Well, yesterday I was supposed to go to the gym - but I didn't.
Then, I thought I'd do some Yoga at home - but I didn't. I just felt overwhelmed... There's not enough time in my evenings... And somehow, no matter how thin I spread my time, it's just not enough. Somehow, this is my fault.
So... I sat on my butt, and read articles and reviews about the program I registered for (ISSA Specialist in Fitness Nutrition certification - I'll save that for another post!). Then I went to bed at a reasonable time, and slept in this morning.
I'm a little sad today. Or, maybe not sad... But pensive.
I don't want to get into specifics, but there never seems to be enough time for things.
I was taking on this 30-Day Yoga challenge for a personal growth exercise. I was feeling lost, unstable, unhappy, not sleeping properly, headaches and fatigue, depressed, and hopeless. I was having bouts of anxiety or panic attacks, and just felt crappy all around. I was even getting sick every other week, and started having issues with my stomach to the point where I couldn't keep food down on some days.
I took one of my lunch hours to consider why I was unhappy (I'm still not 100% sure...), and decided that I'd go to a place that I visited before when I felt this way: Yoga.
Not the same studios I've gone to in the past, but taking Yoga in general made me a happier person. It gave me "me time", and time to reflect on my thoughts. Then, it allowed me to push those thoughts aside and connect my body with my mind, and feel a sense of relief when I realized during each practice, that I'm more than just my problems. Life is more than the things we find to be unfortunate, and we need to find gratitude in all the good we experience. This helps us discover balance and a proper perspective of life. At least for me it does.
It's a happy place for me, my Yoga practice...
But when something negative comes into the situation, and pushes you from being able to do it when you need it most, the whole situation becomes a negative experience. I hope to turn it around, and make it positive again.
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Yoga Lessons - Gratitude for the Overlooked
[Late Post - Couldn't post on Saturday!]
Saturday June 14th was Restorative Yoga at Yoga Tree Midtown. I'll be honest, I was a little reluctant to take a restorative class.
Something happened though... As I was getting dressed, I moved my legs to put my pants on, and I felt just how tense my hamstrings were. There was no way I was going to be able to even attempt a downward dog and not fall over.
So - restorative it was, and for that I am grateful.
And the teacher of the class? Nothing short of amazing. She gave variations to poses, her voice was soothing, and the class had a lovely format. I was able to get deep into relaxing stretches, and give my hips and hamstrings time to really release any tension that had built up from the previous week. I needed that class, and it was the perfect thing for my body.
The lesson for this class was Gratitude.
How fitting. :)
As I was laying there, breathing deeply into my whole body - I thought about all of the things I should be grateful for. I found myself getting caught up in some unpleasant emotions about family, because in my childhood when we had to list things we were thankful for - I would have put my family at the top of that list.
Unfortunately, my family is no longer with me. I lost my mum when I was 14, and both of my grandparents when I was 13 and 15. I'll be 30 in a month, so that's been half of my life that I've been without them, and it hurts now just as much as it did back then - only in a different way.
I started to feel negativity wash over my body, and I hated the feeling. So I tried my best to turn it around. I reminded myself how grateful I am for having known my mum and my grandparents for as long as I did. There are people who lose their parents at a much younger age - and there are people who have much less than me... No matter how hard things get in my life, there are people who would look at my situation and think I'm silly for being sad.
I am grateful I knew my mum. She was a wonderfully imperfect and random woman, and a strong woman. I'm proud to have had her as my mum, and I know she would be proud of me no matter what turns my life takes. She was that type of person who didn't judge anyone. She accepted people for who they were. She made me feel so loved and cared for in the years she was on this earth with me. I am grateful to have felt that love, even if only for half of my life.
I am grateful for those in my life who care about me now. I am grateful for my dog, Buddy. I am grateful for a functional and healthy body. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given in this life - even if I complain about them after the novelty wears off. I am grateful for every breath I take, because there are people who are breathing their last.
Life is so short... It is so fragile, and can slip away at any moment. This class gave me a gentle reminder to take a few moments each day, and count the blessings I should be grateful for.
Saturday June 14th was Restorative Yoga at Yoga Tree Midtown. I'll be honest, I was a little reluctant to take a restorative class.
Something happened though... As I was getting dressed, I moved my legs to put my pants on, and I felt just how tense my hamstrings were. There was no way I was going to be able to even attempt a downward dog and not fall over.
So - restorative it was, and for that I am grateful.
And the teacher of the class? Nothing short of amazing. She gave variations to poses, her voice was soothing, and the class had a lovely format. I was able to get deep into relaxing stretches, and give my hips and hamstrings time to really release any tension that had built up from the previous week. I needed that class, and it was the perfect thing for my body.
The lesson for this class was Gratitude.
How fitting. :)
As I was laying there, breathing deeply into my whole body - I thought about all of the things I should be grateful for. I found myself getting caught up in some unpleasant emotions about family, because in my childhood when we had to list things we were thankful for - I would have put my family at the top of that list.
