Day 81: Core Rehab & Boxing
I’m a little stupefied this morning, because I have almost no residual soreness from yesterday’s Blade workout. Day one of Blade is freakin’ hard, and yesterday so many of my Valkyrie Sisters were lamenting their dead muscles after finishing it, I was whining while I was doing it too! Even though I’ve done that workout three times now, it didn’t seem that much easier to me, and I was still swearing and sweating through the whole thing. So the fact that I’m moving around this morning without any aches or pains from tired muscles, is more a testament to my endurance than even I thought I had. Grateful for the improvement, but I can’t wait for the day Blade Day 1 is something I consider easy.
Over the last week, while I was on Active Rest I was beginning to notice some moderate back pain. No amount of stretching or resting took care of it, and initially I thought it was just inflammation. Then, during yesterday’s workout, I noticed that I had a hard time engaging my core properly. Not because of excessive turkey consumption mind you, but because I stopped doing my Core Reset workout when I ended Novice 2.0. Silly me, thinking that one month of rehab could correct a lifetime of incorrect posture and anterior pelvic tilt. I’m fully awake now, to the necessity of me doing that work regularly. Sam was laughing at me too, because DUH! Of course I didn’t fix those issues forever in a month! It’s an ongoing thing, probably for the rest of my life. I also feel like I want to do Valkyrie Squad for the rest of my life, I’m committed to that idea, so of course, core rehab is part of that.
So, today is a boxing workout for Blade Day 2, but before I even get started there, I’m going to spend 15-20 minutes going through the same core rehab exercises that I was doing in Novice 2.0, to get that full core engagement and remind my muscles and my body how it’s meant to stand. I’m honestly excited for the relief from the back ache, I hadn’t realized how much it actually hurt before, or hindered my movement, because it was my normal. Now that I have a healthy comparison to what it should be like, to how tight my core is supposed to be, I know what needs to be done, and it’s consistent core rehab. Dead Hyberns, Hip Bridges to a chest roll, Hip Moons, Deep Breathing on my back, all of these are so important to a pain free life for me, I’m excited to hit the mat with them and feel better. It’s that immediate, I feel like a million bucks afterwards.
And we know how I feel about boxing workouts, I love, love, LOVE them, and that they make me feel like an absolute powerhouse baddie. Can’t touch this vibe.
Most importantly today though, it’s my Best Friend’s birthday! I know she’s going to read this so I’m going to be annoying and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEST FRIEND I LOVE YOU. I can’t wait to give her the gifts I’ve got for her, I know she’s going to be over the moon about them. I don’t get to see her until Thursday because life things, but I’m ready to make her feel loved and special and like she means the world to me, because she does. My Hetero Life Mate.
On the ever growing list of Wins today, it’s 40 degrees outside, which means I don’t have to hide in the house to work out, I get to go outside to sweat. I prefer workouts outdoors, they make more sense to my brain. It’s also infinitely more comfortable because there isn’t a furnace outside to kick on right in the middle of my workout and make me heave a heat stroke in the middle of pushups. So many wins.
I mean, I said it before, but that workout made me feel amazing. My back feels so much better than it did, my core is engaged and locked in, my posture is better. My shoulders are a little on the dead side from throwing punches, but it’s not bad. The confidence these workouts give me is so… unladylike, and that just brings an even bigger grin to my face. I’ve never been ladylike. I’ve never been the girly, prim or proper, well behaved girl. I’m the one who never though twice about brawling with the boys because they were little jerks, the one who made mud pies and potions and climbed trees and scraped my knees, running feral through the neighborhood and collecting disapproval like people collect change. I never wanted to be rescued, I wanted to be the rescuer, the hero, the forgotten princess turned Warrior Queen. These workouts help me live out that fantasy and feel the truth of it in my bones- in another time, another realm, I am that Queen.
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Yrsa needs to go for a walk, and I have my heavy ass boots on again today for Sam’s challenge. I don’t know if I mentioned it on here before, but she’s challenged those of us repeating Blade month, to wear ankle weights for our workouts and our walks. I don’t have ankle weights, but I do have heavy steel toe work boots and those qualify as ankle weights too. I used to live in them, literally all I wore. I haven’t been doing that though, so my 1.5 mile walk with Yrsa is a little harder with them. All good, the more toned my legs and booty are the better. Just another layer of endurance training.
Now I’m reminded, I have a thick stack of mail to send out while I’m walking her this morning. Some of my Valkyrie Sisters, myself included, have put together a gift exchange for Winter Solstice. A lot of us are just sending out cards, some of us are making things or sending stickers, just little notes from our Sisters all over the country, and I think a few others even, to remind us that we’re all in it together. Most of us don’t know each other personally, but the friendships we’ve formed over Valkyrie Squad are rich and deep and heartfelt. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to send out holiday cards. I’m adding a little trinket to everyone’s card, it’s nothing huge or super special really, but I hope they’re appreciated. I love my Squad Sisters, I love that we’re all fighting for ourselves. That we’re all there for each other, cheering each other on and witnessing each other break away from our pain, our self love soaring every day. It’s so beautiful to watch and be part of.
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