Emily's week 14

Saturday - yoga class (75 minutes)
Sunday - nothing
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - nothing
Friday - nothing

Thank you, everyone! It is encouraging to hear that I'm not the only one who can't keep all the plates spinning all the time. :)

I especially liked what Yolanda said here:

"But it can be a challenge to keep my priorities in check and avoid stressing about all the other items on the to do list that have to fall by the wayside."

This is exactly my problem: I think that everything is (or should be) a priority, and get frustrated when that (obviously) doesn't work.

Kelly, your goal of something for the family and something for you each day made me think more clearly about what I actually do during the day. For the family, dinner and/or laundry tend to be my priorities. For me it is usually an orderly house (I get really stressed by visual messes) and/or reading for pleasure. And once I really thought about it, I realized that exercise just doesn't have the same importance to me as either of those. Hmm. Now to decide if it should, or if I should just quit internalizing the culture's stick-thin expectations...!

Jess, your comment about it not being sloth, but rather "triage" made me laugh, and I think you're absolutely right! My whole life is one big triage room right now. :) Thinking about it that way is helpful.

So again, thank you for your encouragement and wise counsel. I'm blessed to know you girls!

Emily's week 12

Saturday - yoga class (75 minutes)
Sunday - yoga class (75 minutes)
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - nothing
Friday - nothing

Well gee, I'm glad I went to those classes on the weekend! ;)

Emily's week 10

Saturday - yoga zone dvd (45 minutes)

Sunday - nothing
Monday - yoga zone dvd (22 minutes)
Tuesday - yoga at the park (about 20 minutes while the kids played!)
Wednesday - nothing (resting my wrist which has been hurting)
Thursday - birth support
Friday - birth support

Well, this is a fabulous week. Good for me. :)

I am SO SORE from the birth! Counter-pressure, and leaning over a bed at odd angles, and supporting a "limp and loose" mama who is leaning all her weight on you, and squatting in front of her as she sits on a birth ball (not to mention staying up all night...) that is some workout!

Emily's week 8

Saturday - yoga class (75 minutes)
Sunday - nothing
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - yoga, my pace (30 minutes)
Thursday - nothing, sick
Friday - nothing, sick

Hopefully I'll feel better in time for the yoga class tomorrow morning!

Emily's week 7

Saturday - nothing
Sunday - nothing
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - No OM dvd (15 minutes)
Friday - dance party with the boys (10 minutes), yoga at my own pace (20 minutes)

It has been a nutty week. Hopefully I'll get back on track now.

Emily's week 6

Saturday - No OM yoga dvd (15 minutes)
Sunday - nothing
Monday - No OM yoga dvd (30 minutes)
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - No OM yoga dvd (15 minutes)
Thursday - nothing - dang it, I totally had time and actually FORGOT!
Friday - more dental work :(

My right wrist and shoulder are acting up again. This appears to be my permanent nemesis, and may necessitate a visit to a physical therapist.

Because of the wrist and shoulder, I'm mostly doing core and lower body yoga with the No OM dvd. My favorite is the lower body workout, although I find that I wish she would do the same flow of movements in twice as much time. While I get the reason for the 15 minute segments (heck, that's what attracted me in the first place!) I feel rushed through the poses. Maybe I'll work on memorizing the flow, and then aim to complete it in 30 minutes instead of 15? Something to think about.

Emily, week 5

Saturday - nothing
Sunday - nothing
Monday - No OM yoga dvd (30 minutes)
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - No OM yoga dvd (15 minutes)
Friday - nothing


I'm not thrilled with the way this week went. We had car repairs to deal with (boy, do those ever mess up the daily plans!) and I've also been feeling really sick for the past 10 days or so. Nothing new; the familiar fatigue and headaches have just gotten a lot worse. As of Thursday I'm following my doctor's suggestion to remove gluten from my diet. She says that if I do that for 30 days, it should become very obvious if that is the problem or not. I can't decide if I hope it IS the problem (at least then I'd know what is wrong) or if it ISN'T (at least then I wouldn't have to completely change the way I eat).

I hope you don't mind if I include a little nutrition in my posts, since this is kind of all part of getting healthy for me right now. And honestly, I'm very discouraged and could use some prayer and accountability for both exercise AND nutrition right about now.

Emily's week 4

Saturday - vinyasa yoga class (75 minutes)
Sunday - restorative yoga class (90 minutes)
Monday - Yoga Prayer dvd (20 minutes)
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - nothing
Thursday - Yoga Prayer dvd (15 minutes)
Friday -nothing

I really wanted to get a little more exercise in today, but started my period and that was the end of that idea. I haven't been eating properly lately, which is stupid, because when I don't I have miserable periods. :( Still my goal was 4-5 days a week and I've met it, so I'm happy. :) I'll take the weekend off and probably be back at it on Monday.

