Bonus Post!

Okay, so every once in a while I come across a blog post or an article that I really want to tell you all about...and then forget.  So I have decided that I am going to start sticking in "Bonus Posts" which are basically links to stuff I think you all would enjoy.  I am also adding them as a side-bar feature called "Interesting Reads" - check it out!

Ready?  Here is your first one:  Head over to Michelle's site and read this article on fats.

Mixing It Up

To continue with my theme of completely ignoring New Rules for the week, yesterday I hit the weight lifting circuit machines again.  They were fine and I lifted weights for about 35 minutes. 

Can you sense the boredom there?  They. Were. Fine. 

Not exciting, not invigorating, not energizing...just fine.

You know what was better than fine?  The twenty or so minutes of yoga I did after!  Due to various obligations this week, I was unable to go to yoga Tuesday or Wednesday night which is a total bummer.  So while my mind was going numb lifting weights my eyes were focused on the empty 'group exercise' room at the gym.  I looked at the clock and since a class wasn't scheduled for another 30 minutes, I grabbed a mat and hit the solitude of the room.

Now, you may think this was strange...that I looked strange.  You are probably right - I am sure people thought I was a whacko - particularly the tour group that walked in when I was in shoulder stand.  But it felt great and I wasn't bored!!

I made up my own little practice and it went like this:

Mountain Pose, Swan Dive Down, Pike and Release, Swan Dive Up with arms extended in back bend (5x) to warm up...Lets call this "Reset" okay?

Then Swan Dive Down to Crescent Warrior (Repeat other side)

Reset, Crescent Warrior with Twist (Repeat other side)

Reset, High to Low Plank, Up Dog, Down Dog ...lets call this "Flow"

Chair Pose with Twist, Reset and repeat other side

Warrior 1, Warrior II, Reverse Warrior, Extended Side Angle, Wide Leg forward fold, Horse with Eagle Arms

Reset, Flow, repeat Warrior/Horse Sequence on other side

Reset, Flow, Jump Through to seated

Spinal Twist Each Side

Shoulder Stand, Plow, Fish

Overall this practice was brief, energizing and full of my favorite poses...and sooooo not boring!

Snacks

I am a snacker. Its funny because back in high school and college, I was not a snacker…I was a three meals a day kind of girl.  But alas, the long hours and tedium of a desk job has made me a snacker. I have found that the only way to control this snacking is by making good choices at the right times. So here they are:


Anytime Snacks

I have 2-3 of these a day…generally 1 mid-morning (which for me is 9:30am), one around 2:30 or 3:00pm and one after dinner.

Unsalted Almonds (palm full)
Unsalted Peanuts (palm full)
Homemade Granola Bar
Kashi Bars
Glass of soy milk (regular milk if that’s your thing)
Yogurt (personally this isn’t really high on my list but in general it’s a good snack)
Fruit
Veggies
Quaker Squares (Try a fourth cup mixed with a tablespoon or so of unsalted peanuts!)
Cheese stick wraped in turkey
Iced latte with skim milk or soy milk

Substantial Snacks

So these are my more serious snacks. I tend to workout on my lunch break or at dinner time…which means I eat lunch and dinner way late and I need something to push me through the workouts. These snacks clock in at around 200-300 calories and can be considered mini-meals.

Bigger helping of Quaker Squares with Peanuts
Whole Wheat Crackers with natural peanut butter
Tube of Barney Butter (for light workouts) or Tube of Justin's Nut Butter (for tougher workouts)
Rokit Fuel (I just tried this stuff and I love it! All natural and it has the consistency of muesli with milk…but in a tube)
Homemade Granola Bar with Almond Butter
Big Spoonfull of any kind of nut butter
Banana and peanut butter
Half of a Peanut butter (or almond butter) and jelly sandwich


I would love to hear your ideas for portable, healthy snacks!

Traitor

I have a confession to make.  Lately, I have been bored to tears with New Rules.  My sister and I discussed it a few weeks back and we both came to the same conclusion...the later workouts just don't feel challenging.  Now, I am still seeing results and I am going to continue with the program but I have been doing it for a few months now and am craving some variety.

So for sanity's sake (mine that is) today I switched it up a bit.  I went to the gym and I did the circuit machines for two sets of 8-12 reps each maxing out on the weight I could lift.  I did the sets quickly with about only 30 seconds of rest in between.  Then I did 2 sets of twenty squats with a weighted bar and 2 sets of walking lunges in a dark, scary hallway...followed by some planks.

If you have been following New Rules or even read the book, you know I basically threw the plan out the window.  No free weights, limited reps, little rest time.  Trust me, I felt like a total and complete traitor.

I also felt free and interested in my workout.  I was not bored.  It felt great to be a traitor!  In fact, I plan on doing it again Wednesday!

Now, before you all go freaking out, I will be back on the New Rules program next week...I just needed a little break from the monotony of lunges and lat pull downs.  I know it is an effective program and I plan on finishing it.

Truth be told, I think this little stint of mine will be good for me...it will probably make me miss New Rules.  Hopefully it will throw my muscles a curve ball.  But most importantly, it will keep me engaged and interested in going to the gym.  Working out is tough - doing a work out you don't enjoy is even tougher!

The Right Way

I know a few of you have begun practicing yoga and it is inevitable that you will (or have) practiced under different yoga instructors.  Once you have practiced regularly under a few different instructors, you will notice that you are receiving different instructions and your instructors will use different words.  Oh yes fellow blog readers, no two yogis are the same.  Here is a brief example of the different instructions I receive from Kim and Victoria:

1)  Chair Pose/Awkward Pose/Lightening Pose - 1) knees apart or 2) knees together

2)  Warrior anything - 1) Front foot should intersect the arch of the back foot or 2) your heels should intersect

3) Breathing - 1) soft stomach when you breathe in or 2) tight stomach all the time

4) Eagle Arms - 1) thumb to center of forehead or 2) forearms up and out

At first this mish mash of directions freaked me out.  Which way was the right way? 

I believe that the answer is simple - the right way is whichever way your body is telling you to move on that particular day. 

Truth be told, I tend to practice which ever way I am being told to just to challenge my body and to not become too comfortable with any one style.  The different instructions give me a great chance to explore the different poses and see how my body and mind react.  In fact, I think it may be very beneficial to seek out different instructors, not only for different variations of poses but for different focuses and sequences.  One of my vinyasa classes features a lot of high to low plank, balancing poses and back bends...the other of my classes tends to hang out in crescent warrior and chair pose for minutes on end.  Those classes combined allow me to experience a full range of motion and poses and have taught me what I love and loathe about particular poses.

Now, I know that I am constantly urging you all to give yoga a try...but if you already are maybe you should consider trying out different instructors and styles, see what fits you best.  Explore your practice.