I have another post in the offing that I started but just can't seem to get finished. It just keeps growing! It seems that I have rather a lot to say on the subject of my mind-body relationship. That the two are so intertwined is both a blessing and a curse. It's part of why strength training is so important to me. I'm not the most confident of people and I've found that I love the huge boost I get just from being able to do physical stuff. Anyway, these are the sort of thoughts I've had swimming about in my head for the past few days and I'm going to channel it into how I plan my training schedule for next week.

Body-wise, I'm not in peak condition right now but I'm getting to the point where I can see that I'm not too far off it. Mentally, it's been a really tiring week and I could do with something to perk me up. With this in mind, today's training was a nice combination of fun and relaxation. I did a Zumba class with my favourite instructor, Lorraine. Usually I avoid classes (they tend to be very pink and safe and female friendly to the point of utter patronisation). This class is different though; some Zumba instructors keep things very tight on the footwork, making things less than fun for those of us who are not proper dancers. Lorraine, however, does a nicely high impact class where you dance exactly the way you would if you were just poncing about at home in your pants. How good is that? Am beginning to suspect that really I most enjoy the fact that she is both strong and also silly. It's a combination that I like ;)

I went for a swim afterwards. Is there anything better than a nice refreshing swim on a hot day? Don't think so. I did also manage to squeeze in a run - my first of the week. It was really nice to be running on fresh legs for a change, though it does make my gait rather more Tigger-like. I boinged my way round my 5K loop in 24 mins flat. I sweated because it was still hot but the pace felt really easy. I'm not the fastest so I'm pleased with that.

I also spent a bit of time trying out some new (to me) moves that I might try and incorporate into next week's training. Favourites so far are the Turkish Get Up (harder than it looks!) and the Cuban Press (because we know that I do love to work my shoulders).

Of course, I am still plugging away with my chin ups. I have callouses on both hands from doing them! It's bizarre. At the starting point, I could do nothing more than just dangle from the bar. I grunted and strained my way into being able to do a few but still felt like I wasn't really getting it and then about a week ago, I took hold of the bar, squeezed and just found myself rising through the air until my chin was a couple of inches above the bar. It wasn't a fluke, I can actually do them! It just requires a bit of focus.

It's only three weeks till the school holidays start. I will be hoping for good weather, mostly so I can take Logan to the park, set my inner asshole free and do lots of show-offy chin ups to the envy of all ;)