Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day and welcome to any new readers who have headed over due to the giveaway!! We’ll see what he has to say but i’m doubtful the North’s winter is over. We’ve only had two snow showers to date in NYC and it would be an odd winter if we didn’t have a late February or March surprise. As much as i’m ready for sunshine and warmth again, I really do love nights curled up on the couch in warm pj’s, a cup of tea, and staying toasty with a blanket and the heat.
AM WORKOUT
This morning I listened to my body and ran instead of spinning. Bo and I both felt like doing our own thing versus spinning. This also allowed us enjoy an extra 25 minutes of sleep. I did a speed workout on the treadmill and then completed Fitnessita’s Week 3 workout for the winter shapeup! My speedworkout looked like this:
Warm-up @ 4.5 5 minutes
6.0  5 minutes
7.5 2 minutes
6.1 5 minutes
7.5 2 minutes
6.2 5 minutes
7.5 2 minutes
6.2 5 minutes
7.5 2 minutes
6.2 2 minutes
4.5 cooldown 5 minutes
I really enjoyed this workout as it kept things changing and pushed me a bit. The Winter Shapeup was great as well and I was able to complete both of these in about 75 minutes!
Breakfast
This morning I decided to take a quick picture of the breakfast i’ve enjoyed at my desk for the last week. It’s pure comfort food!
1 banana
2 Tbsp flax
1/2 c oatmeal
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp salt
1 Tbsp PB2
Don’t you love that super cute mug? 🙂
Have a great day! Don’t forget to head on over to Missy’s site for her weekly giveaway! I would LOVE to win some TLC!!


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Namaste with friends!

I love when exercising becomes a social event! Before that, I have to quickly share my new love: The Lululemon Athletic Deep V III. Equinox presents each of it’s new members a 20% discount which they may use during their first month towards any non-sale purchase in their store. Most of my workout tanks are at least three years old and therefore needed to be thrown out. However, I wanted to have at least one back up before I retired my nike tanks. Yestereday I stopped in the UES Equinox in hopes of finding a replacement. I knew I wanted something that I could use for all my workout styles- running, yoga, and spinning. Therefore, it would need to breathe, provide support, and anything else was a plus. I was quickly drawn to the v-neck style of this tank and hoped it would be a bit more becoming than the average tank. Great success! This tank has a fully breathable back panel, an ipod holder, is long enough to not ride up during yoga, and served as a great base layer during today’s run! I highly suggest it for anyone looking for a new top!

Yesterday, Geoff and Elizabeth invited Bo and I to join them at Life In Motion yoga studio since his sister, Jennifer, was subbing for the regular teacher. Friday night they both raved about her teaching style and promised that the class would leave you begging for more but your muscles begging for mercy. Life In Motion is a small studio located at 105th and Broadway on the Upper East Side. I had never ventured north of 95th street and therefore was amazed with the area. It’s located on the second floor above a divine bakery. Imagine smelling fresh bread and treats while in downward dog! Due to the studio’s size it is a bit difficult to enter especially during the winter. There was a flood of people leaving the earlier class which meant the boot/coat closet area was quite congested. Luckily Geoff and Elizabeth showed up a few minutes after I arrived and directed me to the sign in desk and studio. The staff was friendly and excited that their sub had drawn a following. The class was $10 per person for first time visitors and then $2 to rent a mat. I immediately regretted not lugging my mat from home. These were unfortunately the dirtiest, thinnest, studio mats i’ve ever rented. I was appaled that they charged me for the thin mat. Oh well, that is what I get for not bringing my own! The studio quickly filled and Bo and I grabbed spots in the back since this was his first hour and a half vinyasa class. He has only taken 5-6 yoga classes previously and most of them were bikrham. The class began with the longest chant series i’ve ever heard but Jen told us this is something the studio requires as it helps ground each person in the practice and the present state. Hmm, not sure three minutes of chants really does that for me. Jen’s music selection was fantastic and really helped me find my groove as we moved through the poses. Her class focused on opening up our hips and lower backs while strengthening the core with a number of pigeons, downward dogs, and plank poses. I loved that I truly didn’t know what would come next as it didn’t follow the typical warrior 1, warrior 2, etc pattern. In fact, we never entered warrior 2 during the class! Elizabeth was certainly right, shivasana was amazing as Jen personally walked around to each participant and adjusted their shoulders!

