Good morning! No, great morning!

I am feeling super jazzed today for two reasons…

First, because I have gorgeous and creamy steel-cut oats that I made with my rice cooker.

Seriously, these rice-cooker oats are life-changing levels of good!

I just put 1/4 cup of steel-cut oats, a spoonful of ground flax, a spoonful of chia seeds, half a banana torn up, and 1 cup of almond milk into the rice cooker and put it on the porridge setting. It took about an hour and 20 minutes, but it was so worth the wait! Next time I’ll prep everything the night before and set a timer so I can wake up to a hot delicious oatmeal morning!

And second, because my body feels so relaxed and stress-free from attending my first ever hot yoga class last night!

I attended a 90 minute class at Atlanta Hot Yoga with 3 lovely ladies: Lee from In My Tummy, Kristy from Kristy Runs, and Laura from Laura Dishes.

I was interested to try it, but not sure if it was going to be right for me. Turns out, I love hot yoga! I think I may have stumbled on to something that I’m going to really enjoy.

I have always had some balance issues because of my scoliosis offsetting my spinal alignment, and I could tell that I had more issues with holding poses when on my left leg, but as the class went on I got better at maintaining my balance, and I think that with regular practice it could really help me. I expected to wake up sore all over, but actually it’s just the opposite. A lot of tension I’ve been holding in my upper back is nearly gone, I find it easier to sit up straight, I don’t have a neckache like I often do in the mornings, and I just feel so light and stress-free. Jackpot!

I think taking up a regular yoga practice, not only just for fun but also as a supplement to my chiropractic care, could be beneficial for me in maintaining flexibility and overall good health.

Thanks girls, for a fun exercise date and for turning me on to a new hobby! If anyone is interested in trying out Decatur Hot Yoga with me, I’m there!

January 25, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 4 comments

So sore today!

I missed working out. I finally started with a new gym yesterday since I’ve realized I’m just not into running in the freezing cold. If I were training for a race that was going to take place in frigid temps then I’d make myself do it, but since I’m not in training currently, the treadmill is fine.

I haven’t lost any ability during my time off but I have lost some flexibility. Too much sitting in front of the computer all day in an unsupportive chair. I need to make it a point to make a chiropractic appointment this month, get all loosened-up again.

This year is about fitness for me. I’m gonna get my money’s worth outta these shoes this year, for sure.

I’m narrowing down a few races for my first 5K of the year, I’ll make an announcement when I’ve signed up!

Also: Thanks to everyone for your comments on my post about understanding what motivates you. I feel like you guys are proud of me for kicking the nail-biting habit, and that makes me proud of myself all over again. Thanks!

What goal are you tackling first this year?

January 6, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 5 comments

Boom! Christmas shopping is done! I’ve even gotten all the wrapping paper and whatnot taken care of, I’m just that awesome. 😉

Accidentally spent WAY too much on Jeff and, thinking he’d be mad that I’d gone over our limit, I told him so as to clear my conscience. Instead, he is on the couch giddily ordering more presents for me since he knows I went over. WIN. 😀

I am so glad to have that stuff all out of the way, it’s been taking up so much of my time and I’m ready to do other things. Like exercise.

I have really fallen off the wagon with fitness. I haven’t gained any weight or anything, but I can tell that I’ve lost some muscle and strength from the lack of activity. It’s just so cold outside! I know, I live in Georgia, how cold can it really be? Well, because I grew up in Georgia, I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to cold temps.

Because of that, I think I may be ready to start at a new gym after the holidays. Strangely, I love treadmills. The term “dreadmill” just isn’t in my vocabulary, I really don’t mind them! It’s nice to be able to set a pace and know it’s consistant without glancing at my Garmin every few seconds. I’m really obsessive, I like having all that information right in front of me.

So, if I’ve accepted that I’m just not going to run outdoors this winter then I need to be doing something else to stay active, and if that means paying for a gym membership until springtime, then so be it. It just sucks because I don’t really expect to use the gym for anything more than the treadmill. I would really like to start building a home gym, but we don’t exactly have the space for it right now.

I might start taking some yoga too, so maybe I’ll find that I’m plenty active this winter, we’ll just have to see.

Do you change up your fitness routines for winter?

December 17, 2010 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 1 comment