Why I picked Advocare

If you've been following me on Instagram, you've seen quite a few new hashtags: #24daychallenge and #advocare being chief among them.

So, yes. I am doing the 24 Day Challenge. Yes, I bought the supplements. Yes, I'm now that crazy chick not drinking a beer with my Georgia Football.

I've actually been curious about Advocare for a little over a year, and, after not liking how my jeans fit for the last time, I bit the bullet and signed up for the 24 Day Challenge once I noticed a friend selling it.

After a week on the challenge, I'm pretty happy with how I'm feeling, eating, and - yes - shrinking. I'm not weighing myself or measuring myself until the end of my challenge because I think the scale is stupid, but I am definitely already noticing changes.

Here's three reasons why I picked Advocare (and why Advocare may be a great pick for you):

1. I'm competitive. As I explained to my distributor, Cari, I feel like I'm competing with the Challenge every day. I feel accomplished when I exceed my water total or turn down the fries I'm not supposed to have. I feel like I'm winning when I prep my meals or kill a tough workout. The nature of the Challenge, as well as the length, makes it a perfect fit for my competitive nature.

2. I needed a kick in the butt, but not a quick fix. While the 24 Day Challenge requires you to adhere to a supplement program, it doesn't promise a get-fit-quick scheme without also changing your diet and incorporating consistent exercise. This forces me to acknowledge and change my habits in order to be successful on this program.

3. The suggested nutrition is solid, and it doesn't require you to starve yourself. This is big. Advocare advocates (that's fun to read out loud) a whole foods, primarily plant-based, non-processed approach to nutrition. I. Love. This. This means the nutrition plan can be tailored if you are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, whatever. It teaches you to eat whole, nutritious foods, a nutrition strategy that is both widely accepted and easy to maintain.

I'm looking forward to posting some of my favorite recipes, observations, and success. Mostly the success part :)

You vs. You

Life is good, ya'll.

So good, that I have neglected this blog for (if we're being honest), about seven months. I've been busy with work, traveling all over the Southeast and Southwest, and I've been doing well! I'm back in the industry I want to be in, and I'm in a role that is both challenging and fulfilling. I've also been lucky to have just a few incredible people fall into my life.

But, if I'm being honest, I've gotten a little out of shape. Not fat, not completely out of shape, just soft. Slower. Not at my peak.

I'm coming back. Back to weightlifting, running, Bikram yoga, intermittent fasting, and blogging. I'd like to be an athlete again. And this time, I want to be better than I was before. 

So, you've heard it here first: I will be competing in Miss Virginia Beach USA on July 19th, and I will be competing in Miss Virginia USA in late November. I am going to beat myself at my peak - Summer 2012; me vs. me.

In the spirit of transparency, I'll be posting about my running, workouts, and nutrition here. And on Instagram, because, let's face it: I love Instagram. I'll also be sharing some of the books I'm reading, the goals I'm setting, and things that I'm learning (that you may also be interested in!).

Thanks for reading and for the continuous support. You all rock.

Real Talk: The top five things to keep in mind during the VS Fashion Show tonight

From a quick glimpse at my social media, it seems that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is going to be a pretty popular event, mostly with my girl friends. My Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of girls making jokes about the burgers they're eating now or the cleanses they're going to start tomorrow, which I find to be an interesting commentary on what we view as acceptable and valuable within our culture. I digress.

My newsfeed is also chock-full of inspiration in the form of lists, so I figured I'd publish my top five things for women to keep in mind while watching tonight's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show:

