Funky Tie-Dyed Yoga

I have had several readers ask me to continue sharing my workout plans and fitness tips, so I figured I would fill you in today with a new DVD that I tried this morning.

I kicked off this morning with a 30-minute yoga workout via my new Power Yoga: Strength and Flexibility with Rodney Yee. The DVD is broken into two workouts — strength and flexibility. So, I did the strength section of the DVD.

I liked this workout because it definitely helped me break a sweat, but it was not soooo difficult that the novice yogi could not participate in the workout.

Here’s my question for you: Would you workout next to me in yoga class? These are the funkiest exercise pants I have ever owned, but every time I wear them they make me smile.

After yoga, I went for a run, and I really had to take it slow. I was hurtin’  from a couple days of tough exercise, so I just decided not to push it and move slowly, focusing on my foot movements and swinging my arms. I ran 3.6 miles in 32 minutes which is about 9-minute miles. It felt good to get outside and enjoy the fall weather. Autumn is my favorite season . . . not too cool and not too hot! Just right. (;

But, given the looming winter weather, I am curious: What is your favorite way to stay fit in chilly conditions? Share them here, and I will lend you a few pointers tomorrow!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Lisa! I just love you. ♥

Health Check!

DID YOU KNOW?

You should eat immediately after exercise — ideally within 30 minutes of working out — so your body doesn’t begin breaking down muscle tissue to repair itself.  — Eat This, Not That

Ch-Ch-Changes ….

As I promised earlier today, here is an update about the many changes that you will begin to see on Eat, Pray, Run over the next few days.

I have received several emails from readers expressing a need to see more exercises and get-your-booty-in-shape tools. Many have even requested I post examples of certain exercises and yoga poses that may help common ailments, such as the one we talked about in How Yoga May Help Me Pull the Knife Out of My Head. Other readers said they would also like to see more healthy recipes, and, of course, some of the not-so-good-for-you treats, too!

As a result, you will soon notice two new tabs at the top of the page — one that focuses on exercises taken from trained sources all around the globe (I am not an expert, but I know people who are!), and another that explains to you some of the many recipes that I (OK, my fiancé!) use every day to create healthy meals.

But, my question to you is (if you have not told me yet): What would you like to see on Eat, Pray, Run? What are your favorite aspects and what would you enjoy seeing more of? Some readers have already asked to see more examples of what I eat every day, similar to blogs like Eat Like Me or Kath Eats Real Food, and others just requested a continual emphasis on my life lessons.

I have put together this survey, and I would appreciate you taking a bit of time to fill it out. If you would prefer to send me an email, that is absolutely A-OK with me. I just want to hear from you!

Lastly, here are some housekeeping things that I want you to keep in mind:

• I read all of your comments. I often post responses, so make sure you check back — I love talking with you! In addition, feel free to write in the comments section located below a post any questions you may have, especially when it comes to foreign recipe contents, exercise concerns and so forth. If I don’t know the answer — for example, I am certified to teach Pilates, but not yoga — I know someone who does! So, rest assured, I can get those answers for you. Don’t forget you can also always email me at eatprayrun@hotmail.com.
• Remember to always check at the end of posts and below pictures, specifically ones at the end of a post, to find additional information, such as links to Web sites. For example, in Bald Head or Not, Just Act on It Anyway!, I posted a note about Bekah, a woman who, at age 23, is fighting her second battle with cancer; all of these links and side notes have great information to offer toward our purpose — building our best life!
• Make sure you check out the sidebar to the right of the site page — there are all kinds of little notes, and tools that make Eat, Pray, Run easier to navigate.

Thanks, readers! I cannot wait to hear from you.

Why Prince Charming Will Not Be Saving My Life …

Taking the path less traveled never seems easy at the start. It is tough to shut out the naysayers, put on a brave face and continue forward. However, that path is also one that, when intended for your feet, will become more and more comfortable as you tread along.

