The Finish Line Is Just The Start

Well I did it.  365 days of fitness blogs.  Something written for every day. Some workouts were extreme, like climbing a 14,000 foot peak in snow squalls.  Many others were firsts, like skiing with an Olympian for the first time when I skied with Billy Kidd in Steamboat Springs.  He is the first American man to ever medal in alpine skiing.  From logging miles on trails in Colorado to running through sprinklers in my childhood neighborhood of Greenville, South Carolina, it's been a year of intense workouts, exploring many incredible places, and finding a renewed love of yoga.  It's been a year of a few wipeouts and crashes on bikes and skis and some moments of facing my fear of heights and doing things like rock climbing.

It's been a year of a ton of moments when I just wanted to yell at the top of my lungs, "I am woman, hear me roar."  Sometimes, you've got to be your own cheerleader.  But I also leaned on my fitness coaches.  Yes, I call them coaches because a coach is a trainer, cheerleader, and motivator.  Erin, my Pilates and Kinesis coach at Pura Vida Club, has been with me every single step of the way in this challenge.  I so appreciated it when she told me how proud she was of me for following through with the year-long goal and never giving up.  I started training with Cristina, my intervals and strength training coach, in the last couple of months of this journey.  She is the one who can push me through an 11 mph sprint.  These two, along with my coaches Gregg and Sharon in San Antonio, are not just coaches, they are friends....and yes sometimes my therapists.

This blog started as something for just me.  Yet, it turned into something much greater.  I used it as a fitness journal that was started as a way to hold myself accountable for workouts.  A lot of folks use 40 as a goal to do something fitness related - loose weight, run a marathon.....guess I'm no different.  What I learned along the way is that it wasn't about me becoming the skinniest I've ever been.  Been there, done that, and never want to go through the amount of stress that got me to that point ever again.

What the year became was a year to push myself through some intense workouts to become stronger, faster, and fitter.  One of my favorite stores in Denver, Cry Baby Ranch, carries a t-shirt that says "Strong is the new skinny."  That became my motto for my Workout Warrior Year to 40.

Little did I know when I started the blog that thousands would read it, get inspired by it, and try the workouts and exercises.  I've appreciated the comments on posts.  They've really cheered me on.  I realized it wasn't just about me in this blog anymore.  I just became the vessel to share the workouts, exercises, and lessons learned along the way.  The response to the blog has been incredible.  So much so that I'm trying to figure out how to continue the blog.  It won't be every day - trust me, it's a lot of work and a huge commitment to log something every day.  But the workout video clips, well I'm thinking of continuing those in some fashion.  The blog has also lead to me being a feature writer for NFit, a new fitness magazine in San Antonio, Texas.  I write for magazines and publications on travel and weather, but this my first run as a fitness writer.  Fitting I guess, since fitness has been a huge part of my life from cheerleading in high school, to being a certified aerobics instructor and teaching in Knoxville, Tennessee, and San Antonio, Texas, to running marathons and doing distance bike rides, to my newest fitness passions of hiking mountains, Pilates, and yoga.

For me, the finish line of my 40th birthday is just the start.  Within the next month and a half, I'll be hiking to the highest point (and second highest on the contiguous US) in Colorado hiking Mt. Elbert the last weekend in July and then attempting to hike what is considered by many, the most difficult 14er in Colorado, and climbing Capitol Peak.  My expert mountaineering friends Chris Tomer and Jon Kedrowski talked me in to that one and yes, they'll be pulling me through the whole way.

The finish line is just the start.  I'm running into my 40s and looking forward to the incredible fitness adventures that I'll go on...and wonder what fitness challenge 50 is going to bring!

Sprints, Upper Body & Core

Today was intervals and weights with Cristina at Pura Vida Club.  We started with springs of course!  After a quick warm up, then minute run at 6mph, I did 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9.5mph, and 10mph 30 second sprints with no problem.  During my 10.5mph sprint I felt my right hamstring tighten up.  I decided to go ahead and try 11mph but at 18 seconds into the 30 second sprint my hamstring said no and I quickly bailed off treadmill.  Cristina had planned for me to do box jumps and other leg exercises but did a change of plans on the fly.

Instead we focused on arms and core.  I started with alternating 12 assisted pull-ups and what I can the caterpillar crawl for 15 hands forward then 15 hands back.  I did three sets of each.

