Wellness Project - Week 2, Part 2 Update

Before I got sick last week, I attended my first class at Seven Studios - a yoga class over the lunch hour. I have always loved (from afar) the yogi lifestyle but there was always a disconnect since I never actually practiced yoga. A few years back I attended my first yoga class. I went with a friend not realizing it was for the EXTREMELY advanced student. It was a really large class so there were no individual modifications given and I just basically didn't accomplish anything in the class. I left feeling very discouraged and never felt up to trying yoga since, as I didn't think my body could do it. Well. I am SO glad I have now experienced yoga the Seven Studios way! The instructor didn't just run us through the moves, she explained the energy and purpose behind the moves. You really do get so much more out of yoga when you apply all elements. It is just as good, if not better, for your mind as it is for your body. All of the positions (I guess that's what they're called?!?) were ones I could at least attempt, and modification options were given if your body was feeling something different for that day.

My favorite thing about the yoga class was that while there was a peaceful element to it, it was also a very relaxed atmosphere -- it wasn't like you had to be afraid to talk or anything. Towards the end, Mary showed us what move we were going to do next. It involved being down in a squatting position and then lifting yourself up so your inner thighs were resting on your triceps, with your feet behind you and lower legs parallel to the ground (can you picture that??) We all looked at her and then each other and laughed. HAHA -- I COULD NOT imagine holding myself up like that!!! But it was so great because she encouraged us to try. She told us we will probably fall {& promptly reminded us that that is what our mats are for} and then said this is how we can practice facing our fears. We are in a safe zone - a supportive environment where we are all trying the same thing, with our mats to cushion our fall. When we pull ourselves up and feel ourselves start to fall -- oh well. Go for it and face that fear. That, I think, is when I fell in love with yoga. I love when there are lessons behind things. Learn and practice how to handle facing fears (or any other life lesson) in this positive environment, and it will become a habit out there in the real world.

To sum up the fitness aspect, I have also done Barre classes this past week, which I was already doing here and there. That's also a great workout that I already loved. There are a few other classes at Seven Studios I have yet to try (I hated losing a few days last week!) and for when I can't get to the studio, I have some home workouts I was given to do using my treadmill. My challenge has truly been the routine and schedule of it all. Once I exercise, I feel great but finding a class that fits my ever-changing daily schedule has been SO hard. I have to try to not get discouraged. I need to remember that once I find a routine and a groove, it will be easier to implement. I was talking with Julie this week about this challenge and she encouraged me to set a Plan B. If I plan to go to a lunch yoga but my schedule changes, have a Plan B for that day's exercise waiting in the wings. That way I feel prepared and can still accomplish my goal without getting discouraged.

I use Sunday nights as my organization night to plan the week's schedule and this is when I also set up for Plan B. I've also found that it helps to sign up for the class when I block out the time in my calendar for it. That way, I am committed to more than a penciled-in slot in my planner.

In other news, I dislike logging my food. It makes me feel like I'm trying to lose weight, which I'm not. It isn't hard to do necessarily because I have an app that scans the barcode for anything I purchase at the grocery store (modern technology is amazing!) but it just feels like a lot of effort when I'm not trying to count calories. I am sticking to it, though, because it does make me think about what I am eating (now someone knows that I've eaten an Entenmann's chocolate donut!) and it is actually good for me to count calories, as much as I don't feel like it. I struggle with not getting enough energy (calories) throughout the day and constantly feeling tired. Before, I would just accept feeling that way. Now, when I see (or physically notice) that I am not getting enough calories, I make the effort of finding healthy ways to get the nutrition I need. I have been educating myself on alternatives to carbs to get these mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy boosts:: I purchased a green-smoothie recipe book and this week will be implementing that into my diet.

I think the ongoing challenge for the diet and exercise portion of the wellness project is going to be consistency and commitment. I need to be dedicated long enough to form a habit and that is not exactly easy. Can you relate? Do you have any tricks for getting your mind or body to think it wants to power walk at an incline for 30 minutes? Or that it wants to get up for a 6 am boot camp instead of sleeping in till 8?? Because the second I suggest that, I hear a little voice that says "Meghan, getting 8 hours of sleep IS healthy..you just go ahead and sleep in." :) I must say what gives me the motivation to do whatever I have to do to reach my goals is the fact that this whole experience is a gift. There are 40-something other people who applied to win this experience and yet, I was one of those blessed with it. I can't waste it!