Fitness- A New Weapon Against Cancer

This is a guest blog article written by David Haas. Thanks David for the contribution!

Every one knows that exercise contributes to a healthy life, but for those diagnosed with cancer, working out offers even more benefits. According to the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise can improve patients’ quality of life, body image and response to treatment.  New research demonstrates that even a moderate amount of exercise plays a significant role in helping patients cope with a diagnosis and manage day to day living at all stages of the disease.



Dealing with a diagnosis of cancer can leave a patient feeling powerless and frightened. Regular exercise promotes the release of endorphins, mood- boosting hormones that combat stress.  Because exercise raises the heart rate and oxygenates the blood, it improves circulation and keeps blood vessels flexible. Working out also supports immune function and strengthens muscles in even bedridden individuals. Not only that, working out can help patients reclaim a sense of control over their lives and improve their overall sense of well-being.



For those coping with the stress of treatment, regular exercise can reduce pain and help ease problems such as digestive discomfort, muscle aches and joint pain. The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society point out that patients with virtually all forms of cancer, such as mesothelioma, coon cancer and leukemia, can benefit from an exercise program tailored to their level of ability. Regular exercise can help with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, and can also help to restore mobility and organ function after surgery.

For cancer survivors, working out can be a life-affirming activity that supports their efforts to stay well after cancer. Some survivors run marathons or engage in other fitness activities that confirm their return to normal life.  Experts note, though, that because cancer treatments can cause fragility in bones and joints, it’s advisable to work with a trainer familiar with cancer patients who want to plan a return to pre-diagnosis fitness levels.



Cancer patients at all stages of coping with the disease have to deal with many physical changes, such as extreme weight loss, muscle weakness and atrophy, bloating and weight gain, or disfigurement from surgery and treatment.  Exercise can build muscle and restore flexibility to scarred tissues, allowing even those with severe mobility problems to move more easily. Working out also helps restore feelings of attractiveness and personal empowerment, which improves quality of life.



Although exercise has clear benefits for cancer patients and survivors, experts on fitness and physical therapy caution that it’s important to plan a fitness regimen that accommodates the changes created by the disease and its treatments, such as weakness, loss of muscle tone and longer term damage to bones and organs from treatments and surgeries.  But as recent studies demonstrate, even a little movement can make a big difference in the lives of those suffering from cancers of all kinds.

We're on Pinterest, Are You?

Have you heard of Pinterest? Are you addicted to pinning yet? If not, it's time to check out what all the hype is about. I have to admit, it's pretty fun to browse some great images of very cool products, places, and just about every kind of 'thing' you can imagine online. Pinterest is basically like having virtual bulletin boards where you can store things into different categories. Instead of ripping pages out of magazines every time you find a cute hairstyle, recipe, or great pair of shoes, you can just "pin" these items to your appropriate "board." It's up to you to decide what to call your boards. You can simply browse the web and when you find something you like, use the handy little "pin it" button (that you can copy to your bookmark toolbar). Or you can login to Pinterest and view all the cool things that other people already pinned. You will be amazed to see so many unique things in every category, all in one place. From there, it's one mouse click to "repin" things to your own boards.

YogaDudes has recently joined the party and created some boards of our own. They include:

Inspiration
Cool Products
YogaDudes Products
Fitness
Collages
Yoga Photography
Nutrition

Here's a glimpse at what you can find on the "Fitness" board. This is where I turn when I need that extra kick in the pants to motivate me to get moving.

And  here's a glimpse at one of my favorite boards "Yoga Photography"

If you are using Pinterest, you can follow all of the YogaDudes boards here. Or you can just follow individual boards. And if you're not yet using, just head on over to http://pinterest.com and request an invite. You'll be glad you did.

Happy pinning!

It's Amazing What Yoga Can Do

Please watch this amazing and inspiring video about a disabled Gulf War paratrooper who lost 140 pounds and went from crutches to sprinting by practicing yoga. It's a lesson to never ever give up.

Free May Desktop Calendar

Happy Spring everybody! If you want to bring some Spring indoors to your computer and make this image your desktop background just click on this link. A new window will appear with a much larger graphic. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Learning to Counting Calories

I have to admit counting calories is something that I've never done in my life. I have been very fortunate that I never had to diet or lose any weight. I have plenty of experience on the working out side of the equation, but I always ignored the nutrition part of keeping fit. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not eating Doritos and Twinkies. I eat as healthy as I possibly can, but I never tracked a calorie, a carbohydrate, or a gram of fat before. I decided that it's time I do, and boy was I surprised to learn what I did.

First off, the reason I decided to do this is because I'm finally to the point where I feel that I can lose a couple pounds. When I say this out loud it's usually met with rolling eyes and nasty remarks from whomever is in earshot. The truth is that I can still easily hide the extra pounds. It's easy to do when you're wearing clothes! But standing naked in front of a mirror is a different story. I've been training since the beginning of the year and I'm actually in great shape. I've slowly built nearly all my strength back. My upper body is defined, my abs are rock hard, and even my butt is much firmer (thanks to the Brazilian Butt Lift and 30 Day Yoga Sculpt). However, there is a pesky layer of fat on my thighs and tummy. Tummy fat is something I never had before and yes, it would be easy to just accept that this happens with age . . . but screw that. I'm not going down that easy. If I have to count some calories to make it go away then I'm willing to give it a shot.
It's been 5 days now that I'm tracking my food intake with a nifty smart phone app called The Daily Burn.

Every time I put something into my mouth I have to grab my phone and track it. This alone is motivation to NOT eat whatever snack I'm eying. Is it really worth the effort to track it? I can't tell you how many times I reached for "just a couple" M&Ms and realized that I have no easy way of tracking just 4 M&Ms so I go without. But the meals are pretty easy to track, especially with the purchase of the handy bar code scanner. All I need to do is scan the bar code of the product and it instantly adds all the nutrition information for me. This has proved very handy for my cocoa, bread, mayo, tuna fish, etc. Other foods may need to be manually entered (which can be cumbersome), but there is also a vast database of foods and you can always come pretty close to finding what you need.

It's been 5 days so far of food tracking and I can NOT believe how hard it is to stay within the limits. I didn't set these limits, but the app knows (based on your vital statistics and your weight goals) what they should be. So I'm supposed to stay within these daily limits:

Calories: 1491-1741
Carbs: 129-195
Fat: 31-53
Protein: 99-169

The calorie and fat limit is no problem to achieve. I normally don't eat too much and I certainly never have too much fat in my diet. But who knew that it's not the fat making us fat? It's the CARBS, which happens to be the staple of my diet. I was very foolish to think that I just needed to cut down on bread, pasta, and potatoes and all would be well. Little did I know that carbs are basically sugars and sugars are EVERYWHERE. Now I have to think twice before I reach for a piece of fruit, which still is not sitting well with me, but I'm willing to try this for a couple of weeks.

In addition to the impossible task of keeping my carbs down, I also realized that it's nearly impossible to get enough protein. I do not even want to know what my daily charts looked like before I started tracking. I'm sure I've been eating 6 times the amount of carbs I should and zero protein on a daily basis. Yesterday I ate tuna for lunch and cod for dinner and still didn't get enough protein. Today I had two eggs for breakfast, but I still have 45 grams of protein to reach my lowest limit and I only have one more meal left today. This is very challenging to say the least.

But I should add that after only 5 days of keeping somewhat within the limits listed above, my belly is much flatter and I really do feel like I made some quick progress. It sure is enough to make me want to do it again next week.

Acroyoga to Inspire

I sure would love to try this some day. It's just such a shame that I don't trust my husband enough not to drop me. I wonder how ones goes about learning how to do this stuff. If you have any info, please share with me.

Yoga for High School Students

 The following article comes to us courtesy of Jasmine Kaloudis

Overloaded Teens?  Take a Down dog!
With all the stresses that teens face with homework,  team sports, college admissions tests, qualifying for students loans, the pressure of fitting in, awkward body changes and raging hormones,  having  a part-time job, doesn’t it make sense that yoga is a way for them to get calmer, chiller and more composed?

A recent study by Harvard University Division of Sleep Medicine, followed high school students that did a regular Kripalu program of yoga with physical postures, controlled breathing exercises as well as meditation and a relaxation period over 10 weeks with classes being 2 to 3 times a week. 
Questionnaires were given to the high school students 1 week before the program and one week after.  The main results of this were that the students well-being and ability to manage their emotions were greatly improved.

