Moving Day.

I have moved. Come join me at cristinameetslife.com.

Six.

Everything is changing. I swear, I can feel it. Don’t get me wrong, Yoga is huge. But, in a time frame of just five days, I have practiced Yoga six times. Yes, six. Do the math. Actually, looking back on my dailymile log, sometimes I had two sessions in one day. It’s pretty intense, but a good kind of intensity.

Today marked practice number six. Yes, I am practicing Yoga at home (to save money and the occasional embarrassment of farting mid Downward Dog), but today I ventured out to a local studio. A big thanks to my Lululemon Athletica Burlington Mall for the treat of a free Yoga class. It’s been a very long time since I attended a real class with other live bodies. The class was a nice treat, but I encountered one major problem.

Comparing myself to other Yogi’s. It’s tough. I know that I’m not that advanced and I can’t bend myself into pretzel like poses, but I compare. It’s not that I’m trying to “out do” the person next to me, but I do like the challenge of nailing an advanced pose. Whenever there’s an opportunity for a little twisting, etc… I always look around to see who’s doing what naturally. I look. To stop looking at others, I decided to wave my hand to the instructor and ask for guidance for one of the more challenging poses: Wheel. Of course, I explained that I never tried the pose before, but I wanted to try it anyhow. I did try and of course, everyone was looking at me which made me feel awkward. And then… I couldn’t even get myself off the ground. I felt like a failure.

But Yoga isn’t about failure. It’s about reconnecting yourself with your practice. Of course I’m going to struggle here and there. I get pretty impressed with myself when I was able to stretch more into Bow the second time around. It’s going to take time, but part of me thinks that because I’ve been practicing Yoga since college, I should “get” it by now.

What are your thoughts on self competition in a fitness class?

The Yoga Remix Challenge.

It feel so good to be back on the mat. Sometimes I wish I never “quit” Yoga. If you’ve never practiced Yoga before, but you’ve heard a lot about it… I suggest you visit your local Lululemon Athletica store and talk to an Educator about Yoga classes in your area. The store nearest me has free passes to various Yoga studios in the area, which is always great to discover which class is best for you. Back to the story… I do really love Yoga. It’s one of those things that once you discover it’s power, you feel so connected to what you’re really trying to achieve, instead of talking about it, or in my case… blogging about it!

Last January at my local Yoga studio, my awesome Yoga teacher who I haven’t seen since the Summer, created a Yoga challenge. The challenge was to take thirty Yoga classes in thirty days or to take five classes a week over a period of eight weeks. Of course I wanted to try it myself, but I was in a very different mindset then as to what I am now. I think I lasted a week on on the challenge, but stopped because life got in the way and I couldn’t regain my focus.

The Yoga Remix Challenge
Starting: Thursday, February 10 2011 // Ending: Thursday, March 10 2011
What: 30 Yoga sessions/classes in 30 Days
Where: Anytown, USA (and beyond) at your home or take classes locally
How: Log your workouts on dailymile
Why: Follow fellow challengers on dailymile and our challenge group too

C’mon… what do you have to loose? Let’s go.

Perfect Pair.

It’s tough to stay consistent and motivated when you can come up with a zillion excuses (and then some) why you shouldn’t. Excuses don’t get you anywhere. People always ask me if I run with a partner, and the truth is I don’t. Even if I had the opportunity to run with someone else, I probably wouldn’t. It sounds very black and white to say this, but if I’m relying on someone else to run with me or even work out with, and they can’t attend because I’m dependent on them, it doesn’t work. I think it’s just as important to be independent and do it yourself, because that’s how success happens.

Over the weekend, decided to rearrange some things and organize my room. The Yoga mat was tucked away, living in a corner of the room. I almost forgot I had a Yoga mat to begin with. I thought “if I move it into plain sight, maybe that will motivate me to use it more”. Therefore, I decided to move it right next to my foam roller. It’s important that I mention the placement of this is crucial. It’s new home is right next to my nightstand, across from my bed. Everytime I crawl into bed, I see it. To make everything simple, my YogiToes mat is rolled with my mat.

Why not make it simpler?

Also, I decided to put aside a simple Yoga outfit on the closet door. Both are Lululemon Not So Deep V Bra and Wunder Under Crop. So far, the perfect pair switch has been quite successful. Since then, I have practiced Yoga a total of three times and used my foam roller too. If I didn’t move the Yoga mat and it’s Power Yoga for Happiness 2 companion, I may not have used both otherwise.

Make a simple switch and get ready for a whole new beginning!

Winter Blues.

There’s nothing I want more than sunny skies, warm weather and flip flops. The past couple of weeks have been extremely challenging. Ever since the holidays have ended, I’ve been trying to create more balance in my life. For whatever reason, I always feel like I’m on the go. Rushing to get out the door to grab something on my way to work, rushing to eat my lunch, and rushing to squeeze in other to do’s in the day, when I literally can’t see myself getting these “little things” taken care of.

Because of my overly ambitious wants, I’m now fighting a viral infection. Over the past few days, I’ve been doing my best to create balance and peace in areas of my life that are off center, especially my diet.

Creating balance where there isn’t any, starts with breakfast.

Sometimes the little things make me happy. The other day at Stop & Shop, I picked up a bag of white cheddar rice cakes. I try and save money where I can, but I was so disappointed in the store brand. No offense, but Quaker is where it’s at. The store brand wasn’t as “cheesy” as Quaker, and tasted stale. My white cheddar rice cakes were a fair snack, but I wish I “splurged” on the other brand.

After hours of feeling beyond crappy, I left work early to rest and load up on over the counter cold medication, which truthfully does nothing for me since it’s a viral infection. Moving on, but continuing on with the cheap eats, I had ramen noodles and Kellog Cracker Chips for lunch. Truthfully, these are a Popchips wannabe. They’re OK but I wasn’t too into the ramen noodles. It was a quick bite so I could crawl back into bed after lunch.

Dinner was delicious! Veggie wraps from a local eatery.

To keep everything balanced, I added a string cheese (extra protein) and sliced strawberries. When i do plan my meals, do follow a meal plan created by my Dietician. I’m terrible at times for sticking to my guidelines and caloric intake (as in I don’t eat enough!), but I’m really doing my best to focus on myself and getting back to basics. Whatever works, do it so you can succeed.

Healthy eating isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle choice.