Peculiar...

I'm avoiding the scale. Not because I'm not doing good on my diet and exercise, but because I am doing well. The last 5 days weren't all that great - I got a cold, stomach bug, and my period all in the same week. But the week before, I swam 4 miles, walked a 5k, worked out in the gym with weights and treadmill for an hour. Of course, I haven't lost a single ounce!!!!!!!!!! I can't insert enough exclamation points to represent my level of frustration. For 2 weeks, I've been swimming one mile a day, 4 days a week, and doing a land based work out at the gym. Not a single ounce. Of course, I weighed myself this weekend, and I lost 1 pound. This is particularly funny, since I've been pigging out. You know, the whole pms/chocolate/carb thing. And I didn't exercise. So what gives? Oh well. Anyway, my jeans are less tight, so I must be leaning up, which is fine with me. That's why I'm staying away from the scale.

Tonight I swam my fastest mile, after not swimming for 5 days. It took me 45 minutes, which is 3 minutes faster than my fastest time last week. I got a really nice complement, too. The lady who I was sharing a lane with (who incidentally had the same swimsuit on, which is why we struck up a conversation), said she was watching me from the hot tub and thought I looked so relaxed and effortless. I laughed, because I can tell you, it is not effortless. She said she was just learning how to swim laps, and I told her I had never swam a lap in my life until 4 weeks ago. She said she was really surprised at that, and that maybe there was hope for her, that I inspired her. Me? I almost felt like crying (don't worry, I didn't, that would be kind of weird and uncomfortable). And an old acquaintance on facebook, who was a swimmer in high school, is talking about looking up a masters swim team because I've been bragging about how much I love it. It makes me feel good. Kind of like a fitness-pay-it-forward (did I mention I was inspired by biggest looser - that'll have to be a blog for another day). I always look to others for inspiration - I never realized people could look to me. It's a peculiar feeling, one I'm not used to. But in a good way.