Another exercise set was 12 chest presses with crunches on the ball followed by 14 opposite leg and arm lifts in plank.  The plank move looked easy but I quickly found out it is tough really focusing on balance and core strength.  As soon as I was done with three rounds of that set, I told Cristina that I obviously needed to do those because they were tough.

I also 12 chest wide bar pulls with 12 weighted leg kicks.  When Cristina was setting up the weights for the leg move, I said "5 pounds?!?!?!" She said just try it.  Well it was actually 7.5 pounds and I quickly found out why she went light weight.  Balancing on a bent leg with weighted leg bent and off ground, then kick forward extending leg from knee down isn't easy!

Here's a look at those exercises so you can try them too.

With the hamstring flare up I got a little extra stretch time on it.  Yes I give in.  I'm going to Airrosti to get it worked on.

What Is It You Choose Today?

After a tough CrossFit workout Saturday with CrossFit Low Oxygen, I so needed a yoga session yesterday.  Plus I'm super stressed with a lot to do and not enjoy time.  Let's just say the tension in my neck is well a pain in the neck!  The 2pm class at Core Power Yoga Highlands location is a CorePower 1.  It's in a warm room and a little slower than the CorePower 2.  I enjoy it because it is a great chance for me to really focus on form and connecting moves to breath.

As today's class started, the instructor Cara said "What is it you choose today?"  Here we go I thought, that's my keyed in phrase of the class.  Then she said if you choose compassion for yourself at in point in class, feel free to go into Child's Pose.  That would be the first pose starting with a "C" that would stand out to me in class.

Starting the class in Child's Pose, gave me a moment to let it all go and realize I was right where I needed to be.  Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and stress level wise I needed to be in that class.

Child's Pose
Photo courtesy Core Power Yoga

The next "C" pose was Crow.  This is a tough one and extremely challenging for me.  Today was the first time since I started going to Core Power Yoga at least once a week since early May that I could hold the pose.  It wasn't for long but I got it.  Everything just clicked for me and I challenged myself to get Crow Pose.

Crow Pose
Photo courtesy Core Power Yoga

The third "C" pose was Camel.  I can actually do this pose, but because it opens up your heart, I'm often flooded with emotions and sometimes a little dizzy coming out of this pose.  But the clarity that suddenly replaces that overwhelming emotional floodgate is simply cool to me.

Camel Pose
Photo courtesy VeganBodyBuilding.com

So what did I choose today?  I chose compassion, challenge and clarity all wrapped up in a 60 minute yoga class.

CrossFit Low Oxygen

Yesterday I did CrossFit with my friends Melissa and Carl.  Now this wasn't just any CrossFit......this was CrossFit Low Oxygen.  It's located in Frisco, Colorado that is at an elevation of 9,042 feet.  Denver's elevation is 5,280 feet.

The Saturday morning class is full with about 30 folks of all different fitness levels.  Brothers Dave and Brent, both ridiculous fit, lead us through an intense workout that involved 100 reps per exercise, 200 meter runs in between exercises, and unexpected burpee breaks.  Oh how I hate burpees!  When the music went off the signal the burpee break, you could hear the collective UGH! from everyone in the class.

We worked out in groups of three so I did mine with Melissa and Carl.  The 100 reps of each exercise was split up between the teams, how ever you wanted to get to 100.  All three members of group had to do each run....which had a twist.  These were weighted 200 meter runs with medicine balls and sand bags.

We had a few minutes to come up with our game plan of how to get through the W.O.D or Workout of the Day.

We decided to start with pull ups to get the hardest one out of the way first.  Instead of each getting a third of the 100 done in one fail swoop we rotated doing reps of 10 or less.

I really love that on the wall behind the pull up bar is the word, "Breathe."  That's a challenge in and of itself working out at over 9,000 feet!

I used a band to assist me in pull ups.  With some shoulder issues I don't do a lot of pull ups.

Then off on the 200 meter run carrying a medicine ball. Yes, not fun!  We alternated carrying medicine balls and a sandbag during the runs in between each exercise.

For the Medicine Ball Walking Lunges, you had to hold the medicine ball overhead as you lunged.  I went first and decided to go ahead and knock out 34 so I was done.  Melissa and Carl alternated until we hit 100.

We did switch the abs and box steps.  For the Medicine Ball Sit Ups, two people had to do these together.  Sitting on ground with feet touching, both go back to lay on ground with arms overhead, one person has the ball, who then sits up and tosses it over to the other person.  Carl and I started.  I did 20 then Melissa jumped in.  When Carl hit 30, I jumped back in and all three of us alternated from there to hit 100.

