Into 2014...

Yous guys, the end of the year is upon us. We are in our last hours of 2013, so I thought I would take a moment to recap some of the more wonderful (and sometimes challenging) things that took place in 2013.

This year...

In January, I figured out this headstanding business ;)

In February I got officially certified as a yoga instructor and started teaching my very own class on Thursday evenings.

March I ran my second 10K ever (which was brutal) and went to a self defense workshop.

In April, hubs and I went on a weekend getaway to Catalina - where I had never been before.

We went up North for the Livermore Wine Festival in May. We also cleaned out and reorganized the garage.

June, I took a long weekend to visit my baby sister in Portland.

In July, I celebrated entering my 30th year.

In August, we went to Vegas.

In September, I saw the Backstreet Boys in concert for the first time since 2000. I ran a half marathon and the following weekend, we went up to Santa Barbara and Los Olivos to celebrate our second anniversary!... oh yeah, and then I went to Hawaii.

October was mostly cooking. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen - making oatmeal, pesto, and granola.

In November, we finally painted the master bedroom - after living here for 3 years. It was time. I also did 108 sun salutations.

And December I ran another 10k, had a wonderful Christmas, hosted a photo challenge, and realized that very soon it will be the year I turn 30. Like, whoa.

I have lots of ideas about what 2014 will be like, but you never really know, do you?
I'm excited to see what the future brings.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 52

Whelp, that's it, I guess, isn't it? The final full week of 2013! Dang.

Sunday I tagged along with my friends Chelsea and Kim to Equinox for Chelsea's Fit Ballet Body class. Oh my! My legs! It was a nice change of pace.

Monday I didn't manage any exercise. I don't even remember why. We'll call it a rest day. :)

Tuesday morning we got up early and went to the gym together before my in-laws arrived. I just did a quick 3 mile treadmill run and then showered at the gym before my honey and I went out to relaxed Christmas Eve breakfast.

Christmas day I managed to eat well most of the day, but no exercise.

Thursday I taught class in the morning and the evening. I planned to get in some P90X2, but never did. By the time I got home from teaching, it was late and I was tired.

Friday I got to work CRAZY early. So I had a full and long evening of free time and gymming. I ran 3 miles, did a good amount of stretching and foam rolling, and then did 100 pushups (in sets of 20)

Saturday afternoon we went to the gym together, but I was lagging. I just barely managed to motivate myself to get on the elliptical for a half hour - and it was boring - but running seemed like too much stress for the minor aches I was having, so I took it easy-ish.

Only 2 more days left in 2013! My workouts and I will see you on the other side!

Our Christmas in Photos

We started the Eve by trying to stay out of the house as much as possible since we were having our house cleaned that day.

Hubs and I got up early and went to the gym. We showered and changed there and then had a lovely breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien.

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 3 Recap!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We're nearing closer and closer to 2014 and I am having so much fun with these photos. I hope everyone participating is enjoying themselves playing and starting to get to know and love yoga.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays 

from our home to yours!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I doubt I'll be at my computer much over the next few days. Just thought I'd take a moment to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I'll be back at the end of the week with this weeks photo challenge recap and perhaps a lovely recipe or two! 

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 51

I've been tracking my workouts every day of every week for almost a year. I'm pretty darned impressed with myself in this regard.

Perhaps I'll keep it going in 2014?

Sunday the extent of my exercise was walking from one end of the mall to the other. The joys of Christmas shopping.

Monday I started P90X2. I don't know if I'm going to do the whole program yet, but I'll at least be sticking with it through Christmas (and possible New Years). The first workout in the program is X2 Core. I forgot how tough some of those moves are. Whoa, man.

Tuesday I had a brutal headache, but I ate a protein bar and took some exedrin and 30 minutes later... BAM! Ready for plyocide... which may still be my absolute favorite P90 workout ever of all time.

Wednesday I got a call in the middle of the day to sub an evening class last minute, so I taught 2 classes - one before work and one after. I got home around 8, ate a healthy dinner, watched TV and crashed.

Thursday I taught my evening class and then came home and cleaned the house. It was a mildly disappointing evening. Eating was bad too. All around.

Friday morning I had some extra time to kill, so I go outside and went for 3.9 mile run. I was at about the 2.5 mile mark when I decided that instead of just doing 3 laps or 4 laps for an even 3 or 4 miles, I would make the loop wider, which added not quite a full mile to the last loop. It was good. I started to lose my motivation in the 3rd lap, but I wanted to keep running, so I just made it take longer to get home. :)

Saturday no workout was had. Day times. My brother in law was staying with us and an opportunity to workout just never presented itself.
Oh well.

How was your week? 

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 2 Recap!

These look so amazing! I am so proud and so happy. You'll probably recognize most of these faces, but I am loving the creativity happening here.

Kitchen Adventures; Oatmeal Scotchies

Remember how I mentioned that my husband thought it was borderline blasphemy that I put oatmeal in my chocolate chip cookies? For him, oatmeal cookies weren't chocolate chip - they were butterscotch... "scotchies" as he called them. I'd never heard of these "scotchies", but I love butterscotch, so I was willing to give it a go.

He called his mom.

Holiday Happiness; 2013

Whelp! The stockings are hung, the tree is lit and holiday cards are slowly collecting on the entry mirror. As one might expect, our decorations are very similar to last year - when I posted this way way earlier.

Aside from filling my house will sparkly decor - I finally jumped on the chalkboard bandwagon and put "Merry and Bright" on the chalkboard we used in our wedding photo booth, and got us a star for the top of the tree - I pretty much love everything about the holidays...

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 50

We're seriously counting down to the end of the year. Eeeeeeee!

Sunday I ate cookies and pizza and cleaned my house... again. Things blow up when home repairs take over your life. That's just how it is.

