Hooked!

First let me begin with saying I need to correct a statement I made on my last post about Bikram.  It's often called "hot yoga", but it's not the same thing as hot yoga.  Confused? Well let me explain how it was explained to me. Bikram is a practice of yoga that is done in a hot room (105 degrees), but every time you go, you do the same poses in the same sequence. Hot yoga on the other hand is the practice of yoga in a hot room as well, but every time you go, it will be different poses and different sequences of the poses. You do something different each time.

Now that that's cleared up...on to my experience!!!

My verdict is: I LOVED IT!!!!

It was suggested that I arrive at the studio 20 minutes prior to the start of class. I signed in and the girl at the front desk explained to me a few ground rules of the studio and I had to sign a waiver.  She basically told me that once I get into the "hot room", I should do as much as I can. Find a spot where someone who's done it before is visible because the instructor only tells you what to do, but does not demonstrate the moves. If I get light headed or nauseous  then I should just sit on my mat with my head above my heart and then get back into it whenever I feel comfortable. It's also recommended that when it's your first time, you should stay in the hot room for the entire 90 minutes even if you need to sit down or sit out so that your body can get used to the temperature in the room.

When I got into the women's changing area, I met a really nice lady who told me she had just began the practice 10 weeks ago. She is going through a divorce and said Bikram has really helped her feel more calm, relaxed, and just better about everything that's going on in her life. She also said she has lost 15 pounds and dropped 2 pants sizes since she started. She gave me a few helpful tips then we went into the hot room together.

My first reaction to the room was....it's hot in here, but it's not unbearable. I've sat in a sauna before and have had to get out because I feel like I can barely breathe in there because the air is so hot! Once I got inside the room and found a spot, everyone who was in there was just laying on their mat, face up, as if they were sunbathing. No talking is allowed in the hot room.  Since everyone looked as if they were  merely sunbathing while we waited for class to start, I put it in my mind that that was exactly where I was....out on the beach on a really hot summer's day!

Once class got started, I confidently removed my shirt and continued practicing in a sports bar and shorts. The less clothes you have on, the better since you're literally pouring in your own sweat while practicing. The man next to me was sweating so bad that his shorts looked like they were crying!!!

Now I'm sure you're thinking...105 degree room, lots of sweaty bodies....it probably stinks in there!! To be honest, it wasn't a bed of roses, but it wasn't unbearable. I did take a class at 9:45 in the morning so perhaps the participants showered before coming. Someone near me also smelled like fresh laundry. I really appreciated that whoever you are! :)

Challenges:
I was able to get through the majority of the poses with minimal problems. I did lose my balance a few times, but no biggie...it was the first day! One pose that gave me trouble is "camel".
                                         

I suppose this is how the pro does it, but most people in the class did it like so....

                                       

Even this way was a challenge for me. I simply placed my hands on my back and bent back as far as I could go.  This will have to be something I work up to.  I think it's because I'm on my knees AND trying to bend backwards....#difficult.

I also had a hard time simply lying on my stomach and trying to breathe.  I find it difficult to lay on hard services like a floor and breathe well no matter if I'm in a hot room or not.  There were many times when we had to simply lay on our belly, palms facing down, and our head to one side. I often had to come up on my elbows to get more breath in my body during those times.

After we did our final breathing exercises, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment! I felt like I had done something great! Something spectacular! I felt amazing as I walked out of the studio! It also helped that it was an absolutely gorgeous day in Charlottesville yesterday!!

I loved it so much that I went back today! While waiting for today's class to begin, I was chatting with another student, and when I told her I was here for the 2nd day in a row, she said "wow...looks like you're hooked"!  I thought that was rather funny because a lot of my friends who love the practice say it's addicting! I've already mapped out my schedule for the week to figure out when I can go again.  Unfortunately, I won't have time in my schedule along with when classes are offered to go again until Wednesday! Ah well...I'm excited about going again!!

Have you ever done Bikram or considered doing it? Share your experiences in the comment section!

Bikram Virgin

A few weeks ago, I bought a Living Social deal to have access to unlimited Bikram yoga classes for a month.  I have been waiting for the "perfect" opportunity to begin this adventure and decided this weekend would be "the moment".

