Friday was supposed to be leg day

November 4, 2011 by 12 Comments

Today’s Friday. According to my workout schedule, I should be heading to the gym and working on legs and shoulders. Didn’t really feel like it. Probably because I taught Boot Camp on Wednesday morning and did a quick, whole body circuit Thursday (squats, chinups, deadlifts, pushups and jump rope). Maybe because I knew that my weekend is going to be eaten up by children’s activities and I needed a bit of time to myself. Regardless, my legs convinced my brain that they needed a break and that we’d all just be better off going to yoga instead. ‘Cause yoga’s easier, right? (Wait for it.)

Well, the joke’s on them.

Seventy-five minutes of downward dog

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hero pose

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chair pose

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pigeon pose

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happy baby

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and my own new personal nemesis, the half-spinal-twist

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Notice that she’s actually clasping her hands together behind her back.

While none of these poses on their own, is particularly difficult, when you string them all together and hold them for (what feels like) forever, your legs will eventually turn to jelly.

The instructor (Andrew, of Kushala yoga) was fabulous. Encouraging us to intensify each pose with our breath, his voice was almost able to drown out my inner screams of protest. Almost.

Clearly, there’s some sort of lesson to be learned here; something about taking the easy way out and karma and getting bit in the butt, but I’m too tired to elaborate on it and instead am making my way (slowly) up the stairs to the bath to continue savasana in the bubbles….

Have you ever left a yoga class completely wrung out?

What’s your favorite yoga post?

Happy Fitness Blog Hop Friday! You know the drill…

Fitness Friday Blog Hop

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The same, but with a twist; little changes can lead to big results

October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I am a creature of habit.

I love routine.

My days and weeks run smoothly when I stick to a schedule.

I eat better and workout more consistently when I do cardio on Mondays and Fridays, strength train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and get to a yoga class Saturday morning.

That’s pretty much what my schedule looked like last week, with a few minor changes. The same, but with a twist.

On Friday, I participated in a spin class led by another instructor. Leisha’s classes are always fabulous, but this week, she tried something new. Instead of varying speed and resistance with each song (a fairly traditional way of organizing a spin class), she held us at a single resistance level for about 10 minutes, incorporating speed and movement drills at that same level of resistance before asking us to increase our tension for the next 10 minutes.

By the end of the class, we had increased our tension four times (no touching that dial!), ending with maximum resistance. My legs felt like jelly! A totally different workout than my body was used to and much more of a challenge too (I told her I’d be copying this format and using it in my own class; imitation being the highest form of flattery).

Saturday morning, I headed to my favorite Hatha yoga class. 75-min of gentle movement and breathing. A little bit of balance and a lot of core strength. After the first few minutes of focusing our breath, with standard, new-agey yoga music in the background, Chris switched playlists. When Doves Cry, by Prince, Crabs in the Bucket, by K-OS, some soul, some rhythm and blues and some good old eighties rock and roll. Not exactly the type of music you’d expect to help you reach nirvana.

But it worked! I felt more relaxed and less worried about my breathing listening to this non-traditional playlist than the usual birdsongs and waterfalls. I even managed to get into and hold crow pose for a short time. Maybe it wasn’t the music. Maybe I’m just getting better at balance poses. But surely, anything that helps you relax during exercise is bound to affect performance in a positive way.

The lesson?

Continue to schedule exercise and plan meals. Knowing what you’ll be doing each day of the week increases the likelihood that you’ll actually do it. But don’t be afraid to make small changes; a new class type, a new instructor, a new playlist of your own as you set out on your morning run.

Surprise yourself with the changes that results from the same, but with a twist.

Do you create and stick to an exercise schedule?

How do you deal with unavoidable changes to your routine? Complain or embrace?

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Sometimes new things are hard

October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever left one of my group fitness classes feeling frustrated because you couldn’t follow me, I apologize.

As hard as I try to keep my classes ‘all levels’, sometimes I forget that you’re brand new to step class OR you just had a baby OR you’re overweight and self conscious about exercising in public OR the moves are too physically challenging for you OR it takes you a while to learn new choreography.

Maybe none of the above apply to you and sometimes new things are just hard.

Yesterday, I tried a new (to me) style of yoga; hatha flow. I’ve been attending regular hatha classes for a month now, and think that I’m doing okay with the basic poses (if you’ve been silently watching me from the back row, please don’t shatter my confidence by saying anything to the contrary).

I no longer have to look at the instructor when asked to move into downward dog, plank pose, cobra, child’s pose, or warrior I, II or III. Not to say that I don’t need some reminders about form ;) , but I’m at least feeling competent and able to keep up with the rest of the class.

Not so yesterday. While the poses were the same, the speed with which we moved between poses was not. Nothing was held for more than a few seconds (this is actually not a bad thing; nothing worse than poses that are held for what feels like an eternity!). The instructor was fabulous at describing the poses and correcting mistakes, but spoke quickly and too softly for me to hear over the background music. Regular participants were able to follow, but I spent much of the class craning my neck to see what I was supposed to be doing. I left feeling more harried and less relaxed than when I arrived. Precisely the opposite effect I expect yoga to have.