Unfortunately, my family is no longer with me. I lost my mum when I was 14, and both of my grandparents when I was 13 and 15. I'll be 30 in a month, so that's been half of my life that I've been without them, and it hurts now just as much as it did back then - only in a different way.
I started to feel negativity wash over my body, and I hated the feeling. So I tried my best to turn it around. I reminded myself how grateful I am for having known my mum and my grandparents for as long as I did. There are people who lose their parents at a much younger age - and there are people who have much less than me... No matter how hard things get in my life, there are people who would look at my situation and think I'm silly for being sad.
I am grateful I knew my mum. She was a wonderfully imperfect and random woman, and a strong woman. I'm proud to have had her as my mum, and I know she would be proud of me no matter what turns my life takes. She was that type of person who didn't judge anyone. She accepted people for who they were. She made me feel so loved and cared for in the years she was on this earth with me. I am grateful to have felt that love, even if only for half of my life.
I am grateful for those in my life who care about me now. I am grateful for my dog, Buddy. I am grateful for a functional and healthy body. I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given in this life - even if I complain about them after the novelty wears off. I am grateful for every breath I take, because there are people who are breathing their last.
Life is so short... It is so fragile, and can slip away at any moment. This class gave me a gentle reminder to take a few moments each day, and count the blessings I should be grateful for.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Opinions of the Body - A Look at the Numbers
I want to take a moment to discuss
opinions of the body. Purely physical and nothing else considered.
Your body is not beautiful to everyone.
My body may not be beautiful to you. Your body may not be beautiful to me. You
might not like my hair, and I might think your [whatever] is too [whatever].
That’s great.
Here is a world calculator of how many
people are in the world:
7,236,511,228 and counting (the number
keeps changing obviously).
This is the approximate number of
opinions that you could potentially have to care about IF you cared about how
others viewed your body.
There are 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes,
or 86,400 seconds in a day.
There are 604,800 seconds per week.
Even if you think about one person’s opinion per second (which,
let’s be honest – is impossible), you have only covered approximately 0.00835%
of the individual opinions in the world. This does not factor in the element of
changing opinions.
Also – if you wanted to spend one
second per day caring about the opinions of every person in the world, it would
take you approximately 83,755.917 days. (Or, approximately 229.468 years. I
doubt you’ll live that long…)
Now, I’m no math wizard here… But this
seems like a poor ROI if you ask me. It's also impossible.
Let’s stop looking at the numbers now,
and get to the point of this post. There is no need, and no satisfaction, that
will come from considering the opinions of others when it comes to your body.
When I walk down the street, I get a wide range of looks from strangers. Some
people look at me and smile, some people appear to be attracted sexually, some
people look at me and give me a dirty look, and some people ignore me
altogether.
Let’s go back to the numbers for just a
second… Or better yet, a chart:
This chart shows the equal breakout of
responses from strangers you may encounter when walking down the street. (I
love charts!)
Now, take this breakout – and factor in
your potential reaction to each of these visual opinions.
·
25% of the time, you
would be content.
·
25% of the time you
would be flattered (or disturbed depending on your situation).
·
25% o the time you
would be offended and bothered.
·
25% of the time you
would either not care, or think “why are people avoiding looking at me?”
In just one short walk down the street,
you can have a wide range of emotions and moods that are motivated by the
opinions of others (and these are just visually expressed opinions, not confirmed!). This will cause increases and decreases in chemicals inside
of your body that I’m not even remotely educated enough to talk about here… These
chemicals will alter your moods, causing you to drift between happiness and
depression – which can impact other decisions you make throughout your day. It
can also impact progress of things you may have goals in such as sports,
fitness, academic, cooking, or anything that requires physical and mental
energy.
So, from a logical standpoint - going by numbers - why would you allow the opinions of
people you don’t even know (or, even those you do know) impact things you do in
YOUR life? If someone looks at you and has an opinion that may be negative, and
that opinion is expressed in one second of your day, why let the other seconds be
ruined by that? Also, if they’re spending one second to share an opinion about
you, and investing the rest of their daily seconds thinking about other things –
then why would you allow YOUR remaining daily seconds to be focused on their
one second of opinion sharing?
Seems like a waste of time to me.
Life is short. We have a limited number of seconds in this life, and none of them should be wasted on thinking about the thoughts that others have about us. We can't control the thoughts of others, and even if they express those thoughts - they're only words. If you want to do something and are afraid of an "opinion", just remember that an opinion is nothing more than one second of another person's time and only has as much power as you allow it to have.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Why Veganism? Some Honesty and Thoughts
(For an interesting read, scroll to the bottom of my post for a link to a great article!)
I'm not normally the type to make posts about "veganism" as it pertains to morals, ethics, and a way of life.
I relate mostly to the "health" approach because of how I see my own health showing improvements since adopting a "plant based diet". I'm also obsessed with food; it's one of my passions - so I tend to talk to people about food when they ask me about "vegan" things. I have lost count of how many people have asked me about baking as a vegan. (Vegan baking is super easy!)
Some have said it's a selfish way to be, to not only talk about the animal rights aspect of it all, but I firmly believe that the only way a person can change something in their life is if they truly believe that it will be something that is right for them.
