Ouch

I finally did it. I took my New Feet (orthotics) out for a real test. I went to a Zumba class last night.

First of all, I have not been to a Zumba class or exercised in any way, shape or form for over a year. I have added a new size to my body which my wardrobe budget cannot afford. Most of the excess poundage is situated between my waistline and my ankles. I find myself bending over like a pregnant woman due to the extra girth around my mid-drift. To say that I am not in the best form right now is a bit of an understatement.

So I packed my body into the clothes and shoes that I have on hand. I didn't feel pretty, but thanks to the stretchy material and elastic waistband at least I was comfortable.

I walked into the class with my expectations high. The formula that worked magic for me in the past would not disappoint. Music + people + movement = Joy.

Well? The formula wasn't quite the same this time around. The music didn't feel the same and work its magic. There wasn't a lot of interaction with the people around me. I talked with one person before the class started but when we found out that we work for the same employer the talk was more 'work' and less 'Zumba'. Work does not belong in a Zumba class.

Then there was the movement. A lot of the moves were new and alien to me. I wouldn't have realized that I remembered a thing until some more familiar steps were added. My muscles have a memory that my brain lacks. So there was a lot of brain work involved in keeping up.

Then there is the part where my body isn't quite as limber as it used to be. This wasn't terribly obvious until the stretching section at the end of the class. I don't bend and stretch the way I used to!

I worked up a sweat. I moved. I grooved (just a little bit). I went through the paces. My head wasn't in the happy place it always used to go when I went to a Zumba class. But it has been a year. I was over thinking and working hard just to keep up. Relaxation and fun just didn't enter the equation. Yet.

Then I came home and took off my shoes. Ouch! My New Feet hurt in new and improved ways. Instead of the gradual process of acquiring a corn on my middle toe (which used to take quite a while), I felt the instant discomfort of something (could it be a blister?) on the opposite side of the same toe. My left foot hurt. It never hurts. My toenails hurt. The ball of my right foot hurt. It hurt to wear socks!

I woke up this morning without any aches and pains in my body. But my toenails still hurt. Darn it all anyway!! These New Feet (orthotics) were supposed to be the answer to getting myself back into running shoes and moving again. Maybe it's the shoes ...

So I will take my meager 'budget' and stretch it further than I should. I will go and search for shoes that I can exercise in. The alternative is to exercise at home in my bare feet. But the orthotics will not work their magic if I am not wearing them. So I will see what a different pair of shoes can make.

My body will still be squeezed into clothes that are a size too small. But my feet? They must be happy. I want to come home with muscles that ache and feet that could go on for miles. I want to get moving again!!