Monday I decided to run back into the Valley and get to the advanced cardio barre. I ate a lot of cookies at work that day, so about halfway through class I decided I needed to stay for a second class after. The second class was a lot harder this time than the first time I did two in a row, but I'm glad I did it. Needed to burn off the cookies.

Tuesday I made it out to the gym for total fit body. It was a good class - she's always great, but my mind was somewhere else, so I don't know how hard I worked. Definitely got a decent workout, but I wish I'd done more, ya know?

Wednesday I was very wishy washy about what I wanted to do for a workout. Yoga or jogging or P90X or Cardio Barre or other yoga studio or yoga at home or 10 minute trainer on XBox Fitness. Up until I pulled into our driveway, I wasn't even sure where I would workout. Then as I realized I would have to go through a whole rigmarole to get my car into the garage, it was either stay and workout at home or change quickly and get out. I decided to stay in and do Tracey Mallet's F.I.T.. It was so hard, but it was exactly what I needed.

Thursday was teaching. I had a decent size class and I had originally wanted to go running after class, but it was late and I had errands I wanted to run, so I went to pick up some stocking stuffers instead. I also started #12daysoffitness cumulative circuit. It's kinda fun so far. Day 1 was only a plank.

Friday night I went to Ashtanga Yoga for the second time ever. I really like most of it, but some of the poses are just not cool with me. For example, my arms don't fit in the spaces between my legs when in full lotus. No way. AND there's another pose that I just am not meant to do... it's called urdhva padmasana. Friday night it F-d up my neck. We're not friends.

Saturday afternoon hubs and I went to the gym. I was a little worried about my neck and didn't really want to do anything, but once we got there and I got on the treadmill, I was feeling better and I just decided to go for it. I ran 3 miles and danced my heart out as I ran. I ended up having a lot of fun. Didn't hurt my neck at all. Yay!

How was your week? How are your workouts fitting in with holiday madness?

Currently; December 2013

Whelp, it's December. Last "currently" post of the year. Panda and I went on a fun hike with my mom, big sis and all the other pups on the 1st. Panda definitely thought it was the most amazing thing ever.

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
Finally getting back into Lost at Sea, which I am loving. It's a compilation of short stories/articles - beginning with an interview with the Insane Clown Posse. Interest = captured. I also have a growing list of books I mean to read.

Watching...
OHMYGOOOOOSH! So, I knew about who was gonna die in the mid-season finale on Walking Dead, but I still didn't want to see it. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
In other news; Secret Princes. If you haven't already, please get in on that. It's TOO amazing.
I'm still marathoning Bones in my free time. I'm in season 5. It's getting a little annoying, but I like seeing how they bring in characters.
AND I signed up for a free month of Amazon Prime, so I've decided to watch Sherlock. Not disappointing, in fact, pretty amazing. Benedict Cumberbatch is unbelievably talented... even if his name makes me giggle.

How to Use a Foam Roller

Howdy friends! I hope you all are having a great time gearing up for the rest of the holiday season. A little while back, I wrote this post about foam rolling and how it really helped me with my leg pain after I ran my half marathon. A blogger friend of mine saw my post on instagram and had all kinds of questions about how to use a foam roller. When I went to answer her, I realized it would be a lot easier if I made a little video and demonstrated how I used my foam roller.

This video is only 4 minutes long, so I obviously didn't cover everything - traps, for example, totally left those out - but if you have questions, please please ask me. The magic of the internet makes it super easy for me to get you all the information you need!

Yoga Photo Challenge; Week 1 Recap!

I am so so thrilled with the response I am getting for my photo challenge! I wanted to take a few minutes as we completed each week and share the incredible photos people are posting. Mine are in here too! It's a challenge for me, as well, after all!

Fitness Things; I Ran a (third) 10K

Saturday, December 7, 2013, my good friend Katye and I got up long before the crack of dawn and drove our little selves down to Santa Monica to run 6.2 miles in the Santa Monica to Venice Christmas 10K.

First, let's all just take a minute to appreciate my awesome race day outfit - the hat I got at Target the night before, 49ers jersey from my loving husband, and amazing red tights I borrowed from my big sis. I felt a little like the ghost of Christmas football. If that's a thing. ALSO, it's been COLD, so I'm totally wearing my favorite Zella live-in compression leggings underneath the red ones.

Mile 1
I felt like I was moving at a good clip, but everyone was passing me. I also felt like I had a lot of rust to shake off, so that first mile was actually kind of hard. I committed to myself that I would keep my pace as long as I could and before I knew it, the mile marker showed up and I started mile 2...

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 49

Sunday I went on a pretty decent hike with my mom and my sister. It was about an hour and a half, but I don't know exactly how far we went. I wore my heart rate monitor, so I know I burned just over 400 calories.

Monday I was exhausted. No reason for it either - just freaking tired. I think I wore myself out emotionally over stupid stuff. By the end of the day, I was fine, but still not motivated to go to the gym, so I did some pushups and situps, some free weights in the living room. Not a huge workout, but at least it was something. I even did some yoga in front of my Christmas tree. :)

Tuesday I jogged - like I'd told myself I would do on Monday, but was too tired. I only did 3 miles. I was kinda in a funky mood, plus I had a little cramping in my right ribs, so I didn't do 4 miles like I'd planned. I decided that I definitely needed to get back outside and run so I could just go at a natural pace and stop when I get where I'm going, not when I just don't feel like it anymore.

Wednesday! Power Yoga! I needed it after I neglected to stretch after my run on Tuesday. My IT band was going cray-zay. Unfortunately, yoga did not solve all of my problems. There are only so many poses that target that part of your leg and if there is one spot that's killing you, you may not get to it in a led class.

