Hangin' out

The first time I heard about aerial yoga I thought it was kind of silly and something you only see stick thin, bronzed, bohemian-fit girls do on pinterest. Buuuuuuut then I found out there was a studio in YYC and I couldn't resist gaining the experience. Thank you Fit Republic. 

My good friend Talia joined me on this little 'sunday funday'. We walked into the small studio and I instantly felt out of my comfort zone. There were 7 or 8 other members of the class already hanging monkeys and looking like professionals. Let's call them the professional monkeys. Anyways, the first thing you do when you're at a class like this is size yourself up a stretchy satin hammock. Once you're all ready, the instructor starts directing you through various poses. Some are simple stretch poses, others are more physically demanding, and some are inverted like in our pictures. 

It may look like we're zenning out in this picture, however, not all poses were incredibly comfortable. One pose referred to as 'tweety bird' was particularly uncomfortable for my bunions  (ew...). Other poses intensely 'massaged' hip flexors and shoulder joints. 

I look forward to going back to #fitrepublicyyc. It was a great way to try something new and mix up my regular workout routine. 

Bicycles and sweat

I tried out my new kicks a couple of days ago and I loved em! This was my first time trying out clip ins on the open road and contrary to all the 'advice' I previously received... I didn't fall! There was one close call with a civic, and another time I forgot that my shoes were attached to the bike so there was an awkward wobbly situation. But after an hour exploring the wonderful trails of Calgary, I got it figured out. 

Some advice for new cyclists:

1. If you can, practice clipping in and out of the pedals on a trainer first. 
2. For the sake of your pride and well being, practice in a low traffic area. 
3. Don't make any sudden movements... 
4. Avoid steep hills... I don't know what I'm going to do if I have to dismount on a steep hill. 
5. To dismount on flat ground, you unclip one foot then swing your leg over to the other side and hope like hell your other foot unclips :) easy peasy... 

Peaches

Nothing say spring time like a nice bowl of fresh peaches. I love peaches... I love peaches in pie, in tarts, in smoothies, in cobbler form. I've never had a peach that I don't like. I attribute my love for peaches to Roald Dahl's children book, 'James and the Giant Peach'. His wonderful novel glorified these fuzzy fruits  for me and I've never looked back. 

Friday Real Life Moment: the 'hand up' street crosser

Walking to work this morning I realized a moment in life when my ability to be indecisive reaches an all time high... I was standing on the street corning waiting to cross the road with 4 or 5 other city dwelling workers. Then one bold person decides to start their journey across the road EVEN THOUGH the 'do not walk' hand was still showing. Now, there was no vehicles coming. This defiant 'hero of the crosswalk' was perfectly safe.. aside from the possibility of getting a $500 jay-walking fine. Instantly I'm torn between joining this fast walking fella, or waiting like a sign post with the rest of the 'waiters'.  I wonder if this 'crosser' is smart for doing what he's done, or stupid and a rebel? Maybe he is in such a hurry he couldn't possibly wait the extra 20 seconds for the 'hand' to turn into a 'walking man'. Am I conforming by staying behind with the others? Or would I be conforming if I followed this man, just because that's what he's done? I don't know...

Anyways.. by the time all of these thoughts have run through my head the sign has changed and I shuffle my way across the road.

I wonder what everyone else thinks when that one guy crosses the street without the signs permission...  

Everyone's sick...

I rarely get sick. But for the past month, I have been fighting off some terrible 'lingering' illness. You've probably had a lingering cold yourself... you know, the ones that don't get better or worse, they just stick around for ever.

I keep pushing myself to exercise despite this hacking cough. Even though I usually feel better after each workout, I wasn't sure the toll it was taking on my recovery.

I found this great resources from Precision Nutrition that lays out some great information in an infographic.

Check it out here.

'tis the season

Shake Shake Shake

I haven't been much of a 'smoothie' person lately. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good smoothie... if someone else makes it for me, but I'm not much for making my own. However, since starting Juiceplus I have become hooked on the Complete Shakes.

Vanilla shake with frozen berries

These shakes couldn't be more easy to prepare. All you need is one scoop of the powder, ~400mls of water or almond milk and my Bamix blender. I like these shakes as is with limited ingredients, but I'm starting to include more 'stuff' into each shake. The picture above shows a vanilla shake with a few frozen berries thrown in.

Yum yum yum!

Just keep running...

I don't know about you, but I regularly want to quit when I'm 10 minutes into a run. I'm not in pain and I'm usually not out of breath at 10 minutes so it's not a physically limiting urge to quit. Instead, it's obsessive thoughts about quitting or justifying a shorter run. 

Today's run was tough... My mind was consumed by thoughts of 'just quit' for 20 of my 40 minute run. Usually when this happens I picture myself in a bikini or a dress and visualize how I want to look in that 'outfit'. I know if I want to look like how I picture myself, I am going to need to work out. Therefore I keep running. 

But that didn't work for me today... Instead I thought of how proud I will feel when I complete the entire 40 minute run without stopping. I pushed throfufh and completed the run. My motivation to exercise is slowly shifting to become more internal. It feels great!