If you're not familiar with Bikram, it's a practice of yoga also called "hot yoga" that is designed to warm, stretch, and strengthen muscles, ligaments, and tendons in a room that is heated to a whopping 105 degrees... FAHRENHEIT!

I have done yoga before, but I have never done Bikram! I have a few thoughts of what I'm imagining it to be like, but of course, while sharing the fact that I'm doing this, I have gotten several reviews from others. Of course, some love it and rant and rave about the benefits of doing it and some hate it with a passion! I decided it was time to take my fitness goals to new heights and decided that I wanted to give this a try. I'm hoping that I can stand to go at least 4 days a week for this month long deal that I have purchased.  If I can stand to go for more days and my schedule permits, then of course, I'll take on the challenge.

I'm really excited about class tomorrow! I am opting to go to the 9:45am class since I have some other obligations during the rest of the day.

What I have here is the outfit I plan to wear, a towel, and my new yoga mat! I plan to be as comfortable as possible with my outfit since I want to be sure to focus completely on the class and not having to worry about what I'm wearing.  On second thought, I might have to change this outfit since these shorts are really big and if I'm going to be sweating, I don't want to have to worry about my pants falling off during class.  I was advised by several people to bring a towel with me too.  I have my water in the freezer chilling right now and will be bringing that along for the ride since hydration is strongly recommended...well duh! 

My plan is to do my very best and to go at my own pace. One of my coworkers was telling me to do what I can and don't try to keep up with the other people in group because you'll end up hurting yourself that way.  Another coworker said "it's gentle stretching so if you're forcing it, you need to chill out because you're doing too much".  I'll be sure to take these thoughts with me tomorrow.

I will also be blogging about my experience! I'm ready!! Stay tuned...

It's official....1/2 marathon here I come!

I'm proud to say that I have met my very first fitness goal which was to get down to my goal weight of 175 pounds! This takes me to a total weight loss of about 22 pounds! After achieving my goal, I knew it was time for a new fitness goal to keep me on track! 

I believe that once you achieve one goal, it's time to move on to another! I had been talking to a friend about running a 1/2 marathon and she told me about the Run Like A Diva 1/2 marathon and 5K (website here ). It's being held on September 14th in Wine Country in Washington, DC.  

                                            

I checked out the website and found this race to be extremely exciting and why not have your very first 1/2 marathon be something fun and exciting??? Well I had been kind of dragging my feet on registering, but finally yesterday, I took the plunge and I DID IT!!! There's no turning back now because I have paid for the event and there are no refunds! If you know me, then you know I am not the one to waste money, so it's a done deal!

With that being said, I'm ready to start training! I was directed to a page on Facebook that offers running tips and also there was a post for a 1/2 marathon training schedule for beginners! It's a 12 week program and looks pretty doable! I'm excited to get started...but first....I need new running shoes!

Any runner will tell you that good running shoes are imperative especially if you're going to be running for long distances.  Any pair just won't do!! Ain't nobody got time for injuries either so I knew it was something that I have to get on ASAP!! 

                                    

Today after work, I went to a running store to be fitted for a new pair of shoes (even though I already have been fitted before, I just wanted to go again to be sure nothing has changed).  The sales associate was very knowledgeable and kind and offered me another variation of the shoes that I currently own.  Of course the shoes were super cute (I love a bright colored shoe), but the only problem was the price!! I just couldn't afford to pay over $100 for shoes right now. I told him that I would need to think about it and would come back at another time.  Of course me being Frugal Frannie, I went online to search to see if I could find the shoes in my size somewhere for a cheaper price.  Well God was definitely looking out when I found a pair for $50 less than they were in the store.  The only thing is that I didn't really like the color that I had to get (only pair in my size), but I will just have to get over that and just jazz these up with some neon shoelaces or something! 

Best part is that the site I ordered my shoes from provided free shipping AND no taxes!!! Woop woop!!! I can't wait to get them so I can start training!! I'm going to be doing a lot of educating myself on tips for runners because I want to do my best and most of all, I don't want to get injured! I'm praying the blood of Jesus over me during this new adventure and I'm super excited about accomplishing yet another fitness goal!

Stay tuned for progress updates!!! 

Lessons and blessings....

