Thanks for all your nice words, everybody, and I hope it inspired power for you!
It's funny, that day seemed to have been a huge metabolic boost day. The euphoria has cooled off a bit, but my joy-setpoint seems to have made a big jump. I was absolutely ravenous that day and ate half a container of ice cream and then the next day I ate the other half (I'm talking big container here, not one of those little wimpy quarts) -- and I've lost three pounds and am fitting into my size 4's -- my smallest ever pants. It's taking me a much higher speed of walking to reach my heart rate target, which is another sign my metabolism is speeding up. Best of all, the endorphin party is kicking in on my slowish, hour-long cardio workouts at around 8 minutes now. That is brand-new; the endorphin party is something I have been missing in the weeks since I began these slow-down workouts, and I'm delighted to get that back.
And the ocean! I've been throwing my beloved body into the waves every morning, and it is just magical. Yesterday -- my birthday -- was incredible; my pals and I were just wide-eyed by how beautiful the weather and the waves were, and I felt so much confidence in the water! Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, a pod of dolphins came within a few yards to wish me happy birthday.
I'm so glad I'm alive.