1. You will never look like any of the models on TV tonight. And you know what? They're never going to look like you either. Those thigh gaps, long legs, or the 5'11'' height that you're envying came to them 70% in the form of genetics. But so did your awesome smile, crazy cool eye color, and great arms. Nobody is perfect, but each of us is unique and special and one-in-a-million just the way we are. 
2. Weight is nothing but your relationship with gravity. The scale says nothing about your experiences as a person, the incredible things you do for the people in your life, and, in all actuality, very little about your health as a whole. 
3. Going crazy with cardio and/or starving yourself is not a solution. I can't tell you the number of tweets/statuses (statii)/Instagram pictures I remember seeing last year from women vowing to cut carbs or workout for hours on end after watching the fashion show. In case you missed point #1, no amount of cardio or fasting is going to turn you into into Gisele, but it's probably also going to make you miserable and frustrated. Beauty and health are byproducts of loving yourself and treating yourself well. Find an activity you enjoy and go do it because it makes you feel alive. Eat well because eating well impacts every other area of your health and well-being -- and because it allows you to do that activity that makes you feel alive. When we're pursuing physical activity or healthy eating solely for aesthetic results, we're missing out, because true health and well-being impact every aspect of your life, and make you a better person in the process.
4. Remember your inner eight year old (and every other eight year old you know). One of my favorite internet lists I've ever read talks about how "little eyes are always watching." Think about your standard of beauty now, and really question whether or not the Angel Standard is the one you would want an eight-year-old held to - or if you would even want her to place a significant value on her physical appearance at all. Besides, your inner eight-year-old thinks ogling women in underwear is super gross.
5. If you're genuinely inspired to change your lifestyle, don't talk about it, be about it. If you are truly inspired to go work out or eat healthier, start adding positive changes to your life that are going to stick. Make a commitment to eat more vegetables, drink more water, or go for a run several times a week. But don't just put empty commitments or pity-parties into the social media sphere - go do them. Because watching a bunch of women model lingerie isn't going to do much for your confidence, but starting to make positive changes definitely will. Otherwise, your negative comments about your weight or "never looking like these women" are doing nothing but negatively impacting every other female follower on your newsfeed.

Fitness as a journey

Yesterday I went back to Bikram yoga for the first time in a month.

Let that sink in for a hot sec. A whole month. I knew it was going to be rough, but was pleasantly surprised when I was moving through pranayama deep breathing and half moon pose. I eve felt uncharacteristically strong during the balancing series. Usually, I fall out at least once on each pose, but this time I was able to hold both sets of each posture until the instructor told us to change.

And then I hit the floor. The floor was not friendly yesterday -- I had those feelings of being overheated that I used to get so frustrated by early into my Bikram experience. I made all the rookie mistakes -- wiping away sweat, fanning myself, angry at the heat. Basically, the second half of my very first class back in a month was rough -- and that's an understatement.

So I'm sitting there, feeling like death and about to go through all the should've/could've/would'ves about my last month of being away from my normal routine. But then I realized (probably one of those life-realization-right-before-death moments) that fitness, much like life, isn't a destination. There's not one moment where you achieve your peak fitness - it's about the getting there, failing, getting there again, and maintaining. The question is -- why did I fall off of my fitness journey? Why did my yoga and running take a backseat to other things? How can I learn from the past month so that, in the future, it doesn't happen again? And in the meantime, how do I find peace in where I currently am while also striving to reach my full fitness/health potential?

In my heat dillusion, I came up with focusing on that one class. I made it my goal to not leave the room - just like it had been for the very first few Bikram classes I attended.

And I am happy to report -  I did not die, and I managed to stay in the room the entire 90 minutes.

Confessions of a Targa-holic: My favorite (inexpensive) sports bra

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone's week is going well. I had a really fantastic weekend with two of my best friends at Amelia Island last weekend, and I'm still wishing I was by the beach!

Luckily, Trader Joe's has these delicious plantain chips that I am enjoying while I pretend I am still somewhere tropical. And they're not the only thing keeping me in good spirits.

buy here

I'm also rocking my new neon green and bright blue sports bra by C9 for Target. I actually bought this one in purple/blue too, since these babies were on sale for $12(!!).

I'm kind of obsessed with Target (and have considered renaming this blog "Confessions of a Targa-holic" on multiple occasions), and I have this problem where I go in for bananas and come out with sports bras. They knew what they were doing when they converted all the Targets into Super Targets, let me tell you.

buy here

My favorite sports bra ever is the Free to Be bra from Lululemon because it's perfect for both Bikram and running, but sometimes I'm a sucker for fun patterns and low price tags. I love that the Target brand sports bras fit that bill AND are super comfy and functional for distance running.