Let's talk about Thursday though - for reals. I put a gym bag together for myself on Wednesday night. Deodorant, hair goop, makeup and a change of clothes. I got up at 6:15, put on my workout clothes and trotted downstairs to drive my butt out to the Bu for my planned 6 mile run. Panda was pumped. It was a day to play at, her friend, Blue's house. AND THEN...
... the garage door motor was busted. I went downstairs to open the garage to *click*click* instead of the sound of the garage door opening. The next hour was spent making phone calls and sending texts. Our garage door mechanism is so old, the lever is stuck so someone stronger than I am needed to unstick it. Tim's installing a new motor this weekend, but Thursday morning I had to call my parents to come pick me up so I could borrow their car to get to work. No jogging for me... and kind of a big chunk of money to spend on a new garage door motor. Happy Christmas. Life. Happening.

Friday I cleaned my house... because it was a huge freaking mess. I don't even know how it happened, but I was overwhelmed by it, so I cleaned it.

and Saturday I ran in the Santa Monica to Venice Christmas Run 10K. It went great and I am super happy. I'll have a whole separate post about that.

How was your week?

Just for Fun; Family Photos

Hubs and I were apart on Thanksgiving this year. I would normally enlist a family member to snap a few quick shots of us with the pup outside before dinner, but this year since we were in two different places, that was not an option.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 48

Thanksgiving week! How was your Thanksgiving? I taught all the classes in the universe this week while battling a cold. It was crazy week.

Sunday I did my 9 sun salutations, but I didn't have any mommies and babies to teach, so I took Cardio Barre. We had a sub, but it was still packed, which was nice and also a pain - just because 3 people to a bar stinks.

Monday I felt great when I did my 9 sun salutations. Then I did a "juice cleanse". I put it in quotes because by 3 sips into my 4th juice, I was ready to throw them all out. I was heavy and tired and had a headache looming I knew would only get worse... and it did. By 7pm, I was laying on the living room floor, having had only 2 more sips of juice since I'd left work at 445, and everything hurt - my brain, my bones, my muscles and tendons. I ate half a wrap I had leftover from Sunday and spent the rest of the evening trying and trying not to throw it up. No workout happened.

Tuesday I put my 9 sun salutations off until the evening. In fact, I was in my pajamas when that happened, but I did manage to get myself into the studio and onto the mat for Power Yoga. It was a really hard class - probably harder still because I was battling a cold. She had us do a ton of core work.

Wednesday was kinda cray. I worked a full day and taught 2 classes. My honey and I went out for Chinese that night. First night of Hanukkah and all, it felt appropriate. I don't feel bad about it at all.

Thanksgiving Thursday I taught bright and early and then took yoga class a few minutes away because I still have a Groupon I need to use! I actually did a lot of the class with them in the morning. I just didn't really hold things. I opted to walk around and check form, which was spot on for the most part. I was impressed.

Friday I got up and felt like crap. I didn't even eat that badly on Thursday. I had one plate, one cookie, and one piece of pie. No snacking! I did have a couple glasses of champagne though. :P I brushed my teeth (which helped a ton) and then opted to drive instead of bike to Cardio barre because it was threatening to rain. I was/am still getting over a bit of a cold, so every stretch in the beginning of class felt amazing and terrible. There was no getting around it though.

Saturday I got up earlyish and took power yoga! It was a challenge. I was achey and a little stuffy, so I held back appropriately when I needed to.

I'm hoping to get back to working my butt off in the gym this coming week.

How was yours?

Yoga Photo Challenge! Official Fancy Pants Announcement!

Oh, hey, guys...

The day has come. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is the first day of my first ever photo challenge. I hope so much that you'll get your cameraphones out, get on your mats and participate in my photo challenge. I am so so excited. 

And now, in a very official and fancy pants capacity, I bring you, the PROMPTS for my December Yoga Photo Challenge!

Look it over. Ponder your options. Use my prep posts as inspiration. That's what they're there for, and if you find yourself stuck, Google! Google all the googling you can handle!

Warriors
Inversions
Back bends & One Legged Balance
Babies, Arm Balances, & Hip Openers

I do realize there are some poses in the prompt that I did not cover in my photo challenge. For example, Eagle, Right Angle, and Lotus.
For these, you can ASK ME ANYTHING or use the magic of the Internets. I believe in you. ;)

If I haven't said it enough, I am so excited for this photo challenge. I hope you will participate. Get on instagram and tag me @calyssajean, use the hashtag #agyogachallenge. You can also post your photos right onto my facebook page! and use the hashtag! because they work on facebook now too!

Happy yoga-ing!

Photo Challenge Inspiration 4

Today we're talking about babies and arm balances... and baby arm balances (also some hip openers, because why not?)
This is also my last photo challenge inspiration post. There are so many (feels like zillions) of yoga poses that you can do. If you find yourself stumped on any prompt next month, I HIGHLY encourage you to Google.

Did I just tell you without telling you that one of my chosen photo prompts is baby? Yes I did. All of these next poses totally fall into that category.

Kitchen Adventures; Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies... with Chili Powder

I feel like I've been away from my kitchen adventures for so long! I've been on a pretty big cookie making kick lately. The last three weekends in a row I've been testing cookie recipes.

I'm still pretty new to gluten free baking, and since we cut most carbs out of our diet I have been doing less and less baking in general. It's been tough, but a few weeks ago I was having dinner at my grandparents and my grandma, who was recently diagnosed with Celiac's, brought out a box of gluten free lemon wafer cookies for dessert.
My aunt - a hardcore whole food ally - cringed and jokingly gave her a hard time about buying "processed junk from a box".

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 47

Taught mommy & baby, did a lot of abs and squats

Monday I decided to take the Body Pump class at the gym. It killed my shoulders and my glutes. The next day they were crying, but I was so happy I did it.

Tuesday I decided to start my 108 sun salutations, so I did 9 as soon as I got home from work, followed by P90X2 Plyocide. I somehow let myself forget how hard that is. Whoooooo!

Wednesday I got up and did my 9 sun salutations. That night I met my very good friends new baby and didn't have time to workout. It was totally and completely worth it.

