I woke up nice and early this morning do knock out 35 minutes of cardio on the elliptical before heading into a morning yoga class offered at my gym.
Ready to Streeeetch
Walking into class, I had one of those R. Kelly moments, where “my mind’s tellin’ me no, but my body, mah booooody’s telling me yeeees!” My mind was all over the place and said not to take the class, but my body wanted a good stretch.
I took my place on my mat and tried my best to get into all of the poses. I loved the stretching and knew my body was happy, but my brain would not shut up. I had a million odd thoughts running through my mind, including:
- Oh my gosh, my legs are so hairy!
- I have the tightest hamstrings known to man.
- I wish that lady to my right wasn’t so darn close to me.
- Seriously. She’s practically on my mat.
- Shoulder stands are the besssst! They’re easy but make me feel like I’ve got skillz.
- Holy hamstrings.
- Oh, that lady has lululemon pants. Lulu-leeeeemon.
- Yoga would be 10 times cooler if every other pose didn’t focus on hamstrings.
- I should wear my hair in a bun next time. This ponytail is annoying.
- What should I make for dinner tonight?
- I hope Ryan doesn’t look into this class right now. My butt is contorted in an extremely unattractive way.
- I like this music. It reminds me of Enya.
- Maybe it is Enya?
- I need a tan. Badly.
Suffice it to say I think I failed at the “quieting the mind” aspect of yoga today.
Walk + Breakfast
I came home to a dog that was ready to walk. I let her out in our backyard while I went to grab a scarf and when I returned she did not look amused.
"Could You TAKE Any Longer?
I think my efforts to bundle up took a little too long for her liking.
Once we were both cozy in our respective fleeces (North Face for me Martha Stewart Pets for Sadie), we headed out for a one-mile walk.
It took Sadie a little longer than usual to find a stick that she fancied, but when she did, she and the stick quickly became best friends for life.
"Best Friends FOREVERRR!"
They were like the mean girls in school and apparently made some sort of a pack to exclude me from all the fun.
"Ohmigod! We Should Get Those BFF NECKLACES!!!"
So I took Sadie’s stick and broke it over my knee. You will be MY friend, dog!
Okay, okay, just kidding.
Once the three of us were finished walking, we headed in for breakfast. (Stick friend stayed outside.)
TOTALLY Original!
Check out my totally original breakfast! 😀
For the third time this week, I dug into my favorite breakfast bagelwich.
Muenster for Me
Take a Bite, Puh-lease
I know I’ve been raving about these cinnamon raisin bagel thins, but I should probably add that I don’t think they’re unbelievably amazing without the gooey, melted cheese. It’s the combination of the cheese with the sweetness of the bagel thin that I adore so much.
I wonder if I could take this down in two bites...
Hi ho, hi ho…
Motivational Mantra of the Day
You don’t HAVE to exercise. You GET to exercise. (Kimberly)
Of Possible Interest
- 5 Awesome Overlooked Cardio Machines (FitSugar.com)
- Ultimate Guide to Healthy Snacking (Self.com)
- 10 Forgotten Winter Fruits and Veggies (Health.com)
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Ohhh wow what a powerful quote! And it’s so, so true… I do tend to think about how blessed I am that I have two legs that allow me to run.
Anywho, your mind sounds EXACTLY like mine when I attempt yoga. In fact, that’s probably why I find it so hard to get into yoga… my mind is always racing! I need to practice it more so I can learn to be “more present” and not thinking about rando stuff like my to-do list.
I have SAS (short attention span) too!! Which is why, even though I got a yoga mat for Christmas, I still have not used it. Also, Sadie is so adorable. She reminds me so much of Riley (our girl Vizsla) because they are obsessed with sticks. Enzo (boy Vizsla) could care less until Riley gets one then he flips his alpha switch and it’s on like donkey kong.
I agree about the cinnamon bagel thins! I only like them toasted with almond butter! I have to try the cheese thing 🙂
Have you ever used a foam roller? You keep mentioning tight hamstrings.. I have the same problem and have been using a foam roller for 3 weeks now.. the thing is AMAZING! It really, really helps with tight muscles in your whole entire body. I found one at Target for $20.. sooo totally worth it!!
I had yoga class last night and thought bout my hairy legs too :P.