What are your favorite sports bras? Are you a sucker for fun patterns too?

Why you should run community races

On Saturday morning, I ran my third race of my #runningformissvirginia tour -- the Falcon 5k sponsored by the Flint Hill Elementary School PTA. While I was enjoying my race on Saturday, I was thinking about a fun way to blog about it (obviously). I thought a top four list might be fun -- both as a recap and as a way to inspire you to find a 5k out in your community to run.

When I say community race, I mean one that's sponsored by a small community organization - a church, a school, even a local animal shelter. It's probably the only one of its kind, and you're probably running with maybe 500 people max. You might not even get a t-shirt (I registered late and didn't get one until after the race today), but you will definitely have a good time.

The Top Four Reasons to Run a Community Race

1. You'll be running with people who are truly passionate about the cause you're running for. With smaller races, the advertising is typically local outreach or grassroots advertising by the people who work with the organization. This means that you are surrounded by people who care a lot about whatever you're running for. That passion is contagious, and it makes the run a lot more fun. Today, for example, I ran with about 300 elementary school students and their parents, and the money benefited those kids. I was able to focus more on high fiving the kids as they passed me (and stopping at the stand manned by a couple students labeled "Free Water") and less on trying to PR.
   
2. You can feel good knowing that most of your race fee is going to the title cause. Because there are fewer bells and whistles, more of your money is going to the cause, and less to putting on a show of a race. Don't get me wrong, I love the "show of a race"s too, but it is nice knowing that a large chunk of my money going to something important.
3. What you don't get in pre-race swag, you might get in post-race swag. Smaller races mean you have a better shot at placing, at least in your age division. Today, I won my age group. I have only placed in my division twice before, and I have run a lot of 5ks. If you want to feel totally awesome and you're in your 20s, go run a 5k benefiting an elementary school... turns out these are not hot spots for people our age :)

   

   That 1/1 is the real deal!!

4. There's a lot of cute and inspiring personalized things. Things like: chalk messages cheering you on on the road, spectators out clapping, even your name being read out at the finish line. These are small things, but they're really only possible at smaller races.

   

   Loved the chalk messages! Lots of personalized messages for all of the classes too!

Thanks for a great run, Flint Hill Elementary! I will certainly be back and running again next year :) 

Thanks to my mom for being my awesome supported and capturing cool finish line shots that make me look way faster than I am.

Missing my 26+2

Well, after a two week hiatus, I finally found my way back to the Bikram room last night. It was pretty rough, and I felt nauseous for most of the class.

Somehow, it is now 8 am and I am already back from my daily 26+2. As in, I got up at 5:30 this morning to get my daily sweat on.

Over the last two weeks, I've really put my practice on the back burner because I was doing other fitness activities. What a poor choice.

Yoga is something special. It combines mind and body, and helps you achieve complete health. Even after just two classes, I've realized how much I've missed my "me" time. I think it's important to have time alone with your thoughts and yourself, and yoga gives you that opportunity.

Anyways, I am definitely looking forward to being more diligent about my practice, and I kind of like waking up early and getting my sweat on in the morning. It got my day going this morning, and I am now enjoying some delicious four ingredient pancakes (2 egg whites + mashed banana + cinnamon + vanilla) and blogging for you fine people -- all before work!

Good morning!

Taking on p90x

Over the last two weeks, I've really started kicking my butt back into gear. It's kind of amazing how that happens when you look at a calendar and realize that (surprise, surprise), Miss Virginia keeps getting closer! In fact, we're under the five month mark.

Luckily, I have a very supportive boyfriend (who will remain blog-anonymous for now :) ) who has decided to tackle p90x with me.

I actually got p90x for Christmas during my junior year of college. The first time I tried it, I lasted a grand total of four weeks before falling off the wagon. However, in those four weeks, I saw some pretty amazing results.

Kind of amazing what happens when you work out hard six times a week, combining cardio and weight training, huh? And then add in good nutrition?

