Back in the Saddle

I've finally landed in Utah!  Jack reports to the Shakespeare Festival for work this morning and the kids and I are getting the lay of the land in our awesome housing. This year, the wonderful company manager found us a real family house instead of the usual student housing.  I have a big kitchen and the home is just moments from canyon walking trails, a beautiful park and the down town theater.  I love it.

This past week, I closed my show in Fort Worth and began transitioning my diet to more whole and raw foods. Just doing that helped me shed two pounds.  Now that I'm here in Utah with six weeks of open space ahead of me, I'm ready to dig in and get back in shape.  Before leaving Dallas, I bought a new pair of running shoes because my old ones were shot!  This morning they took their maiden voyage: a cross-training style run / walk up the canyon.

Here's what I did.  I power walked several blocks to the base of the canyon at Highway 56 where I did a tabata style interval from Malory Dubuclet's work out book. Then I jogged up the canyon and back (only a mile to start because we're at serious elevation here and I'm not accustomed to it yet). Once I reached the base of the canyon again, I did a second tabata and walked the few blocks home.  It was short and sweet, but definitely a good start.

I've been dreading this first work out a bit because I have been so out of practice over the past four months. I haven't been able to attend my usual classes because of the show and Charlie's therapy and medical appointments, all of which were falling at the same time as my boot camp class. The thing that I quickly realized though, is that I'm not starting at zero.  Just because I'm out of practice doesn't mean I have to begin at the beginning.  I had a good strong fitness routine for over a year and then strayed for a few months.  Once I started moving, my body kicked in and my brain said, "Yes - I know how to do this!"  I may not be at the fitness level I was this fall, but I know what I'm doing and my body wants nothing more than to move, move, move.

When I got home, I made some green juice. I turned a big bowl of this... 

...into this.

The second glass of juice is for my husband Jack who is joining me in my diet shift.  He has been feeling a little "off" lately because of our lax eating standards these past few months.  We're both ready to lose a little and feel cleaner, brighter, healthier and lighter.