Excuse me, who's muscles are those?

I have just a few more days until my summer vacation is over.  If you work all year long, you probably just did a big eye roll!  For those of us that work in education, this is a blessed time of year to recharge our batteries and mentally prepare for the challenges that face us in our day-to-day work life.  I would not replace the sort of work I do with kids for any other type, but it is very exhausting and mentally demanding.  So, I always look forward to summer vacations even though I don't earn a paycheck during this time.  As I was working out this morning, I was hoping that the momentum I have had of exercise will not die down because I have to return to a more routine way of life soon.  During the summer, I have started most of my days with my morning shake followed by an hour or so of exercise.  That usually consists of walking where I try to challenge myself and some strength training as well a few times a week.  I would say I'm averaging about six days of cardio and about three of strength training.  Spending that time taking care of my body has become an essential part of my existence.  It's funny, when I reflect back on how I felt about physical activity when I first started Optifast back in February, I didn't know how I was going to possibly do the twenty minutes of exercise the clinic was suggesting we do 3-5 times each week.  That seemed like a lot of exercise to me.  In comparison, someone watching me today would have seen me power walking a little more than three miles, some purposely uphill so that I could challenge myself.  That usually takes me about an hour or so.  My iPod sends butt-moving tunes to my ears and I am lost in that time. 

One of the things that I did very differently today was that I wore leggings that were body hugging.  I usually try to wear capri work-out pants that are a little bit loose.  Something about my ass hanging out with people driving by as I walk down the street (or at least that's the way I think it looks) prevents me from wearing things that truly fit.  My tops are usually too big, too, because I still don't have a good conception of where my body really is these days.  I am forever exposing my sports bra straps to the world, a la Flashdance.  But, I was in a store the other day and they had this pair of capris that were fitted and they were on sale, so I thought I'd be daring and just go for it.  I put them on, put a big shirt on over it and out I went.  One thing I noticed is that I could see the definition in my legs as I passed parked cars in the neighborhood.  Were those my muscled legs or was someone else walking in my place?  Hmm, interesting.  My thighs weren't rubbing together at all, which was sort of a weird thing for me.  They're so small now, which is especially noticeable when I wear pants that fit, that there is actually space between them (hope that wasn't TMI!).  The funny thing is that more people smiled at me today as we passed each other exercising than I ever had before.  Was there something different in my attitude or was it the pants?  Maybe both, ha ha.  In all seriousness, I know that the time I spend working on taking care of my body is something that is mine and time I look forward to everyday.  I couldn't imagine going back to the way it was before.  If I do, someone, anyone, please say something to me.  I need the accountability.