30 Day Yoga Challenge: Days 19/20

Yesterday, I did day 19 of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Energizing Yoga Flow.” It was a little challenging because it moved more quickly than most of the other videos, and I tried really hard to focus on my breath. When I had finished, I definitely felt ready to tackle the rest of my day.

I went to the gym and used the elliptical for 30 minutes. Then, I went out with my mom to run some errands. At the supermarket, I bought a variety of healthy foods: oatmeal, quinoa, veggie burgers, yogurt, Special K bars. I’ve been making a serious effort to eat healthier lately and I’m proud to have stuck with it so far.

In the evening, I actually drove up to Jersey City to see my friend Michcella for her birthday. We went to college together and worked at the radio station there. Our friends Maria and Steve came out to celebrate, too, neither of whom I had seen since they graduated. It was a really nice night. As far as food goes, I had one Miller light, a mozzarella stick, one chicken tender, and a small piece of birthday cake (which was INCREDIBLE).

Michcella, Steve, Maria, and me!

It was a long drive home, but I made it!

Today, I woke up and did day 20 of the challenge. It was called “Twisting Yoga Flow.” This one was really great for my back. Some of the poses were a little hard to balance in, but overall I found it to be another energizing video.

I have to be at work in a couple of hours, so I’ll be back soon.

How are you spending your day?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 16

Today, I did day 16 of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Happy Yoga Lunges.” I have been feeling the burn all day, but my legs definitely feel good because of it. The stretches were deep and I had to concentrate on my breathing and balance.

After today’s video, Matt came over and we went to the gym together. We focused on arms and my lack of upper body strength is pretty sad. Going to work more actively on that, though. We also ended up playing shuffle board for a while. That was a lot of fun!

A little bit later, we took a drive to Windward Beach. It’s a really nice park by the water and we had some fun taking pictures.

We went to Point Pleasant and walked around a while, even though it was a little chilly. I got a yummy coconut smoothie and we wandered around an enormous antiques shop. Then, we stopped at a little tavern for a drink. We also shared a chicken caesar wrap and didn’t finish all the fries! It was hard because I wanted to stuff them all in my face, but I resisted.

For dinner, I had some salad and chicken soup. Tomorrow I have to be at work by 6:30 AM, so I’m probably going to pass out relatively soon. Today was such a wonderful day.

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Days 14/15

I was a little busy yesterday and I didn’t have time to blog, so I’m going to combine today’s and yesterday’s videos.

Day 14 of the  DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge was called “Juicy Yoga Twists.” Matt and I did this one together and I didn’t particularly care for it. The poses we did weren’t as “juicy” as they were uncomfortable, and not in “push through it” kind of way. I tried to follow the instructor and modify as best I could, but I mostly just felt strained.

Aside from that, I had a really wonderful day off. Matt and I took a drive up to the Monmouth County Mall and walked around for a while. I treated myself to an iced raspberry white chocolate mocha (with whipped cream). It was so yummy. After the mall, we headed to the Greek Spot in Ocean for a late lunch. Matt had never been there before, but my mom and I have been there quite a few times. We both had pork souvlaki pita and it was everything we had hoped it would be.

When we got back to my house, we watched Rush Hour 2 before Matt went home.

Today, I did day 15 of the challenge. It was called “Yoga for Hamstrings and Inner Thighs.” This video was great, especially since I’ve been using the elliptical a lot. It really helped to loosen up and stretch all my muscles. There is something so rewarding about a good stretch. After yoga, I had some oatmeal for breakfast and went to the gym. It was surprisingly busy today. The elliptical was in use, as well as the stationery bicycles, so I hopped on the treadmill instead. I walked for 25 minutes and walked on an incline of 7.0 for part of that time.

I feel really good and I don’t have to work until 2:30.

How are you going to make today a productive one?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 13

Today, I did the 13th day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Yoga for Emotional Release.” In addition to being a physical workout, it was also a mental one. The instructor in the video explained that we hold a lot of our stress in our hips. While I did the hip opening poses, I tried to focus on things I wanted to let go of while I stretched. She also said to focus on relaxing your face and mouth because we tend to “swallow” our emotions. It was a very cathartic practice and I highly recommend watching this video.

For breakfast, I had a spinach feta wrap from work (we were throwing a lot out last night, so I took them home to freeze). Then, I went to the gym and used the elliptical for 25 minutes. I was going to do some weights as well, but another person came in and I ended up getting really self conscious.

When I got home, I had a coconut yogurt with some fresh blackberries. It was delicious! Right now, my mom is cooking some stuffed peppers and tomatoes with ground turkey. I can smell it from my room. Yum!

Later, I’m only working six hours and when I get out I’m going to go grab a drink with one of my coworkers because today is her last day with us. It should be a fun time.

What are some ways that you de-stress?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 12

Today, I did the 12th day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Side Body Yoga Stretch.” Once again, I had some difficulty balancing, but I still powered through. The areas around my ribs and shoulders are definitely already feeling the effects of this video. The fact that Matt had me lifting weights and doing crunches yesterday probably contributed to this feeling, too. Overall, though, it was another great workout!

