21 Day Yoga Challenge - Complete

So Yoga Journal decided to bring back their 21 day challenge for a second year. I participated a bit last year, but this year, they decided to join forces with Social Workout to keep us honest. They also added in a 15 minute meditation per day as well as trying to eat at least one vegetarian meal a day.

Well I did it!!! 21 days of yoga practice at home on my mat as well as 21 days of meditation. The vegetarian eating part is not too much of a challenge for me, but it did make me plan my dinners better. I even did Isagenix cleanse days along side and I am feeling great. I completed 160% of the challenge since many days I ate 3 vege meals and some days did 20 minutes of meditation.

I hope to keep up yoga at least 4 - 5 days a week and check out a new-to-me local yoga studio next week when I am back in D.F. and keep up the meditation practice too. Thanks for the push and the great yoga videos @Yoga_Journal and @socialworkout.  Let's see what new challenges they have to offer... anyone want to join me in the Dawn Patrol Challenge for February?

Back in the 30 Day Shred saddle

Sorry I have been absent for so long. Had some news to deal with and then a fab visit from my brother. All of which took me away from writing here.

Today I woke up too late to make it to my yoga class, but decided it was time again to let Jillian whip my butt for a while. So I got dressed and did Level 1 30 Day Shred workout this morning. It felt great as I did not feel like I was going to die like the first time I embarked on this workout. All the walking/running on the treadmill (I did make it to week 3 of couch to 5k) and yoga have definitely made me stronger. I am excited to make this 30 day pledge again.

For me I will pledge to either do a Jillian workout or take a 90 minute yoga class every day for the next 29 days. The end of the school year is always a stressful time with exams to write and grade and grades to finish and last teaching to complete and family day and a million other end of year obligations plus apartment hunting (new Mexico City digs) and moving. This is my pledge to take care of myself despite all this and to keep my stress level a bit more under control.

Here I go!!!!

Couch-to-5K: Week 2 complete!

So let's be real. I am not a runner! Never have been unless it was part of a soccer game or kickball game or _____ game... well you get the picture.

Yoga has been my game for the last years and I even completed my YogaWorks 200 hour level teacher training this summer in NYC with the best teacher, Jody Rufty and assistants and fellow students. I began my serious yoga training in Zurich with Olive and continued it Curacao with Kirti  who encouraged me to look into the training. It furthered my yoga practice greatly, but I have not found a yoga school nearby in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City yet and we have a gym in the basement of the building.

So.... this led me to the crazy idea of trying to run... again. My asthma (& the bum knee) has always been a sticking point for this and the high altitude does not make it better, but I thought let's give it a try. I had heard about Couch-to-5K from Cool Running from my friend Kami and found out there were all kinds of podcasts to help. Over 9 weeks, it shapes you up from a couch potato to running a 5k.

I had tried for  week months and months ago, but it did not stick. So I again went in search of a podcast to help me in this endeavor and I found Podcasts for Running by Robert Ullrey's which can be found at his website or in iTunes. These combine Robert explaining each week's set with good music and his cues of when to change from walking to running.

Well I have now finished Week 2. It has taken 3 weeks in total for this to happen, but I am doing it. You do each week's workout 3 times (it should only take a week). Week 1 happened with its 60 sec running and 90 sec walking with soreness, but all else well. Week 2 started and then grades were due and I did not get in workouts 2 or 3 so I started Week 2 again and have just finished it. :)  Today's workout was tough and 90 secs of running still feels quite long, but I am ready to move on to Week 3 on Thursday!

Any advice from others? I would love to hear it.

Back in the USA

So I am back in the US for an extended stay. My family and friends are lobbying hard for where I will spend this time. My one brother wants me to stay west coast with him, while the remaineder are lobbying for east coast... preferrably somewhere in the northeast. I love feeling so loved. :) As for me, I am not 100% sure what I want to do with this time yet so while I am still recovering from being ill, I will contemplate the worlds of secondary education, teaching yoga and maybe even being creative for a while and doing some design work with yarn.

In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all my friends wherever in the world they may be. xoxo

30 Day Shred - Day 9 through 21

Sorry I haven't written, but life has been busy.  I have been fitting in Shred and yoga some days both and some days one or the other.  I even began doing Level 2 of the Shred.  Jillian is a bit nuts and it is serious hard work, but it was cool to go up and the one day I went back and did Level 1 instead it felt simple in comparison.  I still do not like jumping jacks... AT ALL, but they are easier to do.  Things were going along pretty well... one day of real sickness in the middle of this stretch, but good around.

But yesterday I hit a big fat wall!  I am trying to reach some big personal goals in yoga in order to take a teacher training course this summer and have hit the level of over load on my muscles. It was great on Wednesday when I was able to do a yoga handstand for the first time.  Imagine the huge smile on my face... my yoga teacher assures me it was there. Yesterday was not the same story... I somehow made it through my Vinyasa class, but am not sure quite how. 


Today, I woke up and decided to listen to my body. I took a slow alignment yoga class today to stretch out my sore body and am taking the next 2 days totally off! I will give myself time to repair and try NOT to beat myself up over it.  I will not let it derail me and will get back up on Sunday to Shred again.  I do miss Jillian telling me not to stop for 20 minutes each day. :)  See you on the mat on Sunday!

30 Day Shred - Day 1 through 8

Well despite being sick this week I have pushed through and today will be Day 9 of my 30 Day Shred Challenge.  For those that think I am speaking some foreign tongue, I mean Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD.

A couple of days after I decided to add this to my yoga training to build strength I found through my wonderful PLN on Twitter that Shredheads way having a Challenge during the month of May and I joined in.  Even though I am a few days ahead, it is great to have people cheering you on.  I also have friends here in Curacao supporting my efforts and Judith even joins in some evenings.

Days 1 & 2 were the toughest and I still find the first circuit (3 min strength, 2 min cardio, 1 min abs) to be the hardest since my body is not warmed up yet. By days 4 & 5 I did find that I had more stamina and last night I was able to do the full version of butt kicks!

I have already noticed a difference in my level of strength and was able to do a headstand for the first time in yoga on Thursday evening.  I am on my way to hoping to be accepted in Om Yoga's Summer Intensive Yoga Teacher Training.  This is a great motivator to keep me going even while feeling a bit under the weather.  Last night Jillian got my sore back from being in bed all day off the couch/bed and moving a bit and also sweating out the nastiness inside.