Yoga Beautiful

I came across this video a while ago, and I finally found it again.  It's so beautiful!



Isn't it amazing what our bodies can do with training?
I think that our bodies are so beautiful when they are strong - inside and out.  Not thin.... STRONG. :) 

Kendra and I were going to a free yoga class once a week at a local college, but unfortunately they just ended due to summer break (doggone it)!  I guess we'll have to figure out another way to mooch free yoga classes now, huh?  Haha!

Of course we aren't anywhere close to where this girl is (shoot, I can barely do a headstand, let alone a handstand), but it's nice to dream isn't it?  :) 

First Hike of the Season! (and Insanity progress)

Yesterday Stacey & I went up to Frisco to do a hike up to Lilly Pad Lake!  

It was such a beautiful day - the boys went snowboarding at Breckenridge's last day of the season, and we decided to do our first hike of the season instead.  We brought some snacks, and hit the trail. 

I absolutely love this hike.  It was one of the first ones I did with my family when we first moved to Colorado, and this is probably the 4th or 5th time I've done it.  It's only about 1.5 miles to the lake, so 3 miles roundtrip.  And the scenery is just gorgeous! 

The weather was PERFECT too!  Not too hot, with a bit of a chilly breeze (but not too chilly).  It was gorgeous, and I had an awesome time. 

When we got to the lake we stopped for lunch.  I brought a sandwich (on a Rudi's Organic sandwich flat - only 1 Weight Watchers point!), with romaine lettuce, ricotta cheese, mushrooms, mustard, and roasted red peppers.  I also had an apple and some granola.  YUM. 

Stacey on our little lunch break by the lake! 

For some reason there were a lot of downed trees on the path this time - I think from the thunderstorms and wind that have been whipping through the area lately.  So we had to climb over some trees & such - it was quite an adventure.  Stacey decided to ride one like a cowgirl.  Hilarious. :) 

Our little dirt path of happiness. 

I drove home afterwards - it wasn't a terribly hard hike, but I was pretty exhausted!  My legs were still tingling from the walk - it was a great workout. 

Of course I had to come home and do my Insanity workout afterward - that was rough!  Haha!  But I totally did it. ;)

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Speaking of which, as far as my progress with the INSANITY workouts go - I'm just over 2-weeks in (17 days to be exact)!  It's still hard as heck, but I'm pushin' on through.  I took my measurements, and my weight after beginning a couple of weeks ago - and I've got some great news! 

I'm down 5 more pounds (WOOT), which means I'm now down a TOTAL of 15 pounds since the beginning of the year.  YEAH!  

I'm also down a 1/2 an inch around my chest, a 1/2 an inch around my waist, and a FULL INCH around my hips!  Holy moly!  After 2 weeks!! 

Now again, I am combining the workouts with eating right - I've started Weight Watchers again (basically picked up from when I used to do their Core plan), and that's definitely sped up my results.  Remember, eating makes up 70% of your weight loss - the other 30% is activity! 

I think the best part about this so far is that my clothes are fitting me better.  My jeans don't pinch, and my t-shirts are starting to hang looser around my tummy.  It's AWESOME! 
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After my crazy workout, I finally got to relax.  I watched Inception for the 4th time (LOVE that movie!!), and when I found out The Cutting Edge was on Netflix - I had to watch that one too!! 

I'd totally forgotten how great this movie is.  It's kind of a classic from my childhood!  It's actually really witty - some of the one-liners still crack me up.  I may need to watch Blades of Glory again too, just because of how much fun I had with this one! 

Hope you all had an AWESOME weekend! :) 

 

Insanity!! It's, well...insane, really.

I wasn’t going to bring this up before, ‘cause I wasn’t even sure if I was going to do it full out.  I started doing the “Insanity” workout videos 10 days ago, and they’re kicking my BUTT!  I thought I was in relatively good shape before, but man, I was wrong.

These videos are probably the hardest workouts I’ve ever done.  It’s like doing a boot camp class 6 days / week!  The last time I went to a boot camp I couldn’t walk like a normal person without wincing in pain for about 5 days.  Same thing here – but I had to keep going!

I gotta say – it has been hard already getting up and doing these workouts.  Every time I hit snooze I think “I don’t want to get up and deal with Shawn T and his crazy workout!”  But once I get going (getting started is the hardest part), I really get going.  I want to hit it hard, and I want to finish strong.  I’m sweating like crazy, but I feel amazing when I’m done!

