She flies through the air with the greatest of…ease?

I tried something totally new on Wednesday.

Aerial yoga.  No, that’s not a photo of me, but I did that move.  It’s called “Monkey Pose.”  I actually really wish I had photos or videos of me in the class, because it would be really amusing.  Anyway, this type of yoga seemed pretty fun to me, so I decided to give it a shot.

But here’s where the story comes in.  I don’t exercise these days, not in the way most people thing of exercise.  I’m active- walking to the store when I can, daily walks with Honey, moving around all day, but anything else gives me an exercise-induced migraine.  This is how bad it is…  Last fall, I did just three gentle, stress relieving yoga postures on the floor of my living room and ended up with a killer migraine.  I’ve tried many different types of exercising, but nothing’s worked.  Recently, though, my headaches have lessened overall and I have back-up prescription drugs if they start, so I thought I’d give exercise a try again.

Bad idea.  Because I haven’t worked my core muscles much, I keep throwing out my back.  Last month, an easy hike on a familiar trail had me limping around for days.  Today, “monkey pose” and “vampire” have me gingerly moving.  It’s the “Weekend Warrior” problem.  My body just isn’t ready for what I ask it to do, like this:

Shoulder stand

As I’ve written before, I thrive on trying new things.  This is important to me, so instead of doing new activities and then being laid up for days or weeks on end, I’m going to start doing core exercises on a regular basis.  That way, I’ll be able to try whatever I’d like and only get the sore muscles that go allow with that exercise.  One little step at a time, right?

At least I won’t be walking like a monkey- just hanging like one!

Cocoon