Yes, being "vegan for the animals" is important. Very important.
But so is being vegan for the earth, or vegan for yourself.
After all, you're the one consuming that food - so you need to consider your health in all of it. You need to know that what you're doing is right for you, or you won't continue with it. At least that's how it works for me, and many people I've met...
I'm not normally the type to make posts about "veganism" as it pertains to morals, ethics, and a way of life.
I relate mostly to the "health" approach because of how I see my own health showing improvements since adopting a "plant based diet". I'm also obsessed with food; it's one of my passions - so I tend to talk to people about food when they ask me about "vegan" things. I have lost count of how many people have asked me about baking as a vegan. (Vegan baking is super easy!)
Some have said it's a selfish way to be, to not only talk about the animal rights aspect of it all, but I firmly believe that the only way a person can change something in their life is if they truly believe that it will be something that is right for them.
Yes, being "vegan for the animals" is important. Very important.
But so is being vegan for the earth, or vegan for yourself.
After all, you're the one consuming that food - so you need to consider your health in all of it. You need to know that what you're doing is right for you, or you won't continue with it. At least that's how it works for me, and many people I've met...
Friday, March 30, 2012
P90X Progress Thoughts - What Week Is This?
One of the things I have to keep telling myself is to take things a day at a time. Especially when it comes to fitness...
I'm sad to admit that because of a hectic schedule and strange sleeping patterns (oh, excuses.. haha) I've had to pretty much set myself back 1 week in P90X. So right now, I'm re-doing my previous week because of too many missed workouts. I know I can't go back in time, but I don't feel right going forward and noting in here "I'm in week ____" while knowing that I actually missed a few workouts. Unfortunately, time and current energy levels don't quite allow for me to double-up on workouts to make up for it either.
A little added hindrance to my progress has been the whole B12 deficiency, because my energy levels have been suffering despite my efforts.
A few years ago, my doctor told me I have a B12 deficiency, and that I'd have to take a supplement for it pretty much for the rest of my life, or even worse, I would need to start going in for regular B12 shots. (Yikes!) I'm also low in iron, but I don't quite have an iron deficiency. I found out I had this because I was one of those people with little-to-no energy, and would live off of coffee and energy drinks. I also used to get migraines, I was moody, and needlessly depressed half of the time.
This also has NOTHING to do with vegetarianism or going vegan. I had this deficiency even back when I used to eat meat.
So over a year ago, I started taking a supplement, and it seemed to be doing the trick. (Yay!)
Lately, I don't know if it's been because of bad sleeping habits formed from noisy neighbours and late nights working on assignments, or if it's because the supplement I was taking just isn't working for me anymore, but I've started noticing the same symptoms I was dealing with a little over a year ago. I've noticed myself getting pretty moody in situations where I know I have no reason to be, I've been a bit down lately, and my energy levels have been on and off. I've also started getting more headaches, which is very annoying...
I'll be trying a new liquid supplement this weekend, and giving it a week or so to see how I feel. Hopefully it does something for me, otherwise I do have to start getting shots of B12. I'm also easing myself back into the proper P90X schedule, and not letting the half a week draw-back get me too discouraged.
I'll also be meditating before bed every night, because I'm one of those people who constantly has thoughts running through my head preventing me from sleeping.
We're all busy people with busy lives, so rather than focus on the days that I've missed, I'm going to look forward and push myself to keep with it.
So those are my thoughts for today. Not the most uplifting thoughts, but thoughts that contain hope and potential for a better day today, and a better day tomorrow! :) The silver lining is there, and that's all I need to give me that push!
I'm sad to admit that because of a hectic schedule and strange sleeping patterns (oh, excuses.. haha) I've had to pretty much set myself back 1 week in P90X. So right now, I'm re-doing my previous week because of too many missed workouts. I know I can't go back in time, but I don't feel right going forward and noting in here "I'm in week ____" while knowing that I actually missed a few workouts. Unfortunately, time and current energy levels don't quite allow for me to double-up on workouts to make up for it either.
A little added hindrance to my progress has been the whole B12 deficiency, because my energy levels have been suffering despite my efforts.
A few years ago, my doctor told me I have a B12 deficiency, and that I'd have to take a supplement for it pretty much for the rest of my life, or even worse, I would need to start going in for regular B12 shots. (Yikes!) I'm also low in iron, but I don't quite have an iron deficiency. I found out I had this because I was one of those people with little-to-no energy, and would live off of coffee and energy drinks. I also used to get migraines, I was moody, and needlessly depressed half of the time.
This also has NOTHING to do with vegetarianism or going vegan. I had this deficiency even back when I used to eat meat.
So over a year ago, I started taking a supplement, and it seemed to be doing the trick. (Yay!)
Lately, I don't know if it's been because of bad sleeping habits formed from noisy neighbours and late nights working on assignments, or if it's because the supplement I was taking just isn't working for me anymore, but I've started noticing the same symptoms I was dealing with a little over a year ago. I've noticed myself getting pretty moody in situations where I know I have no reason to be, I've been a bit down lately, and my energy levels have been on and off. I've also started getting more headaches, which is very annoying...
