Is That Cheating?

     I'm not 100%, but I think I might've cheated on my workout buddy yesterday :(

     I woke up yesterday at 6 a.m., like normal, but my muscles were so tired. My body did not want to move from my bed. Like the warm embrace of a long-time love...okay enough poetry. Anyway, the night before I contemplated taking a rest day, but Tee talked me out of it. Our union is doing exactly what it's supposed to do: discouraging us from wimping out on each other. I laid in my bed, thinking about what I should do. It was agonizing.
     I must admit though, the two-to-three-week mark is when my feet start getting itchy. I come up with every reason in the book not to continue with the program; the predominant excuse this time being "I'm not seeing the results I want." Like I said, I notice my clothes fitting a little better, but nothing as dramatic as what I want. It's a little disappointing. Three weeks of workouts for minimal results? What's that about? (It's because I'm eating junks, but when you're talking yourself out of something you forsake logical reason.)
     Finally I worked up the courage to text. "Good morning! I think I need a rest today, my muscles are really tired!" I was wide awake now, awaiting O's response. Would she be mad? Did I just ruin

Kathy Smith dropping some mad truth. Where were you yesterday morning?!

her day? She replied "Sounds good. Get some much needed rest!" Relief swept over my body. I can go back to sleep now, right? Wrong.
     I came into the living room, trying to hear if she was working out or not without me. I asked Mother if I made the right decision or not, and didn't believe her when she told me I did. I tortured myself long enough for a workout with O plus a post-exercise talk-story before drifting off to sleep. For one hour.
     When I came to, Mother asked if I wanted to accompany her on a walk with my 4 year old niece. I agreed, but decided I would take it slow. We went to our usual park, but by the time we got out,

the mid-morning sun was blazing. We walked for about twenty minutes before my niece tired out and I piggy-backed her to the car. Shortly after my mom joined us and we headed back home. The heat won.
     I walked into the house to the most disheartening sight. There was Tee, sprawled on the yoga mat, half way through Jillian's beloved Shred workout. I watched for a minute before putting my shoes back on, grabbing my iPod and hitting the neighborhood for another walk. The sun was almost overhead when I embarked on my journey.
     It was nice going on the old route again. Not that many people were out since walking in the noonday heat is ill-advised. I walked past the house they've halted construction on near the bus stop; past the plumeria and puakenikeni trees, their fallen and browning flowers littering the ground. Going up the first and second hill was challenging as always, but I noticed being less winded then in the past. I walked to my one mile mark, a rock wall with a line of ceramic ducks in front of it, before turning back toward home.
     Up the hairpin turn, past the elderly care home (that finally got a new driveway), who should I see driving down the road but O. She peered out at me before breaking into a wide smiling and waving. I managed to wave back before panic set in. What must she think of me now? Here I was, ducking out of exercising the morning of, only to be out and about only hours later. Was this betrayal? What have I done? I told Tee who was unsure of the situation's outcome. Had I dashed every hope of our budding friendship on this walk?

     I found out today the answer was no. I texted O this morning, 15 minutes before we usually met to ask if we were still on. She hadn't texted back for a while which meant one of two things: she hadn't received my message or she was angry about seeing me yesterday. It turns out she didn't hear her alarm and asked if me and Tee wanted to exercise. Before I knew it we were Turbo-jamming and all was right with the world.
      All kidding aside, I've really come to cherish this time to workout. Even though some days it's hard to wake up and do it, I always walk away from it feeling better than I did at the beginning. Listen to your body and don't overwork, but I encourage you to do something even when you don't really feel like it. It makes you feel good every single time. Unless you injure yourself. Please don't do that. Stretch stretch stretch!

Until Next Time,
The Daughter