The plan goes for 60 days total, which seems like a lot since I’m only 10 days in!  But the payoff?  I’m ready for it.  I’m already seeing little results just over a week into it, which is kind of nuts when you think about it.  I’m down 4 pounds already since starting!  WHOA!!  That means only 16 pounds left to reach my goal.  Hellz yeah.

This program boasts crazy results (you've HAD to have seen the infomercial by now - it's on all the time), and I have a feeling it has a lot of basis to go on.  This is tough stuff, I'm not going to lie.  But the fact that I'm already feeling stronger, I have more energy throughout the day than I have in a very long time, and that I'm already dropping some pounds... that's pretty awesome! 

See what they're doing in that picture?  Those are jump squats.  They SUCK.  Haha! 

Anyhoodle, I'm going to stick with this, and see what happens.  I've been combining this with Weight Watchers to hopefully reach my goal weight!  I am basically doing the old Core plan that I did before, and tracking everything on a sheet I customized for myself.  

Yay for getting a toned, lean body back!!  I'm sick of being self-conscious about my figure (my tummy is the part I hate the most), and I want to feel strong and confident again.  This is the way I'm gonna do it!  WOOHOO!! 

Tomato, Asparagus, Mushroom Pizza - plus, Das Hustlehoff 5k!

One of my favorite quick-meals to make is pizza with a big 13" tortilla instead of dough.  It's like having a pre-made pizza crust around all the time!  I like to buy the different flavors that they sell at the Farmer's market, but any kind will do.  I can eat a whole one by myself, but if you're watching portions, you could easily split this with someone!  

Tomato, Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza (personal-size)
- 1 13" tortilla
- 1/2 a heirloom tomato (sliced)
- 4-5 mushrooms (sliced)
- 4-5 stalks of asparagus (cut length-wise in half)
- tomato sauce (about 1/3 a cup)
- your choice of cheese (I used a mozzarella / provolone blend, with a little bit of asiago)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, assemble your pizza!  I use a spoon to spread out the sauce, then I do the cheese next, and the vegetable toppings last.  Like so:

I like to arrange everything so it's pretty-like! 

Next, season everything with a little bit of salt & pepper, and garlic salt if desired.  I like to spray the top with oil as well. 

Pop it in the oven and cook for about 5-10 minutes!  When the edges start getting crispy, it's ready to go.  Let it cool for a minute before cutting too - it makes it a little easier since the tortilla makes for a flimsy crust.  Using a large spatula, carefully lift each piece and transfer to a plate.  Enjoy!

Yep, I may have to have this again for dinner tonight!  YUM!

On another non-food related note - Fall is definitely here!  I loved the wind rustling through the leaves outside my work the other day that I took a pic while relaxing on my break... 

More lovely fall pictures to come soon! 

OH, and did I mention that Stacey & I finished our 5k last weekend??? Well we did!!  It was for the Das Hustlehoff 5k in downtown Denver - for Oktoberfest.  They encouraged people to come "in costume" so naturally, I did!  What's funny is that I already owned that costume - I've had it under my bed for ages just in case I needed it.  It came in handy after all! 

 

I love these shots of us crossing the finish line together.  We're so damn happy!  We finished in 33 minutes 38 seconds - no walking.  I was elated, and we already signed up for our next race!  WE ROCK!! :)

Stacey & I celebrating with free beer after the race.  I'm so proud of us!

A Skinnier Version of Me

After the big New Orleans trip and a bit of indulging, I realized it's time for me to get back on track. Summer is around the corner yet again, and I need to shape up or ship out!

OK, not really ship out, but you know what I mean.

My ultimate goal is not necessarily to be "thin".... although losing a few extra pounds would definitely be a welcome bonus! I really want to be the healthiest version of me that I can possibly be, and believe it or not in these photos I was NOT at my healthiest.

These pics were snapped about 6 or 7 years ago on a family vacation to Pawley's Island, SC. I had a few less tattoos then. ;)

I was working out (running, the elliptical machine, light weight lifting) about 5-6x a week, and eating a very strict diet.

I was also smoking regularly (YUCK), and the "very strict diet" I referred to was Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet (no vegetarianism or veganism back then for sure).

If you've ever done this diet, you know that this is the strictest phase, and that you're supposed to slowly start incorporating the other healthy things back in during Phases 2 & 3. Well, I got PSYCHO about my tummy pooch, and refused to leave Phase 1.

All I ate 3x a day was a serving of meat (chicken, fish, or steak) and a side of vegetables, with as much salt & butter as I wanted.

Sure, I lost a lot of weight! I wasn't having ANY sugar at all - but that included the sugar from fruits, and I wasn't having ANY carbohydrates at all - even the good whole grains!

