YOGA

Now. As a trainer I know how important flexibility is for the body, but I rarely do more that 5ish minutes of stretching at the end of my workouts. I know this is not ok and I know I need to do more. A lot of time, my body tells me to stretch more and I ignore it and move on.

The thing is, I have always felt intimidated by the things I am not good at. I know, call me crazy....or human, but the things I am not good at don't happen to be fun either. Going to a yoga class was nothing I wanted to do because I had gone to yoga before and I was not good at it. That frustrates me.

Well, this Saturday during an 8 mile training run I mentioned the desire/need to start doing yoga and was swearing to myself that Sunday was going to be the day. My body felt tight and heavy during the run....I knew I needed a good stretch.

I knew Scott Fitness offered a class on Sunday and I was in...committed....practically there.

I didn't go.

These are the real reasons for my absense:

1. I don't like the idea of a 90 minute class just starting out

2. 2 in the afternoon is so inconvenient for me.

So this week I made a plan to do yoga...for real this time.

I tried my first class on Tuesday and then went back again on Thursday. The class was amazing and didn't make me feel like a complete failure for 50 minutes. We did some great stretching and especially focused on the back of the body....the back, hamstrings, neck....all the places I feel the most tight.

The exciting thing that happened is that I saw improvement right away. The forward bend was uncomfortable in the beginning of class, but by the end of class I had my hands on the floor much more comfortably....and then by Thursday I had improved just a little bit more.

Now....let me go back to Wednesday where I had a scheduled training run of 5 miles. I entered the run thinking I would go at least 4 miles, but I felt so great and was running faster than I had in awhile. 5 miles was done in no time.

Now, was this because of the yoga? I don't know. maybe.

What I do know is yoga will only benefit me and I am so glad I incorporated it into my routine.

I hope you make more of an effort to try the things outside of your comfort zone. The variety will only improve who you are.

Vacation agenda

Vacations are such a hard time to continue your exercise routine for several reasons. First, packing workout clothes takes up space. Also, being with other people means the agenda is not centered around what one person wants to do, but about what EVERYONE wants to do...which is not usually exercise.

I'm in Denver this weekend with about 8 other people so it's a challenge to fit exercise into the day. What I find works best in situations like this are long walks. I woke up this morning and walked to a coffee shop about 20 minutes away and walked home....Later in the day I think we are going shopping which means more time moving and less time sitting.

Now, in situations like this, where the activity is moderate and heart rate is low, watching calorie intake is key. Vegetables are a must, but the challenge for me is the drinking that we are doing this weekend. I am almost a 'non drinker' but will participate in social drinking once in awhile and that is where the calories really add up.

In this case, I need to think about consuming more clear alcohols and lite beers over the sugary drinks and dark beers.

It's a challenge but it's possible to stay on course when the course veers off track.

Our bodies NEED movement.

Exercise for sanity NOT vanity.

The reason...

"'For the record' exercise doesn't make you thin nor should we care. Rather let's learn how to show exercise as a human benefit then we can stop worrying about how we look and focus on how we better perform in the human race." T. Findlay

Do Not Diet

Diets are not a successful weight loss tool for the long term. You can't diet forever because while being on a diet means that you can be off a diet too.

It is difficult for many to realize that healthy living is not a "program" but a lifestyle.

Think about the years it has taken to develop current habits (good or not so good).

Making changes and developing new habits takes time, but you CAN change them.

Focus on one change at a time.

Everyday.

Find ways to incorporate fitness into your life everday.

Sometimes you won't have time for 30-60 minutes of cardio and that's ok if you are doing these simple things.

1. Walk instead of drive if you can

2. Park far away in the parking lot.

3. Take the stairs instead of the elevator

Is there something you do that's not on the list? Let me know.

The Buddy System!

Staying on track with a regular exercise program can be a challenge, especially if you're on your own. Consider finding an exercise buddy to help keep you on track and accountable. Accountability is the key for success.

Find a buddy or be a buddy...

This is my running buddy and me running the Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon in January 2008. We just started running together again after a 9 month hiatus. She really pushes me to work harder and be a better runner, whether she knows it or not. (I bet she doesn't know it). Her email a couple weeks ago about running together again was a pleasant surprise. So we started off with short distances....4 miles last Saturday and almost 5 today.

I even almost cancelled today, citing rain as an excuse, but then the rain stopped and I couldn't use that as an excuse anymore....and we had it planned and she was counting on me to run and I knew that...so I showed up.

Today's run was a struggle with more hills, (a ton more hills) but I did it (even though I did have to ask her to slow down a couple of times). And not even knowing it, she pushed me to run faster and longer because I was not going to stop, even when it was hard she kept me going because she kept going. Thanks, buddy.