Thursday morning 9 sun salutations were done. I can't believe how much they are helping me wake up and energize for the day. That night I did some solo practice, ended up doing a bit too much without warming up enough and tweaked my neck. Yes, you can totally do that. That night I couldn't do much by way of moving around, turning my head, getting up, etc, but I iced it and then took a hot shower, did a few minutes with the neck massager my honey got me for Christmas a couple years ago, and slept fine. When I woke up, it felt a lot better but I was still in pain.

Friday night we saw Catching Fire, which was perfect timing for me since I didn't feel like I could do much exercise with my neck the way it was. I did do my 9 sun salutations in the morning though.

Saturday we talked about exercise, but hubs was sick and I was completely unmotivated. I'm not proud. That day I did 9 sun salutations and we took Panda to the park.

How was your week?

Posing on Friday; Sun Salutation

Howdy! Happy Friday, y'all!
A while back I posted a little video of myself doing a basic sun salutation. It was kinda gross. I looked gross. The video quality was bad. There was no music or editing whatsoever. So, the other day, when I got the amazing idea to do 108 sun salutations in 12 days, I decided to take the old video down. Even though it had been up for a while, I didn't want people using it for reference.

I still want you do be able to do sun salutations if you want to join in, so I've put together a slightly more well thought out video for you to use as reference. I demonstrate 3 difference options for sun salutaions, AND since there's no talking or text in the video, you can use the following blurb as a guide to what's going on.

1. Half Sun Salutation - Inhale arms up, exhale fold, inhale halfway to a flat back, exhale fold, inhale reverse swan dive with a flat back to standing with arms overhead, exhale arms down at your sides.
2. Sun Salutation A (Easy Option) - Inhale arms up, exhale fold, inhale halfway to a flat back, exhale bend your knees, plant your hands and walk the feet back to plank, exhale lower slowly through chutarunga all the way to the floor, release the toes, inhale into sphinx, exhale turn the toes under, lift the hips into downward facing dog, inhale high on the toes, exhale bend the knees and walk the feet up in between the palms, inhale halfway to a flat back, exhale fold, inhale reverse swan dive with a flat back to standing with arms overhead, exhale arms down at your sides.
3. Sun Salutation A (Advanced Option) - Inhale arms up, exhale fold, inhale halfway to a flat back, exhale bend your knees, plant your hands and float the feet back to chutarunga with your elbows bent, release the toes, inhale into upward facing dog, exhale turn the toes under, lift the hips into downward facing dog, inhale high on the toes, exhale bend the knees and float the feet up in between the palms, inhale halfway to a flat back, exhale fold, inhale reverse swan dive with a flat back to standing with arms overhead, exhale arms down at your sides.

I only did sphinx and updog in the video, but you can also do cobra in place of either. 

As always, I'm here for you if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

Photo Challenge Inspiration 3

Happy Wednesday, friends! Today we are talking about backbends and one legged balance poses!

We have A TON of poses to cover this week, so I'm gonna cut down the descriptions a little bit in favor of key words.

Shall we get started back bends!?

108 Sun Salutations

I remember reading about this last year when I was in my teacher training. The sacred number 108. 108 beads on a mala. 108 repetitions of a mantra in meditation. Always numerals of 108 - 54, 27, 9, etc.

I'm not gonna go into a super lot of detail - mostly because I'd feel like I was plagiarizing - but this post on the Elephant Journal explains all of the different roots of why 108 is considered sacred, among them...

... the Sun's diameter is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.

... there are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet (54 x 2 = 108)

and

... the heart chakra is said to be the point where 108 lines of energy converge in the subtle body. (And you know I love me some heart chakra talk)

So, what do we do with this information? Whatever you like. I am not here to dictate anything, but what have I chosen to do with this information? I have chosen to connect myself to the number 108 through my asana practice (the physical practice of yoga)

Starting easily enough...

... 9 sun salutations every morning for 12 days in a row.

Why break it up into 9 and 12, and why morning? A few reasons:

1. Finishing at the end of November means I'll be inspired and ready for zero overlap into my photo challenge. 
2. 9 seems like a friendly place to start. It takes about 30 seconds to do a sun salutation A (give or take a few seconds), so it'll be easy to dedicate 5 minutes when I first wake up in the morning. 
3. Sun salutations are a fantastic way to wake yourself up. They get blood flowing through your entire body, help you stretch, lengthen, and energize for the day!

Then what? Then we'll play it by ear. For now I mean the Royal We, but I'd love for you to join me!
What do you think? Leave me a note in the comments if you want to give it a shot! I'd love to know who else wants to try.

Then maybe We ;) can do 108 all in a row to ring in 2014!

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 46

Sunday I got up early and taught my mommy & baby yoga class. Then we finished painting the bedroom. I am so happy with how big and open the room looks now. It's incredble.

Monday night I did a quick 2 mile jog on the treadmill before coming home to clean up and then heading back out to teach. I did most of the class with them, which felt amazing, but also made it kind of hard to teach since I was out of breath when I'd try to verbalize instructions. Oh well, learning experience.

Tuesday I was not sure what I wanted to do for exercise because the yoga class I like had a sub (which is totally cool, but I wasn't feeling like adjusting to a new instructor that night), and then I remembered Total Fit Body at the gym! We did A TON of squats and lunges. It was great, but the next day my quads and glutes weren't shy about reminding me.

Wednesday night I was back in the studio for Power Yoga.

Thursday night I taught my beginner class, did most of the class with them, and then hung out in the studio for a little bit and tried some new poses on my own.

Friday I took my very first Ashtanga class ever! It was incredibly challenging. Our teacher was great though, the girl next to me was pretty new to yoga in general and I was new to Ashtanga, so he came out to help us whenever we needed it.

Saturday we got our new bed delivered, so while I had the new sheets in the wash, we ran out to the gym. Hubs lifted weights and I jumped on the treadmill and ran 4 miles before stretching a ton and finishing up with quick plank.