Anyways, we're nine days in, and are on our second week of the first cycle of workouts. Highs of the week have included: Doing assisted pull-ups instead of using bands for the second time through shoulders and chest, Kenpo, and post-workout meals (gonna start featuring some of these on here). Lows were today's Plyo session (turns out Plyo on tired legs is not as fun) and Yoga X (turns out I'm not as flexible as I want to be).

I will say that p90x is way better when you do it with someone else. Plus, doing it with someone else certainly helps with accountability as well.

I'm also logging my workouts on Fitocracy now. You should join and follow me!

Anyone done the whole 90 days of p90x? Did you follow the nutrition plan as well? What were your results?

Commitment Day/Preparing for Miss Virginia with Integrity

I follow FitFluential on Twitter, and they host regular health and fitness chats. Tonight's was about Commitment Day 2012, which is a nationwide movement to make January 1, 2013 a day to make a commitment to yourself. The final question of the chat was:

Fill in the blank: I commit to ________ in 2013.

I thought about it before I added my two cents to the conversation. And then it hit me -- I commit to prepare to compete in swimsuit for Miss Virginia in a way that I would want the girls I coach to emulate.

I'll make my first and only trip to Miss Virginia next June, where I will be at the top of the age group and at the bottom of the experience ladder. I want to give it the best I've got.

Like every girl competing, I really want to be Miss Virginia. I want to travel the state, impacting young women, being a role model.

But I only want to be Miss Virginia -- heck, I only deserve to be Miss Virginia -- if I can get there in a healthy way that I would want my 3rd through 5th graders to look up to. And that means no crazy dieting.

Today, as we are six months away from Miss Virginia, I want to commit to preparing myself for every area of competition with integrity -- I want to be true to myself, my platform, the girls I work with.

I'm also committing to blogging more - sharing the how of my preparation: workouts, recipes, motivation tips, so that you can get in swimsuit competition shape too. Okay, maybe not, but you'll probably be sporting a swimsuit in June too, even if it's not on a stage. And besides, exercise gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy... at least that's what Legally Blonde taught me :)

Excitement.

This photo graced the front of the Fairfax Connection today:

First of all, this was a total surprise, because I thought there was just going to be an article. Instead, I somehow found my way onto the cover of both the Springfield and Fairfax Connection, with an article and some pictures inside of both.

And I'm going to be honest, I felt a little bit like I felt in the picture above when I found my face folded up in the driveway. Pretty cool stuff, I think.

I love this picture (by MacCabe Jamrosz of the Connection Newspapers) because it captures the excitement and the joy of the moment.

I've been feeling excited a lot lately. It just feels like there's a lot of new opportunities happening in my life, and it's exciting to think of all of the new experiences I'm going to get to have this year.

Like working with Girls on the Run.

Today I had my first meeting with the head coach for the Girls on the Run team I'll be working with as an assistant coach over the next few months. Starting next Tuesday, we'll have a group of 18 elementary school girls who we'll coach to run a 5k as well as talk about all sorts of things, from fueling for a run to making friends. I'm excited to help young girls find a passion for running and being active, and I'm sure I'll be posting about all I learn on here.

I also found myself back in the gym, lifting weights for the first time in a while. I always forget how much I love lifting weights until I'm back in the gym. I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel my shoulders in a whole new way tomorrow, but I'm kind of looking forward to it.

PS - Did anyone else see Simon Cowell throw the double thumbs up on X-Factor last night? If only he knew it was my signature move...

Tunesday: Tunes that got me through a rough run

This morning started with a six mile run with my dad. If I'm being honest, it was miserable, and mostly because I got inside my own head and psyched myself out.

Because we slept in until 9:15 and didn't start running until 9:45, we missed the cooler weather that would have been afforded to us had we run at the planned time of 8:00 AM. So, it was hot. And my knee hurt. And my ankle hurt. And we were slow.

Like I said, I got inside my head.

Luckily, my iPod was playing all the right tunes to get me through a rough run, and we finished six hot-and-sweaty miles.

