Recently I decided I was going to do the 30 day Bikram Yoga
challenge. I failed to complete the challenge at only 5 days in. However, I
know that failing is a part of growth and that’s why I’m not afraid to say that
I did fail. By trying something new I learned
something about myself. I learned that I want my yoga practicing to be more
flexible. I don’t want to have to be locked in the studio 90 minutes a day for
30 days straight… I like to switch it up and take a regular yoga class or do my
practicing at my house. Also since I am training for a marathon there are days
that I have long runs that last over 2 hours and I‘ll need to skip my practice
all together. I will continue to do 4 or more yoga classes a week along with my
other training.
It is safe to say that I am in love with Yoga and all of the
benefits. Every day I realize how much Yoga has changed my life. The most
recent change that I have noticed is my sleep… I am finally a deep sleeper! I have always been a light sleeper and now I
sleep deeply all the way through the night. A new study has shown that if
people who suffer from the poor quality
or quantity amount of sleep, were to incorporate yoga into their lifestyle
their sleep would be greatly improved. I
know that mine has.
Also it has made me
only crave water to drink… finally my diet coke addiction is over. I have also
found a new confidence in myself. In yoga everything is about acceptance, you
have to accept yourself for where you are in your practice and feel confident
that you will improve. I have been able to bring that outside the yoga studio
and in my day to day life. I have learned acceptance and by being able to
accept things the way that they are I have also gained a sense of calm. I know
a lot of that calmness is due to my new found breathing techniques. By
constantly being aware of your breathing, you will come to know your stressors
and how to breathe through whatever it may be.
In addition to yoga, I go on lots of runs and hikes. With
winter winds in full affect I do most of my runs inside the comfort of Gold’s
Gym. I get bored easily so running on the treadmill for over two hours isn’t
always my cup of tea.
Testing out our hiking backpack! He is just 8 months old here |
This was just last week.. We went on a 2 mile hike.. he is 33lbs of pure entertainment |
I like to break it up boring treadmill runs with different hikes.
In my area we have Badger Mountain in Richland, WA. There are a few different trails to get up the Mountain.. Here is a link to the different trails ...Another one of my favorite hikes is Palouse Falls. It is one
of the largest waterfalls in Washington state… it falls 198 Ft! This is a
longer hike it usually takes 3 hours to get behind the waterfall and once you
get there it is an incredible view! One of my favorite things about running and hiking is that most of the time I get to bring my son with me. I grew up outdoors and want my to grow up the same way. My mom has always been my person to look up with living a healthy lifestyle and I want to do the same for my son, Terrance.
Palouse Falls in the late summer |
I will be posting more information on my different workouts,
runs and hikes. Stay tuned :)
HI Mandi!! That was so sweet of you to take the time to do that! I will head over to your's now!! :) Take care!
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