Wednesday came and went in a flash. It was just one of those days when I feel busy all day but accomplish nothing. By the time 5:00 pm rolled around and I was still tackling laundry mountain in my sweatpants, I realized that I hadn't done anything physically active, aside from chores, and that I better do something so that I could have something to blog about. I quick changed into some yoga clothing, opened the hall closet, and began sifting through shoes and hats in order to unearth my long forgotten, once loved purple yoga mat.
You see, pre-pregnancy I was all about the yoga. It made me feel strong and centered. In the 30 minutes I spent concentrating on my breathe while moving through poses with names like downward dog and swan, the world just melted into the background. For those 30 minutes the only thing that mattered was me. My yoga of choice is Namaste Yoga on FitTV. I DVR'd them all so I can do my yoga on my own schedule.
Purple yoga mat in hand, I set out moving the coffee table and plethora of children's toys to make some space for myself. I propped Nolan up in his Boppy pillow so he could watch me. As I scrolled through all DVR'd episodes searching for Swan (my favorite sequence) I was wondering to myself, if yoga makes me feel so good, why did I ever stop doing it? Why did I stop exercising period for that matter? I couldn't answer my own question. Is it because I'm lazy? Do I have poor time management? Do I forget to take time for myself? Or did I just get too comfortable with my jiggly arms and wobbly thighs? I still don't know the answer.
I once again felt strong and centered as I moved through the Swan sequence even though I had lost a great deal of flexibility; I still had strength. The world began to melt away and it was just me and my breathe and Nolan cooing in the background. I had no people around to judge me or what I looked like. I had no mirrors in which to judge myself and what I looked like. Even though my pants started bunching and my tank top began creeping upwards exposing my stretch mark covered belly I didn't care. It was just me and my breathe, strong and alive doing something for myself that made me feel great. In that moment it didn't matter to me why I stopped, it only mattered that I started again.
If you have FitTV and an extra 30 minutes to yourself, grab a yoga mat or a towel and try some Namaste. I highly recommend it.
Bye Bye, BBJ; Hello Rouge 18!
11 years ago
I have not tried the yoga on FitTV! I forget that I have those available to me anytime OnDemand through Comcast. I have a difficult time completing them when I am by myself at home, so kudos to you for being able to concentrate long enough to do it. I did watch a Jillian Michaels exercise video OnDemand once while eating popcorn...it looked like a real good workout :)
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine all of the demands that are going to be placed on a new mom, but if you need any help getting onto some kind of a time management system, I would be happy to help you out. E-mail me some time at nate [at] cumalu.com and I'll give you the spiel - I don't want to post a 1500-word entry here because I'm pretty sure I'll look like a crazy person.
ReplyDeleteI run a time management consulting company, and since your blog's tagline is "improving my life one day at a time," I thought I'd reach out.
Nice Job Haley! Don't get down on yourself for the time off of exercising... it's a new chapter in your life and you'll learn to fit it in... at least you ENJOY Yoga... at least you are able to get into zone that makes you feel strong and healthy! That is more important! People can walk outside every day, go to the gym every day, etc., but if they can't allow themselves to FEEL strong and THINK positive, they'll never get anywhere! People exercise all day long and HATE it. So just think, you are ahead in the game in the sense that you can LOVE exercise while feeling strong and confident doing it!
ReplyDeleteDon't let anyone judge your inner strength (mentally or physically)! It's all about YOU! :)
Missy~ It is super difficult to find the motivation to work out at home so I try not to think of yoga as a workout. Plus, I wouldn't want to do all that bending and stretching in public!
ReplyDeleteNate~ Thanks for the offer. I might have to take you up on that :)
Cassie~ Thanks for the kind words!