Guess who was up at 5:45 this morning to practice ashtanga for the first time since January?
Primary series with the sunrise. I was very surprised to discover that my body fell back into the practice with little resistance. Yes, some of the poses didn’t come as easily but overall it felt really good. For a year an a half I was extremely dedicated to ashtanga and self-practiced at least 2-3 times per week. Eventually I hope to return to that. For now, getting up and practicing today was a step in the right direction.
I was on top of things last night and made overnight oats so breakfast was easy this morning. Quick oats, Coach’s Oats, cinnamon, dried cranberries, plain Greek yogurt, vanilla soy milk, strawberries, blueberries and banana in an almond butter jar with jam on top.
And a quick overview of Monday…I taught an early morning BodyPump class at the Y and then headed into Metro to teach the midmorning circuit training class. It was pretty killer. 30 reps of 10 different exercises for a total of 300 reps in the workout.
I came home for lunch and made an open-faced veggie burger with mayo, mashed avocado, tomatoes, spinach, sprouts and pepperjack.
I worked for a few more hours at Metro and then when I couldn’t possibly sit any longer I took off for a run. Lucky for me, the club is located in my favorite area of town to run in so I enjoyed four miles with beautiful surroundings.
I taught hot class at Y2 and then came home and assembled dinner from the leftover grilled asparagus and Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend. I reheated the Harvest Blend and placed it over a bed of spinach and sprinkled it with feta. I sautéed baby portobello mushrooms with artichoke hearts and then added in the asparagus and placed that over the grain mixture. I finished it off with chopped kalamata olives and a spoonful of hummus and plain Greek yogurt. Such a great mix of flavors!
And now I’m off for a preview workout at FlyWheel. I haven’t been on a spin bike in years so this should be interesting to say the least. Full details to come later!
I need to get back into yoga. I can really feel a difference in my overall core when I practice even once a week.
Let me know how Flywheel turns out. I heard about the opening tomorrow night and wanted to check it out.
it was fun! you should definitely check it out for fun. they’re having free rides for the next couple of days. let me know if you need me to forward you the info!
Charma, kizmit and jinks… I sat down to catch up on the blogosphere after wrapping up my barre workout, with a jar of Trader Joe’s Almond Butter (Creamy with Sea Salt) in hand. Of course it’s full of overnight oats and bananas, and traces of almond butter. Your first photo of your breakfast made me do a double take!
love it! great minds think alike! 🙂
i heard good stuff about flywheel! enjoy!
Mm looks like a great mix of flavours in the salad. Can’t wait to eat lots of asparagus this spring/summer!
My friends from Wake just opened the Flywheel in Charlotte I think!! Steve and Lindsey Justice? I played soccer with Lindsey at WF (who I call Jaco, her maiden name)..if you see them tell them Bess says hi!!! She is pregnant now and they have the cutest lil girl already. Can’t wait to see how it goes 🙂
yep, i know them! we used to work together at another club. she is the cutest pregnant lady!
Hi, I came across your blog a couple of months ago and I just want you to know that, you never fail to inspire me. I used to regularly practice yoga but I went through a hard time last year and I just stopped. You inspired me to keep doing something I love. It’s improved my thinking so much since I started again. So thank you 🙂
tanya – so happy that you found me and are enjoying my blog! it means so much to me that you took the time to share with me about your practice and i’m glad that it’s having a positive effect on your life!
I love flywheel! I take classes in their chicago studio when I visit for work. To me there classes are different than a normal spin class. Much more intense and I love the little bit of weights at the end. Hope you enjoy – it is a nice little change from your normal routine 🙂
the class was fun and definitely different than any other spin class i’ve ever taken!
Hey! I’m an avid spinner and teach at Carmel Country Club. I went to Flywheel this morning too! Loved the studio, the bikes, and the class. That said, I’m not sure I would pay that much when we have so many opportunities to spin/cycle in Charlotte.
i loved the class too but agree with you on the pricing!
I did my own sunrise Yoga practice this morning too. I followed along with a DVD by Baron Baptise. It’s always a great way to start the day!
Is Fly Wheel a certification you can get, or is it just the name of the class at your gym?
yay for early morning yoga! impressed by your motivation to practice at home!
FlyWheel is a spin concept out of new york – they just opened a studio here in charlotte.
Awesome! We would all love for you to do more videos! Love the blog! 🙂
i know! i need to get on the videos – ASAP!
I’m so happy you’re “re-finding” yoga! I tried a couple of yoga classes on and off several years ago, but I don’t think I ever found a type that really spoke to me. Now, I’d love to get into yoga regularly, but I’m still at a loss as to which type will fit me best. I need something that is heavy on stretching and flexibility, balance and meditation (I feel like that’s a lot of them?), but I like to do strength training outside of yoga, so I don’t identify well with power yoga type classes. Do you have any advice in terms of yoga styles that might fit this, and be appropriate for a beginner? Thanks, Jen!
well, i’ve been good about taking power/hot classes but not so good about my personal ashtanga practice.
you might want to check out deep stretch, hatha and anusara style classes. let me know if you have any questions. happy to help!
I love the spin bike, my favourite cardio for sure! I never ever do yoga, I probably should though, you definitely inspire me to pick up yoga on the side!
i loathe it for some reason but man was it a good workout today! i was dripping with sweat.
Congrats on getting back into the swing of things ashtanga-wise. I haven’t been to yoga in months and it used to be something I couldn’t go a week without. The hardest part is getting started!! Thanks for the inspiration for getting my yoga back 🙂
get back on your mat!!!!!! you’ll “crave” it again in no time!
Good for you! I just started a 30 day yoga challenge today, except I’m not calling a challenge, but a healing journey instead since that’s really why I’m doing it. I’ve had a rough couple of weeks and I hope this helps to center me.
I wanted to share this b/c I thought of your kindness post. My yoga instructor ended class with this today…
Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today I will not be angry.
Just for today I will not worry.
Just for today I will do my work honestly.
Just for today I will be KIND to every living thing.
dana – i love the idea of calling it a healing journey and i hope that it provides whatever it is that you need right now.
thank you for sharing the words on kindness. beautiful!
Your breakfast makes me want to have that for dinner! Yum!
Ashtanga is something I’ve never delved into but also something that intrigues me. I’ve mainly been rooted in hatha. I do enjoy backbends and inversions, but I have short arms and legs which make binds (and arm balances) difficult. This morning I tried about 5 times to get into crow, a pose I’ve been trying for months, and almost broke my wrists every time.
Hi Jen,
This is totally unrelated but I really love your hair. I wondered if you straighten it/use special conditioners/shampoos/find the side bangs and part hard to do as I am considering trying the look. I tried to search for a hair post but didn’t find any but would love the deets!
Thanks for the link to overnight oats! They will go great with my overnight iced coffee… (Put french press with ground beans + cold water in the fridge overnight; the next morning, pour over ice—and a bit more cold water, depending on your caffeine tolerance—and go!)