My Achilles Heel

Sometimes things just don't go as you plan.  Like remember last week when I said I was going to do Zumba every day?  It worked for a good 11 days, and then I had one of the most intense and fun Zumba classes ever. There was punching and booty shaking and shimmying and crunching and even some jiving which brought me back to my ballroom dancing days.  But do you know what got me?  The good ole spin-and-jump-into-a-dance-combo move.  I was so into this spinning and jumping that I somehow managed to twist around myself.  Not the sexy kind of twisting, and not the twist-and-shout kind of twisting, but in a way I'm pretty confident I've never done before which caused me to fall to the floor.  I quickly picked myself up and continued to Zumba, but I was definitely in pain.  My ankle really hurt but I was having so much fun that I did not want to stop.  The 15 block walk home was okay but at Shabbat dinner that night I told David and Sarah (who are both making their second appearances in the blog today!) that I really hurt myself.  David suggested that I not do Zumba the next day, but it was Street-Zumba which is hip hop style, so how could I not?  Bad idea.  I barely made it through and almost left 3 times but after pushing through the class (taught by an awesome fellow Columbia senior) I went and got myself two ace-bandages.  My enthusiasm for Zumba and dedication to this goal led to my (present but not ultimate) downfall... literally my own Achilles Heel.

First lesson learned: should have listened to David and not have gone to Zumba that day.
Second lesson learned: should not have subsequently walked the 42 blocks and some avenues that night to a friend's going away party when I easily could have waited until after Shabbat and take the Subway.  I think that it may be a combination of those two things that I'm still not back on my regular Zumba schedule.
My ankle has gone in and out so to make up for my lack of cardio I've been trying to stretch a little more at home and just walk around the city.  Sadly today does not mark the 17th day in a row of Zumba, but it does mark some other good things....

There is life, quite literally, outside my 21 by 21 list!  Today marks my newest nephew, Shaya Amicahi's, 10th day of life!  He is perfect in every way and at the bris I was able to see almost all my siblings and all of my nieces and nephews (I have 5 total now!) which just made for a lovely day with the family and the most adorable babies.  I also activated my dad's iphone which was an adventure in itself- did you know you need an earring or something of the like to get the sim card out of an iphone?  How is that logical?  But more stories about that to come later....

Me and Shaya Amichai 8 days old

Zumba or no Zumba, progress is possible!  I have seen progress in both my splits (small progress so please continue to revel in the pictures of previous post) and in my weight loss!  At first I did not think it was noticeable but I ran into a girl in my class on the street the other day and she told me that I looked like I lost weight, so I decided it was time to check the scale... and I had!  6 pounds since I began this journey of mine!  After realizing just how much pain my ankle was in, that was an incredible discovery and just the motivation I needed to get me through the rest of the week.

Maybe not the witty or entertaining post you were expecting, but relevant nonetheless to the trials and triumphs of getting through this 21 by 21 list.  If anyone knows when or where I can donate blood and wants to come with me let me know...!