I was reading through a book yesterday titled Living Yoga: Creating a Life Practice by Christy Turlington, when I stumbled across the following poem by Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Mary Oliver:

The Journey

This poem honestly took my breath away. Not only is it so beautifully and stylistically written, but I could not help feeling like someone had placed it right there in my life, especially for me.

Thus far during my journey to discover what it is that I want from my life, I have had so very many encounters with the voice of “reason” — that little voice telling me that this path is much more difficult than the one I was previously walking. Heck, my own voice falls into the mix more than I care to say!

But here is the thing: Would such an endeavor be called a journey if it did not cause one to put up a fight for the great adventure that lie ahead? Not a single hero ever went about saving a life without shedding a bit of sweat. Imagine if Prince Charming never had to chase down Cinderella and fight off her evil step family. Nothing about their tale would be a journey, but, instead, an ordinary, everyday love affair.

So, what makes any of us think that our lives deserve any less luster; any less of an adventure-packed, fight off a few dragons, fairytale ending?!

We all should be embarking on the road that feels the most well-suited beneath our feet. Yes, there are bound to be a few pebbles that get stuck in our shoes. But wouldn’t you rather bend over, remove them, and continue on, than live your life knowing that you never put on your walking shoes at all?

I would. And reading this poem helps me to remember the reason why I ever sought to begin on this journey at all. I am determined to save the only one life that I am abolutely positive how to go about rescuing . . .

My very own.

Beautiful Body, Face — And a Brain That Tops It All

I understand the generalities that go along with the word “supermodel,” including statements like, “Beauty, but no brains” and “Yeah, I’d look like that, too, if I starved myself.” We all have a hard time understand how these girls don’t have an ounce of cellulite on their butts. But I recently put together a profile of supermodel Christy Turlington for Her Active Life, and I discovered that she is actually way more than just a pretty face!

A quick lowdown:

In 1999, after spending more than ten years in the world of fashion couture, Turlington stepped away from life as an icon, and began to find peace amongst the crazy world of fame. Since then, she has earned her degree from New York University, battled an early diagnosis of emphysema, started her own skin care line, participated in anti-smoking campaigns and become an absolute yoga buff.

I was very much so inspired by Turlington’s story, and I hope you will be, too. Check it out by clicking here.

 

How Yoga May Help Me Pull the Knife Out of My Head

Sorry I am so late to post today. I had a horrible migraine this morning, and really could not bring myself to stare at the glow of my computer screen until now.

I seem to more often than not get a strange reaction from people when I talk about the debilitating affects of a migraine headache. They look at me like, “Oh, come on, it’s just a headache!”

But it’s not. And anyone who has ever had a migraine knows the difference between a headache and feeling as though your head is in a vice.

It sucks.

I have been getting migraines since I was a first-grader and, by now, have learned all of the ways to try and ease the symptoms: No light, no loud noises, no smells, ice, Diet Coke in a can NOT bottle, and so on.

However, I am always looking for new ways to quell the beginning signs of a migraine before it becomes full-blown.

I have been reading a lot about meditation and yoga, and how the two can help to ease migraine symptoms. I actually just purchased the book Yoga As Medicine, in an effort to learn more about how this exercise form can help this painful ailment.

The book talks about not only certain poses that help calm head pain, but also a number of conditions, including panic attacks, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, infertility and cancer.

But since patience has never been a virtue of mine, I looked up on the Internet a few exercises that will help with my migraines in the interim of waiting for my book to arrive.

According to Yoga Journal, the following Viparita Karani pose will help when you feel as though you are on the brink of a migraine or headache:

Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
(vip-par-ee-tah car-AHN-ee)
viparita = turned around, reversed, inverted
karani = doing, making, action

Step by Step

The pose described here is a passive, supported variation of the Shoulderstand-like Viparita Karani. For your support you’ll need one or two thickly folded blankets or a firm round bolster. You’ll also need to rest your legs vertically (or nearly so) on a wall or other upright support.

