My Adventures in Moksha Yoga: Is It Hot in Here or is it Just Me??

Much to my extreme delight my work schedule has calmed down for the next few weeks as projects begin to wrap up and new ones don't kick off till the fall. Being somewhat of an opportunist, I decided that a miscellaneous vacation day was in order.

I mean, who doesn't love a long weekend for absolutely no reason right??

I started out my Friday with a trip to my favorite spin studio. This place is pricey and not exactly conveniently located, so the fact that I go there often is a testament to how much I love it!

Fifty sweaty but invigorating minutes later and I was ready for the next part of my day (Side note: don't you love getting your workout in early so you have the rest of the day to do anything you want!?)

Weeks and weeks ago I had purchased a WagJag for a 10-class package to hot yoga here in Toronto. Admittedly I had no clue what I was getting myself into, as I had never been before, but I'd heard so much about it and the price was too good to pass up ($40 for 10 is completely amazing right??)

Now because I had the rest of the morning and the whole afternoon free, and because "clean the apartment" has been lingering on the to-do list for a while, I decided to head to yoga and give it a try.

:Let's just say I was nervous. I am not a sauna/steam room kind of girl. In fact, a super hot shower can leave me nauseated and running for the exit. I made sure to hydrate (thanks to great advice on Twitter) and asked some questions beforehand to ease my uncertainties.

The instructor, who had been briefed that he had a newbie in his 12 o'clock class, was actually shocked that I was uneasy. His exact works were "What? You do all kinds of other things. You are in great shape. You'll be more then fine"

I'm in great shape says the yogi? Cool!

What, you don't practice in the change room before class? Weird....

Entering the studio , I thought "Hey, not too bad...warm but manageable" and proceeded to assume savasana and wait for class to begin.

Then the instructor came in and turned up the heat.

Uh oh.

Truthfully, I was more worried then I needed to be. It was a flow class so we moved through poses fairly quickly and while it was hot in there I actually felt pretty good. My muscles felt more limber and I felt like I was able to breathe deeper. (Yogis: Is this normal for hot yoga?)

Twenty minutes in and just as I had been warned, I was dripping with sweat. I was more soaked then I have ever been while running or spinning. It was dripping in my eyes, my towel was drenched and I was forming small puddles around the edge of the mat.

And I loved it.

If you know me, you know I love to sweat!

Class went on and while I new to this practice I felt like I got the hang of it. I felt strong and calm and could imagine the negative toxins dripping from my body. When I got a little dizzy (which I did twice) I just rested, drank water and resumed when I was ready. Not once did I feel the need to bolt from the room gasping for breath, as I had imagined I would.

And then before I knew it, the hour as up.

My thoughts post-class were: I love it, I want to do it again, boy am I thirsty, ow! my muscles are sore. In precisely that order.

I will most definitely be taking advantage of the other 9 classes and will probably incorporate it in my fitness routine after the package expires.

I love finding new ways to keep my body healthy and in this case, my mind as well. Hot yoga for the win!


So tell me, what's your favorite way to spend a day off work? Have you tried hot yoga? Did you love it too??

Marathon Training Week Eight- Other Loves

Hi everyone! I'm back from a long, pretty much unplugged weekend away at the cottage and ready to get back to my daily routine. It's funny how much I miss the predictability of the every-day when my schedule gets interrupted huh?

Here's how training went last week:

Monday: 18km (on the treadmill...who am I??)
Tuesday: Zone 8 spin/strength circuit (1hour)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Zone 8 spin/strength circuit (1 hour 15min)
Saturday: Spinning (50min)
Sunday: Rest

Total distance ran: 18km

Here's what I learned:

I like spinning. Alot. I mean I always knew I liked it, but if I were in the eighth grade I'd be at the stage where I am writing spinning on my notebook and drawing hearts around it. It's a bona fide workout crush I tell ya!

Right now the only thing I am loving more than spinning is spinning with strength intervals mixed in. Eight minutes on the bike, eight on the mat with a focus on all major muscle groups. Repeat for 1 hour or more. I swoon!

All this spinning and strengthening has taken my interest off running, at least for the time being. Sure I ran for 2 hours on the treadmill last week and felt pretty good the entire time but that was it for the week. And you know what? I'm going with it. Like I said last week, I am not going to torture myself. I am going to do what I love and what I feel motivated to do. And it's not like I am sitting around eating potato chips..I'm still sweating my ass off! (and then eating a few chips hehehe!)

When it comes to running these days I would actually rather run on the treadmill than outside. I'm not sure why exactly, but I am guessing that I like the lack of humidity and smog/air pollution plays a big part in it. And I know "they" (you know "them" right?) say you aren't supposed to train too much indoors but the way I see it is running inside is better than not running at all. As it stands, I'll take what I can get.

