New Year’s unresolution Number One
At the end of 2009 a friend alerted me to a LivingSocial offer for a yoga studio not far from me. Most of the studios in Indianapolis are downtown or on the far north side, but this one was only 20 minutes away. It was also a very good deal – 20 classes for $20! We both signed up, and in February I attended my first class ever. And LOVED it. I’ve always wanted to try yoga, but thought it was for skinny-minnies (which I am not). Our yoga instructor is what you might call full-figured, even, but she is incredibly flexible and bendy. But more than anything, she’s just an amazing instructor. She emphasizes attention to what your body CAN do instead of what it can’t, and reiterates over and over (and over) again that yoga class is not the place to bring your ego. It doesn’t matter whether the person on the mat next to you can touch the floor with their nose in Upavistha Konasana – it’s all about that tiny, incremental bit of space you can create for yourself each time you practice. Really, it’s about the breath, and maintaining that breath throughout your practice. We use a sounding breath called Ujjayi Pranayama, or “Conqueror’s Breath”, and one of my favorite times of the week is the start of class when the room fills with that noise.
Anyway, I hate exercise. I joined a gym a few years ago, and I can count on two hands the number of times I went. With all the money I spent I could have bought my own treadmill to have at home, since that was the only machine I ever used anyway. I always intended to use the weight machines, but they were always either in use, or I just didn’t have time. Yoga, though, is something I enjoy, and it’s made me aware of my body in different ways than working out in a gym ever has. For one, it really made me aware of my pelvic floor! Not something we think of in the context of the everyday, but since we practice spending time on our “sit” bones, it has become obvious to me that my core muscles just aren’t strong enough to support me the way they’re supposed to when I’m sitting in proper alignment. Which is why I was so glad to find Katy Bowman’s blog!
I wasn’t familiar with Katy until I found her online, but I will be a fan forever. First, she doesn’t advocate exercise in the traditional sense… according to Katy, if you move the way our bodies were meant to – and move a lot, specifically walking several miles a day – and in proper alignment, your body will work the muscles efficiently enough to keep you toned. And obviously all that walking has cardiac benefits, too. I am ALL. ABOUT. THAT. I can walk. I love to walk. I don’t love to walk in 20 degree weather, but I can do it if I must. Starting now, that’s my plan. Walking, squatting, stretching, and doing yoga. That’s it. No more Jillian Michaels, no more Bob Harper… I want to be healthy and fit, but I don’t want to hate every minute of getting there. Tonight, I started with Katy’s squatting exercises, or more specifically, the squat prep exercises, which are just calf and hamstring stretches. Holy cow! I knew my hamstrings were tight, but had NO idea my calves were also. Hopefully after a few more nights of this I’ll be able to move on to the next prep move. But there is no rush. It’s all about the breath, right?
Filed under me | Comment (0)Here we go again – 2012 version
I’m back! It’s been a while (since February, I think, or later?), and not much has changed, but I want to blog again. I went back through some of my older posts, and I really sort of miss it. Maybe I’ll have something important to talk about this year, or maybe I’ll still write about things that don’t really matter to anyone but me, but that’s okay.
I’m driving home today from visiting my brother’s family – the infamous Wia and Emma. We had so much fun this trip – I arrived a day earlier than I usually do so I could be here in time for Emma’s birthday. We ate at Sweet Potatoes and raced go-karts to celebrate her 5th (can you believe she’s FIVE?). We’ve also eaten at Vinnie’s, which is a Savannah institution, and then today tried the Crystal Beer Parlor, Savannah’s second oldest restaurant. We went to see Arthur Christmas, which was way better than I thought it would be, and yesterday we went ice skating at the Savannah Civic Center. This was probably the most fun I’ve had with the girls since they started school and pre-K – they’ve been on break all week, so we’ve played lots of Kinectimals and Once Upon a Monster on their new XBox 360, too. They’re growing up SO fast, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to make as many trips down each year going forward. It seems silly for me to come while they’re in school, so that rules out spring and fall (except for Wia’s birthday, which I will never miss if I can help it). For now, though, I’m happy to have spent the time with them this past week… it was crazy-busy, but spending time with my family is the best.
So tired
I am pooped. I started out yesterday morning with a “relaxing” massage (fact: if anyone tells you a massage feels good, they are lying. It HURTS. But in a good way.), but then I decided to ruin all that relaxation with shopping. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, three weeks before Christmas. I was at an outdoor mall, and I think the fact that it was cold and snowing kept some people away. From there I went to Meijer, then Target, then Lowe’s, then Bed Bath and Beyond, and finally Sears. I bought new cookie sheets, shower gel, face wash, razor blades, drain cleaner, air freshener, and a NEW VACUUM.
Side note: I’m so excited about this new vacuum. I looked everywhere, read all the reviews, and just was generally unimpressed with the options available locally. Sears was kind of my last resort – I know Kenmore vacuums aren’t exactly the cheapest, but they aren’t as pricey as Dyson, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to look. I ended up with this model, on sale. It has a telescoping wand, people! I looked up reviews while I was standing in the store, and the only beef anyone seems to have with it is the weight. It’s a little heavy, but I can live with it. And it does a fantastic job. It has this light that tells you if it senses dirt (red), or not (green), so you can tell if it’s picking up dirt or not. With a big, hairy, dirty dog, this is a must-have. The canister also empties out the bottom, which is super-cool and much easier. LURVE IT.
When I got home from shopping after being gone for 9 hours, I decided I was still motivated enough to at least get the indoor Christmas decorations up. It only took me a couple of hours, and it was all twinkly and pretty when I got done. I always miss the decorations when I take them down – the living room seems so empty!
I got up this morning and put up the outside lights. Again, it only took a couple of hours but it was freaking cold, and now I have windburn. Super-rosy cheeks. But it’s pretty! And very twinkly. I use random sparkle lighted garland all over the garage and front porch, and it’s basically an epileptic attack just waiting to happen. But again, it’s so pretty!
I also filled the bird feeders. I bought a new dual-seed feeder at Lowe’s, and the thing is so dang heavy the shepherd’s hook may not be able to handle it. It’s sort of bending/leaning a bit. I guess I can use that as a visual clue for when to refill it?
Tired. Sooooo tired.
