Listen to Your Own Body and Do What's Right for You!

Here's a lesson that I learned recently. My friend started going to Yoga class and I thought I won the jackpot. I practice yoga at home all the time and I love it. I love how it increases my flexibility and how my entire body just feels so relaxed afterwards. I'd been waiting for one of my friends to get into yoga to do it with me and I was eager to start going to classes with her. So I signed up.

Now don't get me wrong, the moves were fairly simple since it was a beginner class, but I learned something about myself. I hate to be told what to do. Yes, that's probably stubborn and childish but I hate it so much. And yoga class was no different. I don't like going at someone else's pace; I have my own, why do I have to match yours? It made me so mad when I would go into Triangle pose, get all relaxed, want to stretch out in that position for a beat more, and the instructor would be giving me death glares for not going into Warrior Two again. I hate Warrior Two, I like Triangle, let me stay in Triangle for another second, I'll go to Warrior Two eventually. Occasionally, I'd close my eyes in a comfortable position, letting myself relax, and she'd actually call me out in front of the class. And if you ever met me you'd know I hate having the attention turned on me. She also kept going around and standing over people and adjusting them, which I had two problems with.

1. I do worse with someone standing over me. When I'm writing an essay in class, I actually stop writing when a teacher is behind me until they go away. It's just an unconscious thing. But  you can't just stop yoga when a teacher is behind you.

2. I'm not a touchy person. I don't want a stranger's hands on my hips or pulling on my legs to adjust them.

All in all, here's what I've learned. I like yoga. It makes me feel good, but I have to do it at home. So I guess it was a waste of thirty bucks to try those classes, but hey, at least I know now. My friend can go on with out me. I'll go back to working out alone. I like it better that way.

Have a Family Night!

When I was a little girl, family night happened every Wednesday, no excuses, and involved a game of Scene It, Yatzee, or Monopoly. It usually ended with my sister and I fighting and all of us having a bowl of ice cream.

This is not the type of family night I'm talking about. These days, most nights at home are spent on the couch, my parents indulging in a decadent dessert and flipping through the channels complaining that there's nothing on. It's taken weeks, months even, for me to try to change this behavior that's only increased their risk for heart disease and waistline over the years.

Two years ago, my mother bought me a Wii for Christmas, with WiiSports and WiiFit. We spent most of the day and the following days playing the games, my parents actually enjoying getting up and golfing, bowling, boxing. Then they got bored. Then they sat on the couch and had dessert.

In the past few months, I've been trying to get that to change. Little by little, I got them up. I versed my mom in a series of tennis games, until it became an all out grudge match, a Wimbleton. I boxed my father, who hates to lose. They ended up exhausted and my dad ended up changing the channel back to watching horseracing.

But hey, it's a start!

So how are you "family nighting?" WiiSports marathon? A basketball game of kids verses parents? A Just Dance dance fest? Sound off and share some of your own ideas!

Playlist of the Week!

Here are the top tracks I've been listening to in order to power through a workout lately! (I usually give you five but I feel guilty for not posting these in a while, so I'm giving fifteen)

SAIL- AWOLNATION
How to be a Heartbreaker- Marina and the Diamonds
Howl- Florence and the Machine
Prelude 12/21- AFI
In the Next Room- Neon Trees
Ghost in the Machine- B.O.B.
Brave New World- 30 Seconds to Mars
Demons- Imagine Dragons
Whispers in the Dark- Skillet
Jumper- Third Eye Blind
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been- Relient K
Amsterdam- Imagine Dragons
Thrift Shop- Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (beware it is explicit but it's just so much fun!)
Cool Down: Jesus Christ- Brand New
Shattered- Trading Yesterday

How to Make Your Workouts Longer and More Efficient

I'm sorry I haven't been on in so long, but somehow I actually ended up with more members! I'm so excited that more people are following and I'll do my best to help.

