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Posts Tagged "Fitness"
I have looked everything up on the internet. I am feeling nervous. Is my body too heavy, are my knees too weak? Will I wake up on time? I get up at 5:45 and get there by 6:15 for a 6:30 class. I rent myself a mat and 2 towels for $5 and pay for my 21 day pass. I get a card that I can collect stamps for each time I come. I find out I can get prizes. That is fun. The teacher of the class is the one checking me in and she tells me, “Yoga should never hurt. Go at your own pace. If you feel too hot or you feel uncomfortable at any time, lie down on your back and your heart rate will return to normal.” This makes me feel better, knowing I can take care of myself. I go into the room. It doesn’t feel as hot as I expected. It is warm. I lie on the floor. It feels kind of hard and uncomfortable. I lie down and start breathing. I experiment with my knees down and my knees up. I think about my low back and don’t want to injure it. As I have been training, I have had to pay some attention to my low back as I do weights so I avoid an injury. As I lie on the floor and breathe, the discomfort leaves my low back as I melt into the floor. The class I have chosen says it is good for beginners. I feel awkward but I start to do some of it. And then I lie on the floor and then I do a little more of it. At one point the teacher brings me a strap. “Use this as an extension of your arms,” she says. Oh, that helps! By the end, I am on the floor trying to stay cool most of the time. It feels really hot in my body and I am sweating. I never...
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I have decided to do some yoga. A few years ago, I met the owner of a local hot yoga studio called Moksha Yoga, in Dundas, Ontario–about 5 minutes from my house. It stuck with me and I have been curious about it ever since. Recently I stopped working with the trainer I loved, and found myself suddenly at loose ends for exercise. I knew the studio offered a 21 day yoga pass for $30 and I decided to dive in and do it. I am a sucker for incentives and prizes and they offer a free month if you do 21 classes in 21 days so I decide to commit to this wonderful and challenging journey. I signed up. I’ll be writing about my journey and sharing it with you every day. I hope you will share your stories in the comments section. If you are curious, I suggest you join in for your own 21 or 30 day challenge. Many studios offer a 30 day challenge. Feel free to make it part of your practice to post a comment or share each day. Like what you are reading? Sign up for a free membership (Tire Kicker’s Membership) to the Crucible Bookii and be notified about new posts. Want to read all the content on the site? Sign up here for founding membership ($9.95 per...
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I went for a hike yesterday that took every bit of me. Before lunch we took a quick trip to Tiffany Falls. It is about 1.2 km and it was an easy walk. After lunch we went on the “long hike.” We went to Sulphur Springs road and we were walking on a loop that circles around the Hermitage Ruins and the Rail Trail Station. What a gorgeous trail with stunning vistas, moss-covered rocks breaking away from the edges of the trail, old forests and wide open meadows. This trail has everything. The sign said it was 3.4 km and I think it was true, except that we missed a turn and got lost. I have had some struggles with walking. In 2010 I hurt my SI joint and then I had a really bad fall. After I thought I had almost recovered, I was walking across the street one day and my leg stopped walking. I was essentially stranded in the middle of the road. I recovered partially, but have been compromised physically since then. Two summers ago we were discussing whether or not we needed to buy a wheelchair as back-up. I believed at that time I would probably never go on a walk again. I had MRIs and saw a specialist. It was unclear what was going on, but I assumed my condition was progressive and I would have to make the best of it. About 18 months ago I lost weight and worked with a nutritionist who hypothesized that I was allergic to corn. I cut corn from my diet and started to recover. I got better. I was able to walk much better last summer but I still wasn’t able to hike. I felt cautious and afraid of strenuous activity. I didn’t venture out much. In February I hired a trainer and started to work out. We are planning a trip to Europe this summer and I set a goal of walking 5 miles before we leave in July....
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