Thursdays

I had a great day yesterday though I cant wait for the weekend to sleep in !!! I was lying in bed NOT wanting to get up LOL Its funny I'm not tired or anything during the day and once I get up I'm OK but the last day or two I have just wanted to stay sleeping!!! It was so good in the sauna and I was so relaxed and calm. The conditions are just spot on and all is good. I was talking about some of my improvements and breakthroughs yesterday well there is another one!! I can get my hands under my feet in both sets of hand to feet This whole thing still just blows me away. I can not believe how far I've come in such a short period.
Kaylee and I went to the gym after breakfast to play and do my my weights. I did my usual power routine but did supersets of three rather than timing one min (just for a twist). I LOVE my weight days... OK you got me I LOVE my cardio days too LOL I do just love to move and challenge myself. It took just under an hour and of course felt ubber fantastic :) I always leave going AHHHHHHH
I picked up Kaylee from playcare and we headed to her gymnastics class. She is too funny! Dropping her off she needed to kiss me and hug me about ten times and picking her up she ran into my arms gave me a big hug then promptly told me to her down I 'm playing. She does love it there. Gymnastics was a blast :) She was so cute trying to copy the teacher and practice her landings. She cried going in the pit (even though we do it every week) and was fine once I threw her in (wink) but with everything else she was brave and worked really hard. I was very proud of her and made sure I told her how good it was that she went in the pit even though she was scared. I always tell her 'good trying' and 'good working' to build a good ethic and not to be worried about getting it right all the time as long as you do your best. She has this thing about not doing something or giving up when she feels is too hard and sometimes we have to really push her and build up her confidence. She has come along way though, and gets braver everyday.
The rest of the day was pretty par for the course... nap walk chores and errands (though I forgot to buy more popcorn and almost had to cry at snack time when I realized i was out!!)        

wednesdays

I'm feeling at a loss for words this morning.... I KNOW !! but I'll get out what I can any way. I had a great class in the morning and was reflecting on how far my body has come after surgery (even since the original fracture) WOW I could not get my forehead to my knee or on the floor in any of the compression postures. I could not reach down to grab my foot or kick out in standing head to knee. I had to modify triangle, tree, seated separate leg stretching and final spine twist. Last is that my wind removing was painful and the depth was non existent (I could barley grab my wrists) Those are the most significant that come to mind anyway. Now???!!!!! I don't modify anything. I get my head to my knee in all compressions and am in full tortoise with my head on the floor before my wrists touch the ground. I do full expression of standing head to knee and seated leg stretching with leg locked and head on my knee. The most amazing though..... wind removing. I have no pain and can grab my elbows again with my knees coming down more every day!!! My range of motion and healing is just unreal and I just wanted to look back and recognize that hard work and those accomplishments.
I took miss mew to the gym to play while I hit the elliptical. I was strong and the time flew by. I had a great session and was almost sad to see it over. When I'm in the zone it feels like I could go forever (though I know thats not the case!!) so I do stop before that buzz ends or I"ll crash LOL. Then after 20 mins of vibration training we came home for lunch and nap. The rest of the day was pretty normal. I had my shot in the afternoon then Kaylee and I volunteered at playcare. We had so much fun!! I love playing with all the kids and they just hang off me ... its too fun. Home for dinner, jammies vodka and a walk on my treadmill before winding down with my nightly popcorn. LOL I know!!    

BYE BYE sweetheart

Yes it was Danny's flight out back to work today :( oh how much I miss him when he's away. On the other hand when he IS here we get all our time together with no other commitments NICE. So it's the best of both worlds. We had a great set home together full of love and snuggles and laughter.

I had another GREAT yoga class in the sauna and again the conditions were spot on. It just makes life SO much easier when you don't have to fiddle with it continuously. It went by REALLY fast yesterday. I was preoccupied thinking about Dan and the day as just whoop it was done. Yeah I was not present or connected but hey it happens. I'm not perfect after all LOL (though I like to think I am)

We had a nice breakfast together and did some chores and last minute stuff before taking Dan to the airport. Its always sad to drop him off but I try to have a calm and fun day with Kaylee to help take the edge off. I'm always a little more sensitive to her needs because she needs it missing her Daddy. We were out already so I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to go play with the babies. So off to playcare we went. We got there and of course she did not want me to go LOL I told her we could do something else if she did not want to play today but she wanted to stay. She gave me three more kisses and a big hug then off she ran to go play! I hit the weights doing an hour of my fav routine. I hit a one min timer and pound out an intense multijoint power move .... intense and sweet. I move like that from exercise to exercise doing one full min of a power move then boom hit the next as fast as I can. I won't detail all the moves here but if you want them message me or e mail. After lunch I did put her down for a nap as she was pretty tired and I just chilled and walked on the treadmill waiting for her to get up. We had a lot of errands to run in the afternoon so we headed out and then just came home for our dinner and night routine.

I'm coming up to the end of my 30 days and I think I know what I'm going to do......... oh its sweet and you'll just have to wait to see.

