“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”

Thank you, Henry Ford, for providing my motivation last week.

I think there's a germ-sharing program happening behind the scenes at 6FIT these days. Last week I took my turn with a tough cold that settled in my chest. Even playing with the kids brought on the coughing and wheezing, so cardio was definitely off the table for me. I knew I had to take care of myself, but I did not want to lose the great momentum I've built up over the last 4 weeks, nor did I want to give up all of those exercise points.
Enter pilates!
I took Gina's Pilates with resistance tubing class on Thursday night, just as the cold was coming on, and I can't even tell you what a difference it made. Although my chest hurt and my sinuses were full the next morning, the rest of me felt really good. I'm not sure how to explain it except to say that I had a nasty cold but I felt relaxed and calm about it. Also, I realized that I could exercise even though I was sick. And then Henry Ford's words popped into my head and they have become my mantra. The mind is a powerful thing!
I pulled out some old core-focused, pilates style dvd's that have been gathering dust since I got them and I made sure to do at least 30 minutes a day until my lungs felt better. Now I'm hooked and my body is craving the gentle stretches and slower pace that pilates leans toward. Hooray for discovering a new exercise to love! And hooray for learning that a change in mindset can really make a huge difference.
I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better and looking forward to returning to Zumba class tonight. I was having serious withdrawal!

And how did we celebrate Valentine's Day?

In 6FIT-style of course! A little vegetable love is always welcome and a healthy version of Strawberry Shortcake for dessert =)
My children made me the cutest cards (I love 5-yr-old spelling!) and my husband hung beautiful notecards (all famous paintings of redheads) all over the house to lead me to my gift from him. This girl is definitely spoiled!

And to top it all off, we had a very unexpected addition to our family. Meet Coco, who needed an immediate new home because the new baby in his former home couldn't breathe with him around. He needed a new family or he was on his way to Angell Animal Hospital, so he's our new Valentine Bunny!

Finally an kindred spirit. We had a lovely spinach salad together for lunch today-I think he likes 6FIT too!

So Coco and I are off to share a kiwi before the kids get home. Here's to a week of positive thoughts!
~M-C