Football Friday

Go Tigers!!!

image source

Garage Gyms

Now that we're moving into a bigger house with a garage, my husband and I finally have the opportunity to build an "at home" gym. Because I have a strong foundation in Crossfit, instead of getting the typical Bowflex and Gazelle fitness equipment. I have the opportunity to build a true garage gym - although it still probably isn't going to look like a typical box, simply because it's expensive and I don't have time for that. Here are some essentials that I will need for my new gym -

Kettle Bells 

source

You can use kettle bells in so many ways. A lot of crossfit workouts use them in the "Workout of the Day" such as

Helen:

3 Rounds For Time
Run 400m
21 Kettle Bell Swings 55lb
12 Pull Ups

I'm probably going to get the 1 pood, which is 32 lbs and then as I get back into it, I can get the 1 1/2 pood which is 53 lbs. You can also use kettle bells for workouts such as kettle bells snatch, kettle bell cleans, etc etc. Even Bob uses them on the Biggest Loser

Medicine Balls
but not the little rubber ones. I don't like those as much. I'll get these -

source

They're good for wall balls and actually, I use them to squat too. It helps me know where to touch my butt and make sure I'm breaking that 90 degree plain. If you're not squatting below where your knees break the plain, you're not squatting. And I like to cheat since I have long legs so... yeah... 

Dumbbells

source

Self explanatory. I'll probably get 12 lbs and 20 lbs. My hubby will probably want bigger ones for him. 

Pull Up Bar

We're going to have to make one. I don't know how yet. I'll need a stable one, not those ones that are portable. 

That's where i'll start. What I would eventually like to add is - 

Olympic Bars/Bumper Plates (rubber)

source

source

Boxes for Box Jumps

source

I only need one and it needs to be 20"

If I can get some of this stuff after we move, I am thinking I might try Crossfit Endurance to train for my next half marathon. Basically, you do your "sport" (run) 3 days a week using the endurance training plans for the day, and also do the Crossfit strength & conditioning workout for the day that has been developed for endurance athletes. We'll just see how it goes. 

Do you have a home gym? 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's time for 

Thank you again, Jamie, for giving us this format every week!!!

I don't even really know what I want to talk about this week. I'm loving a lot right now, but I think I've already kind of told you about it all, haha. 

1. Yoga Clothes

       - I just got a new yoga top that I'm super excited about. 

Hyde Jen Jen Yoga Top

Hyde KitKat Yoga Top

Hyde Drawstring Divine Pant

Yoga clothes are different than running clothes. They feel better and are easier to move in for yoga class. I haven't gotten to wear the pants yet because they are technically a christmas gift from mom, but I tried them on and they feel amazing!

2. Clemson 

    - My Tigers are 8-0... can you believe it?

Sammy Watkins, WR - source

Tajh Boyd, QB -source

Andre Branch, DE - source

3. My husband

   - he has been making me bacon and eggs in the morning for breakfast since I have been sleeping until 6:30. So I wake up in the morning to breakfast and coffee already made. 

Operation Shut it Down...

So, as many of you know from reading my bazillions of blogs earlier about how I'm burnt out, I have been trying to decommit from a lot of different things so that I can slow down. The task has been hard but I think I am finally getting caught up on some much needed rest. It came at a good time because I've got so much going on in November, I don't need to be over committed.

Good News - the house is officially under contract. We have to get through the inspections, so once that's over, I'll feel much better!! We're getting close and I think we'll officially close on November 22nd!!

So.... training - last night, I ran 3.2 "easy" miles with my friend, Lori. And by "easy", I mean my 5k pace. ha. She is faster than me and I haven't been running as much so for me, it was fast. but it was good to get out and run and have someone to distract me.

I've decided that we're canceling our gym membership and I'll probably just focus on running/yoga for now. After making that decision, I instantly felt bad because I was like, no more spin class, no more swimming, no more zumba, etc etc. But I think that what has kept me so busy over the last few years is the idea that I want to be doing everything and I don't have enough time to do it. So, I've had to come to terms with the idea that maybe I can't do everything and for now, the right thing for me to do is to miss out on triathlons/swimming and focus on something I can do easily and at home to save time. I'll be running, going to yoga, riding my bike and doing Nike Training Club. When we save up enough, we can get some equipment and I can start doing crossfit again. Having a garage gives me more options and without a gym membership, it helps me save up to make a home gym.

Have you ever had to decide between time and what you want to do? 
Do you go to a gym or have a workout regimen you can do at home? 

Yoga Teacher Training Weekend #3

It was that time of the month again...


no, not that time... it was yoga teacher training this weekend. (I know, I'm a dork). Anyways, just to remind you of the hours, it looks like this...

Friday - 5:30-8:30
Saturday - 8:00 am - 6:30 pm
Sunday - 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

It seems like a lot, but when you're in the moment, it flies by. I really absolutely loved every minute of it. I obviously am not going around taking pics everywhere because we're all listening and working, so I wish I had more to share.

Some of the highlights this weekend included -

Breathing Techniques -
even though I try to meditate every morning, I have a hard time, sometimes, with my mind wandering all over the place. This morning was a good example. I only lasted 11 minutes. I couldn't finish the last 4 :(

We talked about Humming Bee breath which is where you breath in normally and then breath out with a humming sound. It is very calming AND it helps you get ready  for meditation. So, I will definitely be doing that tomorrow.

Yoga History -
Learning about how yoga came to the west has been very interesting.

source

Indra Devi was a major contributor the Yoga coming to the United States. She studied with Krishnamacharya who is considered to be the "Father of Modern Yoga". He was the first to teach Yoga to women (before then, they were not allowed) so that it could reach a mass audience. We watched a video on Devi and she was so funny. 

We also talked about some yoga theory and the ideas of what's behind yoga. It's very interesting and is probably my favorite part. We also did a LOT of asana work and I was surprised at how tiring it was. Some of the poses we covered - 

Forward Folds which included - 

Standard Forward Bend 

Uttanasan - source

Seated Forward Bend

Paschimuttanasana - source

Backbend Poses which include - 

Camel Pose 

Ustrasana - source

Bridge Pose

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - source

It doesn't seem that hard until you do each pose over and over and over.

Lastly, we talked about Moola Bandha which is basically a kegel. I don't know if you've ever tried... but it's hard. If not, look it up :)