Being active, and stuff

Day 3: Increase your endorphins

Call me lame but when I read today's challenge I had no idea what it meant. Haha. I have a decent idea about endorphins and all that jazz, but I didn't know that we could control their quantity. Makes sense though--the more endorphins I have zinging around this body, the more energy I have. This isn't rocket science, here.

My first thought was to take the easy road and just eat a chocolate bar. My back had other plans. I have terrible posture. My family has this awesome condition called chicken wings (some kinder people call them angel wings) where my shoulder blades are not held properly in place by my back muscles (what back muscles? Oh wait, I have no back muscles) and so they protrude, looking a lot like little wings coming out of my back. It's awesome and it's been a life long sensitivity. Ballet teachers would try to pry my shoulders and back into place with their boney little fingers only to face disappointment. Those things can't just pop back into place. They never were in place. I had a boyfriend joke about my "little hunchy" comparing me to Quazimodo (he was a real winner, that boyfriend). And massage therapists? They about have a heart attack when they see my back. One of them told me that I couldn't afford the amount of therapy it would take to fix my back. Awesome. So encouraging.

All bitterness aside, it is a problem that is starting to cause me some pain. I went to my favorite massage therapist friend for some help. She gave me a massage (not the relaxing kind) and worked out some knots and showed me some good pressure points to work on as well as a few stretches and strengthening activities. Additionally, I've invested in a new yoga mat, an exercise ball, and a cylinder thingy that helps you stretch (see photo). So far, I've completed a set of strengthening exercises and stretches every evening. (That increases endorphins, right?)

Check out this bad boy!

I've also come to the realization that I have no back muscles. I'm not super skelator-like skinny, but my back is pretty boney and my ribs are pretty visible because there are no muscles back there to cloth them. I need to build me some back muscles.

I need suggestions! What kinds of activities and exercises build back muscles? I'm a little clueless. Help me out here.

I'm grateful for Day 3's challenge because it's helped me become more self-aware of the state of my physical health and it has jump-started me into doing something about it. As a woman, I need to take better care of my body, because it is the vessel that carries me through life, and one day will hopefully carry others into this life.