Knowing when to QUIT!

I am very proud of myself. I pulled a ligament last Saturday, after teaching my eighth yoga class of the week. It hurt something awful. I canceled or got a sub for every single class this week so I would heal quickly and properly. I was afraid if I went to class it would be too tempting to work out. Today is the first day I haven't felt any pain or twinges. I plan on being back fully recovered, bright and early on Monday! Part of good health is having the self awareness and control to know when your body needs a break and respecting and honoring it when it does. Nameste.

"Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together, and you’ve got a kingdom." - Jack LaLanne

I needed a little inspiration today on why it isn't okay to sit around and eat chocolate all day long. I read THIS article about Jack LaLanne.

Breakfast, anyone?!

Part of good health is eating....I hate breakfast. I notice that when I don't eat the morning meal, I eat all night long. Anyone with some very quick, fast breakfast ideas? Ideas that will go down easily at 5:30 a.m.? By the way, oatmeal is not a food.

4 down, 5 to go

Last week I swam laps in the pool for 1/2 an hour and I was SO TIRED!!! I forgot what a great workout that is. Thanks Kim! I want to start swimming on a regular basis. (Dad, this is a great way to get some exercise without aggravating the plantar fascia).

I also took a yoga class, which was nice. The teacher was pretty good but a little slow and used that fake "yoga voice" that made me want to puke. I did get some ideas from it though and a nice stretch. It was a good reminder for me to "keep it real" when I'm teaching my own classes. I'm looking forward to taking one of Mesha's classes, because I know she's the real deal.

I took a long walk and discovered some canyon trails by my house. It was a beautiful day and I was so happy that I forgot I was "exercising". I think that walking is an amazingly therapudic stress-reliever.

The "playing in the park" workout is a pretty frequent one for me, so that one was easy! The kids and I did handstands, somersaults, cartwheels, push ups, races, tag..... They love it when I get off my butt and actually play with them! It's one of the few times that they don't whine and complain (at least not excessively) ;-)

So... in the next week I'm going to climb Cowels Mt., take Salsa and Zumba classes, go for a jog outside and lift weights. I can't wait!

This is FUN!!!

Families & Fitness

How do we make fitness part of our lives? Families have a huge influence on our activity level and attitude toward exercise. I don't remember exercising with my family while I was growing up. We cleaned house and went for an occasional stroll, but that was about it. My dad wasn't athletic and my mom preferred cooking and visiting to anything physical. Our family outings were organized around the food we would eat - not the activities we would do. I always struggled with extra weight, and I went on my first diet when I was 16. Pauline's mom had one of those machines with a belt that wrapped around your bottom and wiggled back and forth. I would get on that for 15 minutes and think I had exercised. I played softball and volleyball at church one night a week. Then the AEROBIC REVOLUTION took place! I started to exercise regularly and intensely, and I felt great. Some of my best memories are family hikes in the Gorge, running track in the morning with Aaron's 5th grade class, going to aerobics with Heather and Dad, watching Andy play soccer and football, and taking Brooke to dancing lessons. I don't know how many times I went to Chehalem for swimming lessons, or how many dance team competitions I watched. I love being active with my family! My intentions were to make movement a positive part of everyone's life. I wish you were all here to go for a hike with me! Let's all BUST A MOVE today - even if it's yard work!

My first workout video

My love/hate relationship with workout videos started twenty years ago on Christmas morning. "Santa" decided that by chubby eight year old butt needed to get moving. And conveniently Mickey Mouse had come out with Mousercise. The great things about videos are that I can do them at home without looking like a dork in front of other people, there are no time restrictions, and I can take a break when I need. On the other side I never workout as hard when I'm doing it by myself, doing the same workout can be boring, and unfortunately I almost always have to move the furniture.
I actually remember this entire video! That lady always drove me nuts, but I loved the dance moves. And awesome outfits.

for the kids

Hey, check out this mat. Mom, are you going to make a kid yoga video? I think Wyatt and I would have fun doing that together. Maybe we'll get Dustin to do it too.