The yoga students found that their mood was greatly improved with yoga and they were less prone to anger, irritability and they had increased self-confidence and composure after regularly attending yoga classes during their PE period.

I know when I was an awkward teenager, I was pressured by my parents to get a 3.5 GPA or I wouldn’t be able to go out with my friends and use the car.  Most of my friends were dating and had boyfriends so I felt like I had to have a boyfriend also….. Enter the hot and sophisticated German Exchange student.

I was also on the tennis team and when I first started it I was on the bottom of the team and felt like a loser.  Having more self-acceptance about my place on the ladder would have helped me to handle my position better.   I played about 2 to 3 hours of tennis about 5 times a week and was determined to not be on the bottom of the team ladder.  I wonder how much more composed and collected I would have felt with a regular asana and meditation practice.

Most of my friends always got As and I always seemed to get B's even though we all studied together all the time.  We all wanted to go to the top schools so my friends, parents and even friends of my parents all seemed to collectively put pressure on us to take the College Prep classes and only get A's.

I was also having lots of the normal teenage girl battles with my parents at the time over the cliche subjects, going out, curfew, homework, grades, boys, partying and had plenty of heated battles with them.  I wish I had a tool at the time for being level-headed and to see things more objectively which would have made relations much smoother with less stand-offs.  Yoga would have given me a tool to be less reactive and more even-keeled with all these difficult issues.

In addition to the demands of school, the pressure of getting good grades to get into a respectable college,  battling with my parents,  fitting in with my friends, the confusion of dating for the first time I worked part time as well.  I had to learn to be more responsible in a professional manner for my conduct at quite a few different jobs as a teenager such as a camp counselor, pizza delivery girl (one of my favorite jobs ever) and a clerk at Seaworld (gotta love their otter show!) 

I had to learn to use sound judgment and didn’t have my peers or parents immediately available to me.  If I had had yoga at the time, I think I would have had a more developed intuition and trusted my inner guidance to help me navigate the world of work at such a young age.

Benefits of Yoga for High School Students
Are you a High School student that does yoga?  Do you have kids that do yoga at school?  What changes have you or have they noticed in all of these areas as a result of a consistent yoga practice? 
Jasmine Kaloudis teaches beginner yoga, and romantic retreats in the Philadelphia Metro Area.  She is the author of the top 100 Mind Body Spirit Websites list. Throughout her 15 year practice and teachings, Jasmine has experienced how yoga is a tool which allows us to experience our selves more fully and more richly.  She specializes in working with yoga beginners, the stiff and inflexible as well as couples.

You can visit her on her yoga blog as well as:
Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/couplesyoga
YouTube  http://www.youtube.com/user/SynergybyJasmine
Flicker Photos  http://www.flickr.com/photos/synergybyjasmine
Twitter  http://www.Twitter.com/synergyjasmine

Ahnu Karma Shoes - A Slice of Heaven for Your Feet

I recently got my first pair of Ahnu shoes and to say I'm thrilled with them would be an under statement. I have to admit I didn't have very high expectations for ballerina-type shoes. I have had many other pairs of similar shoes in my life and, for the most part, they were like walking barefoot. They never provided enough protection in the sole and there wasn't ever much in the way of support. But these Ahnu shoes blew me away. From the moment I slipped my bare feet into them I knew they were different from all the rest.

 I even loved the box they came in and the message about the company.

I got a pair of Karmas and these cute little shoes felt more like my running sneakers. They hugged my feet perfectly and the bottom insoles were actually supportive in the arch and provided some much needed cushion. They certainly passed the right-out-of-the-box test, but that was only the beginning. I have notoriously impossible-to-fit feet. They are very narrow and I have freakishly skinny heels. This means that I slide straight through most "slides" and my heel slips right out of just about every shoe that doesn't tie, buckle, or strap down over my foot. Any shoe that doesn't require me to strap it down usually turns into a flip flop, constantly flopping off my feet. This is something that drives me crazy and makes shopping for shoes a tear-envoking experience.

