cross training – French Fry Runner

5 Things I Love about Yoga

I’m linking up with Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run. This week’s Friday Five theme is Five Things I Love about ____ . . . And I chose YOGA!

I’m still running and lifting, of course, but I’ve been focusing a lot more on yoga lately. So, to celebrate that, I thought I’d share five things I love about yoga.

I can practice in my pajamas! They say you can just roll out of bed and go running, which you can–once you put on shoes. But you don’t need shoes with yoga! You don’t even need a mat. You can begin your practice anywhere and at any time.
I know what utkatansana, vrikasana, trikonasana, and savasana mean. Being the word nerd that I am, I love that I know a little Sanskrit. 🙂
Yoga helps me center myself. I can be pretty high strung and stressed out, but yoga helps me focus inward and let my worries and stresses dissolve. I can better live in the moment through yoga.
Yoga makes me happy. And happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t. . . . In all seriousness, though, I can honestly say that yoga has improved my relationship with the world around me, myself, and my husband. I’m a much happier and nicer person after I’ve practiced yoga. And people want to hang out with a happy person, right? No one likes a downer. Sometimes the Engineer and I practice together, and he is calmer and happier too. Everyone benefits from yoga in my house! 🙂
Yoga meets you where you are. This is why yoga is a practice. You don’t have to force anything. You can just be where you are, whether you’re a beginner or you have been practicing for years. With yoga, I always see improvement–in my flexibility, my strength, my focus, and my heart.

Looking pretty graceful, I gotta say! :) — Looking pretty graceful, I gotta say! 🙂

Rebecca from Strength & Sunshine encouraged us in one of her posts to find our own yoga, which is different from others’. I’d like to share with what my yoga is, and I hope you’ll read her post and contemplate what your yoga (or running or favorite activity) really is and be mindful of that.

Here’s what I wrote:

My yoga is fulfilling, strengthening, contemplative, calming, and invigorating. It helps me center myself and look inward. It is a spiritual experience for me, and I feel this way whether in class or at home. After spending years in competitive sports in my youth, yoga is the perfect opposite for me. It’s all about my personal practice and no one else’s.

So do you love yoga? Why?

What pose are you working on right now? I’m trying my darndest to get into bakasana, or crow pose.

What do you love?

What do you love? It's #FridayFive with @eatprayrundc @yousignedup & @marmaone1. Click To Tweet

Don’t forget to #taketheleap with prAna and Fit Approach. Details here.

It’s not too late to join in the 12-day #bringingyogaback mini challenge. Details here.

I’m also linking up with Jill Conyers’s Fitness Friday and B.J. for #FitGeekFriday. Be sure to check out the hosts’ pages and find other fun blogs to read!

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Week in Review: February 2-8

I can’t believe it’s already Monday! Crazy! How was your week? My week was pretty solid, as you’ll see . . .

Workouts in Review

Here’s the rundown for the week:

Monday: 20 minutes on the StairMaster, weights, push-ups, crunches, sit-ups, plank

Tuesday: 3.1-mile run, push-ups

Wednesday: 1-hour yoga class, 38 minutes elliptical, push-ups, sit-ups, plank

Thursday: 1-hour pump class, additional weights (biceps, triceps, squats)

Friday: 5-mile run, stretching (week three of Jeff Galloway’s half marathon training plan)

Saturday: Lots of walking around town/on river path

Sunday: Rest

What I’m Most Proud Of

I found a yoga class I love. It’s a gentle/restorative class, which is perfect to add in during half marathon training. The class is small and the teacher really makes sure you’re doing the poses correctly. Perfect!

Where I Fell Short

I really should have taken Friday easier, which is what I have been doing. It was really hard to run so far the day after pump class. I was really sore and tired. Lesson learned!

Training

My long run went pretty well until the last mile or so. That’s when I really felt how tired I was from the day before. It’s all good now. This week is a cut-back week, so that will be good. I’m only running a 5K on Saturday. I don’t quite know whether I’ll race it or have fun. Oh well.

Thought for the Week Ahead

If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.

Dig deep and challenge yourself this week!

Don’t forget to visit Jesica’s blog and check out her weekly update post and other linked-up posts. I’m also linking up with Tara from Running ‘n’ Reading for her Weekend Update link-up.

What’s one of your goals for the week?

Are you participating the the #taketheleap yoga challenge? (Details here.)

Looking for Valentine’s Day gift ideas? Look no further.

Week in Review: January 26-February 1

Another week has gone by, and I had some pretty solid workouts. I’m seeing some serious progress, and there’s no stopping me! 🙂

Workouts in Review

Here’s the rundown for the week:

Monday: 38 minutes on the StairMaster. Good times.

Tuesday: 1-hour pump class

Wednesday: Run 2.6 miles

Thursday: 1-hour pump class (which included 100 lunges… yikes)

Friday: 15 minutes of yoga/stretching

Saturday: Run 4 miles (week two of Jeff Galloway’s half marathon training plan)

Sunday: Rest

What I’m Most Proud Of

I added in yoga like I said I would last week. I need to add more, but I’m okay with the effort last week. I’m also stoked I hit two days of pump. I’m addicted. 🙂

Where I Fell Short

I’m not logging everything I ate on here, but I definitely fell short on my eating. I’m working on less sugar and more vegetables this week.

Training

I’m training for a half marathon in May and have started my training plan. I’m following Jeff Galloway’s half plan, which I’m using so I won’t get injured. I’ve run intervals before, but I always did something like run 9 minutes and walk 1 minute. This time, I’m mixing it up, so this weekend for my 4-miler on Saturday, I ran 2:30 and walked 1:30. I don’t think the interval was quite right–I felt my walk interval was too long–so I think for my 5-miler this weekend, I’ll run 2:30 or 3:00 and walk 1:00.

Thought for the Week Ahead

It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.” –Jillian Michaels

Let’s work hard this week! Don’t forget to visit Jesica’s blog and check out her weekly update post and other linked-up posts. I’m also linking up with Tara from Running ‘n’ Reading for her Weekend Update link-up.

How was your week/weekend?

Did your team win?