I'll be trying a new liquid supplement this weekend, and giving it a week or so to see how I feel. Hopefully it does something for me, otherwise I do have to start getting shots of B12. I'm also easing myself back into the proper P90X schedule, and not letting the half a week draw-back get me too discouraged.
I'll also be meditating before bed every night, because I'm one of those people who constantly has thoughts running through my head preventing me from sleeping.
We're all busy people with busy lives, so rather than focus on the days that I've missed, I'm going to look forward and push myself to keep with it.
So those are my thoughts for today. Not the most uplifting thoughts, but thoughts that contain hope and potential for a better day today, and a better day tomorrow! :) The silver lining is there, and that's all I need to give me that push!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Dairy Industry: Is This Where It's Heading?
There's been a lot of articles floating around about the dairy industry that really reminded me of how happy I am that I'm not ingesting animal products anymore... It's not new news really, but I've obviously become more aware to the information that's out there.
Something just doesn't seem right when cows are impregnated several times in a short span of time, so that they can be milked to the maximum amount that their bodies can handle. (Twice a day, 30L in one day, sometimes up to 25L per milking?!) Then, the calves are usually used for veal... Which even when I was a meat eater, I couldn't accept the fact that baby cows were being slaughtered. (I've never eaten veal, and I cringe when people say "Oh, it's so tender, you don't know what you're missing!") I'm not one to force my beliefs on other people, but I don't understand how when people see the truth of all of this right in front of them, they can still drink milk... Or eat meat... Or any animal products for that matter.
Speaking of slaughtering animals... Just a side note: I think I reached my snapping point today in all of this when I watched a video someone posted on Twitter. It was by PETA, and was in protest of Toronto Fashion Week. (Mainly clothing designers who use leather.)
The article and video can be viewed here.
(Before watching the video, please note that it contains graphic scenes.)
By the end of the video, I was shaking and crying at what I was watching. I have a pretty weak stomach for that stuff, but something about it hit me harder than usual today, and I can feel myself getting angry and upset just writing about it now... It's definitely worth a watch, and if you're on the fence between vegetarian and omnivore, it may be one of the things that pushes you right to going vegan.
Anyways, here's a few articles with varying types of information that I've looked through. When looking up information on this, know that some websites will have a bias or an agenda, but either way it's still good to read other people's collection of information or opinions:
1. Information on the automatic milking systems.
2. A little Wikipedia based info on automatic milking (for whatever information on Wikipedia is worth)
3. An article about the dangers of drinking cows milk.
And here is my little comic about the future of automatic milking & robotic cows. I have a funny feeling that this is what the future of cow milking is coming to.
Something just doesn't seem right when cows are impregnated several times in a short span of time, so that they can be milked to the maximum amount that their bodies can handle. (Twice a day, 30L in one day, sometimes up to 25L per milking?!) Then, the calves are usually used for veal... Which even when I was a meat eater, I couldn't accept the fact that baby cows were being slaughtered. (I've never eaten veal, and I cringe when people say "Oh, it's so tender, you don't know what you're missing!") I'm not one to force my beliefs on other people, but I don't understand how when people see the truth of all of this right in front of them, they can still drink milk... Or eat meat... Or any animal products for that matter.
Speaking of slaughtering animals... Just a side note: I think I reached my snapping point today in all of this when I watched a video someone posted on Twitter. It was by PETA, and was in protest of Toronto Fashion Week. (Mainly clothing designers who use leather.)
The article and video can be viewed here.
(Before watching the video, please note that it contains graphic scenes.)
By the end of the video, I was shaking and crying at what I was watching. I have a pretty weak stomach for that stuff, but something about it hit me harder than usual today, and I can feel myself getting angry and upset just writing about it now... It's definitely worth a watch, and if you're on the fence between vegetarian and omnivore, it may be one of the things that pushes you right to going vegan.
Anyways, here's a few articles with varying types of information that I've looked through. When looking up information on this, know that some websites will have a bias or an agenda, but either way it's still good to read other people's collection of information or opinions:
1. Information on the automatic milking systems.
2. A little Wikipedia based info on automatic milking (for whatever information on Wikipedia is worth)
3. An article about the dangers of drinking cows milk.
And here is my little comic about the future of automatic milking & robotic cows. I have a funny feeling that this is what the future of cow milking is coming to.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Some Thoughts on P90X and Vegan Peanut Butter Mousse!
Hi everyone! I didn't feel like writing an entry today, so I made a video instead! Also, look below for a recipe from Attack Of The Vegan on Twitter!
Check out the recipe for that awesome peanut butter mousse!
 |
| Vegan peanut butter mousse! Yum yum yum yum yum........ |
Thursday, March 08, 2012
P90X - Week 5 Progress Thoughts & Fighting Demotivation
Now that I'm a few days into week 5 of P90X, I decided to take a few progress pictures. (I won't be posting these, I'm not that comfortable with posting pictures until I've completed the 90 days.)