And that problem is what makes me love these Ahnu shoes the most. They are brilliantly designed with just enough elastic in the heel to keep them on my feet without digging into my heels. I've tried this style shoe before, but it resulted in a hole being bore into my heel due to the elastic being too aggressive. Ahnu somehow figured out the formula to make this design work.

So far I've worn them three places to put them to the test. First, I wore them to work (where I stand up at my desk all day long) and my feet were never happier for 8 straight hours. Next, I brought them on a business trip that required lots of walking through airports and strolling along the city streets of Chicago. I brought two pairs of shoes: these new Ahnus and another pair of shoes well-known for their comfort. The other brand (that we will leave unmentioned) have always been very comfortable, but when put to the test of walking for a couple of miles around the city, failed me. I ended up with blisters on the bottom of both big toes. The next day I slipped on my Ahnu's and even with pre-existing blisters, my feet were still in Heaven. I traveled back home in these and they will become my go-to travel shoe.

And the biggest test ever . . . I wore them out swing dancing last weekend. I've been swing dancing for years and I never ever walked out of a dance without sore feet. Wearing brand new shoes (with bare feet in them) was a huge gamble, but I had great confidence that these shoes wouldn't let me down – and they didn't.

In the two weeks that I've owned them I got at least a half dozen compliments on them. I think I found a new favorite brand and will soon be shopping for more styles and colors. Practice some Karma . . . be nice to your feet and your feet will be nice to you! Do yourself a favor and check out this brand. You can find them online here.

Not Your Typical Running Playlist

 
I recently took off for a run without paying much attention to which playlist I selected on my phone. Normally I mindlessly pick the playlist called "Running." So very creative, I know! But this time I decided to pick a different playlist called "Random Favorites." This particular playlist gets changed up all the time depending on my mood. I had forgotten that I recently filled this list with smooth, jazzy, relaxing songs in preparation for a cross-country flight. I like to plug my headphones in and totally zone out in relaxation on the airplane and this playlist was filled with songs that you should be listening to while sipping wine or slow dancing.

When I began my run and John Legend started to play I didn't think anything of it because he finds his way to many of my different playlists. But when Sade came on next, followed by Michael Buble I knew something was wrong. I didn't want to stop running and fiddle with my phone. That's something I stopped doing after upgrading my broken Droid with my new iPhone and it's just so blissful to never have to stop my workouts to fight with my phone. So I decided to just suck it up and listen to my slow grooves during the run.

What I discovered amazed me. The whole run seemed easier. I guess I was just relaxed and mellowed out. The music really set the tone for an easy-"listening" run. I found that I don't really need the typical thumping hip hop to get my heart racing. The running does that all by itself. Why not just kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride?

Hitting that playlist was indeed an accident, but I have a feeling that I'll be selecting it again on purpose in the future. You should give it a try. You might be surprised at how it can effect your run.

Natural Health Magazine Subscription Deal

How would you like a one year subscription to Natural Health Magazine for just $4.39? What a bargain for this ultimate guide to a healthy lifestyle!  Packed with information on natural food and nutrition, organics, alternative health practices, exercises, self care and more. This deal is valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. But here's the catch . . . this deal is only valid today, April 9th. Don't miss it. Just click on the link below.

Click here for the Yoga Journal Magazine Deal of the Day

Embrace Your Inner Bunny

Happy Easter from YogaDudes

First Race of the Season

Not that this was really a big accomplishment, but it got me started . . . and now I'm trying to determine how far I want to go. I've been having fleeting thoughts of training for the Hartford Half Marathon that will take place in October. I'm not really sure what is possessing me to want to run a half marathon. I've never been a runner and I'm not even sure I really like it. There's no doubt that if I had my choice between biking and running I would always choose biking. But I seem to have this persistent itch to set a goal for myself – a challenging goal.

I remember the first time I decided that I wanted to "ride a century." This is a right of passage of every biker - to pedal 100 miles in one day. The first time I did it, it seemed like such a big deal. I trained all season for this big accomplishment and completing that ride was one of the sweetest feelings of my life. Of course, since then I biked several Centuries and none of them ever gave me that same thrill. It's also funny how all Centuries that followed never felt like a big deal and after doing it once you have a new-found confidence that you could "just do it." I'm hoping for this same experience with running.

