Interesting Experiment

In the past, I have blogged about the yogic concept of aparigraha - a yama that encourages non-grasping, or non-attachment to material things. This week, I discovered a year-long experiment (half-way complete already) by a group of women who have committed to not purchasing any new clothing for an entire year. They have dubbed their project "The Great American Apparel Diet" and track their progress and experience on their blog. They have a large number of folks who have accepted the challenge, with a multitude of reasons, including economic and the desire to have less of an ecological impact on the earth.

I'm definitely trying to buy less, but I'm not sure I am ready to go this far! What about you?

Today's workout:
62 min. Fartlek run (7.29 mi)
30 min. resistance training

Opposing Directions

After doing yoga, I often feel more composed and at ease, even though I usually engage in an active, vigorous practice. Whereas my other exercise regimens (like running or weight lifting) leave me feeling exhausted or invigorated and enthusiastic, but do not bring me the same sense of calm that I receive from yoga.

As I was moving through my poses tonight, I thought about the way yoga asks our bodies to move in opposing directions. In utkatasana (chair pose), the tail bone moves down toward the earth, while the arms are reaching up to the sky. In Virabhadrasana II (warrior II), the front and back legs are moving away from each other, while not moving from where the feet are planted on the mat. And so on. We use our minds to activate our bodies and our muscles to create a tension of opposing forces, while finding our center to balance out these oppositions.

In life, we are constantly doing the same thing - attempting to find balance admist opposing desires and forces pulling us in incompatible directions. In yoga, we use the strength of our abdominal muscles in our core body to balance out the movement in our limbs. In life, we use the core strength of who we are to find our balance. We can use the peace of mind that yoga brings in our daily routines to help us juggle the stress and demands of modern life.

Today's workout:
60 min. elliptical/hill routine (5.9 mi)
20 min. resistance training
60 min. yoga

Inspiring Young Runners

I have previously blogged about the organization, Girls on the Run, for which I volunteer as an assistant coach.

The exciting thing about this group is that in working with young girls, running is used as a method of developing confidence and self-esteem. The end goal is not necessarily to create world-class athletes or super-fast track stars .... running is a vehicle for showing girls what they are capable of and helping them to love themselves and their bodies.

In her talk at the recent Girls on the Run conference in Austin, TX, Kristin Armstrong discussed the idea of "confidence on the inside" - a concept GOTR tries to promote in young girls.

"Confident on the Inside means - You are wise enough to accept God’s definition of who you are, and you are strong enough not to accept counterfeit messages. You know your own beauty and are grateful for it, never needing to promote or pollute it. You possess awareness of your talents, as well as the humility and generosity to share them. You can say 'Yes' and 'No' with equal certainty. You live and love big – never needing to play small or belittle others. You can say 'thank you' to a compliment as easily as you can say 'Forgive me' or 'I forgive you' to a mistake. Confident on the Inside means that you feel so comfortable in your own skin that your very presence is an invitation to freedom for others. Confident on the inside knows no age."

Even though I already felt fairly comfortable in my own skin, once I started running, I was completely exhilarated by its effects on me. Not only was I able to see tangible improvements in my physical fitness, but my mood lifted as well. Running longer distances than I ever had before made me feel capable of tackling challenges in my everyday life. I felt strong, powerful and capable. I never intended to start running everyday, but the positive effects from running led me to make running a central part of my workout. I definitely feel the "confidence on the inside" described above, now at age 34, that I didn't feel ten or fifteen years ago.

Although my role in the organization is small, it makes me proud to be a part of GOTR and its mission to lead girls to achieving a feeling of confidence and self-worth.

Read another inspiring blog post from Runner's World's Coach Jenny about the recent Girls on the Run conference in Austin, TX.

Today's workout:

70 min. run (8.19 mi)

20 min. resistance training

60 min. yoga

Yoga on my Own

Lately I have been attempting to break free of the yoga DVDs at home and take ownership of my practice. I find this concept somewhat intimidating and not something that I can accomplish all at once. I still use a DVD most days, but two or three times a week I will develop my own sequence.

