End of year musings

As 2013 comes to a close I am thinking of all of the positive changes that happened. I lost 16 pounds this year. To many that might not seem like much, but to me, it represents a complete turnabout from every single year before it. In every previous year I might have lost and gained and lost the same 16 pounds. This year I just lost them; slowly, without radical dieting, without abstinence or deprivation. The change was in my overall approach to food and exercise which I mentioned earlier in the year, but fully embraced over the year. Pay as you go. If you consume you must exercise. It feels good not to be in fast weight loss mode all of the time where every yummy thing is off limits and every pound could return just as soon as a normal diet ensues. This new way is better.

Also in 2013 I resumed regular exercise. Every week without fail I ride my bike, walk, and take Bar Method classes – up to five times per week. Additionally, I take the occasional yoga class. I feel better all the time, but I strive to feel even better. As I continue to lose weight in 2014 I hope to find even more physical endeavors that I enjoy. Secretly (shhh, don’t tell) there is a part of me that wants to try kite boarding. I might be strong enough this year!

I would like, in 2014, to resume other activities that bring me great joy. I am planning to learn to speak Italian this year. It is a great desire of mine to go to Greece and Italy and knowing some of the language will be fun. I love learning and am very excited at the prospect of classes and new knowledge. In order to make this happen, I have to carve out a bit more time. I’d like to travel a bit this year. It would be fun to spend more time with my brother, my nieces and their families…I do so love them.  I am looking forward family accomplishments:  to my son graduating from UCSC and seeing how his future unfolds, and for my husband to launch his software. I think it’s going to be a big year.

It is very important that I stop overextending myself to support others while neglecting myself. My son and husband have been so encouraging; I am happy that they are support the changes I am making.  However, I definitely overextend myself periodically and nobody enjoys overextended Shannon. This holiday season was just too much and I feel a little resentful and as if I need all of January to recover. You know what I want next year for the holidays? Invitations and reservations.  

Big changes are ahead, my friends. I wish you all a spectacular New Year. Here's a little SquishFace for your viewing pleasure:

Post-Thanksgiving wrap-up...

Just a quick entry...I spent 12 hours on my feet on Thanksgiving cooking, serving, and washing dishes. My son was really helpful and the dogs cleaned up anything I dropped. Normally after a day like that I would be bent over in pain for a couple of days afterward. Not this year! On Friday I hopped on my bike at 9:15, took my last Bar Method class of November to complete my Fall Fitness Challenge. The only parts of me that weren't working at that hour were my brain (fuzzy till 11 most days) and my poor feet which were a little tender. Otherwise, I felt great!

So, this year, I am truly thankful for quite a few things: my personal commitment to becoming fitter again via biking, Bar Method, and Square One Yoga; my husband, son, and pup who fill my life with laughter and joy; my fun and amazing family and friends whom I love and who love me - warts and all; the supportive and encouraging new friends who are making getting fit fun; and the youngest members of our family who make me laugh and fill me with joy.

To all of you who read this blog near and far...I wish you health, happiness, joy, and satisfaction. Happy holidays - be safe and avoid shopping as much as you can. Memories come from spending time together.

Peace and Joy!

Shannon

Flexibility

This week I have been considering flexibility in many forms; specifically flexibility in physical, mental, and emotional forms. The holidays are fast approaching and what used to be a very organized and defined time of celebration has become more chaotic for me. My mother was very inclusive at holidays – she couldn’t stand the idea that anyone would be alone. Before my parents died Thanksgiving was always at their house – the last few years I cooked everything, but the venue remained the same. The guest list included all family and occasional guests. It was a wonderful holiday spent around a bountiful feast in a warm, inviting atmosphere. Lots of laughter, love, and joy…humans and pets all together. (Funny that my mom always included the dogs…)

Soon after we would celebrate Christmas Eve at my parents’ house – more family, an orgy of greed, yummy dinner prepared by Mom or me with contributions from other family members. Again, lots of laughter, love, and joy. OK, some family squabbling occurred at all of the events, but, hey, it’s family. I miss it. On Christmas Day my mother refused to cook (yay, Mom!), so we almost always went out to eat and it was wonderful! We usually went to San Francisco, looked at the beautiful lights and decorations, had a delicious meal, and then went home to relax…and then head off to our respective homes.

Now Thanksgiving is at my house, Christmas Eve is elsewhere, and, in an effort to persuade my MIL to honor my mother’s fine tradition of not cooking on Christmas, I try to make reservations for Christmas. I have had to learn to be flexible when making arrangements.