The biggest reason for wanting to run a half marathon is simply to give myself a goal to which I can work toward. Nothing thrills me more than increasing my weights or reps in the gym or my mileage on the road. Maybe I'm just a statistic junkie, but I live for this. And then, of course, there's that bittersweet feeling of crossing the finish line and accomplishing the goal that I set for myself.

I have yet to commit to registering for the half marathon, but I'm setting an intermediate goal of running a race every month. If I do decide to go for the big run I will log and post my training efforts.

April Desktop Calendar

Here's some beautiful motivation for your desktop for the month of April. Set your life on fire with this gorgeous picture, taken by Sandy Foster of yoga bliss photo. If you want to make this image your desktop background either click on the small graphic above, or click on this link. A new window will appear with a much larger graphic. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

Enjoy and please feel free to share with your yogi friends.

Consistency is Key

I'm now in the second month of my training with the goal of getting back into the shape I was in before my neck injury, and eventual fitness demise. I have to say that I'm quite pleased with the progress that I've already made. As I mentioned in a previous post, I never actually started off in such rough shape. I don't ever remember being as weak as I was before starting this program. I remember standing in my chiropractor's office as he was showing me how to do 'push-ups against the wall.' I remembering giving his this look like, "Really? THAT'S what you want me to do?" I was legitimately insulted. And then I tried my silly pathetic little standing, push-ups and realized that it was a challenge. I swear I wanted to put a gun to my head right then and there. What happened to me? Where did my strength go? I was never so disgusted in my life. That was last Fall.

After the holidays ended I decided that my neck had gotten to a point where I was ready to risk starting a training program. Nothing was worse than dragging myself to the gym for that slap of reality to see just how weak I had become. I used to start every morning with one continuous set of pushups. I did my age in pushups and my goal was to continue this routine, at least until I was 50. Well, here I was at 43 unable to do 2. I went from 43 pushups in July to 2 in January. Boy, was that a morale crusher.

I was determined to get out of this mess, no matter how long it was going to take. I did my measly 2 pushups the first few days. Then I started to increase my set by just one pushup a day. I quickly got up to 10 pushups and then I held myself back and increased my set by two pushups per week. Even though I had more in me, I stopped at my set goal every morning.

I tried the Brazilian Butt Lift for the first 3 weeks. In addition to this I supplemented with Zumba dancing, hiking, weight lifting, and a little bit of running. I didn't miss a day and most days I worked out twice. I just couldn't believe how quickly my body started to respond. It remembered what it was supposed to do and it gladly performed. My spirits were started to soar. Even in mid-life I was bouncing back quickly. Every week I added more pushups and more weights.

Two and half months into this I've made some modifications. I'm now doing yoga daily in place of the Brazilian Butt Lift. I have to say, the new 30 Day Yoga Sculpt is, hands down, the best yoga DVD I have ever owned. I simply love it. I love the fact that every day is different and I don't know what to expect. I love that it's always challenging. And I especially love that it's only 20 minutes a day. It will be available at the beginning of April on the Acacia website.

I find the yoga, weight lifting, hiking/running to be a perfectly balanced program and I'm achieving great results. The bottom line is consistency. Pick anything and do it consistently for one month and guaranteed you will improve greatly. No matter what it is, cooking, a musical interest, learning a language, just practice it every day and see what happens in one month's time. You won't be disappointed.

Graphic borrowed from http://claxonmarketing.com.

Hydration on the Run

I'm not sure what took me so long to buy one of these gadgets. Perhaps I've been relying too heavily on my husband being the water mule, but it's time for me to be more self sufficient. I've tried other means of carrying a single water bottle. The first version held the bottle in a dead horizontal fashion, which was up surd because the bottle insisted on dripping water down the back of my leg. It was fired.

Then version 2 came out and it was clear that the bug was worked out. This version carried the bottle at a 45 degree angle which was a much smarter idea. The only problem with this was that it wasn't quite built for running and the bottle was cumbersome and bouncy. There was never a moment that I wasn't aware of it bouncing on my back. That one got fired too.

Maybe the third one is the charm. This time I bought a true running belt, called the Fuelbelt R2O Revenge Hydration Belt,  which includes two tiny bottles. At first I was convinced that the amount of water it holds wasn't worth wearing the belt, but to my surprise, the fluid capacity of both tiny bottles was ever so slightly less then my one big water bottle. You can also buy these belts with 4 bottle holders on them, but for the distances I do, and the amount I drink, I figured two would be sufficient.

