Days 283-287: Colorado Love

Day 283:  As the days of my challenge tick by I am realizing that working out is now embedded in my everyday regimen, blogging on the other hand is the first thing to take the back burner when life gets busy.  I promise to you that I am sweating, life’s busyness has just taken the forefront.

Thursday morning I met a friend in Wash Park for a three-mile run and followed it up with a yoga sculpt class at Core Power (you’ll really start to see a trend here).

Day 284:  Friday morning I woke up in Denver to complete sadness.  My fiance came home from working a night shift at Buckley Air Force Base and told me to turn on the devastating news in Aurora.  Like most tragic events, it took me some time to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened just a few miles from home.  My heart was shattered for our state that has already endured so much pain in the past.

Working out was the furthest thing from my mind.  So much so, that I decided that a picnic in the  (empty) park, followed by an hour-long walk with Mike would have to suffice.  We talked and talked trying to work through the overwhelming day.  Sometimes I think that’s all we can to do find some ease.

Day 285:  Core Power Yoga Sculpt.

Day 286:  Ride to and from work and Core Power Yoga Sculpt.

Day 287:  This morning I went on a three-mile run and then to Bonza Bodies tonight for a bootcamp style class.  As I was in class tonight, I kept catching myself doing the wrong exercises, lifting the opposite leg as my classmates or zoning out to the point of not knowing what exercise my body had just completed.  It was a huge realization to myself that I am still processing some things and feeling a little stressed in life.  Running felt like a gift to my mind and although my body loved the hard class, my mind was left feeling more confused.

Tomorrow I will shoot for a yoga flow that can hopefully give my mind a little bit of a rest.

Days 275-277: Drowning in Sweat

Day 275:  When I first purchased my unlimited month at Core Power Yoga, I made a goal to go to Sculpt everyday for thirty days, but after two days in a row, I tossed that one out the window.  Although it is my favorite workout around,  my body wanted something different…or maybe just not so sweaty (see super soaked bra, eek!).

Day 276:  Yesterday a big group of lululemon friends went to Bonza Bodies for a 50 minute cardio circuit style class.  The room was not as hot as the heated Core Power classes, however it’s quite possible that I sweated even more.  Although I spent the entire 50 minutes catching my breath, it did not seem that bad since I had ten friends going through the same thing and laughing at our instructor, Jamie Atlas.

Day 277:  This morning another group of lululemon friends went to Pura Vida for Billy Potocnik’s 6 a.m. power flow.  He started off the class with a five-minute meditation that focused on gratitude.  It helped me focus on what I wanted to emotionally dedicate my practice to and concentrate on how to stay more present in my life….normally, I would share this wisdom, but I’ve been up since 5 a.m. and now I can’t remember what the key to that was.  I will ask him the next time I see him and make sure to put it in the blog 🙂

After an hour of some intense power yoga, I came home and made my new favorite smoothie and rode my bike into work:

-1/2 cup pineapple, 2 cups spinach, a handful of basil, half a banana,  1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of cucumbers, ice and water*

*I don’t actually measure out any of my green smoothies, this is just an approximate guess.  If you are trying to get into drinking them, just play around with ingredients that you like and you’ll find the right amount of servings of fruit/veggies to put in.

Days 253-256: Home Sweet Home

Day 253: On Wednesday I went back to Bonza Bodies for a quick “kick my butt and make me feel as good as possible before I go to my bridal shower” workout.  Not only were the circuits really intense, but I was paired with the human form of She-Ra, which made me feel like I had to keep up.  In my mind, I was, from the glances I caught in the mirror of us, I was not.  Sometimes I prefer my mind, it’s a nicer place than the mirror 🙂

Day 254: Thursday morning I had to be up at 3:30 to catch my flight back to Ohio.  Once I landed in Columbus I had family picking me up and a schedule packed so tight that I was not sure I’d remember to breathe.  So I decided on a rather strange workout for the day- speed walking through the Chicago Midway airport for an hour during my layover.  With a coffee in one hand, my phone in the other, I dodged hundreds of people while trying my best to look as though I was running late for a flight.  Sometimes ya just have to fit it in where you can…

Day 255:  Yesterday I woke up, grabbed my sneaks and headed down to the hotel gym.  Sidenote: have you ever noticed how big hotel gyms look in pictures?  Then you get there and they are the size of a large bathroom.  Well regardless of size, our hotel has the coolest treadmill I have ever seen.  I took advantage of it by running two quick miles and then planking, pushup’ing and doing situps until it was time to meet our wedding DJ.