For the Sandbag Box Step Ups, with a sandbag on your shoulders, you had to step up on a box then down.  We alternated doing 10-15 reps until we hit 100.

Next was the D-ball Slams.  You start with medicine ball overhead, slam it to the ground, and pick it up a couple of inches from ground when you are in the bottom of the squat.  We alternated doing 10 reps until hitting 100.

For the Sandbag Push Presses, you start in a mini squat, elbows out in front of you, holding sandbag at shoulder level then press up to full extension.  We alternated doing 10 reps each until we hit 100.

Finishing the last run was a fabulous way to complete a tough Saturday morning workout.

Post-workout Pic at CrossFit Low Oxygen

Of course I was exercising and filming. So here are some clips from the CrossFit Low Oxygen W.O.D. on Saturday, June 23, 2012.

Great Stretch With Foam Roller Twist

Today I was my usual Kinesis and Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  In between my schedule and her vacation, it's been a month since we've had a session.  I was psyched to get back into my normal Monday routine.

We definitely jumped back into with lots of cable work and intervals in Kinesis.  In Pilates we spent a lot of time on the reformer doing everything from the Pilates Hundred to lots of hip and leg work.

Since I do a good amount of cardio my hamstrings, IT bands, and hip flexors tend to be tight, so Erin had me do this great stretch on the foam roller.  I'm definitely adding it in to my at-home stretches.

Here's Erin explaining how to do the stretch.

Lots of Lunges

Last Thursday was intervals and weights with Cristina at Pura Vida Club.  Instead of coaching me through and time watching, Cristina ran the sprints with me.  I love it when a trainer jumps in and does some of the exercises with me.  We did 30 second on, 30 seconds off at 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, and 10.5 mph. Then off to do some weight sets including the constant climb machine.  Never done that one...and certainly felt it through the weekend.  I think Cristina was on a lunge kick Thursday because I certainly had to do a ton!

Here are some the exercises including:  Lunges with ViPR Twist, Side Lunges with Weights, Constant Climber, and Bosu Lunges with Overhead Press.

Have fun trying these at the gym!

Push The Circuit

Today I made it the the Mad Abs and Dirty 30 classes at Pura Vida Club that I love to take on Wednesdays but hadn't been able to make in a couple of weeks.  There was no ease back in to class with Mad Abs class set up in circuit style.  So I jumped in and pushed hard for an hour.

Here's the set up for the Mad Abs class that Cyndie taught:

Burpees with weights (I did mine with 10 lbs)
Back Raises on the ball
Plank
Side twist with bands
Crunches with body bar
Side crunches on Bosu ball

Each exercise was for a minute (if side then switched at 30 seconds).  We did 3 rounds of all exercises.

That was just the beginning....Dirty 30 included burpees, of course!  But the burpees had a twist.

Here's the breakdown:

Front Lunges - 20 each leg
Squats - 20
Tuck Jumps - 20
Reverse Lunges - 20 each leg

Medicine Ball Chops - 15 each side  Using weighted medicine ball, start with ball to one side raised up over a shoulder, then slide or chop the ball across your body to the outside of the opposite hip as you squat slightly.

ViPR Push - across room and back  The ViPR is a weighted tube.  You basically bear crawl on your hands and feet as you alternate hands to push the weighted tube across the floor.  I started with the heaviest one for the first round but dropped to a lighter one for the other two.

Nasty Thing - 15 reps  Okay I laughed when Tim wrote it on mirrors.  It should be caused burpees that make you cuss.  Start in push up position, row one arm, push up, row other arm, push up, jump feet to hands, stand up,  extend arms overhead, then return to start position.  Here's the kicker....do these with weights.  First round I did 8 pound weights, but for other two rounds dropped to 5 pound weights.

I got through almost three rounds before the 30 minute class ended.  I was in to my third round of my last set of Nasty Thing and finished five.  I was bound and determined to finish three rounds so I kept going and finished the last 8 of the set.

Pushed it and got it done!

Race To The Mat...To Let It Go

Apparently yoga is therapy, or at least for me it is.  I went to a different Core Power Yoga location today. I was going to take a noon class but wasn't able to get out of work in time.  When I checked the CPY website I found a 3:30pm Core Power 1 class.  Perfect for me today!

