Rekindling My Inner Yogi

Lacey, here!

Over the past week, my morning routine has slipped into place (can I get an AMEN!) and I've really rekindled my love and joy for Ashtanga yoga.  I practiced this variety pretty heavily for about 5 years. It started through attending a class at a friend of the family's gym.  There was an incredible instructor there who really helped me get into my groove with yoga, and I adored it. Then college hit, and I had nowhere of real worth to go. The college yoga class was extremely basic and very...ugh. I don't know how else to explain it other then the few times I tried to go, I simply sighed with disappointment and said something along the lines of "ugh".  It just wasn't what I experienced for all those years back in that dim room.

But, during my yoga-ridden phase of life, I bought a really good book (sort of life an instruction manual), with the intentions of having it as a reference when I did yoga alone in my dorm room.  That was, until I moved into a forced triple and couldn't take more than 2.5 steps in my room, let alone set up a peaceful space for my meditation and movement.  The book "Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual" by David Swenson has truly been a lifesaver in helping me remember my sequences and positions.

And yet, years later, here we are. I'm 25 and married, starting fresh in so many ways, and finding my passion for the Movement. So, last Monday, I did the first Surya Namaskara that I've done in years, and I took the deepest breath, and I found that relaxing peace I could never really find through anything else other than prayer. And I'm thankful. So very thankful.

I went through some of the sequences, struggling to "weave the tapestry of vinyasa". It wasn't the prettiest, I promise. But it felt really, really right. My body may not be not where it was when I was 16, but my mind remembered, and it's oh-so-excited to get back, physically & mentally, to where I was before.

My husband leaves for work around 5:30 or 6, so as soon as he walks out the door, I turn on the fireplace, move the coffee table, turn on the subtle music, and dim the light. This is my peace. It's my hour in that unforgettable dim room, the sweat dripping down my face, and the threads of breath and movement intertwining.

So, why do I do yoga as exercise? Well, that's a more technical post for another day, and I'll get to that. But for now, I'll just let my inner yogi makes it way out.

Step 2 To Getting On Track: Workout Routine

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Lacey, here! (Read Step 1 first.)

Just as you make a menu plan to stick to healthy eating, you want to make sure you have a routine or schedule to help with working out. But be sure not to get stuck into a boring routine. A) You'll lose motivation when you simply repeat the same exercises over and over and B) You're muscles will know and give up. Changing up exercises will keep your body guessing and allow for more meaningful exercise. So, make a new routine every month to keep you organize and focused.

For me, I go to the gym Monday through Friday  but also do some things at home. Here's what I cam up with for my current schedule.

Monday Through Friday:
A.M.: Ashtanga Yoga @ home. 30 minutes.
Afternoon: Gym
                  5 minute warm up
                  30 minutes cardiovascular exercise
                  20 minutes weight lifting
                  5 minute cool down
Evening: Once spring comes, walk with Hubby (nothing serious, just a nice stroll around the neighborhood). We have to wait until spring not because of the cold, but because I get home from work at 6:45 and it's too dark out.

Saturday
A.M.: P90X video (While I don't stick to the p90x schedule on a daily basis, these videos are INCREDIBLE for single-serve workouts, and I like doing them on the weekends since I don't go to the gym those days.)

Sunday
Light yoga or hour walk to the pier (consider this my rest day)

This routine may be way too much for some, and not enough for others. Find what works for you, but encourage yourself to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, even if it's a speed walk around the neighborhood. Something is better than nothing and I guarantee if you stick with a daily routine of at least 30 minutes, you'll be less likely to skip a day, then another, then another.

Happy Healthy Living!

Twenty Minute Tuesday: Burpees

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While I love my planks, there's one other exercise that I'm obsessed with. It provides a full body workout and gives you a quick, intense sweat. BURPEES! Burpees require four steps:
You will start in a standing position.
1. Drop into a deep squat with your hands on the ground.
2. Kick your legs back, fulling extended and get into a plank position (like you're getting ready to do a pushup, not like our normal planks on our forearms).
3. Brings your legs back in for the deep squat.
4. Jump up and reach your hands above your head.

