The Hot Yoga Post

Last Friday marked 45 consecutive days of Hot Yoga. And while, I know that this is primarily a running blog, it's been a helluva 45 days and I'd like to share a little of it with you.

First of all, I'm really happy about the 45 days. I mean, committing myself to something for 45 consecutive days is quite the feat. Particularly when that something is 90 minutes every day. That's 10 and a half hours a week. My ultimate goal was to do 60 full days (which Bikram Choudhury suggests for all beginners to prime your body), but I'm not sure if I ever spend 60 consecutive days in Nashville.

So, the results...

Body.
First of all, what everyone always wants to know is... how much weight did I lose? And the answer is, basically none. According to the scale, I've dropped MAYBE a pound or two. BUT, I have dropped body fat and toned up, my arms (biceps, triceps, shoulders) are more ripped than they've ever been. (Particularly my biceps). My clothes fit looser and I can tell that my inner thighs have definitely toned up some. It should be noted that when I first started hot yoga back in May, I definitely lost some weight, probably 5 pounds or so and it was all bad, nasty belly fat. Which is awesome. But, during the 45 days, I didn't really lose a significant amount of weight, but my belly is getting still firmer (still a ways to go, unfortunately).

Flexibility.
I'm sure I am more flexible, but I didn't do any kinds of tests to gauge that. My hamstrings are still super tight, but I am able to get into poses deeper now than I was at the beginning of the challenge and certainly more so than I was before I took my first class back in May. Will I ever bend into a pretzel? Who knows? But, there's no rush, I've got the rest of my life to practice.

Skin, Hair.
My skin is the most notably changed. I no longer HAVE to put lotion on. If I skip it one day, its no biggie. Before hot yoga, if I skipped lotion, I'd be able to write my name on my legs with a fingernail. And you could read it. From across the room. My hair is surprisingly holding up well, despite the 2 showers a day now (after running in the morning and after yoga in the evening).

Running.
The BEST thing about Hot Yoga for my running has been the ability to acclimate to the heat and survive with sweat pouring down my face. When I first started the hot yoga, I bet I wiped my face a million times during class. Now, only a handful (usually only before poses where my head is below my heart). And that's translated to running too, not only does the heat not bother me as bad when running, but the sweat doesn't either. Having sweat pouring down my face is no longer the bane of my existence. It's just something you deal with. 

Also, one of the poses (fixed firm) is one of the only stretches I've ever seen that stretches your shins, IT band, and ankles. It is an awesome pose for runners!

Posture.
I definitely find myself standing up taller (which I'm so happy about... I hate catching myself in the mirror and seeing myself all Slouchy-McSloucherson).

Confidence.
I feel better about myself and my body. They say that you work ever muscle, tissue, and cell in your body during a standard 26 posture Bikram class, and you definitely become more aware of certain body parts that you never really thought of before. Hot Yoga makes me feel strong and good about myself. I always come out of class feeling lighter (both physically.. all that sweat), but also emotionally.

My head.
So, I always feel mentally cleared after a class. No matter what I was thinking about during the day, once I get on the mat, that all disappears and when I step off the mat again and into the real world, my problems/issues don't seem near as bad. In fact, I find myself ready and wanting to face them head-on immediately. I also find that I'm becoming a better listener. For 90 minutes straight, I listen to my teacher intently and don't speak a word. Even though I have the whole series memorized (and a lot of the dialogue and cues, as well), I never anticipate the upcoming pose, I always wait to be instructed and I'm always listening for that one new piece of instruction that clicks that day and gets me deeper into a pose. Those days are glorious.

Sleep.
I don't know if it's because I'm exhausted from running and yoga everyday, but I've completely transformed from a non-napper to a full blown "nodding off on my mat before class" person. It used to take me FOREVER to fall asleep... especially if I was trying to nap. But, now... I often doze off on my mat before class. And let me tell you... I have the CRAZIEST thoughts during this time. Not really dreams, cause I'm not in a deep sleep... but it's like my subconscious starts to seep out into my brain and from people moving around and coming in and out of the door.. my thoughts are really bizarre. Usually I wake up and I'm like, WTF? Where did that come from?

Socially.
Yeah, socially, it's tough. Between running in the morning and 90 minutes of yoga in the afternoon, it's hard to fit in anything social during the week. I take the 6:15-7:45pm class and by the time I get out of class it's usually about 8 pm. And sure... 8pm isn't that late. But, it's kinda late to be a hot, sweaty mess and have to take a shower, blow dry, put on make-up, get dressed, etc to go out. I missed out on a couple of social activities that I would have liked to do, but to be honest.. I wasn't all that disappointed. Hot Yoga is worth it.

Socially in the studio, it's getting better. Like any community (running included), it takes awhile to "break in." But, after being in the studio everyday for 45 days.. you get to know people and it's soooo nice to have familiar, friendly faces to chit chat before and after class with. This was one of the things that I was really wanting. So, I'm glad that's happened. Plus, all the teachers now know me (most of them did before, except for a few that only teach the occasional classes at the times I go) which is a huge bonus. It feels more welcoming to know people.

