Yoga--Not Just a Phase

Full disclosure time: I have to admit that last year, when I first decided to start a yoga practice, I wasn't sure if I would stick with it. I'm one of those people who doesn't always have that stick-to-itness (and maybe you're in that club, too?).

Yet here we are, just about a year later, and I'm still engaging in this peaceful and mindful practice. To be honest, some weeks have gone by when I didn't bring out my mat. My home office is a prayer room/writing office/private yoga space, so I go into it often enough, but there were a couple weeks here and there that went by during which I didn't spend any time in my practice.

Interestingly, it mattered that I didn't. There was a difference, especially when it came to my problems with anxiety and stress, and I found myself returning to the mat.

Besides helping me manage stress better, yoga has been very beneficial to me in other areas. It's true what people say--you DO find yourself eating healthier, reaching for fruits more often than sweets or carb-laden chips. There are other benefits, too, other reasons to spend a half hour or more in your yoga space.

Have you flirted with the idea of making yoga part of your life? Or maybe, like me in the past, you went to a few classes, loved it but haven't made time for it again in your busy schedule?

After only one year as a "yogi" (love that!), here is my encouragement and advice to you:

1. Like any other lifestyle change/exercise (even though yoga is more than just exercise), consult with your doctor before starting.

2. Respect your body. When I first started last year, I watched videos and felt daunted by the fact that I wasn't as "bendy" as the instructors. My heels still don't totally touch the ground when I move into downward facing dog, nor do I sit cross-legged with my ankle up on my thigh. That's okay. That's why they call it a practice. Yoga is about more, much more, than just being "bendy."

3. Don't be overwhelmed by the different styles of yoga. Hatha, bikram, ashtanga, vinyasa--it's so easy to be intimidated by all the "arms"! The old adage really does apply here: "Everybody has to start somewhere." Though I have had a wonderful, real LIVE instructor, I've also relied a lot on YouTube videos. There are a plethora of them. Look for the words beginners, gentle, and even for seniors. Here is a good description of some yoga types.

4. You don't have to be skinny or have a 6-pack to do yoga. So if you were thinking about using this as an excuse, please don't! Don't cheat yourself out of this pleasure. On Pinterest somewhere, I came across these words: "This is the body I bring to my yoga mat." Over the course of this year, I've silently said these words as I unroll my mat. If anything, yoga will make you more accepting of your body.

5. All you need is a yoga mat and comfortable clothes. You don't have to buy everything all at once, especially when you're first starting. Little by little, you can decorate your space with plants and candles, and when you're ready, add a yoga strap, blanket, blocks, whatever you'd like. The same applies to clothes: a loose-fitting tank top and comfy leggings will work just fine. When you're ready, treat  yourself to pair of fun & colorful yoga pants!

What about music? You might want to set up your phone or Ipad to softly play yoga/spa music. YellowBrickCinema on YouTube has some beautiful, hours-long music to calm you and help you get centered.

6. Life happens. It also gets in the way. Don't come down on yourself; don't tell yourself you're not dedicated or serious all because some time passes before you return to your practice. No matter how committed you are to something, there'll be times when you don't unroll that mat, be it for reasons of being extra busy at work, family commitments, or health-related problems. Whenever possible, come back to it. Your practice will be waiting for you.

7. Make time for yoga. Make time for you. Yoga is something you do for yourself. Cut out half an hour of TV-watching or start to bed 20 minutes earlier, giving yourself a chance on your mat. If you make time for a vigorous workout, you can make time at least a couple times a week, if not more, for yoga.

(Almost) One Whole Healthful Year

Around this same time last year I got a new pair of running shoes (replacing this funky, cute-but-highly uncomfortable pair. The intention was to start running--something I'd always wanted to do, and friends on Facebook who DID run at my age had just fueled that fire. Ultimately, I'm glad that I gave it a wholehearted try, but it seemed just a bit too high-impact for me. Afraid that I would injure myself and that would impede on running and hiking, I dropped running, and instead became more dedicated to walking. (And hiking whenever I can get to a mountain!)

A friend from work, one of our wonderful midwives whose passion is yoga, told me, "Connie, high-impact is good, but exercise doesn't have to be high-impact to keep you healthy and feeling good. It just has to be something you love." This is a woman who's been doing yoga for years; she even goes on yoga retreats. She's also healthy and in great shape.

I took her advice. And here is the result: a brand new pair of running shoes to replace the ones I've worn out, both on pavement and on mountain trail.

Something clicked this year for me. Besides making a point to walk--or do some form of exercise, including bowling, hiking, Zumba, or biking--three to five times a week, I've begun eating more healthfully. More mindfully. Despite what I said earlier on this blog, I did return to Weight Watchers for a few months and dropped a little over 12 pounds.

