Yoga

Andrew and I have been going to LA Fitness once or twice a week to do yoga.  He really needs it for his flexibility and I need it to relax.  I am enjoying it much more than I thought I would!!  My main issues is that it’s so late. Okay, okay… 8PM isn’t terribly late, but when get up for a brutal CrossFit class at 6am and plan to do it all over the next day, I need my rest and sleep.  CrossFit also had an instructor come in for a yoga session this past weekend.  It was different than the yoga at LA Fitness.  He focused much more on technique.  The class didn’t really flow as you would imagine a yoga class would, so I would definitely love to see how one of his actual classes, because he was so informative!  I’m crossing my fingers CrossFit decided to bring him back for a regular thing.  I also believe that Andrew and I would benefit more from a yoga instructor that takes into consideration that we CrossFit.  For example… a couple weeks ago we were squatting really heavy and we went to yoga that night and we had to hold so many chair poses and warriors and my leg strength was just gone, they needed a rest!

I have been looking into getting some Yoga DVDs instead of going to the gym.  This would not only allow me to press play whenever I want, but would save us some money from having two gym memberships.  Does anyone have good recommendation?  Thanks in advance!

Shakeology

Okay so I’ll admit that when I first heard about Shakeology a long time ago, I thought it wouldn’t be for me.  There was no need for me to have a meal replacement, I would just eat a healthy well-balance meal.  I drink protein shakes any day that I go to the gym and I tend to get enough protein throughout the day.  So why would I need Shakeology?  Well.. did you also know that I’m slightly addicted to coffee?  Almost everyone knows that I need my morning cup as soon as I wake up or I am not a happy person.  I tried to always stick to one cup per day, but that didn’t always work.  Some days I found myself drinking two or, if I was really tired, three cups.  I did one of those “tea detoxes” last summer.  Awful.. absolutely NOT worth it.  I would never recommend them because although they were tasty, I never felt the same as I did with coffee.  It was also supposed to help with bloating and did not help at all.  I looked the same on day one as I did at the end.  And I found myself counting down the days until I could get back to my morning bliss.  Anywho…

I decided to give Shakeology a try after seeing so many great results from groups I was in on social media (granted I know I don’t really need to lose weight, but I do want to get toned).  And they had just release a Café Latte flavor – sounded delicious!  So I ordered it and couldn’t wait to give it a try.  I will be honest, when I first looked into the nutrition, I thought that it had more carbs than I would prefer in a meal replacement.  But after I started drinking it, I realized why.  To give me energy!!!  I have not had a drop of coffee in a week… A WEEK!  That is insane, people.  And I have so much energy!  Now I know I won’t stay off of coffee forever, but to not be relying on it is a blessing.  I also never got the headache that comes when you don’t drink coffee, added bonus!  I’ll also be honest and say that my body was not used to Stevia.  I not only don’t use artificial sugar, but I don’t really eat much sugar (unless in the form of a chocolate bar or the occasional baked good).  I definitely don’t add it to my coffee or tea or anything like that.  So it took me a couple days to get used to it, but now my body doesn’t seem to notice.

I’ve tried a few of the recipes that came with my bag of Shakeology.  Honestly, it’s super tasty with just water or a cup of unsweetened almond milk.  But if I want something a little more substantial, I’ll add in half of a frozen banana or a tablespoon of natural peanut butter.  I’ve also done a teaspoon of honey.  I may explore a couple of the other recipes, but when I have a couple of good “go to” ones that are easy it is hard to change it up.  What I truly love about Shakeology is how easy it is.  After a rough morning workout, I need to be able to shower and get out the door for work.  I can just put a scoop of Shakeology in water in my blender cup, shake, and go!

I cannot wait to try a couple other flavors!  I’ll review those later!

Shoe Battle

In 2013 I was fitted for running shoes the first time.  I was really neat to see the process at Road Runner and I became a VIP there since I knew I’d be back.  I went in the beginning of this year, to a different location, and I got a completely different reading.  Before I was told I was a neutral runner.  This time the man told me I needed a stability shoe…  “But I could do neutral, too.”  I was very confused after speaking with him.  My husband and I did lots of research in the next week about running styles, over pronation, arches, and we came to the conclusion that I may have been fitted wrong.  I know they say your feet can change over the years, but I did two runs in the shoes they recommended and my shins started to hurt.  It could be because I hadn’t run in a while, but that never happened to me before.  So the next week I ordered some neutral running shoes from their website.  And cue the snow.  There goes my shot of testing them out on the road!  Currently I have four pairs of running shoes sitting in my closet (two being the same shoe in two different sizes – I forgot New Balance ran a little snug).  I’m down to two, and they’re both a neutral shoe.  I’m heading to Jersey this weekend, the store that originally fit me.  So I’m going to return two of the shoes and have them retest me to see what they say.

What type of running shoe do you wear?  What’s your favorite brand of running shoes?