Staying Fit Through Knee Injuries

October 20, 2019May 20, 2021Leave a comment

It’s been over 6 months since I first started going to physical therapy for chondromalacia patella in both of my knees. In the first couple months, I regained the 6 pounds I had lost during the fitness program I joined at the beginning of the year. Then I signed up for a 90-day transformation program and lost almost 11 pounds.

Aside from the weight loss, the biggest change in the last 6 months is that my body has gotten stronger. I had a lesson with the owner of my studio last week and she commented that she could see that I was using my core as I danced the practice routine she provided. She was impressed with my strength. She’s one of those people who doesn’t give praise just because, so when you get a compliment from her, it really means something.

That plus compliments from my physical therapist on how I was handling my at-home PT inspired me to share what I’ve been doing to not only stay fit, but also grow stronger, as I recover from double knee injuries.

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You’re Making More Progress Than You Think

December 18, 2018May 20, 2021Leave a comment

Do you ever feel like you’re going nowhere fast? Like you’re stuck in a hamster wheel or walking the wrong way on one of those moving walkways in the airport?

That’s how I feel on the tougher days. Those days when I feel like it doesn’t matter how hard I work, I just can’t seem to make any progress. My to-do pile at the day job is growing faster than my done pile. I practiced over and over, but I still can’t seem to get that move right in my dance lesson. I’m doing “all the things” to grow my business, but the return still feels small.

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Journey to the Center

October 15, 2018May 20, 2021Leave a comment

So ironically, after writing my last blog post about recovering from a bad day, this weekend, I find myself having a tough time. If you caught my social media on Friday evening, then you know we experienced the very-rare-for-Orange-County thunderstorm! I love a good summer thunderstorm (we’ll ignore the fact that it’s October because it’s still in the 70s/80s here). But unfortunately, I also live with seasonal affective disorder, so gloomy weather makes me gloomy. It was gray and rainy all day on Saturday, and by Sunday morning, even though the sun started to come out, I was also feeling quite gray.

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Patience and Persistence

September 23, 2018May 20, 20212 Comments

I don’t know what to write this week, so we’re just going to start writing and see what comes out. Usually I have an idea by midweek, but this week – nada. My brain’s been a bit scattered and preoccupied, and with three months left in the year, I have this weird sense of “I’ve still got plenty of time” and “I’m running out of time.”

How about some dance-related stuff?

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Drowning in a Pool of My Own Ambition

January 30, 2017May 20, 20211 Comment

I know the title is a little dramatic, but I just liked the sound of it so much when it popped into my head. A neutral alternative title could be “One Thing at a Time.”

I think I got a little overexcited about 2017. 2016 was full of change and delays and detours; I was laser-focused on getting back on track and making up for lost time. We’re one month in and my laser focus has turned into a light show with beams shooting every which way. It’s getting hard to see where I’m going.

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Real Dancers Can Do Splits

May 30, 2016May 20, 20214 Comments

I’ve been itching for a new blog post topic, but my dancing has been limited lately. It’s hard to write about dancing when you’re not doing much of it! For awhile, I was dancing four days a week between private lessons with Teacher and Teacher’s friend and Teacher’s group class. So spoiled! But right now it’s just my private lessons twice a week with Teacher. Rhythm is progressing painfully slowly (at least to me), but there are “clicks” here and there. Teacher even did a little celebratory jig over my rumba during our last lesson. And we finally went through the swing routine. Only two dances to go!

This post was inspired by something other than my reduced dancing schedule though. I saw this article on Facebook about ballroom not being thought of as an expressive dance and it reminded me of something that occasionally bugs me, like a little burr in the back of my brain.

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Resolutions I Should Make but I Won’t

January 2, 2016May 20, 20211 Comment

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year's Eve

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday.

Ready to take on new adventures in 2016?

After thinking about goals for the new year, a lot of other “resolutions” started popping into my head. Things that sounded good and I should resolve to do in 2016. But I won’t.

I’ll explain.

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The Klutzy Ballroom Dancer (Write31Days Day 10)

October 10, 2015May 20, 20213 Comments

I put Looney Tunes on this morning as background while I worked on today’s post. Sometimes I really miss the old classic Saturday morning cartoons. Looney Tunes were the best! Yes, incredibly violent, but also brilliant! What led me to Looney Tunes was noting the number of bruises I’m currently sporting on my legs: one on my left knee, one on my right shin, one on my left ankle, and two on my right ankle. I’m like a slapstick character, get it?

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Journey Complete, Splits Not So Much

August 7, 2015May 20, 20214 Comments

The Journey to Splits challenge ended on July 30. I’m finally getting around to writing down my thoughts on the process. Was I able to do a split at the end? Nope. But I was closer than on day 1!

Not much closer, but still

My post-challenge thoughts:

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Journey to Splits – Halfway There

July 14, 2015May 20, 20213 Comments

July is about halfway over and so is the Journey to Splits challenge. For about two weeks now, I’ve been doing the five foundation stretches plus the stretch of the day, holding each one for a minute (per side, if applicable). And if you follow me on Instagram, you know my dogs have become my biggest fans/supporters. Nothing like having your face licked while you’re trying to pull your leg toward your head! I thought I would share my observations/learnings on this 30-day journey so far.