A few thoughts came into my head. My initial thoughts were "WOAH, I have biceps!!! WOAH, I can see abdominal definition!!! What is that, an hourglass shape?!? Yay!" After that, I had mixed feelings about my progress.
I've always been an impatient person, and I'm also my own best critic, so of course I can sit and pick myself apart like no other. This has always posed a problem in my progress when it comes to fitness. In the past, I would get to this point, but then grow impatient and aggravated that the progress wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, and I would give up. How silly is that, eh? Poor logic: Slow progress = get frustrated and give up... Not this time.
Today was Yoga X day. I cannot stress how much I both hate and love Yoga X. This workout is a challenge, as it's a little more intense than any yoga class I've ever been to. The best part about this workout is that it feels really, really good. I've noticed a major increase in flexibility from doing it. It's also very relaxing to get a solid hour and thirty minutes of yoga in a few times a week...
The worst part about this workout is that it allows me to notice every little undesirable flabby area on my body. Every twist, bend, and leg-over-the-head move causes the body to move in ways that it wouldn't normally move. My biggest challenge is finding a way to prevent myself from stopping the workout to pinch at the flabby spot that I thought was gone, but realized is still there. (Well... Smaller than before, but still there.)
Today, I had an epiphany. As my knees were hoovering around my ears as I was in "plow pose", I thought to myself, "self, shut up."
Literally. I told myself to shut up, and to just focus on the task at hand. (The task being getting through the rest of the workout.) You know what? It sort of worked.
I finished the workout, and afterwards I felt great. I checked off today's workout box on my list, made myself a smoothie, and felt better both mentally and physically. I also discovered a new part of myself today. A part that is motivated, and determined to push past any unmotivated moments. A part that is ready and willing to kick the butt of any negative thoughts, and that is going to stop me from giving up before I've reached my goals. It's refreshing...
So I guess the "moral of the story" is to not give up. When you're unmotivated, and feeling like you want to quit because the ultimate goal seems so far away, just suck it up and keep going! Giving up won't get you to your goal, but pushing past the tough moments will.
A few thoughts came into my head. My initial thoughts were "WOAH, I have biceps!!! WOAH, I can see abdominal definition!!! What is that, an hourglass shape?!? Yay!" After that, I had mixed feelings about my progress.
I've always been an impatient person, and I'm also my own best critic, so of course I can sit and pick myself apart like no other. This has always posed a problem in my progress when it comes to fitness. In the past, I would get to this point, but then grow impatient and aggravated that the progress wasn't as fast as I'd hoped, and I would give up. How silly is that, eh? Poor logic: Slow progress = get frustrated and give up... Not this time.
Today was Yoga X day. I cannot stress how much I both hate and love Yoga X. This workout is a challenge, as it's a little more intense than any yoga class I've ever been to. The best part about this workout is that it feels really, really good. I've noticed a major increase in flexibility from doing it. It's also very relaxing to get a solid hour and thirty minutes of yoga in a few times a week...
The worst part about this workout is that it allows me to notice every little undesirable flabby area on my body. Every twist, bend, and leg-over-the-head move causes the body to move in ways that it wouldn't normally move. My biggest challenge is finding a way to prevent myself from stopping the workout to pinch at the flabby spot that I thought was gone, but realized is still there. (Well... Smaller than before, but still there.)
Today, I had an epiphany. As my knees were hoovering around my ears as I was in "plow pose", I thought to myself, "self, shut up."
Literally. I told myself to shut up, and to just focus on the task at hand. (The task being getting through the rest of the workout.) You know what? It sort of worked.
I finished the workout, and afterwards I felt great. I checked off today's workout box on my list, made myself a smoothie, and felt better both mentally and physically. I also discovered a new part of myself today. A part that is motivated, and determined to push past any unmotivated moments. A part that is ready and willing to kick the butt of any negative thoughts, and that is going to stop me from giving up before I've reached my goals. It's refreshing...
So I guess the "moral of the story" is to not give up. When you're unmotivated, and feeling like you want to quit because the ultimate goal seems so far away, just suck it up and keep going! Giving up won't get you to your goal, but pushing past the tough moments will.
Friday, February 24, 2012
P90X - Week 3 Is Now Complete!
With week 3 landing on the week right before reading week at school, it was pretty hard to keep up the stamina required for the workouts. I'll be honest: I didn't keep to the schedule 100%, but I DID do all of the workouts required except for the 1 yoga routine. (Which really, that's the workout I need the most right now!) Another issue I faced was missing two days in a row, so doing 2 of the workouts in the same day (I'll double up if I miss 2 usually) doesn't always work. (If there's an ab workout in one missed workout, and an ab workout the following day after my "catch up" day, I end up missing out on a whole ab workout because you shouldn't work any muscle group two days in a row, ESPECIALLY your abs.) So the issue with missing those two days is that I ended up falling a day behind in general. I had started with Day 1 being a Friday, and now it's shifted to Day 1 being a Saturday. Oh well, sh---uh, STUFF happens, so you just have to work with it and move on.
