yoga mat

August Goals

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Awwww, August.  The real deal of Summertime.

In the intense heat and sticky humidity of these Summer days (and nights!)  I sometimes forget that I love summer.  I love summer dresses and green trees.  I love outdoor concerts and rendevousing at patio bars.  I love crisp white wine and iced nettle tea.  I love submerging in woodland swimming holes and fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes.  I even love sweat-soaked, 90* summer runs.

It’s become a ritual/habit/practice for me on the first of the month to look at my exercise over the previous month and set goals/guidelines for the coming month.  July was an active month!  Full of hiking and Pilates, running and strength training.  But wait!  What happened to yoga?!   Hmmm, seems to be taking a little summer vacay from my life for the past few weeks.

My main goal for August is to get back on the mat.  Usually I set a number of workouts per week, like 2-4 yoga sessions.  This month my yoga goal is to practice “regularly”.

With three weeks to go until the Crazy Captain Thurmond Challenge, it’s time to get serious about running long distances UPhill in the middle of the day.  The running plan for August is 2-4 per with some longer distances (6-7 milers) and hill training for the next two weeks.  Yesterday I ran/walked a sweaty, slow, and hilly 6.5 miles and it made me really excited for this event!

Strength training and Pilates remain pretty steady lately.  I am happy with my 3 strength workouts and 2 Pilates workouts per week and plan to continue with that schedule.

Teaching updates!  Cville readers; I am teaching 7pm mat Pilates at the Downtown ACAC starting tonight, and a Vinyasa yoga class and a Modern dance class (two separate classes) at Dance Explosion on Tuesdays starting after Labor Day.  E-mail me, gracefulfitness at live dot com, for more info!

What are your August exercise goals?  How do you plan to challenge yourself or change your routine this month?

Carrot Crazy

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Don’t worry about me if I start to look a little orange.

But it’s all in the name of MUFFINS!

Oh yes, that is filling you see peaking out.

I’m calling this one Inside Out Carrot Cake.  Mmmmm

It still needs a little work (and I need more muffins!) so look for the recipe to be posted tomorrow morning.

I woke up with leftover grated carrots in the fridge and a hankering for gooey carrot cake

Best oats in a while.

  • 1/2 cup thick rolled oats
  • ~1/2 cup grated carrots
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 T peanut flour
  • cinnamon
  • stevia
  • salt
  • homemade coconut butter disc
  • 1 T chopped walnuts & almonds

This bowl was hearty chewy deliciousness.  And super filling, I almost didn’t finish it.

Today is one of those days when I am really missing having a gym.  It’s rainy and windy and I did my best indoor workout yesterday (strength intervals, a la Core Four).  What’s a girl to do?

Yoga.

My body says, “yes, PLEASE!” but my mind says “nah, really not in the mood”.

Ironically, ever since I set my goal for February of practicing lots of yoga, my yoga-doing has significantly declined.  I think it’s due in part to ending my month at the gym a few weeks ago.  I was really dedicated to a three times a week yoga class attendance for that month and am having a challenge transitioning back into a home practice.

All I need to do is roll out the mat and commit to 20 minutes, that’s really all it will take to remind myself that I my mind wants yoga too.  Do I sound like I am trying to talk myself into it?  Well, yeah I am a little bit.

Do you practice yoga? If so, are you a dedicated class attendee or solely a solo yogi?  I think that there is deep value in each, a teacher can be invaluable and the energy you get from other students can really help you push through challenges.  It is empowering to create your own practice, be it 5 minutes or an hour, and really nice to have it available anytime you want it, no studio required.

Alright, enough talk, time for some action.  Where’s that mat.