Spiritually.
For the most part, Hot Yoga isn't too spiritual. I mean, I'm sure it is for some people, but it's not something that is really pushed during class. Basically, it's BYOS- Bring Your Own Spirituality. Which I like. There's no intimidating "ohms," but there is definitely times before, during and after class for you to focus on your breath and empty your mind, and I find myself chanting my own personal mantra to myself to get myself through some poses sometimes.

Overall.
Overall, I'm in love with Hot Yoga. I know that like running, Hot Yoga (or any kind of yoga) will be apart of the rest of my life. It's something that I crave... it's like it's another one of the puzzle pieces that fit in to complete me. And the funny thing is... I never even knew I needed that piece.

By the way... is it any coincidence that the two things I love: hot yoga and marathons are 26 poses and 26 (yes, I'm not forgetting the .2, but honestly... after hot yoga, you're supposed to rest for 2 minutes, so, if you wanna get technical on me... bring it) miles long? :)

Done. Sorta. Random Reflections.

The end of last week marked the end of my super strict vegan, macrobiotic, fruits and veggies only (basically) 30 day diet.

I'd never done anything like this before. Sure, I've dieted and eliminated certain food groups from my diet before, but never something so comprehensive. My diet consisted of as many fruits and veggies as I wanted, a few nuts and seeds, water, and I had brown rice twice and whole wheat bread a couple of times.

I thought it would be really hard. I thought I'd be dying for some cheesy eggs with a big bottle of diet coke. But, I really didn't. I mean, sure I missed cheese and I missed wine and I missed both of those together. But, overall... it wasn't that hard and I think it's because it wasn't much different from how I've been eating anyway.

The one thing I did notice... I think it's helped to begin to break me from the food addiction problems that I have. Over the past few years, its become clear to me that I've had a food addiction since I was a teenager. I didn't acknowledge it for about 10 years and just let myself eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted because I thought food made me feel better, it was how I medicated myself and because of that I gained weight, was a total sloth, and was depressed and miserable. FOR 10 YEARS. 10 years I wasted. Ugh.

Anyway, that's how I got serious into running. I decided to make a change... I changed my diet first.. lost some weight and then decided to get serious about exercising, too. I started running and fell in love and soon running became the enabler for my addiction. Because I was running... I could still eat. In my head, it seemed healthier. And anyway, I was feeling so much better, had so much energy and had shaken all of my depression, that I didn't need to deal with the food addiction, right? No problem.

But for the past couple of years, I've been getting healthier and healthier. Trying to get my body down to my ideal weight, but I still never addressed the addiction.

In a strange way... these past 30 days have really made me see how I can have healthy control over my eating and how food is fuel for your body. Not fuel for your mind/emotions. I feel like I've gotten rid of all the toxins in my body: sugar, caffeine, alcohol and so now, that it's all gone, I don't crave those things. I seriously don't crave brownies or diet cokes or beer. I crave watermelon and cashews. And after I eat those things and give into my cravings, instead of feeling weak, gluttonous, and miserable like I did with the brownies and other things.. I feel great.

I was actually NERVOUS to eat sugar on Sunday at a family dinner. I was afraid that after 30+ days with no sugar that as soon as I had one taste, that I'd revert back to my old ways... that I wouldn't be able to stop, that I'd crave it for days.

But, you know what happened? I got a sore throat. My body actually had a physical reaction to the sugar... and since I've been clean and detoxed, I knew immediately that that's what did it. I could tell that my body was giving me a sign that it doesn't like sugar. So, now I know... my body isn't going to crave sugar, because it makes me sick and my mind will remember that as much as I love sugar, I freaking hate sore throats. So, if I'm going to eat something with sugar in it, it better be DAMN worth it.

So, honestly. This was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Sure, I'll eat dairy and eggs and sugar occasionally now. I'll have wine and alcohol. But, for the most part, I think this is the diet that makes Amy the happiest and healthiest.

So, one part of the 30 day challenge over... now, just have to wait till my 37 days of Hot Yoga are over on Thursday...

Day 8 of the 30 Day Challenge.

Wouldn't you know it? After I decide to do the Hot Yoga 30 day challenge and did it 7 days in row, I noticed that my Hot Yoga studio is offering a promotion for anyone who completes a 30 day challenge. Basically, if you buy a month membership and do Hot Yoga there for 30 days in row, then at the end of the challenge they'll give you 10 consecutive days free, plus 5 free guest passes, plus 20% off your next series membership.

Hot Damn! I love myself a good bargain. But, the only thing is... I started my own personal 30 day challenge 7 days ago. So, I had to decide... is it worth all the free stuff (which is worth upwards of $200) to do 37 consecutive days?

Being the cheapskate that I am, I decided yes.

