Valancy's Place

I feel remarkably odd today; disappointed at work and frustrated over what I need to get done. Maybe it's just vacation letdown; things felt remarkably rosy on Sunday and even yesterday, but today I just feel a bit down.

This weekend is hard to describe without being overly dramatic; C and I went camping in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which was beyond exquisite, but also involved a sandstorm - is that wrong? we were stuck in what we guessed were 40mph winds that were nonstop for well over an hour and had to hold our tent down, and what with wind in a big pile of sand, it was, I would assume, a sandstorm, yes? Then it was unexpectedly 15 degrees colder than the weather forecast said the coldest temperature would be the whole weekend, C's old sleeping bag wouldn't fit him (yes, he was mortified), the soft sand was blown out from under us so we felt like we were on cold, wet granite, and I got sand in my eyes that was horribly painful and couldn't be gotten out for almost 48 hours, resulting in no sleep. (That part is most amusing; it was in taking out my contacts, after the sandstorm, that I got sand in my eyes. Only me.) All this carrying a 20-pound pack and trudging through dunes that were up to 750 feet high in 30 miles square of backcountry. Did I mention we were the only campers?

But honestly, it was still wonderful. With all the crazy, it was still so mind-blowingly beautiful and happy it almost hurt. I never knew we had so many stars; I've never seen a more peaceful sunrise. I guess any workweek kind of pales compared to that, right?

(Please feel free to skip if you have no interest in random exercise videos.)

So after years of mostly pilates and running, I'm trying to branch out, especially since I'm feeling less than motivated and things that aren't new are boring. (Also, I haven't installed a shelf yet so that I can easily watch episodes while running, and I'm tired of laboriously copying, reformatting, and transferring them to my iPod.)

So then there was Netflix. To my surprise, I've discovered they have tons of instant play exercise videos, and while most of them are the older, less popular titles, many of them are quite good. So in case you're interested, I'll be occasionally posting my reviews. Keep in mind that I have a strong core and decent legs but terrible arms and no flexibility, so my reviews are clearly biased in that direction.

Onward!

Crunch: Candlelight Yoga: As a workout, it's very mild, but it does exactly what I hoped it did: stretched me out and got me ready for bed with a guilt-free conscience (hey, I did my workout for the day!). It's a pity the screen isn't a little darker - the screen seemed glaring in the dark - but otherwise, a pleasant, relaxing stretchout.

10-Minute Solution: Yoga This was a huge surprise. Everything about it lead me to think I'd hate it: cramming yoga into 10 minute-sections? And this lady moves fast, no doubt about it, and her voice isn't exactly soothing. But to my surprise, I loved it. The sections gently flow from one to the next, so it's easy to treat it as a 50-minute workout, and it worked me out at that perfect level where I was pushing myself, but not in physical pain. I liked the flow of one exercise to another. And her voice and fast pace felt motivating rather than irritating. I'll warn you, though - if your arms are as weak as mine, expect serious soreness the next day.

Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates: I hate to say it, but this was a massive disappointment. I love Pilates, but the choice of exercises here bewildered me. One movement would be so easy I would be bored, the next so bad I'd be shaking. I even got a terrible cramp at one point, which has never, ever happened to me before. I didn't feel fully warmed up, and I admit I think I've gotten used to the cautions and gentle exhortations in the previous yoga videos not to overdo it. The lack of flow and warm-up made this 30-minute workout far more painful than many hour-long ones. Whether I'm becoming a yoga girl or this was just a lousy video is unclear, but I certainly can't recommend it.

Time for new beginnings.