Guess who's back?

Yoga Guru is teaching again! I got two jobs teaching yoga that I am really excited about. I'm teaching one class at Snap Fitness and three classes at A New You. My sister Sheri and I are actually teaching the classes at A New You together. She does 30 minutes cardio, 10 minutes weights, and then I finish the class with 30 minute yoga. It is AWESOME. It is such a well rounded work out and I love it.

But guess when we teach it??????? 5:45 am! Yikes! But it really is the only time we have to exercise and I am usuallly up anyways with one of my babies.

Neither place has anyway to clean the yoga mats, so I bring free Jo-Sha Wipes and everyone can clean their yoga mats with a wipe of their choice. So feel free to join us Mon, Wed, Fri, at 5:45 for cardio and yoga! You'll get a great workout AND you'll even get a free wipe to clean you mat with!

Start reading labels

Yoga Guru, where are you?

Not doing yoga that's for sure!

But I saw an amazing health food show about eating real food from real grocery stores but just making the best choices. The nutritionist that hosts the show is named Zonya and her big thing is that we have to start reading the labels and becoming familiar with ingredients.

Her tips:

-don't eat foods with partially hydrogenated oil

-look for foods made with whole grains

-look for foods with high fiber

-and try to eat more fruits and vegetables

She suggests improving one thing at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. Like get familiar with cold cereals first and their ingredients and start making the best choices for cereals available. Then move on to snacks, then breads, then frozen foods, etc.

I like this because it seems do-able and because she didn't say "Don't eat ice cream". Anyway, check out her blog http://www.zonya.com/

P.S. Oreo cookies are evidently like the worst things ever. Guess I oughta cut back on those cherry Oreo shakes from Iceberg!

My Nephew Stretches??

My multi-talented nephew, Taylor asked me a great yoga question about stretching. He asked how long you should stay in a stretch. Yoga Guru says: About 8-10 breaths.

If you count your pose in seconds you will most likely hold your breath and the stretch will be less effective because those stretching muscles need oxygen. As you breath through each stretch or pose, the length of you breaths will increase, the deeper your stretch will go, and the more flexible you will become. AND the more relaxed and satisfied you will fee!! It will feel a lot different than just mindlessly counting through the pose. The breath connects your mind to what the body is doing and is yoga at its core.

Good question Taylor. Now if I could just get you and the rest of your cousins into an actual studio!

P.S. I just found an offbeat site that lists the Top 100 yoga links. I like it because it lists some grass root companies and not just the big guns with all the money. If you want to gander at it, here's the link

http://yoga.gotop100.com/

A Cow Isn't Skinny if it's Fat

My neighbor introduced me to these awesome low-fat ice cream sandwiches called "Skinny Cow." Get this: they only have 1.5g Fat, 3g Fiber!, 4g protein, and 150 Calories! I mean, these things are practically GOOD for you.

So I bought a pack of mint and a pack of vanilla/chocolate and of course I had to eat one in the car on the way home. I was done with my treat for the day and it was good and satisfying. Fast forward to later that night...I was really stressed and sat down to watch a reality cooking show, so of course I needed to eat something. Remembering my "healthy" snacks in the freezer I decided I could afford to eat one more. 1,2,3,4 Skinny Cows later I literally had to force myself to turn off the TV and stop eating!! I was totally sick to my stomach and when Joe asked me why I didn't feel good, I did what any self respecting woman would do, and rather than reveal the details of my secret indiscretion to my husband, I said, "Must have been something I ate." Of course the next morning I totally had a binge hang-over and was a beast to my kids.

That's the problem with a) foods that are low-fat/calorie because we think we can eat more of them, and b) with self control....it is a lot harder to have it after 8 pm and in front of the TV.

The late night binge: while a way of life in college, not so cool anymore. Too much cow, and not enough skinny.

Being a Mom and Being Fit: Can the two be one?

My last post talked about finding exercise that we enjoy. But my awesome sister-in-law Becky wrote that knowing what she likes isn't the problem. The problem is finding a way to do it. I agree. I think being a stay-at-home mom with small children is the worst season in our lives for working out! Well, work we do! But exercise it really isn't!!

I find that if and when I exercise now, I always have to choose to sacrifice one of the two most important things in my life: 1) My children, OR 2) Sleep.

You know the drill....you either have to put your kids in the daycare or pass them to a babysitter so you can exercise, OR you get up at the crack of crack to exercise. Which do you choose? How can you choose when you are so tired?

What do you do? I would love to hear advice or success stories from those who have been there done that. Because I, like Becky, really haven't found much success since my baby was born 9 months ago. Infact, I started this blog to get me thinking about it and hopefully get me motivated again.

But you know, the voice in my head (or is it my stomach?) says, "Is it really that important right now to have abs of steel and a firm butt? Don't our husbands love us anyways? Don't our kids love us even if our behinds are jiggly? (I KNOW I'm not the only mother whose kid is fascinated by the huge shaking mass that is just at his eye level!!!....Aren't I right Sheri??) But they love us anyway. As long as there are always snacks available and we are there for scraped knees and bottle and binky calls and lots of hugs and kisses all around, does it really matter if we have cellulite?"

Or.....is their unfaltering love the excuse that keeps us fat?

The Joy of Being Unique

Before anyone else calls me an "inspiration" because of the backbend post, let me just remind you all what I look like most of the time.

That ought to make you feel better already!!

