More Benefits of Yoga

I'm not sure what was wrong with my stomach -- if I had a tiny bug or what. I had a fabulous run outside on Wednesday. Hopefully the cold, damp weather didn't make me sick! On Thursday, I did not feel well and so I skipped yoga in favor of lying horizontal on the couch for most of the evening. On Friday, my stomach still wasn't as settled as I would have liked but I figured I'd still try and make it to Bikram Yoga at 6:30. Jason was headed out of town this weekend and my plans for myself included exercising all three weekend days. I really didn't want an upset stomach to deter me. One positive aspect of this yoga is that it's really all about individual ability and performance. Sometimes you are going to give it your all to go deep in each pose; other times (like me on Friday), the triumph is in the fact that you show up. If anything, I felt that being in a room so hot and humid would help expunge some toxins from my body. After the 90 minutes was up, I felt satisfied that I handled it so well. I came home and immediately flew into the shower, a very hot shower. It was a low key Friday night and I'm hoping it carries over into a productive and healthy Saturday.

Outdoors

I personally love going to the gym. I like running on the treadmill. I like knowing my pace and my time and my distance exactly. I like that sometimes I can watch shows on cable that I can't watch at my own house. I don't care how superhuman other runners think they are just because they slog through the sleet and the rain and the dark and the cold. Good for them! I mean that sincerely. I felt like a total stud back in the TNT days when I'd be getting up at 7 a.m. on the weekends and trekking through the Michigan winter elements. Now I say: Been there, done that, worn the t-shirt.

These days if I'm going to run outside, it's got to be at least close to 40 degrees and there's gotta be daylight. I'm a cute young thang (or so I tell myself) and I don't need to invite danger with carelessness. Well yesterday I ran outside for the first time in 2009. As I was driving home from work, the rain was falling in big, loud, sloppy, punctuating drops. I was having some serious doubts. Then I got to my house and the good forces of nature turned a bright eye to my plans. I had a newly purchased heel lift, a decent playlist and the energy that comes from being excited about changing my routine a tiny bit.

I mapped out my route on mapmyrun.com and figured I'd be happy with at least three miles. I think I did about 3.3 in the end. Mostly the route was okay. At times, the slush on the roads was calcified and it was a bit slick. I was trying to be extra vigilant.The thought of breaking my leg or ankle was definitely something I did not want to happen. So besides that iced-over slush, it was a pretty enjoyable run. Go me!

Climbing the mountain

I have been on a triumphant kick with making exercise happen and putting forth a strenuous, focused effort. I worked out five days last week. I ran twice, lifted weights twice, and made it to yoga once. I feel extra proud that the reason I made exercise happen five days is due to the fact that I got to the gym on the weekends. That makes me feel so healthy rolling into the week. I was there Friday after work and Sunday afternoon. Now I feel more balanced when I take off a day during the week. It's very refreshing for me to come home after work and just decompress, sort through my mail, putz around, etc. When I'm always flying to the gym straight from work and not getting home until 7 (when I still need to shower and eat), I can feel very scattered. Which brings me to today. I'm taking the night off so that Jason and I can try and donate blood. The last two times we met with failure (the first time for low iron and the second for having been in tainted Mexico). I'm not optimistic that my iron will be high enough but as long as Jason can donate, I'll feel that I have done my positive deed for the day.

Getting a plan together

In my ideal life, I would have time to workout seven days a week, well I think I'd be happy with six days. Rarely does that happen in real life though. It's a juggle trying to balance cardio (running), strength training (weights), and stretching (yoga). I wish I had time for each twice in one week. Usually what happens is I only can make one of those activities happen twice. For a spell there it was yoga. I loved that it was already paid for. I loved that I was getting in a routine with it since I had not gone for months until I bought my package. Then in the last week or two I managed to lift weights twice in a week and that felt great. Yoga makes me feel clean on the inside. It makes me feel loose and relaxed, but lifting weights makes me feel strong, solid, and toned. I feel healthy on the outside. Well in the midst of considering all of this, I looked at my calendar and realized I had only been running once per week. I'm gonna make a concerted effort to run twice a week. Sure, I could do more but I don't want to nix any of the other stuff. I do want to get a better foundation since I think I'll run a 4 mile St. Patrick's day race. The one I'm eyeing is about a month away. I missed the last race I was considering because I was out of town. I think I'm serious about this one. It will help me stay in on the weekends because I'll have a goal; therefore, I'll party less and spend less money. Can't ever argue with the sublime logic of that trade off.

