How Are You Holding Yourself Back?

It’s been quite awhile since I have written about working out, but today, I felt a tug at my little writing heart string to post about where I am in my sweating world.

Since my 365 days of sweat challenge ended, I have been continuing to workout.  At first, I thought that I would stick to working out everyday and I was quick to realize that it was not sustainable, and I was not happy doing it.  Too much time has passed to update you on what I have been doing every month, but I can fill you in on what my working out looks like right now.

•  Yoga: 2-3 times per week
• Running: 2-3 times per week
• Insanity workout video: 1-2 times per week
• Dog walking: 30-45 minutes 7 days per week (unless Journey gets lucky and I run with her).

A couple of standout moments happened this past week while I was adorning spandex and sports bras.  The first happened when I went to a yoga class with an instructor that I knew I did not jive with (sign #1).  I walked into the studio, peeked into the class and saw one other student (sign #2).   Despite the lack of yogi’s, I rolled out my mat and started warming up.  All of the sudden this massive wave of intuition rushed over me and told me to leave before class started (sign #3).   I ignored all three signs and struggled through the hour-long practice.  It. Was. Horrible.   I left angry and upset with myself for ignoring such a strong internal vibe.

After class, I came home and continued to be upset for a few hours.   You’re probably thinking, “What’s the big deal?  It was just a bad class.”  True, it was just a bad class.  However, it sucked me into a vortex of negativity and I was having problems getting out of it.   My husband recommended a walk with Journey and himself to shake out this new funk.  We walked and talked about all the reasons why my mind spiraled OOC (out of control!).  I explained to him why I thought it was so important to understand the depths of my emotions and within 25 minutes, I was back to myself again.

The reason I wanted to share this with you was to reiterate the importance of listening to yourself.  Of course there are going to be times when you veer off course, however, it is incredibly poignant to question why you lost sight of your needs and figure out how to avoid doing it again.

I challenge you to really tune into your needs today.  Listen to what you want, figure out why you want it and then follow through with it.  Compare how that feels versus choosing to ignore yourself.   If it works for you, I’d love to hear how it goes.  Leave a comment below this blog and an action plan for how you intend to keep it up!

Love Extra Hard

Happy Everything to you and your loved ones!

Day of Peace

I have gone back and forth on whether I should write a post about the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  There have been so many beautiful articles written about the lives lost and how to continue down the road of healing.  What could I possibly offer that has not already been said hundreds of times? 

I am not sure.  But what I can offer is more love and prayers going out to the loved ones who have been affected and daily meditational peace being sent to them from Colorado.  I know that it is not just me, it is everyone that has felt the pain of this tragedy.   Everyone watches the news and thinks “this could have been us, this could have been in my backyard.”  Unfortunately, it has been in the Colorado backyard too many times.   As a community, we know all too well the type of grief that Newtown is feeling.  I have a hunch that there are millions of beautiful prayers being sent daily to Connecticut from this lovely state. 

I have heard some say that sending love and prayers is not enough.  We need action.  I agree, action needs to be taken.  The real question is, “what kind?”.   My hope is that something happens, but not until all of these beautiful souls have been laid to rest.  Let us all come together in peace and send them off to a better place with all the love we can muster up. 

Coloradoans, if you are looking for a way to help heal some wounds, then checkout this event: http://www.coloradodayofpeace.org/ 

*Picture from the Colorado Day of Peace website.

A Furry Tale/Tail

Life moves quickly and sometimes it leaves us looking back and wondering why we did not enjoy those precious moments when we had the chance.  A lot of times I am looking to the next best thing to find fulfillment; turning to my yoga mat to try to make this not so.  As of lately, it has not helped.  Time has been flying by and I have forgotten to take a good look at the beautiful life that surrounds me.  Perhaps that is part of the holiday season madness that ensues the normal household, or maybe not.  Regardless, I know it is not the way that I want to live my life.  Presence of the mind and presence in the heart are the key to living a life full of true presents.  Deep stuff.