Despite not ‘getting my peace on’ for the day, the class made me stop and think about what it must feel like to be a newcomer in my classes. Yes, sometimes new things are hard, but my job is to make you feel like you had a successful workout, regardless of your fitness level and past experience with exercise.

As much as I encourage new exercisers to enjoy themselves and not get too hung up on the patterns, I understand the desire to ‘get it’, to be able to participate fully and feel good about your effort at the end of the class and how easy it is to get frustrated when you can’t follow along.

I will certainly try hatha flow again; there’s nothing I love more than a physical challenge! Please make sure you rise to the challenge too and come back and see me in step class.

Sincerely,

Your recently ‘enlightened’ instructor

Have you ever left a group fitness class frustrated and angry?

Did you go back?

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Stillness and movement can be friends; lessons from the yoga mat

September 27, 2011 by 5 Comments

As my regular readers will know, I’ve recently committed to attending one yoga class a week for the fall. In three weeks, I’ve made it to the studio five times (and had intended to go a sixth time, but slept in and missed the 8 am class, then got distracting knitting on a lace shawl until 10:00, fully intending to go to the 10:30, arrived at 10:20 to see a ‘back at 10:45′ sign on the door, right beside the schedule, which showed the morning classes to be at 8 and 9:30… apparently, my mind confused the schedules of the yoga studio and the aerobics studio where I work).

Although I’m loving the stretching and quiet meditation, I must admit that I find many of the poses very challenging. In part, because the muscles in my legs and butt are tight (I have had several training injuries arising directly from these ‘tightnesses’), but also because some of the poses are held for an eternity a long time.

Holding downward dog (adho mukha svanasana; I’m working on learning the proper names, mainly so I don’t have to crane my neck trying to figure out what the instructor is doing when she/he asks us to assume a pose) for longer than 20 s is excruciating for me. And pigeon pose (kapotasana)? I spend every second of the pose convincing myself not to flee from the room.

Those two poses in particular make me feel fidgety, rather than calm. Make my heart race, rather than quiet. My breathing becomes shallow and erratic (although I tend to forget about breathing as I try to keep my thoughts from pinging around the room). Not exactly the relaxation that I anticipated yoga would bring. But of course there are poses to relax in and poses to work towards ;)

Yesterday, during savasana (corpse pose; I love this name!), I was struck by a thought. An insight into my own personality. An ‘aha’, if you will.

The reason I struggle so much with the ‘holding’ of poses is because stillness is not my natural way of being.

I thrive on movement. I’m a group fitness instructor, personal trainer and mother of three very active kids, for goodness sake. Most of my days are spent surrounded by people, music and physical activity in an aerobics studio, on a spinning bike, in the noisy gym or the company of chattering children.

I mentioned my challenge to the instructor, who gave me another way to think about stillness. “Even in stillness, there is movement. The movement of your breath.”

Yes, it is a small movement, but focusing on that small movement of my lungs and ribcage, rather than the difficulty of the pose, carried  me through the remainder of the class and indeed, through the rest of my movement-filled day.

The lesson could also be turned on it’s head, don’t you think? Even in movement, one can find (or create) stillness. It’s harder, no doubt, but I think it’s exactly what I need right now.

Have you ever had an ‘aha’ moment while exercising?

How do you create stillness in your day?

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Just breathe, she said; reflections of a yoga newbie

September 14, 2011 by 11 Comments

I live a fast paced life. Mornings in my house are a whirlwind. I can usually be found grabbing bites of my breakfast (overnight oats) while simultaneously unloading the dishwasher, feeding the cat, cooking my children’s morning meals (waffles for one, eggs and toast for the other two), packing their lunches (none of them like the same thing), organizing dinner (crockpots are lifesaving) and prepping for a group fitness class or a client.

Within less than two hours of waking up, I’m out the door, dropping a child or two at school before zipping off to work to teach a class (or two), train a client (or three), workout myself and make a quick dash to the grocery store before retracing my footsteps and reversing the morning drill (lunch boxes unpacked, planners scrutinized, forms signed, dinner served, homework supervised and children driven to evening activities and lessons). If I’m lucky, there’s time for knitting and reading (and blogging; feeling a bit guilty here…) before bedtime. (Sound familiar to any of you?!!)

I’m not complaining. I thrive when I’m busy and activity and variety energize me. But, although my body is always tired and ready for sleep, my mind frequently races late into the night. I need a way to quiet my mind so I’m rested and refreshed for the next day’s busy-ness.

Enter yoga.

As I mentioned last week, one of my September intentions is to begin a yoga practice. In addition to helping me find clarity, focus and a quiet(er) mind, I’m hoping it will also help with my self-admitted lack of flexibility. Killing two birds, as it were (although that’s probably not a very yoga-y way to put it…).

Rather than attend a class at the facility where I work (there are lots of yoga classes and great instructors there), I decided to join a studio where (almost) no one knows me as an instructor or personal trainer. Kula Yoga is close to work and home and came highly recommended by several friends. Plus, the first visit is (was) free!