Enjoy!:



Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Jason Mraz - You and I Both

Carrie Underwood - This Time

Darius Rucker - This

Hunter Hayes - Storm Warning

Josh Turner - All Over Me

Kenny Chesney - Keg in the Closet

Nicki Minaj - Starships

Jason Derulo - It Girl

Jessie James - Wanted

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night

Train - Save Me, San Francisco

Tristan Prettyman - Madly

Carbon Leaf - Life Less Ordinary

Gavin DeGraw - Follow Through

John Mayer - No Such Thing

Mat Kearney - Ships in the Night

SMASH Cast version of Cheers (Drink To That)

Jessica Andrews - More to Me Than You

What's inspiring me this week

As usual, from Pinterest:

If today is a bad day, just listen to Maura, go take a nap, and get over it :)

Dear Siri Om, you rock (plus a new job!)

Yesterday I had a really great Bikram yoga class with Siri Om at Bikram Yoga Fairfax. It was one of those classes where I took myself to the yoga studio because I really needed to take class to work through some stuff mentally. It was probably because I didn't go to yoga on Saturday or Sunday (poor life choices, I'm telling you), but I am so, so so glad that I went on Monday.

I think the clean eating makes my yoga practice easier. I felt so strong in all of the balancing series, and even was able to get both legs locked out in standing head to knee to the point of beginning to bend my elbows below my calf muscles. And I didn't sit out any of spine-strengthening series, which is a big accomplishment for me!

The best part of class, though, was that it was like Siri Om was talking directly to me during the dialogue. I should back up and say that taking classes with her is a treat every time because she radiates positive energy and inner peace. She is obviously so convicted in the healing power of Bikram yoga, and it's just inspiring. </end crunchy-granola talk> Anyways, during class, she talked about how your practice, and life, is a journey and that it's so important to enjoy the journey in order to really appreciate the destination.

It's pretty incredible that sometimes you hear exactly what you need to hear from an outside party who has no idea what you're going through.

In other news, I started a new job at Carlyle, which is a part of the Great American Restaurant chain. I attended an orientation tonight, and I am so excited to learn and interact with people on a daily basis -- especially since I love the food! It's really an organization full of people who love what they do and are passionate about providing fantastic service and building connections. I am so ready to enjoy this part of my journey :)

Egg whites: one of my favorite foods!

I know most people think they're gross, but I actually really love egg whites. And that's a good thing, because my new plan has me eating a minimum of six egg whites every day, more if I choose. Egg whites are a pretty solid choice nutritionally because they're pure protein - one large egg white has four grams of protein and only 16 calories.

The easiest way to prepare them is to cook yourself an egg patty in the microwave. I picked this up from another blog I read called Run, Eat, Repeat, and it's so simple that I have to share! Basically, you get a microwave-safe bowl, spray it with cooking spray, and put four egg whites into it. Microwave it for 1.5 minutes, but be sure to take it out of the microwave if it starts to pop (otherwise you'll end up with a mess). If you sprayed the bowl prior to cooking, your egg patty will slide right out either onto a plate or only a homemade breakfast sandwich.

Here are my favorite ways to eat egg whites:

By themselves: sprinkle with salt and pepper (or my favorite, garlic powder!) and serve with ketchup on the side. I use reduced sugar ketchup, and I actually like it better than regular.

In psuedo-fried rice: I make fake fried rice by combining cooked brown rice, egg white, veggies, and seasonings in a pan on the stove. Combine until the egg whites are cooked and enjoy!

In a one-bowl-mess: Basically, I top a base of brown rice with vegetables, chicken, egg whites (scrambled on the stove), and tomato sauce. This is one of my favorite meals to eat.

On a breakfast sandwich: Toast a bagel thin or a deli thin, spread cream cheese lightly on one side and place a slice of cheese on the other. Top the side with the slice of cheese on it with an egg white patty and then add a spoonful of tomato sauce or pesto for extra flavor.

You can also use egg whites in smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes, and more for extra protein. Egg whites really have no taste to them, which means they take on the taste of whatever you cook them with!

Any other ideas of how to use egg whites? I've got a lot to eat and could use some suggestions!

