Day 12:- Friday 19th June 2020
Yoga with Sandee
This is my first session with Sandee and again…. I have thoroughly enjoyed the class. There was only me and one other person in today’s class. As I have already said… I absolutely love these small classes outside. I am so glad I took the opportunity to join David Lloyd as I am making the most of it.
We start in a sitting position today bringing awareness to the breath and I am in my own bubble. I can’t remember the name of the bubble that I am supposed to be in… but it is a nice one. Leaning over to one side and the arm bent… lift the other one up and over. A few breaths are taken here and back to the centre and back to the other side. Movement and flexibility through the spine and hips.
Moving into cat and cow poses and into a downward dog. I probably have the sequence completely wrong.
I remember completing several rounds of Sun Salutations. I liked that Sandee gives explanations as to why we were doing certain moves. Again she has a very relaxing and calming voice.
Oh oh oh at some point I was a lion… I am surprised I did this out breath but I just went with it.
Due to being in such small classes Sandee is able to correct me when I am slightly doing it wrong. This is great as I wouldn’t know that I was doing it wrong otherwise.
My flexibility and also balance is improving so much. I like the stories of encouragement that Sandee talks about during the session. I love how we tell ourselves what we are are grateful for.
I didn’t mind doing the urrmmm and chanti chanti chanti at the end of the session. Again normally I wouldn’t feel that great doing it but because Sandee explains the reason as to why you do… all my inhibitions disappear.
There was obviously loads of other poses and sequences that we did within the class but I can’t always remember them.
A Little Break Before Pilates
I have a little break before Pilates and I watch the end of the tennis session that is going on and a bit of a 1:1 coaching session. Sue and Jo x 2 come off court and stop and chat. They all comment that they are enjoying their time back at the club. I have also told them that I am more than happy to play tennis any day and time. Sue has come prepared today with a packed lunch… she also has a gap before her Yoga session with Regi. Sue is ever so kind and even offered to share her sandwich!
The break also gives me an opportunity to write some of my blog rather than leaving it to the end of the day.
Ruth the nice receptionist…. I am not sure if that is her title but she always gives you a nice welcome when you come into the club. She has been so nice and encouraging along my journey of getting fit. Mind you so have all of the staff but unfortunately I don’t know all of their names yet. I probably would have felt embarrassed about the amount of times I go to the club to do a class or play tennis but they make it so welcoming it is like second nature walking in. You could never tell if they are having a sh!tty day as they are always smiling and checking that we the members are OK. I personally think they are all doing an amazing job as no doubt they were probably a bit nervous about coming back into the club for the first time.
I am not sure how I feel when all of the indoor facilities are opened but only time will tell. I am guessing the ‘R’ will be well down anyway and I just hope that if people are unwell they will stay away from the club for a period of time.
Pilates with Victoria
Just two of us in our class today….. this is great as Victoria asks us what we would like to focus upon. Today we are going to use the weights again, I really enjoyed this yesterday.
Starting off with our eyes shut and focusing upon our breath. Hands on the ribs cage, breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Breathing in ribs expand and breathing out, ribs relax. This simple exercise really does focus you in the moment.
Eyes open and reaching up and release and open. The normal warm-up of the head and neck. Rolling the shoulders up and forward… yeah I went the right way round today! Hands on the shoulders and arms up and moving.
Roll-downs…. I love this feeling…. I can really feel my core engaging especially on the peel up, arms above the head and raise onto your toes… I am always wobbling in the first few of these but I am getting better at my balance.
It is important for me to remember to concentrate on my own breath when doing this class and use it to support the movement. Sometimes, if I forget to inhale at the right point it throws me off a bit but at least I am able to recover quickly now.
Round you…. twisting round with hips and pelvis facing forward. I feel as though I am rotating round more… this is probably because centimetres have gone from my waist over the last 12 days so it makes it easier. Plus obviously my core is getting stronger.
Wide squats and heal lifts… one at a time and squeezing the calf muscles.
Weights are introduced. We are lifting them up and down.
Front, up side in and down
elbows tucked in out and in.
Back muscles. Up and pull down.
weights behind and pulse and squeeze, strengthening back of the arms. stomach nice and strong.
Arm raises, then front, side, in and down. Repeating the above set.
Then chest press… in and out… 4 more, 3, 2, 1, Last one up and down. Draw the stomach in and pulse…. show me 8. Shoulder rolls….
