Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A leg up


The other night we were doing this killer leg workout I came up with and I was on the floor doing leg lifts.  As I kicked my leg up into the air, I was surprised at how light it felt.  Now let me say that clothes hide a myriad of sins and my legs are definitely the part of me that has changed the least in this weight loss schtuff. They are the most frustrating part of my body because of how bad they still look.

But I was reveling in that feeling of lightness in comparison to how they used to feel.  I can probably do twice as many as I used to, more even, and not feel like I'm struggling or lifting a load that is exhausting.  I swear a few times it felt like it was going to fly right out of the socket in to the ceiling.  That would be hard to explain to the Mr.

The way my legs look may not be anywhere near where I want them but that lightened load is confirmation that changes have indeed happened.

Have you been surprised when an exercise sneaks up on you and seemingly becomes easier overnight?  What was it?

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19 comments:

  1. I was noticing how your legs are changing too. You are entering that phase where I think things will really start to become more and more noticeable as you continue to lose weight.

    As for my memory, I remember the first time I realized I could do a real pushup 20 times. All the times I'd heard the phrase "drop and give me 20" always scared me because I was never able to do that. Now I can do a lot more than that without stopping if I want to. Or I will typically knock out about 50 of them with only short breaks every 10 or so.

    My next goal, though, and one that still eludes me, is being able to do pull-ups!

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    1. I notice changes in my calves but man those thighs are hangin' on for all they're worth. *kicks pebble*

      Yeah I think 20 is about my limit on "big girl" push ups but anything more than that I need a few seconds break to recover a bit before pushing on. You'll get those pull ups fo' sho!

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  2. WOOT! *kicks leg into the air in celebration*

    I never thought I'd be able to do Bird of Paradise pose (google it, it's crazy). The first time I saw it I just said, "I'll never do that" and almost forgot about it. But in the past few months, I've started trying it and while I can't do it perfectly by any stretch, I can get my leg up there with my arms around and make a very wilted version. It ain't pretty but it's FAR FAR more than I ever thought I'd do.

    Yoga is good for that, surprising me. I'm closing in on being able to do a full plow (from a very solid shoulder stand) and I'm closing in on Crow, too.

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    1. Um yeah, I think I would fall over before being about to do the BoP pose! Good on ya for being able to do it...wilted or not! Keep it up!

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  3. Woohoo, that's great! I love *feeling* things differently. It's a huge boost = )

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    1. It certainly is and sometimes those victories are the only bones we're thrown for a period of time.

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  4. It's been a while, but I remember that feeling. One day my zumba class was cancelled so I went for a walk and suddenly I was running. Not far and not fast, but running for the first time since I was a kid. I'm not a runner and don't really strive to be a runner, but it just kind of happened and it was really cool.

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    1. That's awesome! I know what you mean about not striving to be a runner but if you can run without being chased by a bear or something then all the better!

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  5. A couple weeks ago in my bootcamp I did my first sit ups ever. Usually I just modify and do crunches when they start doing sit ups, but all of the sudden I was up. It took me a couple of times to realize I was doing sit ups. I looked at the girl next to me and said, "Oh my gosh! I'm up!!" It's amazing what our bodies can do!

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    1. Congrats on the sit ups! That's another recent victory of mine too! Crap, I should've put that in there too! LOL But yeah, one day you just do it and then you're like "holy crap!" Keep up the awesome core work!

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  6. For me, it's push ups!
    And the other day, I lowered myself from a chin hang like 6 inches and was able to pull myself back up lol

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    1. That is TERRIFIC! Nothing like some upper body rockin' to feel like a bad @ss!

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  7. I love that feeling! More than scale results even! (And I'm 100% serious with that.) My victories are push-ups and planks. Chin-ups/pull-ups still defeat me, but I know that one day I'll be hoisting my chubby self up to the bar.

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    1. That's awesome and you'll be getting those chin/pull ups in no time!

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  8. I have been blessed with chunky legs too. No matter what I weigh, I will always have chunky legs. Even if you're not seeing improvement, it's great that you can feel it!

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    1. Thanks and I hope to keep on feeling it but it'd be nice to SEE it too, ya know. :)

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  9. There was a time when my boobs felt lighter (given that I'm a J cup, this is a big deal) and walking up the stairs got much easier because my stomach didn't hang halfway down my legs anymore. Lately though my boobs feel heavier and my energy levels aren't nearly what they were so I feel more pooped than anything. I did my workout when I got home and was bouncing around the house....until I sat down. Now I'm as stiff as a board...*snort*. To say I'm feeling old is an understatement.... I'm looking forward to the day when I turn sideways and my butt doesn't look like a shelf that you could keep the American Classics set from Easton Press on it.

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  10. Just walking is so much easier now. I can walk up my steep long country driveway now and am not gasping for breath at the end. This is progress!!

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  11. I used to have to stop once or twice walking up a big hill near our house. Now, I can easily make it without stopping. My other note of progress was in my pilates class when I was able to do a regular plank instead of a modified one. Yahoo!

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