For the P90X Classic routine, weeks 1-3 looks like this:
Here's what week 4 looks like:
Seeing as this week coming up is my break week from school, I have a bit of extra time on my hands. This is a blessing, because now I can actually double up on my routines, or if the weather is nice enough I can even go out for jogs every morning. I'll also have more time to more carefully plan out my meals, which is really important if you want to see results with these workouts. Or any workouts for that matter.
I'm really enjoying the time I spend doing P90X, even though some days I find it to be a struggle. The best part about doing this is that it really motivates me to eat healthier. I find that when I'm putting in the effort, and busting my butt, to get into better shape, I'm more picky about what I want to use to fuel my body.
Well, those are my thoughts for today. Time to hit the showers! :)
For the P90X Classic routine, weeks 1-3 looks like this:
- Chest & Back, Abs
- Plyometrics
- Shoulders & Arms, Abs
- Yoga X
- Legs & Back, Abs
- Kenpo X
- Rest or X Stretch
Here's what week 4 looks like:
- Yoga X
- Core Synergistics
- Kenpo X
- X Stretch
- Core Synergistics
- Yoga X
- Rest or X Stretch
Seeing as this week coming up is my break week from school, I have a bit of extra time on my hands. This is a blessing, because now I can actually double up on my routines, or if the weather is nice enough I can even go out for jogs every morning. I'll also have more time to more carefully plan out my meals, which is really important if you want to see results with these workouts. Or any workouts for that matter.
I'm really enjoying the time I spend doing P90X, even though some days I find it to be a struggle. The best part about doing this is that it really motivates me to eat healthier. I find that when I'm putting in the effort, and busting my butt, to get into better shape, I'm more picky about what I want to use to fuel my body.
Well, those are my thoughts for today. Time to hit the showers! :)
Friday, February 17, 2012
Fitness Motivation - P90X - Week 3 Day 1
I woke up this morning, and found it really hard to drag myself to work out. Today's P90X routine was "Chest and Back" with "Ab Ripper X".
Today's Torture--I Mean Workout
Chest and Back is pretty much a solid combination of push ups (various types), mixed in with pull ups (various types), and a few exercises involving weights. Then, Ab Ripper X is a pretty hardcore abdominal workout. (I also add in the 10 minute "standing ab" routine from Turbo Jam. I love that one, and it gives me that extra "something else" if I feel that I didn't give Ab Ripper X my all.)
So back to the lack of motivation... There are some days where I get up, and I just think to myself "maybe I'll skip today, and just take a rest day", or "I'm not seeing as much progress as I'd like, even though it's only been a couple of weeks". Then on today's workout, one of Tony Horton's amazing P90X quotes pops up:
This is the exact thing that I needed to hear today, and somehow it helped me push through the last bit of my workout. Sometimes we get in a little bit of a funk, and just need something to shove us along. It's easy to give up, but we'll only get the best results of everything in life if we push through and keep going. I've applied this mentality to many aspects of my life, and seeing as I'm still here, I'd say it's working out to be a great mantra. "Push through. Keep going."
That quote makes me think that if everyone who was doing something important stopped halfway through, there would be a lot of unfinished stuff in the world. Heck, my favourite artist Salvador Dali had so many paintings and drawings that he would have had to do more than one piece of art every day for his whole life to have that many. Imagine if he had given up halfway through... That's a world I don't want to imagine!
So as I sit here and type this, still shaky from my workout, I sip on an amazing protein smoothie. I needed something fruity and chocolaty, so I'll let you all in on my little recipe for today's smoothie:
Today's Torture--I Mean Workout
Chest and Back is pretty much a solid combination of push ups (various types), mixed in with pull ups (various types), and a few exercises involving weights. Then, Ab Ripper X is a pretty hardcore abdominal workout. (I also add in the 10 minute "standing ab" routine from Turbo Jam. I love that one, and it gives me that extra "something else" if I feel that I didn't give Ab Ripper X my all.)
So back to the lack of motivation... There are some days where I get up, and I just think to myself "maybe I'll skip today, and just take a rest day", or "I'm not seeing as much progress as I'd like, even though it's only been a couple of weeks". Then on today's workout, one of Tony Horton's amazing P90X quotes pops up:
"Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your body!"Just What I Needed
-Tony Horton, P90X
This is the exact thing that I needed to hear today, and somehow it helped me push through the last bit of my workout. Sometimes we get in a little bit of a funk, and just need something to shove us along. It's easy to give up, but we'll only get the best results of everything in life if we push through and keep going. I've applied this mentality to many aspects of my life, and seeing as I'm still here, I'd say it's working out to be a great mantra. "Push through. Keep going."
That quote makes me think that if everyone who was doing something important stopped halfway through, there would be a lot of unfinished stuff in the world. Heck, my favourite artist Salvador Dali had so many paintings and drawings that he would have had to do more than one piece of art every day for his whole life to have that many. Imagine if he had given up halfway through... That's a world I don't want to imagine!
So as I sit here and type this, still shaky from my workout, I sip on an amazing protein smoothie. I needed something fruity and chocolaty, so I'll let you all in on my little recipe for today's smoothie:
Today's Smoothie
Ingredients: - 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I'm using a vegan protein powder now, I'll post a review on it later on after I've given it a solid few weeks of use!)
