Author: Orange DECA

Yoga Challenge – Day 10 [yoga for runners]

Day #10

ptown run club Thursdays @6:30PM, Historic Dublin

Today we have our ptown run club group run, Yay! Come and join us!

We are doing this BOOTCAMP style & will work our 10 minutes of daily yoga into our run tonight…

1. Quarter mile warm up walk, light dynamic stretching (if needed)

2. One and a half mile warm-up run at conversational pace

3. Runner’s choice! Either…

Run another mile out (1/2 mile out, 1/2 mile back to us) OR
lululemon’s Pre-run poses & stretches for better running & some other moves [plank, mountain climbers, burpees, whatever you’re feelin’]

pre-run-poses-hero
4. One and a half mile run back at your push pace [pick it up a bit from your warm-up run] or conversational, whatever you’re feelin’

5. lululemon’s Post-run poses & stretches for better recovery – modifications if we can’t find a wall

6. Chug water. Smile. 🙂 Done!

The #IndependenceArmy challenge pose for the day is a modified plank, so we worked that into our workout above as well.

Inspirational quote of the day…

So many inspirational running & yoga quotes here, we’ll just give you the whole thing!

Yoga Challenge [Day 9], some speed training & a baby yogi

Day #9

Cuteness alert!!! Getting ready for yoga practice and this little yogi wanted some mat time…

His aunt Carrie taught him downward dog and you can literally say ‘down dog’ and he will assume the position! He also ran his first mile this week [literally RAN to the park and back!] so he is getting his first pair of running shoes 🙂 Photos to follow.

Today’s workout included a little speed work. If you haven’t yet added it to your routine, check out some benefits and info in our previous post Speed Training. Whether you’re training and want to PR or just running for fitness and want to blast some calories, speed training is an excellent way to change up your normal running routine.

The goal was to do 4 x mile repeats or Magic Mile Repeats as Runner’s World calls them.

We ended up with this;

One mile warmup at 9:58 (conversational!)
One mile at 8:45
One mile at 8:32
One mile at 8:18
1/2 mile walk/cool-down
Post-run yoga cool down and stretch

Speed work is not always fun, but it helps you to build stamina and its nice to PUSH yourself every now and then!

The #IndependenceArmy challenge pose of the day is headstand.

We practiced a bit yesterday with the pose mixup, but got in a few more minutes on the mat today too.

Some of our yoga friends at POGA this summer

Headstands can be practiced in phases and the beginner one is based on a tripod. Kino suggests…

First working on upper body/arm strength – she has many videos, including Headstand Strengthening Exercises
Developing core strength and going half way into the headstand – shown in Core Strength in Headstand
- variations do occur, but bringing knees to chest [verses kicking legs up] seems to be a more commonly instructed method for beginners
Lastly you are ready to go all the way up, shown with her Headstand for beginners

This is considered one of the more advanced poses, so one to keep working on!

And don’t forget today’s inspiration…

We are almost 1/3 of the way through our 30 day yoga challenge! If you found this post first, click HERE to start from the beginning of our challenge.

Thanks for reading and hope you are following along and/or setting your own fitness goals and challenges. Set some goals and then SMASH them!!

See you tomorrow.

Yoga Challenge – Day 8

Day #8

Today we headed to BALANCED YOGA for a Vinyasa class!

Friends have done and suggested several classes here, especially the Baby+Me and Mini+Me yoga. We’ve heard good things, so we wanted to check it out ourselves. Balanced is in Clintonville, and offers a wide variety of classes for all levels of yogis. Their website states, “Not only is yoga good for the mind, bones, muscles, spirit and soul, yoga’s all about the you time.” Everybody deserves a little you time!

Described as a Vinyasa Class, it was much slower than we are used to at our local spot, Harbor. I’ve never done meditative yoga or practiced my ‘OMs’ before, but I think this is the type of yoga that would incorporate it. The instructor spoke a lot during the practice, positive thoughts, quotes, had us envision things, etc. There was no music for a good chunk of the first part of class and then low-key background music for the remainder of it, allowing for you to focus on your breathing and to be present.