How was your week?

Sweat Equity - The Last Room; Part 1

I don't know why I decided to title this post like I did. The work we've done on our home hasn't been part of any particular series on my blog, but the bedroom is going to be broken up into a couple of chunks - not sure how many yet since in order to complete the upstairs we'll need to 1) rip out and redo the master bath sink area (separate from the toilet and shower, which are done already), 2) redo the railings throughout the house, and finally 3) swap out these laminate floors for carpet. Aaaand part of my husband's plan right now for (at least) the bathroom will not involve me, so I'll just pop in to document his work.

Shall we get started then? Would you like to see what our bedroom walls looked like before?

Photo Challenge Inspiration 2

 It's time for our second inspiration post! Have I told you how excited I am for this photo challenge? I'm getting you ready. I'm going to have so much fun taking the pictures for these prompts and I want to make sure you have fun too!

This week we are talking about inversions... *cough cough* maybe a prompt *cough cough*

Just so we are all on the same page though, I want you to know that there are SO MANY ways to get upside down without being in a headstand or handstand. An inversion is any pose where you are even a little bit upside down. So... forward fold? Inversion. Downward dog? Totally inverted.

So, let's talk about these poses, shall we?

Currently; November 2013

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
Umm... this is embarrassing... I haven't been reading much. Recipes count, right?. I've been reading a ton of recipes for gluten free cookies. My grandma was just diagnosed with Celiac's, so I told her I would make her some gluten free cookies for Thanksgiving. I put a call out on facebook requesting favorite GF cookie recipes and got some great responses. So far I've tried two and one is definitely in the lead. I'm excited to try more, which means more recipe reading instead of book reading. 

Watching...
Walking Dead (and Talking Dead). 
We also just marathon-ed the first two seasons of Hell on Wheels. Probably should have waited on doing that since season 3 JUST aired and now we have to wait (we don't even know how long) before it's up on Netflix. 
And I'm still watching all the old episodes of Bones when I have free time. 

Listening to...
Everything I can get my hands on, but I am kind of over a lot of my running songs, so I need a major revamp on my ipod shuffle playlist. I put some Fitz and the Tantrums on there, some Arctic Monkeys, and OF COURSE some Katy Perry. It's better, but I need to keep cycling in new music. 

Struggling with...
Motivation. It's just barely cold enough outside that I don't want to leave my house. I want to snuggle up under a blanket and stay there all day every day. 

Eating...
This weekend hubs made pulled pork shoulder while I made slaw and cornbread and we had a solid Southern meal for College Football Saturday. I also made two mini batches of gluten free cookies (see above)  and we ate all of them. So... technically still gluten free... except for the corn bread. 

Planning...
Ways to spice up our now bland looking walls. I tell ya, when your bedroom walls are bright red, the last thing you think about is how bare they look and how badly they need some wall decor. Now that they're beige, all I see is empty space on the walls! So, I've got some ideas - a nice bed frame, a painting, some photos. I've also got a ton of pictures of the painting process from this weekend, so I'll have a post about that soon! :)

Excited for...
OUR NEW BED IS COMING ON SATURDAY! We just repainted the bedroom this weekend and we specifically scheduled the new bed to be delivered with enough time to paint, SO this week is our last week in the queen. Cray.  

Teaching...
Twice a week - beginner flow and mommy & baby. I'm subbing a lot more and I even booked my first class at Spectrum Club. It'll be on Thanksgiving at 830am, so if you're a Spectrum CP member and want to come hang out and take my class, now is the tiiiime! 

Inspired by...
Freaking elephants, man. My parents just got back from Africa. I was looking through their pictures the other night and was absolutely floored. I could have stared at the elephant pictures forever. 

What are you up to lately?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 45

Really quick, can we just note that there are only 7 weeks left in 2013?

That's all about that.

Let's talk workouts and things.

Sunday AND Monday I went to Cardio Barre. I haven't gone so often lately and Monday night that told me I still have 15 classes left, so I need to get on using those.
I also went to the gym with my hubby after class on Sunday, but didn't do much. I did some one arm clean and jerks and some walking on the treadmill, but I was tired from my earlier workout, so I wimped out.
And Monday after cardio barre, I taught class, which I ended up doing most of with them.

Tuesday I had a meeting in the afternoon and dinner at my grandparents' later, so I fit a jog in the middle. I needed to get my mileage back up since my next 10K is only a month away! I decided to take on the challenge of bringing Panda along on my run. We went to the park and did 5 laps, which comes out to 3.2 miles. Panda wanted to say hi to everyone, especially the other dogs. I had front clasp harness on her so she was easier to control, but I still had to put all my weight into tugging her away from other dogs - especially since all the small ones want to do it pick a damn fight. Small dogs, man...

Wednesday night I went on a Cardio Barre adventure. It was my first time doing back to back classes - first advanced, then beginner. It was tough, but taking beginner after advanced was almost refreshing - like, oh, look how slow and leisurely I get to move.

Thursday night I taught. I did almost the whole class with them. I also counted the box moving my sister and I did at work that day as exercise.

Friday I took Power Yoga and ran 4 miles. Yoga was a really slow moving class with challenging poses, but I didn't feel like I got a good calorie burn so I decided to hit the gym with  the hubs and get in a run.

And Saturday we started painting the bedroom... so that was my exercise.

Photo Challenge Inspiration 1

Happy Wednesday, y'all! I am so excited to get the ball rolling for this photo challenge!
I don't know if you noticed, but in the first/last post I did to announce my photo challenge, I made a lot of promises. It wasn't until after I posted it that I realized how much work I'd made for myself.

There are 31 days in December. So, now, not only do I have to prep 31 photo prompts for you, my lovely yogis, (which is actually really easy and fun) but I need to inspire you and get you into yoga poses you can do, by offering all the modifications both to make them easier AND harder.

