2018 Fitness Habits

I'm absolutely one of the least athletic people you'll ever meet. As a child, I was always the last to be picked in gym class and came to believe that I simply wasn't capable of doing anything physical. So even though I'd always been an active/busy person, I had never really exercised until we joined our local gym a few years back.  Since joining, I've noticed a big difference in my overall strength, flexibility, and stamina. And I think that regular exercise also contributed to good blood-work numbers I received at my physical last fall. (Check out this post from my first few days at the gym back in 2008! I have indeed made some progress since then when I considered it torture! LOL)

In October, our gym got some new equipment which allows you to track your progress. I happened to be trying out one of the new bikes when the manager offered me a key fob so I could track myself. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that but he encouraged me to give it a try. (Really, why not?)

As it turned out, I found that tracking my progress was highly motivating! I set up a weekly goal and each time I use the equipment, it counts toward that goal. Once I started tracking my progress, I was motivated to go to the gym more often. Funny how that works! :)

Because I was motivated to track my progress, I decided that I could surely make time to go to the gym every day. After all, it's very close to our house and open 24 hours a day. So I started going every day, either to run or bike. 

 I'm dealing with a sore foot right now so, I've added the elliptical and rowing into my rotation of gym activities. While I'm there, I watch YouTube videos on my phone and the time flies by!

Once I started going every day, I realized that I could get onto the "biggest user" list that the gym posts every month -- the people who go most often. This list is not for the "most fit" or "people who work the hardest". To make the list, you just have to show up. That I can do! LOL

 

So by making the gym a daily habit, I made the list in November, December, and January. And silly as it may be, that in itself has been motivation to keep going. When you consider where I started back in 2008 (read that old post, if you haven't!), the fact that I've managed to get myself onto any gym list at all is pretty hilarious! :)

 

Can I keep up with going to the gym every day? Maybe not. But I can certainly go with more consistency and be more mindful of how I'm spending my time there.

In January, I also decided to step up my yoga game and make it a daily habit. I've found that I get the most benefit from a home yoga practice by doing a little each day.  I've been doing yoga regularly for two years now (Yoga with Adriene) but not every day. 

 

In January, my daughter and I joined Adriene's 30-day yoga journey and for the first time since doing 30-day challenges, I did not miss a single day. YAY! I've kept it going through February, too. I find that making check-marks on my yoga calendar is motivating! Silly, but it works for me.

So what's the point of this blog post? I've found that by being physically active each day -- consistently -- this "chore" has turned into a habit. Now I don't come up with excuses to miss the gym or do my yoga. As a result, I feel better, I sleep better (because I'm REALLY tired on some days!) and I'm getting stronger. 

I'm still not athletic, but showing up for myself -- on the yoga mat and at the gym -- is making a big difference in my well-being. And that makes it worth it!

jp

Feline Friday: Yoga with Rory

Rory has decided to take up yoga in the New Year! She especially likes Yoga with Adriene because Benji the dog can often be seen on camera. This encouraged Rory to give it a try! :)

Since she's just getting started, Rory is spending a lot of time studying each pose very carefully. I CAN DO DIS!

HAY WHATS DIS ABOUT DOWNWARD DOGS?

  Part of Rory's yoga preparation is riding along with her meowmy on poses such as the "reclined twist" to better understand how it's done.

DIS YOGA IZ RELAXXEEN!

SOooooo relaxeen...DIS IS CALLED ZEN!

Good job doing yoga, Rory! :)

jp

P.S.: If you'd like to try yoga, Rory HIGHLY recommends Yoga with Adriene's free YouTube videos. You (and your kitty or dog) can practice in your home at your own pace. Check it out!

Yoga in the New Year

I started doing yoga one year ago using the yoga mat my daughter bought me for Christmas. I knew it was something I needed to try, but I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to do it. As it turned out, I really enjoy doing yoga and believe that it has helped me in many facets of my life.

My daughter has been my yoga inspiration. She started yoga while finishing up her college experience and began doing it in earnest during her student teaching semester. Now she has graduated to more difficult online classes -- two to three each day before and after school. She would tell you that yoga has greatly increased her strength and flexibility and I'm sure it has improved her overall well-being, too.

One thing I've learned is that yoga works better for me when I do it every day, even for a short practice. I started out last year doing yoga once a day but by the time summer came, I found myself slipping into an "every other day" routine, opposite the days I went to the gym. In retrospect, I lost continuity and momentum by skipping those days. And skipping one day of yoga made it all that much easier to skip more than one, I'm sorry to say.

When the new year came around, I was definitely ready for a re-set, and this time my mindset is to do things RIGHT. I'm enrolled in another free online yoga class with 31 days of practice, each one building on the day before. And as of Day 10, I've kept up with it every single day. YAY!

I've tried videos with a few different online instructors and Adriene is my favorite. I like her sense of humor, the pace of her classes, the way she explains positions, and her holistic approach. Find her website, enroll in her free class, and you'll get an e-mail each day with a link. Or you can go straight to YouTube and start now. It's that easy! 

There's a calendar which helps you keep track of where you are and lists the "theme" for each day. Each class lasts around 30 minutes. I love that I can do yoga in the privacy of my house, with no one but the cats to see me!

 

 Bailey bought me a set of yoga blocks for Christmas. While I managed to practice yoga last year without them, the blocks make it much easier when a particular pose is just out of your reach by "raising the earth" up to you. 

