Coloring My Life

I have been such a bad blogger. I apologize. Well to explain, I started a new position with my job! I am gaining a ton of experience but have had a huge learning curve... And last week it was all put to the test. What am I doing? Bore Factor: I am now, along with a lot of my past responsibilities, a Technical Writer helping in the development and writing for Government Proposals for our consulting firm. Ugh. Last week was a blur with work til 3 am and sleeping on my kitchen table. It wasn't pretty. Drool is meant for the pillow.

But This weekend I got to participate in Atlanta's COLOR RUN! Stay tuned for some awesomeness. I had SUCH a blast. Easter weekend was amazing minus and Meniere's episode :( . Well I also DID MY FIRST "RACE" since my Knee Injury and granted it wasnt my best performance, but I still had a blast. See? Oh and it also died my hair PINK so I am rocking the Avril Lavigne look this week. Be jealous, I'm totally professional at work now.

Yah, some awesome awesomeness. Easter was also pretty wonderful - I was able to spend it with some amazing family and loved ones and be reminded from my incredible Father's Easter talk that the knowledge we have of God and his teachings is "Good News" and no matter what trial or hardship we are going through in life, we have the Lord and His "Good News" and our pain can be mitigated through the atonement of our Savior. I hope you all had a happy and bright Easter weekend and were reminded of its true meaning. Through the atonement and sacrifice of our Savior, we can all return to the Lord's Kingdom. 

Spring Rejuvenation - Part 2 - Yoga Fitness from Gaby

Hello Lovelies! Hope you enjoyed yesterday's first part of Spring Rejuvenation from Erin. Today I have some more awesomeness on getting ready for the Spring season with some amazing Yoga and Fitness from the lovely and oh so talented Gaby. This chick is seriously one of my favorite blogging buddies and she is so awesome and incredible. So without further adieu.... Meet Gaby!

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Hi Lindsay's friends! My name is Gaby and I blog over at This Little Port. I'm a Sydney based yoga teacher, yoga practitioner, crafter, baker, and blogger. Today I'm here to share with you some yoga inspiration for spring.

So... when you think of spring your mind probably jumps straight to spring cleaning. It's usually a time of year when we feel energized and excited to take on new projects and get organized. And while the world around you is going through a transformation, it's a good time to acknowledge that your physical body is also going through a time of transition.

Here, I'll share with you some poses that aim specifically to detoxify the body, but also the mind and spirit. I would recommend doing some kind of a warm up beforehand. This is a great youtube video that will guide through a sequence of 10 warm-up poses, called 'the magic 10' in Jivamukti Yoga (Posted at the bottom) After that, if you're familiar with sun salutes, it'd be a good idea to do 5 rounds. This pdf has photos of 2 types of Ashtanga sun salutes.

* disclaimer - always be careful when practicing without a yoga teacher present. Go slow and if something hurts, stop!

1. Prasarita Padottanasa

From a standing position, step the feet out wide and bring the outside edges of the feet parallel with the short edges of your mat. Starting with your hands on your hips, inhale to arch the back gently and look up, as you exhale fold forward and lower your hands to the mat. Keeping the spine long begin to walk your hands back in line with your feet for more of a stretch. Hold for 5 breaths.

2. Parivritta Padottanasana

From Prasarita Padottanasa, bring your left hand on the mat, underneath the forehead. Press it down into the floor or on to a book or a block if you don't reach the floor. On an inhale, ground down through your left hand and as you exhale, begin to reach your right arm up for a twist. Keep your hips square and your legs engaged. Hold for 5 breaths then swap sides.

3. Ardha Matsyendrasana

To come into this pose, sit with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee and step your foot over your left thigh. Stay here with your left leg still straight out in front of you, or bend your left knee so that your left foot comes to your right hip as in the photo above. Make sure you're not sitting on top of your feet; if you are, keep the bottom leg extended. Inhale your left arm straight up, on an exhale twist to your right and hug or hook your right knee with your left arm. Hold for 5 breaths then swap sides.

A note on twists from the book The Spirit of Yoga:

"Twists work in many ways. For instance, they adjust the spine, tone the spinal nerves, and ease stomach ailments by stretching the inner digestive organs. They are also wonderful detoxifiers as they wring the old blood from the spine, recharging it with fresh sustenance."

It's precisely because of this detoxifying quality that we should do lots of twists when it's springtime!

4. Setu bandasana

Lie on your back with your arms by your side, palms of the hands facing down. Bend your knees so they're pointing up and bring your feet to inner hip distance (not as wide as you think!). Your ankles should be right below your knees (do as I say not as I do, ahem...). On an inhale, slowly begin to roll up the spine vertebrae by vertebrae. Leave your hands as they are or interlace them behind your back, drawing your shoulder blades closer together. Hold for 5 breaths, and repeat 3 times. Be careful not to turn your head from side to side!