If the studio wasn’t such a far trek I would definitely return as the price is very reasonable and the staff was pleasant. However, due to the 7 subway being shutdown for 9 weekends, the trek took almost 45 minutes. But, Bo and I have already decided that if Jen is teaching again next Saturday then we’ll definitely be there! Hopefully I can convince her to do a few one on one classes. My goal is to become comfortable in my practice and make improvements on my inversions. This is often difficult in packed classes as the instructor doesn’t have time to provide proper coaching. Have any of you ever taken small or 1:1 yoga classes? Is it worth the price?


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It’s not fitness, it’s life and other changes

Where do I even begin? It has been six months since my last post and quite a bit has changed! The biggest of which is that I enjoyed the most wonderful day of my life on November 21, 2009! Bo and I were finally married after six years of dating! The wedding was gorgeous, our friends and family flew in from all over the country to celebrate, and the honeymoon was a week of warm and sunny bliss. We chose Cap Juluca, on Anguilla, as our honeymoon destination after months of research and contemplation. We knew we wanted a destination which would allow for water sports, excursions, luxurious treatment and service, while also answering the needs of two foodies! The restaurants on Anguilla took us completely by surprise. Each one, filled with it’s own unique atmosphere, was very different but also allowed us to taste some of the freshest red snapper, goat stew, and plenty of caribbean influenced dishes. I will definitely dedicate a post in the near future to our honeymoon food.
Since returning, we have been going non-stop with work, holiday parties, traveling back to our home in Georgia for Christmas, hosting Bo’s best friend for New Years, and now this weekend we have two friends coming into the city for their first taste of New York! Living in a “destination” city is definitely one of my favorite parts about New York City! 
One of our big decisions upon returning was whether or not we’d finally join a “real gym.” My friend Lauren had been pestering me for the past three months to join Equinox. She insisted we’d be able to work out together, motivate each other to leave our desks at a reasonable time, and get to spend quality time at the gym. The price tag was definitely hard to swallow, but in the end, Bo and I chose to join on December 31st! We were able to take advantage of their awesome New Year’s program which meant no initiation fees! Bo even received one free month since he “referred” me. 
The gym has been incredible thus far. It has allowed Bo and I to finally enjoy classes together that challenge our bodies while also keeping our workout fresh. Last week, our first week as members, we enjoyed three spinning classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Each instructor has a very different motto for their class. For example, Dave M makes you happy you woke up and braved the cold for a 6:45 Monday morning workout. His motto is, “You have 23 other hours to recover so make this one your hardest.” His class pushes you with hill workouts, “dumbell sets”, and great music. Danielle, tomorrow’s instructor, has a more moderate paced class, but it serves as a wonderful recovery. In addition, she teaches a treadmill running class from 7:15-7:45 which i’m dying to try tomorrow. It combines speed and hills with the added benefit of having someone their to coach and inspire you. Last week I was amazed that over half our class joined her afterwards. I wonder if I can at least give it a try tomorrow? In addition to spinning, i’ve resolved to enjoy at least two yoga classes each week. Lauren and I were blessed with last Thursday’s Power Vinyasa class at 54th street. The teacher’s voice was young and calming but she also walked around during class ensuring that everyone was in the right posture. I yearn for teacher’s correction during class as that is the primary difference from using a DVD. On Saturday, I took a risk and enjoyed a yoga class on my own after my Equifit evaluation. I was intimidated when I saw people practicing headstands before class. While I enjoy yoga and hope to improve my practice this year, this bear is no Jenna from Eat Live Run. But, I put my worries aside and left my thoughts on the door’s threshold. An hour later I had attempted crow, one leg at a time, been assisted into an inversion, and released the week’s tension with four bridge poses! 
While I haven’t truly figured out what the role of this blog will be in my life, I have realized that I miss the community and the experience to capture my adventures. It will always include food adventures because as Julia Child’s character in Julia and Julia said, “oh I eat so well!”  In addition, I hope to capture some of the fitness experiences that a membership to both Equinox and New York Road Runners will allow this year.
So, that being said, i’m exhausted and have to be ready for another great spin class tomorrow morning. But, until then, if you have any thoughts or suggestions on returning to a blog please provide. As well, remember that i’ve been out of the blog world for 6 months and haven’t been reading during that time either. So if you’ve discovered a great new blog please send the site my way!
 
 
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