This year there will be bigger changes. More family in town, but spread out so we’ll do more venue-hopping.  More game playing, more silliness, less quiet time. More days filled with activity, less time to just focus on my own family. It requires me and all of the others to be very flexible.  It’s coming slowly to me because I resist change to tradition. I resist anything that varies from the happy, warm memories. I know this about myself and I make a concerted effort to relax and let things flow. It’s one of my biggest personal emotional challenges.

Physically, flexibility is also coming back slowly. I remember at Bar class in the first few weeks how difficult I found the stretching portions of class. My body was not used to moving, fat was in the way, things didn’t move the way my brain told them to. Stubborn body! Well, many months in now I am finding that, as I become more toned and the fat begins to shift, my flexibility is improving. The first time I noticed was in a quad stretch – one day I could suddenly reach my ankle and pull it up. Another time I found I could flex my foot and keep my leg straight on the barre. Today I was able to do all the twist stretches. Just this past week I found myself in a forward stretch holding the arches of my feet. Ah, the little things.

I have abandoned my need for quick results. I know this to be fact now. I am embracing incremental change and noticing each positive gain. This new approach is so alien to me, but so much more rewarding. Let’s just see if it trickles down into the rest of my life!

Good momentum, bad momentum

Lately, the subject of momentum has been a big part of my thought process. When I first started this blog I thought I would write at the very least once per week…clearly that hasn’t happened. I also thought that by now I would have lost all of the weight I wanted to lose…that hasn’t happened either. But here’s the thing: I am not even a bit disappointed! Why? Because I have rediscovered momentum in my life. Now there is a definite awareness of when and where momentum is a something that is just propelling me or if it is something that is making me better.

I have mentioned The Bar Method Berkeley in previous posts. I am truly a devotee of these classes. One day in class it occurred to me that the reason the exercises are so effective is that each movement is precise and controlled. There is little or no use of momentum energy to move ones limbs. Muscle up, muscle down, muscle in, muscle out. Pilates, Bar Method, and Yoga have been tremendously effective disciplines for me and they have in common a preciseness. The changes that I am feeling within are the momentum. I am improving physically and mentally and that drives me to continue. Seems pretty simple, right?

It hasn’t been that way for years. I lost my mojo. I lost my will to endeavor. I suffered the self-inflicted consequences…weight gain, sore joints, turning down invitations because I had nothing to wear/no energy/was embarrassed. Although many would dispute this claim, I turned into a bit of a hermit. Then one day I just decided that was not who I am. That was the day I took control of my eating habits (to an extent), joined classes, got on my bike, and stopped having a little sad event: party of one.

So here is my assessment:

Good Momentum:

• Going to Bar Method Classes
• Riding my bike to and from class (and other places, too!)
• Not stopping on my bike when going uphill (yes, I look both ways beforehand)
• Making sure to carve out other time for me on a regular basis
• Reading every night
• Setting household goals and following through on schedule
• Staying on top of my personal paperwork
• Hydrating all the time
• Finding the perfect line in the snow to ski down the mountain

Bad Momentum:

• Mindlessly eating the whole bag of pistachios (or whatever else is in the bowl)
• Skipping something – which makes it easier to skip again
• Cyclical thinking – there is always a solution out there
• Setting things down to deal with “later…” Right.
• Letting one thing bother me…and then everything else that follows

Included in this new awareness is a supreme effort for self-acceptance. I am very hard on myself…harder than I would ever be on others. Lately I have been making an effort to be more gentle with my own feelings…I have been listening to myself. I have stopped trying to please people who will not be pleased. I am accepting of the body I have – and the knowledge that I will never choose to exclude things I enjoy. Things that are never going away?  Meat. Not gonna happen. Why? Two words: BĀ CON. I will likely always drink milk. Gluten? Oh, it’s staying in. On the other hand, I will exercise. I will also exercise control in my consumption. I always engage in life and love and friendship without fear.

So, what’s the momentum like in your life? Do you know what moves you forward and what just keeps you doing the same old thing? Tell me about it.

Endorphins vs. Cortisol…an Epic Battle

I read about Cortisol and its role in belly fat all the time. Stress supposedly releases the Cortisol hormones and they wreak havoc with your ability to lose weight, sleep well,  etc. There is rampant advertising for cortisol solutions in pill form, advice to change your diet, and meditate, but I have found that exercise and the creation of endorphin release is the finest solution around.