I found a wonderful tool today on Yoga Journal's website. Under the "poses" tab, click on "build a sequence". You can browse through a variety of poses, divided by their difficulty level (all levels/intermediate/advanced), choose the ones that you would like to add to your sequence, and then organize them according to your preferred order.

You can print out your sequence. The pages will display a nice photograph clearly displaying the posture, along with its sanskrit and English name. The only downside to this was that each page only holds 4-5 poses, so you end up with several pages stapled together that you have to turn as you move through the flow.

To develop my sequence this evening, I looked up the pose that I wanted to focus on (Natarajasana / Lord of the Dance Pose). In reading the description of the asana, I looked up the preparatory and follow-up poses and used those as the foundation of my sequence. I inserted vinyasas throughout and created a 6o minute active flow that focused on balance and backbends.

Today's workout:
35 min. run w/ hill sprints (4.6 mi)
35 min. resistance training
60 min. yoga

If Not Now, When?

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”

Rabbi Hillel the Elder

Yoga Misconceptions

Yoga Alliance, the organization that develops standards for yoga teachers, released results from a survey suggesting that people who don't practice yoga avoid it due to misconceptions about it. Yoga Alliance summarizes these misconceptions as follows:

• People assume that yoga is religion-based. According to their survey, 57% of those who do not currently practice yoga believe that it requires mantras or chanting related to a form of worship.

• Non-practitioners believe that yoga requires flexibility in order to practice. Their poll shows that nearly 3 in 5 Americans who do not practice yoga think that it requires a person to be in at least "decent" shape.
  

• Finally, respondents opine that yoga is not really exercise. Half of men who have never practiced yoga believe it "isn't a workout." In contrast, Yoga Alliance claims that 73% of people who do practice believe it is just as effective as running, swimming or weight lifting.

These assumptions are being made yoga "outsiders" based on their experience of yoga through pop culture, observing their yogi friends or acquaintances, peeking in on classes in their gyms or community centers, or other casual encounters with the practice. Yoga Alliance is trying to reach out to the public to encourage them to try yoga, and arguing that these points are misconstruing the nature of yoga. However, like many stereotypes, these "misconceptions" do have some basis in reality ... they are not completely out of left field, in any case. I would like to examine each of these "misconceptions" individually.

Yoga is Religion-Based

When I first began working out, I avoided yoga because I viewed it as a "new-agey" pursuit. I pictured a bunch of hippies sitting around in lotus position, with flowers in their hair, wearing tie-dye with their eyes closed and chanting "OM". When I finally tried out a class, I surprised by the athleticism involved.

However, as I pursue yoga more deeply, it is quite clear that there definitely is a spiritual aspect to it. Unlike most other athletic pastimes, yoga is accompanied by a set of texts, some of which are considered sacred. In addition, the physical aspect is only one branch of a multi-limbed practice that also involves ethical and moral teachings. One of the texts most yoga teachers study is the Bhagavad Gita, a central text in the Hindu religion that delves into philosophy. Advanced yogis often travel to India and seek out tutelage from a respected guru. Meditation, a spiritual practice, is often linked to yoga.

Some teachers shy away from this aspect of yoga and stick only to the physical asana practice. A few even advertise their classes with "No Om-ing" or "No Chanting". Others will mix in a little spiritual side, maybe by offering an inspiring quote during savasana or asking the participants to chant "om" at the end or beginning of the class. Still other teachers will encourage their students to pursue the philosophical side of yoga more actively and interweave the spiritual teachings with the physical practice.

While yoga itself is not a religion, there definitely can be a spiritual side. However, if this part of yoga is off-putting, it is certainly possible to seek out a practice that focuses on the physical postures.
Flexibility is Required to Practice Yoga

This is another "misconception" that hits close to home. I have always had very tight hamstrings and difficulty doing forward bends. I was quite intimidated by the bendy people I saw in yoga classes.

In truth, many yoga asanas require a great deal of flexibility to reach their full physical expression. However, that does not preclude anyone from practicing yoga. Each yogi approaches their practice from their ability on any given day. Our practice helps us to find our limits and explore the abilities of our bodies. A knowledgeable yoga teacher will offer a variety of modifications with yoga poses so that students of varying levels can complete a pose at their comfort.