This might be my one and only marathon. I don't plan to give up running entirely but I am interested in exploring other things next year like biking, a sprint duathlon, a Warrior Dash (or similar adventure run), a return to kick boxing and possibly become certified to teach spin. Running is a great part of my overall physical activity, but I don't want it to be the be all, end all. Let's be honest, I am bored way to easily for that!

Thoughts this week: The marathon (and running in general) is so much more then a physical test. I am learning a lot about pushing my own limits, dedicating myself to a goal and persevering through tough times. I started this because I wanted to prove to myself that I can do something I never thought possible. I will finish it for that same reason. I won't win (not by a few hours!) but I will have accomplished so much more. That' moment is why I do it.


Hope you all had a great weekend!


So tell me, are you a creature of habit and routine? Do you like spontaneity and surprise or predictability?

Long Weekend Roundup

Hi everyone! If it's a long weekend where you are I hope you are enjoying your holiday Monday. And if its not, well look a the bright side, at least the world didn't end on Saturday after all. Phew!

Here's a little look into how my Victoria Day long weekend has panned out:

Friday:

The weekend got off to a great start when I hit up a local club to check out FirexFire which is an awesome local indie band here in Toronto. Admittedly I personally know these crazy-talented musicians but I promise I would dig them even if I didn't. They rock, what can I say!?!

It was a great night spent with friends celebrating the start to the weekend, awesome talent and my birthday too! Fun times!!

Saturday:

I spent most of an absolutely beautiful day indoors cleaning and doing laundry. Not exactly the best plan but the cleanup needed to happen in a big, bad way. I really need a more trainable boyfriend housekeeper.

After clean-a-palooza I headed midtown to my favorite spin studio for another intense spinning/strength class.I made a point to walk some of the way before hopping on transit so I could soak up some rays before heading back indoors for the sweat fest.

Then I hunkered down for the night for a TV series DVD marathon

Can you believe I have never seen Grey's Anatomy? I'm a complete freak who has lived in a cave for the last 5 years, I know! I started right from season one and have been working my way through all weekend. I am addicted!!

Sunday:

The Boyfriend got home early from a weekend with his family and we headed out to watch Bridesmaids. While we tried to anyway. The theatre at the mall was jam packed and the 6:50 show was completely sold out. What the what??I have never seen a sold out comedy in my life! That's just crazzzy! Making the best of things we decided to grab some dinner and head to another theatre in the north end for a later show. And guess what?? That freakin' show was sold out too! Holy sh*t! If its that popular it must be amazing right? Now I wanted to see it even more badly and was so disappointed that we had to come home instead.

Well not that disappointed really...we just watched more Greys!

Monday:

This morning I headed out for another spinning class at my fav studio. The Boyfriend was super cool and drove me to it and then waited at Starbucks until it was over to drive me back. Sweet right? And the class, as usual was killer. In a good , but my butt is gonna be screamin', kinda way!

Now I am hoping in the shower and rushing out to a mid-afternoon showing of Bridesmaids. I'm determined to see this movie and might get a little ruthless if there is a line. Stay tuned for the evening news for major dramatics at the theatre just in case.

Old people and children be warned..things could get a little rowdy. I will see this movie today or else!


So tell me, how was your weekend? Have you seen any good movies lately? Do you love Grey's Anatomy?

So Now What??

First off I want to thank everyone for their kind words and sympathy on yesterday's post. I spent a good part of the day feeling pretty blah (the rain and a sore throat were not at all helpful in that department ) but I did perk up when I found out that Cynthia had gotten a PR and a colleague of mine qualified for Boston at the race. I'm all about celebrating other people's success when I need a pick me up!!

Oh and a scrumptious breakfast makes a big difference too

Yes I made those and yes you can come over next Sunday. I also believe in celebrating the yum!

Now that the 1/2 marathon hype has come and gone I'm starting to contemplate my next move. While I am planning to maintain my cardio base in preparation for the 30k in August I also want to take a temporary step back from all the detailed training and focus a little more on cross training for the next month.

The thing is, as much as I enjoy running I enjoy cross training just as much, if not ever more. I love the feelings of strength and power that I get from strength and cycling, not to mention that my body responds well to them too.



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So here's the idea: No formal training plan until mid-June. Instead I will run once on the weekend (long) and at least once throughout the week (tempo or speed) and focus the rest of my energy on some of the other things I really like. All things considered I hope to maintain most of my endurance but also return to training with a refreshed outlook, ready to take on some personal distance records (PDRs).

Mixing things up a little? Works for me (and my unhappy knee)!!



So tell me, how do you keep your physical activity fresh and interesting? If you run, do you ever take a break?