- 1/2 cup each water and pomegranate juice
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 tbsp ground flax meal
- Blend all together, and drink up!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Secret To A Healthy Diet
I'm going to let you all in on a little secret to a healthy diet. It's simple, it's tasty, and most of all it's something that we can all do! Now, we all know that keeping active is an important factor in maintaining a healthy body-weight. Sitting on your butt all day will get you nowhere, and fast.
With that being said, there's something you should know. Are you ready for it? It's the one true way that we can all be healthy. You can't order it from the back of a magazine, so you'll actually have to go into the store to get it. (Hey, there's a way to get you up and moving! Grocery shopping counts as physical activity too!)
Here's the secret. Well, part of the secret. It's this stuff:
Eat a LOT of this stuff pictured above, and you will be on the path to having a healthy life! (There's also a bunch of other things in the same section of these things in the grocery store! Eat those too.) And while you're picking up some of that stuff up there, pick up some whole grains too!
Make Smart Switches
Every time you want a chocolate bar, stick a carrot in your hand and eat that instead. Carrots are sweet. Want a bag of chips? Boil a few small yellow-flesh potatoes and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and black pepper on them. Feel like some dairy-based ranch dip with your carrots and celery? Try switching the dip for some home made hummus! Feel up for a big glass of milk? I'd switch that out for a tall glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Skip the sugar and milk in your tea, and truly enjoy the flavour of the tea leaves that you have steeping in your hot water! Want a sweet, cold beverage? Put the pop away, it'll just give you a pasty mouth and make you more thirsty. Try adding some orange or lemon slices into a tall, cold glass of water! Need more flavour? Add 1/4 cup of 100% fruit juice to your water. No artificial junk in there!
See? I told you it was simple. I'll post some more in-depth ways you can make smart switches soon! That's all for now.
-Nikki
With that being said, there's something you should know. Are you ready for it? It's the one true way that we can all be healthy. You can't order it from the back of a magazine, so you'll actually have to go into the store to get it. (Hey, there's a way to get you up and moving! Grocery shopping counts as physical activity too!)
Here's the secret. Well, part of the secret. It's this stuff:
Eat a LOT of this stuff pictured above, and you will be on the path to having a healthy life! (There's also a bunch of other things in the same section of these things in the grocery store! Eat those too.) And while you're picking up some of that stuff up there, pick up some whole grains too!
Make Smart Switches
Every time you want a chocolate bar, stick a carrot in your hand and eat that instead. Carrots are sweet. Want a bag of chips? Boil a few small yellow-flesh potatoes and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and black pepper on them. Feel like some dairy-based ranch dip with your carrots and celery? Try switching the dip for some home made hummus! Feel up for a big glass of milk? I'd switch that out for a tall glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Skip the sugar and milk in your tea, and truly enjoy the flavour of the tea leaves that you have steeping in your hot water! Want a sweet, cold beverage? Put the pop away, it'll just give you a pasty mouth and make you more thirsty. Try adding some orange or lemon slices into a tall, cold glass of water! Need more flavour? Add 1/4 cup of 100% fruit juice to your water. No artificial junk in there!
See? I told you it was simple. I'll post some more in-depth ways you can make smart switches soon! That's all for now.
-Nikki
My P90X Progress - And Thoughts
This is a time to celebrate! I have just finished week 2 out of 12 of P90X Classic! (I had to switch out my "rest" day with Kenpo X because I was sick in bed with a nasty cold yesterday... Feeling better today though!) Is anyone else going through the P90X program?
Thoughts
I know it may not seem like a big deal, but for me it is. The last two times I've done P90X, I've never kept to the program. I was eating unhealthy foods, and justifying it by saying "well, I'm working out, so it's okay..." (And by unhealthy I mean deep-fried things, milk chocolate, meat, dairy products, and even putting frozen yogurt into my smoothies. Bad Nikki!)
Really, it wasn't okay. Do you want to know why? I'll tell you. Eating "treats" too often, and not maintaining a diet of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, protein, and all that other good stuff we need to function, prevented me from having the endurance to maintain the P90X schedule. I would experience muscle fatigue easily, and would get tired and give up half way through a work-out. I would also skip days of work-outs, and then before I knew it, a week would pass without me doing anything.
That's one of the challenges of working out at home instead of working out at a gym. With a gym membership, I'd be motivated to use it because I'm paying for it... Right? (Although that motivation doesn't work for everyone.)
Adding, Not Subtracting, From My Diet
One of the steps I've taken to improving my health, and a major step I believe has given me the energy to push through each work-out, is going back to being a vegetarian. I'm not going to go into detail about all of the benefits, because there are at least a million articles you can find on-line by people far more qualified to talk about it than me, but one thing I will say is this: I have never had as much energy as I've had in the past few weeks since I gave up meat/fish/dairy 100%. Even being a vegetarian in the past, I would still eat fish, dairy products, eggs, and would even "cheat" once in a while with chicken or turkey. I also didn't eat a lot of whole foods, and was more the type to eat anything that just didn't have meat in it, regardless of whether or not it was healthy.