Monday

yes well.... another week starting again. As soon as Tuesday hits its gone but there IS just something blah about Mondays. LOL (I don't even work and I feel it!) I had a great day though. I heated up the sauna and made my little tweaks to the room. It was fabulous! perfect in fact. I had a really nice class too. Peaceful and in the moment. My standing bow was out of this world and too my rabbit felt really........bunnyish LOL just a nice time.

We all had breakfast together and then me and Kaylee headed to the gym to give Daddy some quiet time of his own. Let a man putter in peace so to speak. Kaylee made me kiss her over and over again before I was allowed to leave LOL she,s too fun. I hit the elliptical for an hour. It was good but I cant say I rocked it. I did a med mod pace and kept it steady no intervals today. It always depends on how I feel that day if I do HIT or endurance and this was an endurance day for sure. The thing I like about my endurance days is that it takes you in you into a type of meditation and zone. I feel very connected and steady on these days.

Headed home for lunch and had A LOT to do. We were looking at a new trailer and poss trading ours in so ..... hook up and head to the dealer, had to sign legal papers for a mortgage deal, back tot he dealer, home to do a quick clean a shower for Kaylee, then back out to pick up My moms mother day present and groceries WHEW and as I AM a spoiled girl when we picked it out Dan surprised me and told the guy... we'll take two WOW I would LOVE to tell you but SHHHHHH I cant ruin my moms gift LOL Lets just say that though I did get spoiled rotten

sundays... sleeping in and taking rest

I LOVE Sundays (and the whole weekend) because its my studio time so I get to sleep in and not have to get up at 545 am !!! In all honesty though my body has adjusting to getting up that it does not bother me and I don't need to set my alarm...I just wake up LOL but on the weekend I just stay in bed and drift for an extra hour enjoying it. I had a nice and relaxing morning in bed and then went for a light easy walk before making my hubby french toast with german scrambled eggs. We visited and talked for a bit then off I headed for the studio. I had a great class but had to laugh a little. It is so funny how we tend to judge ourselves and others. Watching people interact before class and how we can sometimes do the one -up-one-down thing. You know ....... she has a better.... so shes better, but I have a nicer.... so that makes me better ect. Women tend to love to compete and one up each other but in doing that not only do we hurt the other person but the self hate talk just thrives through it all too. Oh how we are so hard on ourselves sometimes. We should band together more and support each other. It was a great class though. It was all done and I was on my way home in yoga bliss thinking about love. Remembering the first time and moment I saw my little girl. How 'nanna' (her foster mom) brought her in set her down then lifted the hood of the carrier and the look on her face as she peeked out to see us!! Then my thoughts drifted our wedding day and our first dance.... Dan leaning against his RX 7 with a rose. All these memories flooded through me. I got home wrapped my arms around my hubby with a huge grin and jumped into his arms. I made lunch and after we went for a beautiful walk in the sun holding hands and talking. Then off to my mom and dads to pick up little one!!

We had a great dinner and visit together. Took Kaylee down to feed the donkey and goat, made fun of mom for being high on cold meds and vodka (drinking too much myself) , gave dad a big hug and just had fun.

PS I counted the days and I've done 17 on Sunday started on the 9th I think it was

ode to humidity !!!

Wow was the big humidifier ever what the doctor ordered :) It was in the high 40's to 50's when it would normally be low to mid 30's. Way too awesome. I still have to tweak the rest of the equation now that tinkered with one part. I have to tweak the temp now and experiment with the floor heater but I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do. Its hard to get but one thing effects everything else.... now that I bumped the humidity I have to lower the temp (or I would get cooked out) The machine blows hot air too so as I was in there not only was the moisture coming in the air but the temp kept climbing subtly. It was one intense class let me tell you LOL but even negating that the actual temp was higher the extra moisture increases the heat index and makes it feel hotter to your body. Like I said I have an idea for Monday's class of what I need to do as far as adjustments and we'll just go from there. It was hot yes but no I did not get COOKED (wink) a few tweaks and we'll be rockin'. It was a great time though with good focus and great strength. My floor and standing bow are really coming and my right hip is feeling so good. The range of motion I've recovered is unreal!!

I finished class and was then faced with a decision...... double or no double???? I could hit the studio (now that Dan is home, he offered to take Kaylee for the morn) for the ten am class or putter off for the morning and go for a rollerblade just hanging out around town by myself. hmmm tempting on both sides. Well the verdict is.... the sun was shinning and calling my name so I decided to hit my blades at the park then go to the gym for some vibration training. The rollerblade was AWESOME !! way too beautiful out and the quiet time to myself flying down the paved path was .... AHHHHH :) After my blade I went to the gym and did 30 mins of vibration training. I've talked about it before but have never really explained what it is or my feelings about it. I did say in my earlier posts it is WAY to complicated to explain and to google it for a better idea but in a nut shell you stand on a vibrating plate going into various exercises and poses. It claims to increase circulation build bone density and give you an hour long work out in one 10 min session..... do I buy ALL that??? NO but I certainly do feel good and experience many benefits from it. When you come off you can feel the blood coursing and tingling through your body and your muscles certainly feel worked...... I view it as an added tool to your regular workouts but would not consider it a replacement for a good old fashioned hard power lift routine using multi joint exercises. I hit vibration on my 'easy weight' days or if I don't have time for a full routine... its better than nothing and hey it does only take 10 mins per session.

