Namaste. Get Your Zen On.

What's UP peeps? Yes. Today started with 90 minutes of Hot Yoga. Heavens. I love every session of Hot Yoga and I love seeing how I'm making progress. I need to shoot that vlog of my feet later-- to show you what I mean about shifting how you stand to strengthen your toes and use different parts of your shin and the ball of your foot more-- you need the full foot working to balance in many yoga poses. 

These are the poses, twisting both ways that have my foot wobbling all over the place. When hot yoga dude starts our class, he has us inhale, rising up on our tiptoes, then holding, then exhaling and coming HALF WAY DOWN on our tiptoes--that move alone used to have me wobbling but I've become stronger and can hold it. The move above and variations of it, I have a ways to go. But yoga teaches you to build on YOUR pace, focus only on you and your progress and what YOUR body can do - don't race with others. 

This is another pose I have a ways to go on- I have to use a block under my butt, while many others in the class can easily do this. Do I care? Nope. I'm working my way into that. When I get there, I get there.

This is butterfly pose. I got this ALL DAY people My legs are that flat to the floor. Now Frog Pose:

this is difficult, as I have tight hips but each week I get better and better. I put a link in the picture to the page with a bit more instruction on this pose. Killer. 

Here is a yoga sample from Rainbeau Mars on YouTube (there are a TON of yoga videos FREE hello on YouTube-- try!!!) 

Clearly Hot Yoga and I are dating in a big way. It just keeps getting better. Below is my ramble-on-a-thon, while I made some protein pancakes after Hot Yoga. MMMM. I'm doing really good on my "diet", i.e. how I'm eating while I'm losing weight. I will weigh and take measurements this Wednesday. Psyched about it. ;-)

Question of the Day: What's your favorite quick healthy meal- like protein pancakes or protein bread? Do you have any? 

Things Will Only Get Better.

Hey Y'All!!! I'm BACK BACK BACK!! OMG Vacation was WONDERFUL. Just what the doctor ordered-- I listened to my own advice and did NOT work in any way while I was gone. I unplugged and chilled out and was on NO schedule at all. It was heaven. I stayed ACTIVE too. The first day I did a 90 minute power walk in the HOT Miami sun. Total Sweatfest. And then every day except Monday I got in a great workout, from power walk/run/sprint/walking lunge intervals (90 minutes) to some INTENSE Hot Yoga. Kids, I'm DOWN with the yoga more than ever now. And, I'm also kind of dating RUNNING again. He and I are taking it slow but I'm cool with it...it felt great to run again and for me, it's all about the breathing and then I'm ROCKING IT.

Check out my post walk/run/sprint/walking lunge vlog:

I LOVE this stretch. And wow I did things in yoga class that I've never done. DANGIT I didn't shoot a vlog with my BFF Kelly, the Yoga Queen of all-- but even though I didn't, stay tuned because she will be a part of our upcoming FitFluential Road Trip Events!!! So if you want to take some seriously intense and educational yoga sessions, stay tuned. ;-)

Much of what resonated with me in these yoga sessions was how important it is to overcome our fears. Kelly asked me to do drop-backs-- where basically you arch back and end up in a backbend. I was like HELLLLLLLLLLL NO I WON'T. She said, "Why not?" I said, "I can't". And she goes, "Oh you will now!". While I started sweating bullets she came over to spot me and guess what, I did it, and then, the next three days I did it. And guess what- I'll be practicing daily and WILL do them unassisted. 

Go ahead. Call me a tiger. Cuz I'm GREEEEATTTT!!! Anyway, I was sooo enjoying the hot yoga, the running outside, the down time and of course just Miami. I took time out to focus on my future, on what I want to do in LIFE and what I saw, what I plan to do, what I know will be is AMAZING. Life-- well things will only get better. 

Word UP.

I saw this video yesterday and had to share it. I won't tell anyone how to workout but when I do it, I like to PUSH IT, whether it's 90 minutes of hot yoga or just a killer session boot camp like this. Especially now. I'm in it to win it.

I'm back to wearing Under Armour sports bras for running-- although I'm going to start trying a lot of brands. I'm determined to find other fits and ones that I like. For those of you busty chicks like me, what's your fav??

Also, do you bring your phone with you when you run- for long runs? 

Here is my ramble-on-a-thon vlog from earlier in the week. Please forgive the ratty-ass hair thing going on, I couldn't see that it was sticking up all over the place. I was talking here about my love affair of yoga, beyond the workout part.

Ahhh. Good times. All that to say, I am very much about a whole lotta Namaste in my life here and forevs!!! ;-) 

I'm sharing this gem from Tony Horton, because if any of you are skeptical of yoga not being tough or for guys or an intense workout, check this: