P90X, it has indeed begun.

Oh Man. 

It's Day 2, 88 day's to go. . .

I know I did this two years ago, therefore you'd think I'd know what was going to go on, but oh man I'm not sure you can prep for the challenge that is P90X. I'm definitely feeling the burn. I just have to keep thinking about the rockin bod that will come after 90 days of fun madness. 

Here's what I have endured the past two days.

This clip has a bunch of the workouts, but for day one you do 'Chest and Back' also 'Ab Ripper X' For day two we did 'Plyometrics' (Jump training)

I'm super thankful to be training with a pal, it's hard to do on your own.


In other news, we've just gotten a new kitty :) There's four of us now, our little family is growing haha. The cat's aren't sure what to make of each other but all seems well so far. My hubby would say 'No blood, no problem.'

The new kitty (Prince) checking out the house

Close up lol.

Our boy Jux <3

I'm officially the worst at taking cat photos lol. Hope your all having a delightful week :) Stay tuned for Sunday I'll be posting a photo of our 1st finished week of P90X.


Cheers!

P90X Round 2

This is very exciting. 

I've decided to start P90X again. The first time I didn't quite make it through, but still had great results, this time I'm determined to make it through. I think the blog will help. 

Here's a picture of me after round one. I went for about 2 months with a gal pal in 2010. 

For those who don't know what P90X is: 

It was developed by Tony Horton, it's a home workout series consisting of several  DVD's with different workouts such as: strength training, cardio, yoga, plyometrics, and stretching. It's really difficult, but worth it in the end. If you type P90X into YouTube you can see just how popular it really is. Also here's the LINK to the official website, where you can read all about it. 

Wish me luck Friends! This all begins Monday, I'll be updating throughout the program! I'll leave you with my Before shot. I want to upload photos weekly to note my progress, so stay tuned!!

There you have it. Lot's of work to do to get back to where I was, and stronger! I'm up for the challenge!! Thanks for reading friends, your support helps more then you know!

Cheers!

SOPA. Bad news Bears.

I didn't know what SOPA or PIPA was until today.

Fellow bloggers I encourage you to watch this video if you aren't caught up with the current shenanigans that could possibly ruin our internet experience.

I found this video very informative. I almost wish I was American so that I could play my part, and help to stop this Bill from passing. I don't mean to infringe on copyright laws, but social media sites include clips from TV. shows, and music videos all the time. It's how we share information. Hopefully there has been enough of an up-roar about this. Wikipedia is having a blackout today. Apparently there are holes all over the internet protesting these Bills. I sure hope we win. 

(Via Google)

8 Cups of water a day, nonsense?

How many times have you been told to drink 8 cups of water a day? 

Why is it that we're told to do this? Do you even know?

'Ministry of Health Promotion, says water helps to move nutrients and waste through the body, maintain normal blood pressure, and regulate body temperature.' 

Sounds good to me. I mean I hate water. Gosh that's a rough word. It's true though, I'd much rather have something to drink that has flavor over bland, metallic water. Yuck. 

Here's someone that believes this is all myth. 

'Dr. Margaret McCartney, a general practitioner, writes in this week's British Medical Journal, that the "8 cups of water a day myth" is being propagated by bottled water companies that are out to make a profit.'

Wow is that true?!

McCartney argues that there is no high quality published evidence to support claims that drinking increased amounts of water offers benefits.

A 2004 report from the influential Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board stated that, 80 per cent of people's total water intake comes from beverages -- including caffeinated beverages -- and the other 20 per cent is derived from food. 

 

So hey, there's great news for others out there like me who prefer to get liquid in any way other then drinking water. I say let your body be your judge on how much water is necessary in your diet. It's nice to follow a guide-line sometimes, but our bodies give off many clues to inform us that it's in need of fluid. I think it's incredibly important to be in-tune with the body. It takes practice, but we could all benefit. 

Hope your all having a great day! 

'The article'

Cheers!

Mount Work, and a project completed!

Today I went for a hike up Mount Work with a pal. It was quite the jaunt. I seriously have terrible cardio. I guess I need to keep going on these hikes, or get on the treadmill. Isn't it funny that I'm a yoga instructor, and yet a hike up a mountain get's my heart pumping quicker then it would like. It's just something I'll have to work on! 

Here's some pictures from the hike!

SNOW!