So, I’m riding my bike home from my Bar Method class, and I see this older woman, white hair, very heavy, swollen ankles spilling over the edges of her athletic shoes…and she is hosing off her front walk to remove the leaves. I though to myself, “she would do herself and the environment a world of good by using a broom.” Then I thought about how I felt a year ago. Using the broom wasn’t a big deal, but riding my bike to a class, taking a class, and then riding back home would have been out of the question. I turned off my inner critic immediately. I don’t know this woman, I don’t know her journey, and it is not fair to mentally criticize her choices.

Then I thought a little more about my personal journey. If I had known 10 weeks ago that I would feel 100% stronger, more energized, happier, and less stressed from taking this class and riding my bike would I have done it sooner? The honest answer is, probably not. I wasn’t ready. If I had known my belly fat would be reducing? Still no. Wasn’t ready. One day I woke up and I was ready…and there was a social media deal…and it was for the type of exercise I might enjoy…and it was close by.  Seemed like the universe was conspiring to make it easy for me to change. I just had to say yes. So I did. Yes to The Bar Method.

The Bar Method is a phenomenal workout. One hour of prescribed exercises – targeted and, for such tiny movements, incredibly challenging! I have been going to class 3-5 times per week for 10 weeks. Each class is a little more difficult than the last because in each successive class I have better form. I thought I might get bored with it and use that as my excuse to bail.  But no. I find that I am determined to find proper form, determined to do one more rep, encouraged by my teachers to add a challenge. Today a simple “you can do it” nod from Helen made me perform an exercise I thought would be about 10 more weeks away.

My biggest challenge – by far – it the giant blob that has become my abdomen. I never thought I would have a fat belly, but here it is. Now that I am exercising regularly I have become impatient with it and striving for its demise. However, as I am equally determined to shut off my inner critic today, I will list the Top Ten positive changes that have occurred in the past 10 weeks:

• I want to ride my bike more often than drive.
• My triceps have dents in them because I can do pushups (on the bar)!
• I want to do pushups!
• Subtle changes I think only I can notice in my body are being noticed by my family without me asking.
• My clothes fit better because I am smaller and tighter.
• My waistline is making a reappearance.
• My body only hurts where I have exercised…no more stupid pain.
• My jaw line is re-emerging. I couldn’t figure out why my bike helmet was sliding around and I suddenly realized my extra chin was gone!
• Today my arms looked as straight as they felt when I was warming up.
• I am happier, stronger, and hopeful.

I don’t know if barre exercise is the right choice for everyone, but it is for me. But my thought is that there is usually a better choice than doing nothing. There is always room to improve. If you start today who knows where YOU will be in 10 weeks! Do it. Do it. Do it.

Awww, geez...two months? ;-)

Has it really been nearly two months since I posted? So much has happened in that time that it seems like a year. Here I sit with my freshly bathed pup,

beautiful flowers in front of me from a dear and delightful neighbor,

and a fun weekend plan ahead.  I have accomplished so much in these past weeks and am feeling very grateful for my life.

The best news is that I made myself a priority. I have started taking a class at The Bar Method, Berkeley.  I swear this class kicks my ass each and every time. I've taken 5 of them in the past 2 weeks and each one (although virtually the same in exercise and pattern) is more difficult...probably because each time I get more precise in the execution of the exercise and can do more reps. It's exercise I like...excruciating, demanding, finite. One hour of prescribed physical demand. On several occasions I have ridden my bike there...add 20 minutes each way of sun and fun! The result is that I have lost one entire size (that happened in 4 classes), but gained 2 pounds. I am chalking that up to reconstituted muscle. So there. Interesting to me is that within 5 classes I can, once again, stretch myself into a forward flattish position. Once the belly is eradicated I will be flat on the floor. Nice to know that isn't lost to me and that my hip flexors are still my friends.

Something else has happened that is a deep joy for me...I have finally accepted the body I have. This is what I have to work with. I put it out there in my long stretchy yoga pants and oversized t-shirt and got it sweating like crazy. Willingly - and with full disclosure from the studio about what I was letting myself in for - I took my roundish self into a classroom. Not a yoga classroom with its own special type of beautiful, flexible bodies of all ages and levels of fitness who are there to breathe and meditate and accept in a place of no competition (which I totally love, btw). No. I put myself into a class with people who choose barre exercise...and I have to say most of these people are strong and already beautifully fit. But I chose it and chose not to be intimidated. And guess what? These superfit, super lithe people are just as lovely and non-competitive. How come I didn't remember that from teaching Pilates? People are generally cool. It's the media that fills our heads with negative impressions.