I settled on this exact brand and belt for one reason, and amazingly it wasn't based on color. Of all the belts I shopped for (on Amazon) this was the only one that was offered in sizes. What a brilliant concept. I have discovered over the years that one-size-fits is never true. Ever! Nothing in this world can fit everyone properly. There isn't a single run when my phone-holder arm band isn't sliding down my arm frustrating me because I can't wrap the elastic band around my arm tight enough. Everything should come in sizes! So this belt is nice and small and fits snugly around my waist without a mile of excess belt material dragging on the ground. It even comes with a small pouch that would be good to hold keys, a few bucks, some band-aids and some lip balm. I'm wishing it was big enough to carry a phone to eliminate the arm band problem. So far it's working out nicely and I think it will do the trick nicely. . . until Summer rolls around and it gets to hot to have the belt around my waist.

Great Deal on Natural Health Magazine Subscription

How would you like a one year subscription to Natural Health Magazine for just $4.29? That’s an 86% savings off publisher’s price. What a bargain for this great magazine! This deal is valid for brand new subscriptions, as well as renewals. All you need to do is click on the link below to be taken to the place where you can purchase the subscription. But here's the catch . . . this deal is only valid today, March 7th. Don't miss it. Just click on the link below.

Click here for the Yoga Journal Magazine Deal of the Day

Strong is the New Skinny

Yesterday I noticed that not only are my skinny jeans too tight, but I also gained a couple extra pounds since the start of my new training program. I wasn't sure what to make of these new discoveries and I can't say that I was very pleased about them either. Granted, my intention was never to lose any weight, but I certainly wasn't planning on gaining any. After walking around in uncomfortable jeans all day yesterday, I actually had fleeting thoughts that maybe I needed to diet. I never dieted in my life, but I hated the feeling of my clothes being too tight.

This morning I felt the need to stand in front of the mirror and inspect what was going on with my legs. Why are my skinny jeans too tight? Well, the first reason is that the jeans were not made of stretchy denim and that was my #1 mistake. The second reason is simply because my inner thighs are getting bigger. After poking and prodding at them during my inspection I realized that, not only are they bigger, but they are firmer. I now have hard muscles on the inside of my thighs that didn't get there from biking. I didn't know I could get those muscles without riding, but apparently I did. That Brazilian Butt Lift must be doing something after all. Now that I know it's muscle making my jeans too tight I guess I lightened up a little. After all, I can always go buy new jeans, ones that stretch this time.

And then today I saw this picture that I posted at the top of this blog and it completely changed my attitude. I've been skinny my whole life, and you know what? Skinny is not all that impressive. Strong, on the other hand, is!

Now I have to go find a stool . . .

Day 3 of My 30-Day Yoga Challenge

I have some mixed emotions about yesterday's 30 Day Yoga Sculpt Challenge workout. The first half of it was all upper body yoga moves and although just 3 short days ago I was struggling with the upper body challenges, yesterday I felt like I really made some improvements. I was strong throughout the whole first series. I notice this often with yoga. Consistency is key. No matter how hard the routine, if you do it consistently (preferably every day – or even every other day) it's get so much easier, so much quicker. I was shocked at how different I felt in just a two day span of time.

But things changed quickly. The second half of yesterday's workout was ab work, which I am notoriously very strong at. I was eagerly looking forward to it . . . and it didn't take long to regret those feelings. I am just stunned at the moves these guys come up with. After years of consistent exercise and trying every workout video known to man, I have never run across anything like this. Where did they dream up these moves? I could barely do them and there's no doubt I did my fair share of cheating (which I NEVER do). I even sort of pulled a muscle in my thigh . . . doing ab work! Unreal. I am really eager and curious to have that workout come up again in the rotation, just to see if I am any better at it next time. Now I'm challenged. Bring it on!

March Desktop Calendar

In case you have a little case of Spring Fever and you simply can not wait to see some flowers blooming, here's our new March 2012 desktop calendar. If you want to make this image your desktop background just click on this link. A new window will appear with a much larger graphic. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."