Day 256:  My Mom and I had a great plan of going to my old high school and having her walk the track while I ran and did a bleacher workout.  Unfortunately, my old stomping grounds locks the track up now if it’s not being used.  So our quick backup plan was to walk up and down Hard Road for an hour while talking about our old lives here.  It’s amazing what comes up when you’re back home.  Now, onto the bridal shower with lots of awesome family and friends.  #homeiswheretheheartis

Days 250-252: Vipr’s

Day 250:  lululemon athletica in Cherry Creek celebrated their new store opening this Sunday by closing down the streets and hosting an inspiring yoga class led by Billy Potocnik with DJ Roger Martin-Pressman (both awesome instructors from Pura Vida).   I settled myself in next to a woman who practiced with Billy on a regular basis and prepped for a nice easy Sunday flow.  I was so so very wrong.

Nice?  Yes.  Easy?  Far from it.  I am estimating that there were over 100 chaturangas in the 75 minute class, along with crow, side-crow, birds of paradise and something called a “crocodile,” which scared me too much to try on a cement street with new veneers.   Although it was incredibly challenging, I realized it was the most fun class I have ever had outside.  I was able to tune out the sounds of the streets, the comments of my neighbors and the dirt all over my mat in order to get deeper into my practice.

It reminded me a lot of when I wait for things to be perfect before I make a move.  The noises, wind, smells of nearby restaurants and my filthy mat were far from perfect, but it did not keep me from practicing my heart out.  It made me realize that things do not have to be perfect in order for the experience to be great- it’s the experience itself that holds perfection.

Day 251:  Yesterday my friend Sarah and I started the day out with a five-mile walk in Washington Park after a stop at Washington Perk.  I am starting to sound like a broken record.

Onto something new…

After months of relentless coaxing my friend/newest enemy/Bonza Bodies owner, Jamie Atlas, finally convinced me to take one of his classes.  He started off the class by asking me when I was getting married and followed that by a “good, we still have time” comment that made me want to throw my newest workout instrument, the vipr, his way.  Noooo, well kind of.

The class is like a bootcamp on steroids with a little bit of Australian humor sprinkled on top.  We did an hour of circuit work using trx-like bands, viprs (video demo here)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWuD7D1IdUw, railyards, planks with sliding weights, squats, sandbells, running, more planks and lots of other things that I have partially blocked out of my memory.  I was sweating more than I sweat in a hot yoga class and woke up numerous times last night after rolling onto sore body parts.  In short?  The class was fantastic and I am hooked and hoping that the intensity of the class preps me even more for our wedding in two months- to the day.  #backfatisnotafriend

Day 252:  With an incredibly sore body, I decided on another long walk.  I walked for an hour this morning before it got too hot out and plan on pulling out the TRX a little later in between clients for a quick pick-me-up.

*A note for Ohio readers:  On Thursday I will be back in Columbus for five days and am looking for workout partners.  If anyone is interested, please shoot me an email! 

Days 190-193: Anusara, Runs and Vipers

Day 190: On Wednesday a gal pal of mine was in town from DC for an interview  in Denver.  After she finished wowing the CEO, I picked her up and took her to Samadhi Yoga in Uptown.  Mat by mat, we completed a 90 minute Anusara style class.  The instructor, Buffy Barfoot (seriously, best name of all time), dedicated the class to binding poses.  I was not sure how that was going to work with my recently tight running muscles, but gave it a shot.  We both walked out of class wowed by how great our bodies felt and I was in awe of how free my positive thoughts were flowing.  Love for binds.

Day 191:  Thursday was the perfect running day, 65 and sunny.  I laced up my kicks and headed to good ol’ Wash Park for a five-mile run.  I used the Droid App called, “run keeper,” which uses a computerized woman’s voice every five minutes  to give an update on distance and pace.  It kept me motivated to stay at my ideal pace.  If you do not have this phone app, I highly suggest getting it.  Did I mention it’s free!?

Day 192:  Yesterday I went to Bonza Bodies downtown for a class that had unfortunately been cancelled.  On the brighter side of things, the owner, Jamie Atlas, gave me some one-on-oneattention.  He taught me how to use a workout device (device is the best word I can come up with!) called the Viper* and then had me do lunges across a contraption that looked like a balance beam.  All the while, he was figuring out what some of my injuries/tight muscles might be.  He sent me on my way with numerous stretches to help ease some of my pain.

Afterwards, I jogged for thirty minutes in my neighborhood before heading into work.

Day 193:  Five mile run in Washington Park.  Are you guys sick of me running there?  I could branch out a bit, but I just love the energy.  Any other Denverites have running paths in the city that they love?

Today there was a group of guys running pretty fast that added in random dance moves when they past one another.  I tried my mightiest to keep up with them to watch that awesomeness, however their quick speeds eventually left me in their dust.  How can I give up seeing things like this!?  It made my day seeing people who seemingly loved running so much.

*More to come on the Viper’s when I make it to one of his classes next week.