Yoga encourages a non-judgmental attitude towards your own body and acceptance of what we are able to accomplish. One of the most reassuring mantras that I received early on in my practice was, "If not today, then tomorrow". When a person first comes to yoga, she may not possess a gumby-like ability to stretch her muscles. However, if we keep up with our practice and have patience with ourselves, our bodies will change and adapt.


Yoga Is Not a Workout

To someone who spends their time sweating it out on the treadmill, it is easy to see how they might peek into a yoga class, see the class lying on their mats with their eyes closed in savasana, and dismiss yoga as a non-athletic activity. Yoga does have its moments of quiet and rest and most teachers value that time as much as the more active periods.

In truth, there are many different styles of yoga, with varying levels of athleticism. For the most part, yoga is not a high impact, high level cardio exercise that is going to burn the same number of calories as running ten miles. Yoga can be a still, restorative practice, or a more intensive, powerful flow of movement. Some styles of yoga crank up the heat, so not only are you moving vigorously, you are sweating like a pig.

I generally practice Ashtanga yoga, or vinyasa flow yoga. In this style, there is definitely a lot of movement. Throughout the practice, I do many, many push-ups. It requires stamina to hold the poses and move through the flow. The practice requires core strength to balance. It is, without a doubt, a workout, but not a workout in the same way that my running is a workout. Yoga can help you lose weight, develop muscle tone, and improve your cardiovascular health.


Yoga, like many things, is a complicated and multi-faceted concept. It has many different permutations, so characterizing yoga in one way is difficult. The "misconceptions" so labeled by Yoga Alliance could definitely be true in some cases, but in many more situations, are not going to describe the type of yoga many people are practicing. If someone takes a yoga class and is turned off by one aspect of it, I would encourage that person to try a different class and/or different style of yoga and see if that is a better match. Ask questions before you take a class to try and meet your expectations.

Personally, I found that my own misconceptions of yoga did not fit with my experience of the practice. However, as my practice of yoga developed, my needs changed and I sought a deeper, fuller understanding of what yoga could offer.

Today's workout:
50 min. run (6.4 mi)
30 min. resistance training
60 min. yoga

Gratitude

In my private yoga training, I have been working on setting intentions for my practice. In line with that, I selected a home practice based on Shiva Rea's empowering sequence in Yoga Journal. In this flow, Shiva Rea assigns mantras associated with the specific emotions evoked by each asana.

As I worked through these poses and focused my intentions, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude. The vinyasa yoga flow was indeed empowering and as I moved through each posture, I became aware of my own strength and possibility. I felt a profound gratefulness for my body, for the movements that I am able to make, for carrying me through my life.

So often, we take our bodies for granted ... not thinking of them at all, or simply treating them like a shell, or even a hindrance. We abuse our bodies by eating poorly, ignoring signs of sickness, willfully engaging in habits that damage our bodies like smoking.

But our body is our life. We experience our lives through our bodies. We all have to meet our physical needs - on a daily basis - before we can accomplish anything else. As children, we express ourselves physically first. We clap to show happiness, reach up to our mothers to show love, duck our heads when we are shy. When we are healthy, we are happy. When our bodies our strong, our minds are invigorated. The muscles and tendons and ligaments in our bodies support us, allow us to express ourselves and carry us through our lives. Overcoming physical challenges gives us courage to tackle other kinds of situations. When our body's health deteriorates, our lives become tenuous. Instead of ignoring your body, take a moment to say "thank you" for all the work your body does taking care of you. Make sure that you are taking care of it!

Today I am thankful that I have a healthy body.

Today's workout:
60 min. elliptical (interval program) (5.72 mi)
35 min. resistance training
60 min. yoga

Negative Splits

Since I began running, I have learned all kinds of jargon associated with the sport. One of the terms that I have seen bandied about in various articles and websites is "negative splits". The concept of negative splits is simple - it is finishing the second half of a race faster than the first half of a race.