Before performing the pose, determine two things about your support: its height and its distance from the wall. If you’re stiffer, the support should be lower and placed farther from the wall; if you’re more flexible, use a higher support that is closer to the wall. Your distance from the wall also depends on your height: if you’re shorter move closer to the wall, if taller move farther from the wall. Experiment with the position of your support until you find the placement that works for you.

Start with your support about 5 to 6 inches away from the wall. Sit sideways on right end of the support, with your right side against the wall (left-handers can substitute “left” for “right” in these instructions). Exhale and, with one smooth movement, swing your legs up onto the wall and your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor. The first few times you do this, you may ignominiously slide off the support and plop down with your buttocks on the floor. Don’t get discouraged. Try lowering the support and/or moving it slightly further off the wall until you gain some facility with this movement, then move back closer to the wall.

Your sitting bones don’t need to be right against the wall, but they should be “dripping” down into the space between the support and the wall. Check that the front of your torso gently arches from the pubis to the top of the shoulders. If the front of your torso seems flat, then you’ve probably slipped a bit off the support. Bend your knees, press your feet into the wall and lift your pelvis off the support a few inches, tuck the support a little higher up under your pelvis, then lower your pelvis onto the support again.

Lift and release the base of your skull away from the back of your neck and soften your throat. Don’t push your chin against your sternum; instead let your sternum lift toward the chin. Take a small roll (made from a towel for example) under your neck if the cervical spine feels flat. Open your shoulder blades away from the spine and release your hands and arms out to your sides, palms up.

Keep your legs relatively firm, just enough to hold them vertically in place. Release the heads of the thigh bones and the weight of your belly deeply into your torso, toward the back of the pelvis. Soften your eyes and turn them down to look into your heart.

Stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Be sure not to twist off the support when coming out. Instead, slide off the support onto the floor before turning to the side. You can also bend your knees and push your feet against the wall to lift your pelvis off the support. Then slide the support to one side, lower your pelvis to the floor, and turn to the side. Stay on your side for a few breaths, and come up to sitting with an exhalation.

To learn how to recover from a recent migraine, or for information about more poses, click here. Yoga Journal has a wealth of articles and research available about yoga for every type of person, pain and problem.

Pretty cool, huh?

Namaste.

IT IS COLD.

I write to you this morning with semi-numb fingers, all while wearing two long-sleeved shirts, a sweater, sweatpants, socks and fuzzy slippers.

It’s cold in Pittsburgh.

So, since I am all about this fitness crap, I thought I would lend myself — oh, and you, too! — a little help.

Why not workout inside?

According to Amazon.com, the top five fitness DVDs this morning are:

1.) The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max DVD ~ Bob Harper (II)

2.) The Biggest Winner How to Win By Losing: The Complete Body Workout (5-Disc DVD Set: Shape Up- Front, Shape Up- Back, Cardio Kickbox, Maximize – Full Frontal, Maximize – Back in Action) DVD ~ Jillian Michaels

3.) The Biggest Loser Workout Power Sculpt DVD ~ Jillian Michaels

4.) The Complete Collection of Sweatin’ to the Oldies DVD ~ Richard Simmons

5.) Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond DVD ~ Ana Brett & Ravi Singh (I have actually wanted this DVD for quite some time.)

And since you are all probably thinking the same thing I am (Richard Simmons? Really?), here are some new workouts available online that will get you started TODAY, while you wait for your new DVDs:

Shape magazine’s 2008 Bikini Workout: http://www.shape.com/workouts/162

SELF magazine’s new Retro Workout: http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2008/01/0121_mobfit (Major flashbacks of my mom doing Jane Fonda workouts!)

Fitness magazine’s 15-minute De-Stress Workout: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/fitness/story/data/1194889898202.xml

As for me, have pity on my soul. It is my sister’ s birthday and I promised her a walk … outside. Saying no is not an option. She is scary.