Got home for lunch where my Mom and Dad were waiting. They were taking Kaylee home for the night so Dan and I could have a date night ..... ummmm I think I'll cut off the details of my day there (wink) and just say my hubby and I had a great day and evening together. Tomorrow we will head up in the afternoon all have dinner and then take Kaylee home !!! I always miss her like wild fire every second we're not together. Whenever she's not with me I still open up the side door to the van to get her LOL CHEERS and talk soon

Studio day

Yes now that Dan is home I get to go into the studio a bit more :) I still love my sauna but the feeling of connectedness you get from a room full of people is really cool. I have said this before to others but I do find my yoga to be a very private experience. When Im in the moment I'm very much connecting with myself and feeling. My sauna practice exasperates this and takes me to different levels internally whereas in the studio its more of a group experience. I feel like I'm sharing energies and learning. Two very different practices for sure!

It was my cardio day so I rocked the elliptical before breakfast and did my one hour HIT session. It was AWESOME. I felt so strong and really worked hard..... two mins hard core and two mins med intense. I came off and felt like I could climb a mountain LOL (or I just had!) I grabbed a quick shower got everyone ready and booted out the door to the studio. After an intense and busy morning to lye on the mat before class was strange. I felt like I had rushed rushed to ..... relax! strange sensation of go go go to stop LOL so it did take me a few mins to get centered. I had a great and relaxing class. very surprised when the teacher directed the attention on me to be an example for the new students. It created an aura of determined hard work in myself (not to mention creating REALLY good alignment so to not throw anyone off) Class was over and I hit the town to chill and have the rest of the morning to myself before lunch. Then took miss mew out for a family buggy ride after lunch and ran errands together. Yes though I AM spoiled LOL Dan bought me a bluetooth and a big warm mist humidifier for the sauna...... its heating now and I am WAY to excited to test it out!!!!!! I will let you all know tomorrow how it worked out. talk soon

Daddy's first day home :)

We had an awesome day and I really love it when he's here. I do miss him terribly when he's away. What I like though about him working out of town is that when he is home we have FULL time together :) Usually he does two week in and two weeks out ...... however he HAS been working a lot over time which mean 3 weeks out and only one home so yes its been more intense. I heated up the sauna and plugged in the vaporizer yesterday, excited to see how it would effect things. It was good..... not crazy change in humidity but enough to keep the levels up about five points and from letting the moisture escape so fast. SO yes it was good ... hmmmmmm I wonder if we can find a bigger unit that would be more efficient? have to ask Danny about that!!! Had a great class at any rate. In standing head to knee though I kept falling LOL but I was into my zen that it did not bother me. I did not get all frustrated ect. just kept trying until the pose was finished. OH .. I almost forgot too LOL in standing bow I was so solid and strong and looking at myself in the mirror and suddenly felt like giggling. (no not because I was in my skibbies with my hair standing on end from all the sweat!) but just because, anyways I started making funny faces at myself being silly! I know weird things happen in 115 degrees at 45% humidity. It was too fun just not being so serious and letting myself feel and be silly if thats how i felt.

It was my weight day yesterday too so after breakfast I pounded out a routine that took me about 50 min with stretching. I put the timer on my iphone for 1 min and do a full body power movements or lift then when the timer goes I boot it to the next one and continue like that. I love this one because it really keeps your heart up builds intense muscle and feels AWESOME. You really finish going WHEW !!! THAT WAS INTENSE and I love that :)

The rest of the day we just kind of ran errands and hung out. Dan bought me a new jogging stroller !!!!! (ours was falling apart) can't wait to try it out today. Kaylee is so funny with Dan and its way too cool to see them together. She really misses her Daddy when he's gone and is always hanging on him!! Its really cute to see. She still does come to me and wants to make sure I'm there too so I can watch and see what shes doing with Daddy its too funny.

hubby is home :)

I had a great day and a nice surprise yesterday. The surprise was I was not overdone and tired and managed to go through everything with energy and gusto! I had a very busy day not only trying to fit my regular stuff in but getting ready for Dan to come home as well. (He's pretty much a control freak and inspects everything after his long time away from home LOL)

My class went much better yesterday with the few adjustments I made. It was much more comfortable and consistent (more important I did not have to stop ten times to tweak things !!)

I had very good focus and balancing series. My standing bow blew me away.... I went right into seeing my foot come over my head! Very deep and strong yet peaceful and focused. It is a proud beautiful posture and one of my favs. just an awesome class.

