Meditation

I’ll write in more detail about my experience with meditation in a later post, but for now, I have to say that I’m loving it. I use the Headspace app every day, and it gives me just a little time out from the hustle and bustle and the stress of daily life. I can’t say enough good things about Headspace.

February goal: to continue meditating daily. Some days it’s easier to sit down to meditate than others, but I find once I settle into the practice, I’m glad I made the time to do it. This is a daily habit that I have found to be worth cultivating, and I’ll be working on it through February as well.

Healthy Eating

In January I made meal prep an important part of my weekend routine. I brought healthful homemade meals to work with me almost every day of the month. In addition, I took the time to have a healthy breakfast each morning, packed lots of snacks, and had dinner ready to enjoy when I came home from work. This was a huge improvement from 2017, when I often found myself sleeping late, grabbing a quick bowl of cereal or a fast-food breakfast sandwich, and eating out far more often than I should!

February goal: These new habits feel way better (in addition to saving me money), so I’ll be continuing them into February. This month I’m going to focus on adding more variety to my diet; I tend to stick with the same old easy recipes and have started to get a bit bored. I’m going to be reaching out to friends on Facebook to look for healthy (and delicious!) recipe recommendations.

Working Out

In January, I didn’t worry too much about the quality of workout I was doing, just that I got my body moving every day. This month, I’d like to practice Pound three days a week in preparation for our big community Pound fundraiser at the end of February (more about this in a later post!). I’m also going to attend a group strength-training class once a week, and when possible, get out for a walk and/or run (that has been difficult due to our awful January weather!). I’ll continue my Friday beginner ballet class, and hopefully will be able to do a ballet barre workout on Youtube or with a DVD once a week to get an extra practice in there.

I’m finding that monthly goal-setting is really helpful in keeping my motivation up. Hope you’re crushing your 2018 resolutions too!

Annette

Strong By Zumba

This class looks tough. Really tough. I love that the music was composed specifically for the choreography instead of the other way around – they even commissioned Steve Aoki to compose some of the tracks. If you’re interested in getting a taste, there’s a free 20-minute class on Youtube.  You can access it here. And if you’re ready to try a full class, you can search on the Strong by Zumba website for a class near you:  www.strong.zumba.com

PIYO

Piyo is a mix of pilates and yoga (hence the name), if you did it after taking a triple shot of espresso. This class moves fast. My cousin Emily ordered the DVDs and loved them.  You can also take classes in person; you can search the Beach Body website to see if there’s a class in your area.

POP Pilates

POP Pilates is the brainchild of the super-bubbly Cassey Ho of Blogilates. It’s basically a sped-up pilates class with pop music. It looks difficult, and fun, and I want to try it! You can try out a 10-minute version on Youtube here. If you’re interested, it’s worth checking out Cassey’s extensive Youtube video library – she’s got tons of videos about meal planning, workouts, stretching, and more.  You can check out the POP Pilates website to find a class near you.

Aerial Yoga/Aerial Silks

I don’t know of any trademarked workout under this label, but boy are aerial silks fun! I had the opportunity to try it last year at Apex Dance Industry in Sarnia, Ontario. The silks are suspended from the rafters, and you can stand/twirl in various positions while you build strength in your entire body. Surprisingly, it doesn’t require as much upper-body strength as you may imagine – your legs are definitely involved in this workout! If you’re interested, try searching on Google for a class near you. It’s a unique form of fitness that is definitely worth a try!

Pound

I know, I’m a little biased on this one! Pound is an awesome class. It’s only 45 minutes, but trust me, it’s for a good reason – Pound is intense. You will be sore the next day! If you love great music and the idea of beating out your frustrations with a pair of neon green drumsticks, this is the class for you. Check out the website to find a class – you won’t regret trying this one!

Have an awesome week everybody!

I’ve been hooked from the first time I tried Pound. I’ve been a musician my whole life and was a percussionist in high school, so as soon as I heard of Pound I knew I had to try it. It was just as much fun as I thought it would be, and I was determined to become an instructor. Now that I’m certified, I can see how much work I have to do. Not only do I have to learn the choreography, I also have to bring my fitness level and stamina up to the point where I can make it look easy.

I’ll be practicing like crazy over the holidays to make my goal of leading a group fitness class a reality. Wish me luck as I embark on this brand-new, slightly scary but very exciting, pet project!

Stewie thinks I’m doing just fine.

