Stretching Out April

When January rolled around and the calendar changed to 2014, I  decided I would not set health and fitness goals for the whole year.  Rather, each month I have chosen a different area to focus on and make some positive changes.

In April I have been working on flexibility and stretching… this has meant more frequent yoga sessions and an ongoing search for yoga DVDs.  I am thoroughly enjoying all the stretching and also practicing yoga with The Captain at home some mornings… yoga mats side by side on the living room floor.  The morning light in our apartment is fabulous and it is a really nice start to the day. 


I have been having some trouble finding just the right DVDs for our home yoga practice and I after purchasing one that I am a bit disappointed with, I have been taking them out of the library.  My own yoga experience is quite limited.  In March I attended  4 or 5 Flow Yoga classes and 4 Body Flow classes at the gym.  The Captain has never had the benefit of a live instructor.  Finding a suitable beginner’s yoga DVD has been a challenge for sure.  We have done some where the flow is much too quick for us… some don’t have any instructions at all… some have poses that are way too difficult.  We have discovered that we like Rodney Yee’s productions and voice, but not necessarily the actual routines.  

Thanks to those of you who have offered suggestions about DVDs we might try.  I am actively searching them out.

This week I borrowed one from the library called Yoga Zone,  led by yoga master Alan Finger. 

He guides the student through simple, easy to understand  routines and poses.  His instructions are so well-articulated that you do not have to keep looking at the tv screen to be able to follow along with the flow and that makes it so much better for the neck and head, I think.  He explains where to place your weight on your feet and hands, and when and how to move with your breath. I think the foundation in learning these basic poses will be good for us as we progress.     There is a second disc for meditation practice as well.

We did this yoga DVD for the first time on Monday morning… and we both relaxed so deeply near the end that we almost fell asleep during the Shavasannah.  On Tuesday, as we were stretching after our 4 mile  morning run, The Captain said he could really feel some of the places on his hips and legs that had been challenged by the yoga moves.  Great.   I think we will do this yoga session again on Thursday morning before I head to work. 

And as for me, I really noticed some tendency toward cramping in both my calves after our run.  I wonder if this was my own reaction to some of the yoga poses we tried on Monday.  After drinking several glasses of cold water, I made delicious berry-banana protein smoothies  for both of us to enjoy while we stretched… adding a spoonful of Fermented L-Glutamine to mine. I think it helps with muscle recovery from tough workouts.  My legs were quite tired and the stretch felt really good.

Then, after my shower I put on my Tommie Copper leggings.  This picture was taken last Summer but I want to show them to you.  They fit me perfectly.

Right away I could feel the warmth building in my legs, and the cramps eventually subsiding.  When we went out later to do some grocery shopping, I kept them on… just pulled my jeans on over top.  I  wore the leggings throughout the evening and only removed them to change into my jammies for bed.    I must sound like a broken record by now, but if you get a chance to try some Tommie Copper compression gear, DO IT!

I am kind of sorry to see April and the focus on flexibility come to an end… but I am certainly not giving it up.  I have seen some slight improvements and that only encourages me to continue.  I love stretching and plan to never give that up.  But, it is almost May and time to move on.

How did April pan out for you?

Are you a fan of stretching?

5 Special Personal Care Gifts for Mother’s Day

Mother's Day is right around the corner and it if you haven't already, you might want to put some thought into how you are going to celebrate your Mother this year.  Sunday, May 11th is coming up fast. I know you will want to find something unique and personal for your own Mom.

Sunday, May 11th is Mother's Day

I have some hard and fast personal rules about gift-giving.  Selecting just the right gift for someone else can be an agonizing and time consuming process, when done well, and in my very biased  opinion, properly.  I think all too often people think about themselves when selecting gifts.  Sometimes we think about how our choice of gift reflects on us, as the giver, instead of focusing on how much the receiver of the gift will really enjoy it and be genuinely happy to receive it.

My choice of Mother’s Day gifts has really changed over the years.  I always had a difficult relationship with my own Mother so the gifts from me to her always said so much more than Happy Mother's Day.

