The Great Race!

Wow! I finished! The Sprint Triathlon that is... What an amazing test of my will, strength and perseverance. I finished however pretty low in my age group but NO MATTER! I'm just glad to have survived. And yes I think I'll do it again. This time with a more calm attitude, some tweeks in my transitions and also my training and I know I can improve my performance.
All in all it's just a testament to our human ability to adapt to all kinds of situations. DON'T QUIT! Just because it was hard doesn't mean it won't get easier the next time. You can be more aware of what's going on around you, breathe, and just plain know what to expect. I'm fortunate to have had this experience. It has re-affirmed to me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. That makes me so happy! Who's in?

Top 10 Silly Things About Me Doing a Triathlon

10. The first thing I thought of was "What will I wear?".
9. I have only ever ran when someone was chasing me.
8. One lap of swimming and I thought my lungs would crack.
7. The theme of Jaws keeps playing in my head while training in the gulf.
6. I can train and train and still gain weight.
5. I can't wear any make up during the race. (Maybe just a little lipstick).
4. Who is dumb enough to train for a triathlon in Florida in SUMMER?!
3. I just learned the divorce rate is really high in triathletes.
2. I can still fall off my bike standing still in my driveway.
And the #1 silly thing...
1. Maybe I SHOULD have gotten those breast implants for more buoyancy.

You Want Me To Do What?!

My friends at work have offered me a particular challenge of which I've never, ever seen myself doing. They challenged me to a MINI TRIATHLON! At 42 years old, this just didn't seem like something I SHOULD be doing. Hmmmmm, well then, maybe I should... I know what it's like to dig deep and find an inch of drive when it all seems to be gone. I've been there with flying trapeze and especially the aerial silks. So this can't be any harder right? Well 2 months into training and some bumps, scrapes, bruises, sore everything and lots of sweat (training in Florida in summer) I am feeling comfortable enough that I know I will at least finish!


Once in a while we have to challenge ourselves with something out of our comfort zone so we DO feel nervous, scared and uncomfortable. It lets us really feel we are living and creating ourselves. We are not all genetically blessed with incredible talents but facing our fears and working through our issues helps us grow and progress. We become more sensitive and more aware and ultimately we are in a better position to help others face their fears.

Cell Phone Yoga?

Recently, a friend of mine told me of an experience she had in a yoga class. During class the yoga teacher had everyone in child's pose, he/she then proceeded to do some texting on a cell phone. The teacher never explained any reason to the class like someone close had a serious illness or something of a dire emergency, no it was general texting. Really...?? Do we have such an addiction to these phones that we can't even turn them off for an hour or two?!

Occasionally I hear a cell phone ring in my class. They are usually accidents (they forgot to silence them) but a couple times the students answered them. Again there was no dire emergency. I'm not sure if we need a new set of etiquette rules for cell phones or a reminder of why we do yoga in the first place, or both. This person probably never even thought there was anything wrong with multitasking while teaching yoga.
If we are truly in the present then distractions lose their pull on our attention. Yoga is supposed to help us wake up, stay focused, live mindfully and be present. We owe it to ourselves and others we come in contact with...

Livestrong Website for Health and Fitness

Here's a great website for health and weight maintenance, http://www.livestrong.com/ You will learn so much about foods and labels on the "Daily Plate" food journal section. Plus many many more fun and motivating features. It can track your calories, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, fat, carbs, protein, exercise, etc... in easy to read pie charts so you can really see what your eating on a daily basis. And the best part is it is free. As a Personal Trainer, I have referred many people to this site and have noted much success. Give it a look!!

Posture

Notice your posture right now. You're probably sitting at your computer with rounded shoulders and back. Notice how it feels. Now uncross your legs and bring your spine up over your pelvis. Pull the belly in and lift your breast bone. Lift your heart up. Take your shoulders back but don't squeeze too hard. (It shouldn't feel like too much effort.) Bring your ears over your shoulders and relax your face. Now how do you feel? Possibly more alert? Better breath? More relaxed? Good posture can even make you look and feel younger and thinner and who doesn't want that, right? Practice this every time you sit. Be conscious. Live yoga.

Yoga Journal Website

For all you aspiring yogis and yoginis, here is Yoga Journal Magazine's website. Put it in your favorites as a reference to articles, pose information, different styles of yoga and specific health and wellness information... http://www.yogajournal.com/

If you're interested in a more intermediate/advanced practice of backbends and hip openers, try this John Friend video. It will only be up for a limited time so check it out soon! http://www.yogajournal.com/video/113

Words to Live By

If you do what you've always done you'll get what you've always got!

Change Is Growth

Change is growth, growth is success. That is a simplification but in terms of succeeding in life you must continually make changes to grow! Sometimes these changes are forced upon us like from our struggling economy. The challenge is to use the change to better ourselves, and most importantly to have a good attitude about it. Your attitude, pos or neg, sets the stage for either you feeling success or failure. In yoga, your attitude is crucial. It makes a difference between uncomfortable and GREAT!

Welcome to My Blog - Being Yoga

Hello! Welcome to my Blog! I hope we can use this to share our insights and questions to further our study of a yogic lifestyle and healthy living. I'd like to share a quote, "Health is not a commodity to be bargained for. It has to be earned through sweat" B.K.S. Iyengar. I often hear people say that they'll "start" their diet, exercise, yoga, at a future date. Why not take care of ourselves daily? Is it inconvenience? Resistance to change? fear of success? Even small changes can eventually lead to great health improvements. What is one small health change that has made a difference in your life?