My first class was a 75-minute Hatha practice. I arrived about 20 minutes early to fill out ‘new client’ forms and have a quick peek at the studio. It was bright and airy and had a wonderful view of the mountains.

I panicked every so slightly when shown where to leave my shoes (recall my insecurity about the state of my feet), but a quick look at all of the other less-than-beautiful feet made me feel a tad less self-conscious.

Heather, the instructor, introduced herself and checked in with me throughout the session to offer encouragement and correction (which I needed A LOT of). Her teaching style was welcoming and friendly and she even remembered my name (as an instructor I know how important and difficult it is to do this with each newcomer to your class…).

The focus of the class was breathing. Sounds simple enough. We do it thousands of times a day without giving it any thought. Why is it then, that when someone asks you to pay attention to your breath, if becomes awkward? First slowing down, then speeding up as, in a panic, you feel like you’re running out of air? I can honestly say that my thoughts did not stray from my breath for a single second of that class! No to-do lists. No class planning. No mental knitting (yes, I knit in my head; don’t ask).

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I rocked the balance poses (at last, some concrete evidence of all the functional strength training I’ve done over the years!). I sucked at downward dog and butterfly pose (tight hip flexors and hamstrings; no surprises there). I particularly enjoyed the quiet meditation at the end and think that I may have found a pose I can use to help me defeat my periodic middle-of-the-night insomnia. (Don’t know what it’s called, but learning any new language takes time…)

My second class was taught by Alissa (who recognized me from the days when she worked at our local pharmacy; so much for anonymity!). Hatha again, but very different in focus and feeling than the first class. Both soothing and energizing at the same time.

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Alissa spoke less about breathing (which I still tried to focus on, but found difficult to do without constant reminders :) ) and more about the heart. Lifting the heart to the sky during lengthening poses (what a wonderful visual cue!). Feeling our energy moving from heart to fingertips as we inhaled and exhaled. (I didn’t see the blue light, but maybe next time?). I found the poses easier to move into with her clear explanations of where to place hands and feet (mine were often far from where they should have been…) and was amazed at what a challenging workout Hatha yoga could be. I loved every minute of it and can’t wait to try another of Alissa’s classes (which she tells me are different every time).

Very different from the fast-paced spinning classes and high energy weight room that I so love, but, I think, exactly what I need to balance out the rapid pace of the rest of my week. Yin and yang. Order and chaos. Yada, yada.

I’ve committed to (and paid for!) one class per week for the next 12 weeks. That’s one intention I don’t think I’ll have trouble fulfilling. As for my goal of spending 30 minutes a day cleaning house? A heck of a lot harder than bow pose! (slinking off to wash the floors now…).

Do you practice yoga?

What’s your favorite discipline?

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September intentions

September 5, 2011 by 7 Comments

For those with school age children, September is only second to January when it comes to making new goals and refreshing those ‘left over’ from the end of the last school year. You know, those ones you never got to because summer holidays got in the way?

There’s something about a new calendar, with those big, empty boxes, just waiting to be filled with activities and appointments that makes me want to start fresh. Maybe even more so than on January 1st.

Rather than creating a list of goals, I’ve decided to re-phrase and refer to them ‘intentions‘. In part, because I feel like ‘goal‘ is an ‘end product‘ rather than a ‘process‘ word (and I’m trying really hard to stay in the moment these days), but also, because the word ‘intentions‘ brings to mind (at least to me) images of peaceful, flexible yogis and one of my intentions is to begin a yoga practice.

Why yoga, you ask? Why indeed!

Over the last five years, my fitness level has improved markedly. I’m stronger and leaner than ever before. I can lift heavier and cycle for longer each and every week. My core strength has improved and I’ve been free of joint aches and pains for a while now (knock on wood; every time I reflect positively on my injury-free status, something goes wrong and I’m out of commission again…).

The only thing that hasn’t gotten better is my flexibility.

When I teach the stretching segment at the end of a group fitness class, I am almost always the least flexible person in the room. I can barely touch my toes and forget about the little flexibility test on the left. Also, I’ve heard that yoga is good for quieting the mind; since mine won’t shut up, I’m thinking that a little inner silence might be just the thing as I anticipate a rather stressful fall on the home front.

I’ve group my intentions according their area in my life; fitness, food, family and home, but really, they are all intertwined, each contributing in its own way to a more focused, balanced and contented me.

Fitness: attend 1 yoga class per week, lift weights twice per week

Food: eliminate (once again) all added sugar in my diet, continue experimenting with home made, low sugar versions of my children’s favourite snack foods

Family: spend 1-on-1 time with each of my three children, every single day (oh yes, this is meant to be positive interaction time, we have enough of the other…)

Home: devote 30 minutes per day to house cleaning (rather than a whole, stressed out day once per month)

Wish me luck (and focus). Namaste.

Do you set intentions or goals regularly?

Tell me what you’re working on right now!

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