At the conclusion of the class, we did some wall stretches that were similar to these post-run recovery poses/stretches…

poses above from lulu’s blog via jasyoga

Overall, the class was a bit too slow for me, but we got our yoga practice in for the day and left feeling very relaxed. And its always fun trying somewhere new! Great for those wanting to chill and just get in a nice, slower-paced practice… maybe escaping from your faster-paced life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The #IndependenceArmy challenge pose of the day is L-sit or hasta dandasana. That is a mouth full!

We actually thought headstand was the pose of the day when we were at Balanced [oops!], so we had practiced that a bit when the instructor gave us ‘time to play.’

Upon returning home and realizing it was actually L-sit, we attempted it. Using blocks is helpful for [us] beginners… and that would be helpful if we had blocks! We found this video from Kino – the first one minute shows how to do the L-sit, although she makes it look easy-peasy. As with anything, practice makes perfect [see today’s quote below]!

Today’s quote…

Off to bed!

Running ‘Lingo’

If you are new[er] to running or distance training and are clueless about your running group’s mentions of PRs, LSDs and tempo runs, you have a few choices…

1. Ask them to fill you in

2. Read one of the blog posts below [or find your own]

Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon —>

Learn the lingo – 20 [Columbus] marathon running phrases to know

lululemon athletica’s [post from today]

The Ultimate Guide to Running Lingo: 25 words you need to know

3. Do nothing and pretend to know what they are talking about

Hope you choose #1 or #2! Happy reading and happy Tuesday!

Yoga Challenge – Day 7

Day #7

Today is just some easy yoga practice on the mat at home [following a short walk/run/hike!]. We practiced the first six poses from the maxresdefault Instagram #IndependenceArmy challenge and attempted today’s pose, pendant [lolasana]. Pendant is an advanced posed, often practiced last in Ashtanga so we are just putting a dent in it ~ mastery someday!

Kino Yoga has a great video how-to for beginner’s to get started and build up strength for pendant. That’s Kino —————->

The #IndependenceArmy challenge is hosted by Laura Sykora [@laurasykora and @twofitmoms], Kino MacGregor [@kinoyoga] and Kerri Verna [@beachyogagirl]. All three have fabulous Instagram accounts, online tutorials and much more, so check them out some time when looking for inspiration.

Inspirational quote of the day…

Have you visited your fitness goals lately?

Happy Monday 🙂

Water, water, water!

Summer = heat = DRINK YOUR WATER!

The traditional advice was to “Drink your 8 glasses a day!” ~ a glass being 8 oz, so 64 oz a day. This doesn’t seem like enough compared to more recent research, as other experts follow their own rules…

Whitney Carlson, fitness trainer, health & wellness coach & blogger [author of HeandSheEatClean.com] tells her followers to drink a gallon per day.

Heidi Powell, famous fitness guru & wife of Chris Powell from Extreme Makeover Weightloss Edition states, “Drink water! Aim for half your body weight in ounces per day (150 lbs = 75 ounces). Not only is drinking water super healthy and extremely low-cost, but it also helps you feel fuller longer.”

This ClassPass blog post claims 2/3 of your body weight! (150 lbs = 100 ounces)

Whatever rule you choose to follow, make sure you add in more if you are sweating it up outside, doing some HOT yoga or indulging in dehydrating beverages like coffee [or yikes – alcohol!].

TIPS for getting in your daily dose…

buy a large water container and fill it, then make yourself finish it before bedtime. The pink one is from Amazon (Bluewave water bottles) and the blue one is from good ‘ol Walmart (Arrow – made in the USA!) Make sure they are BPA free.
use a cute water bottle or glass – you’ll be more willing to carry these around and drink from them all day (and you may get an occasional compliment… ‘cute cup!’)
Set a timer and drink a glass every hour or two… sip, chug, whatever your style! Check out Lori Crock’s article… Are you a chugger or a sipper?