I am still eating well: lots more veggies and fruits, lots of water, and fewer desserts. I feel good - strong. I want to be fitter this summer. My "baby" is turning 21, so there goes the "trying to lose the baby fat" excuse. Ha! There are so many things I want to in the coming months - more hiking, finally going rafting, all things that need me to be more comfortable physically. Also, I have started a list of things I would very much like to be able to do physically...among them hike up the hill I can see from my house, perform a controlled handstand from standing (and without flinging), feel Gumby-like again. These goals make me smile.

In these past weeks my business has increased exponentially - as has my attention to it. I've had to be more organized than usual. Additionally, our start-up is moving into a new phase that is going to require my total devotion. Lots of writing and editing are is in my near future and I am feeling very excited about that.

However, we have also had serious health news about a family member and we have all rallied together to support each other. Whatever your personal beliefs, please feel free to send along any healing energies in our general direction. I don't want to expose this person's private matter, but I know how much the power of positive thought can influence lives. So send it on over.

I hope this entry finds all of you well, and profoundly grateful for your family, friends, health, and happiness. I know I am. Remember that love and hope are important and nothing is set in stone.

It's the weekend. Get out there and have a little fun.

Lots of love to all of you!

Shannon

Teachers, teachers, everywhere!

I have been so fortunate in my life to be surrounded by excellent teachers. It started at birth when I was lucky enough to be the daughter of John and Colleen. My father - gentle, loving, quiet, and strong - and my mother - creative, fiercely intuitive, loving, and kind - took great care to nurture my strengths and steer me away from my less positive leanings.  I definitely scored in the parents department. They were older parents and I think that was part of their success. My father was very connected to his physicality and I used to love watching him do pull-ups in the back yard, build things, and go for good long walks. My mom was graceful and loved dancing...she was also so very artistic

Several teachers from childhood and adolescence stand out in my mind…Mrs. Hill who taught me to write cursive with a light grasp…Miss Harris who taught me to play guitar during lunch hour and after school…Mrs. Bellagamba who was a little Susan Sarandon-ish…Mr. Kimmel who was always a little toasted, but such a great, kind man…Mr. Stevenson who expected actual independent thinking from his students…Mrs. Riggs whose exacting standards and amused friendship have stayed with me throughout my life…I am so fortunate.

But there have been some other really important teachers in my life who have believed in my physicality and brought out aspects of my nature that were less emphasized in my youth. When I went to school P.E. was a full-time requirement, not an option. Everyone played hard at recess – in elementary school we climbed the flagpole and swung on the bars – in dresses with shorts underneath. We rode our bikes after school and on the weekends – going as far as we could while allowing for arriving home in time for dinner. We played kick-the-can and hide-and-seek in the neighborhood until late each summer evening. It was a physical childhood replete with skinned knees, pole burns, and skid rashes from sliding down hills on cardboard. I loved it. In high school there was track, tennis, swimming, volleyball…so many rotations throughout the years.  And because it was required we gained skills in multiple areas. We learned to work in teams and we were generally healthy kids.

When I was 17 I asked my parents for a gym membership because I was suddenly having trouble with my weight. My mom identified an appropriate gym (read: very few guys, medical personnel on staff, close to home) and gave me a membership. The woman who taught the aerobics class was fantastic. She was the older sister of a girl I knew at school and she was not what I thought an aerobics instructor was supposed to look like. She had large hips and thighs…weren’t all fit people supposed to be thin? Well, she kicked my butt in every class. EVERY time. She was so aerobically fit, positive, and energetic that she whipped me into fantastic shape and then, after training me, handed me her job when she left to get married and move. So began my love affair with teaching exercise classes.

Here is where I confess a deep regret: I love teaching exercise classes. But in my family you could do that if you also pursued intellectual or professional business goals. College was required for me and I am glad, but I think I could have gotten my degree and pursued a career in the fitness industry quite happily. I don’t know that my mom would have been happy with that. She loved that I went into advertising and then recruiting, but neither of those has ever made me as happy as seeing the face of a student who finally achieves that stretch or completes the whole class or comes in to share a special success in weight loss or fitness or increased health. I love helping people find their best selves. I have missed teaching classes every day for the past 6 years when I left teaching Pilates to care for my parents. I have also had a really tough time getting back into a fitness routine.

