The title of this blog post is a Mary Wollstonecraft quote that has always stuck with me, because it's both hopeful and empowering. Every day, we have the opportunity to make changes, big or small, and to start anew as many times as needed. Being a beginner at something again has reminded me that nothing in life ever really becomes easy; we just get more proficient. Because I practice yoga asana daily, those postures and movements - while still challenging - feel much more natural to me than the strength training exercises I've just started doing. I thought I was in reasonably good shape, but my body is facing some unexpected challenges with my new training regimen. (That's P90x, in case you didn't catch it in the previous post.) It's actually really interesting to be making these changes now, because I'm starting at a sort of 'comfortably fit' place - I'm not winning any competitions over here, but my body is healthy, pain-free, and gets me through vinyasa yoga classes with relative comfort and ease. However, I've learned that my larger muscles are really at a beginner fitness level, as the little supporting guys I've built up through yoga asana practice seem to be doing almost all of the work! I can't do a proper chin-up, yet (which is probably not a surprise to most), but I also can't do most push-up varieties that show up in this program, especially when my chest, back and arms are already tired; my endurance is apparently lower than I expected. I've got the military style push-ups down because of all those Chaturangas! But otherwise, it's a pretty wobbly, floppy situation in the push-up department. It's okay, though; I'm just doing the best I can for now, and I know I'll build up more strength, over time. So, this has been humbling. I used to say that yoga training was all I ever needed, but I've found that it really doesn't hurt to pick up a weight once in a while! I'm not going hard on the fitness and nutrition areas of my life because I'm preparing for a big event or because I'm unhappy with where I currently am; I'm doing this because I'm eager for a personal challenge, and also because I want to clean up my diet and spice up my fitness regimen. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do once these 90 days are over, but I imagine it'll be a less intense version of what I'm doing now; a mix of yoga and strength training, with a balanced vegetarian diet. On the topic of nutrition, this is an area that I'm taking sort of slow and allowing to evolve, based on my needs. My goal is not to lose weight, rather to tone up and build muscle mass, so I'm staying closer to the higher end of the caloric scale. I'm eating mostly vegan, with the exception of a couple of eggs (organic, free range), once or twice a week. I managed to eat 85 grams of protein yesterday with a daily total of about 1,450 calories, and that was a fully vegan day. (I also ate quite a bit of fat - not afraid of it anymore.) I've been drinking a ton of water and I still feel thirsty all the time, somehow... The above photo depicts my diet on Day 1, with the exception of the honey crisp apple, Vega protein shake (with almond milk) and handful of almonds that I also ate. I've had lots of energy so far, and I think that's mainly because I'm eating quite a bit more than I normally do. I'm considering going back to a fully vegan diet after this program, but I've decided to just stay open to everything and go with the flow. I don't think I've mentioned yet that Cam is doing this whole thing with me, with a slightly different diet plan. I'm so grateful for his support, and his enthusiasm to go for a full overhaul, even when nothing is actually 'wrong'. Having a workout partner is a massive benefit in any fitness program, especially when they put together a full gym in your garage! (Props to Cam for always being up for anything and taking such good care of me.) We decided to be morning workout people, so we'll be getting started around 5:45am, Monday through Friday, and perhaps a little later on Saturdays. I've been working on a Yoga for Athletes series for the Online Studio, and I think having such sore muscles all the time will make me more empathetic to the athlete's struggle! (~Keep an eye out for a new video in the next few days~)
I'm off to make some hummus (one of my fave snacks) and then I'll be getting into a hot epsom salt bath to soothe my achey body. I've got an aromatherapy blend called Deep Muscle Relief in the diffuser, and I'm also taking about 1,500mg vitamin C per day. I've also got some arnica gel, if needed, but for now I'm just taking it easy and relaxing as much as possible. These little muscles need to recover enough to be up for tomorrow's challenge! Do you have any more tips or tricks for sore muscle relief and recovery? Leave them in the comments for me below!
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Most people embarked on their new fitness regimen in time with the New Year, but I am admittedly behind. This is because I hadn't planned on making any major changes to my routines; that is, until about a week ago. I was sick for the majority of January and I hadn't been able to do a whole lot of yoga. I've also been teaching much less, so my activity level has decreased quite a bit recently. Aaannd, on top of that ridiculously clingy bug that was making me feel less than amazing, there were two full moons this past month, and with them a couple of intense menstrual periods that I thought I might not make it through. (Yes, I get dramatic in those dark times.) My energy was low. My mood was often shitty (and required many adjustments). I thought I was putting on weight and losing all of the muscle I had built up over the past year. Again, I was being overly dramatic and the situation wasn't quite as bad as I'd anticipated. Nonetheless, I decided to do something pretty drastic: a 90-day fitness and diet challenge that I will stay wholly committed to and share with you throughout the journey. (TERRIFYING.) I wanted to take on this new challenge because I realized I haven't pushed myself in a very long time. The past couple of years have been about intuitive health and wellness, and have entailed daily yoga and a reasonably balanced vegetarian diet. I've always been content with the results of this sort of lifestyle, but now, I'm eager to take on a challenge and see what body - and mind - is really capable of. So, let's take a look at where I'm starting, today... {Before I continue, I want to quickly add that I'm happier with my body right now than I ever have been, because I know this is the healthiest I've ever been, and I have finally come to a place where I can truly love my body, exactly as it is.} (Above photo included to track booty gains!) I stopped weighing myself regularly a couple of years ago, and I believe the last time I weighed myself was September 2017, at which time I was 111 lbs. My weight really hasn't changed since then, although I feel like I have less visible muscle definition now. I don't have any goals, in terms of weight or inches - I'm only keeping track of these details to satisfy my scientific curiosity!
My goals for this challenge are to: CLEAN UP MY DIET: I've been vegetarian for 10 years, and I was vegan for the first five. I eat a relatively balanced diet, but I don't eat enough, and I know I should be including more protein. Most importantly, I want to eliminate processed sugar from my diet permanently, and I want to stop consuming wine, just for these 90 days. (I drink, on average, one bottle of wine weekly, and I'm not really interested in changing that in the long run!) I think my biggest dietary challenge will be to eat enough of the things I should be eating (ie: timed nutrition) on a regular basis. (Although I haven't always been this way, I'm one of those people who eats to live rather than lives to eat.) STAY COMMITTED: I've always struggled with consistency, so I'm doing this to strengthen my resolve and determination just as much as my arms and glutes. I've never done a diet and fitness challenge like this, so I'm really curious about how it's all going to go for me. I've chosen to go pubic with this on social media so that I have you guys to keep me accountable! I'm not going to give up on myself, and I promise to authentically share my challenges and triumphs with this experience along the way. EMBRACE CHANGE AND POSSIBILITIES: As I mentioned earlier in this blog post, I haven't really pushed myself - physically, mentally, or emotionally - for the past few years, as I've been more focused on nurturing a balanced, healing practice that is sustainable over a lifetime. However, I'm totally ready to take on something new and I'm embracing all of the changes this experiment might bring. I'll be positing periodic updates on the blog, but mainly I'll share my experiences through Instagram, so please follow me there (@saraspondayoga) if you're interested in keeping up with my fitness and nutrition journey. I'm nervous. And excited. And HUNGRY... ...And so it begins. While this is an awesome comic and it certainly helps to simplify the yoga-dosha relationship, I do believe there is much to benefit from by choosing or designing a yoga practice more customised to a particular dosha. I've created an awesome Dosha test that's part of your consultation when you begin a yoga program with Sarasponda Yoga. It's so interesting what we can learn about ourselves when we start to dig a little deeper!
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