What is wrong with me?

I am in quite the funk...

I come home and nap, pretty much every day.  I am still sleeping by 9pm.  I am missing yoga, I can't even manage to make that a priority!

Before it's suggested - it's not my hormones (recently been there, checked that) and I'm not pregnant.  Trust me.  I'm hoping it's just the stress of the end of the year along with allergies kicking my butt.

Next week I plan on focusing on me. I'm going to be selfish.

I'm going to go to the gym on my time. I'm going to go to yoga as much as I want. I'm going to go to my gyno for my followup and see what's next for the cervical dysplasia that isn't gone after my last removal surgery. I'm having laproscopic surgery Friday, in hopes of fixing my infertility issues.  I'm going to log my food and lose these pesky 2lbs that have been lingering and stoping me from reaching goal #1.

So it's all about me, me, me.  I think we need that in life. 

So what if my downward dog is struggling...

Image by Sergi Monsegur via FlickrI have been going to a basic yoga class at Yoga Bliss for a few weeks now.  My first class was tough, but it didn't discourage me.  Then I found an amazing instructor, Maria who takes everything slow and gentle. She really gives me something to look forward to every week.

Do I struggle with some of the positions? Yes.  Do I care? I did. I stopped caring about three classes ago. I have come to accept the fact that I'll get there.  I have never felt like I've been in a more accepting studio.  Not only are the instructors non-judgmental and accepting, but the people who go there.  That wasn't my experience at a previous studio.  I would have people glance over at me and one lady even rolled her eyes as I was trying to regain my balance.  Rude.

I recently went on a Tuesday, where there is a bit more intense, beginner class, and I made it through - which felt good, but I felt like my mind wasn't doing the yoga with me.  You know how when you're there you can just clear your mind and feel your body and let things go? Yeah - The Tuesday class didn't do that for me. I was so focused on everything and just whether or not I was doing something right, that I felt feeling nice and stretched, but still all clustered in my mind.  I never hit that point.  So I think while I'll keep that class occasionally so that I can work up to feeling comfortable there, I like my Thursday class the most.   I'm know I need to step out of my  comfort box occasionally so I will.

Last night though, she read a little section from Lissabliss blog and it was perfect, so I wanted to share a small portion (Please go here to read the whole thing, it's worth it!)

Each time you limit or judge yourself, you do a disservice to yourself and your life. Start praising yourself. Start seeing your dreams as reachable. Start expanding your reality. Be yourself. Live your life. Go after all that you want in life. Invent your dreams and your life.
Affirmation: I am worthy. I am abundance. I am limitless. Believe it. Know it. Embrace it. Live it. Say this affirmation to yourself each day and feel your life start to open up for you.

I really needed to hear that. And I needed to share it, because I know I'm not the only one ou there that needed that.

Happy Friday.

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No Weigh In, Day 5 Walk it Challenge

I've decided to skip my weigh-in today and aim for Sunday.  Why you ask? Because when AF is here, I'm not letting her ruin my motivation. So I don't want to get on the scale and see the bloat.  I am considering changing my WI day to Sunday as it is.  I feel like that's a more convenient time. But we'll see.

So for today - skipping the weigh in! :)

However, in better news, I am on day 5 of the WW Walk it Challenge.

Yesterday was a 'rest' day, so rather than jog, hubs and I went for a walk in a nearby park.  Two laps around it and then headed off to dinner. I probably could have done two more, and gotten in 3 miles, but he always makes it easy to quit. He doesn't push me, I wish he did. Times like that are exactly why we don't work out together. 

Todays routine is to Run  2min   Walk 3min  for a total of 4 x

I plan on doing this tonight, before Yoga. I will NOT be stretching as hard as I did last time, because I've been suffering all week.  I don't plan on slacking, but there's one pose towards the end that I know I need to lay off a little bit.

 

Yoga - My First Day

I was sitting on the couch last night after my interval training for the Weight Watchers Walk it Off Community Challenge plan and boom - I felt everything I had done that day creep in.  My neck was sore, my abs hurt when I coughed (who even knew they were down in there under all this flab?) and my legs, oh the legs.

I talked hubs into giving me a neck massage, and took a motrin and went to bed. This morning, not so surprisingly, I'm the same sore, and I know tomorrow, it will be even a bit worse. Why you ask? Yoga.  I went to my first class in quite a while - and I struggled.  Who knew just stretching could be so difficult?

I went to Yoga Bliss in Akron, and had a great basic instructor. She was fun, helped guide me, and helped offer modifications so that I didn't overwhelm myself.

Why Yoga?

That's kind of easy.  Yoga is known to have so many benefits:

• Promotes overall flexibility and strength and increases your energy flow
• Promoting health and well-being, as well as peace and balance
• Helps increase metabolism and assists in weight loss 

And, most importantly, for me anyways:

• Builds mental focus and concentration.

So I figured I'd give it a go.


I walked into the studio and everyone right away was super sweet and nice.  I got my stuff put away, form filled out and got a spot in the back of the room so if I totally failed, at least I wouldn't be center stage for everyone.

The room was a nice size, and the class was a nice balance (about 5-6 of us).  The instructor explained everything, walked around making sure we were doing it right, and offered props and modifications. I really appreciate her attentiveness. I feel like right now if I learn something wrong or a bad habit that could possibly injure me, it's going to happen now that I'm learning, so I want to learn it right the first time.


A few poses I can do and enjoy (in no order - and I think I'm referring to them correctly.. who knows):

• Bridge
• Locust
• Cobra and upward facing dog
• Cat-Cow
• Child's Pose (though personally for me, it's not relaxing, it's uncomfortable.. maybe due to my weight and stomach still..)
• Chair
• Warrior 1 and 2
• Tadasana
• Uttanasana 
• Eagle - I'm semi on this, I kept losing my balance

Poses I am doing modifications to:

• Downward Dog  - I do NOT have the strength to hold my body weight on my arms and legs like that.  I did table pose instead pretty much for most of it. If it's a short hold, I can handle it, long holds of it I can't and didn't want to force myself
• Plank - No one likes a plank, but when you  have core strength, they are a lot more enjoyable.  Me - not so much.  So I did a few, and then modified it by doing it on my knees. 

Pose I didn't attempt:

• Crane

And my favorite:

• Final corpse

How can you not enjoy laying there and relaxing? ;)

So... The final verdict. Will I go back? Yes, I'm going back this week. And next Saturday I have a meditation class I'll be taking as well.

I figured I'd give it 11 classes (so I bought a package of 10).  If I still don't love it, or don't feel as though I'm benefiting from it after that, I'll stop. But I wanted to give it a fair shot.  And I will stick in the beginner class for quite a while. :)

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