I took a little detour today.

I went to a ninety-minute power yoga class. Instead of starting my second month of bootcamp.


I originally said I would stick with bootcamp for 12 weeks. But I didn't see changes as quickly as I expected. And while the feeling of accomplishment at the end of each session was great, I did not like the workouts.  I'm just not cut out for repetitive, continual, high-impact, shock-absorbing movements.

And I remembered how I always loved power yoga. As a physical exercise and as a mental workout.

So off I went to see what it was like after all these years.

I twisted, and stretched, held poses and balanced, and flowed from position to position in a bruising, soothing yoga class. My heart beat quickly, and the sweat ran off my face. Droplets dripped down my cheek and gathered at my neck. I relished the moments in child's pose.

And I discovered something along the way. Aging sucks. It really, really sucks. Years ago, it wasn't this tough.


But at the end of the yoga session, I felt relaxed and calm. Ready to sleep.

And it's not because the positions were any less taxing than the bootcamp exercises. Balancing on one bent leg, while holding the other across will make any heart beat madly and challenge any body's homeostasis. 

It's just a different form of intense physical exercise. A very, very different form.

Ergo I now face a decision: go back to bootcamp on Wednesday for another month, or go back to the only exercise I ever really stuck with and enjoyed--yoga?

I like yoga more. For my body and for my mind.

But I don't want to lose what I've gained at bootcamp. I need to be sure before I completely give it up. If I stop now, I don't think I'll ever go back to it again. I won't be able to tolerate another first week at bootcamp. When muscles and bones ached more than ever before. When I was so sore, it hurt all the time.

I need to make up my mind. Soon.