Since it is the holiday season, I have been thinking a lot about the traditional gifts that come with this time of year.  Of course they are all wonderful, but a week after they are opened the novelty of them has worn off and we are left searching.  Continuously.

This new year, my resolutions will include nothing but learning how to let the endless searching go.  More on that in a few short weeks.

Until then, I am turning to my pets to clue me on what is special in my life.  Yes, this is actually a post about the importance of them.  “Them” does mean two, which means that we have a new furry addition to our family.   We adopted a four-year old fluffy 47 pound chow mix (mixed with what, we do not know) from the Denver Dumb Friends League on Friday afternoon.  She was named Jill by her previous owners, but we had to change the name.  Our seven-year old cat named Jack  would not approve of the nursery rhyme themed pet household.  We settled on the name, “Journey,” instead.

Why Journey?  We are her third owners in four years.  She was in an abusive household for the first few years of her life and then spent the following years as an outdoor dog to a family that decided they no longer had time for her.  The light name of Jill did not seem to suit a dog that has been treated so poorly, she deserved a name that shows her strength and the determination that she showed to find herself a better life.  Now her real journey begins with a family that showers her with belly rubs, walks, treats and occasional loving head bumps from a confused cat.

Yesterday I walked her for thirty minutes and watched her stop every so often to sniff her new surroundings and take what seemed like deep sighs.  When we got home I did some Christmas present wrapping on the floor and she came over and laid in my lap and licked my hand.  I am pretty sure she was telling me this new life is okay, she’s happy here.  She’s enjoying the new moments as they come, at the same time, she is slowly teaching me to do the same.

The real beauty of pets that are well-loved is that they pull us out of ourselves a bit and challenge us to slow down and experience life with them.   So pet owners out there, give some extra attention to your furry friend this season and slow down.  Look at the life around you, it’s beautiful.  Fur balls and all.

My New Aum

Lately I have been waiting to post until I had an epic workout to blog about.  Unfortunately, if I keep waiting it will be awhile.  It’s not that I have not been working out, I have just misplaced the inspiration to write about the sweating.  Instead, I’d like to share with you something incredibly exciting and better than my monotonous runs.

My dear friend, favorite yogi and a woman with a heart so big that I think it could take over the world, Shannon Von Burns, has given me the gift of attending her Yoga Teacher Training on a scholarship.  I asked her why the heck she chose me for such an amazing gift.  Her response was, “I believe in you. Your commitment to 365 days of working out earned you this honor!”

I am blown away and completely humbled.  The generosity and confidence that she has shown in me has catapulted my own beliefs and capabilities about myself.  The next eight months of the training process is going to challenge me in ways that I never thought possible and test my physical limits in ways that the last 365 days have only dreamt of doing.  I will share this journey with you the same way that I shared the last year.

Until then, I leave you with a challenge.  How can you continue to test your physical limits every year?   My hunch is that if you’re capable of doing so, then you’ll learn more spiritually, emotionally and physically than you ever bargained for.  It’s a gift that you will be able to give yourself, time after time.  If it’s something that you’re interested in, find a way to do it and share it with the world.  Trust me, they will be grateful.

Namaste.

*The picture is courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch.

Days 353-357: Suburbia Blur

Day 353:  As my last few days as a city girl were approaching, nostalgia hit like a ton of bricks with every city block I crossed.  With all of my reflecting I realized that most of my favorite city things involve working out- Washington Park, Karma Yoga, Wash Perk coffee house (which I go to as a treat after I sweat) and Cherry Creek Trail.  For my loving city farewell I decided to take advantage of all of those things and some of my newer budding friendships.

Thursday I met up with an old friend, Katie, and a new friend, Jessica for a 90 minute flow at Karma Yoga.  With an old friend and a new friend (who both happen to be beautiful yoga instructors) practicing so close I realized how yoga has helped me cultivate some of the greatest friendships in my life.  For that, this city gal is ever grateful.

Day 354: Friday was closing day on the house!  I got up at 6:30 and ran to and around Washington Park for a total of 5.5 miles.  I could talk about how at every turn I said “ahh, this is my last time taking this turn while living in the city,” but I won’t bore you with that.