When I was a child I would draw pictures of Mommy and Me, or make a gift from an age-appropriate craft. And those gifts were always very eagerly received. I think Mothers with young children really love these kinds of gifts and treasure the little hands and hearts that make and give them, so proudly.  I recall that my Father would take the family to a local pancake house for brunch on Mother’s Day and it would be filled with other families, also celebrating Moms, and giving them the day off cooking a family breakfast.

As I got older, and started earning some money so I could buy things, I stopped making cards and crafts and started buying jewellery, colognes, and scarves and gloves.  Usually things I thought and hoped that my Mother would like.  I always made sure to call her in addition to the cards and gifts I sent, after I moved several hundred miles away from my family home.

I now believe that Mother’s Day gifts should be about uplifting and celebrating Mom as a woman. Yes, you could purchase her favorite cologne, or items from a skin care line you know she uses, or even her favorite bath products… but likely she already has those things and she would purchase for herself anyway.  I hope you will make your gift something different and special.

What you pay for the gift really doesn’t matter… but the thought and effort you put into do, very much.  Here are some things I think celebrate our Moms as lovely, feminine beings, who deserve to be pampered and petted.  Some of them are pricey… others cost very little or nothing at all.  They are all a bit unique.

Spa Certificate 
If your Mom is a seasoned spa goer, you could give her a certificate to her favorite salon. If she is not, schedule a visit for the two of you to go together… she will be less shy about going if you go a deux instead of just buying a certificate for her and sending her off alone. And think of the fun you will have together. Select items such as facials, mani/pedis, massages.   (I don’t recommend hair or makeup services as this may imply you think she needs a change.)

Home Massage
This is a lovely gift for the first timer. Have a mobile masseuse come to your home and do a massage for you and your Mom.  You can plan a girls afternoon; have tea and cookies after, or wine and cheese if that is more your Mom’s style.

Toilettree Skin Care System
These body care brushes are a wonderful way for Mom to look after her lovely skin in the privacy of her own home.  There are 2 brushes for the face, one for the body and one pumice stone.  Very thoughtful.

Homemade Bath Salts
Perfect for Moms who love to soak in the tub, these Snickerdoodles Bath Salts and the Oatmeal Cookie and Milk Bath are made from ingredients you likely already have in your home.  Just put them together and place in a lovely $$ store container and decorate with ribbons.

Assorted Fragrances and Skin Care Samples
Visit a few local department store cosmetic departments and pick up all kinds of samples – fragrances, lotions, skin care items, and place them altogether in a nice little $$ store silky bag.  It is a fun way for Mom to try some new products.  And even though it doesn't cost anything, it says you took the time to do something nice just for her.

Any items you would like to add?

What do you like to do for your own Mom on Mother's Day?

Friday Faves and Raves

It’s been an odd week.  We have been doing lots of walking and hiking and some yoga, and there is a 4 mile run slated for later this morning.  But overall it has been quite quiet on the fitness front. We have been discussing our workout goals and intentions and where we want to spend our time and effort over the next several weeks.  Tennis and golf take up so much time!

I am enjoying the yoga immensely, and as much as I have come to appreciate Rodney Yee, this DVD is just not for me. It is for someone who has practised the poses and some different flows and knows what comes next. It is a beautiful production, but all too fast-paced for beginners like me and especially The Captain.

If you can recommend a good DVD for beginners, I would be so grateful. 

We had a copy of Yoga For Dummies from the library a while ago, but I didn’t really care for it.  It does teach the poses, but there is no flow.  Perhaps I am being too fussy.  I shall keep searching.

On the food front, I am taking part in a 10-Day Spring Detox hosted by Amber Williford, through Awakened Nutrition and Training. I am struggling a bit to keep to some of the restrictions, but, hey, you can put up with almost anything for a short time right?  Oh yeah, other than caffeine withdrawal headaches… nope, not me. I am drinking my coffee and tea when I need it.

Here are some books I have been reading.

