Andrew, my two year old, still naps every day at 1:30. Will does not. I used to spend this time cajoling him to sit quietly by himself and look at books or color, activities which at his young age seemed to require my intervention every 2 minutes, making it frustrating to even clean up from lunch.
It’s much more relaxing (for both of us) to go up to the gym together and put on a yoga video. He’ll stretch with me for about 20 minutes before he gets bored, at which point he wanders off to look at books or play quietly by himself. Without me there in the same room, he’s less likely to ask me for things every few minutes. He knows that if he wants to be with me, he can come back to the gym.
After 30 – 40 minutes of yoga and a quick shower, I feel simultaneously relaxed and energized. He’s had some down time, too. It’s healthy for him to engage in both movement and independent play, and we still have time left to read stories and do things together where he has my undivided attention.
He even seems to be learning some yoga. I love seeing him move, and stretch, and learn that it feels good and keeps us healthy.
I love doing this a few times a week – it feels like stolen workout time. Even as a beginner who isn’t exactly nailing all the poses, I’m getting major benefits from stretching my body to the point that’s right for it. I feel looser, more limber, less stressed.
I’ve even started doing five minutes here or there in my street clothes to relax my back or shoulders or loosen up in the middle of the day. It does amazing things for your shoulders and other places where you carry stress and tension. It’s like a massage… only free 🙂
Will’s rendition of corpse pose.The cat doesn’t seem to be learning as much.
I’ve recently gotten back into exercise videos. They’re a convenient way to add variety. Will and Andrew both like to try to do the movements with me, so they’re a great option for when I’m home with one of the boys, need a workout, but it’s too cold or icy for the jogging stroller.
I’ve been using T-25 for quick, intense, targeted workouts, and have added a yoga video to my repertoire for stretching. Rather than buying one, I requested one that looked good from my library’s inter-library loan system. If I find myself using it a lot, I can always buy it later. More likely, I’ll try a different one for a while to keep things interesting and can always check this one out again in the future.
Yoga Foundations with Travis Elliot is a DVD specifically designed for people new to yoga. Many yoga videos I’ve tried have moved too quickly through the poses for me to have time to correctly align myself because I’m a beginner. I wanted a DVD that wasn’t just labeled “beginner”, but that had ample verbal instruction for me to align myself correctly, and time to do it. This one meets those requirements. His clear verbal instructions meant I could move from pose to pose without staring at the screen, and when I looked up to check, I was almost always in the correct position. Perfect! The DVD lets you select whether or not you’d like background music, and I liked the sound of Travis’ voice. I anticipate that after I have mastered the poses in each of his segment, I’ll try a different DVD so I don’t need to listen to unnecessary instructions. For now, this one is perfect.
I felt stretched and relaxed afterwards, but not like I’d had an intense workout, making it a great option to do after a cardio workout if I have time, or on one of my off days.
I’m loving having it from the library, because I could have just returned it if I didn’t like it. No sunk cost, no environmental cost. Sweet.
Confession: I have an ulterior motive for improving my yoga abilities. Last year in Grand Cayman, I fell in love with paddle boarding, and the place we rented from had a paddle board yoga class. They advertised it with this gorgeous photo of bikini-clad yogis out on the glistening blue water of the Caribbean, balancing on their paddleboards, the ultimate paradise vacation cliche. I wanted in.
Me, my mom, and Andrew on a paddle-board last February!
I want to don an athletic looking bathing suit, paddle confidently out onto that gorgeous blue water, and attempt to keep downward facing dog from becoming submerged sea-dog. So, darn it, I’m going to. I’ve got my T25 core workouts to strengthen my core (necessary for balance) and I’m going to keep working on my yoga.
I might fall off. I might get a pose wrong. There’s even a tiny chance that my devotion to SPF 50 means I won’t be mistaken for a celebrity. But I am going to paddle out there, grinning like crazy, and I’m going to do yoga with the shining blue waters of the Caribbean as my studio. That image, that end-goal, will keep me going through the icy, dark winter days to come!
Our boys aren’t allowed on the treadmill, but I thought it’d be cute to pretend Andrew was on there, so I superimposed this image of him onto it in photo-shop in all my spare time. Super cute, right?
Question from Brian:
Brian is another half marathon runner, and he’s been unable to run because his L5 disk is bulging. I realize we’re not doctors or physical therapists, but if you have personal experience with this and can make recommendations for him to run by his doctor, he’d love to hear from you. Sometimes non-runners in the medical field recognize when something is a good idea to try, but don’t come up with it on their own as quickly as another runner would.
