back to back fitness

for yoga tuesday this week i attended our on-site zumba class with a handful of co-workers. the class lasted a very short 45 minutes. for me, i felt much less awkward than the first time i participated. i don't know if it was because i knew the moves a little better or if i just felt better generally. regardless, my arms felt sore this morning from all that pumping and punching.

from yoga journal

then, this morning, i rolled out of bed with the full intention of a good 30 or 45 minutes of practice, but instead ended up cleaning up cat puke. and then following the cat around the house as she continued to puke in various rooms. awful.

eventually, i managed to find a little cat-puke-free space and practice for about 10 minutes. i started with a couple sun salutations, then moved through warrior 2, side angle pose and triangle on each side. using vinyasa to transition, i ended with pigeon pose, seated forward bend and cobblers pose. i tried to sit quietly at the end of my practice, but i just couldn't let the thoughts move past.

stupid cat.

good/bad

10 minutes - morning stretch

one of the really good/really bad things about quitting smoking is the moments when my sense of smell starts to properly revive. i can smell everything. (wild mint! truck exhaust!)

credit: survival in the wasteland

one of the good/bad things about our new house is the downstairs bedroom which is currently serving as an office, spare bedroom, yoga studio, playroom and cat litter closet.

this morning, M and I both woke up around 5:30am- he to get ready for cross country practice and a pre-work day and me to practice yoga and get ready for work.

good: M cleaned the cat box.

bad: i couldn't even walk in the room, let alone practice because all i could smell was the cat litter. (granted it was clean cat litter, but it still smelled like chemicals.)

good: we have a playroom, now. i can practice in the playroom.

bad: we didn't clean the playroom last night before bed so i had to clear a little circle for myself to settle in.

good/bad: i still practiced, but it wasn't the practice i woke up imagining.

yoga tuesdays

75 minutes - vinyasa 1/2
30 minutes - yoga for core strength

tuesday is officially my day to go to the yoga studio. and, they even offer 2 choices on tuesday nights- a level 1/2 vinyasa class or the full primary series. this week, i chose the vinyasa class.

we flowed in and out of poses, but kept coming back to side plank. first, with a knee on the ground, then the full side plank, then lifting one leg, then binding the lifted leg with the same side arm. i nearly toppled over several times, but so did everyone else. it was a supportive and fun kind of class.

this morning, i did a little practice i found somewhere on the internet. i didn't keep the page, but just wrote down the series. (i think i meant to print it, but the internet failed me.) i added a little here and there, but i understand why they called it yoga for core strength:

1. cat/cow
2. hand/knee balance (from table, lift opposite arm and leg)
3. down dog
4. plank
5. side plank
6. high lunge
7. half moon pose
8. chair pose
9. eagle pose
10. boat pose

i will say, i wish i'd look ahead a little because it makes much more sense to come into half moon pose from the high lunge. i figured it out on the second side and had to go backwards to get the first side. also, i would add one more pose at the end to counter the boat pose. i chose cobbler's pose. a seated forward bend would work, too.

happy yoga tuesday!

good morning hips

30 or 40 minutes - hip openers

credit: balanced yoga

after feeling like a lump yesterday, i set my alarm for 5:45am and actually made it out of bed by 6am. i headed downstairs armed with a little home practice i found on yoga journal last night. they have a whole section on home practice which can be nice especially if you're a little out of practice.

i started with a couple rounds of sun salutations to warm up and added a standing forward bend before i started the series appropriately called hip enough? i liked the flow and i added a vinyasa here and there to help the transitions, but overall i felt like i flowed right on through.

and now, i've started my day a little more open and a little brighter. i had to refocus my focus to remember that i'm choosing to do this. it is my choice. i choose to wake up and practice yoga.

change is hard

my first week of lifestyle shifting is going ok. not great, but ok. i feel like i didn't actually arrange enough time to accomplish all my weekly goals this week, especially as i'm coming off of a (lovely) weekend of travel into a full work-week, an anniversary celebration and a wedding this weekend.

too many special occasions for full-on victory this week. but, i found this image from yoga on high this afternoon and it brightened my outlook a bit.

now, i'm going to re-set my brain and turn my can't into cans and my dreams into a plan for a yoga retreat.*

*i feel like i sound a little chipper and perky on this one, but i've felt a little sad and a little isolated this week since most of my social habits are linked up with stuff that's not so healthful. pulling away from conversation and friends to not be around the stuff i don't want to do is a bummer.

here we go again!

when i first started posting here, i had just started a 30 day yoga challenge. at first, i thought to keep the blog to document my progress and essentially check the box for my practice each day. however, as the month went on, i found i looked forward to writing about my experience as well as practicing.

today, as i start my lifestyle change, i'd like to share my shift in a similar way. as i mentioned last week, i've been having a tough time motivating myself to make these choices. after a lovely long weekend with my very, very good friend, we settled on my external motivator.

if i can meet my goals, my reward is a yoga retreat. it's not something i would normally just do or buy and it will be a totally new experience. i've been thinking about it for quite awhile, but never pulled the trigger. so, here we go!

i threw away my left over cigarettes this morning and i did walking club with my co-workers this afternoon to break-up the day a little bit. i feel a little sad and a little excited. the plan is simple: no smoking, practice 3-4 times a week and 7 drinks per week. if i can do that, i can go to the retreat.

it sounds simple on paper, but breaking a habit (or starting a habit, for that matter) is hard. for me, it takes focus and discipline and obviously a really big treat at the end of it.

wish me luck!

building up to a lifestyle change

for the past couple of weeks, i've been mulling over shifting my lifestyle in a fairly big way. to be frank, i'm smoking, i drink wine (often) and since my vacation earlier this month, my yoga practice has slipped to nearly non-existent. not so good.

i need a motivator. my husband asked me if my health and his happiness would be enough, but i just don't think it is. the last times i quit smoking and stopped drinking i was either pregnant or in the hospital. neither of which i plan to experience again in the near future.

i'm trying to figure out something i want that i wouldn't normally get for myself- a girlfriend suggested an awesome handbag or a new pair of shoes, but those don't seem quite far enough out of reach. i'm leaning toward a yoga retreat in november.

now, all i have to do is set my goals, stick to them and earn my reward.

other suggestions for external motivators?