On Sunday, many of us celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Along with going to church on this holy day, many of us also engaged in a large Easter feast with family and friends. Easter also brings tons of treats wrapped up nicely in a basket with bright colors and lots of sugar.  

Although I'm living a lifestyle of eating clean and working out, I was not exempt from partaking in a good ol' time on Easter Sunday fellowshipping with good people and good food. I considered the feast my "cheat day".  I had candy, cake, mac and cheese, baked chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, asparagus, deviled eggs, and then I went in for a second plate!! After I got home, I had planned to digest then get up and go to the gym in a few hours. Of course I felt totally sluggish and ended up not going to the gym at all.  

When I got settled in at home, I decided to catch up with my Instagram account.  To encourage my followers and show that I am not perfect in this journey of getting fit, I fully admitted that I went IN at dinner and was totally off my diet.  I posted two posts that were taken from other accounts to express my sentiments.  One posts stated "begs for cheat meal day to come; has cheat meal, "I'm a fat f*&@#ing loser".  And the second one was taken from a favorite fitness account that said "I don't care if you ate Charlie's whole g*^d@mn chocolate factory. Don't give up!"  

Many of my fitness inspired followers either liked these pics or commented on how they needed to see this or how they felt the same way, etc. 

And then there was that one comment.  shhhhrrreeeecccchhhh 

(imagine the breaks of a car screeching ..lol) 

One of my [former] followers commented on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory post saying something along the lines of "one word to describe you baby...Christian. And now this post...#unfollowing. No offense...I still support you"....something like that. I deleted it so I can't remember it word for word. 

The user who posted this is a total stranger whom I've never met before. I thought she was a coworker of my best friend when I allowed her to follow me, but according to my bestie, she has no idea who this woman is. I was taken completely ABACK when I saw her comment!!! Ok I'll admit, I was highly offended!!! I was  on the phone with my bestie when I saw it and went OFF!!! I had a few choice words that I wanted to say back to this woman because I felt like she totally judged me off of one post which was a repost and essentially I felt like my walk with God was being questioned. 

Although I don't know this woman and I should not have been offended, I was. Mainly because I didn't like the fact that she would chose to completely disassociate with me because of that. My defense was that I didn't make the post or choose to use that language.  I just found the overall message to be inspiring in that it encourages us not to give up on our fitness goals only because we had a bad eating day.  I've seen the post several times on IG worded differently from other users, but this one just happened to come across my timeline that day and I reposted it.  I also read it quickly and wasn't sure if it said godd@&# or GOTd@%#.  I just reposted it. 

Clearly the word is offensive in that is seen as using the Lord's name in vain.  And again, I don't use the word at all or condone others to use it, but one thing I realized is that once I reposted it, it showed that I did condone it. I wanted to hit this user with several scriptures from the Bible especially Romans 3:23 that states all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and also John 8:7 that says he who is without sin, cast the first stone. I also wanted to say some other sarcastic and ungodly things to this person. 

After I calmed down, I decided to just delete the post all together.  I recently taught a lesson to my students about self-respect. I talked to them about acting in a way that shows they love and respect their self, but also to act in a way that shows others you love and respect yourself. Sometimes we do things that we think is harmless, but someone else may feel like it is highly offensive and will further judge your character because of it. Now of course we can't go around living our lives to be pleasing to others for everything because clearly that is impossible with so many different opinions on ways of living out there. However, I did take this as a lesson to myself that I am a representation of God and with all of my actions and words, I want to draw people to him, not away.  So even though the post might not have been a big deal to people who actually matter to me, one was offended and I learned to watch my actions.  Although I didn't create the original post, when I reposted it, I became associated with it. 

This was a humbling experience and served as a check and balance for me.  It showed me that what I teach my students, I need to be remembering that for myself. I talk to them all the time about being careful with what they post on the internet because it's a representation of them.  This situation may seem sooooo petty and small, but I looked at the bigger picture.  It's true...people come in your life for a reason and season.  That user no longer follows me so I won't get anymore feedback from her, but I did learn something from this situation for bigger things to come in my life. There may be an even bigger circumstance/situation that happens in my life where I will need to remember this situation and think twice before I act or say something.  There are blessings and lessons in every situation if you are willing to slow and find/see them. :)

Workout and Worship Wednesday! 3/27/13

Hello everyone and welcome back to Workout and Worship Wednesday!! I hope you have been following along and receiving the blessings of the scriptures, songs, and workouts that I have shared with you!

