Days 342-344: Aspens & Abs

Day 342:  Mike and I both had Sunday off and we decided to take a drive to Nederland, CO for a hike around Barker Reservoir.  We hiked for about three miles and took in all of leaves turning on the Aspen trees and the cool mountain breeze.  It was a perfect beginning of fall hike.

Day 343:  Yesterday I went to Pura Vida with a potential lululemon new hire.  The enthusiastic young fella boasted that he went to these two classes back to back a few times per week.  Mad Abs followed by a bootcamp.  How hard could it be?

During the class I felt fantastic and was feeling inspired to add in higher intensity workouts after my post-wedding hiatus.  How I am feeling today is a totally different story.  My legs keep giving out because it’s so hard to straighten them all the way and it hurts to laugh when my abs flex.  Seriously.  Mike was watching me walk earlier and laughing.  Happy one month wedding anniversary jokester!

Lesson learned- switch-up my workouts more often to avoid soreness paralysis.

Day 344:  Working out today proved to be hard because of the aforementioned issue above. I decided that the only thing that I could do was walk everywhere to run my errands.  I walked for over an hour and only ran into a hedge once.  I consider that very successful!

Days 334-337: Sweat as a Religion

Day 334:  On Saturday I rode my bike to and from work and tagged on a few extra miles for good measure.  It was all that my schedule could fit in, but it was still enough to become a hot sweaty mess by the time I locked my bike up outside our apartment.

Day 335:    Growing up, religion was a big part of my life until something happened that made me question what I had been taught.  I stopped going to church and let myself not feel guilty with the simple thought, “you’ll come back to it when you’re ready.”  Well life changed and so did my beliefs on almost everything that matters.  My religion now is to love everyone and to do so without hesitation.  It’s a constant practice and dedication.  My Sunday mornings that used to be filled with church services are now filled with runs, asanas and peaceful questions.

With that being said, I miss the organizational religion and am wanting to get back to it- if it feels right.   Mike and I have dedicated our future Sunday morning’s to finding a church home that suits our beliefs.  I will work in a run before to make sure I feel grounded in myself before checking out local services.  For the next two weeks, I’ll continue to build my own spiritual side up with 40 minute runs in the park.  After that, the church dating begins.

PS That was a rant.  I ran 40 minutes on Sunday a.m.

Day 336:  Yesterday I went to my first yoga class in a week and my body felt rusty and downright, tighhhhhht.  Every bend, twist, breath and stretch felt like the first time.  Although my body felt stretched beyond it’s limits, as I walked out of the CPY studio, I realized that I had been completely in the moment the entire class.  I was present for 60 minutes- which is better than being super bendy, it’s the best thing that’s happened in a long time.

When was the last time you were able to quiet your thoughts and stay present?  It’s so hard for me to do.  I suppose when you least expect it to happen, it happens.

Day 337:  Today I went for an hour-long walk and am searching for a yoga class tonight to honor all of the lives touched by 9/11.  I want to breathe with the community and send love and light to everyone around.    I suppose I could do that with my own flow in our living room as well.   However, if you know of any good ones in the city, please shoot me an email!

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 230-232: Tie-Dyed Peace

Day 230:  On Monday I went to Core Power for a sculpt class.  I have not been to one in a while, so I will refresh your memory- hot room, weights, yoga poses and lots of sweat.  At one point I started seeing spots, so I dropped to my knees to help me regain some control.  After a 30 second break, I joined the rest of my classmates to finish up.  I made the declaration on that day that I was going to work really hard to have some seriously toned bridal guns for the wedding in 80 days.  In fact, I might need to get a license for these guns…

Day 231:  Yesterday I went for a bike ride on the Cherry Creek Trail.  When I ride alone I like to take my hybrid bike because I think that bike is less prone to flats (aka me getting stranded because I still do not know how to change a flat tire after six years of biking).   I listened to Adele radio on Pandora, sang out loud every now again when I thought nobody was around and pedaled my hybrid-bike-heart out for 90 minutes.