We found a deer skeleton. Weird, but cool :)

It was so great to see snow! It's been such a mild winter. (Don't worry I'm knocking on wood!) It felt so great to breathe that beautiful fresh air, and to tromp around with the trees. I didn't really come up with a resolution, but I'd like to go on more hikes this year! 

For the second part of this post I going to unveil my completed project :)

That's right! I made a scarf!! I had a few gal pals over, and we started making scarfs :) It's sort of a cheaters way, it was made using a loom rather then knitting needles. I don't care how it was made, I'm just SO proud that I made it!! It only took 2 days :) I'm thinking about making a bunch and selling them. It's so warm, and the wool is incredibly soft! Love it!

Here's a picture of the loom downloaded from Google images. It's so easy, all you do is weave the thread around the posts, and pull the loops over. I had such a great time making the scarf. Can't wait for the next project. If you buy a round one you can make toques. This long one was $10 from Michaels.

Hope your having a great weekend! 

Thanks for reading :)

Zen Day (Three part breath)

Hello Friends! 

It's day 7 of our detox. Check out my last posting if you want to know what the heck I'm talking about :) It's going okay, although I've come down with something. I have a fairly weak immune system, so I think that by releasing the toxins out of my body, it left me susceptible to the 'bugs' out there. So that's kind of irritating. It's hard detoxing while your sick because (well for me at least) all I want is comfort food, and chicken noodle soup! 

Okay, enough complaining!

For this Zen Day I thought I would talk about the '3 Part Breath' A yogic breath technique. Or 'Pranayama technique' (In Sanskrit.)  I taught it to my lovely Sunday morning class today! 

 

I like to practice breath techniques on a comfortable seat. Sitting perhaps on a cushion, or meditation seat, gently cross your legs and try to have a nice straight spine while practice pranayama technique in order to have a straight channel for breath to flow in and out of. Once your cozy, relax your eyes shut, or soften your gaze. Draw your breath attention into your belly. Notice as your belly begins to rise and fall with every breath. (If it helps feel free to move your hands onto each part of the body as you breath.) Keep your breath moving in the belly for 5 rounds. For the second part begin your breath from the belly, and as your breath increases bring your breath awareness from your belly into your chest and ribcage area. As you exhale move your breath from your chest back down into your belly. Continue this breath pattern for 5 breaths. Finally for the third part, begin with the breath in the belly, draw it up into the chest, and finally into your throat. As you exhale move backwards from throat, to chest, to belly. Continue this full expression of the '3 Part Breath' for as long as your are comfortable. 

Benefits

Relaxes the body and calms the mind
Massages abdominal organs
Improves digestion and elimination
Energizes the body
Brings 7x more Oxygen to the lungs than shallow breathing

Hope your all having a lovely Sunday! 

Can't believe I'm making it through this detox! Some how I make it every year :) I think hubby and I may go for steak dinner when it's over. Talk about extreme opposites. 

Cheers!

Starting the year off right.

Hello friends! My goodness it's been a long time since I blogged. I've been busy with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I had a wonderful time, Hubby bought me a sewing machine :) !! I'm SO excited about this, I want to mend the huge heap of clothes I have waiting in my closet, and I'd love to make a quilt. Hubby has put in his first request: 'A big comfy pillow' haha. We don't have pillows for our couch, so that's perfect!

Now for the fun not so fun part. Hubby and I don't really have New Year's resolutions, but we always start off the year with a detox. The fall is a crazy time for us, we're both fall babies, and a lot of our friends are too. That means ridiculous amounts of toxins entering our bodies. Believe me it's a good time, but come January it's time to clean out house!! I was given a detox book a few years ago, I believe from my Mom. It was the best gift! We've been using it as our detox guide ever since. It's called 'The detox book' consultant editor is 'Nicola Graimes'

The Breakdown

• No Meat
• No Dairy
• No Wheat
• No Sugar
• No Salt
• No Alcohol

We're rocking this out for two weeks. The first few days in my opinion are the most difficult. I tend to have a harder time then Hubby does. I crave everything I can't have. I even bought 'So Good' soy cream because I was craving ice cream. I'm spoiled that those things exist. Probably a bit too much sugar, but ah well. So basically for two weeks we eat rice, veggies, and fruit. Sounds easy I guess, but not when you're used to eating anything, and everything. I'm grumpy in the beginning, but always feel better once it's over. It's day 3. 11 days to go. I hope I make it.