As we started class, the instructor Jessi was talking about racing to the mat as a metaphor to life.  That's definitely me.  Yes I race to yoga so I can have a moment to breathe, relax, recharge, and renew.  Kind of ironic but that's the way it works for me.

A few minutes later she said breathe in and then as you breathe out, let it go.  As I put the two simple lines together in my head and focused on those during the class I found the heart of why I enjoy Core Power Yoga.  Yes I race to the mat just so I can let it go.  

I'd originally started going to increase flexibility and use it as a supplemental workout to my other cardio and strength workouts.  What I've found is that no classes are the same and that the classes are not just a physical workout for me but also an emotional and in a sense spiritual moment for me as I ponder over thoughts and ideas.

In a couple of the classes and in the mine today, instructors have said when we're in an inverted position about how those positions can give you a different perspective.  It's so true.  As I walk out of each class I have a different perspective on something going on in my life.

So like today, I go to yoga to get a new perspective and challenge myself through the postures in a hot room. It really is detoxing and yet renewing at the same time as you sweat through the postures.  In the 60 minutes of class, something changes and there's some sort of different perspective at the end.

Yes, I race to the mat....to let it go. 

  

Get 'Er Done Intervals

Yesterday I had a one hour intervals and weights session with Cristina at Pura Vida Club.  I text Cristina right before session asking if we were going outside.  YES! I got back.  Ok here we go I thought - one hour of sprints, hops, lunges, shuffles, and other moves that made me tweet out afterward that the new name of my sessions with Cristina are officially called "kick Jen's booty hour."

We did start indoors for sprints.  I'm better at sprints on treadmill so I can watch speed and time.  So after a quick warm up, I was off and running sprints at 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, and 11mph.  I did 30 seconds at each miles per hour then 30 seconds off before going on to the faster speed.

After sprints, we headed outside for some top of the parking garage fun.  First up was set of lunges with ViPR row and shuffles with Cristina adding resistance to the band that was around my waist.  I did 10 lunges with 20 swings and 10 shuffles each side for three sets.

Another series was leg hops over small hurtles and bicep curls.  I did 10 hops then straight in to 12 bicep curls for three sets.

The toughest one for me was the lift of a 24 pound ViPR.  That was followed by jumps over a small hurtle.    Cristina had me do 4 lifts of the ViPR (using 4 small lifts up and down) then 10 jumps.

Here's a look at some of the intervals.

What's Your Intention?

What's your intention? That was the question my Core Power Yoga instructor Heather started class with yesterday.  My initial intention was to just to try to keep up with the flowing moves (I'm still a yoga newbie), sweat, focus on my breathing, and stretch.

It is funny to me how my mind wanders in a yoga class as I think about a sentence or a few words an instructor says in the beginning.  Maybe I do it so I don't focus on the heat or the fact that so many others in the class are so much better at yoga than me.

This class was packed.  There were literally a couple of inches between each mat.  Deep in thought over the word intention, flowing from one posture to the next in the heated, crowded room, somewhere out of no where the old-fashioned stereotypical small town idea of the father standing at the door with a shotgun with his daughter's suitor trembling on the door steps as the father ask, "What are your intentions with my daughter?" popped into to my head like it was a scene in a movie.....then SMACK!

The girl next to me had just kicked the guy behind her in the head as she was going up in a handstand. Rule #1 I thought, don't try a handstand in a crowded yoga class, especially when you are in the middle row.  His head snapped back.  He sat back without saying a word but just put his arm out for her to stay away as she turn around and moved toward him to make sure he was ok.  From his reaction I'm going to guess it really hurt and he might of had some sort of neck issue.  She sat shaken on her mat for a few minutes and slowly rejoined the posture series.

Just like the smack to the head, I suddenly realized that the intention of this class just turned in to me analyzing and pondering my dating life. Well that hit me like a ton of bricks.  Really? Yoga correlates to dating?  Ah heck, I really just have to go with this right?  Just go with the flow I thought, since I'm in a hot yoga class....although I did wonder for a sec if the heat was getting to me.

