birds of a feather

I know I've touched on this a bit in past posts but after an amazing night of Wings, I have to bring it up again. When I began Lithe, I understood my legs would probably tone up and hoped that I'd lose a couple inches. What I never expected was the definition I'm seeing in my arms.

Pre-Lithe, my arms were something of a mystery to me. I never thought about them much until it was time to get my wedding dress. Then I looked at them long... and hard... and from every angle. I decided that they just weren't cutting it - heck, they weren't "cut" at all. At the time I was working out like a madwoman but all the cardio in the world (coupled w/ a few arm exercises) just weren't getting me the results I wanted. I resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn't have super defined arms. Ever? Maybe ever.

I started taking Wings because the Monday evening class fell neatly into my schedule. And, oh, while I'm at it I'll get an arm workout in. HA! Carrie had other ideas for my wimpy little arms and it quickly became one of my favorite classes. (How or why I even thought any Lithe class would not kick my butt into shape is beyond me.)

Last night I looked around the class of fellow Lithers and thought "Wow, we've all come a long way." I remember the first class when Carrie called for a series of arm exercises that nearly reduced me to tears. My arms hurt so badly that I had zero form and just gutted it out. Last night was different... it was still tough but I realized that I was working through the series without wanting to die. I'm not gutting it out. I'm watching my form - picking up heavier weights - challenging myself - and before I know it the class is over! Mind you, it's not a walk in the park, but I felt really proud of myself. I felt proud of the other ladies in that class too. No matter how much weight is strapped to our wrists or in our hands - together - the Monday night flock is growing stronger.

inspiring

Another piece of inspiration. Lithe in the buff.

summer lovin'

Summer is here. It's hot. As I strolled into work, I was told it was going to be 98 degrees today! My response: I'll take this over mountains of snow any day of the week. Bring it, Sun.

Yesterday I briefly touched on the hectic scheduling of the summer months and, coincidentally enough, Lauren had also discussed it. I'm finding that I need to make the time to get my body moving. If it's not a Lithe class, I'm back to runnning, walking, hiking, swimming - getting creative! While I certainly give myself some flexibility with scheduling (morning workouts are mixed w/ evening workouts) I still want to look and feel healthy. I'm committed to Lithing and running - and moving. Am I excited? Yup!

Lauren H also posted about jumping back into the swing of Lithe - Reimmersion. Yay let's do it! Let's get our bodies back to feeling amazing! Strong. Healthy. Fit.

Ok, so one last piece of reading material for your morning. Lauren wrote this for Philadelphia Magazine and I just love it! In particular I love the section: Be your own best friend. "Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend." Be kind. Be kind. Be kind.

Well, this post was a little all over the place but I'm super stoked and motivated! Let's do it!

a quick update

Phew! June has been such a busy month. My apologies for not keeping current these last few weeks. It seems we have something going on every weekend!

Mr. C and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to Cape May, NJ. We stayed at the John F. Craig House and had the most relaxing weekend. Needless to say, it was the perfect end to a wonderful first year.

This week I'm back to my regular workouts. I admit the last few weeks I've been crunched for time with all the travelling and such which left little time to get in a run. When we got back from Cape May I went for a much needed run and it felt great. I'm back to it.

butt what

It started out innocently enough - a subtle glance, a quick pat - until last night when Mr. C laid it on the line. His exact words were, "Babe, I love your ass." Truth be told, my husband has always made me feel beautiful. Mr. C encourages me to feel attractive and secure and he isn't shy with genuine compliments and words of affirmation. I've never once needed to question whether or not my husband thinks I'm hot (and that's an amazing feeling in itself).

When this line came out of his mouth it totally caught me off guard. While his compliments are liberal they aren't normally quite so blunt. I had just gotten home from a brutal (but wonderful!) Skinny Mini and needed a shower on the quick. My face must have revealed my confusion because he quickly followed up with "What?!" Laughing, I gave him a kiss and thanked him for being adorable.

Bring on the lunges!

lithe giving

It's June and it's hot. Last year at this time I was working out like a mad woman in preparation for our June wedding. What I would give to have known about Lithe at that time... But now I'm in it and loving it.

I'm not even sure what I expected from the Lithe experience when I first began. I knew it would be a tough workout and I knew it got really great reviews. I've created a list of the amazing things I've gained...

What I never expected (in no particular order):

1. The community of women I would look forward to seeing each week.

2. The definition in my arms. (last year I had such a poor perspective on my arms that I actually considered that I wasn't the type of gal who could get away w/ sleeveless options no matter how much cardio I did...)

3. The instructors would not only be inspirational - but also kind.

4. That I would survive if I never step on a scales again (pre-Lithe it was a daily thing)

5. I'm totally ok with the fact that my legs and butt have gotten bigger b/c it's muscle not the other stuff...

6. How strong I feel!

7. That I look forward to working out - even the days I don't have a Lithe class I'm still sweating it out on my own.

8. The direct correlation between food and exercise. (It sounds so obvious but I actually think about what I'm eating every single day and don't hate myself if I opt for a little desert once in a while. It's just become a lifestyle!)

9. I now run on my tready w/o shoes!

10. I'm so connected to the Lithe routine and miss it when I can't make a class.

some light reading

I've been following Lauren's blog since I began and I particulary LOVE LOVE the most recent post. Confessions of a Lithe Spouse is adorable! Check it out.