In a continued effort to downsize my stress, I went in search of websites that could offer some guidance.  I happened upon YogaVa, a great site geared toward online yoga classes but featuring a blog where the author shares useful information and simple practices to keep your whole body balanced. One post in particular called Grounded Through the Feet reminded me of one of my favorite poses, legs up the wall.

She writes, “Legs Up the Wall works wonders for tired, achey legs and feet. Great for reversing the blood flow and bringing a fresh supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. It works better than a nap as you will feel more energize and restored.”

Sounds good to me. I spent a few minutes last night with Legs Up the Wall.  I quickly winded down and slept I like a baby. You may recall this pose from my previous post during the 30 Day Fitness Challenge. That was a while ago, 18 months to be exact. Wow, how time flies. Interestingly enough, I am wearing the same pants.

They’re Notre Dame pants by the way. The All-Star hates them. Go Irish!

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and burning sinuses.  It was 7:45 and I had a 9am date to do Yoga with The Kahuna.  My intention was to ride my bike the 2.7 miles to the beach apartment but that was just not happening.  I danced with the idea of staying in bed until it was time to go to work but that is not what this challenge is all about.  So at 8:30 I pulled myself together, had a protein shake, took some ColdQuell, and drove my car instead.  We used a yoga class  recorded off the Oxygen channel.  It was no easy breathin’ yoga class and perfect for today’s challenge.  Also, it was nice to have a friend join in and support my quest.  Health wise, I felt good during the class.  At present, my throat no longer hurts but my sinuses are still congested and I have a chill.

For my post-workout meal, I had an egg, mushroom and onion scramble, wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with tomato and hot sauce.  I’m being mindful of calorie intake during this challenge.  It is not my goal to lose pounds so I need to make sure that I’m consuming enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.  Last night was a delicious dinner of baked chicken tenders, zucchini, mushroom and tomato.  It was so good and so easy to make.  I just threw it all in a pan with some breadcrumbs and seasoning and 350ºed it until it was done (about 30 minutes).

Other cool challenge additions…

Thanks to my personalized Google page, I happened upon LifeMojo, a neat website that lets me track my challenge and fitness goals.  I found it last night. There are no gimmicks or hidden agendas that I can see.  All I had to do was create the typical username, email, password for my profile and I was signed on and ready to track MyMojo.  You can add your daily activities, diet, glasses of water drank, even waist measurements if that’s included in your goals.  You can choose to have it posted to the public or not.  One feature, that I absolutely love, is they are hooked up with Googlemaps which I can use to create My Routes, and as well as see what other running/walking/cycling routes are being created in my area.  Thanks LifeMojo for keeping me motivated!  I set a goal to run 20 times before February 5.  I’ve got two in the bag! Eighteen more to go!

Today’s meditation: From the words of the tv yoga instructor…

When the mind is silent, happiness bubbles up.

Namaste