When I started kung fu almost 5 years ago, I *thought* I was uncoordinated. I asked my body to move in ways it had never moved before, and – on the whole – it refused to do so. Combine bad hand-eye-coordination with a lack of balance, more than 100 extra pounds of fat, and a lifetime of klutziness, and you get a big, sloppy mess.

But let me tell you: I didn’t know what uncoordinated was until my first Hip Hop class on Monday! I’ve entered a brand new realm of uncoordination that I had never dreamed of!

My biggest issue was doing the moves quickly. I could do them slowly (or at least some approximation of the moves), but then we did them at speed with the music, and I had no chance.

I felt ridiculous.

Or at least I would have felt ridiculous if I was the only one who wasn’t very good. Instead, it was a very friendly group of people, none of whom seemed to be particularly adept at dancing Hip Hop. Everyone was just trying their best and having a good time.

Rather than feeling foolish for being uncoordinated at the moves, I simply had a ton of fun!

I can’t believe I waited so long to get up the nerve to take a class like this – and really only did it now because a friend was doing it. Yes, having a friend there makes it better (obviously), but after having taken the class, I realize that I made it out to be far more intimidating than it actually is, and I could have done it on my own all along.

I’m going to file this information away for the next time my irrational fears are preventing me from doing something I really want to do.

Today’s the big day: The day my best friend* marries her best friend. The culmination of a lot of planning. And worry. For me, most of that worry was about the dress.

If you’ve been following along, you know that the bridesmaid dress I ordered didn’t quite fit when it came in (even though the same size was a little big when I tried it on in the store, grr grr grr). It was snug, and snug in an unattractive way. The exact opposite of what I was going for.

Rather than take everyone’s advice and call the store and find out what the deal was (great advice, but it just didn’t happen), I worried about it in the back of my mind for a while, and did nothing.

Of course, I’ve continued to do an adequate job of eating well (and by that I mean good amounts of healthy food, not eating like a king) and exercising. I got the dress altered so the strap that goes around the neck was the correct length (it’s a halter-style dress), and I bought some body smoothing under garments (ie: fat squishing torture devices).

And it fits.

And looks pretty good, too, if I do say so myself.

Of course, now the problem is shoes, but that’s another story altogether. Quickly, though: Did you know that when you lose a significant amount of weight your shoe size can go down?! That seems so odd to me, but it’s happened folks: I used to wear a size 10.5 – even 11 sometimes – and now I’m in a  9.5/10. In fact, the shoes I’m wearing to this wedding should have been a 9. (Instead, the first ones I ordered were a 10… WAY too big, and the next pair I ordered were a 9.5… still too big, but they’ll have to make do, considering they came in yesterday. ) It’s very hard to find white shoes in Winter…

I’m about to eat some breakfast, and then I’ll be heading to get my hair done with the girls. Then it’s wedding time!

Photos to come.

*Excepting my fabulous husband.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to Spring more than I do right now. I’m so eager to get outside and do things! You might say I’ve got the bug. The slight warm-up we’ve had in Western Pennsylvania over the last few days (high 30s/low 40s!) has only served to make me long for Spring even more. Some things I am anxious to get back into:

• When my husband and I were in Arizona for New Year’s, we went hiking with some friends. It was so wonderful to be outside without having to be bundled up! We hiked for about three hours in Phoenix’s South Mountain Park. I’m telling you: If I had a mountain in my backyard I’d be out there all the time. I’ve been feeling the urge to go hiking again since returning to Pittsburgh, but the weather here in January isn’t really conducive to it. Soon enough though! One of my clients told me about a great place to hike in the ‘burgh that has over 10 miles of trails. Sure it’s no mountain, but it will have to do!

• You may recall that last year I bought a bicycle. I didn’t use it as often as I should have, but I intend to make that right as soon as possible. My husband has a bike, too, and loves riding. It’s a great way to spend time together outside of a restaurant or the dinner table.
• This past Fall, I got back into softball after a hiatus of more than 10 years… and I loved every minute of it. I’ll be playing again come Spring (Go Water Buffaloes!), and I’m just itching to lace up my kicks and hit a few. Actually, I believe there are indoor batting cages somewhere around here – I should look into that.
• Last year I also went kayaking on the river with a friend, which was super fun – and an unparalleled upper body workout, particularly when rowing against the current. Just a few more months and this will once again be a viable way to spend an afternoon.
• And of course, there’s outdoor running. I’ve actually been able to get some runs in outside lately, which has been swell. As long as there isn’t insane wind, precipitation or bitter cold (about 30º or less) I’ll go out, though not enthusiastically when the sun is nowhere to be found (more often than not these days).

I’m trying to keep my spirits up and my workouts varied and interesting, even during these cold, dark months. I’ve never been a ‘gym rat’, and in fact, do a decent good job of avoiding the gym pretty often – though I really love my Total Body Workout class that I take once a week. Of course, I’ll be trading that for Hip Hop (!) starting next Monday. (More on that later!)

What are you doing to stay in shape this Winter? Any great ideas for me?