Because sometimes I am going to tell you what pose to do and it'll be up to you to choose the variation, but other times, I am going to give you an attribute that a lot of poses have, and you can choose your favorite pose that has this attribute - like "back bend", "one leg", or "warrior"

So, for this first inspiration post, I am going to offer you a mini breakdown of all the Warriors, what they are, and some key words to help you decide if and when you want to try them out.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 44

Sunday I was back at the studio teaching Sunday Sunshine Flow in the afternoon. I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house and running laundry. We'd had friends over the night before and a magical fairy did some cleaning before going home - which I am eternally grateful for.

Monday I took a vacay day and basically followed my friend and fitness instructor, Chelsea, around to all her classes. I took Cardio Barre in the morning and then Fit Ballet Body at Equinox in the afternoon. My butt was thoroughly kicked.

Tuesday night I returned to the WHAC for Total Fit Body Workout with the lovely Karen.

Wednesday night I was the lucky recipient of a brutal headache. I rested up and took something for it, but I missed yoga, so I went down to my car to get my fancy mat and did yoga in the living room. It wasn't my best at home practice, but it was something - and it helped me feel better.

Thursday night no one came to yoga because it was 7pm on Halloween. These things happen. So, I went to the gym and ran 3 miles. It felt really good, but I need to start running longer distances again. My next 10K is only a month away now.

Friday I met a friend for wine. No exercising happened after that.

Saturday - I cleaned our room to the point of sparkliness so I could take before pictures for our upcoming bedroom revamp (paint and a new bed), and I cleaned the living room. The kitchen, dining area, and guestroom are still a mess - as is the area outside our bedroom because that's where I put my husband's clothes instead of putting them away.

How was your week?

Yoga Photo Challenge

Alright my beautiful readers, of which I know there are at least a handful and I am so grateful to and for you every day I log on to my blog, I have a question for you.

Kind of.

I post a lot of pictures of yoga and yoga related things on my instagram. (It's private, but all you have to do is request to follow me and you're gold) I know a good amount of you see my pictures, sometimes like them, sometimes just pass by, but don't really post your own yoga pictures - and that's cool. I'm learning that most of you have an appreciation for yoga, but don't really do much of it yourselves or are trying to do more.

One of my core beliefs in yoga is that

yoga is for everyone,

no matter your size, shape or abilities. Yoga should and will conform to you, you do not have to change yourself to be able to do yoga. No legs behind heads, no split doing ability. You don't need to be able to stand on one leg. Heck, you don't even need to be able to stand!

My goal in this is to inspire you. I want you to stop thinking about doing yoga and get up and do it! Your body will thank you!

That's why I've decided to do a photo challenge. Throughout the month of November, I'll be getting ready for it - coming up with my photo prompts, giving you some inspiration posts to refer back to, and a TON of modifications so that you can take yoga to your level.

I'll have the official prompt up and ready for you by the end of the month.

I hope you'll follow along here, as well as Alyssa Gohn Yoga, and post your pictures on instagram, twitter, and facebook!

... and maybe I'll have a special prize for participants at the end... maybe.

Kitchen Adventures; Mulled Apple Cider

Getting into the holiday spirit, this past weekend we had some friends over for wine and pumpkin carving.

I got a little bit excited about the fall. Last time we went to Costco I bought the giant pack of apples SPECIFICALLY to use for cider.

Not to mention I was dying to dip into the mulling spices I picked up at Penzey's the weekend before. They're not paying me. I just have a huge crush on this place.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 43

Sunday we drove back from San Diego and were exhausted. So, nada on the workout front.

Monday I taught Power Yoga, and then took 1/2 yoga at the new studio I found last week. I did Pincha away from the wall for the first time EVER. It felt pretty incredible.

Tuesday I taught Power Yoga again - in the morning this time - but then took Power Yoga in the evening. I'm so happy I've had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time on my mat in a classroom setting lately. It's so inspiring and helps me feel good.

Wednesday I had the day off of exercise. I met one of my oldest friends for drinks and a little catch up session. I'm so glad we reconnected. Hooray friends!

Thursday I was back at the studio to teach Power Yoga in the morning, then again Beginner Flow in the evening. After class I hopped on over to the gym and ran a mile.

Friday  morning I taught again - Hatha Yoga this time. In the evening, I hit the gym and just did a quick 3 mile run on the treadmill. It wiped me out, but I did manage some ab work and pushups. I was so tired.

Saturday morning, hubs and I went to the gym early. I ran 3 miles again - just over, actually - but I've been trying to push myself and pick up the speed, so by the time I get to 3 miles, I am beat. When I run my next 10K in December, it will definitely be slower, but I like that I'm running faster - even if it is only on the treadmill.

Oh, also, this photo is from Saturday night. Some friends and I had thought a little acroyoga would be a fun challenge... and challenge, it was.

Sorry I got this one up so late! How was your week? Get any good workouts in?

Kitchen Adventures; Baked Apple Oatmeal for One

I eat breakfast alone weekday mornings. Ever since last Fall, when I started getting up earlier for my leisurely mornings, I've been making myself a small, simple breakfast, coffee or tea, and taking a few moments for myself. Tim gets up and leaves much earlier than I do in the morning, but even if he were home, he would opt to sleep over having breakfast. That's his peaceful time.

Lately, I've been making a lot of oatmeal for myself, and even more recently, I started topping it with fresh fruit - banana, strawberries, blackberries. Well, this particular morning, I was fresh out of those. I had some apples, but I wasn't feeling the cold crunchiness of the apple with oatmeal.

So, instead of waiting until the very last to make my breakfast, I went downstairs after brushing my teeth and started my oatmeal early so I could bake it and finish getting ready while it was in the oven.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 42

This week was kind of weird - having to readjust to working out post sickness. I tried to ease my way in as much as possible.