Add berries, lemon, cucumber or a splash of cranberry juice if you need a little flavor. Research shows that lemon water has many added benefits…

Some great lululemon manifesto quotes include water…

Drink fresh water and as much water as you can. Fresh water flushes toxins from the body and keeps your brain sharp.

Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.

So drink up! Really, we mean it… go drink a glass NOW! 🙂

What water rules do you follow? How do you get your ‘eight a day?’ Let us know!!!

Yoga Challenge – Day 6

Day #6

Today we will tackle Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown

Jillian’s yoga uses traditional yoga poses (chair, up & down dog, mountain, lunge, crescent, plank, forward fold, chaturanga, camel), but also works in cardio to get that heart rate elevated… this is no slow flow!

She does go through the moves rather quickly, so even though there is a ‘Level 1’ – it does seem more appropriate for those who have practiced before.

We LOVE it!

After we were warmed up with Jillian, we were ready to tackle Day #6 of the #IndependenceArmy yoga challenge on Instagram ~ CRANE [bakasana]. This one is challenging so we’ll do some practice with a video clip from VentunoYoga.

We’ll also practice crow (similar to crane) ~ this video clip from Sarah Beth yoga explains the differences and practices both. Lastly, we’ll do a few minutes of boat from day #4 because we didn’t practice that long… and runners need a solid core!

Here is Teresa’s best effort as of today…

Inspirational quote of the day…

Many yoga poses take practice and determination. Running a race takes training and determination. But set your eyes on the goal and you CAN achieve it! So we leave you with this,

Happy end of the weekend!

Independence FIT Celebration[s]

[tgellenbeck]

Today’s exercise…

We got in our workout today ~ an Independence 3 mile run or 2 mile walk [choice]. Lots of neighbors, strollers and fitness fun! And of course, we got coffee afterwards @ Winans Dublin.

30 day Yoga challenge…

We are taking a yoga REST today (can’t quite tackle the fallen angel pose from #independencearmy anyhow) but will double up and do at least 20 minutes tomorrow. Don’t EVER feel guilty if you need to adjust your training plans every now and then and ALWAYS give your body a chance to rest! We did do some stretching after our run, so you can count that if you must 🙂

Instagram challenge… Get DOWN dog!

Today’s post request was your favorite yoga pose. Although we didn’t do a full yoga session today, we did make time to bust out our favorite pose! Teresa chose DOWNWARD DOG. Not only is this move a relaxing stretch of the lower back and hamstrings (great for runners), it is also one of JPs favorite things to do. Call it downward dog or Londong bridge… he loves to do it, watch it, climb on it! A few photos for your viewing pleasure…

Downward dog – climbing on Gigi

Downward dog – watching momma

Downward dog – LS & her yoga mini

Yoga @ home – his favorite pose!

Living Fit on the beach

And last but not least, today’s inspirational quote…

See you tomorrow!

Yoga Challenge – Day 4

Day #4 – Happy July 4th!!

Did another Yoga with Adriene video today – FREEDOM Flow

Seemed appropriate 🙂 Let freedom ring!

Day #4 of the #IndependenceArmy yoga challenge on Instagram is boat.

Did a few boats at the conclusion of Adriene’s video, but will focus more on it tomorrow. Today was a quick session, allowing time for friends, family and fireworks 🙂

Lastly, today’s inspirational quote…

We have family in the military so we want to give them a shout out. We love & appreciate you!

Night night!

Yoga Challenge – Day 3

Today continues our yoga challenge! We had our 3 mile group run, so just a short 10 minutes of yoga today.

Here is what we did…

Yoga with Adriene video – we did the first ten minutes of her Yoga for runners – cool down video.

Adriene is a yoga instructor in Texas and has a lot of great free videos. A fellow runner friend, Chelsea, told us about her and we love her site and yoga tips!

Day #3 of the #IndependenceArmy yoga challenge on Instagram is chaturanga pose, so we focused on this after the running cool down yoga. We did 5 flows of prayer-chaturanga-upward dog-downward dog-forward fold-prayer, holding each pose for 3 seconds.

We also checked out lulu’s article called how to cha-cha-chaturanga which includes a one minute video by ambassador Michelle Wong.