Okay here's the deal, I apparently stink at dating.  I'm blessed to have a ton of friends, but Mr. Right? Well he's certainly hasn't made his presence known....yet (at least I hope there's a yet in there).  As far as intention, working in television, I do wonder at least for a split second when a guy ask me out if he's asking me out because I'm a chick on tv or because he's asking me out for me.  I've gone out with both and the first type I realize in a hurry.  Those are road blocks, but you have to run in to those to appreciate the joy of spending time with those who want to spend time with you, because of you.  It's just like in yoga, you have to put in the effort of trying a pose, fail, or not quite be able to do it, to relish in the joy when you can.  Wow, I am correlating yoga to dating I thought.  My closest friends say I'm perceived as a strong woman.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but apparently it's not such a great thing when dating.  Struggling through postures and poses in yoga while watching others bend and twist in ways I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do, I know I have many weaknesses and weak moments, but I'm willing to at least try and search for a strength inside of me to get through.  In a roundabout way I figured out my intention in that class:  weaknesses and struggles can lead you to a new joy.  Mr. Right?  He'll come along but it's probably going to take me getting smacked in the head to realize it.  It's ok to laugh, because I am.

I did smile when Heather said near the end of class to think about the intention you started the class with....and then how the intention changed over the 60 minutes of class.  Wonder what my intention is going to be for my next yoga class.  

Push It With Intervals & Weights

Today was one hour of intervals and weights with Cristina at Pura Vida Club.  Which really means one hour of push me to the max.  I went in full of energy and ready to rock after a great day of work and 45 minutes of running around scrambling to get a few errands done.  We hit it right away with sprints after a warm up.  That meant 30 seconds running on treadmill at 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, and 10.5 miles per hour with 30 second breaks in between.

After sprints, it was some arm work, several intervals with VIPR, squats with 85 pound barbell, more arms including TRX moves of pull ups and triceps extensions.  All weights were three sets of 12.  All intervals were 30 seconds with short rest in between.  Goal with intervals is 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off like Cristina has me do with sprints.

Here are a few of the exercises so you can see how to do them if you want to try them out!

Balancing Act on the Foam Roller

Monday was my usual Kinesis and Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  One of the exercises Erin had me was on the foam roller.  I have this love-hate relationship with foam roller when it comes to using it for stretches.  I love the benefits but if you use one, you know it can be, well let's just say there can be some wincing and breathing through the roll, especially for calves, hamstring, and IT band for me.

I love when Erin incorporates the foam roller in to abs or back exercises.  She did that Monday with a balancing move that works abs and helps with hip stabilization.

Here's Erin explaining the how to do the exercise.

Intervals & Weights

Thursday was a one hour session with Cristina of intervals and weights.  It was my first push hard workout since tweaking my back and taking two full days off.  I started with sprints of 30 seconds running, 30 seconds off of treadmill.  I did 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5 and 9mph sprints.  The goal was to push but not go all out and if back hurt at all stop.  I did fine.  Then she shifted me over to alternating assisted pull ups and lunge step ups.  From there it was on to triceps pulls and weighted leg side lifts.  I really liked alternating upper and lower body in exercise pairs.  Here's that set of exercises.

Next it was on to biceps then a few things with the ViPR.  One of those moves I felt my back so had to modify slightly the alternating swing ViPR squat to overhead press to other side.  It's a move that I've done before with a swing squat, lift, and hop but didn't do the hop because of back.  Last was stretching and I was done for the day.

It was nice to push but not over do it!   

Franklin Method

Monday morning I tweaked my back about 6am by turning and catching one of my heels on some pulled up carpet at work.  It was the kind of take your breathe away sharp pain every time I tried to turn or bend over after that.  I don't generally have back issues so I thought I just pinched something and it would go away.  Well by 11am it didn't.  There goes my workout with Erin, I thought.  I text her and let her know I was taking two Aleve and laying down for bit but that I was still going to try to come.  Okay call me stubborn but I really enjoy my Monday Kinesis and Pilates sessions.  So when I got to Pura Vida Club, it was pretty obvious I wasn't in any shape to do Kinesis and really not much as far as Pilates.  So Erin turned the session into a PT session for me with the goal to loosen up the back and get me out of pain.

She had me do some stuff that is based in the Franklin Method.  I'd never heard of it, but apparently it's gaining popularity in the dance, Pilates, yoga and physiotherapy worlds.  She had me lay down on two softball size soft balls first both at the low back (where my pain was), then upper back, then one high and one low, and then the other way high and low.  Each position was done for a couple of minutes.  It suppose to help break up the fascia webbing of soft tissue.  Since the injury was still a very sensitive area, Erin used this method with soft balls instead of a foam roller or other exercises.  I could feel my back releasing.