An absolute must-read article!!

The author of this article decided to follow all the governmental guidelines for healthy living for one month. She would follow the standard advice on everything from stretching, getting enough calcium and flossing, to wearing sunscreen, eating green vegetables every day and getting enough sleep. This was a rigorous regimen that she undertook. She discusses how she felt each week, how she went from neurotic and tired to feeling terrific and energized. It was incredibly fascinating. So many ailments, ticks, twitches and sags we attribute to older age can really be attributed to not taking care of our body as best we should. (Although I will say genetics can play a strong role.) In the car one afternoon, I looked over my shoulder to change lanes, and my neck didn't hurt. What I'd thought was arthritis and something I had to accept as part of getting older had simply been unstretched muscles.


Click here for the full CNN.com article.

Ah-nold

I had to use this stock photo because if I posted a pic of my sweet biceps, you'd never believe it was me. hardy har har. Actually though I have been doing three sets of 15 reps on most of my body groups and I realized today that I wasn't too sore. That means it's time to pump up the pounds.

It's so interesting how different types of exercising makes you feel. For instance, I feel like a spirited champ after a long run. I sweat and breathe hard and know my heart is working overtime and it's a very cathartic feeling. Lifting weights does not produce the same endorphins. But yet it makes me feel solid. I feel strong. I feel toned and also I feel better about my actual body parts than just the cardio response.

Triumph on the treadmill!

I had some personal frustrations souring my mind yesterday. When this happens I can find comfort flopping on the couch like a beached, disinterested seal or I can seek some relief in an energetic run. This is when I bank on the endorphins to kick in and make me feel better. Sure it was a record setting hot weather day in February, but I was on a one track mind for the treadmill. I found a nice spot to watch Cash Cab. I had my i-Pod fully charged and newly loaded with motivating tunes. I walked for ten minutes to warm up and then I kept on trucking. I ended up running 4.25 miles in less than an hour. I felt like a superhere. I felt like Michael Phelps, previous to bong smoking. I felt like my frustrations weren't eradicated but my mind was a lot clearer for the evaluation process. Three days in a row of exercise. Gotta love it!

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I'm almost embarrassed that it had been so long since I had worked out. Although, I won't excoriate myself because it occasionally happens. I have enough confidence that a week away won't turn into a year on the couch for me. Seeing that it had been so long since I had ran, I decided to really amp up my listening pleasure with some new songs. I am still so grateful that my brother gave me an i-Tunes gift card at Christmas. It still rocks. I recently downloaded Eric Hutchinson's "Rock and Roll," Beyonce's "Single Girls," Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and Lady Gaga's "Dance." Of course I still have the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" in my rotation as well. I know, it's corny, but I could listen to that on repeat all day long. It was great to have some new jams to excite me and keep the motivation flowing. I ran all three miles without any sort of hitch. Although, with my new braces I do feel odd jogging while trying to drink from my water bottle. I'm afraid I am going to knock my braces off. I spent a healthy amount of time afterward stretching. Then I went home and did an abs dvd. That was the big accomplishment for me. I always think about it while I'm at the gym but get distracted by the time I get home, or I'm in a rush to get on with my night, or I'm too tired. Well last night I stuck to my goal and was very pleased.

All the obstacles in our path.

Today it's Monday of a new week and I have not doen any vigorous exercise since last Wednesday. I had my braces put on last Thursday and then I was out of town over the weekend. I think the wildest extent of getting some form of exercise was a lackluster 10-minute walk one afternoon. Since my mouth doesn't hurt and the weekend's behind me, it's definitely to the point where I need to make some time to get to the gym. But then with being out of town, I haven't sat down to pay my first-of-the-month bills, do any laundry since last week, wash and clear my dishes out of the sink, make a grocery run, etc.

And now it's Tuesday. I won't be working out tonight since I am meeting a friend right after work and won't be home until after 9 p.m. Yesterday, I at least took care of all my hosue stuff so that come Wednesday, I'll have no excuse not to get to the gym. After dinner yesterday, I did walk downtown to the ATM instead of driving to one after work. Not exactly anything worthy, but again, some exercise is better than none.