Run/Walk

I have decided to try and make some us of my working over night and write a short blog post.

As I have already told both of you (I believe), I saw an orthopedic surgeon and he seems to think that as long as a roll out my IT band I will be ok for running. So right after I saw him I went to the gym and did a run walk with a couple stops to foam roll.

I did that again today and it felt great! I ended up running a total for 20 mins and walking 15. I can tell that my cardio has gone down because I only did a 10 min mile for a short bit and got pretty out of breath.

But it feels good! I'm excited at the prospects of being able to get back in to running and not feeling uncomfortable while I do it. For startes though I am going to try and take it easy. Continue with my run/walks and thorough stretching/foam rolling.

We will see...maybe we can all run the disney half marathon next year!! :-D

DSM + Treadmill = ?

 + 

My newest news is that I now have a gym membership at the Y! The other day, while reading about health, I came across that fact that as humans we sit way more often than what is good for us. I don't know if that applies to both of you, but most of my days I have my butt in a chair so I can have my nose in a book. I decided to try something new and lugged my Bible-like DSM to the gym and used the elliptical while learning about mental retardation and then the treadmill while learning about the general chapters in the DSM and I continued visiting different machines and studying.

What I learned from the experience is
1) It is best to study from a less unwieldy book than the DSM. That thing keep shutting on me and once I almost knocked it off the stand onto my toeses.
2) I have the hardest time not exercising competitively. I purposely set the treadmill at a slow pace as the reason was to exercise while walking, not get an intense workout. But when on the eliptical or bike, I kept wanting to go faster, especially if there were people around me.

So the plan is to continue my walking studying. Second round I brought my ipad and studied off of digital flashcards there. I love imagining my future of a psychologist while diagnosing my patients. I can see myself thinking "Definitely he has MDD and how am I sure? I learned it while on the treadmill, mile 3."

Meditation

I just had to share. I have had a lovely morning. I managed to get myself out of bed and to the gym this morning. I had an intense 2 mile walk and then a great yoga class (ended with yummy back popping).

I have been trying to get more regular with meditation. I really miss being able to go to Tuesday night Mind Labs but I do have some guided meditation I found on CD. So I just did one now called the inner body meditation. It was about 20 mins and I think the most relaxed I have ever gotten from meditation. I frequently carry this ball of anxiety around in my chest and about halfway through I noticed that it had just melted away. Now I just wanna stay home and relax all day :P

If you're interested in at home meditation the one I used was from a two CD set called Eckhart Tole, Meditations for a New Earth.

Saturday all week long

Ok ok so I'll admit that I'm over due for a post. All I can say is the summer months are so enchanting here in Portland. I've come under the warm sun, no rain, homegrown tomato spell.
Saturday schedule:
-Bath with rolled oats, ground almonds and powdered milk and drops of tangerine and rosewood oils
-Play with smudge stick
-Run to lunch date with hubbie and babie
-Walk, hold baby, push stroller while meandering to mall (ugh!) to pick up Luke's suit for internship.
-Sleep like a baby.




If only I could have more Saturdays. The mix of rest and activity lulled me into a rhythm. I feel more grounded. I breath more fully.
I'm trying to bring my Saturday with me as I start this week. I'm trying to slow down as I fill out paperwork. Feel my body as I talk. Sit grounded as I express milk. Wiggle my toes for exercise. :)
As Thich Naught Han (sp?) says:
Every step is peace.
You have already arrived.

Location:Post already

The Unexpected Yoga Visitor

Last week I was taking a yoga class at my gym. This was the second time I had this instructor and I was already wondering why I had myself there again. Her style of teaching is as follows: stay glued to my mat, occasionally look up at my students, and talk in a, what I assume she perceives as, a soothing monotone voice. I kept telling myself, you're here for yoga, for the stretch, try and 'zen out' her voice and the fact that 90% of her students form is atrocious and she only looks up and says 'oh yes, you look great.' During her guided meditation in her first class she talked about rainbows and imagining whatever was bothering you was floating away on a cloud. So, I took her (in my mind) and sent her off on a cloud...

About ten minutes into this last class this gal walks in with headphones and very loudly grabs a mat walks to the front left corner of the class and plops down. At first I'm thinking, ok she is going to join us, but no. She bobs her head to her music (that you can hear) and at times sings along lowly as she stretches. The whole time this is happening I'm checking over at her thinking; maybe she is going to join in? and when I realized she wasn't I couldn't stop thinking 'What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you so dense that you didn't notice PEOPLE in here are obviously taking a class?' I went back and forth between that and thinking 'oh this is an interesting social experiment' and I considered how possibly in some obscure place in the world it would be OK for "YOU TO COME IN AN INTERRUPT MY YOGA CLASS!!!"

I, several times, wanted to walk over to her and say 'excuse me, we are having a class, could you please go outside?' but I did not do this for two specific reasons:

1. This responsibility I saw as the instructors, no? It is her job right?

2. She rather scared me, I saw her in the locker room the other day and secretly glared at her, but she looks like someone you wouldn't want to piss off-jock is the word that comes to mind, all brass no brains.

I kept thinking "Lord, who knows HOW long this loud lady will be in here?" Well, the instructor did nothing. I started envisioning my entire yoga class accompanied by noisy-headbanging-headphones-jock-girl.

Thankfully, that did not happen (she left after about five mins) - I couldn't handle irritation with my instructor and this rude individual all at the same time...that's just way beyond my current "zen level."

As the gal walked out, I heard her say to someone out in the main part of the gym "I don't know if I was supposed to go in there. Hahahahaha"

And then the instructor said sorry for that and thanks us for "being patient."

After all this I tried to come up with some sort of deep, elaborate lesson but I really just couldn't. I have to say though, by the end of the class I did feel nicely stretched and I felt this cool/warm feeling throughout my body as I rested in shavasana. So I suppose if there were a lesson to be learned it would be; keep doing yoga, it will always be there for you, but also be discerning in whom you let teach you. (I am ever grateful for the incredible technique that I have learned from Yoga Oasis that I can take with me when I take classes from instructors that aren't as good). I have to decide whether or not the stretch I get from yoga is worth the style of teaching of this instructor. I'll let ya know what I figure out ;)

Walking

I love to walk. I really do. Sometimes I think that all along I have wanted to walk but have made myself run because it is easier to get my heart rate up and burns more calories. Sometimes...;)

I have decided to try and take up walking more. I said I was going to start this when Ann was here ;) But I've been doing it a bit more. Last week I locked my keys in the car when I went to yoga at Chuze AND my phone so I had to walk home. It was hot but I enjoy how meditative it is!

Today I had the lofty goal of walking TO the gym, doing yoga and then walking home after. HAHAHA...I drove my tired ass to the gym, walked for about 10 mins before class and then after walked for about 20 or so. Now, post walking, my legs feel wonderful! They have that post workout feeling (that is also thanks to yoga too!)

I just had to share that. I think my next post I'll have to share about my annoying/humorous experience at yoga last Friday with the "wishy washy' instructor and our unexpected guest!!