Funny that I had just mentioned stress earlier… well, I had a leisurely morning and then strolled over to school to do a little more cleaning/decorating. I planned on staying only a few hours so I could enjoy the beautiful weather today.
Anyhow, I put two and two together and figured out a glaring (what must be) error in my schedule. Long story short, this error would be massive, and the more I thought about it, it may not be an error at all. It would change the course of my year – big time, and not in a good way. The proper people were not around to let me know the truth.
Needless to say, I was very distracted. Even though I only had fun things to do at school today, I was starting to get in a negative, worried mindset. Rather than litter my classroom with negative energy, I decided to leave for the day to physically remove myself from the environment. And the decorating was certainly a non-essential task for the day.
I have always been very good at handling high-stress situations. I can fairly quickly and easily mentally remove myself from the situation and rarely do stressful situations in my life manifest themselves to the outside world.
I think I’m a bit more affected because this situation is also very surprising. I know that I can make the best of any situation, and certainly will if this news is in fact correct, but today has tested my coping mechanisms.
Luckily, I had also planned on hitting the gym in the afternoon before a nice, long Bikram yoga sweat sesh. These will be super-cleansing for the mind and body.
I’m going to get zen and hit up Target (again) for some returns. Hasta Luego!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 30 day shred, diet, fitness, goal setting, goals, health, nutrition, pilates, rewards, running, strength training, yoga
As I mentioned before, I view my years from September to September. I set my goals and resolutions around this time each year. Generally, rather that set nebulous goals like “lose weight” or be more thoughtful, I try to make measurable short-term (month to month) mini-goals to help me get there.
Here’s what I’m striving for this September in…
Fitness:
- Do yoga 2x/week (either at home or at the studio)
- Complete regular exercises every weekday morning (push-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc).
- Run 3x/week (2 shorter weekday runs, 1 longer weekend run)
- Strength train (either at the gym or at home with Shred) 2x/week
- Swim weekly
Health/Nutrition:
- Cook fish 1-2x/week
- Try one new recipe from “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” per week
Now, I admit, some of these I already kinda do. I already run 3x/week and I already try at least 1 recipe from HtCEV per week. I think this kind of motivates me though, and helps me develop the others into good habits too.
Whenever I set my goals like this, I also think of some rewards for my success. For example, if I keep up with all of my fitness goals, I’ll treat myself to a new, cute workout outfit after September is over. This tends to work for me.
What do you do to stay motivated?? Do you reward yourself? Set short-term goals? Let me know your thoughts!
Filed under: Place, Product | Tags: ab workout, bikram, fitness, SELF magazine, summer, training, yoga
In case I haven’t mentioned it, I love summer. I’ve officially kicked off my summer this weekend, and hope to make this a great one. In the past, I’ve used the summer as an excuse to try new things (private pilates sessions, kayaking, etc.) I’ve found it’s been a great way to make summer a little extra special and treat myself to things I may not always have time to do during the year.
This summer, I have some great things planned. Each month (June, July, August) I’m going to try a new fitness program (one part at home, one part at a facility) in addition to my regular run/bike/swim. For the remainder of May and all of June, I will:
- Do ten sessions of bikram yoga at Bikram Yoga Harlem. I’ve done a handful of sessions in the past, but I’m eager to see the results that regular practice yields.
- SELF’s “Effortless Abs” workout. (See video below). I LOVE SELF magazine, but don’t always do the monthly workouts included. I think I will this summer. My goal for this one is to do 3 sessions/week – preferably in the morning before work.
I already have my programs picked out for July and August, and am very excited to get through all of them. I’ll keep you updated on how they go — AND (maybe more importantly) what kinds of results they yield at the end of each month!
Living uptown in Manhattan, I have often had to travel downtown to meet some of my exercise needs (namely yoga). This has changed a little over the years as more businesses are opening in the neighborhoods uptown. On Friday I had the pleasure of trying out a new (new to me, at least) yoga studio called Bikram Yoga Harlem.
Bikram yoga is also known as hot yoga. A bikram studio is heated to about 105 degrees (kinda humid too), and participants are led through 26 poses, or asanas. The idea is that with the heat your body releases toxins and can be more flexible (not necessarily in that order).
I have to say that upon entering the studio, I began to sweat. I suppose that’s the whole idea, but it was something I was definitely not used to. I have practiced yoga numerous times before, so I was familiar with many poses and the nature of yoga classes. I found that the instructor was very helpful and called me (and the one other new student) by name to compliment/correct/motivate us. Two asanas in, I felt like I had sweat off 6 lbs. It was pretty intense. I also found that I was a bit more flexible as the class went on. Overall, I left feeling invigorated and wanting more. I’ll definitely do it again – and head back to Bikram Yoga Harlem.