Emily's week 3

Saturday - nothing
Sunday - nothing
Monday - nothing
Tuesday - No OM yoga dvd
Wednesday - No OM yoga dvd
Thursday - nothing
Friday - 75 minute vinyasa yoga class

yoga, week 2

Monday: yoga dvd
Tuesday: yoga dvd
Wednesday: yoga dvd
Thursday: rest (my shoulders were hurting)
Friday: root canal - spent most of the day in bed from novocaine reaction and pain once it wore off. :(

Hopefully I'll be back to normal and back on the wagon on Monday!

She's back?

Maybe? I keep trying, anyway. This time I have a new schedule, and hopefully a better plan to make yoga happen. I'm thinking I'll try posting weekly updates, like Jess and Kelly do, and hopefully that will help keep me on track.

So for the past week:

Thursday: yoga dvd, core
Candlelight Yoga (75 minute class)
Friday: yoga dvd, lower body

The goal is 4-5 days of dvd yoga each week, plus one class as long as I can afford it.

yoga, take three hundred seven

Hey, at least I keep trying, right? :)

We're on a new schedule here - Josiah changed his nap and Jonathan will be starting a school schedule in a couple of months - between the two my entire routine got shaken up. Generally I don't like drastic changes to my routine (ok, I always, always, always hate them) but this time there was a silver lining: I found a new place to put yoga.

I'm trying out The No OM Zone, which is a hand-me-down from Jess. She didn't like it, but I do! It certainly isn't high intensity (which probably explains why Jess didn't like it). It IS nicely paced, with just enough instruction to be helpful, and no weird spirituality (hence the name).

I'm aiming for 3-4 times a week, starting AFTER our upcoming vbs week. :)

daily yoga?

Well, that's the theory. :) I have a dvd called Yoga Prayer, by Father Tom Ryan. He's a Catholic priest and a yoga practitioner/teacher, and thus far I really, really like it. You can play it in instructional mode (very helpful for a beginner!) and when you're more comfortable with the poses, switch to the music mode.* Each "yoga prayer" is set to an arrangement of a hymn, and Fr. Ryan has created it such that the poses flow smoothly and they also match the text and spirit of the music. I love that.

The whole dvd is 50 minutes long, which is too much for me to manage before the kids get up (I'm trying to do some bible reading before starting it, too). But I'm finding that if I leave out the section in the middle that hurts my knees, and sometimes cut off the end, it works out pretty well. Yesterday Jonathan got up before I was done and we worked on dancer pose together. :)

If you enjoy yoga, this might be a good dvd to get. As a martial artist (another practice that is often frowned upon by Christians) I appreciate the way Fr. Ryan is working to claim a beautiful and healthful physical practice for the worship of Jesus.

*I do have to note that as much as I enjoy the dvd, there are some serious bugs in the title menu programming.

yoga

I went to a yoga class last night and remembered why I like it so much. I think I'll go again. This is beginner, beginner yoga. Everyone but me (and the instructor) is middle aged or elderly. Although the class has been ongoing for four years, I don't think they're advancing much, in terms of skill.

That's ok.

It was peaceful. It was restful.

I won't lose an ounce doing this kind of yoga...but I think I'll feel wonderful.



I do really enjoy some of the more challenging poses, as well, and if anyone hears of a reasonably priced teacher I'd love the recommendation. But I sure did enjoy the class last night!

good week

monday--45 minutes pilates, yoga, free weights

tues--2 mile run

wed--45 minutes pilates, yoga, free weights

thurs--4 mile run

Tomorrow we are going Apple Picking in Gold Country, so my exercise will be walking totally negated by feasting. Hopefully will get a 20 minute routine on Sat.

Rodney Yee's Power Yoga

Did this today. Watch me achieve inner peace while the screaming hordes run 'round me.

-Jess

better week so far

I think I was just in a slump. Doing MUCH better this week so far.

M/W - 45 pilates/free weights/yoga

T - 4 mile hill run.

We'll see what the rest of the week brings!

Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown

Ow, ow, ow . . . I did levels 1 & 2 of this (skipped the warm-up on Level 2, 'cause I was already warmed up). This is one I could see buying someday (tried it via Netflix), because I think there's a lot of room for growth here! Did I say "ouch" yet? All the holding halfway down in push-up poses . . . and now that I've tried it, I really want to get good at the crow pose.

Anyway, most of the idea here seemed to be taking the "power" yoga poses and going in and out of them for several repetitions, and then when you were really sore, going back into them and holding them for a while. Love it! But I did miss the serenity of a Rodney Yee yoga DVD, just because Jillian talks and talks and talks . . . lots of it helpful to getting the poses right, but still, not totally peaceful. She did make yoga into a real workout though.

-Jessica

Katie J--you rock.

And I may not be pre-Lucy preggo, but I nearly fit into my wedding dress last week! (yes, I tried it on when I was visiting my parents).

Today, 45 minutes pilates and yoga and feeling good. Figured out that my sluggishness was due to a coffee problem. We normally drink half caff at home and I've been spending the last month totally caffeinated. My body is just readjusting to less caffeine again. (not that I drink much, but still...)

Good to be back

It's good to be back home and have Jesse here again! Yesterday I enjoyed a 4.5 mile run and this morning had a 45 minute pilates/yoga workout. Looking forward to running again tomorrow!