She also had me do some other gentle moves to help with back and open up or stretch hip flexors and hamstrings then ice for 10 minutes on, 5 minutes off, then 10 minutes on again.

Crazy how sometimes a small move or twist can result in a lot of pain.  After the relief I got from the Franklin Method, I'm a fan!

What If Your Someday Is Now

What if your someday is now?  You're probably wondering what does that have to do with fitness.  Well, a lot for me today.

I took my fifth yoga class in 5 days at CorePower Yoga.  My friend Heather met me at the Highlands location to take CorePower Yoga 2 - Heated Power Yoga.  Here's the description of the class from CorePower Yoga website:  "Ready to sweat? CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) is a rigorous yoga class with demanding strength postures that will have you moving, breathing and sweating! True to its name, a C2 class focuses on building and engaging your core strength to support you in more advanced postures. Set to energizing music in a heated, climate-controlled room, CorePower Yoga 2 strengthens, balances, detoxifies and exhilarates the body and mind. "This class torches calories" – Shape Magazine"

Tiffany taught the class.  Right off the bat she said, "This hour is for you."  That came full circle near the end of class with her statement, "You gave yourself this gift."

Being a meteorologist, journalist, writer, and blogger I like story-telling with a beginning, middle, and end so these two simple lines or thoughts resonated so much with me.  I often look at my workouts as something I do for myself, a priority for my sanity, and a chance to check out for an hour.  Guess I'd never really thought of it as a gift to myself, but during the class it became so obvious to me that yes it is a gift to me.  Flowing through the postures and movements, I realized I gave myself the gift to sweat, detox, stretch out muscles, better align myself, re-center physically and emotionally.  I also realized later that I gave the gift of fitness, health and well-being to my friend Heather, as she did to me today.  Both of us said if the other one would have bailed then we would have too.  So glad neither of us bailed.

Not long into the class, when we were holding a pose, Tiffany also shared with us that she moved this week.  Yesterday she was unpacking and pulled out a magnet that said something like, "What if your someday is now."  I couldn't get that out of my head for the rest of class.....what if...my someday is now.  Someday I'll meet Mr. Right, someday I'll travel around the world, someday I'll reach my goal to travel to all 50 states (7 to go), someday my Swept Away will be a huge success, someday I'll climb Kilimanjaro....someday, someday, someday.  Trust me I've got a lot of somedays.

There was one moment in the class, when we were in chair position with right arm wrapped under left, hands touching in front of face and right leg lifted up, over and wrapped around the left leg, that I saw in the mirror a steady drip of sweat falling from my right elbow.  Same thing happened with the left elbow when we switched to the other side.  Totally zoning out on those sweat droplets that looked like rain droplets (fitting for a gloomy foggy and misty Sunday morning), I realized my someday that is now is pretty darn good.  I see that in the moments captured in pictures and video and on live tv of laughter, smiles and happiness.  It's great to have dreams and goals, but I'm one lucky girl....who's doing her best to be a yogi-in-training in her someday that is now.

Smallest Efforts Have Biggest Impact

Three days in a row I've done yoga....that might be a record for me!  With the dreary weather yesterday I didn't feel like running or hiking, so off I went to take Hot Power Fusion at the Highlands location of Core Power Yoga.  It's smaller than the Broadway location I've been going to but I like the cozy feel.

I walk into the yoga studio and it's packed with women.  This was the first class I'd taken that was all women.  There was one spot all the way across the room by the window.  So I trudged through the sea of mats, water bottles, towels, and women stretching, relaxing, and chatting to that window spot.  Somehow three more ladies squeezed in the room after me.

In a room full of women, in walks Anders, our yoga guide for the next 60 minutes.  Being a person who loves to laugh and smile, I was hooked on his class as soon as he said to do this class you must start with a smile.  Then he quickly moved us through an hour of postures and holds.  I really enjoyed how the class went from doing 30 to 45 second holds to movements that flowed with your breath of one movement with one breath.  For example, inhale as you extend arms overhead, exhale as you bend forward, inhale as you come halfway up, exhale as you extend hands back to ground (yes I still have a ways to go to get my hands flat on the ground but I'll get there!).