I've been trying something a little different lately, in which I've been extending my workouts. Now hold on here! Don't stop reading because you read "longer workouts." I haven't missed a workout in days and I can thank SDABHHFAN4LIFE of that. She makes videos on Youtube and they are incredible. For me, my favorite workout is biking. If I go running, I get bored, get tired, and give up. If I dance, it's fun for a time, but again I get bored. Now, I know this probably proves I have a short attention span but the only way I can work out for longer periods of time is to have my eyes occupied. So I tried watching TV, but that didn't work because I'd lose track of my speed. Without music motivating me, my speed would fall from 13 or 14 mph to 10 or 11 mph, which wasn't giving me the same results. Just out of curiousity, I decided to get the Youtube app for my I-pod touch and I'm so glad I did. I found SDABHHFAN4LIFE, who created videos with clips from Degrassi, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and American Horror Story, all set to a wide array of music, all motivating. I go on the bike planning to do half an hour, but I always end up saying, "Ah, one more video," until I'm doing double that.

Not a Degrassi or Supernatural fan (or just don't ship Eclare and Destial), there were over 800 million Youtube users last year. Just type in what you like, click on a user with the same interests, and play their playlists. You'll be working out, singing along, all while enjoying your favorite characters and scenes. You won't want to get off the bike. Good luck!

Side note: I'm going to be more diligent on this blog this year, that's my resolution to you. And I check my emails daily, so if you have any questions or need some advice, I'll get back to you as soon as possible and will do what I can!

Tip #28: Match You Workout, Beat for Beat!

I do like to work out but sometimes my drive to exercise falls flat. I've gone on a stationary bike everyday for the last week. I started at a half hour Monday and Tuesday and I could hardly make it through, going just over 12 miles an hour. Suddenly, in the following days, I was pedalling over 15 mph and lasting over an hour. What made the sudden change? Jog fm.

I recently read about this workout saving device in Health magazine and I had to check it out right away. Now we all know that working out to music keeps the mind occupied and makes you exercise longer but it turns out the music you listen to helps you keeps you going as well. The first page on Jog fm has you type in how fast you want to go running, but if that's not the workout of your choice, don't be discouraged. You can also find music specifically designed for walking and biking.

Best part? You don't have to buy these all these songs, although the website does give you links to where you can do so. Thanks to an application called Spotify, you can link your accounts on Jog fm and Spotify to listen to music while you workout. You can even create your own workout playlist on Jog fm or listen to one someone else created.

An issue for me while I was exercising was that I didn't know what songs would be good for me to bike to. I usually listened to Rob Thomas and Maroon 5, so I looked the songs up on Jog fm and found that the majority of songs I listened to weren't fast enough. Most of them were less than 120 beats per minute (bpm). For biking, you should stay between 135 and 170 bpm. For running, 147 to 169 bpm. For walking, 137 to 139 bpm.

I found that the best Maroon 5 songs for me were The Sun at 160 bpm, Wake Up Call at 164 bpm and Harder to Breathe at 150 bpm and the best Rob Thomas songs were Streetcorner Symphony at 164 bpm, Little Wonders at 167 bpm and This is How a Heart Breaks at 140 bpm. These sons have come up pretty often on my Spotify account lately but my playlists aren't those alone. There's pop and rock and top 40s and '90s and '80s and '70s, whatever you like. My playlists have been a mix of everything. Thanks to Jog fm and Spotify, I've stopped getting tired and bored during my workouts and can work out without getting so bored that all I'm thinking is that I'm in so much pain I've got to stop. Now I'm thinking, "You know what? How about three more songs?"

Workout #17: Make a Run for It!

Even when I was little, running was my enemy. I remember running in the Presidential Fitness Challenge every year and I could never run faster than a twelve minute mile. I used to feel so bad when my friends would run beside me and try to get me to run faster, but I never could.

My sister is almost as bad as I am, but not quite. She's never been over weight but she's never been a great runner either. I was more than surprised to hear that she decided to run a marathon. On her way home for the Easter break, she texted me and asked if she wanted to go for a run the next day. My first thought was "Is she crazy?" I was going to immediately say hell no but I ended up texted back that it sounded like a good idea.

The next day she woke me up, tossed me a pair of sneakers, and pulled me outside. We walked down one house and then we made a run for it. Needless to say, I was ready to quit only a few houses down from that. I started to slow up, so my sister ran a little faster and I struggled to keep up.