It’s so frustrating when an injury prevents us from running – and it can be really helpful to connect with to other people who’ve had similar experiences. Anyone been in a similar boat? Please share any thoughts you have in comments, or find Brian on Facebook.
Brian – I’ll be thinking of you, and hope to hear that you’re on your way to recovery. I hope you are able to heal and get back to running, and that during the time when you can’t run, there’s something you can do to stay active and keep from feeling crazy! I know physical therapy has helped lots of runners, if you look into that, I’d love to hear how it goes. Wishing you the best.
For Fun, Here Are Some Random Photos From My Week:
Biscuits with coconut whipped cream and raspberries for breakfast. Delicious. I had kale with lunch, don’t worry.Christmas lights are the boys’ favorite part of December, so we made them a Christmas fort under their craft table!It’s the perfect nook for reading, relaxing, or snuggling. I kind of want one for me!
I’ve done yoga, barre class, and spinning. I’ve tried exercise videos for kick-boxing, yoga, core workouts, and T-25. Back when we had a wii, I even gave wii fit a shot. (Not the best way to get a challenging workout, trust me.)
Sometimes it feels like the only exercise I’ve ever stuck with as an adult is running.
I remember feeling some trepidation when I got online and ordered a pair of spin shoes and bike shorts. After all, I didn’t stick with barre classes or yoga, but at least I hadn’t invested in gear for either of those misadventures.
Then I realized something – I might not still be doing barre, and I never signed up for another intro to yoga class after my first set got cancelled 2 classes in, but I’m still exercising and I’m still trying new things. I’ve even got a yoga video on hold at the library right now because I’d like to take it back up again so I can really stretch my muscles a few times a month.
I’m not a serial quitter, I’m a serial beginner. I’m regularly trying new things, and supplementing my running with whatever type of exercise I currently enjoy most. For a while, that was barre classes. Recently it’s spinning… and I’ve actually dusted off those T-25 videos and been doing them with Will on occasion.
The great thing about running outdoors is that it doesn’t require a gym membership. That makes it easier to justify a 3 class pass to a great yoga studio near by, or a 10 class pass to carry my spin habit through the holidays.
I can mix it up, and I’m not stuck finding classes at the gym that work with my schedule. I can pick from any of the places around that work with my preschool schedule and let you pay per class or buy small packages of classes. I love that, because paying per time is a much better deal than a monthly subscription if you’re incorporating a class for variety and not going regularly. I go to spin about 3 times a month – I love being able to pay for a few classes at a time and use them when I feel like it.
So go ahead and try something new, and don’t worry about “sticking with it”. Maybe what you’re sticking with is a rotating set of “plus this” exercises that complement your running. It’s nice to have a few indoor, group exercise classes you enjoy that you can do when it gets cold, dark and icy! You don’t need to stick with it for it to do something positive for you – it’s enough that you tried it for a while, moved on to the next new thing, and can circle back if you like.
So dust off that old workout video and do it once this month. Call your local spinning or yoga studio and ask if they have an introductory price for first time clients. Ask if they’ll give you that price if you haven’t been in over a year but are hoping to start again!
Don’t feel like a quitter if you take up yoga hoping to go once a week and it doesn’t work out. Quitters are sedentary. You’re just moving on to something else to add variety, stay mentally energized, and increase your repertoire of things you can do to stay active. And that’s awesome.
I had a different spin class instructor this morning at Spynergy because I went earlier than normal and on a different day because my in-laws are here and could watch the kids (YESSSS!!!)
The instructor, Jake, was a very enthusiastic guy about my age who likes to do ultra trail running and runs his own personal training studio at www.trijake.com. He’s got a pretty positive, go-get-’em, type of personality. There’s a chance he’s actually crazy, but in a “you’re going to get a good workout” kind of way.
He had me cracking up half the class, in that “are you for real, actually it doesn’t matter this is hilarious and I love it” kind of way.
He also was a great spin instructor – he provided clear and detailed instructions, turned down the music to explain the next set so you could actually HEAR him (my biggest problem with spin classes so far is sometimes I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing because I can’t hear the instructor) and consistently reminded the class what our posture should be.
After his class, I’ll be looking for instructors who are easy to hear, and who give enough detail so you know exactly what position, cadence, and resistance you should be pedaling at. Hopefully my schedule will work out so I can pop into more of his classes in the future!
But the point is, don’t settle – if you go to a spin class and you can’t hear the instructor or you don’t love the workout, try a different date or time and see if you can find an instructor you really like. There’s a huge range of styles out there – switch it up!
