First things first, thank you for all of your feedback on my BodyPump post. It is clear that you guys want more information on how to set up, choose weights and survive your first class. I am planning a follow up post with all of that information in the next few days! Promise.
Regarding the title of this post, for the past few days I have found myself writing everything down. My goals for 2011 (which I know I haven’t shared yet, I’m on the fence), notes on things to remember to prepare for yoga teacher training, my to do list at work, even our menu for the week. Writing things down on paper has just felt good lately. I’ve always been a pen and paper list maker and used to religiously write in a journal. Blogging has helped me reclaim the love for documenting my days and where I am in life.
Today I picked up a journal/notebook for yoga teacher training. No matter how tired I am or how busy I get, I want to document my feelings as I go through the training. I will be sharing a lot of it with you guys on the blog but I’m sure things will come up that I will want to remember for myself.
Speaking of teacher training. Look what arrived today.
My required reading – I’ve already started The Heart of Yoga and I know I’m going to love it!
Changing directions. Wednesdays are always my “sleep in” days with no early morning workouts so I enjoyed sleeping until 7:15 this morning. I actually skipped working out all together because I pulled a muscle in my low back yesterday. I do not mess around with back pain and even though it’s feeling much better, I wasn’t going to risk it.
Lunch was leftovers from last night’s dinner. I put the Maple Sesame Ginger Tofu over brown rice and a bed of spinach. It was so good! (And can you believe that Sullie loved the sugar snap peas in the tofu mix? I gave her a few and she inhaled them!)
I was in the mood to bake when I got home from work and gave Brandon three options: Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies, Bourbon Brownies or Bourbon Bundt Cake. Believe it or not, he chose the Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies.
The recipe was from my Cooking Light Cookbook and I honestly must admit that it reminded me why I usually don’t do low-fat baking. Although the brownies were delicious, they were just a little too cakey for our liking and missing that fudgy brownie texture that we love.
Dinner tonight was different. I starred this recipe for Cauliflower Soup from Branny Boils Over months ago. It’s a healthier take on the Pioneer Woman’s recipe.
I expected Brandon to totally freak out about this one but he was surprisingly open to trying the soup. Especially after I cooked a couple slices of bacon to finish his off. 😉
The verdict? It was good! We always love to discuss what modifications we would make to a recipe and we decided that for this one I will try to puree some of the cauliflower next time to thicken the soup. We enjoyed the recipe as written but want to play around with variations!
We had a salad on the side…and then brownies!
Who else loves to write things down? Do you now (or did you ever) keep a journal?
I think of my blog as my journal! It is the best one right?
I enjoy keeping a journal b/c it helps keep me focused on my goals related to health, relationships, work and life in general. It also helps me work through those things heaviest on my mind. Best of luck to you as you pursue your teaching certification!
I end up usually writing things down before I type it on the computer. It really helps me get my thoughts in order. I’m such a visual person; it’s so much easier for me to see everything laid out in front of me on an 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper than it is on the computer. 🙂
My husband is a religious journal-er. He’s got at least 50 filled volumes that he’s accumulated over his lifetime. He finds it very rewarding and I am sure you will, too!
I have a whole box of them from middle/high school but I’m not sure if I could ever bring myself to read through them. I stopped journaling when I started college but I think it will be interesting to keep one throughout teacher training.
I’m a big journal keeper too – I’ve transitioned to keeping a journal on my computer bc I type faster than I write and my thoughts go too fast when I’m trying to hand write!
Your blog is the only one that won’t let me link to my website…have you had anyone else say that? Weird! It keeps telling me I’m not a member of Kitchen Ambition.
Tracy – that is SO weird. I haven’t heard that from anyone else! I am so sorry. I don’t know what I can change on the back end to fix that. In the meantime, feel free to just include your web address in the actual comment! 🙂
My blog is my journal, but I have a notebook and pen everywhere I go, and always have lists going.
Jen
I have a simple steno pad that I keep with me. It’s filled with randomness. It’s not as much a journal as it is a jumble of thoughts, ideas, lists, recipes, workouts. I just keep everything in there. Once I write something down, I no longer have to organize the thought in my head, so I feel more clear.
I love that idea! So often I find myself inspired by something I see or read and promptly forget about it. It would be great to make quick notes and have everything in one place.
I used to keep a journal religiously, and even now that I don’t keep one I still find myself writing things down in random notebooks. I find it helps me remember, and it gives me a chance to reflect.
I write everything down. I have a yearly training journal for my workouts, and I have yellow legal pads stationed all throughout my house. My writing down obsession isn’t good for the environment, but writing down really helps me remember things and feel accomplished.
I am so sorry to hear about your low back. Nothing is scarier- and more painful- than low back pain 🙁 Feel better!
I have thought about starting a training journal and think it would be really beneficial and provide a lot of insight on my running and my body. I think I definitely will when I start training for my next race.
My back is feeling MUCH better! Just a little pulled muscle that I wanted to baby to make sure it was back to 100% before yoga teacher training starts this weekend.
I write everything down: the blog, my planner, my sticky notes, my lists. I can’t help it; it makes me feel better!
When my son was born 2 years ago, I started to keep a journal again, and I’m so glad I did. I’m also a crazy list maker, but it keeps me organized. My husband jokes that I have a list of my lists 🙂
Erin – I love that you started a journal when your son was born. I can only imagine how cool it must be to look back and read about how you were feeling and what he was doing!
I’m obsessed with making lists so I keep a journal in my bag at all times. Love that you have “Ask and it is Given”! I read it last year and really need to read it again soon. I look forward to the body pump for beginners post as well as following you along on your path to yoga instructing!
Ashley – I’m happy to hear a positive review of “Ask and It Is Given.” I can’t wait to read it! I was happy to discover that we weren’t just reading yoga books!
I’m a list fanatic. I absolutely loving writing things down, especially in list format. I’ve done the journal thing too, but that seems to be a new years resolution that always fizzles by mid-Jan.
Oh and I’m obsessed with body pump classes too!
I was crazy about keeping journals when I was younger (up until college) and other than blogging I have not written in a journal since. I think it will be cool to document the yoga teacher training process but don’t see myself continuing it after!
The soup looks delish!
I am a HUGE fan of writing down things – from my thoughts, things to do or recipes to try. I like having it all down in one place 🙂
ps. Outliers is a really really good book!
I have recently started keeping a small spiral bound pad that has pages with no lines (i think its really a sketch pad) that, like Becky, i fill with randomness – it helps me so much throughout my day with things i think of or lists for that day, groceries — anything i just dont want to forget. I also just found list templates on OrganizedHome.com – they even have a menu planner template and theyre free to print!
“Ask and It is Given” is GREAT!
The blog is kind of my journal now, but historically from about Jr. High all through college and sometimes after I wrote in journals.