We didn't talk much, so I ended up listening to my neighbors around me and focusing on my breathing. Eventually, I managed to steady it and fell into step with my sister. I kind of liked the sound of our feet hitting the pavement in unison. Every now and again she told me to slow up and pace myself or, when I started to feel like stopping, she'd tell me to focus on one thing at a time. Rather than focus on reaching home, she'd tell me to get to the next mailbox, and then I could slow down if I wanted to.

The thing was, after I reached one mailbox, I wanted to run to the next one, and the next one, and the next. Before I knew it, my house was in view. She told me earlier on in the run that we could walk from there, but instead she decided we'd sprint. I struggled to sprint but didn't slow up until I got back through my front door.

While I don't plan to run any marathons just yet, I don't mind training with my sister for the time being. Maybe I'll be running one in a couple years.

Workout Playlist of the Week

Hit List Workout

1. Take Care- Drake and Rhianna

2. You Make Me Feel- Cobra Starship

3. I Like It Like That- Hot Chille Rae

4. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson

5. Set Fire to the Rain- Adele (especially good for a ballet/pilates/yoga class)

Workout #15: New Year, New Workout

Last year, I did pretty much all the same workouts: biking, swimming, walking, Zumba. This year I'm in the mood to try something different. I'd go on Exercise TV, find a workout, and follow the trainer for the 20+ minutes. Well, today I discovered that Exercise TV is no longer on my cable package. After getting so used to it, I panicked a little to find out my safe and comfy routine was gone.

But I didn't panic for long. I got a pair of Piloxing gloves for Christmas and I put them to good use. I made my own routine, setting it to music, and was surprised to discover that my heart was pounding and I was sweating bullets by the end of the half hour set. It got me thinking, what else was I missing while I was caught in my rut?

My goal this year is try as many new workouts as I can. I'm trying out hot yoga, hip hop classes, ballroom dancing, and whatever other classes I can find! But the workout doesn't just have to be a class. You can try plenty of workouts straight out of your home, like using Piloxing gloves or a kettlebell. Or try the new Beach Body workout, Les Mills Pump Workout, on sale this week, which you can order here. The workout is based on the globally famous BodyPump classes, taught at 14,000 clubs in 80 countries. I hate lifting heavy weights, so this works for me because it is based on using light weights and higher repetition. It can tone muscle and came burn up to 1000 calories per workout!

Tip #18: Don't Cross Anything Off

There is an epidode of the television show "How I Met Your Mother" when the main character, Ted, finds a shirt he once hated and realizes he kind of loves it now. This sends him on a tailspin, wondering if he should go back to a girl he once dated to see if he ends up loving her now that he is older and his tastes have changed.

Now, it didn't end so well for him and the girl (he dumps her and she beats the hell out of him) but there is a lesson to learn here (and it not just to never dump a girl on her birthday)! The lesson is that your tastes do change over time and you have to adjust to that! You have to experiment and try something you may not have thought of before. This goes especially for exercise, because your body changes, just like your tastes. A few years ago, I tried yoga. I was bored and dizzy in the first few minutes, quitting almost immediately and crossing it off the list of exercises I wanted to do. Fast forward to a few months ago and I'm reading an article about how great it is to do yoga and stretch out before bed, so I did it. Now, I can't go to sleep without doing at least twenty minutes of downward facing dogs, warrior poses, and chair poses.

There are a lot of reasons why you might not have liked an exercise regime at first. Maybe it was too boring like I thought yoga was. If you find that your workouts are high impact (aka you're sore for days afterwards) and you need to take a break, but you don't want to actually skip exercising entirely, you might want to go back to the workout you originally found to be a little boring. These are often low impact and, if you can learn to relax during them, you'll learn to love them.

Maybe you found it too challanging. I know I found kickboxing hard the first time I tried it! But you have to build up to something so high intensity. If you are doing another workout routine now and you are finding that its getting to easy for you, try the challenging workout again. It might just be exactly what you need!

All exercise has its upsides and downsides. You have to find one that you like, but since you adjust to your routine, you have to try new things, or things you may have tried before but didn't like originally. Your body might just end up thanking you for it!