I've Been Converted

Last year on my list of New Years Resolutions I said I wanted to incorporate more yoga into my exercise routine. I'll be honest, I increased my yoga attendance by about .03 percent. I meant well, I did. However, It just didn't happen. This year, on the other hand, I have become a yoga practicing fool...and I LOVE IT. I have been doing at least one, if not two or three, classes a week and I am such a fan. When class is over I always feel worked, stretched, and very happy.

Last night I convinced my darling friend Janae and her husband to come to Power Yoga at The LAB with me. It was SO MUCH FUN. I took this pic from her blog...thanks girl...

I actually laughed when I saw this because I was reminded that I really am a midget. Billy, her husband had never been to yoga before and he totally rocked it, handstands and all. Janae, who is the cutest lil' prego thing I've ever seen, was also amazing. I'm fairly certain their child is going to come out running a 4 minute mile, wearing a gold medal around her neck...just saying. These people are athletes!

Some of the reasons I have loved doing yoga so much is because I feel like it is so beneficial for the body! Stretching is something that most of us don't do enough of, and yoga challenges both flexibility and strength. With all of the lifting and running I do, it is a great change up. It is also a great time to relax and meditate. Let's be honest here, it's good for the body and the soul.

We are currently offering two yoga classes at The LAB, and we are working on adding more in as we speak. The classes we do have are;

Power Yoga 6:45 PM Monday nights
Restorative Yoga 7:30 AM Saturday Mornings

You can come and try your first class for free, so if you are wanting to give it a shot, come and do so! Drop in rates are $10 per class, and we also have punch cards available.

ALSO...I am offering another FREE Barre Bootcamp class on Wednesday night. It will be from 7:00-8:00 PM. Come, and bring your friends with you! I promise it's a good workout, and your core/buns/thighs will thank you :) If you have any questions let me know!

Do you practice yoga? If so, what is your favorite kind of yoga?

Antigravity Yoga, Dinner, and Shopping...mmmmm

Today was awesome. I was able to get in a 6 mile tempo run that actually felt GREAT. It am still trying to figure out my nutrition with my Paleo eating and my endurance training, so I feel like I never know how my runs are going to go. Today was great!

Later today I met up with the lovely ladies I work with at The Lab for a fitness adventure.

 We drove up to the Imagination Place in Salt Lake to try out some antigravity yoga. Antigravity yoga is a combination of yoga, gymnastics, dance, pilates, and calisthenics. You use hammocks that hang from the ceiling to bend, stretch, swing, and hang. It is almost trapeze like.

(Image Source)

It was so awesome! At some points we were swinging and flipping, other times we were stretching, and then we'd move into inversions and just hang for a bit. It was so fun to try something new, and I absolutely loved it. The reason we wanted to go test this class out is because we are looking to bring antigravity yoga to the lab!

We finished our night with a deliciously healthy meal at the Blue Lemon, and some shopping at City Creek. It was so. much. fun.

Have you ever done antigravity yoga before? Do you like to go and try new fitness adventures?

The Yoga Lab and a Paleo Update

Happy Saturday! This morning I started off my day bright and early at The Yoga Lab (at The Lab) with some restorative yoga. I honestly don't think I couldn't have started my day ANY better. I forget how much I really like yoga until I take the time to do it. It always feels so good to really stretch and strengthen your body, and to have the time to do some relaxation and meditation. SO SO SO great.

If you are in Utah county, or if you are looking for a road trip...you should come do some Saturday yoga with me! We are offering free a free restorative Yoga Class every Saturday morning from 7:30-8:45 for the month of March. The teacher is AWESOME, and It really will start your Saturday off right. If you'd like more info about it leave me your email address!

I had planned to do a long run today, but I decided to mix it up a bit. I did 95 minutes of intervals on the elliptical instead. I watched this past week's episode of The Biggest Loser while I worked out, and I was completely captivated. If you are looking for something to motivate you while you are working out that will certainly do the trick.

I have had a few of you ask for some updates on how my first week of paleo has gone. Here it goes in bullet-ted form...because that is just the way I do things. 

- Breakfast was the hardest transition for me. This week I have either had 3 whole eggs or 3 oz of turkey jerky and some berries. Turkey jerkey for breakfast? I know...weird. Cody gave me the tip to check out Costco's natural turkey jerky. It is the Oh Boy Oberto! brand,  and it is so good. It is a great snack you can take with you for those of you who are looking to eat some protein on the go.