Day 355:  Moving Day!!  Mike and I got up at 5:30 a.m to pack, pick up a moving truck, load up our storage unit, then load up our apartment, stop for a pizza break with our saint friends who helped us all day, and finally unloaded everything at the new digs.  Throughout the day I think the moving team got really sick of me saying “this is what real crossfit is baby!”  Seriously, I said it a lot and nobody ever laughed.*

*Not even when I was doing “wall balls” with bags of pillows and throwing them in the truck.  Shocking…really.

Day 356:  Unpack, unpack, unpack and cleaned the old apartment from floorboards to the ceiling.  I was one stinky kid.  Again, “this is what real crossfit is baby!”  Did you laugh the second time?

Day 357:  Although the house is still not done, I decided I needed to take a real workout break this morning.  I laced up my kicks and headed out for my first suburbia run.  It’s definitely different.  No panhandlers, just kids.  Lots of speed walkers and very few runners.  Bunny rabbits every where I look and no stray cat to greet me at the door…just my own blissed out Jack.  After my run I went to my basement and setup my “home gym,” that will probably get a lot of use this winter.  Life really is different, but I think I’m going to like these rabbits and lots of sunlight that fills the entire house all day long.

345-348: Post Wedding Bliss

Day 345: On Wednesday I attempted a four mile run, but my sore legs were telling me something else.  It sounded like “go home, stop running.”  Instead, after running two miles to Washington Park I decided to turn my phone/ipod into a phone and call a good pal.  She made fun of my need to walk and we talked for the next 30 minutes until I was back into our apartment.  I continue to stand by the idea of grabbing your phone and calling a friend when you need a little encouragement or distraction.  It’s the best way to help a workout fly by.

Day 346: Thursday evening I went to a CPY flow class and sweat out all of my sore muscles and post wedding ice cream (yes, I am still indulging in the “I don’t have to wear a wedding dress again!” eating habits).

Day 347:  Yesterday was one of those days where I barely had time to feed myself, but had to figure out how to sweat.  I went on a quick 30 minute run around the neighborhood while mentally figuring out how I can try to make my hair not look dirty if I “recycle” it after my sweaty run.

*I swear by Pantene Pro-V’s dry shampoo for your gal on the go, with sweaty hair- needs.

Day 348: This morning was one of Denver’s largest half-marathon’s and although I was not participating in it, I went to cheer on some of my friends with my co-workers.  All of the roads in my neighborhood were shutdown at 4:00 a.m., which would have made driving to the group meeting spot quite difficult.  Instead, I hopped on my bike and rode the three miles while sipping on my coffee and trying my best to smile at every cop giving me a dirty look for riding in their blocked off streets.  After an hour and a half of cheering, I hopped back on my bike and headed into work (2 miles) and then rode home at the end of the day (2 more miles).  I even tagged on an extra twenty minutes of riding for good measure.

*We got our wedding pictures back today, I was so excited that I wanted to share a few!

 

Days 331-333: Fall Running Love

Day 331:  Has your body ever just craved a run?   A quick lace up of shoes, the pounding of the pavement, rhythmic breaths and a clearing of the mind.  That’s what I think of lately when I think of running.  My body is telling me to do it, do it, do it and do it as much as possible.  Perhaps it’s the change of seasons or a little pre-move nostalgia?  Either way, I’ve fallen back in love with running just in time for fall.

On Wednesday my husband set out for a run and I left soon there after.  We rarely run together because of different paces and distances (goal: run as fast as Mike in a year).   Twenty minutes into my run on a beautiful tree-lined street I saw the most handsome man running towards me.  I got a picture of our lives running together on our favorite path, in our favorite city.  It was the most romantic run I’ve ever had.  Maybe I’ve fallen in love with running because I’m falling deeper in love with my life?

