Your limit...

Do you know your exercise limit? I guess you really only know when you go over it, which is exactly what I did on Saturday. As it turns out, my limit is a 8km run and a five hour Bikram workshop ... the day after working for 11-hours, doing Pump (only 45-mins), watching a rugby match, drinking 4 beers and 2 glasses of red wine and walking approx. 3km walking in three inch heels.

I got home at 12.30am on Friday night/Saturday morning and woke up at 6am with glowing red eyes and a nasty niggling headache. Fabulous! Drank about a litre of water, coffee and powerade (not mixed together), eye drops and Panadol and fronted up for the run. We did 2km warm-up, then 10mins of serious core-work, dynamic stretching and we were off. It. Was. Hard. My legs felt heavy and tired ... in fact, all of me felt heavy and tired. I still came home pretty well, I think, but I had to push myself every single tiny step of the way, and at the 3km mark I really wanted to give up. But I didn't! I ran it in 45mins, which was bang-on the time I was vaguely aiming for.

Buoyed by the fact I didn't give up and ran the time I wanted to I raced home for shower, change of clothes and super-quick and light breakfast before heading off for my Bikram workshop. Now THIS was hard. It was basically a Bikram session drawn out over five hours (minus a 15 min break), but with more breaks, more talking (from the instructor) and WE were allowed to ask questions. The instructor was a GODDESS, OMFG. Gorgeous, lithe and sooo lovely and friendly. Argh, good inspiration though. Anyway, she broke down each posture into more manageable morsels ... sometimes I get a bit swept away by the instruction in class, so this was really helpful to actually find out what I was supposed to be doing.

I drove home exhausted beyond belief (almost falling asleep), aching all over AND feeling incredibly inspired and positive. I have been jotting down little notes everywhere every time I remember something amazing I heard/watched and will put it together in a more coherent form at some point in time. For me I think the main message was to choose to live your life the way you want to. Want to spend your life wishing you could do things, but never attempting to do them ... or attempting things once or twice and then giving up? No! Spend your life choosing to follow your dreams and desires, and keep on following them. Further on that, the theory was to hold yourself accountable to yourself, when you go for a Bikram session (or a run/gym class) commit to working as hard as you can on that day. You know, some days you feel 150%, others more like 100%, and sometimes much less. It was all about listening to your body, working with it instead of against it and being friends with it instead of hating it.

Obviously went on a lot longer than that, but it was light a silver shaft of light went into my head and brushed some of the dust off those emotions I've neglected ... things like self-esteem and appreciation for myself and my efforts. Sometimes I just feel like nothing I do is ever enough.

Anyway, a run and Bikram workshop after a night out is DEFINITELY my limit.