While the concept may be simple, executing it is not. My initial response to competing in my first races last summer was to take off as fast as possible at the starting line, giving it my all right at the beginning. Then I would begin to get winded, and slow down as the race went on. By the time I crossed the finish line, I was ready to drop.

When implementing negative splits, you control your pace at the start of a race, and then ramp it up once you get going. This gives you a chance to warm up and once you are hitting your stride, you can pass the other runners who have begun to run out of steam.

Of course, if you want to use this method in a race, you need to train for it. I tried this out today, but running three miles at 8.0 mph, and then inching up the mph by just a .10 mph, until I reached 8.7 mph and ran a total of 5 miles. While this is a small increase in speed, I was able to shave slightly more than three minutes off of my time than if I had stuck with my initial pace.

Find out more about negative splits in this Runner's World article.

Today's workout:
40 min. run (5.29 mi)
60 min. yoga private training
60 min. yoga @ home

Staying Zippy in the Winter

Need a few reasons to keep running in the winter? Check out these great "kick-butt" ideas from Runner's World for staying motivated and reaching your goals!

Today's workout

50 min. run (6.05 mi)

30 min. resistance training

60 min. yoga

Cookie Monster

I have been going through a baking phase recently. Probably because it is winter, and I feel the need to eat and eat and eat to store up fat reserves during the lean months. In any case, I have been making loads of cookies. For me, cookies are the perfect snack - delicious, compact, easy to carry in your hand or eat on the go, fairly mess-free. I have been trying to expand beyond the basic chocolate chip and wanted to do something more than the simple break-and-bake (my usual way of "baking").

I started with the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, with the recipe from the back of the box. Those were awesome! They brought back childhood memories, because those are my mom's favorite kind of cookies and her go-to recipe. Next, I went with a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie in anticipation of my sister-in-law's visit - she doesn't like chocolate. The recipe I used (in the link) calls for cranberries, but I omitted those, and they were still yummy! My husband complained that they were too crispy (that I over-baked them) but I like a crispy cookie.

Next, I did two in one day. An almond cookie and a chocolate pinwheel cookie. My favorite was the almond cookie, but the girls LOVED the pinwheel cookie, mostly because of their fun appearance. I was very pleased with how well they turned out. Today I tried out a recipe for chocolate sandwich cookies. While these were not difficult to make, they were definitely labor-intensive with a very low yield. My husband was making fun of me for putting so much effort into them. The cookies are not that sweet, but if you want additional sweetness, you can add it by choosing a sweeter filling.

Obviously, none of these cookies are healthy ... but that is not the point. As long as you exercise regularly, and generally make nutritious and healthy choices in your diet, there is no reason that you cannot indulge on occasion. Just don't overdo it! Another great thing about making cookies is that they are easy to share!

Today's workout:
45 min. run w/ hill sprints (6.00 mi)
50 min. yoga class
60 min. yoga @home

Saucha / Purity

Today, in my private session with my yoga teacher, we discussed the concept of the niyama of saucha, or purity. Swami Shraddhananda describes the ways in which we incorporate this niyama into our lives:

Saucha is purity that operates on many levels. We aspire to cleanliness for our bodies by washing ourselves, maintaining clean and orderly homes, eating healthy food and drinking clean water. We aspire to cleanliness in our minds and speech by not polluting our minds or speech with negativity or grasping after emotionally and physically charged obsessions. In other words, we find a balance that gives us a way to feel ourselves as clean and clear. As are the other yamas and niyamas, saucha is a pre-condition for experiencing the fullness of yoga and attaining enlightenment.

In our practice today, we focused on cleansing breaths and using the bandhas to contain our energy within the body.

I found it ironic that this evening, when my husband and I were relaxing in front of the TV, he chose to watch the A&E show "Hoarders". This show focuses on individuals who suffer from compulsive hoarding, which leads to horrendous messes with disastrous consequences - potentially losing their children to foster care, the threat of homelessness from eviction, separation from family members. We have been watching this show for a few months and it has definitely created an impetus for me to create order and cleanliness in our living space. I even hired a professional organizer for a few hours to help me with some perpetually cluttered spaces.