After breakfast Kaylee and I went to the gym for my cardio day. I was again blown away!!!! I upped my speed and levels and just rocked it. Its a new elliptical for me (I'm used to my own) so using the one at the gym has taken some time to get used to. It alway involves a little experimenting and seeing what you can do. I did a HIT session for one hour stretch and cool down and ran out the door for the rest of my errands before lunch. After lunch we went for a nice buggy ride and enjoyed the fresh air before heading off to the doctors for my iron injection. My body is really responding!!!! My hemoglobin went from 88 to 119 in one month (a usual increase would be about 10 points per month and we need to get it up to at least 130) Next on the roster was a physio appt. so off we trotted (whew) all was very well and good. We then rushed home to clean and get ready for Daddy to come home before dinner. Awesome day just WOW on the go !! Had a great time though and I do like the challenge a busy day has to offer. Problem solving planning and time management all required LOL but we got everything done and still had time to have fun too :)

the cold that hasn't yet gone away and a killer rollerblade

Yes that pretty much sums up my day LOL I STILL have a lot of woggy stuff in my chest and sinuses and feel a little fuzzy/rundown. I dont feel horrible though and my body seems to be keeping the cold at bay. The mornings and the evenings are the worst, but once I get going I feel pretty good.

So my day yesterday......... well I did my class and had a weird time with the conditions (temp and humidity) I ended up cold then after adjusting the thermostat getting a little cooked out. I have a few tricks up my sleeve though I thought of last night that I can try for tomorrow. I'm always on the quest to prefect the system when it comes to that because it is such an important aspect of the class. When its too hot/cold or too dry then it just does not work as well and can even be dangerous as well. So I did make some adjustments for today's class then tomorrow will try bringing in the vaporizer for extra moisture(its in Kaylee's room) It was an awesome class even though I was very distracted with having to make continuous adjustments to the room. My balance and focus yes left something to be desired but those times are good too. You learn to let go of expectations and go with what your body is giving you LOL

After breakfast I had an ortho appt with my surgeon to get an xray and see where my progress is. I am happy to report all is well and solid. I have the OK to even jog!!! (dont worry NO marathons for this girl LOL) Then we kicked it to the gym for a quick hard weight session. I did about 20 mins of hard power weights and then 30 mins of continuous vibration training.

Later that afternoon we decided it was WAY too beautiful to be inside and went for a nice long rollerblade! I was way to excited as it was my first time out this year and the sun was just shinning. We ended up being out for just over two hours and got back feeling awesome but yes tired (wink) I slept like a rock and feel pretty good but we'll see what I energy for today !!

Monday and 11 days of yoga

I'm just trying to keep the numbers in my head but this whole thing is just so exciting LOL I was saying to my hubby last night on the phone how I cant believe how different I feel so fast.... it really is amazing. Not only am I seeing big physical benefits already in my ranges of motion energy digestion and just sense of zest but also in my emotional and spiritual self. I feel so painfully aware and connected in the world and in my body. I feel incredibly powerful .... just WOW.

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I had a great class and everything was awesome. The conditions were perfect my focus was good and all was par for the course. I had a great balancing series and noticed tiny improvements in a lot of the postures. I left class though and started to feel anxious about 20 mins later. It was like my defenses were all up and my body seemed to be on hyper drive a little stressed out. I carried on but asked myself some questions like was I too hot? were my sugars too low? did I rush my savasana... why was my body feeling stressed? This feeling stayed with me in ups and downs through the day ... was I tired? I just went downstairs to turn on the sauna........ the vent was closed ALL the way LOL I had no fresh oxygen in class yesterday!!!!!

Moving on LOL After breakfast I hit the gym and did my elliptical and was floored ...... I'm not sure if it was because I was on a different machine than the last time but WOW I totally rocked it out. I upped levels and speeds like no ones business and finished strong. (I'm going to have to grab that same one again... wink)

Kaylee and I had a good day though. After lunch we went for a nice long buggy ride with Molson and got a slushee. Just enjoyed the sunshine and the rest of the day!

Sundays

Well again I got to sleep in and just take it easy. I go tot the studio on the weekends so I dont have to set my alarm and get up :) Sundays are also traditionally my day free from work and exercise so I just chill and have a good family day. I went for a nice slow walk and talked to my hubby on the phone before breakfast then after Kaylee and I headed to church. I LOVE going to church for so many reasons. One I get to connect with other people spiritually Two I get to connect with and learn more about my God and Three I get to sing and have snuggle time with my girl !!! We always have a good time and look forward to it. After church its kind of tradition for us to go to Starbucks and then for a walk around the "Geese Park"

My babysitter came over after Kaylee had her nap and snack so I could hit my yoga class. I was feeling a little tired on the way there and a little like ...... ugh. I got there and settled in wondering where this class was going to take me . The instructor from Vancouver was still there so I was excited for another Moksha class. It was awesome and as always I was so glad I went. I felt so light and free after. The class went very smoothly and I was even able to do all the hip openers which really surprised me ....even pigeon (which I have not been able to do since I broke my hip!) I just really focused on relaxation and breathe flowing with the class and before I knew it we were in final breathing.

On the way home I was full of excited and happy energy. I could not wipe the smile from my face LOL I was thinking about being a mother and my girl and how much shes grown just taking time to really reflect. Old memories flooded into me and I felt reconnected. AWESOME

ahhh the week end !!!!!!