I may look happy in these pictures, but I wasn't healthy that's for sure.

SO - although I would LOVE to get to the fitness level that I obtained when these photos were snapped, I never want to go back. I've quit smoking, quit meat & dairy, am eating tons of fruits & veggies & whole grains every day, and much more aware of what is a healthy diet, and what is not!

What I DO need to change though is my workout routine. Although 2 hours, 3 days / week of derby practice ain't too shabby, it's still not enough. Especially at the very sedentary stare-at-a-computer-all-day job that I have (as a lot of people do).

So this is my way of proclaiming that it's time to step it up a notch! Gym: hellz yeah! Workout buddies: come & get me! Pump class: Why the heck not!

Summer, here I come!

Man VS Yoga

I managed to roll out of bed this morning & make it to my 5:40am yoga class this morning.
Yes, it's hella early, but since I don't have to be at work 'till much later I managed to get a workout in after yoga, get iTunes loaded on my new computer, get my laundry started, and prep my dinner for tonight! AWESOME!


The only other people that made it to the session were two older men that I've seen in classes before. Very few men seem to come to yoga class, maybe because they think it's not doing them any good (or that lifting obscene amounts of weight is more productive.) So I must commend these gentlemen for working on their flexibility!

However, I've noticed a pattern whenever I see these older men in class. Anytime our instructor says, "if you want to try a more advanced position, try this" - they immediately try and bend their bodies into a way that their limbs seemingly do not want to go. Our teacher attempts to stop them by saying gently, "Listen to your body.... if you want to ease off, you can still get the same benefits by doing a beginner version" - yet they still strain and grunt until they are into a position that less-than-slightly resembles her advanced example.

I've been doing yoga for a year now, and I wouldn't even attempt some of the more advanced positions. Mostly it's because I know that I would either hurt myself, or if I did manage to get myself folded around that way I would probably be doing it incorrectly (and again, most likely hurt myself). Oh, I'll give them a whirl every now and then, but I don't push something that just ain't ready to happen. This doesn't apply to all of the men, but a lot of the ones I'm referring to seem to see it as more of a challenge or competition rather than understanding what is best for them and their bodies. Women tend to be more flexible as beginners in yoga, and I don't see very many of them trying to force their bodies into certain poses. There are of course exceptions to every rule though, and I have even seen a man put his leg behind his head (although he'd been practicing yoga for years).

I guess my point is - that anyone can get to those amazing bendy poses eventually, as long as they practice regularly and work their way up to them. I actually saw a beginner try to put their leg behind their head once, causing them to topple over and bang up their elbow pretty badly!

Yoga is not a competition - it's about finding what works for you and your body, and getting in tune with everything that goes along with that. I'm hoping to one day be able to accomplish the full "Bird of Paradise" pose, as well as the "Full Pigeon".... someday. Right now I'm happy with "Tree" pose, and "Half Pigeon". I'll get there... :)

My First Duathlon!

OK - I meant to post this a while ago, but I'm a procrastinator, so there. :)

My first Duathlon (the Fall Frenzy 2008) was held in Parker, CO at the Parker Rec Center. It was a 3 mile run, a 13 mile bike, then another 3 mile run. I was aiming to finish in less than 2 hours & 15 minutes -- but as it turns out I did better than I thought! I finished in 1 hour 55 minutes & 8 seconds!! Yah, it was a good day. After some celebrating with the family, we came home & dad, Taryn, and mom cooked up a delicious Eggs Benedict breakfast. Doesn't get much better than that!

Looking forward to my next challenge now... maybe a 1/2 marathon, or a triathlon! We'll see....

Training Motivation....

I've TOTALLY been slacking with my duathlon training. It's coming up NEXT MONTH, and I haven't done any running or biking in the past 2 weeks!! YIKES! I'm gonna get back in the groove again though -- I really want to do well in this duathlon. It's a 3.1 mile run, a 13 mile bike, then another 3.1 mile run. I've found some motivation on the Runner's World website (www.runnersworld.com) where they have tons of training tips & posts.

I really hope it gives me enough motivation to say "No thanks, I'm not going to have that 3rd deliciously-delicious beer, I'm going to get up early and run 3 miles in the morning". 'Cause that would rock. I'm gonna give myself some slack on the weekends (It's still summer, dang it!) -- but I have to stick to it this time. So if you talk to me and ask what I'm doing tonight / tomorrow / this weekend, please tack on to my answer "And does that include any running or biking, Beth?" Maybe it'll at least guilt me into doing it. ;)