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Thursday, April 14, 2022

Mobility Update: The Yoga Body Trapeze

It has been a year since I posted about losing mobility, and two years since the world shut down for covid.  I complained of weight gain and loss of energy.  I consciously started moving more (and sitting less) about a year ago, so I have successfully maintained the same weight for the last year.  I am ready to drop some of the weight, but that is always a tightrope walk for me.  I gave up those sugary Vitamin Waters again.  No weight loss.  Gave up drinking alcohol every night.  No weight loss.  It gets frustrating.  I know if I just start heavily restricting calories, it will cause a binge eventually.  So I have to cut a few calories and burn a few calories.  Slow and steady.  I guess due to my age, the weight has gone into a weird place too.  It is my mid-section, which would have been fine if I didn't have that tummy tuck scar holding certain areas so tightly.  The fat is squishing into weird places, making my organs feel crowded and giving me pretty epic back fat when I'm wearing a bra.  Good luck in child's pose during yoga.  I almost can't breathe.  

Last month, I passed the 18th anniversary of my weight loss surgery with no fanfare.  I guess I don't see it as something to necessarily celebrate anymore.  I think I had hoped that surgery would get me out of the "diet world," and that's just not the case.  I am still very focused on food and diet and body image issues.  I think I have finally accepted that I'm still essentially the same person, whether I'm 350 pounds, 180 pounds or somewhere in between.  

I am getting married later this year, and while I don't want to do a crazy diet and take a bunch of "skinny" pictures at my wedding, only to balloon up again the next day, I would like to take myself to a healthier weight so my joints and body don't hurt as much.  The "unintended consequence" would be feeling more comfortable in a wedding dress.  At the end of the day, I remind myself not to hate my body, so I should be okay at this weight or 40 pounds lighter.  

Another fun thing that's happened in the last couple of years are night sweats.  Yeah.  I guess I'm at that age where all the fun aging stuff for women starts to happen.  By chance, however, while trying to rehab some thinning hair, I found a DHT blocker vitamin.  The night sweats went away immediately.  If I forget to take the vitamin, I sweat that night.  So, that's the one vitamin I won't miss for any reason.  I also have increased my protein and iron intake.  That seemed to help take care of the hair issue and the whole feeling exhausted thing.  This is life though, right?  As soon as you think you have everything figured out, something changes.  

For the last year, I have been seeing Facebook ads for the Yoga Body swing, so I finally ordered one.  I thought it would be nice to get upside down ("inversions are the fountain of youth" ~ Bel Jeremiah, former owner of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness).  It is not quite aerial hammock width (it is not wide enough for me to cocoon completely in it like I can a hammock), but it holds enough of me to be comfortable.  I just started using it this week.  Mostly I do a little strength training (holding the handles and trying to bring my knees to my chest), and a little stretching (tipping backwards so I can hang upside down, which leaves me prone to dog licks straight to the face).  I am finding that it is taking some time to get used to being upside down again.  My head felt like a grape that was about to explode the first time.  Now I'm able to hang upside down for a minute or so.  I just tip myself upright to rest for a few seconds, then I can go right back to it.  

Anyway, I hadn't done an update in a few months, so I thought I would post about my yoga trapeze.  Yes, I get it, everyone thinks its a sex swing.  I've heard all the jokes already.  But you can make anything sexual if you really want to.  This is set up out in my bonus room (yoga space/office), for my backyard neighbor to see if they really want to.  I'm thinking about getting rigging to hang it in the tree in the front yard.  That should get more neighbors talking!  Maybe I should be more concerned about it being in the background of my Zoom meetings, but I'll wait to see if anyone is brave enough to ask me about it.

I've been trying to find some good yoga trapeze classes on YouTube, but haven't found anything I love.  If you have any suggestions, please send me the links.  Thanks! 

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