Roll down to come onto hands and knees. Breath in ribs expanding and breath out ribs relaxing. Bend the arms taking the elbows out into push-ups. Then sliding right foot away keeping everything nice and still, return the foot and the other side.
Back to upper body, extend the right arm away and left, using the breath in and out. Then opposite arm to leg, engaging the core and softly pointing the foot. These appear to be getting easier. I am sure they won’t be on another day though. Back to press-ups but arms straight down. Keeping core strong.
Onto stomach into star shape and lifting opposite arms to leg. Arms down to side, head in the middle and lifting off and head to the side, back to the middle and lift to the opposite side.
Leg series on our side. Bending underneath leg and lifting and flexing top leg. Engage the core. Then circling the leg one way keeping it smooth and then in the opposite direction, foot is flex. Both legs out and lift both legs up and down. Lifting up through the waist and a little squeeze. Keeping both legs lifted and little scissor kicks… OK please can I put my legs down… 4 more and yeah down……
Into a plank… breathing through the position drawing in the stomach. Oh great the other lady says can we hold it for a minute….. relaxing shoulders down. Let’s go for a further 10… Oh no she has now said let’s go for a further minute… You have to be kidding me… I can’t remember the last time I did a proper plank but there is no way am I going to say no….. keep going…. You have this….. OK, stop holding your breath…. you are supposed to be breathing through it… At this rate I am going to need some oxygen… Just breath in and out…. there you go… You are back in control… 2 minutes. Whoop Whoop!!! Then leg exercise the other side
Core is being worked today. Shoulder taps…. wahooo you can do these from Mark Raynsford 19 Day challenge. Continuing to focus on the core. But we get to re-cap our breathing first…. Then into a little leg slide…. I don’t like this one… Not because it hurts but my mat annoys me when it slides up every now and again. Then the arms are introduced as well so it is opposite arm to leg. Then sliding both arms and legs away . Feet are still on the floor, drawing in the stomach.
Table top position for toe taps down. Breath out as you tap. Not bad going… Then repeat… Then knee in and lifting shoulders off the floor looking forward and stretching out the leg… and change.
Working the waist muscles. Left elbow across to the right knee, then a lift and reach across further. Other side…. still feel as though I am going strong but this is only cos I am breathing out with the movement otherwise I think I would be struggling a lot more.
Now bicycle flutters… not sure if that is what it called…. but that’s what I am going for!
Oh now the 100…. and beating the arms down… breathing in for 5 counts and out for 5 counts. Oh my god, I won’t remember to count them…. yes, yes, yes, Victoria is doing the beat and in 2, 3, 4, 5 and out 2, 3, 4, 5…. she is also clicking…. This makes it easier again!!
Ooohhhhh and a nice little stretch…. and then upper body work with the weights for the chest. Open and close, then up and down, the right arm over the head and left down to the side and in and change sides.
Spine curls…. again…. I like these ones…. They remind me so much of my physio sessions with Ian at Stanmore Hospital. Then shoulder flexibility and lifting arms over the head and return and peel down and then back up.
Then stretching out the hamstrings. I am so much tighter on my left hamstring that my right but when we take a breath in and out… I am able to bring it closer to my body.
There were some more exercises but I am too relaxed to share it all with you…
Tennis with Sharon, Sue and Theresa
What a great way to end an awesome day at Summer Camp…. fun doubles with the girls. My serve seems to be getting better…. even though I hit a few out they seem to be more powerful. I have tried to practice a few top-spins today as I watched a video as to how you are supposed to play it. Plus I watched Matt this afternoon coaching and he was using it a lot.
Sharon and I took on Sue and Theresa to start off with. We had some awesome games and lots of 40-40 your ad, 40-40, my ad. Sharon obviously wanted to practice her serving today!! teehee. Wahoo we won… no idea what the score was…
Second pairing was Sue and myself versus Sharon and Theresa. Again this was another fun game. Theresa’s serve really improved throughout the matches. Sue makes me laugh as she doubts her tennis abilities. She plays some really awesome shots but then blames it on the wind for keeping the ball in….. this is not how I see her playing… She was definitely going for those wide crosscourt shots with perfect execution!
1 hour 45 minutes later…. we are done. Thank you ladies for great games and wonderful company.
Exciting news…. we are going to have post-tennis drinks… I hope I don’t crawl home at 2:30am like I did from Anna’s post-tennis drinks….. The girls have said ‘everyone needs a friend like Anna!’…. this is so true as she is so kind and caring, even if she is a bad influence upon me!
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