Day 232:   In 10 days 15 of my nearest and dearest gal pals will be in town for my bachelorette party and I want to make sure that I am working my tail off up until that alcohol infused weekend.  So I decided to take full advantage of the two-week trial membership that the Denver Athletic Club gave all the Colfax half-marathon participants.  Today, I got the official tour of quite possibly the largest gym/club I have ever been to.   The membership director even had me get on this large machine (no clue what it was called) that shakes so fast that supposedly it helps rid you of fat.  Actually, I made that up.  I have no clue what it is meant to do besides threaten a possible orgasm in front of Denver’s most elite gym goers.

After the tour I headed to one of the three locker rooms and threw on my tie-dyed swimsuit and headed to the pool.  I swam a little shy of a mile and was quickly reminded of why I used to love to swim.  I lose myself completely within  seconds of putting on my goggles.  All the noises go away under the water and I am left just to think about my strokes.   Speed up, slow down, flip, repeat.  It feels poetic to be able to lose a sense everything else going on.  If you used to swim and you have not done it in a while, then I challenge you to find a local pool and lose yourself.  It’s amazing how good it feels to find some quiet chlorine induced peace.

Fuel of the week:  Greek yogurt with blackberries and strawberries.

Days 181-183: Whoaaa, I’m Halfway There…

Day 181:  Colorado Rockies Opening Day!!   Mike and I walked about five miles on Monday to pick up a friend (to walk further with us), then walked to meet other buddies, next to the stadium and lastly, a half-mile until we found our final cab that took us home for the night.  My feet were covered in filthy happiness.

Day 182:  Half-way through and guess what?  I forgot 😦   I did not forget to workout, but I forgot to make it a special workout to signify how far I have come. Mike and I spent the majority of our day house hunting and our minds were full of house owning dreams, confusing floor plans, mortgage fears, remodeling ideas and lots of other confusing things to first time home buyers.  Exhausted from our day, we decided to walk together for an hour hand-in-hand  while discussing our best options.  On second thought, I’m not sure if I would redo this workout in any other way.

Day 183:  This morning I went to a crossfit bootcamp at Washington Park at 6 a.m.  For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you know that those early morning classes do not happen often.   One of my friends talked me into making the commitment and I could not let her down.  We warmed up with what alone would have been the hardest workout I have had in months: Indian Runs.   After that there were lots of burpees (youtube it, I can’t even begin to explain that one), air squats, kettle-bell swings and sprinting.  It was brutal and awesome rolled into one.  Here is the link if you’re interested in checking out this early a.m. butt-kicking with Crossfit Stapleton:  http://crossfitstapleton.com/stapleton-bootcamps/

Lastly, I wanted to share with you something that has the potential to change a lot of lives.  My fiance and I watched “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” a documentary on the benefits of juicing and eating a healthy diet.

Click here to watch the free movie on hulu

Click here to find some recipes and tips

Afterwards we both looked at each other and said, “we have to do this.”   Many hours of research later we decided to get the Vitamix 500 and start our 10 day juicing challenge tomorrow.  It’s going to be tough in so many ways and we are fully prepared for what is going to happen to our detoxifying bodies.  Actually, scratch that, I am not prepared.  However, I am dedicated and excited to see how this challenge changes my relationship with food.  Don’t you worry, I’ll be sharing our experience along the way.

If you see me around and I look quite angry, please forgive me.  I will be blaming my tude’ on the all liquid diet.  Here we go!

Days 154-156: The Sunny Life

Day 154:  Mother Nature has been smiling on Denver and gracing us with the most beautiful warm spring weather.  On Monday I went for an hour walk while soaking up the 70 degree warmth onto my cold winter skin.

Day 155:  Yesterday I dedicated my day to working on my coaching business and working out.  I spent five-hours at Wash Perk Coffee emailing, strategizing and organizing….all while decked out in my favorite run outfit.  After I closed my laptop for the day, I jogged the few blocks to Wash Park’s perimeter and ran 30 minutes while listening to some throw back rap music from college (fitting since it is spring break week at my alma mater, Indiana University).