I just came back from a run in which my wardrobe tried its best to sabotage me. It started when my running leggings suddenly developed an intense fear of heights. I had no choice but to adjust them as I ran, hoping that there were no observers, or if there were, they would assume that I was just practicing my old-timey country barn dance routine. At the same time, my shins started hurting again. This particular issue started back when I pushed past 5K and began working towards 10, and despite taking some weeks off to rest, the problem persists. To top it all off, my sneakers started once again to rub the backs of my heels. Despite the bandaids I had placed there to protect me, my heels were rubbed raw. Tired, frustrated, and doing my best to keep my darn pants up, I hobbled home.

When working to develop any skill, the key to not giving up is to approach it with patience. It was really frustrating to develop shin splints and have to take time off, not to mention the heel-rubbing, both of which I blame on my footwear. It’s not easy to admit that I spent a lot of money on the wrong pair of sneakers, but I’m not doing myself any favours by continuing to run in them. I’ll be on the hunt for a new pair next week. If I want to be a good runner, I have to jump over any barriers that appear in my way and keep on practicing. Upwards and onwards – I’m not going to let any temporary setbacks get me down!

And I will definitely be choosing a different pair of leggings for my next run. Either that, or I scout out a pair of sweat-wicking suspenders. 

I’ll be running for 35 minutes 3 times a week for another week or so, and then I’m going to challenge myself to reach 10K. But for now, I’m patting myself on the back for a job well done.

I had decided one day that I would go home after work and put on a workout DVD, but I really didn’t want to. What I wanted to do was go to the gym and work out with other people who were busting their butts to get in shape, just like me. So I hopped online, found a TRX class at my gym, and headed right over. I was the newest member of the class, but seeing what everyone else was able to do kept me focused – if I keep working hard, I’ll be at their level sooner rather than later.

It’s official: for me, a class is way more motivating than strength-training on my own.

When I’m running, I find that the first kilometre is often the hardest. At that point, it’s more mental than physical – can I really keep this up? Nine times out of ten, it turns out that I can. If I believe that I can keep going, my body usually follows.

“Dig down…you will find a way.”

Thanks Matt.

Today I participated in the Color Run, a 5K in which people throw packets of colour at you while you’re running. It sounds fun, and it is.

It was a messy business.

Before:

(That’s me, second from right.)

And after:

My friends and I all walk/run at different paces, so we split up. When I neared the finish line, Alex had already finished and circled back to run with me until I reached the end. Thanks Alex!

(Me, proudly showing off my medal)

I signed up for a half-marathon next June, and this was a good test-run for me. I’ve been using the Couch to 5K app and reached Week 7, Day 2 (20 minutes of running) the Thursday before the race. Today was so hot that I ended up walking/running the race instead of running the whole thing as I had originally planned. This experience has really motivated me to train hard so that I can be prepared for the 21K next June.

Overall, the Color Run was an awesome experience. If you get a chance, give it a try!

I will admit, I was really nervous about stopping my strength training sessions. Without having an appointment in my calendar three days a week, it’s been harder to find the motivation to train on my own. I love cardio activities like running and fitness classes like Zumba and Pound, but I find it easy to procrastinate when it’s time to lift some weights! After reviewing my budget I made peace with the fact that three sessions a week going forward wouldn’t be realistic, but decided that I would continue doing one session a week. This at least ensures that I don’t lose the strength that I worked so hard to build over those three months.

The challenge that I’ve set for myself this week is to find the time for at least one strength training workout that I will complete on my own. Since I don’t own any weights, a routine that includes body weight exercises is key. I really like ballet fitness, so I’m going to give a DVD a try and see how it goes. My trainer asked me to text her during the week when I get my strength training routines in, so I have that extra layer of accountability. Thanks Morgan!

Today I attended a two-hour yoga workshop, taught by Michelle of Mothership Yoga. I had only tried one yoga class before, and to be honest, I didn’t like it. It was slow, it was boring, and I kept checking my watch and considering whether it would be rude to walk out. (I decided it would be and stuck it out.) This class was completely different. I feel like I learned what yoga is supposed to be – challenging but meditative, and somehow healing. As someone whose mind is usually racing a mile a minute (yes, I am a worrier), I’ve had difficulty with meditation and slow-moving fitness classes in the past. However, today’s session was different; it felt incredibly restorative. I felt calm and centered as I left the class, which is unusual for me! I’ve signed up for three more classes over the next few weeks, and am looking forward to my next session. If you’re thinking about attending a yoga class but are not sure if you’ll like it, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and give it a try – you might be pleasantly surprised!