Yoga Buzz

I woke up bright and early again this morning for 6:30 yoga class. It was already close to 70 degrees at 6 am...crazy! I set the coffee maker for 5 am for a little extra motivation and finally rolled out of bed around 5:50. I had a half cup of coffee and one of those chocolate/walnut/date balls I made the other day for some fuel. Usually when I go to the morning classes it takes me awhile to really get into it, however, today I was ready to go before I even got there. I felt so amazing afterward, like a huge endorphin buzz. The class was awesome as the instructor took us through so many creative flows (I'm hoping I can remember these for my home practice!) Days like today make me want to stick to a healthy lifestyle!

I've decided coffee is my magic early morning workout drug!!! I can't believe I never tried drinking a little coffee pre-morning workouts before. Now that I have come out of the dark on this one, I will be sticking to about half of a cup each morning that I have a planned early workout (which includes most days now!)

One of the girls in my class told me about this Yoga for Hope event happening at the Seattle Center this Saturday. They are having a big outdoor class from 10-12:30 and all registration fees go toward cancer research. The slogan is to practice 108 sun salutations under the sun...should be challenging and inspiring:) I will try and take pictures between poses!

Tonight I plan to get back into running, either with a short outdoor run or some speed intervals on the treadmill. It's supposed to be 90 degrees today, so not sure if I want to bear the heat.

Does anyone have tips for running in the heat?

Rain or Shine...

The forecast this week is rain...EVERY day! This is my first winter living in Seattle, so I am hoping to be able to embrace the rain soon, but coming from sunny California makes it pretty tough!

I have been taking note of how I feel and my progress on runs outside vs. on the treadmill. When I first started running, I was a bit afraid to run outside, I think because people would see me and judge me, etc, etc...! There are A LOT of fit people in the Pacific Northwest and I felt like I would be a slow poke compared to them.

So lately, I have been going outside for one of my runs per week. It doesn't even compare to the treadmill...I feel so slow, like I'm not going anywhere...which, I'm not really I guess! The runs outside feel so much better and I even have a faster pace. So I think I've conquered that fear, but now...what to do with all this rain we've been having. I suppose I should embrace the rain and just take my runs outside anyway.

So a new mini-goal...rain or shine, I am going to run outside this Saturday before my yoga class and report back. Next obstacle will be running in the dark...scary!

Do One Thing A Day That Scares You...

I LOVE Lululemon's motto...and today I did just that.

I didn't have time for a morning workout so I brought my clothes with me to work with the intention of going for a run sometime during the afternoon. I fought my internal battle all day leading up to 4 pm. Should I just get over my fears and go, or do I take it to the treadmill after work.

Whenever I do something new with fitness I get super nervous beforehand, whether it be a new class, a new route, a new activity, running outdoors, etc. So I searched some blogs that I follow for inspiration and found this one on Glamour by Margarita a couple days ago. I don't know if anyone followed her journey last year, but she was incredibly inspirational. She mentioned that her clothes are starting to get tight and confessed how she has gotten back to that uncomfortable feeling and why she needs to get back on track.

This hit me hard, because I am in that same boat and after reading through all the posts, I found the energy and courage to go change my clothes and head out of the office. I went on a great 3.7 mile run with a few hills and it felt wonderful!

I think this running outside thing may be for me after all:)