Yes the week end is here and it is very exciting because I get a break from my usual schedule and get to go the studio! I love my sauna practice but I do really like the studio too just for different reasons. I like my sauna practice because its a private, serene process and because I'm in control of the conditions I can make it very intense or not so much. In the studio you get to socialize and get instruction the whole process of driving to the studio and lying in the hot room before class. The time away from home to yourself is very sacred yet the class tends to be very cool for my liking and inconsistent as far as the conditions. Its lovely though both ways... yoga is like like sex no matter what happens its still pretty good LOL

So my day started with out having to set the alarm and got to sleep in :) another reason I LOVE the weekends!!! I did 50 mins of low intensity backwards elliptical before breakfast bringing my heart rate up about 100 beats per min. My baby sitter came after breakfast and I headed to the studio. I was ubber (my word for the day) excited because the studio was bringing in a moksha instructor from Vancouver. Its a different form of hot yoga and I've never done it before so it was neat to try something new. I really loved the class and had a great time. It was VERY calm and relaxing and more of a yin feel as apposed to the yang of Bikram. Just slow and easy and stretching very classic yoga.

I was also very excited because Kaylee and I started teaching our Mommy and me yoga class yesterday afternoon. There were only two people signed up but we had a great time. We massaged our babies and did some strength poses as well as hip and chest openers. Kaylee was so great too!! She was patient and co operative even walking around with me touching the ladies and the little ones placing them to help with the poses :) Like mother like daughter LOL she and I do yoga together and she does just love it. After class I finished the day with 30mins of vibration strength training. Three 10 min sessions each one in a different position. AWESOME. That was about it... my day in a nutshell. Cant wait to see what adventures will come tomorrow.

eight days of yoga and feeling fantastic

I don't know how to explain this but I do feel like a different person. Weird but very true. I feel centered calm at peace and something else.......disciplined? I feel like I'm doing something hard and doing it well with a deep sense of satisfaction and honor. What I'm noticing too is that these feelings of calm peace determination and discipline are following me way out side of the hot room. With my daughter being sick (and beyond cranky!) I'm able not to react to her but to just roll with it. She is so tired poor girl and just acting out but I don't find myself growing tense and impatient with her. I also have been less adverse to my chores LOL I'm not procrastinating but actually taking great pleasure in seeing them done and the hard work to do them. This whole thing is amazing I cant wait to see what will develop later on but wow I do feel ...... stronger. You see when I began my practice I used to be very dedicated and work very hard in class. .... Too hard LOL I would forget that yoga is about calm and breath and release and stretch. I would just push and tense and take my work out brain into the hot room PUSH PUSH PUSH HARDER HARDER. I had to connect with the surrender and let the unnecessary tension go. I've learned so much about that effortless effort and how to be calm in pose. The only problem is that there is balance in everything and you can slack off (wink) which I admit recently I was doing. Coming out of surgery and having to modify the poses took away my motivation to do them with my heart. I was just bending breathing and going through the motions. I've been reconnected with the hard work aspect again and finding how to take your pose to the edge and still carry calm body and breath.

After class and breakfast Kaylee and I went to the gym where I did my cardio. I hopped on the elliptical and finished my hour strong and feeling on top. WOW from there I ran a few errands and then headed home for lunch. The sun was out and it was unreal warm so we went for a buggy ride and just enjoyed the afternoon. :)

yoga needed with a cranky sick child in my midst

LOL Yes she is one cranky bear. When she's cranky she gets wound up and just wired throwing herself around and is just full of no's and her own agenda. Basically your typical 2 year old LOL which she usually is not (I'm VERY lucky to have a clam and well behaved child) For the past three days she has been testing and testing and I've been very much enjoying the peace yoga brings me .......as well as my nightly espresso vodka :)

My class yesterday was very strange and full of surprises but good. I said yesterday I've been reminded and connected with my OLD practice before even becoming a mother. This day was no different. I worked HARD, fell out of poses and felt like I was exploring and learning as I went. Interesting for sure. It was awesome though. I guess it feels like that because I have not been able to do the actual REAL poses since I broke my hip until now. I kind of AM starting over as a newbie so to speak. It rocked anyway. I am LOVING the whole thing (so far....... check me at day 30 LOL)

After breakfast we hit the gym as Kaylee is finally well enough to go to playcare. I did my hour of power weights (including core work and stretching) rowed for 20 mins and 20 mins of vibration training (way to complicated to explain... you'll have to check it out) very cool and felt great. I do LOVE my weight days.... ok you caught me I love all my workouts :) check ya soon

day six of yoga and day three of doctors LOL

OK so I think today I'll start from just beginning to end and go from there. I woke up with a sore throat and a tight chest with that oh so familiar fuzzy feeling in my head :( my fist reaction was to panic thinking OH NO I'm doomed! I rinsed with salt water to clear my sore throat and told myself I was fine....(so far LOL) and just remember to pick up some emergen - C for boosting my defenses. I did not hear Kaylee in the morning relieved that she seemed to be getting a good rest.

