Do you have a good relationship with your body?

Last nights yoga class was all about our intimate relationship with our body. For awhile now (since I was pregnant) my body and me have been on two different planets. Even at 3 months postpartum we still feel pretty distant.
My Monday night yoga class is definitely helping bring us back together. For that hour at least, I have control.

As i watch my son discover his hands and his toes for the first time, I am reminded of the importance of ones body and that taking care of it should always be top priority. Without health, we have nothing.

One of the ladies in class stood up last night and showed us some excellent poses she had discovered while researching. I highly recommend this one for lower back (great for new mommies) A seated cat/cow stretch.

1. From Easy Seat, bring your hands to your knees. On your inhale, arch your spine, pulling your shoulders back and looking up. 


2.  On the exhale, round your back, chin to chest. 


3.  Sync your breath to your movement, and do about 12-15 sets. 






Make sure you stop an listen to your body every now and again. You can often ward off illness (cold and flu) and injury (stiff neck, back) if you pay attention to the signs and signals. 

Cheer up!

I have to first apologize for my lack of blogging. This parenting business is a lot of work...geez.

Family Day started last week off. My fav yoga class was centered around depression and sadness.

February is a sad month in Canada, with its cold weather and dull skies, spring seems so far away. Sandy (our instructor) talked about the ways to battle depression using simple yoga techniques. Here is a great site with 10 poses and descriptions that will have you smiling in no time Click here.
All I know is after some warrior poses and legs up the wall, I felt like a million bucks leaving that class.

which brings us to Tuesday. All the girls from my prenatal class got together for coffee. It was great swapping baby stories. Wednesday was Baby and me Pilates in Mount Albert. Bennett decided to join me at this class (he always sleeps right through it) which was a welcome change. It was fun working out around his smiling face. Thursday I decided to try Stroller Mates at Upper Canada Mall. What a fantastic free service offered Tuesday and Thursday morning. I met a friend (from pilates) at the mall and had a great time. It was a surprisingly hard workout. I was sore for a few days later.

All in all a good week, still have yet to get out for a run. It is just so hard to find a time that will work in between feedings.

I hope everyone enjoyed their week as well. It won't be long until we will be smelling that sweet spring aroma. Now that's something to smile about.

And it has begun

Image from  workinonmyfitness.com

What a week! I don't think I have felt this soar is a long time. I started the week off with a Baby and Me fitness class in Newmarket. This is a class where we actually use the babies as weights. Bennett weighs 13 pounds, Ouch. Can I borrow a smaller baby for this?
Great workout though, and great to see some of the girls from my prenatal class
Followed that class with my fav yoga class in the evening. Sandy had my half chewed (thanks Sammy, my shepherd) yoga mat waiting for me in the room when I got there. I left last weeks class in a but of a hurry due to a crying baby.

On Wednesday I had my baby and me pilates class at the Ross Family Complex in Mount Albert. This was painful, I will still pretty stiff from Monday.

And today I plan on going for a long hike in the York Region forest...well, we will see how long. I'm going to try to use my baby carrier for the first time and hope the dog cooperates. Sam sure misses her forest run. The last time we went was the day I went into labour.

I plan on doing my first short run this weekend to kick start my training for the Mount Albert 5K in June, a 10K in the summer and a possible half marathon in the fall. I'll keep you posted on how this goes.

I'll be joining the Learn to Run 10K class again in Mount Albert. It starts this spring along with a Learn to Run (5K) class. Let me know if your interested. This is the perfect way to start running this summer.

Okay....let's get into it!

Is that a baby crying?

I went by my Monday night yoga class to say hello, introduce the little one, give Sandy (the instructor) a thank you card and make a quiet exit. I ended up getting there minutes before the class started and they asked me to stay. I wasn't sure how little B was going to do but I stayed nonetheless.

I don't think I realized how much I missed this class until it started. After months of being away, Sandy's voice took me right back to where I left off. So relaxing. I'm a little stiff but it wont take long to get back on track.

Unfortunately just before the end relaxation (my fav part), little B started to wail. It was feeding time. So I bolted, trying not to ruin everyone else's class. Sorry to those few. I even left my mat there...oops.

Next Monday I will go sans son. Looking forward to the silence.

Jay..E...ell...ell...Oh

Well I made an attempt at a fitness class but my intentions were only to get out of the house and meet some new moms.

I discovered a class offered right in my backyard (literally behind the house) called Baby and Me Pilates. It started last week, which means I had already missed one class out of 8 so I figured I better start this week. I realize that I haven't gotten my go ahead yet from my OB as my 8 week appointment isnt until the 9th but I thought "how hard could it be?"

Yikes! I underestimated how out of shape I am.. My abs have the consistency of Jello and legs like spaghetti.

I am feeling it today, that's for sure. I need my yoga class back. I think I will start on Monday #famouslastwords.

Yo mamma is so...

Okay I must apologize as I have been on a bit of a hiatus. But I do have a good excuse, we had our little boy on December 11 and what a month it has been.

Christmas was mayhem with the new baby, with family celebrations and friends dropping in, time just got away from me.

I am waiting the full (recommended) 8 weeks before I start any exercises, other than walking. But as soon as I get my GYN's go ahead I plan on picking my running back up. YIKES! It has been so long. I am starting with a goal for a 5K race in June (Mount Albert Sports Day 5K) then I will be taking the "learn to run 10K" class again through Body Design and ready to run a 10K race after it is complete. I will see how I am once I start but a half marathon goal by Fall 2012 might be in the picture. Ah that's scary.

I hope everyone has had a great winter so far. I am excited to start thinking about my spring goals. I will also be taking the same FANTASTIC yoga class with Sandy in Mount Albert. Message me if you want to join, I would love some friendly motivation.

Talk soon!

Chakra? Say what-a?

Well Monday nights yoga class was Ah-mazing. So glad I went as I was contemplating a bail...feeling oh so big in the middle these days. But I left feeling incredible.

Thankfully, Sandy (our instructor) provided an unintentionally pregnant friendly class where there was little to no "on the tummy" positions and lots of hip stretches.
I also received a ton of complements from teacher and fellow yogis...which you can't help but love. Even though you have a hard time believing it, its always nice to be told that "you look fantastic"

The class was geared around Chakras. Interesting and confusing topic indeed. From what I can pull from it, its an Indian concept where there are 7 Chakras in total that align vertically down the spine. Each Chakra holds a certain energy and place in the body. Each chakra can be stimulated and used to heal through various yoga poses.

Image taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra

I know this is a pretty vague description but do some research, its extremely interesting and can get quite complex. You may get lost in it for a while.