The Missing Piece - 30 Day Yoga Sculpt Program

Last week I detailed my current training program, but did anybody happen to notice what was sorely missing from it? I have been keeping myself very busy cross training between weight lifting and cardio, but I have suspiciously been avoiding yoga. There's a reason for that. It's because yoga is truly the hardest on my body. I find it easier to do a 7 mile trail run on very challenging terrain than a power yoga session. Because of my chronic neck and shoulder problems I have just been afraid to add yoga back into my routine and that just plain makes me sad. My upper body strength is not coming back as quickly as my lower body strength is and it's time that I step it up a bit. When I discovered that Acacia will be releasing a new yoga DVD training program it was the perfect opportunity to jump back into yoga with both feet. On April 3rd, Acacia will release a 30-day workout plan from its best-selling fitness series with Exhale: Core Fusion 30 Day Sculpt. This DVD will feature 30 twenty-minute workouts from the top husband and wife team in fitness, Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp (who just happen to be among my favorites.)

The kind folks at Acacia sent me a review copy of the DVD and I so far I've done two day's worth of workouts. Already I'm in love with it. It's set up similar to my familiar Beach Body workouts in that every day is something different. When you pop the DVD in you are presented with "Work-out Options." These options are categorized by weeks: Week 1, Week 2, etc. for each week of the 30 day challenge. Once you pick the week, you're presented with more choices and you pick the day of the week. Out of the 7 days, one of these days is scheduled as a rest day (just like P90X and all the other Beach Body programs). There is no doubt that there is a formula for success in good training programs and this program is following that formula.

Yesterday I tried my first routine. I should mention that each workout is only 20 minutes long, which I love! And you're probably thinking, "How much of a workout can you get in 20 minutes?" And the answer to that is "a lot." Fred and Elisabeth waste no time with idle chit chat. They get right down to business and they don't fool around. It's not easy. The first routine started with a nice refreshing warm up, followed by 15 minutes of very challenging upper body intensive yoga moves. You'll be happy it's only 15 minutes. Be prepared for some pushups!

Today's session was much more focused on the lower body. I thought I would sail through it since I've been concentrating much more on my legs this season. After all, I'm doing 7 mile trail runs with ease. How hard can this be? Well, I nearly cried! I'm not sure I want to admit that I couldn't even really do all the moves, to the T, as they did. I thought my legs would explode. Wow. All I got to say is, "I'm impressed." And super excited to give this entire 30 days a go.

I will continue to post some reviews as I follow this program. Please remember that this DVD won't be available for sale until April 3rd, but after that you can find it on the Acacia website here: http://acacialifestyle.com/shop-all-fitness-dvds-/c/340/

A Lesson From My Dog

I think there's a wonderful lesson to be learned from my dog. And it's funny too that I can suggest that I can learn something from a notoriously "not-so-smart" dog. But today, the lesson was so clear to me that I had to stop and marvel at it. You see, one of our dogs is getting up in age. She's a 11.5 year old greyhound and as far as greyhounds go, that's pretty old. I'm just now starting to worry about her level of activity and I'm doing this despite her showing any real signs of slowing down. I can't help but to worry that maybe we shouldn't be taking her for 7 mile hikes/runs anymore. I mean there has got to come a time when she just shouldn't be doing it anymore. I always think there will come a day when she's smart enough to know (by what we are wearing) what is in store for her should she choose to get up and show signs of excitement to come along. I expect this day to come because our first greyhound did exactly that. We would take him for a big hike one day and then the next day he would just look at us and say, "Yah right, I'm not falling for that again. You humans go and knock yourselves out while I lay here on my comfy bed. See ya." But then again, he was always our 'smart' dog.

Given the fact that this dog is not as smart and will continue to want to come no matter what torture we put her through, it will be up to me to make the decision that she is no longer fit to play. But that decision will be a tough one. I already think that she shouldn't be able to do what she does. It's amazing to watch her bouncing happily along some seriously rugged terrain, tail wagging the entire time. Today is when the lesson hit me. You see, nothing has ever been introduced into my little dog's belief system that suggested to her that she shouldn't be able to handle this long trail run. She doesn't know that she's getting too old for it. There is no reason in the world that she would, or should, think that she can't do it . . . and therefore she happily trucks on. I'm sure she looks at our other, younger dog and thinks, "If he can do it I can do it." It's all about your intention and your belief. You can do anything if you truly believe you can do it. The moment doubt enters your mind you are compromising your ability, so perhaps we need to train our brains as hard as we train our bodies.

