And to that, I say ... hurrah!
Hurrah? Really?
Um, yes, because though I have to battle this thought in my mind, it's a good three pounds.
Because these three pounds, well, they are three pounds of hard-earned, battled for muscle.
If we listen to what society screams about the scale being the end all and be all for measurements of health or acceptable thinness, a celebration after gaining three pounds seems ludacris.
But when you know that muscle actually weighs more than fat
and when you know that every additional five pounds of muscle burns an extra 250 calories of fat per day
at rest
and you know that your body fat has actually remained stable and not increased {check, check and check}
it's super easy to celebrate such a victory because you know it's muscle!
{It's especially super easy after you've lamented about about those three gained pounds until you talk to a friend and the coaches at your club and a TDM instructor who all remind you that, yes, indeed, muscle gain is what's happening. What? I live in our culture, too! Scale number importance is a hard thought to break! Just keeping it real.}
Two full weeks and seven workouts {as of 7/1/12} into The Dailey Method -- a class that combines bar ballet, yoga and Pilates to improve core strength, posture and overall tone -- and my previously lesser worked muscles are happy muscles.
Not only are these muscles stronger and bigger, but they are also improving their memory.
{Am I blowing your mind? Telling you about muscles boosting your metabolism first and then telling you they also have memories?}
And this muscle memory has been greatly improving my day-to-day life because I'm actually beginning to remember what it feels like to hold correct posture, which is taking a lot of stress and strain off of my neck and my lower back.
With my core growing stronger, too, I'm also feeling like it's easier and easier to hold my posture in these correct positions when I'm not thinking about it.
Of course, I have a long way to go, too. I find something new to improve on during each class. Whereas the first four to six classes were a matter of learning the correct positions, these latest classes have me striving for new challenge points to deeper engage the muscles we're working.
I've really enjoyed, too, the way the instructors have repositioned me as necessary, even taking special care to help me avoid further aggravating my neck while still pushing me to engage my core and push my own specific limits.
That said during class, I have to be conscious to actually focus on myself and not look in the room-and-floor length mirrors too often unless I keep my gaze on only my own body. As one of the largest people in the class, I have to constantly remind myself to focus on my own unique body, giving thanks for the way it moves instead of contrasting it to my neighbor's, which I find hard to do with the mirrors and in a group setting until I make my mind bend to these self-focused thoughts.
As I said in my first review of TDM, I primarily began this class after being offered one month in exchange for writing about my experiences to improve my posture and core strength, so I'm not gauging success based on the scale number {which, if you must know, I have to monitor because of my extremely special diet to make sure I don't take any major dips}. However, I am sharing a picture weekly to see if posture and core strength improvements can be measured visibly instead of just physically.
So, here's after the end of week two:
.JPG)
Before:
{Note that I'm still engaging in my normal fitness routine at Curves while adding in TDM classes.}
The Dailey Method of Lake Forest has generously gifted me with unlimited classes for 30 days in exchange for writing about my experiences. All opinions are my own, and I take seriously the responsibility to share my true experiences and feelings.