- I haven't felt hungry. I am eating a TON of veggies, fruits, and lean proteins. Ok, I should rephrase that...I get hungry when it is time to eat, but I eat my good meals and then I feel satisfied. I don't go to bed feeling hungry in the slightest.

- There have definitely been ups and downs. It hasn't been entirely easy. The food plan itself requires will power, planning, and determination to stick to it. My philosophy in life with a healthy diet is the 80 percent rule. I think that 80 percent of how you look is diet, and 20 percent is exercise. I also think that if you can eat perfectly 80 percent of the time, you can stand to be not so perfect the other 20 percent. I'd say with this past week I have been pretty on my game. I did not tell myself I was going to give up my diet dr pepper one hundred percent, because I was already feeling like I was giving up a LOT. So, I told myself I was going to do my absolute best to not drink it because all artificial sweeteners are out in the paleo plan, and I think it is better to not drink it. I am pretty proud of myself in that area. I went all week without even a drop. I did have one today though, and I sure did savor it.

- I have HAD to be prepared. I had to be sure I had fresh produce and good protein. Funny how all of the convenience foods are the foods we should probably eat less of, and yet we usually end up eating more.

- I have eaten a LOT of chicken. It's times like these that I wish I liked fish... 

- I am down two pounds on the scale

- I am loving that I have coworkers and clients doing this with me. It is always so great to have a support system to bounce ideas off of.

- I think the first week of anything is the hardest! So, I'm excited to see how next week treats me :)

Do you practice yoga? Do you have any awesome healthy chicken recipes that I should be trying to mix things up??

Have it your way.

You probably think all my family does is eat. At least that is what all of my past posts have been about. Well, you are right. JK, I promise we do other things in between all the eating. What can I say? We like our food. Last night we decided to make omelets for dinner. Similar to the pizzas, these are a great healthy meal option that you can tailor to each persons taste buds. 

 

Toppings Included: 

 and...

 with some mushrooms, cilantro and cheese as well. 

My omelet turned into more of a scramble of sorts, but it was surely delicious. I wanted to nix some of the saturated fat so I did one whole egg and three egg whites. I threw in some Lowry's season salt, and a bit of fresh ground pepper. Yum. Add a side of whole wheat toast and you're happy as can be.

You know how I like my nutritional information.

The stats for my omelet... 142 calories, 6 grams of fat, 5.5 grams of carbohydrates, 1.7 grams of fiber, and 17.2 grams of protein. Hey yo! Using egg whites instead of whole eggs is a great way to increase your protein without increasing your saturated fat. One egg white only has 17 calories and 4 grams of protein. WORTH IT.

Now, I have a question for you...Are you guys Yoga people? My brother who is here with me visiting the fam is a total Yoga-er Yogi? Yogurt? Clearly I am not one...as you can tell. I have always had the philosophy of; "If I am going to take an hour or an hour and a half to exercise I want to burn some calories. I want to sweat. I want to leave feeling ten pounds lighter, not more limber." Yoga is great for some people...but not for me.
Well this morning my darling brother, he really is thebomb.com, told me he wanted to try out a studio yoga class here in AZ and he was taking me with him. The end. He even paid for me. I told you, darling.

We were some of the first people there, as you can tell. It actually ended up being a pretty packed class. I wanted to sneak a photo to document this event, cause I didn't know if I was ever going to go back. The class was a level two flow yoga class. I danced all growing up, and in some of my ballet training and stretching we would do some yoga from time to time, so I have a miniature grasp on what yoga is all about, but I told my brother he was free to pretend like he didn't know me when I looked like a complete fool.
The verdict?
I actually really liked it! It felt really good to do something different. I still have no idea what was going on with the chanting and all of the talk about my heart center, but I kept up just fine. I'm really good at faking stuff like that...ommmmmmm....see? It was really relaxing and it felt good.

Now for my question. Do you do yoga? How do you fit it in? I feel like in order for me to add yoga into my workout regime it would require just adding more exercise into my routine, which is fine, but I know that time isn't always going to be available. Give me your feedback on this one...I really am curious!
p.s. Thank you bro. Lub you!