They are great to do in intervals throughout the day when you have 3 or 4 minutes to spare. You don't have to do the twenty minutes all at once (trust me, it'll be quite difficult.) This a great exercise for those days when you don't have a large chunk of time to do an exercise, but a few minutes here and there to do something quickly.

Yoyi, an amazing trainer on youtube has a great video comprising of interval burpees. (check out her other videos too! They're all quick, under 15 minute workouts for those with busy schedules, no equipment needed.) You'll see Enrique actually do a pushup when he hits the bottom, but that is NOT a requirement. You can extend your legs and keep your arms extended to the ground, but if you want the challenge and have the arm strength, absolutely push yourself to an actual pushup.

You'll feel the burn in your legs, triceps, biceps, back, and core. Like I said, it's a perfect full body workout! This weeks challenge, complete this interval workout every other day until next Tuesday!

To a sweat filled workout!

-Lacey

Twenty Minute Tuesday: Yoga

Yoga has done a lot of amazing things for me. It's the perfect workout in the evenings when I'm recovering from a long, stressful day, in the mornings as a calm way to wake up, and it especially helped me as a way to recover from my surgery.

A couple weeks after having my gallbladder removed last month, I should have been feeling back to normal but I was getting pangs of sharp, really unexpected pain where my gallbladder used to be. I initially freaked out and thought one of my bile duct clips came undone but after dong a little research I realized I would have been in a lot more pain than I actually was. Running wasn't going so well for me since the bouncing was really aggravating my insides.  When I went back to Pennsylvania to visit my family a couple weeks ago, my Momma invited me along to her hot yoga class, where the room is kept at steady 105 degrees and the class lasts an hour and a half (really, the temperature doesn't feel as extreme as you would think because it's not humid.  It's very dry heat which makes it totally bearable). I was really, really hesitant to go as just that morning I was feeling some sharp pain. Since my wonderful mother had already signed me up the week prior, I obliged.

Now, just a little information that MAY be TMI for some of you, (but since my readers are mostly women, you may able to relate): when visiting my mother, I was over 2 weeks late for my menstruation and there we no signs of getting it soon. Husband and I talked and we attributed it  to my surgery and my body going through so much in the past couple weeks. And that makes complete sense. My body is pretty sensitive to environmental changes like moving (physically, like, to college, a new state, etc) and emotional changes (like intense stress).

So, with that said, I took the 7:30 pm hot yoga class for an hour and a half, sweated like I haven't sweated in a long, long time, and went home relaxed, refocused, and my body felt as though it had be realigned in some way. Something just "clicked" inside.

I haven't had even the slightest of pain since. My menstruation started that next morning. Literally, 10 hours later.

It could have all been coincidental, but let me tell you, since then, I was able to get back into running with no pain, my body felt better than it did prior to having surgery, and my emotional state was really improved.  Surgery can take a lot out of you.  Now, I'm not suggesting you take a Hot Yoga class specifically. In fact, I practiced Ashtanga yoga (a very different form of yoga, not hot at all) for about 6 years and absolutely love it.

I'm not saying you need to practice yoga morning, noon, and night. But for a good body realignment after a couple days of intense workouts and a way to refocus maybe just once a week for some of you, I suggest doing something like this video. Yoga offers something a lot of other workouts don't. Try it out.

Here's your Twenty Minute Tuesday Workout. My challenge for you: Do this video by PsycheTruth every other day for the next two weeks.  Let me know how you feel!

Twenty Minute Tuesday: Ab Blaster

Sometimes, that belly fat just needs some TLC.  Here's an insane core workout that is my absolute favorite. It'll leave you nice and sore.  You can easily do this in the morning after you wake up or right before you shower for bed.

Goal for this week:
Complete this 4 times before next Tuesday. Let me know how you feel!