I hit the sauna for my class and had an awesome one. I was DRIPPING (pouring) sweat as usual but I knew I was sweating a lot more and sooner. which is funny because the temp and humidity readings were spot on. (it was just me) I had awesome focus, balance and strength in standing head to knee esp. the first set, but my standing bow was lacking a bit. I did not feel my 'cold' in class and just focused what I was doing.... OK I was really thinking a lot about the day ahead and planning too I admit. I came out and felt good though worked in my muscles more than usual. All and all a great yoga experience. This whole thing I have to say reminds me of my old days at the studio when I first started..... strange sensations and memories coming up in class.

Kaylee woke up and was feeling better though still jammy and house bound for the morning. We played play dough and watched tree house. After breakfast I hit the elliptical for my cardio session and did my hour but this time at a steady pace rather than intervals. My heart was in the high 140's reaching the mid 150's near the end for one hour. Again I felt good though here I did def. feel that I had a cold LOL I could really feel that tightness in my chest and did scale back. I also was POURING the sweat here. It normally takes a lot to make me sweat but wow was it coming off me in buckets. When I do my intense cardio I will sweat and glaze over with even some drippage at certain points but yesterday was like WOW. I took another electrolyte tablet just to be safe. When I came off I felt good and recovered quickly. After a snack and rinse we took our dog out in the sun and said hi to the horses across the street before lunch.

We did have to go back to the docs in the afternoon for my weekly iron injection and some errands. I did pick up some emergen -C and lathered with vics before bed. SO happy I woke up this morning with out a cold YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

five days of yoga and counting... two days of doctors and counting

ugh Kalyee's poor little body :( her cough was so constant and bad yesterday. I had to keep her as till as I could and calm as I could and help her focus on her breathe. I took her back to doctors because inhaler does not seem to be working and wondering (hoping) he could give her some kind of cough syrup. Over the counter stuff is all 6 and up and just sitting there letting cough till she vomits and see her hurting so bad just was killing me. By the time we got to the docs I was in tears wishing I could just help her. No such luck though.... no meds for a little one just more vics and trying a vaporizer. I did not hear her all night so this is a good thing and when I went in her her room to check on her and unplug it she was snoring to beat the band !!!!!!! YEAH We will see how she is when she gets up though and I'm hoping against all hope it has calmed down for her.

Yesterday for me was one of great learning and understanding. I'm finding I LOVE my new routine and that I'm so excited to get up and hit the sauna then hit my workout whatever it is and whenever it feels best to do it. Which is usually after breakfast depending on what I'm doing. My class rocked the house yesterday like I said way to excited to do it! Being able to go into all the poses now with no modifications is so freeing and exciting for me. I just cant wait to see what I can next as I go from pose to pose. My standing head to knee felt so good and has gotten very strong over the three days I've been able to go into it. Though I kept falling out of standing bow LOL It feels a little hotter in the room due to my extra effort as I'm now able to go into fuller expressions but still just awesome. One thing more I will share about an early morn practice is that the first poses of half moon are stiffer but it does not take long to get all jelly like again.

I then took to cleaning my house like a villain :) including moving furniture washing shower curtains and the whole nine. After lunch is when I hit my weights. I had an AWESOME workout. I did about 50 mins of intense multi joint exercises. I super setting everything so there was NO resting and just really kicked it. I was sweating and really felt I like was working hard. SO good . I've got the sauna heating for todays adventure and hoping Kaylee is feeling better. SEE YA

doctors vomit and yoga oh my!!!

I told you yesterday my little one was sick and we were going to have a jammy day and take it easy. We were up all night with a bad cough and dry heave, and in the morning she was getting NO better :(. She was shaky HOT and whimpering. We managed to get some food and liquid down before she ended up getting sick over the toilet. My poor girl. She just cried and cried and was so weak and shaky. I held and rocked her for a while until she seemed to settle then wrapped her up on the couch with her puppy blanket and sippy cup. I put on tree house and let her just rest for the morn. After a good rest she perked up and was starting to run and play but still coughing and not herself. We had a good lunch more medicine and then kicked her to bed for a nap. After nap I took her to the doctor who said she had asthma and gave her a baby inhaler to open her airways. SO..... that was my day as a mother. Full of worry and guilt and wishing I could go in her body to take it away and make her feel better instead of standing by just watching.

