The last two weeks have been super busy, hence the radio silence here on Get Fit Fiona. The end of the semester always seems to get like that even when I stay on top of school work. Needless to say I’m very grateful it’s a long weekend with both Friday and Monday off. That means I’ll have more time to wrap up my last few assignments and start studying for finals. I only have three more classes next week before finals start the first week of April. While it feels like I have a ton of work to fit in between now and then, there’s also a light at the end of the tunnel.
Last weekend one of my teeth started to hurt. I couldn’t chew on my left side, which meant I was eating soup and yogurt – anything soft that didn’t require chewing. Monday morning I called my dentist to make an appointment even though my tooth had started to feel better. They were able to get me in the next day. My tooth was feeling completely normal by then. Of course. They took an x-ray and the dentist did an exam, but couldn’t find anything wrong. They think I either bit down on something hard (which I don’t remember doing), or I’ve been clenching my jaw more than usual, causing the tooth to hurt.
Tuesday night I had a massage booked. Like I usually do, I asked him to work on my shoulders and back as that’s usually where I carry my stress. Needless to say I’ve been more stressed than I thought because I could feel every single knot when he found them. I didn’t realize how tight my shoulders were until they were relaxed. He mentioned at the end that I was really tight and gave me some stretches to do at home.
Clearly my body is telling me that my current stress levels aren’t sustainable, if I’m clenching my jaw hard enough to cause tooth aches and my shoulders are up to my ears. While there’s not a lot I can do about school stress (there’s no way to make finals not stressful), I’ve decided I’m going to do my best to take care of myself. I have another massage booked in April after finals are done. I have a couple fun things planned before the next semester starts in May. I’m doing my shoulder stretches to keep them from getting as tight as they were. I used to go to a restorative yoga class Friday nights. I’ve decided to try to make that class a habit again, starting tonight.
It hasn’t all been bad though. Last Saturday was date night and my boyfriend had this strawberry beer waiting for me in his fridge. He always manages to find the beers that I end up loving. It was delicious and the foam ended up having a slightly pink tinge to it from the strawberries.
I also wrote my last article for the school newspaper. It came out on Friday, and even though I’ve written 5 or 6 this year, it’s always exciting to see it in print. This article was how to be active outside during the spring. I’ve really enjoyed writing for the paper this year, so I’m planning on doing it again next year.
A couple weekends ago I volunteered at the Calgary Flames Health Training Camp. It was a one day event where families could come to WinSport (where the 1988 Winter Olympics were held) to get some info on making healthier choices. There were a bunch of different exercise stations set up, which is where I helped out. I ended up leading my very first mini fitness class. I was super nervous about it because there could have been up to twenty people in it, but it ended up just being a dad and his two sons. I had a lot of fun leading them through the workout and it went a lot better than I was expecting.