Achievement Unlocked

So, I've been doing squats wrong for my entire life. I blame every apathetic, angry PE teacher I ever had.

This is a revelation, my friends, and I'm excited to add them into the little workout routine I've got going for myself.

A year ago, I wasn't nearly capable of what I am now, and I'm so proud of myself it feels decadent. A year ago, a hike up just a portion of our steep hill would have left me winded, my head throbbing, and the next few days shot to hell. Now, I can make it all the way up without stopping, often with no migrainous repercussions.

A year ago, I couldn't touch my toes without bending my knees to a nearly 45 degree angle. My flexibility has always been poor, but I've astounded myself with how much it's improved. Now, I can touch the floor easily with straight knees, and those deep stretches feel so good.

I walk up the hill on my best days, and on some moderate days, when I'm being brave. I go slow when I need to and always stop when my head sends out alarms, but making it to the top feels like such an accomplishment, I really only turn around if I have to.

I do some really basic yoga: dog and cat poses, some simple forward bends while holding onto the chair because I get dizzy really easily, and triangle and warrior, cause they're my fave.

I have some light hand weights I use while watching TV, they're just three pounds, but after a million or so reps they feel heavier.

And lately, I've been adding in some old-school exercises, crunches, pushups, leg-lifts and now, SQUATS! I'd only avoided them so long for the knee pain they always seemed to trigger immediately, but after reading a few people recommending them for pelvic floor weakness (which I strongly suspect I have), I decided to give them another go, and with a little help on my form from youtube, achievement unlocked!

I don't work out every day. If I'm not feeling well, I don't push it, but I do at least one thing on the above list nearly every day, and today, I did everything. Oh, I'm pretty done for now, my butt is firmly planted in this chair and I'm medicating liberally, but I'll probably recuperate enough in a few hours to make a decent dinner and hang out with my man, so I've got no complaints, really.