My day as an individual, athlete and yogi???? well that on the other hand ROCKED the house. I was just full of yoga bliss and peace that I needed to carry with me yesterday. I hit the sauna at 630 am and did my class. It was perfect conditions and I was so focused and set. I was so amazed every time I hit a pose at how deep and strong my practice was. I had forgotten how beautiful an early morn practice is. LOVE IT :) I was also very brave. Its been four months now since my surgery and up until now I've been very careful and modifying a lot. The last couple of week I've been slowly getting better and trying new ranges of motion and starting to incorporate the old poses. Sometimes feeling good in it and other times knowing I was not ready ret and backing off. Yesterday I did the WHOLE class without having to modify or change ONE thing :) I just did it and had my old practice back. NICE Also with no pain or tension I have to add ... it just felt right and good and strong. I have the sauna heating now in the AM and I am so excited to hit it you have no idea LOL

Once I got Kaylee wrapped up on the couch I hit the elliptical (in the same room) We watched treehouse and I pounded out an intense hour long interval workout. Again I was SO strong it blew me away. Doing my workout after breakfast like I used to again I forgot how good it felt. I just felt energized and full of oxygen all day... and I needed the strength and peace let me tell you!!!

heating up for the challenge LOL

SO its it 6:00 am and I've got the sauna heating up for my yoga challenge which starts today. My goal is to do yoga everyday......... combined with my regular athletics and being a Mother this will not be easy! I also did not have a good start as I was up since 2:00 am with a sick child :( poor girl . We got some medicine, water and she slept on my chest for about an hour before heading back to bed. I know she has NOT slept however as I can hear her now LOL Hopefully she will have a good nap today. she really needs it. It looks like no gymnastics for us though today. A couch and tree house day it will be. I love jammy days :) getting all snuggly and cooshie. Any way normaly today we would be going to gymanastics in the morn and then playcare to work in the afternoon but.... as I said we may not be going anywhere depending on how she feels during the day.

My schedule would be yoga and elliptical which I will pound out here shortly. Doing my yoga in the early AM and the my elliptical after breakfast so here goes... day one (out of how many yet to be decided) we will see where it takes me. My goal is at least one solid month but will I want to go deeper and further? we will see.

challenge begins tomorrow

SO I had an awesome and relaxing class today. I have a lot to say but not a lot of time so I'll pack it up and carry on in the morning. Just looking forward to the challenge and learning about myself in the process

schedule complete

OK so I've got my trial schedule done for my challenge starting monday next week. I've also kind of already started as I've done a class yesterday today and will again tomorrow. Yesterday I did my hour elliptical in the early morn and then my yoga during Kaylees nap. Felt good had a good work out and a good class.

My Dad came into town and we took Kaylee to gymnastics and had a great time. That is where my good day on the mother side ends though LOL Boy was she CRANKY and just off yesterday. OH did I need my yoga :)

Today we had a great day. I did a low intensity 40 min cardio then hit the gym where I did 35 mins of rowing followed by 45 - 50 mins of hard core power lifting. I then met my mom and dad for lunch where they took Kaylee for the night :) I had a wonderful and quiet afternoon out in the sun but I missed my girl terribly.... I think I called mom about three or four times!! I really needed the time but holy smack could I not stop thinking about her. I think too thats why I needed it more than anything. It made me reconnect and feel my bond and love for her. I hit the studio for a class this afternoon and had a great time. very calm class

Tomorrow I hit the studio in the morn and then go get my girl and have a family dinner at my mom and dads in the afternoon ............ then monday the new program begins WISH ME LUCK

out of luck

yes unfortunately the roads were way too bad to go be with my Dad :( I could tell he sounded upset and said that if the roads were better he would come in this morn, but its still snowing here so I'm not sure what hes going to do. I'll have to give him a call this morn and see. To make a long story short though I did not get any quiet time myself. I did however put some thinking into my yoga plans and schedule. It will take some experimenting and I'll probably have to tweak it here and there but it's put together at any point. I decided to alternate between the early morn and afternoon yoga. I also alternate my cardio and weights and other forms of exercise. We will see how it goes and as I said it may take some tweaking as I get into it. Whenever I revamp my routine it takes a few trail runs and I end up rewriting the draft to make my final product as it were.

Yesterday I did low impact step in the sauna leading with my right leg to strengthen my weak muscles on that side. I LOVE this workout! Aerobics in the sauna is intense and really gets your body going. Of course you have to be VERY careful and I dont want any one doing this without help from someone trained to do so. ( I am certified ) Then I spent the day with my girl shopping as we do best LOL and pounded out an intense weight routine in the afternoon. AWESOME talk soon

quiet time ahead

My mom went to visit with my sister so I'm going to stay with my Dad. I'm looking very forward to the visit and time away. It's only one night but I cherish ALL the quiet time I can get LOL. I'm going to take the time to really look at my routine and revise it any way that needs changing. I was thinking yesterday about trying my early morn practice again ..... this means getting up at 530-545. (I usually get up at 615-630) I used to do this and practiced everyday 6 days a week. That was before my hip started to fail in November and needed another surgery in January. So I went about 5 months with out being to able to do very much of anything let alone my yoga and vigorous exercise. I've found after my last surgery I needed SLEEP. My body lost a lot of blood and they were going to do a transfusion but opted not to due to my age and ability to rebuild on my own. I go in for weekly iron injections to help and though dont feel tired IF I get sleep I'm finding that my body still needs a lot of rest. Long story short.... that extra half hour or hour is cherished!!! I just cant do it with out forcing myself up yet. When I get up I like it be natural and refreshing, to let my body just get up when it wants to and for me right now that seems to be about 630 .... not 530. That leaves practice during nap time..... great option but then thats right after lunch and hard not to feel heavy in the hot room after eating. Thats what Ive been doing so far and have found it not too bad most of the time. I eat a very light lunch just after 12.00 put Kaylee down for her nap at 1:00 walk on the treadmill and let the sauna heat up and hit the hot room at 145 or so. If my lunch agrees with me this works well but I have had a few times in class where I just felt ........ heavy and digesting LOL