I am the same way during yoga! I think that’s the hardest part for me – my mind starts racing with thoughts and the worst is that I tend to get the giggles! The more I try to take it seriously the harder it is to be serious. Although giggling is still better than what i have witnessed others do in class…
Someone should tell Sadie that we only wear pink on Wednesdays… going with your Mean Girls theme haha 🙂
this totally made me laugh out loud!
This post reminded me of this quote:
I was in yoga the other day. I was in full lotus position. My chakras were all aligned. My mind is cleared of all clatter and I’m looking out of my third eye and everything that I’m supposed to be doing. It’s amazing what comes up, when you sit in that silence. ‘Mama keeps whites bright like the sunlight, Mama’s got the magic of Clorox 2.’
-Ellen DeGeneres’
I <3 you & Ellen. Miss you!
LEAH! I totally thought of this exact same thing!!! So funny. 🙂 I <3 Ellen. Also, I'll be in St. Pete this weekend if you wanna grab brunch/lunch or something on Saturday. 🙂 I'll email you.
ahhh! That is the exact reason I don’t like yoga! I can’t seem to clear my head and end up stressing over it rather than relaxing. I find it alot easier to clear my head when I am lifting or doing cardio.
Also I am pretty sure you do not have the tightest hamstrings in the world…those would be mine 🙂
I have the same problem in yoga, both the racing mind and the tight hamstrings. But I love it anyways 🙂
question: can you touch the middle of your calves w/o pain?
I’m not sure I would call it pain, but it’s not enjoyable. I’ve always had freakishly tight hamstrings and I’ve kind of learned to deal with the discomfort. It’s actually the muscles/tendons right behind my knees that seem to be the most tight. They feel so tight that I’m afraid they’re going to snap. Oy.
I remember having racing throughts during a lot of yoga classes. Glad to know I’m not the only one thinking “omg my legs are sooo hairy”
Yoga is sometimes like that: cannot quiet the mind, or hamstrings 😉
Still need to try those alternative bagels, yum!
Ha. I was laughing out loud while reading your list of thoughts during yoga. So funny. Especially the “contorted butt” position. So funny.
Lovely post! Glad I stopped by. Your blog always makes me smile.
I would love to see you do some sort of “daily morning routine” because you do more stuff before work than I do before 2:00pm!! What time do you wake up? How long does it take you to get ready? What time do you have to be in work by?
i did! here it is: https://www.pbfingers.com/2010/04/30/streamlining-your-morning-routine/
I love yoga too for the stretching my body craves but I usually can’t quiet my mind. Even with a Restorative Yoga class (awesome, relaxing class! lots of props with the purpose of just purposeful relaxation) I struggle with shutting my thoughts off. 🙂
I love your motivational mantra today! It’s similar to one of my favorites – It’s a priviledge to run today. I remind myself of that often!!
Your sandwich looks so yummy! I have been looking for the blueberry Bagel Thins at every store I go to and haven’t been able to find them yet. Soon I hope!
I love your blog and identify with you because I think we are very alike! I live in Seattle but I bet if I were in FL we would be friends. 🙂
I TOTALLY had this same experience this morning! I take a yoga class for credit (I go to the University of Alabama!) and since the teacher is in the beginning stages of teaching all of the poses to those who aren’t familiar with yoga, it has been going suuuuuper slow. I am used to fast-paced vinyasa/Fitness and she has us lying in corpse for 10 minutes. Today my thoughts looked like this:
“I’m hungry. Man, my stomach is growling. I’ll get a smoothie. How much longer? I hope I can get to history on time. My stomach is growling. I need to call Jane. Angel Food smoothie, that’s what I’ll get. I hope nobody here is offended by the hair on my legs. I’m really hungry.”
And so on!
Julie
You are hilarious. You just made my day. Glad I’m not the only one that fails at ‘quiet mind’ yoga. When I was at university my day dreams usually consisted of
– if I slipped off this mat, would that be their negligence? Or my failure to take due care? (law student…)
– Hmmm, wish there weren’t guys working out upstairs on the mezzanine above… this downward dog ain’t doin’ much for my butt
– I’m hungry. I’m def having PB on my toast this morning.
– Could she make us do this tree pose for any longer?…. I wonder what type of tree I would be if I were a tree…An oak?
You made me laugh my booty off!! I am so the same way, I can never shut my mind off!!
Haha! You crack me up with your random thoughts during yoga! I’ve only taken one class, but I was the EXACT same way!
Love the motivational mantra! Definitely a better perspective!