Yoga - Day 1 & 2

A new yoga studio opened up close to home. In addition to their grand opening, a Groupon was offered a few days before. I've always wanted to get into yoga, but knew from past experience, it's freakin' hard! I've done a few P90x yoga sessions in the past - which almost turned me off because it was so hard - but I had always heard of the benefits it can offer. I am not flexible at all, so if I could improve that, bonus. I've heard it can improve all other areas of fitness because it improves your stamina. And if I could master the various poses, then maybe it would offer stress relief and meditation.

So, I bought the Groupon and went to their grand opening in which they offered every class for free that day. To my surprise, they also offered a free week of yoga classes to everyone to came to the grand opening. Score! They didn't offer the beginners 101 class that day, so I went to Power 1. Thank goodness I remembered some of the P90x yoga DVD because she was calling all these poses with little instruction. Surprisingly, I did pretty well. I nailed the balancing stuff, but it was definitely intense and I was sweatin' up a storm. I finished up my workout with a wheat grass shot and a free smoothie from a juice shop a few stores over. I felt awaken, stretched to holy hell, and ready to start the rest of the day.

Later that night and the next few days, I felt satisfyingly sore. My abs were sore from the crunches, thighs were slightly sore, but my shoulders and back were the most sore. All from holding poses and planks. I felt like I got a good workout in and removed some toxins.

Day 2 - I wasn't able to make the night class last night, so instead I got up early to go to the 6am class. I have never gotten up that early for any workout, so that's sayin' something. The nice thing about yoga is it relaxes you, so it's not a harsh shock to your body when you begin before the sun does. That's the only reason I could do it, otherwise I HATE working out in the morning. I enjoyed another workout and left refreshed and awaken to start my day.

Any immediate results? I do feel a little more relaxed sitting at my desk. I think I even feel a little more alert. For women, I think yoga is also great to get away, clear your mind, and just relax. We think 24/7, so it's nice to just turn off our brain for an hour. For men, it might be the most challenging thing you've ever tried - at least that's what my husband said. Men generally are not flexible, especially the body builders. But if you can overcome the first few classes, I think you'll start to enjoy the challenge.

I did a quick Google search for additional benefits yoga can offer. Turns out it can lead to a steamier sex life too! ;-)

7 Life-Improving Benefits of Yoga

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead -- Documentary

It seems that every Saturday morning I'm in the mood for a documentary on Netflix. I like the sense of enlightenment on various topics. And hey, I'm educating myself, right? So this past Saturday, I watched, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I was even able to drag my husband to watching it about 30 minutes into it.

Basic synopsis is one man trying to regain his body by doing a juice fast for 60 days. He gets blood drawn every 10 days to ensure safety while on the fast. Along his journey, he meets and inspires two Iowans to take the 10-day challenge. The results are "an inspiring tale of healing and human connection." Nothing makes me feel happier than hearing or seeing individuals take ownership of their health and make the steps to improve. One of the biggest reasons why I am obsessed with juicing and living a healthy lifestyle is because I want to age well and be active in my old age.  Also, many of us don't realize the cost due to unhealthy living. Medications are expensive, even with Medicare. You want to know how much? Ask your grandparents. The film also covers this topic briefly. Anyway, my summary doesn't give the film justice. Read the full summary here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227378/plotsummary

The impact? I want my juicer even more now! And even my husband wants to try the 10-day fast! I'm currently saving for a fancy juicer that can also juice wheat grass. (Some day I will post a topic on wheat grass and why its amazing, but for now, here is a good summary of all its benefits: http://www.hippocratesinst.org/natural-health-resources/benefits-of-wheatgrass)