So this time around, I'm giving it my 100%, and making an overall lifestyle change instead of merely "giving up" things. I really don't even feel like I've given anything up, because I've added so much more into my diet that gives me more than enough energy to get through the day. The majority of my time in a grocery store is spent in the produce section, with a short stop in the aisle that has beans, grains, and nuts. Another thing that I feel has helped me is cutting sugar out of my diet. I was using honey, but have knocked that out and switched it up for agave nectar. I don't know if I'll ever go 100% vegan, but I'm pretty close. As for having a raw diet, I'd say about 75% of my diet consists of raw foods, which is pretty awesome.
Challenges I've Faced
There are a lot of challenges one faces when they decide to completely change the way they eat. The biggest challenge I've experienced is eating out. I'm one of those people who loves to go out for food. I love experiencing new restaurants, and seeing what some of the chefs in Toronto come up with. I'm a food fanatic. (My TV is on the Food Network 90% of the time...) So when I go out with friends, I don't like being that person who says "well this place is a pub, and I can't order anything but a salad", so I just suck it up and... Order a salad.
The silver lining to this is that in Toronto, there are so many people who are either vegetarian, vegan, or have a 100% raw diet. Which means, there are restaurants that cater to this niche. That makes me happy! One place that I've gone to a few times now is the Live Organic Food Bar. These people know how to get it done right! If you're in Toronto, this is a place you NEED to experience. I can't even say what my favourite food is there, because everything I've had tastes amazing. They're so creative, and their food is so fresh! Luckily, there are also so many restaurants that have realized there are people who don't eat meat or fish, so they'll either offer alternative options on their menu, or they'll have massive salads that double as a meal.
Well, that's all for now!
-Nikki
"No Krispy Kremes in the house!"
-Tony Horton, P90X
Thoughts
I know it may not seem like a big deal, but for me it is. The last two times I've done P90X, I've never kept to the program. I was eating unhealthy foods, and justifying it by saying "well, I'm working out, so it's okay..." (And by unhealthy I mean deep-fried things, milk chocolate, meat, dairy products, and even putting frozen yogurt into my smoothies. Bad Nikki!)
Really, it wasn't okay. Do you want to know why? I'll tell you. Eating "treats" too often, and not maintaining a diet of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, protein, and all that other good stuff we need to function, prevented me from having the endurance to maintain the P90X schedule. I would experience muscle fatigue easily, and would get tired and give up half way through a work-out. I would also skip days of work-outs, and then before I knew it, a week would pass without me doing anything.
That's one of the challenges of working out at home instead of working out at a gym. With a gym membership, I'd be motivated to use it because I'm paying for it... Right? (Although that motivation doesn't work for everyone.)
Adding, Not Subtracting, From My Diet
One of the steps I've taken to improving my health, and a major step I believe has given me the energy to push through each work-out, is going back to being a vegetarian. I'm not going to go into detail about all of the benefits, because there are at least a million articles you can find on-line by people far more qualified to talk about it than me, but one thing I will say is this: I have never had as much energy as I've had in the past few weeks since I gave up meat/fish/dairy 100%. Even being a vegetarian in the past, I would still eat fish, dairy products, eggs, and would even "cheat" once in a while with chicken or turkey. I also didn't eat a lot of whole foods, and was more the type to eat anything that just didn't have meat in it, regardless of whether or not it was healthy.
So this time around, I'm giving it my 100%, and making an overall lifestyle change instead of merely "giving up" things. I really don't even feel like I've given anything up, because I've added so much more into my diet that gives me more than enough energy to get through the day. The majority of my time in a grocery store is spent in the produce section, with a short stop in the aisle that has beans, grains, and nuts. Another thing that I feel has helped me is cutting sugar out of my diet. I was using honey, but have knocked that out and switched it up for agave nectar. I don't know if I'll ever go 100% vegan, but I'm pretty close. As for having a raw diet, I'd say about 75% of my diet consists of raw foods, which is pretty awesome.
Challenges I've Faced
There are a lot of challenges one faces when they decide to completely change the way they eat. The biggest challenge I've experienced is eating out. I'm one of those people who loves to go out for food. I love experiencing new restaurants, and seeing what some of the chefs in Toronto come up with. I'm a food fanatic. (My TV is on the Food Network 90% of the time...) So when I go out with friends, I don't like being that person who says "well this place is a pub, and I can't order anything but a salad", so I just suck it up and... Order a salad.
The silver lining to this is that in Toronto, there are so many people who are either vegetarian, vegan, or have a 100% raw diet. Which means, there are restaurants that cater to this niche. That makes me happy! One place that I've gone to a few times now is the Live Organic Food Bar. These people know how to get it done right! If you're in Toronto, this is a place you NEED to experience. I can't even say what my favourite food is there, because everything I've had tastes amazing. They're so creative, and their food is so fresh! Luckily, there are also so many restaurants that have realized there are people who don't eat meat or fish, so they'll either offer alternative options on their menu, or they'll have massive salads that double as a meal.
Well, that's all for now!
-Nikki
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