yoga |

Good morning all!

Yesterday I did a little shopping before I met Kara for our walk. I recently received a Target gift card and it was BURNING a hole in my pocket! So I got myself some free goodies!

How adorable is this summer stationary?! I love that the post-its have check boxes! I always add my own but now I don’t have to!

I am also excited to try out these…

But my big purchase of the day is going to help me with my Yoga Challenge!

Yes I am now a proud owner of a yoga mat! I plan on busting it open later today and getting my yoga on! I also picked up Jillian’s dvd. Hey it was on sale.

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Yesterday I spent the day with my friend Teresa at the Boston Irish Festival! She got discounted tickets through Living Social so the whole event cost just $7! Got to love a bargain.

It was definitely a sundress day! We were laughing about how silly it was to have an IRISH festival during a hot summer weekend.

It was a beautiful day and with Celtic songs in the air how could you NOT have a great time. As promised there were games, rides, dancing, beer and Gaelic football! I was however a bit disappointed with the food. Would you believe there wasn’t a potato in site?! They sold crab cakes and Italian sausages…. Very strange.

Photo montage time

That last picture is a delicious scone I had at the Irish Tea house 🙂

I also got some great ideas for potential wedding bands. Nolan has been less than enthusiastic when it comes to choosing jewelery, but he LOVED the samples I showed him! I think the Celtic braiding is so beautiful and delicate.

But the highlight of the day took place on the field. For 2 hours we sat in the stands watching a Gaelic football game……I can safely tell you that I STILL HAVE NO IDEA how this game is played! I don’t understand how to keep score, the time limit, or ANY of the rules.

As far as that last one is concerned, there didn’t seem to be any rules. The players could kick, throw, and or dribble the ball, and it appears that they could do whatever they wanted to stop the opposing team from advancing. This was honestly one of the most frustrating things! I grew up with 2 brothers, and a mother who spends her free time at ball fields and not the mall. I know sports. I have never been the girl in the stands wondering what is going on….until yesterday.

Apparently the green team won! By the end of the day we were both sun burnt and speaking in an Irish brogue. It was perfect.

Today looks like another gorgeous 80+ day. Go outside and do something fun!

Got to love the feeling of a Friday afternoon!:-)

You may remember that I am taking on a June Yoga Challenge proposed by Courtney!

Just to re-cap, the J.Y.C is an opportunity to encourage everyone to incorporate more yoga into their regular workout routines! Every Friday I will do a quick recap of my yoga-ing and hopefully my progress. For more information, or to join the Challenge, visit Courtney’s website.

I have been really wanting to get into yoga for some time now and with the recent recommendations from my doctor I have set my own goals for getting a little more yoga and relaxation into my life. I have also Here are my goals:

June’s Yoga Challenge Goals:

Take at least one yoga class at the gym
Incorporate yoga into my workout routine twice a week.

Yesterday before the Red Sox game, I cleared my mind, and had my first June yoga experience. Before I get into it, I want to start with my two major issues with yoga.

#1: I never feel like I am doing it right! It’s all about breathing and posture and I am always afraid I’m not sitting the right way.

#2: Another problem I have is that I am a very visual learner. I need to SEE what I am supposed to do before I can do it so the whole time I am yoga-ing I have to break my pose to look at the tv to see what to do next.

The second issue I am hoping will disappear as my confidence builds and I stick to certain routines.

I took many of my fellow Yoga Challenger’s advice and went with my girl Jillian Michael’s Yoga Meltdown. Ugh I love Jillian. I could not find her video on demand anymore but that is why the geek gods invented youtube.

What I love about Jillian:

She yells. There is no soft spoken directions. She tells it like it is.
She explains HOW you should feel which helps me keep the proper poses.
There is some cardio mixed in. The boredness factor is NOT an issue.
There are detailed directions about where your body should be in relation to itself.
Its a strict routine so there are a lot of repeated moves which means less breaking poses to watch the tv 🙂

During the video I was thinking about the poses and routines that will work nicely into my current floor workout at the gym.

This morning when I woke up my body was PISSED! I am very sore in random places, but it feels good! Today after work I headed to the gym more to clear my head than anything. I did this workout:

With the free weights, I did a few chaturanga push ups (yea I speak the yoga lingo now)

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and some camel heel touches.

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My thoughts after week 1:

**One thing that Jillian says in her video that really resonated with me is that you need to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” This speaks volumes about how I live my life in general. I am the queen of the comfort zone and it’s a habit I am trying to break.

**I decided I am going to invest in a yoga mat. I make healthy eating and working out a HOBBY. I have to buy into the whole package before I can commit and stick with something. I have issues I know.

** I am adding a new goal for myself.

June’s Yoga Challenge Goals:

Take at least one yoga class at the gym
Incorporate yoga into my workout routine twice a week.
**My new goal is to gain more control over my breathing.

Something I battle with due to my asthma is control over my own breathing. It has taken me 2 years to finally run a consecutive mile due to these restraints and I am sick of it holding me back. I am hoping that by focusing on how I move and breath consecutively through yoga will help me become a better athlete.

Question:

Are you taking the Yoga Challenge?

Is yoga a part of your workout routine?