Remember....

It's not if you have the time,

it's whether or not you make the time.

Here's to dedication, motivation, and the urge to succeed!

-Lacey

Twenty Minute Tuesday: Steps & Planks Galore

Working out can often be one of the hardest things to do in a day. You'll find all the reasons not to, citing phrases like "I don't have time", "When I do have time I'm exhausted from the day", or the good old "I eat well, I don't need to work out".  Trust me, my favorite was "I don't have time".

Teaching high school english in a high needs district gave me every reason not to. I was out the door by 6am, I didn't get home until 7 most nights, and then when I did get home, I had another 5+ hours of lesson planning, grading, IEPs, and grad school work to get done. Getting up earlier in the morning wasn't an option because it was too dark and I didn't live in the safest of neighborhoods to run alone. But you know what I could have done? Work-outs in the house. There are so many home workout programs out there that in hind-sight, I had no excuse. I just wanted an excuse. Had I taken 20 minutes before bed to do some Yoga, aerobics, calisthenics, and on the nights I did have more time, 60 minutes for a P90x workout I would have gotten my body moving, given myself the opportunity to sleep better after tiring myself out after a good sweat and  felt better after giving my body the workout it needed after a long day of standing in front of a classroom. Instead, I chose to gain 30 pounds, kept making excuses, and pretended like skipping meals would help.

I changed that last February. I choose to make time every day, even if I can't fit in a 5 miler. I started out with small 20 minute workouts, and that motivated me even further. Now, I'm out the door every morning for about an hour, running my butt off. And on those crappy weather days, I have plenty of indoor workouts & P90X to get me going, even if it's not out the front door. Routine is very, very good.

Enjoying my morning run.

Each Tuesday, I'm going to give you a 20 minute workout routine to incorporate into the next week. By no means does that mean if you have a full hour, that you can't repeat the workout 2 or 3 more times. Use the time you have, but if you don't have much time, there's no reason not to wake up the 20 minutes earlier for a quick run, do one of our indoor routine after the kids go to bed, or fit one in during nap time.

It's not if you have the time, 

it's whether or not you make the time.

If you have time to watch a 30 minute TV show, you have the time to fit in a healthy exercise.

(And if I have blog friends who have 3 kids and can still run 2 marathons in a month and train for ironmans, I sure as hell have no reason to not workout at least 4 days a week for an hour.)


This week's workout:

Steps & Planks Galore- we're starting out simple. It's a new, fresh beginning and you can always work your way up into more difficult exercises.

1. (Inspired by G's spontaneous Facebook Plank offs:) 1 minute plank: Get in the pushup position. Put your forearms on the floor and legs shoulder width apart (or closer). Literally, put your body in a plank position, hovering just inches above the ground. Hold your stance for at least a minute and avoid the urge to lift or drop that butt. This will warm up your core muscles.

Photo from Newtrition Blog to show the correct plank position.

2. Do 10 reps on your steps. 1 rep= up & down steps.  Between each rep at the bottom of the steps, do 10 jumping jacks.

3. 1 minute plank

4. 4 reps of steps; 10 jumping jacks between reps

5. 10 pushups

6. 2 reps of steps; 10 jumping jacks between reps

7. 10 pushups

8. 1 minute plank

Depending on your skill level, steepness and height of steps, speed going up and down, and how long you break between exercises (shouldn't be more than 30 seconds to 1 minute), this should take you around 20 minutes. If it didn't, repeat. If you have a full hour, repeat. If 1 minute of planks is too easy, challenge yourself to 2 minutes. If 10 pushups is a breeze, do 30. Challenge yourself and make the most of the 20 minutes. This is meant to be an outline, but make sure you're always challenging yourself and pushing yourself further. 

Just because it's 20 minutes doesn't mean it's easy.

Try doing this workout every other day until next Tuesday. We're proud of you. Keep pushing yourself. 

Love yourself, your body, and your health. 

Here's to another year of healthy living.

-Lacey