Lunch today included an ENTIRE CUCUMBER.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I met with a nutritionist at my boxing gym last week. She explained that after analyzing my body composition, activity level, and fitness goal (competing in Miss Virginia USA in November!), I’d be receiving a personal nutrition plan via email. I spent all day Thursday (the day I was supposed to receive it) refreshing my inbox – I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to receive an email, it felt like Christmas! Finally, on Thursday night I received my plan.

I chose to meet with a nutritionist because I was having trouble eating enough calories worth of healthy, wholesome food to supplement my activity level – I really just had no idea how to do it! Her plan has me eating 1800 calories a day, with the majority of my calories coming from healthy fats and protein. It has me eating clean – lots of veggies, lean protein, oatmeal, etc – through 5-6 meals a day. It is a plan that is sustainable, especially since it comes in this handy Excel spreadsheet that lets me make substitutions if I don’t want to eat whatever is on the plan for the day.

Yesterday I got to go grocery shopping (one of my favorite things to do!), and got everything I’ll need for the next week or two for $50 – thanks to Safeway’s Just For U program, I was able to save over $25!

 

What I bought:

Proteins: 3 dozen eggs (cheaper than buying cartons of egg whites!), turkey, tilapia, boneless skinless chicken breast, tuna, plain 0% fat Greek yogurt, walnuts

Grains: (I already had brown rice and quinoa at home) Quick cooking oatmeal, whole grain waffles (not clean, but allowed!)

Produce: Bananas, apples, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, green peppers, frozen broccoli, canned green beans

So today is day two of following her plan, and I’m actually finding it hard to eat everything I’m supposed to be eating. For my second meal today, for example, I had chicken, brown rice, AN ENTIRE CUCUMBER, and walnuts. And that’s just one meal!

I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on how it’s going, and to share any tasty recipes I come up with (be on the lookout for a post about how to not get bored with egg whites).

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

What's inspiring me this week

Thanks Kasey for reminding me that I haven't done one of these posts in a while! Here's what's inspiring me from Pinterest this week:

My abs are starting to show and it is very confusing.

Some crazy things have been happening in my life recently. Well, one crazy thing really. Over the last few days, while staring at myself during Bikram class (that's what you're supposed to do, I'm not narcissistic, I promise), I have begun to notice something strange going on in the general area of my abs. Something resembling the outline of a six pack? Like real athletes have? It's all very confusing.

You see, I've never had toned abs, and I've certainly never had a six pack.Not in high school when I was cheering and playing softball, not during the last time I was competing in swimsuit pageants, never. It is almost surreal, and probably the second greatest thing to happen since I started this whole yoga-boxing-running-lifting journey (number one is that my arms are getting toned. I really used to hate my arms, but that's a different story for a different time).

At first I thought I was imagining it (hence why this is the first time I've mentioned it), but sure enough, over the last week, I keep seeing the beginnings of six pack showing up.

I had a trainer once (hi Kyle!) who told me that it's 70% nutrition. Now, I've had some pretty awesome results, especially in the fitness/strength department, with exercising alone, but I really haven't been serious about my nutrition. But now that I'm starting to see results from my workouts, I really think trying to clean up my diet (not diet, clean up what I'm eating, period) might be what I need.

My boxing gym is pretty great, and I have a free appointment scheduled with a nutritionist on Tuesday. I'm really excited to discuss my goals with her and see what guidance she has for me. I think it's going to be tricky, because I really need to be sure I'm eating enough calories, especially with marathon training starting.

Sidenote: by the end of tonight, I'll have another tab on the top that's a daily log of my workouts. I typically record them on a paper calendar, but I figure I'll share them with you too!

Weekly Workouts

I've alluded to this before but: over the last two months, I've worked out A LOT. I've been lucky in that my part time job affords me the time to be able to be active as much as possible. It's the reason I've shaped up so quickly.

The bottom line is, if you want results quickly, you have to work hard. A lot. And you have to eat enough to fuel all of the exercise you're doing -- this part is the most important.

