Minus 10

I went to pilates tonight for the first time in over a month. I slipped into class ten minutes late but oh, how I loved every minute there. It's funny, because I used to hate hate HATE working my core muscles, simply because they were the weakest part of my body. Through the years I've slowly worked through that to the point where they're decently strong, but it wasn't so much the act of toning my abdominal and back muscles [which remain some of my least favorite parts of my body, along with my arms. Haha, that doesn't leave much, does it? But in truth, my body image is so much better than it used to be] ... it was more the fact that I had made a conscious decision to clear away some time for myself, that I was going to actively forego other school activities and place my health at the top of the priority list.

Mmm. And then just lying there, doing nothing but concentrating on my breathing as I moved the exercise ball, engaged muscles, lifted and lowered my legs in deliberate, smooth motions. It was so meditative and peaceful. I just kept thinking, I need to do this more. It's funny how I know how much I love exercise, I know how good it is for you, and yet I never make enough time to do it.

At least I've gotten better about cooking for myself this semester. E. twin and I were talking about that today ~ it must be part of the cycle of learning to be a student again, what you can slowly incorporate back into your life, and when, and how. I'd imagine the same is true for most major transitions in life.

The bread above was yummy except for the fact that I forgot to add enough salt. Somehow when eyeballing 2 tsp salt, a little shake of the Morton can doesn't quite add up. Oops! So I just eat it with my hazelnut/chocolate spread I found on sale at Whole Foods. It's like Nutella but with no trans fats, and it is disappearing from the jar at an alarming rate.