Sissy: "Mommy, can we go to the gym tomorrow"
Me: "No, I'm still sick."
Sissy: "But I miss the gym."
I am on my fourth day of a pretty intense head/chest cold. I've run the gamut of running nose, stuffy nose, sneezy, confused, dazed, achy, tired, and just plain uncomfortable. I missed my run on Sunday. My long run. I was sad. I missed KickBoxing on Monday. I was bummed, but so tired after work that I couldn't even change into my workout clothes. I missed my run on Tuesday. We had an open house at school and I had to be there. I missed Super Circuit this morning. Still too tired to get up at 5 AM and workout before work.
My daughter's words resonated with me today, "But I miss the gym". I missed the gym. I missed working out. I've struggled with the delicate balance between taking care of my body through rest when I am sick and taking care of my body through exercise.
I made my way to the gym tonight. :) I took one of my favorite classes- Shred! I did Facebook Kelly prior to class to tell her that I was coming and that she had to be nice because I was still sick. My secret plan was to only do half the class and then leave. I am happy to report that I actually finished the whole class. I had to modify quite a bit, but was able to finish the whole hour. It was SO hard. My heart rate monitor had me in the high 160's most of the time. In 58 minutes I burned a total of 698 calories! Shred is a darn good workout, but I am usually in the 500-600 calorie range after a normal class.
How do I feel now? TIRED, but good. I am glad I got in there, broke a sweat, and gave it my all. I wasn't the fastest tonight and certainly not the prettiest, but I got it done. I worked hard. Sometimes giving it our all is all that we need to do.
~Kari
