge and told myself if I could do 600 in 25 minutes, I could easily do 800 in 30min or less. 27:48 later, I was beat!!! If ever there was a day where I won ugly, it was Day 49. 

Thank goodness Day 50 was a rest day!!! Even more so because as the Day 49 went on, my neck grew more and more stiff. GREAT! Just what I needed, another injury! Applied some heat (thanks for all the Twitter advice!) and took it easy the rest of the day.

Finally, Day 50, a day of rest! Except I felt miserable. Neck pain was gone but now I was sore from the base of my neck to just below my shoulder blades. I laughed. What else is there to do? Sometimes you do too much at one time and your body will be sure to let you know how unhappy you've made it. Took that rest day to get some upper body stretches in, to relax those back muscles.

Woke up this morning, Day 51, and wasn't feeling it at all. On the agenda for today was a routine from Day 12. Wanted to see if I could beat my last time. I didn't. I didn't even make all the way through the routine. Out of the three rounds, I completed two. Based on those two times, I was definitely on pace to beat my last time. But I won't know for sure until I put it back into the rotation and try again.

I can't pinpoint what was wrong today. When I woke up feeling out of it, I thought I was just being lazy. So I made myself get up and workout. But 3 minutes in, I knew I wasn't hitting the numbers I should have been. I felt dizzy, sick to my stomach, and all around uncoordinated. I couldn't string together 10 skips on the jump rope! I was a mess. I forced myself to complete at least two rounds anyway.

Took the time to focus on my form instead of the timer. That was over 5 hours ago, and I'm still not feeling too much better. Guess I should have listened to my body when I first woke up. An upper body routine is on deck for tomorrow. Glad to see it because I may need to pull back for a couple of days until I'm feeling back to my normal.

After a shower, a nice lunch, and some TV time, the doorbell rang. FedEx delivered my "surprise" gift from GE! Their Twitter account chatted me up on Friday the 13th. They said they were "impressed with my dedication to health," and they wanted to "send me a token of appreciation." I thought it would be a water bottle or a t-shirt, but it was way better. I got two yoga mats!!! One for me and one for a friend, the card said. How nice of them! Thank you much, GE!

As for a quick update on the diet, still going strong with clean eating! I've also found that so long as I plan before I go out somewhere, I don't stress over what I eat. I went out with my cousin on Sunday, we both had bacon burgers with cheese and beer... not a single ounce of guilt! Finally...FINALLY, after 28 years, I'm learning how to work hard and play hard. =)

We're just about half way through the summer, y'all! Are you still with me?!