No one tells you once you hit your 30s, your 30s hits you back harder.
I have always been pretty active and athletic. In the winter it is harder to stay active because I turn into an ice cube at anything under 68 F. Carbon has definitely kept me fit in some way because turns out trotting/jogging in hand with a horse in the winter in an arena will warm you right up. I have more stamina in general, well definitely not more than him. I'll be sweating and huffing and puffing and he will be looking at me like 20 more laps around the 60 x 192 arena yeah? What I don't feel I have are strength and flexibility. I use to be pretty strong but never very flexible and I have a bit of upper back pain in general.
I was listening to one of Stacy Westfall's podcasts. She was talking about exercising. Riding horses is a lot of exercises which surprises people. When you ride a horse for a trail/tour guided ride the horses usually know the way and you can just sit and relax. Active riding and training is another thing. Just ask my husband Nathan, he has done both. After riding or working with a horse I don't exactly feel like hitting the gym or doing a bunch of exercises because it feels like I just did especially with my heart rate always being higher than normal anyway. In Stacy's podcast she was talking about something similar and she decided to try yoga and said it really helped to her surprise.
I plan to start riding again sometime and I need to be fit to train Carbon to be ridden when he is old enough so mind as well start now on myself. I looked up yoga on youtube and found Yoga with Adriene. I tried some beginner ones. Seemed nice, and Nathan decided to join me. We are trying the 30 days yoga journey Center. Let me tell you. It is harder than you think. I felt muscles I didn't know I had burn. My upper back really hurt the next day after. I took a break and went back to it. I notice my back is not as painful. I also am feeling a bit more coordinated and steady which helps so much with Carbon. He is in his nippy mouthy yearling phase and he can catch me off guard and knock me off balance without actually trying very hard which is pathetic and also encourages the behavior.
Adriene has such a wonderful channel and voice. We joke about Dash as he is not as calm as Adriene's dog Benji. I have gotten a stuffed elephant toy swung in my face while doing the cobra pose. Super fun. Adriene even has a 33 min Yoga for Equestrians which I will try after the 30 days.
If you are looking for some form of exercise that you can do at home, I think yoga is a great option to try out. Good luck...