I sort of hit a plateau at that point. My weight got "stuck" at 124 - 127 pounds. It was frustrating at first, since I was doing "all the right things."

So I decided to just maintain. Just combine what I'd learned in the past, between Weight Watchers, Intuiting Eating, and even Intermittent Fasting.

What ensued was one whole healthful year. Almost one whole year.

To be continued...

On Walking

It requires a direct dispensation from Heaven to become a walker. - HENRY DAVID THOREAU

A pleasant morning walk in Myrtle Beach, SC

At some point in our lives, those of us who love to walk find that we no longer think of it as any old, mundane exercise. That's something I learned in the short time during which I flirted with running--that runners feel the same way about taking to the pavement. There comes a time when walking, like running, becomes a part of our lives.

I have a confession to make, and that is that I haven't been to the gym in months. That's not to say that I've been a couch potato for all this time, because I haven't. Anywhere from three to five times a week, I have tried to squeeze in anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half of walking. Sometimes even more, if time allows.

The weather has just been so pleasant in North Carolina that I couldn't bare to spend my walking time indoors, on a treadmill listening to the mechanical sounds of machines around me. The outdoors, whether it was in the park or on the greenway, or even a long road in our suburban town, called to me each time. I listen to my music through headphones or I use it as my prayer time to meet with the Lord in silent prayer.

Or I listen to the sound of the birds or the wind rustling through the trees on the greenway instead of the sounds of gears moving within a machine.

Maybe that's why walking has become so important to me. Not that I have anything against the gym, either. I haven't quit my membership and I don't intend to, since I love catching up on my reading on the treadmill. When it's cold or rainy, the gym comes in handy.

And it's not that walking doesn't have amazing health benefits, way beyond just helping with weight loss and maintenance, because it does. A lower impact activity than either running or Zumba, walking also burns fat, builds muscle, strengthens the heart, and relieves stress. There have been studies done that point to walking as being beneficial to reducing the risk of cancer, including colorectal and breast cancer. Even, it's been said, walking can relieve constipation!

Those are all great reasons to walk. I think about those reasons sometimes when I'm deciding if I have enough time to tackle one more mile, either in the park or on a mountain trail. None of those are my main reasons, however, for walking.

I walk because I can. Because God has blessed me with good bones and muscles so far. Because I don't want to take my health for granted, especially because I'm not guaranteed it'll be there next year.

I walk because I have a little time to spare. A half hour, twenty minutes, or two hours. I can take my best friend or my honey (he's another best friend!) with me and share a great conversation along the way. Because my dog enjoys my company. Because the birds will serenade me. Because God is there, and I look forward to praising Him with each step.

I walk because I like the feel of my feet in my running shoes. I like the way my shoes feel when they hit the dirt trail or the pavement. Because I might catch sight of a pretty cardinal flitting from one branch to another or of happy kids whizzing by on their bicycles.

I walk because I love it. Because it gives me pleasure. It's great that, in the process, my heart is made stronger and my weight is maintained and my muscles are built up. But I'm really walking because it's something I do for me. Because it's ultimately more rewarding than sitting in front of a TV for that hour. Because inspiration will often come to me along the path and I'll mysteriously understand what happens next in Chapter Seven.

I walk because walking is a part of my life. Because it would break my heart to be told that I could never walk again, so I gratefully savor my physical ability to do so. Because it costs nothing and it is a blessing from God's hand.

Now...have you taken your walk today?

You can think of it as just physical exercise, as a chore, or you can let it become much more to you.

Happy Trails!

Half-Year Resolutions?

Why not?

Every year, it seems you can't find a parking space and you have to hunt down an available treadmill at the gym...but only after January 1st. By February, you have your pick of the litter as far as the machines are concerned, because people didn't lose 20 pounds in January and they gave up. There's something very sad about that.

As writers, I think a lot of us rummage through our workspace, realize our New Year's goals/resolutions are in there (and now the paper's all wrinkled and the ink is faded) and either chuck them or leave them there, saying, "Ah, well, maybe next year."

Listen, why not this year?

The good thing about a year is that it's 12 months/365 days long. Like Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." With the last week of June upon us, why not review your original goals or revise them?

Think of this as your "Half-Year Resolutions." Guess what? You still have 5 months to make it happen, whether we're talking about health/fitness goals or writing goals or whatever accomplishment you wanted to undertake.

Six months is also a long time. Maybe your situation has changed. Maybe you've moved and there's not a gym for miles around, so you have to improvise. Maybe you didn't get that book contract; maybe you're about to embark on the journey of indie publishing. Maybe your well for contemporary romance fiction is dry and you've always wanted to try your hand at an historical mainstream novel.