So, I officially signed up for that yesterday. And murphy's law, after 7 glorious days of yoga... as soon as I committed to a full month in advance, I had a shitty class? Oh well. Today will be better, right?

The rest of the challenge is going really well. I'm loving the fruits and veggies and water. I'm not craving any kind of sweets (which, is seriously a miracle) and though I did have a random craving for a hot dog the other day, for the most part, my cravings are nonexistant or fleeting, at worst.

It is hard to deal with the social aspect though. But, I just shrug it off and tell my friends it's only 30 days, for chrissakes! You can deal with sober Amy for 30 days, I promise. I'm not that awful.

I'm really anxious to see how this affects my training and my running. I can already tell that the hot yoga has helped me acclimate to these brutal temperatures we've been having and I think the clean diet is making me feel less sluggish and a little lighter on my feet.

I really feel like as an athlete (hahahahaha... yes, I just referred to myself as an athlete, hahahaah), I take so much time to do the right things to train for an event. I have the discipline to wake up at 4:30am during the week to get ready for runs, I have the discipline to run 18-21 miles to train... I should be able to have to the discipline to give my body the fuel that it really needs (fruits, veggies, whole foods)... not the fuel that I want (or used to want, like nachos, cheeseburgers, and beer).

We'll see. I've got 22 days left of the strict, clean eating and I guess 30 more days of hot yoga. (I'm undecided if I'll just push the whole challenge back to 37 days or just the yoga).

The Next 30 Days

On the Brooklyn Bridge, Bitches!

After spending the last 6 days having an awesome time in NYC (incidentally 20 minutes before this picture was taken, a lady at the library, who I hope had tourette's syndrome, said "you're dressed like a slut" as she walked passed me, and to clarify any confusion of who she was talking about, 5 minutes later, when my friend asked her a question, she told me to cover up. I can't make this shit up, folks) summer travel is officially over. And now it's time to get down to official business.

What official business, you ask? Remember, I signed up for this little gem of a race: Stumpjump 50K why couldn't I be a sadist instead of a masochist??? And since the race is less than 3 months away, I suppose it's time to start training for it. No more excuses.

I'm still hammering out the actual running part of the training plan (I'm too anal to start a training plan on any other day of the week besides a Monday. Duh), I do know that it's going to consist of 50-60 miles per week, with one hill day and one tempo day a week. And every other week, I'm going to force myself to run for at least 90 minutes on trails (or, as I'll refer to it, my biweekly 90 minutes of hell). Sounds totally awesome, right? Ugh.

I do plan on actually getting all accountant-like on this training plan and busting out some spreadsheets this weekend to map out exactly what to do when so that I'll feel even more guilty when I end up slacking. So, the running part should be awesome.

But that's not all, folks. Ohhhhh no. I'm taking the next 30 days to do the Hot Yoga Challenge. 30 consecutive days of Hot Yoga. But, I'm not stopping there.... ohhhh no folks, you know me... I've gotta aim even higher. I'm taking these next 30 days to clean up my body, too.

Now, honestly, my body is pretty clean. I haven't told you guys, but I've been eating a mostly raw diet, and an almost exclusively fruits, veggies, nuts, popcorn, and diet coke diet. I've just been experimenting with it, occasionally I'll have a cup of yogurt or a little cheese. And I've been feeling awesome and have seen results in my body.

The truth is... I've got this beer belly that I've been trying to get rid of for like 2 years now. I've tried everything, I've tried counting calories, I've tried strength training, I've tried ab exercises... and those things would help a little, but they wouldn't work long term. And lately... with the hot yoga, and the super clean diet, I've started seeing and feeling ACTUAL results. Aside from body results (vanity is number 1, of course) I feel amazing. I've got loads of energy, my head is clear and I'm able to concentrate and focus at work a lot easier, my skin and nails are in great condition. I'm just overall much healthier and happier. It's great.

So, to coincide with the 30 day yoga challenge, I'm also going 30 days vegan with a diet of mostly fruits, veggies, and nuts. And, I'm going 30 days without alcohol (EXCEPT for the beer mile race, in which I must defend my title), and possibly the hardest of all, 30 days no carbonated beverages (I am a diet coke fiend). I just want to see how I'll feel during and after those 30 days.

And lucky for you, I plan on posting more frequently and documenting these next 30 days closely. I'm not sure what to expect, Always the optimist, I'm expecting it to be easy and for me to be all zen and hot afterwards. But, as you guys are always the realists, I'm sure you're expecting lots of cursing, cheating and failure. We'll see what happens.

P.S. So, I'm going to take it easy on the P90X. I feel like with the running and the yoga, I'm getting enough exercise. I will probably still incorporate the 3 strength training videos each week. But, I'm not going to consistently keep up with the whole program. I'm not worried, Tony will still be available when I need him.

P.P.S. If, in about 21 days, I start asking you about knots, please don't give me any information.