 Even though I can't do everything Adriene teaches in her classes, I'm trying my best and slowly seeing improvement. Thanks to my daughter for the yoga inspiration! If it weren't for her encouragement, I probably never would have tried yoga at all. 

 Here's to finishing this 31-day class and continuing on with my yoga journey! If you're curious about yoga, give it a try! You have absolutely nothing to lose...and potentially so very much to gain!

jp

Yoga: A Very Good Idea

The last time I blogged about yoga was back in January. All the credit goes to my daughter for suggesting I try it (hadn't done it since elementary school so yeah, it had been awhile...). She bought me a mat for Christmas and set me up with a couple of free online classes.

I've been doing yoga ever since and can absolutely attest to the difference it has made for me. I feel more flexible and stronger, and I now have a host of stretches and relaxation techniques available to me at any time or place. Just the other day when I was freaking out (as usual) at the doctor's office, I used my yoga breathing to relax.

For the first month, I did yoga twice every day, along with going to the gym every two days. That turned out to a (very) bad idea, as I pushed myself too much and hurt muscles I didn't even know I had. After that, I scaled back to once a day and completed a couple of additional 30-day challenges.

Since then, unfortunately, I've struggled to keep up with it on a daily basis, as is often suggested. I do yoga several times a week but I have yet to figure out the best time of day for me for me to do it (morning or late night), so it's easy for me to miss a day. I think the best way to keep up with a regular practice is to make it part of your daily routine.

Doing yoga at home with an online instructor seems like the perfect set-up to me. I would be completely intimidated to do yoga in front of anyone but the cats! We have several yoga studios near us and I'm sure there is much more to be gained by going to a class but I just don't see that happening. I'm happy with what my yoga "home practice" is doing for me, so I will continue on with it!

Bailey suggested two different online instructors who offer free classes. My favorite instructor is Adrienne of Yoga with Adrienne. 

There are many free yoga videos in her library, plus some free 30-day yoga challenges. I like the 30-day challenges because of the repetition and consistency. Adrienne has a calming style and makes it easy for a novice like me to jump in and get started. If a particular position is too hard, you just skip it or try an easier variation of it. Adrienne is great about suggesting modifications for people working at different levels.

If there is anyone out there who wants to give yoga a try, all you need are comfortable clothes, an elastic band to pull back your hair, and a yoga mat. Click on Day 1 and get started!

 

 Cat is optional. :)

Yoga: I'm a Believer

I mentioned awhile back that I've started to practice yoga, thanks to my daughter's encouragement. I had thinking about starting yoga for quite awhile, so this is not exactly "out of the blue". In fact, yoga practice has been suggested to me on more than one occasion as a way to relieve stress and anxiety. 

When Bailey was home over Christmas break, she helped me get plugged into two great online yoga communities, and I'm now over halfway through two 30-day yoga challenges. Doing a single 30-day challenge would have been sufficient but I wanted to jump-start the process -- and I couldn't decide which of the two challenges would be best for me. Each instructor has her own style and approach. So why not do both? :)

A little context here: My body is so inflexible that back when I was in elementary school, I was unable to do tumbling like the rest of the kids. In fact, during a somersault one day, something cracked or popped in my lower back so loudly that it echoed through the gym. It was not one of those "good" cracks -- it was incredibly painful and I could not stand or walk well. I was taken straight to the doctor, where I was told I should never do tumbling again. Instead, the doctor prescribed...YOGA. So from that point on during the tumbling unit, I sat in the corner of the gym with my yoga book and did my best. Of course, I did not sustain that effort long-term but looking back, I sure wish I had!

So I find it a little funny that I'm now -- many, many years later -- getting back to something that obviously would have helped me a lot! Now that I've worked my way through over 30 yoga videos, here is what I've learned:

• I should have started practicing yoga long ago.
• My inflexible body is starting to loosen up.
• Stretching feels really good.
• My balance is improving. Yoga requires you to stand on one leg in various poses. I didn't realize I was wobbly until I started practicing yoga.
• Yoga requires you to hold poses while you breathe through them, and this strengthens the muscles and improves the balance. I had not thought about that prior to starting this practice.
• Yoga is very hard work. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to move "effortlessly" from one pose to the next (called a "flow"). I'm really terrible at it, but each day I see tiny (emphasis on the word TINY!) improvements with less pausing to "re-set" between my poses. 
• My arms are not nearly as strong as I thought they were. Yoga is definitely pointing that out to me, as many poses require you to support the weight of your body with your arms. But in the last couple of weeks, my arm strength has already improved considerably.
• Downward Dog is tough for me but it's getting a little easier with practice. I understand that it's considered a "resting pose" -- HA! Far from that for me!
• Yoga moves you focus on the present moment. This is a challenge for me, as I'm always thinking ahead and have a lot of trouble just being in the present.
• I really like the holistic aspects of yoga practice. I know that the mind/body connection is strong, and yoga practice makes you much more aware of that link.
• I tend to hold my breath, both in yoga and in life. I need to relax and breathe. Good advice for daily living.

Here's to finishing both 30-day challenges and seeing what comes after that! After even this short amount of time, I can definitely see the benefits of adding a yoga practice to my fitness routine. Although it's hard work, I'm very glad I'm getting started!

jp