Today's scriptures comes from Psalm 100 and it reads:

"1 Shout praises to the Lord, everyone on this earth. 2 Be joyful and sing as you come in to worship the Lord! 3 You know the Lord is God! He created us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep in his pasture. 4 Be thankful and praise the Lord as you enter his temple. 5 The Lord is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.

Today's song of worship is from Kirk Franklin's Hello Fear album! I had heard this song before, but never really listened to the words until last night! It's rather up tempo so you can even jam to it at the gym!! It's called Give Me!

For this week's workout, I want to challenge you to do something different.  To be more specific, I want you to step it up a notch. If you are used to running on the treadmill for an hour at the same pace, kick the pace up or add an incline while you're running. If you have been lifting weights, increase the amount of weight you're lifting. Really challenge yourself and take your body to a new level of awesomeness!! If you're used to running on the treadmill, now that the weather is expected to get warmer, run outside instead. If you belong to a gym, look at the list of classes that the gym is offering and take one you've never taken before! Even if you feel intimidated, don't let fear stop you from being great and reaching new heights!!

Have an awesome and blessed day everyone!!

Hello Fear...you are the weakest link! GOODBYE!

In 2001, a popular game show called The Weakest Link captured the attention of many Americans.  I think the most popular part of the show that we all loved most was when the host, Anne Robinson would say to a contestant "you are the weakest link. Goodbye!" basically dismissing that contestant from the show.

I remember making jokes with friends around that time when The Weakest Link was hitting it's peak and always using that catch phrase to dismiss people or issues from our lives.  As of late, fear has been coming up in my life quite often.

Today I was talking to a friend about her future endeavors and she shared with me some of her next steps in life. I was so inspired by her drive and determination to live out her goals and bring them to fruition.  Some of the things that she talked about planning to do were some things that I actually have considered doing in my own life. So what's the difference between her and me? Well she's making things happen, and I realized I'm waiting on the corner of Fear Blvd and Doubtful Ave. Totally not my M.O.!! I'm embarrassed to even admit that!

I am a Christian and I know God's word, which clearly says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "for God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind".  I believe and receive that, so why on earth would I ever let fear come into my life and stop me from being great?

This is such a conflict of interest right now. I feel like I'm that person with the the angel and the devil on my shoulder. 

  

The angel is telling me what God says, and the devil is telling me "don't try that because you'll fail".  I have taken leaps of faith before and made some big decisions that I truly trusted God to see me through, but there are other things that I have put off doing because I let that little devil on my shoulder get in my head and keep me from going for the gold!

Today, after talking to my friend, I made a decision that it was time to kick that little devil to the curb! It's time to combat any negative, fearful, ungodly thought that comes into my mind and replace it with thoughts of encouragement, positivity, and prosperity! How do I know what it's going to be like if I never try? So I thought about some of the things I want to do and then I thought about the things that are holding me back from doing them. As I was thinking of both lists, I started to pay more attention to my list of what I want to do, and less attention to why I couldn't do it.

It's time to take the limits off! Regardless of what I think I'm capable of doing, nothing is impossible for God! He will see me through any and everything I face in life! It's go time and that starts with dismissing the biggest road block: fear!

You are the weakest link! GOODBYE!!!

Trusting God's Timing

Happy Monday everyone! Due to yet another "winter" storm, I'm home from work all in the name of a snow day!  I enjoy these extended weekends and having the opportunity to just lounge around the house and relax. Ok, I know some of you had to go to work today so I won't continue to rub that in. :-)

One of the things I chose to do today was to clean out my e-mail inbox. When I was on my internet fast a few weeks ago, my inbox had racked up in unread e-mails and I wanted to just go through them all to be sure I hadn't missed anything of importance. To my surprise, I stumbled across an e-mail from my friend Timere.  The subject of the e-mail was "FAITH". I opened the e-mail and the body read "this is the awesome sermon I caught last night".  I clicked on the link and it was a Joel Osteen sermon called "Activate Faith, Not Fear".  I watched the sermon and it was truly a blessing! You can check it out here.  After watching that sermon, I noticed another sermon on the right hand side of the screen called "Trusting God's Timing".  I decided to click on it and see what it was all about.