So today when I went to yoga I was reminiscing about my great exercise teachers…Cathy who got me into aerobics and gave me my first teaching assignment…Blanche who told me I ‘sizzled sensuality’ when I danced in her class…Nicole who helped me re-believe in myself enough to become a respected Pilates instructor…and finally, Jennifer at Square One Yoga who welcomed me back with open arms saying, “The Mat does not discriminate.” She also makes me want to love downward dog and learn to do an inversion by slowly stacking my muscles instead of flinging myself against the wall.  Every one of these women is remarkably skilled and inspiring every day of her life. Cathy moved away to raise a beautiful family…Blanche, who fulfilled her own dream of becoming a dancer at the age of 35, is a magnificent example of following your own drummer…Nicole brought me out of my funk with her lively spirit and has proceeded to grow one of the most beautiful families I have ever seen…Jennifer, whose spirit is so lovely and her joy in dance and movement infectious has sparked my journey in yoga. I am so lucky these women have influenced my life.

It would not be right to neglect mentioning my men, all of whom I love with all my heart. Everett, my husband, is dedicated to running. He does it for fitness, he does it for competition, but mostly he does it to clear his head and he does it daily. My son, Collier, is inspiring in his endeavor to sample as many types of exercise as he can – fencing, zumba, rock climbing, running, kick boxing – he’s found his inner fitness voice and it is a wild thing. And to my littlest fitness pal, MinBo, who is up for a jaunt through the neighborhood if I even glance at his leash – we should all be like you, Little Dude.

Lastly, I will share a little story. On April Fool’s Day I posted that I was so inspired by my family that I was going to train for a half marathon. This post took on a life of its own and now, even though it was a monumental joke at the time, I feel just a little guilty. So many wonderful friends rallied around with support and advice. I did subsequently purchase some decent running shoes…we’ll see what happens.

Oh, and on the weight loss front, I backslid a few pounds, but I am back on track.  

Exercise Motivation Tools aka “Games!”

I recently wrote about exercising alone and how important it is for me if I want to get an intense workout. I don’t always want to, but when I do no one beats me up the way I beat myself up, you know? ;-)

My sister-in-law gave me a new toy for Christmas. Are any of you familiar with “Striiv?” It’s a fancy pedometer with rewards and challenges and games that are awarded for moving. When I opened it I read the instructions and programmed it for my personal details. I thought it was a nice size for a pedometer and thought it might be a good replacement for my slightly larger one. Initially, I just stuck the Striiv in my pocket and carried it around to see how far I walked and how many calories I burned. I discovered that, on average, I was going about 2800 steps per day – far less than I thought I was going. It seems that the common wisdom is that 10,000 steps are what you need to accomplish weight loss and fitness. Somehow I thought I was doing much better than I actually was.

The longer I had the Striiv, the more I played with it, of course. It has some daily challenges, a few games, races, and other activities. What I like most is that the more you achieve and sync your device, the more you are “giving” in water, vaccines, and rainforest preservation. It’s an interesting concept. When you accept and complete challenges you earn energy points to use in your virtual land to plant things and make structures and all sorts of silly things. You’d think a grown woman would have better things to do…well, yes, I do. However, these silly challenges helped me complete over 10,000 steps today! I’ve burned a ton of calories and broke a serious sweat earning these points and racing my chosen partner, “Waddles.” (Hey, I know my limitations!)

I must admit that when I got the Striiv I felt I might not engage all of the features, but I find the longer I have it the more I am motivated to achieve these challenges and burn more calories. It’s a measurable effort and fun to boot!

Do you think about what motivates you? Is it an inner voice that prompts you to move each day? Is it the call from a friend wanting to go for a walk? Is it personal determination to achieve your goals? Is it guilt?

I am still trying to figure out what motivates me the most…but for the meantime I am going to say it’s my Striiv challenges. Time to go collect my coins!

I like rich foods and I cannot lie...

If you know the true lyrics of that song about Big Butts you are laughing right now because that’s what rich food leads to.  I admit it. I like butter, sauces, dark chocolate, bread…bread in all its amazing forms including, but not limited to, sourdough, croissants, chocolate croissants…I think you get the idea. There is no point in pretending I am going to become gluten-free, low-glycemic, or any other form of restricted anything in this lifetime. I like what I like and, barring any medical need for changing the types of food I eat, there is only one solution to my weight issue: Work. It. Off.