Anyways, the real point of this post is this: I really need to start planning out my workouts in order to balance all of the activities I like to do. Earlier today, I went to my gym to do an upper body workout and realized I hadn't been there in two weeks! Plus, with marathon training starting, I have to plan all that in as well. I currently have three different memberships (whoops): One to my regular gym where I run and lift weights, one to my Bikram yoga studio, and one to my boxing gym. Sidenote: I joined a boxing gym. Yes, I love it, and yes, it kicks my butt every time I go. I justify all three because they're all for different activities, so dropping one would mean I lost one area of my training.

So Wednesdays are now for planning. And I'm sharing it here so that I can hold myself to following through on each part, and so that you can get an idea of what I'm doing to kick myself into shape. So here's this week:

Thursday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing, Lower body, 3 mile run

Friday:

Morning: Boxing

Saturday:

Morning: Boxing

Afternoon: Bikram Yoga, Upper body, 3 mile run

Sunday:

Morning: Boxing

Afternoon: Bikram Yoga, Lower body, 5 mile run

Monday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing

Tuesday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing, Upper body, 3 mile run

Wednesday:

Morning: Bikram yoga, Boxing

Afternoon: I fly to San Antonio for ANTSO National Miss Nationals!!

Tunesday

Before I post this, I want to (again) apologize for my truly terrible taste in music. That being said, this playlist is powering me through an upper body workout, two miles of running, and 30 minutes of walking uphill on the dreadmill (In all honesty, I actually kind of like the treadmill... I've trained myself to like it by planning my workouts so I get to watch the Orioles on it) today, and is 100% guarenteed to make you smile!

No Letting Go - Wayne Wonder (How's this for a throwback?)
We Run - Sugarland
The Fighter - Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder (This is my favorite song of the moment. I think it's perfect for both running and lifting, which is hard to do)
Lights - Ellie Goulding
Fine by Me - Andy Grammer
Brokenhearted - Karmen (Like I said, truly, truly terrible taste)
Glad You Came - The Wanted
How Will I Know - Glee Cast version (If you haven't heard this, you need to.)
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
What Country Is - Luke Bryan
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
Payphone - Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa
Songs Like This - Carrie Underwood
She's Like Texas - Josh Abbott Band
Starships - Nicki Minaj
Opposite of Adults - Chiddy Bang
So Much Better - Legally Blonde, the Musical
International Love - Pitbull ft. Chris Brown
Boyfriend - Justin Bieber

A bad day at yoga beats a good day without it.

Surprisingly, a lot of traffic is driven to my blog from people searching things having to do with hot yoga. Guess that means I'm allowed to blog more about it :)

Like I've said before, I love Bikram. I love it so much that I sometimes wake up at 5:30 just so I can make class and so much that it makes me sad when I have to go a day without going. And honestly, in the last month-ish, I've really had very few "bad" moments in class.

Today was a really tough day in Bikram.

I knew it was going to be hard during the first breathing exercise when I was dripping sweat halfway through the first set. My concentration was somewhat shot, and I started getting frustrated during the balancing series (the second series of the class). And then, somewhere towards the end of the standing series, I started feeling like I was going to die.

The problem really amplified because instead of concentrating on my breathing, I psyched myself out. By the time we made it to spine-strengthening series, I knew I needed to leave the room.

In 28 days, this is the first time I've had to leave, and I was really embarrassed. I felt like a failure as I regrouped myself in the bathroom, and I was still embarrassed when I got back into the room. There I was, four weeks into my practice, and I had to leave the room. I was THAT girl.

But then I realized something - and I'm gonna get psuedo deep here - yoga's a lot like life. It's really good 90% of the time, 9% of the time it's hard, and then there's that 1% of the time when you feel like you're not going to make it out in one piece. But even during that 1% - whether it was yoga class today or a rough patch in your personal life- your body and your mind get you through it, and you come out on the other side a stronger person, having learned something important about yourself.

Today was hard. It certainly wasn't the best day in my practice, but I learned something about my physical limits and something about accepting every part of my practice. There isn't really a bad day at yoga because the bottom line is, I made it to class, and I devoted 90 minutes to challenging myself.