Equal Standing or Month-End Review, March

Checked the schedule at a branch of my gym:

March 31, 2013 (Easter) Group Ex schedule
9 am yoga Gloria
11 am yoga Gloria 

Win-win...

Gloria mentioned Easter, Passover, the March Equinox and Mahatma Gandhi's famous Be the change...quote to talk about the sense of renewal at this time of the year.

Did dancing cobra for the first time and dug it. The jury is still out on the Tibetan sit-ups though.

Something that I enjoy hearing during practice is samasthiti or equal standing -- something that appeals to me more and more these days...

Bicycling, 1 x

Bob Harper: Inside Out Method

Strength Training, 2 x's

Boxing, 3 x's

Climbing, 1 x

Kettlebell, 2 'x

Shooting Hoops, 1 x

Swimming, 5 x's

Tai Chi, 1 x

Walking, 9 x's

Yoga, 11 x's

Zumba, 1 x


Made any changes to your routine -- fitness or otherwise? Found equal standing?

Letting Go of Muscular Energy

One of the studios that I go to changed the schedule so I've been looking for another class and had my eye on Yoga with Meditation but it was the meditation part that made me hesitant.

I'm not opposed to meditation but I already feel like my yoga practice is meditative and, as an introvert, I spend a lot of time in my head already.

Uncertainty aside, I am at a point where I'm braver about venturing out of my comfort zone. Yoga with Meditation is taught by my Cindy's teacher, Jen, so I had added incentive to try the class.

I went to YWM for the second time yesterday. I felt bone-tired and fantasized about staying in child's pose or savasana the whole time...

As it turns out, meditating right before practicing is a good way to get all nice and centered. I made it through all variations of downward facing dog -- the bread and butter of yoga poses -- to savasana.

At the start of savasana, Jen said that We're going to let go of muscular energy in the body. During a quick scan, I realized that I was still holding on -- feet as upright as a freezer. When I'm prompted, though, I'm usually able to let go.

I had such a solid night of sleep and felt as if I had enough rest -- a feeling that's been missing for days...

Saw this video, perhaps a reason for not enough sleep, about Cameron Russells. Liked a lot of what she had to say.

The Beginner's Heart

I noticed the red and yellow Are You Clipped In? signs everywhere. When I asked Mike if something happened while I was away from climbing, he said that there were two incidents at the new gym. The one climber broke his legs after falling from the top of a route. I thought the climbers involved might have been newbies but Mike told me that they were experienced lead climbers and that he wasn't surprised because new climbers are fresh out of classes etc.

The whole newbie thing makes me think of a yoga class that I took recently. We were doing Ardha Chandrasana or Half Moon Pose when this newbie told me, repeatedly, that I looked like a professional. I told her that I feel like a new yogi all the time and Sharon, the teacher, said You gotta keep that beginners heart and mind.

I am the one who can't get my butt to my heels in Child's Pose and my feet never touch the ground in Downward Facing Dog but, as Sharon said, you have to be patient with yourself and your body.

As far as climbing goes, I'm glad that my crew behaves like newbies -- checking and checking again to make sure that our harnesses are on right, our knots are secure and our carabiners are locked.

Forward, Not Backward

Went to boxing and about half the class showed up. We'll just chalk up the attendance to the post-snowpocalypse. It was a good class and, as my sparring partner Michelle said, there was something very gratifying about one sequence that Dawn gave us: right kick, left kick, jab and cross. When you get into a good rhythm, it's beautiful and taxing.

Dawn reminded me several times about my stance which is often too wide. When we did one sequence: kick, jab...jab, cross, she told me that, after kicking, I needed to land my foot closer to my opponent. Of course, it made perfect sense when she demonstrated how you, essentially, want to be in your opponent's grill so, therefore, your momentum should be forward not backward.

At the end of class, Dawn showed us a hip-thrusting-foot-stomping-elbow-throwing self-defense move. She now wants to show us one technique per class. I still remember Dawn's talk about elbows in a previous class. She said that the elbow is one of the hardest bones in the body. It's a no-brainer but a fact that was not in the forefront of my mind even though I often joke about throwing 'bows. Now, I think about the hardness of the elbow a lot.

First One In

First One In, Last One Out

Went back to Zumba after almost a month's absence. Laura asked if there were any newbies in class and one brave woman raised her hand. Laura gave her the run down and said The only rule of Zumba....then turned to us and we responded is to have fun.

Laura went on to tell us not to take ourselves seriously. Because if you do, you're going to make me look ridiculous. With my being in the opposite direction of the class many times, I definitely did not make Laura look ridiculous.

Rested a bit after Zumba then went to the pool and swam a mile. At lap 27, the wall appeared. My friend Bob Harper popped into my head -- ...finish what you started. As I did the backstroke, I told myself Your arms still work. Your arms still work. I also thought about a CPR class that I recently took and how compressions require stamina plus good posture and appropriate hand placement. I remember how the instructor said do compressions and breaths until help arrives or until you cannot do it anymore...

The Vacation Paradox

I Did Not Have Relations With Those Chips

When I return from vacation, I'm usually lighter -- in more ways than one.

First things first, I totally did not miss stepping on the scale. If I didn't miss it, I should step on it less at home, right?

I didn't do kettlebell or Zumba while away and the only thing that I climbed was stairs.

I drank the Izze. I put half and half in my coffee.

I let myself have Babybel albeit the light ones.

Babybel Plus

I ate veggie burgers that looked fairly greasy.

I felt like I ate a ton of bread.

I am more and more baffled by weight loss. Is it the sitting at my desk that hampers weight loss? I keep seeing this tweet and I know it's true but it never seems that way on vacation.

30% gym, 70% diet. Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.
— Women's Fitness (@Women_Fit) March 21, 2013

So, I totally think I should take more vacations.

Nightcap

I took about one hour and fifteen minutes off the life of my swimming suit -- not all of that swim time since Chatty Kathleen was at the pool. CK instantly noticed that I had a new suit on and said that navy blue looked good on me. CK talks a lot but her speech is usually benign...

I noticed the Weight Watchers woman who usually incorporates a kickboard into her workout and I noticed the unhappy child taking swimming lessons. Don't let go he told his instructor then I don't want to go that way after he, dutifully, threw a diving ring into the pool. I imagine him, down the line, being very comfortable in the water. I hope that his tears won't be for naught.

In the locker room, Kathleen said This must be a long day for you after work. She's never said that before even though I've been at plenty of nighttime open swim sessions.

I feel peculiar when I don't exercise and I swim when I can at a pool that doesn't cost a fortune. When I get in the water, I try to think about pleasant events especially when I'm doing the backstroke and looking up at the wooden ceiling. I think about how I feel most competent doing the front crawl now. When I've finished with laps, I float a bit. I do the backstroke a bit. I climb out of the water even though I don't really want to.