Yesterday went very well though I felt awesome. I did my elliptical in the morning for one hour bringing my heart rate up to the high 160's and back down to the low 150's with interval training. I did my yoga class in the sauna while Kaylee was napping and had a great class. The conditions were perfect and all was good. I came out and recovered well feeling full of gusto and energized. Any way I will keep playing and thinking and let you know what I come up with. I would ideally like to get up and do it but.... as I said have not been able to bring myself to set the alarm yet and I have one I need to be out of the sauna for before she gets up (around 8:00)

mapping out my yoga journey

I've been thinking about this whole yoga journey and wondering how am I going to fit it in and what my goals are in the process. You see I AM still an athlete and don't really want to give up any of my other activities.... I LOVE to train! I swim and elliptical and lift weights and combined with my yoga I feel balanced and complete. In the past I've let things slide and to fit something else in and it just never felt right and left me feeling like I was lacking something. this does not mean I need to do it all everyday :) just trying to find a balance between doing yoga everyday and still rounding out my fitness routine.

The other questions on my brain are...... What are my goals? What am I hoping to achieve out of this? How long do I want his to challenge to go on for? Am I doing 7 day a week practice or am I taking that day of rest each week? A lot to consider. Now I said in my story that I have done 6-7 days a week including doubles and back to backs before. This type of practice is not new to me, however what is new is recording it and doing that type of practice for an extended period with a goal in mind. I cant tell you exactly how long long I've gone doing consecutive classes because I've never counted!!! I've also never done a 7 day a week practice (the odd time while doing a 6 day practice but never long term)

So this brings me to what do I want of this? That is a good question.... I would have to say off they fly that what I'm looking to do and accomplish is to challenge my body, grow as a person, discover new things about myself, and come out at the end feeling a sense of accomplishment and newness. ........ wow !!! Not too much to ask LOL

The nest phase and questions would be about the hows and whats and wheres. I have an unlimited pass to the studio and a sauna converted into a hot room in our house. I practice in both but here is the complicated thing. I have a two year old daughter remember.. and a hubby that works out of town. So I can only practice while she's sleeping or I have a babysitter unless my hubby is home. I can practice either early in the morn or during her nap and don't forget I also have other things I like to do too on top of regular house duties and life!!!! Hmmmm

let me ponder this for a bit and pound a solution. Looks like I need to do some soul searching before I begin my soul searching LOL

my story

Im new to blogging so this will be interesting in itself... I am 31 years old and am an avid athlete. I ran 6-7 miles a day, swam, rollerbladed, weight trained and just about did it all LOL. I was feeling like I needed something to balance my activity and was drawn to a Bikram studio. I had NO idea what to expect and yes got my prideful butt handed to me :) I did all the postures and stayed in the room but was surprised by how challenging it was. In my workouts I was so used to 'go harder, faster, stronger' and it took a LONG time to learn that effortless effort that they teach. I cant go on enough about how me, my practice, my workouts and my life have changed over the two years + I've been going. I was hooked instantly and started going every day and soon dabbled in doubles even taking some private lessons from the owner. All the while keeping up with my regular workout routine.

I was a stay at home wife with a husband that worked out of town. He does a two week in and two week out rotation. I was not working so that his time home (our time to spend together) would not be affected by my working. We were also wanting to start a family one day and knew we wanted me to be home with the kids. On a waiting list for adoption we just continued on with life and plans and of course yoga. Then shortly after my 30th Bday I got the call!!! We have a baby girl for you :) WOW did life (and my practice) change

I struggled through being a new mom and trying to fit it all in but after much trial and error managed to find some kind of groove. I woke up at 545 to practice and still had plenty of time with my new sunshine. Everything was coming along and I was learning so much about myself and facing new anxieties as a parent. Then in January of 2009 the unthinkable...... I broke my hip. Only being thirty this prompted numerous tests and uncovered an undiagnosed bone disorder that requires daily injections. Serious hip fracture aside this on its own caused me serious panic.... my running days were over due to the impact. Further x rays showed two more fractures in my spine. Unfortunately though my hip fracture was right at the head of my femur and much more serious than originally anticipated. They first pinned it hoping it would heal on its own. When the pain started in my groin a new xray showed a new crack...... so on the next step. They did an osteotomy with screws and plates, and after four months the screw went through the head of my femur and the femur had completely collapsed. It was obvious I was in need of a hip replacement.

SO....... four surgeries and one year later here I am. Still practicing and back to the rest of my routines as normal. It took a lot of work, pain, and physiotherapy but I am almost 100%. I hit the hot room to the best of my ability and kept up with all of my exercises through the whole thing. Even bringing in my walker to the studio at first LOL

Now I am continuing on my journey and thinking of a 60 day + challenge where will this all take me ?????????