It's Like Brushing My Teeth

Today a friend asked me what I had planned for this weekend. Off the top of my head I couldn't think of a thing. I knew I would be busy with a lot of little things, but I didn't have any big 'real' plans. When I reported this fact to him his reaction was, "You mean you're not planning on taking a big hike or going for a run?" And that's when it hit me. I don't consider big hikes, runs, or long bike rides to be 'real' plans. Those things are just part of my every (weekend) day routine. Actually, they are also part of my every weekday routine. I just don't consider them "plans." That sort of exercise is part of my daily routine - kind of like bathing or brushing my teeth. It's just something I have to do, period. If you can get to this point in your training then you know you're gonna make it. It gets to the point where you're no longer making the decision to workout. You only real decision is which workout are you going to do on any given day. Strive for it!

Training Status

I'm struggling to decide if I should report that I'm experiencing some tough road blocks or smashing success. I guess it's a little bit of both. I've been extremely diligent (as I always am) about my workout schedule this Winter. Although I'm not following any one specific and rigid program, I am mixing it up and doing some great cross training. I find that this flexibility in my schedule and the freedom to make my own choices about what I will do each day really helps with the boredom and monotony associated with sticking to just one strict program. I have decided to commit to posing for photos on my birthday in July for no other reason but to compare them to the photos I had taken after my first completion of P90X. That will be four years ago so it will be tough to compare. Not only was I four years younger then, but that was the year that I followed P90X the most strictly. I guess I'm lightening up in my old age!

Some of my road blocks have included me overdoing it and getting hurt. It never fails. I can't seem to accept the fact that

1. I'm no spring chicken anymore, and 
2. I'm still somewhat injured with a neck problem. 

I may have gotten just a little too bit excited with just the fact that I was back in a gym and as a result I've hurt myself no less than 3 times. Two times I re-hurt my neck and once I hurt my notoriously bad knee. As if getting back into shape isn't challenging enough without having to deal with injuries. It may have slowed me down a bit, but it hasn't stopped me. I am continually getting stronger and having the doctor tell me that I have the "efficient heart of an athlete" just makes my day.

My normal weekly routine has been consisting of a minimum of 3 Brazilian Butt lift videos. Bum Bum, High & Tight, and Sculpt are absolute neccessities. I also try to squeeze in one session of the Ab routine. The Cardio Axe has already gotten a little boring and unchallenging so I've been substituting with my new favorite indoor work-out – Wii Zumba 2. What a hoot that is and I love that you can just "take a class" which automatically plays the songs continuously so you don't have to fiddle with the control after every dance. I'm also lifting 3 times a week (upper body only) and I'm doing a combination of hiking and/or running 2 - 3 times a week. During the week I keep the runs to 30 minutes and the hikes to 1 hour and on the weekends I extend the runs to one hour and the hikes to 2+ hours. I have to say, the hiking is making the running seem too easy so now I'm starting to do some trail running. I think that will be the best possible training for my dream of doing a half marathon this year. If I can just keep myself from getting injured over and over I think I'll be well on my way. Less than 5 months till my birthday photos . . . and counting.

Are You Living in Insanity?

This is a great little video to remind us about the importance of living in the moment. Most of our fears relate to something that might happen tomorrow or something that happened in the past, not real problems that we have right this minute. Stop and ask yourself this question right now . . . what are you suffering from right this minute? Is there something really wrong at this present moment in time? Always keep this question in mind as you go about your day you will learn that there is no fear in the present now. The video is short (under 1.5 minutes). Just watch it!

Free February Desktop Calendar

I just love this one! It features my yogi buddy Sandy Foster, of yoga bliss photo posing at Big Bend National Park in Texas. This is to remind us that we will be getting just a little more sunshine per day as we make our way through the long winter. If you want to make this image your desktop background just click either on the image above or click on this link. A new window will appear with a much larger graphic. Once the bigger graphic appears, just right-click on it and "save as desktop."