Namaste

Ever since I got back from New Orleans I have been on this health kick. Something about all the beignets, bread pudding, BBQ and junk food made me feel all sorts of nasty inside. I won’t tell you how many Reese’s peanut butter cups I consumed while we were sitting around in a hotel room, but I will tell you it is probably more than one person should eat in a month. When I returned to the beehive state I was determined to detoxify and start living a healthier life.

My new healthy life needed to include working out of course. The gym was great, but it just wasn’t really doing it for me so I started considering other options. I have a friend who has done Bikram yoga since high school and loves it so I talked to her about that. She of course sang its praises so after lots of internet research and mental preparation I enrolled in classes. For those of you who do not know, Bikram yoga is a 90 minute yoga class that includes 26 postures and is done in a room that is heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity (sometimes more, sometimes less…usually more). Last Wednesday was my first class and I am totally addicted!! I have to admit that after that first class I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go on. I had sweat more than I ever had in my life, every muscle in my body ached, and during the class I thought I was going to die approximately 3 times. When the instructor said, “It is normal to feel light headed and nauseous at this point”, I wondered what I was doing there. Determined to not give up (and because I had already paid for a 10 days) I went back the next day and found it was a million times easier. Here I sit, one week later and I am already feeling the benefits of my practice. It has helped me physically to get a good work out, but the breathing and relaxation involved has really helped me emotionally as well; I feel much less stressed, I sleep better, and I have more energy. Bikram yoga is amazing and I never want to stop!

The diet portion of my healthy life is also going well. I am proud to say that I have been pretty successful in my limited Diet Coke consumption. I have only had it twice since I decided to limit my intake. I have also been trying to eat a lot better and that included giving up my beloved sour patch kids. It has been almost 3 weeks since their sour and then sweet goodness has touched my lips. So far, I am feeling a lot better about my diet and the feelings of bloated grossness are few and far between.

Bathing suit season is just around the corner and I shall be in tip top shape for its arrival!