This was no surprise that this sermon was all that I needed and more!!! I have struggled with being patient while waiting for things to come to pass my entire life (hence the name my friends used to call me Anxious Annie)! As I've grown older and more mature especially in my walk with God, my patience has increased and I am much better than I was. However, I can't truly say that my desire to have instant gratification doesn't kick in from time to time.

Joel says in the sermon:

"In life we're always waiting for something. When it's not happening as fast as we would like, it's easy to get frustrated. The moment you prayed, God has established a set time for it to come to pass. When you understand the time has already been set, it takes the pressure off. You can relax and enjoy your life knowing that the promise has already been scheduled by the creator of the universe."

Of course no one likes to wait (well at least I don't know anyone who does), but this sermon confirms that when we trust God's timing, everything we've ever waited for will be awesome and amazing once it comes to pass!

One of my favorite verses regarding timing is from Habakkuk 2:3 and it says: "...The vision is for an appointed time, it may seem slow in coming, but wait patiently for it is surly coming".  I have made vision boards for the past two years and each year, I put this scripture on my board! The great thing about this scripture is that it says "wait patiently for it is SURLY to come".  That's a promise!! Whatever you're waiting on, it's coming eventually! 

Two things that I've wanted for as long as I could remember are: having a fit body and being in a loving, healthy relationship. I remember when I was in 6th grade, I declared that I wanted this banging amazing body! As for the relationship, I have always loved love for as long as I can remember so that's been a constant desire of my heart as well. Each of these things are slightly different when it comes to when it could come to pass for me.

Getting my body into shape is something that is solely dependent on my efforts and my doing. Finding the right person for me, is not so much an independent event. But I have noticed that both of these things fall align with perfect timing.

Like I've said in a previous post, I have never been a stranger to working out. I played a few active sports in middle and high school and I did some recreational working out all throughout my 20s, but why has my body never seen the results I'm seeing now? I'll tell you why! Because getting fit is not just about working out! I've said it time and time again! It's a "trifecta" (as one of my Instagram followers calls it) which includes: quality nutrition, cardio, and resistance training. All three of those things put together is what's yielding me these results. This also takes a disciplined mind! Getting is shape and eating right really is a lot more mental than people give it credit for.  There are so many things that motivate me to keep going in this journey.  Caring about my health and not taking it for granted, understanding how important nutrition is if I want to see results,  mentally pushing myself through a challenging workout (overcoming laziness), and lastly being motivated to encourage others through my journey! Inspiring others has been a huge push with keeping me going in all of this. Sometimes I want to give up, but I think about how many people are inspired by me and I keep going.  Another thing is the timing of seeing the results! It's easy to get discouraged when you want to see a six pack 3 days after you start working out and eating right. Sometimes you  may even want to give up because you think it's not working for you.  In due time, with consistency it will happen!! The date is already set so just throw the scale out the window and keep doing what you're doing! The date was also set for me to get my mind right and understand all that it entails for me to do this! The date was already set for me to care about wanting to inspire others when years ago, this would have been all about me and only me!

As for finding love, I can't believe I'm saying this, but within the past couple of months, this has been the first time EVER that I wasn't pressed about when it was going to happen. I mean I'm the lover of the group!! Anyone who knows me knows I'm the one with the hearts in my eyes, bursting into song and dance "TO BE LOVED, TO BE LOVED.....AHHHH WHAT A FEELING"..Prince Akheem from Coming to America style, type of chick! And this sermon was so on point for confirming that my feelings of ease in this area of my life is exactly how God wants me to feel! No need to be anxious or worried when it's going to happen.  No need to panic that I live in the boondocks so how and where will I meet this man!? No need to panic that I'm almost 30 and still waiting. No need to consult the biological clock and go into panic mode. It is still a desire of my heart, but I truly trust God that the moment is already set and with that said, I might as well enjoy the life I have now until that appointed date and time arrives.

"...it's through faith and patience that we inherit the promises". Hebrews 6:12

You can check out this sermon here!

*Be blessed*