5. Tarasana

Sit down with the soles of your feet together and your knees out to the side. Reach the feet farther away from you until you can grab your shin bones with extended arms when you sit upright. And here's the best part... Melt your body down over your legs, really just let it all hang out. Let your spine round, let your head be heavy, have your arms wherever is comfortable. Hold for 5 breaths.

6. Viparita karani

In English, we call this pose legs up the wall, which pretty much explains what we're going for :) All you have to do, is bring both of your legs up a wall, making sure that your sit bones and your legs are touching the wall. Bring your arms by your sides with your palms facing up and close your eyes.

Fun fact about this: karani means attitude, and as it doesn't end with 'asana' like all of the other poses it isn't actually a pose. Rather, it's an attitude. Viparita means reversing. Therefore this pose means 'reversing attitudes.' So if you're ever feeling down, all you need to do is chuck your legs up a wall for a while. You can hang out here for as long as you want, but make sure to stay for at least 5 minutes.

Finally, rest in savasana for 10 minutes.

Happy spring!

-Lindsay here, hope you enjoyed Part 2 of Spring Rejuvenation - Yoga and Fitness. Til tomorrow! We have another guest post from the lovely Elise with some Spring de-purging and self organization. Happy Thursday!

Feel Good During the Holidays Advice

Happy Friday Everyone!

So today I thought I would share some highly embarrassing/learned the hard way advice with a little background. Ever since I can remember, I have had a problem with fluctuating weight. On one of my parent's side, there seems to ALWAYS be an emphasis on weight, the new diet, exercising tips, and being in shape. Almost to the point where it's exhausting. All of my family pretty much looks like super models... and then there's me. Talk about rough.

When I was in high school and the beginning years of college, my weight would always sky rocket, then come down, then shoot back up again. It was embarrassing but was inevitable. I would eat like every meal was my last and count going to the mailbox as exercise.

Needless to say, I was developing extremely horrible habits. I began to notice that I was always moody, never had energy, and had a poor self image. I would try diet pills, meal plans like nutrisystem, and at one point would go to the gym for 2-3 hours every day.

The low point:

SO EMBARRASSING!

I came home for the holidays and my mom told me she almost didn't recognize me. This is when I started nurtrisystem, hydroxy cut, and endless workouts - all at different times. Nothing seemed to really stick. I was miserable. I began eating like crap while simultaneously working out. Every week was up and down.


The Turning Point:


See my uncle/Big Brother right above? Ya... Super model. I came home my junior year to complete an internship after I had finished my second season knocking door to door selling pest control. That summer my diet consisted of Jack-in-the-Box. Seriously... That's all I ate. I couldn't even button my jeans, I was forced to pull them up and tuck in the tabs hoping no one would notice. I felt puffy all the time and greasy. Now please mind that I am 5'1 and have a petite frame - so any weight I gain is extremely noticeable.

Problem areas: Face, stomach, thighs, upper-arms

With the help of my Aunt Peggy, I was able to start making significant lifestyle changes. Diet is nothing without moderate exercise. And most importantly, exercise is NOTHING without diet. I began finding that it was EXTREMELY easy to eat healthy, even while going out. Here are just a few tips that I adjusted to that made all the difference in the world:

-GRILLED everything. You can even eat a grilled chicken fillet by itself from McDonald's even.
-Vegetables and Fruits - these are essential
- No bananas and other fruits that are high in sugar.
-Mrs.Dash marinade, dipping sauce and seasoning. Make sure to get the NO Sodium, No sugar.
-No dipping sauce or dressings other than above. This is crucial. There is so much sugar and salt in dippings.
-I LOVED salads with lettuce, grilled chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. Seriously, without the dressing I could taste each food item more. These are so easy to order anywhere
-Almonds as snacks instead of potato chips
-limit carb intake - all whole grains and no simple grains.

I began going to the gym 3 times a week. I would do 45 minutes of some type of cardio (run, treadmill, elliptical, stair master) and then 40-60 minutes of weights. I made sure to always try new machines (even when I had no absolute clue how they would work) and switch up my routine so I wouldn't get bored or comfortable.


Today:


If I slip up, its not the end of the world. I just make sure that I wont go into the depths after a few mess ups. Today I feel extremely comfortable with my body and weight. I still have areas that definitely need to be worked on and toned... but I feel good about how I feel, not just how I look.
So during this holiday season, It's important to remember to not just fall off the bandwagon because it's holiday time. Continue to develop good habits and actually commit to them.


Parting Advice:

It's not about being skinny. It's about being healthy