• Chris Powell’s Choose to Lose is about carb cycling on a 7 day basis.  I am going to give it a try soon.  
• Haylie Pomroy’s Fast Metabolism Diet and the accompanying cookbook are very popular right now.  Her 7 day cycle of low protein, low carb, high fat days keeps the body guessing and is supposed to rev up a sluggish metabolism. I followed it for 7 days.  It is not easy but I think it is effective.  
• Janet Evanovich’s latest Stephanie Plum romp is called Takedown Twenty.  A fun read. The only reading I have done for pure pleasure in some time. This is the 20th installment in a series that chronicles the misadventures of a female bond enforcement officer. So fun and I often laugh out loud while I am reading these books.

I also read some great blog fitness and health related blog posts this week.  Here are some highlights:

• Three steps to success: Commitment, Confidence, Compassion  at  Live Travel Eat Run
• 5 Ways to Move Forward When You Feel Stuck at Love Life Surf
• 5 Reasons to Periodize Your Workouts at Fitknitchick
• 3 Reasons to Cut Back Cardio for Fat Loss Goals & 3 Things to Do Instead  at Your Trainer Paige
•  From Knees to Toes | Tips For Progressing Your Pushups at Fitknitchick

And here is one that just might give you pause for thought:

• The Importance of Mattering at Carla Birnberg

And finally, a video that is quite compelling:

• 6 Reasons You Need More Fat in Your Diet at Live Lean TV

Did you find anything great out there this week that I might have missed?

What do you read for pleasure?

Trying Out the ToiletTree Professional Skin Care System

You might recall that I spent the month of February, zeroed in on getting my act together in looking after some personal needs.  One of the items on my list was developing and maintaining an evening skincare routine. I had been getting really lazy about it all and most nights was just heading to bed without washing my face at all, let alone removing any makeup and using my skin creams.

But I am happy to report that I slowly but surely removed am removing that bad habit and now am following my new routine about 5 nights out of 7.  That is a win for me for sure.

Part of that new skin care routine is exfoliation.  A cosmetician that I met a few weeks ago, told me that when we remove dead skin cells, it allows our skin to absorb the material in our moisturizers and other products more readily.  That makes sense to me and I do love the way my skin feels when I have just exfoliated… soft and smooth.  She also told me not to go outside for at least an hour afterward because the skin is more likely to be damaged by the sun when it has just been exfoliated.  So I find it easier and more convenient to exfoliate in the evening.

I have been alternating between a couple of different products.   One has apricot bits in it, and the other has diamond dust.  They are both creams that must be rinsed away after use. 

But then, a couple of weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out something completely different, a non-cream product called the ToiletTree Professional Skin Care System.  I was intrigued and eager to give it a trial run.  They have a couple of color choices, so I picked blue to go with my bathroom decor.

The ToiletTree Professional Skin Care System includes a battery powered waterproof hand-held gadget and 3 different styles of brushes:

• 2 small face brushes – one medium-soft brush for exfoliation and an even softer brush for washing
• 1 larger body brush
• 1 pumice stone

The various brushes snap on and off the interchangeable rotating head on the base easily and quickly.  And I was pleased to find the required 4 AA batteries included in the package, too.

At first I was a bit apprehensive about using the brushes on my face and I made sure to read the instructions thoroughly before I began.  They suggest you do not use the brushes on broken skin or areas of the skin with rash, severe acne or other skin ailments.  And that you tie your hair back to keep it away from the brush head to avoid hair from getting tangled in the device when using the facial brushes.

So I got out a Sparkly Soul headband and put it on, and added a couple of hair clips for extra insurance and got to work.  The handle fits nicely in my hand.  The power button is in just the right place for a finger to hover over it to make it quick and easy to turn the motor on and off as required.

I washed my face as usual with my usual foaming cleanser and then used the medium-soft facial brush to exfoliate.  I was surprised and pleased at how gentle it felt but made sure not to rub it into my face.  I just let it work a little as I passed it over my cheeks, chin, forehead, nose, and temples.  I was very happy that there was no splashing and no mess! Then I turned it off, rinsed and dried my face, and then rinsed the brush before removing it from the handle.

ToiletTree suggests that the device can be used in the shower because it is waterproof.  If I am quick in and out of the shower kind of girl, but you might like to use it that way.