Sunday we went to the gym. I fully intended to just walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes, but I got a leeeetle antsy, and ended up running a mile in there somewhere. It felt really good, but not good enough to run further than a mile. Easing myself in, remember?

Monday and Tuesday were weird. With the October 15th tax deadline, I found myself working late and getting home exhausted. So, Monday I got home and 7 and plopped myself on the couch. Really healthy, active day (no, not really), and Tuesday I got to the gym late, but decided to push myself and ran 4 miles at 6mph. It was hard. I was totally beat. I went into it thinking I would run 5 miles, but by 3.5, I knew there was no way I could make it another mile after I finished the next two laps, so I slowed down at 4 and walked the next 10 minutes.

Wednesday night I tried a new yoga studio. I bought a LivingSocial deal a little while back and I activated it just barely in time. I now have 10 classes to use in the next three months, and I will definitely be using them. It was a Level 1/2 Heated class, but it was a small class of pretty experienced yogis, so it ended up just being a lot of fun. They really took a lot of seriousness out of the practice and we just played for an hour and a half - tried new poses, helped each other out. It was great. I'm excited to go back and try more classes there.

Thursday night I was back in my class for teaching.

Friday night I ate too much and didn't work out. I'm ok with that.

Saturday I did a 4 mile adventure run from my in-laws. I don't love running, but I am a huge fan of how I feel after a run. It's amazing.

How was your week?

Kitchen Adventures; Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

You know I was sick last week, right? I vitamined and juiced and fluided (totally not words) it up like crazy and I really only had one day when I couldn't take three steps without needing my box of tissues. By Sunday, I was ready to tackle the gym again, and ready to get back in the kitchen. So, that's exactly what I did.

There was a request for cookies, so cookies it was... sshhh, don't tell him I wanted to make cookies anyway...

Currently; October 2013

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
I finished rereading Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. Then I set a date to see the movie with my friend... and it was only in two theaters, both unfriendly distance from us. Sad day. So, we're gonna wait until its out on DVD and rent it, I guess.
I'm looking for some book suggestions for the fall! If you've read any good books lately, let me knooooow! I have The Count of Monte Cristo hanging out on my Kindle saying "read me, read me", but I'm in the mood for something a little lighter, ya know? I also just downloaded Lost at Sea, after listening to the most recent This American Life podcast.

Watching...
Dexter is over... and the end was... disappointing. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
Breaking Bad is over and the end was completely satisfying. Thank you, AMC.
What I'm watching now? Oh... Walking Dead... because it's back. TEHEHEHEHEEEE! Also Bob's Burgers. If you're not on that train, seriously, get on it because Bob's Burgers rocks my world. Mostly because of the kids.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 41

Happy Sunday, y'all. This week is kind of depressing to be one of my workouts. Sorry about that. I was sick about have the week.

Sunday we had this plan to get out to the gym around 3 and do cardio sunday... but I totally fell asleep.

Monday I had a cupcake date with my favorite preggo girlfriend. I thought I would go home and do P90X, but I got knocked out by a killer headache and ended up spending most of my evening on the couch.

Tuesday - another girl date - this time for wine. Basically since wine was involved, it meant no working out. Oh well.

On Wednesday I went to Power Yoga. It was awesome to get back on my mat in a class setting - just be a robot and have someone tell me what to do. I've been doing a lot of stuff on my own lately and it's really nice to be back in class.

Thursday morning I woke up with a little bit of the sniffles. I decided to get a sub for my class. I spend the evening on the couch watching old episodes of Bones... like ya do.

Friday my sniffles were a full on cold. No breathing out of the nose for me. And I've learned the hard way not to workout when I think I'm getting sick, so I opted to take it easy. I had some work errands to do and I spotted the Pressed Juicery truck across the street, so I ran over and got the low-down on what I should drink to get healthy faster, AND its pretty yummy too.

Saturday was another round of rest for me. I did manage a little gardening. Woot.

How was your week?

Some days

Yesterday a relatively new friend of mine posted this in her status on facebook,

Everyday I wake up I feel completely different. Nothing is ever guaranteed and I don't say this from a bitter place. I say it because it's true. It's my truth. Some days you have to work a little harder to realize that Life is good. You may not know where you're going or what you're doing but there are still things to Appreciate. I needed to hear this, so I share it.

Some days you have to work a little harder to realize that Life is good.

Appreciate.

I'm surrounded by some amazing, smart, and inspiring people.

Be Happy.

Kitchen Adventures; Pesto Genovese

Last year, on an Italian vacation with my family, hubs and I took a day trip up to Genoa. Part of the reason we went up there was because a few days earlier we'd read in a guide book that Genoa was the birthplace of, not only Genoa Salami, but pesto.

It was settled as soon as we'd read it. Our itinerary "free day" would be spent taking the two hour train ride West, from Milan to Genoa, where we would adventure and eat pesto.

Kitchen Adventures; Coconut Maple Bourbon Granola

A little while back, I went a little nutso at Trader Joe's and bought a ton of nuts. Too many nuts. More nuts than I or we were eating.
I somehow managed to finish the cashews, but the almonds and sunflower seeds were taunting me... and on a separate note, I needed something to liven up my goat milk yogurt in the morning. Then I had an epiphany. I WOULD MAKE GRANOLA!

I would say I'm never buying granola again, but that would be a lie. I will probably still buy granola, but I am super happy that I can make it myself. I'm excited to try some new varieties!
It's so stinking easy.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 40

Happy October, y'all! I know everyone's said it already, but I really cannot believe it's already October. Wasn't it July yesterday?

Now that it's cooling down some, I've been taking some of my workouts back home with my favorite workout dvds. (yay) It gets crazy hot in our house and I don't like to blast the A/C when I can just go to the gym.

Sunday, we recommenced our new tradition; Cardio Sunday. Slept in, went to the gym, ran 3 miles on the treadmill, 30 minutes on the recumbent bicycle, 30 minutes of elliptical, and then epic foam rolling. I cannot emphasize enough how much better I've been feeling since I hit my IT band with the foam roller. It's changed my world. I'm still kind of surprised.