Get those original goals out--plus some white-out! If you have them in electronic form, it'll be that much simpler to change. Or if you tossed your goals/resolutions out in frustration, that's fine. Write some new ones and keep all of this in mind:

1. Be realistic. You have 5 months left to the year. You won't be writing 5 novels, especially if you're a busy stay-at-home mom or a grandmother who works full-time. Better to write one well written book that readers will love than 5 hastily written ones. By the same token, you might take longer to lose those 35 pounds. Be gentle with yourself and resolve to taking baby steps and being happy with the weight you do drop.

2. Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to be constricted by a time frame. You may not reach your writing goal or fitness goal by December 31, and that's all right. The important thing is that you begin, and that you work steadily, each day, towards that goal.

3. Think quality, not quantity, in whatever you do. You can lose 20 pounds on a fad diet and gain it back by Christmas, or you can resolve to treating yourself well and eating healthfully. You can take Zumba, yoga, kick boxing and feel like exercise is another full-time job, or you can start walking every day and enjoy that time so much that you will feel like you're missing something if you don't get that walk in by 7 PM each night.

4. Don't be hard on yourself. Approach your Half-Year Resolutions with enthusiasm and faith in yourself and your work. Today is a new day.

and

5. Your Half-Year Resolutions can be a secret. Nobody but you has to know about your resolutions and/or goals. But you can share and inspire others when you accomplish them!

Got all that? So you're off to a good start! May God bless you in all your endeavors.

Pictorial: A Walk in Autumn

"An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." - Henry David Thoreau

The best days, I've found, are those where you can make time for prayer...and a walk.

Temporarily, I've put running on hold. In short, I may have been doing too much too soon, and it would take a couple of days to recover from the cramps in my leg muscles. Maybe that wouldn't scare off a die-hard runner (and I really admire those people!). But I told my husband that if I was headed for injury that could impact my ability to walk and hike, then I was choosing walking and hiking over running.

This year, it seems I've spent less time on the treadmill at the gym and more time on trails, sidewalks, and park walking paths. Yesterday, for the first time, I brought my camera with me, documenting moments captured by my heart. No MP3 player to block out the sounds of the wind and the leaves falling from the trees and the birds. No weights on my ankles or wrists--I never use those, anyway--because my spirit wasn't weighted down, either, and this was more than exercise. No pedometer to keep track of my steps, either.

Just my camera, my beginning-to-get-worn walking shoes, a warm hoodie to shield me from the autumn nip in the air, and the presence of the Lord.

Walking is wonderful at any time of the year, but autumn lends itself even more so. The temperature is perfect; the air has a certain scent. A bed of golden, burnt orange, red, brown and still-green leaves adds a pleasant crunch beneath your walking shoes.

Put all those things together, and it's hard to keep focused on your problems. You find yourself silently saying a prayer of thanks, grateful for the ability to walk, which we all take for granted. For health, for the work of His hands, for the serenity that is brought to you with each step.

Walking has been shown to strengthen the heart, but you don't think about it when you're taking in the sights around you. Yesterday, on a walk that lasted an hour because I went around the lake twice, aspects of my work-in-progress came to me. Writers are notorious for being "creative walkers," and I'm sure we're not the only ones. Many a character will accompany you on the path or trail, as Taylor Aldridge, one of the main characters from ONE SWEET DAY, did with me yesterday.

A picture of the bridge leading from one section of the park to the parking lot, where my car awaited me. Note the leaves that fell so delicately on the planks of wood.

That was more than just plain, old exercise. Apparently, art is not confined to the walls of a musty museum. You can savor it anytime, outdoors, on a serene afternoon created by the Master Artist.

Live & Learn

Seems like the lesson of the day here is: Don't assume that just because running shoes are these cute, crazy color thingies that they'll be comfortable and suitable for running...or even walking. For me, at least, that first pair (see my first post on my Adventures in Running) were not a great fit. They were also the first pair of New Balances that I didn't absolutely love.

My allowance is now going to this new pair, which I think happen to be cute in their own right. More importantly, they're comfortable, provide good support, and perfectly cushion my feet, now that I'm headed into my 2nd week of running.

And yes--also New Balance running shoes! Currently reading No Need For Speed by John Bingham and finding it very inspirational and informative.

Again, is it love or still infatuation? Still too early to tell, but I'm alternating days between running days and resting days. On resting days, I'm wishing I was out there, running. On running days, I'm finding pleasure, even though it's more strenuous than walking. Looks like this may turn into a serious relationship!