I have used the ToiletTree Professional Skin Care System in my bath though. I like to pumice my feet sometimes at the end of a soak in the tub and this device makes that job very easy.  The pumice head is effective but not rough. I actually think it not only does a better job of removing rough skin than my regular pumice stone, I am sure it is much more gentle than I am when I rub on rough spots with the regular stone.  I do need more practice holding it in my left hand.  I think we runners have feet that need extra attention and care, and mine certainly do… especially now that I am doing yoga regularly and my bare naked feet are on display more often.

And the body brush is gentle and very effective too. I like to use it on my knees and elbows and upper arms and on my decolletage.   ( Look that one up if you don’t recognize it!)  I have also had The Captain use it to wash my back for me.  That is a real treat!

This little gadget is now part of my daily routine. The only thing missing in the package  is a nice case to keep it all in.  I think I have a pretty cloth one, that will do for now.

I was given the ToiletTree Professional Skin Care System at no cost. The opinions and enthusiasm are genuinely my own.  If you are interested, check it out at www.TOILETREEPRODUCTS.com

Have you tried these kinds of  brushes before?  What is your favorite exfoliation product?

Good Friday Faves and Raves

I have come to really enjoy these Friday posts… I love sharing a tidbit or 2 about  my week and showcasing some of the great posts I have come across in the past week.  There is just so much wonderful information being shared these days.

We took another week off our formal strength training routine and so the week went like this:

• Sunday, a 6.65 km run and then later, a 30 minute walk
• Monday, a kettlebell workout and then later, a 20 minute walk
• Tuesday, a 3.35 km run
• Wednesday, a 20 minute kettlebell workout, then later a 75 minute walk
• Thursday, a 20 minute yoga session
• Friday, a planned 5 km run
• Saturday, yet to be determined

And there were push ups and lots of stretching throughout the week as well.   But no more slacking off… need to get back to more formal strength training and I am re-working our schedule over the weekend.  And I am really pleased with the efforts I have been making in my nutrition and eats this week, too. I have been doing some experimenting with carb cycling and finding the results quite interesting.

I spent some time at the library early in the week looking at yoga DVDs to borrow.  I ended up bringing home 3 different ones by Rodney Yee.  I have to admit I love his voice. Have you heard him speak? So calming and soothing and velvety.  We did part of one of them on Thursday morning before we had breakfast and a clean up and I went off to work. It was good.  I think we will do it again.  It has 5 different, short parts, so you can mix and match if you like.

I am really amazed by how good The Captain’s balance is. I knew it was pretty good as he was a good skier and a great water skier… but his his ability to do these balancing yoga poses is very impressive.  And I am happy to report that I am making some progress with the flexibility in my hips/groin.  I think the yoga and extra stretching are really working for me.  I have been doing Pigeon Pose for a few minutes after we run, as a finisher to my stretching routine.

Our weather has been lovely for the most part.. and this time of year I really do yearn to be sailing.  One rainy afternoon we put this jigsaw puzzle together instead!

I read some really good posts this week and found some good looking recipes too… and of course when I wasn’t looking for them at all.  I think I will be trying a couple very soon, though:

• Creamy Strawberry Coconut Fruit Dip  at  Fit Foodie Finds
• Learning to Maintain Gut Health and Gluten Free Living at Cotter Crunch
• 5 Tips to Stop Emotional Eating at Go Fit Gals
• Boost Marathon Performance With a Walk at Running to the Finish
• The Difference Between Building Muscle and Building Strength by Workout Nirvana at Cotter Crunch
• How Long Does it Take to See the Results of Exercise? at Fitknitchick
• Why the Spring Diet is Perfect for Healing Candida at Mommy Run Fast
• 3 Top Ways to Add Fun to Your Workouts by Thinking Outside the Sandbox

And last, but not least:

• a  video  - How to Make a Delicious Protein Ice Cream Blizzard (no sugar added) by Brad Gouthro of Live Lean TV

I am coloring hard boiled eggs for The Captain this afternoon with this little kit I found at the $$ store.

Any special Easter traditions at your house?  Do you like to color eggs, too?