new week, new challenges

One of the reasons i undertook this blog was inspiration from the (short, free ebook), "The Flinch" to cultivate talents/skills which i have written -- or shrugged -- off in the past.  Consequently to that, i just began exploring something i have a life-long lack of aptitude for:  DANCE.

I'm no fan of all the recent television programs featuring this art/sport, although i get a great deal of pleasure and feel a lot of admiration when watching a fine performance.  I enjoy evenings out at the ballet.  Once i even got to see Baryshnikov, live.  :-)  Back in my fencing days, i took an adults' class in "ballet" (well, ballet-inspired conditioning, led by a prominent local dance teacher) in an effort to get balance for my body, since fencing is notoriously asymmetric.  My wind and flexibility definitely improved, but i became no better dancer as a result.

So when that little devil on my shoulder hinted that, despite not wanting to indulge "the flinch," i might hesitate to enter a new realm of endeavor that featured this bugaboo, naturally i said "screw dat" and went searching for a school.  The voice of one of my living-history personae lept to the aforementioned shoulder, kicked the devil overboard, and made a supportive suggestion:  Irish dance.  She wants to learn to jig.  ;-)

Last night, i attended the first class.  The atmosphere was friendly and encouraging, and the instructor WELL-versed in teaching adults as well as smaller fry.  We plunged right into learning basic steps.  Knowing how out-of-condition i am, i took it easy and therefore have barely any aches today, but a little inflammation.  The PPC, being an anti-inflammatory regimen, will sure be a help here!  I'll continue to take it easy today, with a little stretching and flexing -- maybe, too, do a few yoga moves that seem like they'd be helpful.

Tomorrow i start the Tabata sprints!  I was putting off beginning to do them regularly, in anticipation that my weight loss won't continue this well very long.  EVERYBODY knows that exercise makes a difference in metabolic support and mitochondrial rehabilitation, even though it sucks for actual weight loss.  I WAS saving the heavy artillery for when my footsoldiers (diet) started to get tired.  The latter are still battling steadily, but they're going to get reinforcement anyway.

We'll see how this progresses!  No doubt, it's going to be a challenge.