Healthy Changes, New Beginnings

"The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham, No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running

First off, the healthy changes: For me, this is Day 5 of no diet soda and no chewing gum with aspartame. No artificial sweeteners AT ALL (unless there was some in my yogurt. Please note: Remember to check labels!).

I'm one of those women who switched to diet soda back in my late thirties when I began dieting in earnest. And dieting and dieting and dieting. There has to be some truth to that "diet soda is addictive" business because I wasn't even discriminating about what I drank. ANY brand would do, though Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi were my favorites. I even considered them "writing aids." Like a cup of coffee, a bottle or glass of soda relaxed me while working on a work-in-progress. Keep in mind that I was also having a pack of sugar-free gum (one filled with 15 pieces) that only lasted me 2 days at a time.

Really? Come on--all that aspartame can't be good for you.

This is coming on the heels of my declaring September "Healthy Month" in this household. Bill, my husband, is actually enjoying it. We're eating more fruits and vegetables in this household, and it doesn't matter if they're fresh, frozen or canned, though leaning more toward the fresh. That's not to say my candy dish doesn't offer Hershey fun-sized chocolates. Listen, life is short, and a little chocolate is good for the soul! But it's interesting how, more and more, the grapes and the mangoes are being reached for more than the candy.

Have I given up on gum completely? Not yet. Gum also relaxes me and, hey, one word: mint! But have you ever noticed how much chewing gum is made with that chemical? Your choices without it are pretty limited. Also, if I'm going to have sugar, I'd rather have it in my coffee. Big Red is made with sugar; since I don't like it as much as a minty gum, I have much less of it.

I don't know if I'll be able to get rid of all the aspartame in my daily diet, like in the case with yogurt, but if I can kick the diet soda and chewing gum habit, that'll be a great start. So those are the healthy changes.

Now for the new beginnings!

I've started running...at 53. For years, even as a young person, I'd tell people, "I can't run." I could walk for hours, and over the years developed a love for hiking, as well. Running was too hard, for someone much more athletic, and once I hit a certain age, it was for young people (or older people who, I thought, had been doing it for a long time). Even as a kid, other kids outran me easily. Since I had no speed, I assumed running was just not in the cards for me.

So this being Keenan Healthy Month, I hit the treadmill last week, except instead of interval training with the incline, I put a little more speed on that baby. Miracle of miracles, I did not have a heart attack and I did not fly off the machine! Feeling bad & bold for a middle-aged grandmother, I headed to the greenway, where I took the advice of Jeff Galloway: Run, walk, run. For me, that meant a 10-minute walk first, then intervals of walking for 2 minutes and running for 30 seconds. Yesterday, on my third day, I was running for 1 minute at a time.

I've stopped saying "can't." I'm a runner. Me. After 50 years of saying I can't run.

Is this love? Or infatuation? I'll let you know. What I DO know is that you don't have to be young or athletic (though you should check with your doctor first; mine already knows I'm a walkaholic!) to run.

By the way, what they say is true. This IS fun. It doesn't matter that I take walk breaks. It doesn't matter that I'm not fast, that my run is more of a jog. I'm doing this for me, for fun as well as for my health.

And since my running shoes were frayed from all the walking I've done this year, here is the little gift I gave myself just for trying. Aren't they the cutest? (Wink!)

Keeping Fit, Even With Foot Pain

Soooo I have something called "capsulitis." Here's a little information on what it is, exactly. Initially, that was upsetting to me because it's seriously curtailed the amount of walking I can do. My uncle, who I always called "Padrinito" ("little godfather," used affectionately), was an avid walker who instilled that same love of walking in me. I've walked both short and long distances since the age of 12 or so. For me, walking isn't just a form of exercise; it's something both spiritual and creative. I've chatted with God while walking, as well as worked out creative problems in stories while strolling briskly. Later on in life, I fell in love with walking's intense cousin, hiking. Hiking is now totally off limits (because of the inclines adding more pressure to your foot) and walking itself has to be seriously toned down until this heals.

Luckily, in the meantime, I saved up for this little cutie! The doctor said bike riding would put less pressure on my foot, so I took him right up on his advice. Here's my new Huffy cruiser, which is real old school, like me. :D The design is Panama Jack, and it's got a cup holder and a small leather basket and a rear rack. Yesterday it joined me out on the greenway, giving me just as good--or even better--of a workout as walking! I also got lots of compliments on it, too, both on the greenway and Facebook. Hey, what can I say? She's a beauty!

One thing: I need to learn to pace myself. It's hard because riding a bike, even for adults, is great fun, but I'm not 17 anymore. Regardless, it made for an excellent way to speed up my heartbeat!