I wish I could remember a quote that Anders said in class.  It had to do with the smallest efforts have the biggest impact.  Even in the stillness of moments like when you are in savasana (corpse pose) you are reaping big benefits.  A moment of total relaxation allows your body, mind, and soul a chance to regroup, rebuild, and recharge.  For my crazy, stressful life those moments are invaluable!

"Rock Your Hot Pink Yoga Pants"

"Rock your hot pink yoga pants."  That's what my Yoga Sculpt instructor told us at the beginning of class.  This was my second Yoga Sculpt - Heated Power Yoga with weights at Core Power Yoga.  Morgan was subbing for the regular instructor.  Morgan used to teach at the Broadway location but left to go to law school in Arizona and is back for a couple of months.  She started class with a story of her first day at law school.  She had been teaching yoga for a year and went to class in her hot pink yoga pants.  Everyone else was dressed in suits with notepads in hand.  She quickly learned she wasn't a "suit" but was able to make it work for her.  The moral of her story is even if everyone else is rockin' a suit, or in class the positions or doing exercises with heavy weight, rock your hot pink yoga pants.  Stay true to yourself, listen to your body, and go for it.

This class is tough.  Have you ever done a yoga class that also has burpees, football runs, jumping jacks, and other plyometric moves?  Combine those with going into yoga positions using weights in between cardio sets and you've got yoga sculpt.  Add in the fact that the class is in a heated room and you are seriously torching calories along with detoxing and working hard for better vitality, strength, cardio, and balance.

It was fast-paced, fun and tough.  In the last 15 minutes of class we majorly worked glutes.  At one point, in the glutes series, my friend Joana asked "How's your butt feeling?"  Both of us laugh - it was such a tough glutes series of leg lifts with weighs that all we could do was laugh....and breathe to get through it.  After that series we went straight in to bridge lifts, which was more glutes work along with abs, inner thighs, quads and hamstrings.

For at least 45 minutes of the class I was dripping sweat.  That's part of the class - sweat out any toxins in your system since you are working out in a heated room.

I loved when I walked outside after class and it was raining.  As I walked in Mother Nature's liquid sunshine, I felt revitalized and renewed.  I tweeted out that it was refreshing.  It truly was!

Hot Yoga

Yesterday I took Hot Yoga.  Core Power Yoga offers a free week and I wanted to get in at least one more class during my first week.  I used to do Bikram Yoga on a regular basis but hadn't done it in at least 2 years.  So I was pretty excited about the Hot Yoga class.  It's a 60 minute class in a room heated to 105 degrees.  My instructor, Mary Beth, is very slim and fit.  I loved her calming tone of voice and that she corrected me with my hand positions.  I was separating my thumbs and fingers on a foot hold and she said I should keep thumbs with fingers.  It made the position a little tougher but it's suppose to be better for stability.  I'm a newbie yogi so definitely want the instruction and correction if I'm doing something wrong.

In the class we did a series of 26 postures.  I really liked how the class flowed from position to position.  I was a full out sweaty mess.  It's a different kind of sweat than sweating from cardio like running or biking.    You truly feel like you are sweating out toxins and opening yourself to a restored, renewed you.

Too Beautiful Not To Run

I was going to take a rest/recovery day yesterday since I had a noon haircut and highlights at Posh Salon.  Waffling between doing a couple of errands and running at Wash Park....the run won.  It was just too beautiful of a day not to enjoy a little time outside.

So off I went on an easy 30 minute run before my hair appointment.  Wish I could have gone longer but that was all the time I had.

So much for the rest day!  Running in the park was way more fun.

I also got in some stretching for my hamstring - yes it's still bothering me - and enjoyed a nice 30 minute walk with my dog.

Royal Arch Hike

Yesterday I met some friends in Boulder to hike up to Royal Arch.  It was the perfect weather for a hike - sunny and cool.  The Royal Arch Trail is a butt kicker.  It's tough and steep spots.  It's 3.2 miles but the elevation is 1, 205 feet.  Since it goes up and down, the elevation gain round trip is 1,417 feet.

The view from the top is definitely worth the work you put in to getting there.

The Royal Arch was formed by wind, water, and mechanical erosion.  It is a fragment of the Fountain Formation.  The mineral rich sand eroded from the ancestral Rocky Mountains uplift 300 million years ago.  From the ebb and flow of inland oceans, the sediments were compressed into a layer of sandstone then thrusted upward by the same tectonic force that created the present day Rocky Mountains.

If you're in the Boulder area, it's a great moderately strenuous hike. Go for it!