For breakfast, I made myself a smoothie with almond milk, a banana, and some frozen strawberries and peaches. I had some Greek yogurt for a snack. For lunch, I used the leftover tofu from last night’s dinner and some frozen green beans and carrots to make a stir fry. I might have also had a big spoonful of chunky peanut butter. Yum!

Soon, I’ll be heading to work and I hope that today’s shift will be just as great as yesterday’s.

Also, here’s a silly picture of Matt and myself because today is our six month anniversary. We’re both working and probably won’t get to see each other until Sunday.

How are you spending your day?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 11

Before I write about Day 11 of my challenge, I just wanted to say what a wonderful day I had. I worked from 6 AM to 2:30 PM. My shift went smoothly and I got to work with people I like. My stress levels are surprisingly low and, because it was quite uncharacteristically warm out earlier, I drove home with the top down on my convertible. It was glorious.

Anyway, I did the 11th day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Yoga for Open Shoulders.” Matt came over after work, so we did this video together. The poses were great for my shoulders and back after a long day at work. Having Matt with me so we can laugh at each other was fun, too.

After the video, we went to the gym together and did some exercises with weights. I have next to no upper body strength and that’s something I really want to work on. Then, we took a nice walk up to the lake in my community.

When we got back to my house, I made dinner for Matt and my mom (which never happens because Matt’s a chef and I’m really self-conscious about cooking for him.). I made garlic and basil quinoa with steamed broccoli, tofu (marinated in something Matt whipped up), and mushrooms with garlic. It was delicious and much better than I was expecting it to be.

After dinner, we watched Rush Hour and just hung out together until Matt had to go home.

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 10

Today, I did the tenth day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Low Back & Hips Standing Poses.” This video was really fun and I am officially 1/3 of the way done with this challenge! My back pain is feeling a little better every day and today’s video really helped me to get some pops and cracks out. It also helped me get pretty energized before work.

For breakfast, Matt made a really yummy egg drop soup with some leftover vegetable dumplings (just two each) from our dinner last night. For lunch, I had the tomato mozzarella panini from Starbucks (420 calories). I also had a fruit cup on my break and some yogurt with granola and blueberries when I got home.

It was a strange day at work today. I was only scheduled from noon to 4:30, but we actually ended up closing the entire store at 4 due to a water filtration issue. Apparently, there was a fire at a nearby construction site and they had to flush the fire hydrants (or so we were told). Our water was coming in bright yellow. Totally crazy.

Right now, I’m just hanging out at home until I go to my monthly PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting. Just in case anyone was wondering, I am a straight ally and my blog is absolutely a safe space. If anyone ever needs someone to talk to, please feel free to reach out.

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 9

Today, I did the ninth day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Yoga Poses for Balance.” I’ve definitely been away from yoga for far too long since I pretty much stumbled and fell through this entire video. It was surprising to see how horrible my balance has become and I was really upset with myself. This was the first video I actually paused and did a few breaths in child’s pose instead of following the instructor because I just couldn’t keep up with what she was doing.

However, tomorrow will be better.

I’m off all day, so Matt and I will probably check out some consignment and antique shops. That’s something we always enjoy doing together.

What’s something you’ve struggled with recently?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 8

Today, I did the eighth day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Seated Flexibility Yoga Poses.” I found this video relatively boring compared to the previous ones; it was pretty much a filler video. However, I completed it nonetheless. Nothing much else to discuss.

I went to gym, though, and used the elliptical for about 25 minutes. Every time I go, it becomes a little easier for me! Might start trying to do 30 minutes soon.

But now for the most exciting part of my morning…

I’ve lost six pounds! I honestly can’t believe it.

Anyway, today I will give my doggy a bath and move some furniture around in my room. I don’t have to be at work until 4, so I have lots of time to be productive.

What will do you do today?

30 Day Yoga Challenge: Day 7

Today, I did the seventh day of the DO YOU YOGA 30 Day Challenge. It was called “Yoga to Ease Low Back Pain.” I liked this video a lot, especially since it focused on pigeon pose (one of my favorites). Pigeon is also an excellent hip opener. I feel really good right now, too, because I spent a lot of time yesterday shoveling snow and cleaning my car off. That was not fun for my body.

Speaking of snow, it was pretty terrible yesterday. I got to work early because the roads were bad (my 15 minute drive took me about 40 minutes) and as soon as I got there, the plaza manager called our store and told us that everyone would be closing at three. However, we actually had to wait for our district manager to tell us when to close, and we ended up staying open until 5. Literally the only store in the entire plaza.

People still came for their coffee, though. In droves. In a blizzard. It was insane and I was having a lot of anxiety because of it. We did everything we needed to get done and were out of there by about 5:30. I had to shovel my car out of the snow since a plow hadn’t come through the parking lot.

Driving home sucked, as it was now dark outside and still snowing. When I got home, though, my mom had made a yummy beef broccoli stir fry and I ended up watching Seinfeld in bed. Let’s see what today brings.

What are your plans?