I have been thinking how great it is that there are so many different ways to exercise and ways to be active. I have always wanted to be one of those people that could fly through the air in a gorgeous leap. My legs are flexible enough but I have never had the hops...the jumping gene. If I COULD jump, perhaps I would look something like this....

......but really I just photo-shopped a picture of me doing extended Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward Dog, on a yoga mat and looked like this!

Because of my muscle type and bottom heavy body make up, I am better at things like yoga, aerobics, weight lifting, walking....squatting.:) Whereas people like my husband, or maybe even you, are better at quick sports like tennis, basketball, track/running, or jumping over couches in a single bound (that's what Joe does). My point is, find the joy in your type of exercise. Find the method of exercising that makes you feel confident and yet can still challenge you. Then when you have found what you like and what really works for you, you can then keep your weight and muscles from plateauing by adding in a kickbox class, or try lifting weights, or try yoga, or racketball, or Dance Dance Revolution...try something new, knowing already what you are good at and what works best for you and your body.

The tricky part then, is to quit comparing and judging your body type or weight loss progression against someone elses. The path to being fit is just that...a path...it IS the journey. We will never reach "the goal" and then coast through the rest of life un-haunted by Ben and Jerry cravings. That is actually why we call yoga a practice...not a routine, not a work-out...but a yoga practice. Yoga, and truly exercise in any form, is a path of changes as our bodies go in and out of the different seasons of our lives. At times we will be able to run 6 miles, at other times, pushing a stroller to the park is breath taking (that was me three days ago). But if we always make an effort to do some kind of exercise...exercise that brings us joy...hopefully we will see over time a consistent improvement and growth in our health and in our body image. Be patient with your body, stay on the path, and find the joy in what makes you unique.

Fantastic Fiber

Before I get to the Fiber, I first want to apologize for accidentally sending the Backbend post to you again, and second I want to thank my dear friend Megan for decorating my blog! Isn't it cool?? Megan is really talented with blogs, computers, and scrapbooking...well and with motherhood, cooking, reading, sewing, etc., etc.!!! She graciously volunteered to design my blog and I LOVE it! Thank you so much...Superwoman!

So..Fiber! I had to start monitoring my fiber intake a few years ago when my health issues began and I have learned a lot about how fiber affects our bodies and as a result have become a total Fiber Fan! Sheri asked if fiber really soaks up fat. The answer is yes. When fiber is in our intestines it absorbs and attracts fats and also flushes out toxins before they can be absorbed by our bodies. Before you get all stoked about going on a fat-fiber diet, just know that although fiber does get rid of fat and toxins it's really not enough to result in significant weight loss...it's more like weight maintainence. Which is still great, right? It is best to eat "real" fiber with your meals, ie whole grains, beans, vegetables, etc. But if that isn't always readily available, Benefiber powder is an excellent alternative. It honestly dissolves completely in water and a few spoonfuls can be added to anything you eat.

If you start adding a lot of fiber to your diet expect two things:
1) Expect to have increased...how can I say this...flatulence! This actually will only last a short while because it is not necessarily to fiber giving you gas, but the fiber pushing old toxins through your colon resulting in, well, you get the picture. Stick with the fiber and the gas will decrease eventually (unless you are one of my brothers and then it NEVER seems to go away!)
2) The other thing to expect is a vitamin shortage in your body. Unfortunately fiber can also flush away good stuff too, like viatmins and minerals. So if you add fiber you'll want to increase your vitamins by taking an over the counter vitamin supplement or drinking one of the popular vitamin drinks like Noni, Xango, Bazi, Seven, etc.

In conclusion, it is my opinion that adding fiber to our diets is one small and easy thing we can do to improve our overall health.

The Backbend

I learned how to do a backbend as an adult. Personally I think it is one of the best poses you can do for your whole body. Think of how everything in life pulls you forward; gravity, poor posture, gaining weight, pregnancy, sleep, even everyday movements of bending over to pick things up, or hunching over a computer screen like I am right now!

Our bodies crave balance. As soon as I started doing backbends I felt like a new person. It was just the counter movement my body needed to combat that constant forward pull. The backbend or Urdhva Dhanurasana has totally changed my posture and how my spine feels in general. I still can't believe I learned how to do this pose with my big grown up body and tight back...and the best part is there is still a lot of room for me to grow within the backbend. I would like to see my shoulders open up more and my upper back flex deeper. And maybe even someday I will be able to lift my leg up like the girl in this picture!

I think this shows the true power of yoga and how it can stretch, strengthen, and truly change your body. I have seen it countless times in my students: a mother of 5 learning to do a headstand, a 60 year old man going into the splits, a 30 year old mother (me) going into a backbend without any fear!

The Fight for Fit

Thanks to Steve Ross and his revolutionary program called "Happy Yoga", I have learned that practicing yoga to music that I love is motivating and yes, fun.

Today I was listening to Bob Marley and the phrase Get up. Stand Up. caught my attention. I know the Rastafarian was singing about racism and standing up for rights, but when I heard that I thought it was motivating me to get healthy.

I have been feeling particularly out of shape lately and it seems I am fighting against age, gravity, sugar addiction, commercialism, poor self-esteem, and shear laziness to get healthy. But I know it is a fight worth fighting. Not only so I'll feel better, but so I'll be healthier and ultimately happier. So thanks for the encouragement Bob. Get up. Stand up. Don't give up the fight.

...and "Happy Yoga" is worth getting up for as well. It's on the Oxygen Channel every morning.