After my run, I went home, grabbed my yoga mat and met my friend at Karma Yoga for some serious stretching.  Insiders tip:  yoga after a run is a lot more challenging. In my mind, this means that the combination of workouts are doing wonders for the body.  The instructor, Katrina, talked about lots of things that touched me throughout the 75 minute class.  But one thing she said took my breath away, “it’s not the lack in life that causes us pain, it’s the greed.”   Think about that for a second.

Are you thinking about it?  How is that true in your life?  I know it’s true in mine in almost every facet.  I consider myself full of gratitude and far from greedy, however,  sometimes I can’t help but wish that my life was somehow  different.  Which is where the greed comes in.  That was the reminder that I needed to remember that I am exactly where I need to be.  You are exactly where you are meant to be.  Together, we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  Sigh, doesn’t that thought just take away some of that stress and greed?  If it doesn’t, what thought could you play with to make you feel more grateful?

Day 156:  I have a huge confession to make; I am not perfect with my working out.  I have been absolutely horrible since Mike came home at keeping early morning yoga dates with myself.  Lately when my alarm goes off at 5 a.m., my first thought is “I could probably find another class today to go to instead of having to wake up now.”  Insert a quick “dismiss” of the alarm and back to sleep I go for another hour or two.  This morning I was determined to get my early morning class groove back.  So I did.  I  got up at 5 a.m. to go to a C2 class at Core Power Yoga with my friend Cassidy.   Together we sweat enough to fill a baby pool and individually, I completed a 20 second wheel when all I wanted to do was fall into child’s pose.   Afterwards, I felt spent.  I gave every ounce that I had at 6 a.m. and that my friends, is what morning flow is all about.

Day Fifteen: All Over The Place

This morning I was going to use the stationary bike in my Dad’s basement for my workout.  That did not workout the way that I wanted.  I could not adjust the bikes resistance, which would have resulted in a poor workout. So I moved on to the elliptical.  I got on, pedaled twice and hit my head on the ceiling.  Fail times two.

Third up?  The rowing machine.  I did this for 15 minutes and then I got an idea, “this is going to be a workout to eradicate back fat.”  I got off the ergometer, grabbed some weights and did about ten different random sets.  I was confused.  Fourty minutes had gone by and I had zero clue what I did.  I was ALL OVER THE PLACE.

This workout reminded me of something I frequently ask my life coaching clients, “are you clear on what you want?”   If you’re not clear on what you want, then how are you going to get it?  The same thing applies to working out.  I can’t just go wing it and expect a great workout (unless of course, I am at a fully equipped gym).  Emotionally, a fully equipped gym looks a lot like being clear on what you want and building it over time.

Even though today’s workout was chaotic and made zero sense, I gave myself a huge acknowledgement for realizing only 15 days in that for 350 more days I need to have more clarity.  Clarity for what I want that day and for this entire challenge.  So here are my questions for you:  What do you want?  What are you doing to get it?  How will you continue to better it?  Just a little food for thought on a day that might be just as confusing to you as it is to me.

Day Fourteen: Deer and Tractors

Day fourteen started off with my Dad waking me up after coming home very late from the wedding last night and me saying, “I think I’m hungover.”  What I really meant was, “the wedding last night was fantastic and I can’t wait to go to the Anchor Bar and get buffalo wings.” 

Which it was and we did.  I ate lots of wings and am eternally grateful for Mother Teressa (the creator of the original “buffalo wing” in 1964).  After a snooze on the way home from Buffalo, I thought it would be a good time to workout.

My workout consisted of a 70 minute walk around my Dad’s beautiful town.  I got passed by a tractor carrying hay and saw four deer running around in a meadow.   It was really a beautiful day that made me reflect on how grateful I am for everything in my life.

Three weeks ago I never would have made an attempt to do anything that required moving today.  However, two weeks into the challenge and I did not even question whether or not I would get moving today.  Hopefully I will feel the same way after my wedding day in ten months.