Monday night I almost crashed on the couch and caught up on my DVR'd episodes of Bones - which are so so bad, btw, so so bad - but I watched for 20 minutes and then got my but up off the couch and popped X2 Total Body and X2 Ab Ripper into the DVD player. So glad I did. Even though I skipped the pull-ups sections, I still kept working out - usually pushups or flies or just something that would keep my upper body working.

Tuesday I was back at Cardio Barre. I felt amazing. I swear I had a little upturn to my lips the whole class. Every time I did something I had a hard time with last time I took class, I giggled to myself. It was still a sharp reminder that I am not 100 % back in my right leg, but I am so much further along now. It's really incredible. It makes me get a little misty eyed.

Wednesday I was all set to activate a yoga groupon I got a little while back, but I decided I didn't want to drive to Encino and instead I would go to the gym with my honey. I just did a quick 3 mile treadmill run and then got back to stretching out my legs.

Thursday night I taught my class. I was only away from it for a week, but it felt weird to be back - like I had been gone much longer than I really had been. After I taught, I made a quick run over to the gym and just did 30 minutes on the elliptical. I tried to push myself, but I was feeling a little lethargic that night, so it was hard to get my motivation up.

Friday I got stuck at work late and by the time I'd gotten home and changed, I lost my motivation. So, I ate a healthy dinner and called it a night.

Saturday we headed to the gym around noon. I did a 3 mile run on the treadmill and then about 40 minutes of yoga in the empty studio. I could have kept going, but when hubs came in and told me he was done, I realized how tired I was too and we went home.

How was your week?

Just FYI, this month my friend Jenai (also a yoga teacher) is hosting a yoga photo challenge on instagram. I decided to do it, so for most of the rest of the month, I'll probably be using those pictures for my yoga/workout recap posts. :) This first one is Day 3; One Leg

Aloha; A Little Maui Recap

Welcome back to me! Haha, you probably know I spent most of last week on a Hawaiian vacation with my family. As beautiful and inspiring as it was, it was bittersweet leaving my honey at home. I spent a good amount of time wishing he was there with me.

I did still manage to have a good time though, and I've put together a little photo journal for you.

Happy in Real Life

Soo... I'm back to my normal Thursday shenanigans of not planning my be happy post until the day of!

Truth is, I've been on a little bit of an emotional roller coaster lately - struggling with my own self worth and my choices. I got back from my vacation, was thrown back into the real world, and remembered that life is not a beach blanket and a good book. WHAT? I know, ridiculous. It totally should be.

I haven't even been home for a week, but I have been swamped with all the everyday life stuff and more.

I guess the be happy linkup is just what I needed though. To get me back to being thankful and full of love. Truth is, I've got so many good things going on right now. I just needed to remember.
This is kind of a lame teaser post. I'm really excited about some things that are in the works, but I'm not ready to share them with you yet. So, that's what this post is about.  There are meetings and things that need to happen before sharing.

Tehehe.

Remember this is a linkup! Be sure to follow the links and check out these other amazing ladies' happiness journeys!

Foam Roller to the Rescue

Y'all know I was having some knee trouble, right? Every since I ran my half marathon, I had some pretty regular discomfort behind my right knee - sometimes in the calf, sometimes in my hamstring, but always behind the knee. No big deal, I thought, I'll just keep doing my yoga and I'll stretch it out and heal it, right? Wrong.

Since high school I've had undiagnosed hip and leg pain. I even saw a doctor for it once, but because we couldn't figure out where the source of the pain was, they didn't even know where to look. I ended up working with my chiropractor aunt on stretches and things I could do at home to prevent and alleviate.
Then when I started doing yoga all the time, I stopped noticing leg pain. I never even knew what stretches were helping - only that I was active, doing yoga, and not hurting anymore.

Then my shiny new injury limited the amount and depth of the stretching I could do. Normal stretches I used to relieve and pain in my hips, legs and low back, I couldn't get into all the way because of my knee.

Now lets rewind a little bit again... (imagine rewind sound effects)

I'm a P90X fan. I've done both P90X and X2, and while I was doing X2, I invested in a little gadget called a foam roller. This is the one I bought (because they're majorly overpriced and I didn't want pay $40 for a piece of foam). I mostly used it to roll out my calves and middle back. Since I was so active with my regular yoga and stretching, I didn't feel like I needed it much.

Then this weekend at the gym, about halfway through cardio Sunday, I had an epiphany (or an 'apostrophe' for any fellow Hook lovers out there). Maybe I can work out this leg pain with a foam roller. So, I grabbed a mat and a roller (the gym has nicer ones than I have) and ducked into the empty workout studio.

I immediately went for my IT band. I didn't know for sure that it was the source of my pain, but it's helpful to give all your muscles a little foam roller love sometimes, so I went for it, and almost immediately I knew I was working the right place. I stayed on it for a good 10 minutes - finding points and letting the foam roller work its magic, essentially using my body weight against the roller to work out tension.

Later that night, sitting on the couch I noticed the lack of nagging discomfort in my right leg. Then just for the heck of it, I straightened my leg and grabbed my foot... just to see if I could, and I was astonished to find I had almost COMPLETE mobility back in my right leg. It's not all the way back to normal, but can I just say "Hallelujah Foam Roller!"? I am elated.

Foam rolling can be very uncomfortable. Let's just get that out of the way. You're finding tense points that need to be worked out hard. It's the equivalent of having a knot in your back and asking your friend to dig their elbow in there. The difference is that the foam roller wont slide out of place and elbow you in the rib. That's how you know you're working the right place - when you have to grit your teeth until the pain goes away. Ultimately, it should feel good though, so listen to your body and know your limits.

Have you ever tried foam rolling? Do you love it or hate it? :)