If you’ve been reading this blog, then you know over the past 6 months I have finally gotten it. If you eat it you must pay for it in calories out. I call it banking. No more “credit.” Cash account only for my calories. The simplified system works in my brain – I just wish it had planted itself there 30 years ago so I wouldn’t be working so hard now.

As I seem to be admitting truths today, here’s another one: I like to exercise alone. Occasionally I walk with friends (Hi Tina and Tasha!) and I truly enjoy those walks. However, I talk, incessantly, and the talking distracts me from pushing myself. If the walk is meant to be social then I am happy with whatever results emerge – I know I have fun and that’s my favorite part. If I want to see real results it has to be me and my pedometer – alone and pushing it. Hard to talk when you’re gasping for air, you know?

I used to teach Pilates and the occasional Step class when I lived in Alameda, which brings me to my second favorite type of exercise: the kind where I get paid to motivate others and, as a benefit, get a workout. When I teach a class I demonstrate whatever exercise we are performing and then make sure that each individual has correct form. I love teaching Pilates. The best part is when a person comes to his/her first Pilates class and sees the other students performing difficult exercises seemingly effortlessly and I recognize the look of , “Oh, I cannot do that.” It is a great joy to take that person in hand and assure him or her that everyone started with that same look and, with time and effort, achieves form, strength, and balance. I have had so many students come to me to say how happy they were to have me teach them. Lately, I have been pondering that and wondering if I might go back to teaching one day. Who knows. Possibilities, right?

My third favorite type of exercise is the kind where I am part of a group exercise class (especially aerobic – like Step or Spin or another cardio class) where I do not know anyone. I don’t mind a nodding acquaintance, but I don’t want to go with a friend. I don’t want to organize carpools or save someone a spot. I want the time to be about me and my needs. I admit here that I have stopped going to classes for exactly that reason. “Save me a spot by you!” is the surest way to keep me from attending an exercise class…not because I am such a hateful cow, but because I take my promise to do so seriously and, most of the time, that means asking someone else to move or not be in a particular place. That makes me feel pressure and, for some stupid reason, I can’t stand that. I don’t mind saving a seat in a theatre or other venue, but not a spot or a bike in exercise class. One other reason is that says to me, “YOU get there on time and save my space. I will come whenever I feel like it – possibly right after class starts – and take my reserved place.” So, word to the wise, don’t ask me to save you a spot.

Now that my rant is nearly complete I must add this: unless I am being paid to do so, I don’t want to be someone else’s motivation. Is that selfish? You may remember that I was pretty keen on Trampoline Aerobics there for a few seconds. Well, there was a woman there who latched onto me and asked me to call her when I was going to go to class because she might not show up otherwise and she really needed to have me go or she wouldn’t get the exercise she needed. Wow. How is her need to exercise my responsibility? Especially since we are a) not friends and b) barely acquaintances, and c) yuck. I get it when my actual friends want me to help them get outside. I’m going, after all, and why not, right? No. Please see paragraphs one and three. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to go for a walk, just means I don’t want that to be my regular thing. (You gals get that, I know. And I love you, btw.)Again, is it selfish? Probably. Tough crunchies.

Finally, let me say this: my exercise barricade and selfishness applies to my husband, too. He loves running. He runs far and for ridiculously long periods of time. I am not interested in running and, even if I were, I would never ask to accompany him because I think it’s meditative for him and helps him center himself. Also, we live and work together, so daily breaks are required. For a VERY short period we went to yoga class together. Sure he’s adorable and I love him and I am very impressed with his ability to twist his torso, but he was distracting for me in class. Also, we had to coordinate getting there – not too difficult since we live in the same house, but I usually do several things on my way to or from a class and I had to curtail this. So, what was my stupid solution? I stopped going to yoga. 18 months ago. Stupid. I am going back (and I don’t really know anyone in class except my amazing teacher, Jennifer). Here is my favorite yoga studio: Square One Yoga

Finally, I am proud to announce that I stretched for 30 minutes on Sunday and have walked 6 miles in the last 3 days. The weather has been ridiculously beautiful in the Bay Area and I would have been foolish not to enjoy it.

So, if you love to exercise with a friend or many, go for it. If you like to be alone, go for it. If you love classes, join in. If you’re sitting on the couch when it’s gorgeous outside, get up and get out there! Move, move, move…that’s the idea!

Peace out!