While saucha certainly deals with internal purity of mind and spirit, the cleanliness and purity of our outside spaces matters too. When we feel comfortable and free in our living space, we can have clarity of thought and vision. As the cluttered spaces in my home became open and organized, I felt a weight and anxiety physically leave my body - an opening and release of tension that I had unknowingly been carrying.

This time of new year's resolutions and self-improvement is a great time for reflection on ways that you can incorporate the concept of saucha into your own life.

Today's workout:
35 min. run (4.30 mi)
60 min. private training yoga
60 min. yoga @ home

Keep Track of your Progress & Promises

In this season of lofty promises for self-improvement, it is easy for that new-year's energy to wane and the resolutions to be left by the wayside. On the Today show this week, they estimated that only 6% of people actually keep their new year's resolutions. Yikes!

For fitness or nutrition related goals, one of the best ways to keep track of your progress and work toward achieving your desired results is to log your activities in a journal. First of all, it helps to identify specific ways in which you will reach your goal. "I want to get fit" or "I want to lose weight" are important values, but they are fairly vague - when do you know that you have reached those goals? Instead, establish realistic, achievable benchmarks: I will go to the gym three days a week; I will meet with a personal trainer once a week; I will lose 2 pounds a week; I will run 30 miles a week, etc. Limit these resolutions to one or two so as to not overwhelm yourself.

Once you have enumerated your specific targets, keep track of your daily progress. You can do this in a simple spiral notebook, or you can purchase workout logs. I like to use the Runner's World Training Journal to keep track of my mileage and cross-training. It has inspirational quotes and tips that help keep me motivated. You can also log your workouts into online exercise sites like RunningAhead.com. Magazines like Shape, Self, and Runner's World also maintain online training log features. You can do the same thing for your nutritional goals as well - keeping track of what you eat and logging in your weight each day.

By writing down the steps you are taking each day to reach your goals, you can see the positive steps that you are taking to move forward and change your life. You will be less likely to skip a workout or eat a giant piece of chocolate cake if you know that you will be taking a note of it. You can look at the pages and see how far you have come.

For me, knowing that I will note my workout on my blog (even if no one reads it), as well as my training journal, is a huge motivator for me to keep up my workout each day. I hope you find keeping track of your goals helpful as well!

Today's workout:
50 min. run (6.0 mi)
20 min. resistance training
75 min. yoga

Inspiring Reads

I read a couple of really inspiring running books this winter break. The first was Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes. Dean is an uber-athlete who tackles the toughest physical challenges. He is well-known in the running world for his prolific success at long-distance races (50 miles or more).

In this book, he talks about what led him to start running, and he details his experiences in some of his first ultramarathons. His story about his first Western States 100 race is incredible - it is an unbelievable testament to what the human body can endure.

Despite his phenomenal success and athletic prowess, Dean ultimately credits sheer perseverance and hard work for his performance, rather than any innate traits. Basically, he is just telling his reader to get out there and run and you never know what your body can do. While he can sometimes come across as a little pompous, his book definitely motivated me to add more mileage to my weekly totals.

Another running book that I dove into this winter break was Strides: Running Through History with an Unlikely Athlete by Benjamin Cheever. Unlike Karnazes, Cheever is more of a casual runner, though "casual" is a relative term as he has run numerous marathons.

In this book, he explores his passion for running by delving into his own experiences as well as chronicling some of the history of marathoning. The accounts I found particularly engaging were his tales of running the Medoc marathon in France where the runners stopped every few miles to indulge themselves in a glass of wine, and his stories about running a race in Baghdad and discussing the culture of running in the military.

Both of these books express the unique joy and feeling of freedom that running inspires. Each author makes me feel, even though I have only been running for a few months, that the sky is the limit and that I can accomplish anything. Since reading these books, I have been contemplating training for a longer race ... something that I didn't envision myself until further in the future. We'll see about that. In the meantime, check these books out for an entertaining and inspiring read!

Today's workout:
35 min. run (4.12 mi)
30 min. resistance training
75 min. primary series yoga