Day 332:  Yesterday Mike and I went to checkout the progress on our house and got so excited at the idea of owning a home that we went out and used almost all of our wedding gift cards.  I thought that our tiny apartment was jam-packed before, but now there is barely room to breathe in here.  After running around Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel for hours we came home to write out our thank you notes.  I thought that all that writing should have counted as my workout, but Mike made me do something else (sigh).

Post thank you notes and dinner we walked around our neighborhood for an hour talking and talking.  We stopped at the local dog park and watched the pups run, play and bark without any regard and it made us talk (almost too extensively) about our soon to be dog addition to the family.  Great night, sore hands.

Day 333:  The high in Denver today is 71 degrees!  That is almost cold enough to make sense of why I am wearing a long sleeve shirt, jeans and a scarf.  Almost.  Do you get so excited for fall that you pull out all of your warm clothing way before you should?  That’s where I am at right now.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 and went for a four mile run around Wash Park and had a serious wardrobe malfunction two miles in.  My bra strap snapped in half. Ut oh.  The good news is that my tiny chest does not need a lot of support, the bad news is that it still needs some.  I tried to pull out some serious MacGyver skills by looping the strap around my neck and then tying it to the other strap (don’t worry if that doesn’t make sense, it didn’t really work. You’ll still need to find your own way out of this pickle if you ever get stuck in it!).  After this two-minute break and lots of strange looks from fellow runners, I lopsidedly ran home.

323-327: “Keep Going”

Days 323-324:  As hurricane Isaac was tearing through the gulf coast, Mike and I made the best of our extended honeymoon and time in St. Thomas.  We stayed at a hotel on the beach and took full advantage of their premium movie channels since the rain outside prevented us from playing.  Whenever there were breaks in weather we would head outside and walk up and down the beach until the next set of storms blew in.  These long walks became my workouts for the day and early Tuesday evening we started our 15 hour trek back to Denver.

Days 325-327:  Numerous times on our trip Mike and I talked about how lucky we were to be living in a city that we could not wait to come home to.  We have so many things here that we are grateful for that we spent lots of time reflecting on the lives we have created that we love so much.

We got home at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday and filled our first day back with loads of errands and checking out the progress on our house.  Seriously, life is so jam-packed with exciting things right now that I am actually looking forward to a little down time when things slow down and we can settle into our new home and create more newlywed awesomeness.

Now, onto the working out commitment.  I would not be considered human if there was not a time that I wanted to give up on working out.   These past few days have definitely been just that.  The wave of pre-wedding, wedding and honeymoon exhaustion came the second I got home and all I wanted to do was sleep.  Mike gently coaxed me into my running shoes every day and I managed to run 30-45 minutes the last three days.  Having him (officially) by my side for the rest of our lives is quite possibly the best feeling ever.  It’s as though I have a new teammate that is constantly cheering for me and I for him.  The dynamic of a marriage is something that we will continue to learn for a long time, until then, I am so happy that I have his gentle voice in my head everyday that says, “keep going.”

Days 315-319: St. John Sweats

Days 315-318: Typically I do not lump together workouts, however I think that I can make an exception for our honeymoon week!  Right now we are in St. John, overlooking the tropical green mountains and the light blue ocean.  It is honeymoon heaven, regardless of the fact that hurricane Isaac is right outside our door and cutting into our outside play time.

We chose this island for our honeymoon because it is a huge playground for hiking, snorkeling, beaches and apparently, wild animals.  Everyday we have been here has been filled with hikes to remote beaches for snorkeling, hikes to snag a view of something beautiful, swimming in the clear water and trying to chase down sea turtles or sting rays.  Although it’s all been natures workouts, they have been more fun than anything at a gym or studio I have done in the last year.   It has made us realize that active vacations are definitely what we will be seeking out in the future.

Today is the day that Isaac is going to effect us the most, so I will roll out my yoga mat and flow away ion our deck in between sets of storms.

If you do not hear from me again, I will be breaking from the blog and enjoying the experience as much as I can while working in some sweat sessions.  I do have a huge favor to ask of Mother Nature, could she help us out and give us some sun the last few days?  Our newly obsessed beach going selves would be greatly appreciative!