The yoga class the first

Yoga class kicked off on Thursday; luckily, even though Hubby had Bible study that evening, the timing worked out that he was able to look after baby D while I was out. It took while to get started, because there were forms for everyone to complete, and the instructor explained how we'd spend our hour together. Also, I felt a bit silly for bringing shoes, since you go barefoot or sock-foot in this class. However, I did have the presence of mind to dig out my old purple yoga mat from the closet AND actually clean the dust off.

I wasn't expecting to find the class physically challenging; I mean, I've done yoga before, and I'm not competitive, so I know to go at my own pace and just watch the instructor and myself, rather than the other participants. Anyway, some of the poses were difficult to hold! We did one that was sort of a squat, with the feet pointing outwards, and the instructor was talking and lost track of how long we were supposed to hold the pose. I did the best I could, but had to stop ages before everyone else did.

A lot of it felt like stretching, which was nice. I'd had a bad headache all day, and was planning to hit up my dad's clinic for a chiro adjustment the next day, but I felt so much better after yoga. (It also helps that I have a new crazy-looking pillow that's not memory foam and doesn't hurt my neck.) The only weird thing about the class was that, at the end, the instructor had us sing a song about the long-time sun shining upon us and our pure hearts guiding us home. She had said earlier on that if any pose gave us discomfort that we could stop, so I extended that to mean that since the song made me feel awkward, I didn't have to sing it. So I didn't, and all was well. Looking forward to next week! And who knows, if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I may try doing my own yoga at home as a supplement.

Go for yoga

Since my current fitness regimen is restricted to walks when the weather permits, and copious toddler lifting/carrying, I thought I'd take up yoga again. I haven't done it since we lived in Hamilton four years ago, and I went to a gym that offered non-meditative yoga. I found that my neck and back were in much better shape (which was good, considering my chiropractor dad was five hours away), and I felt great. The thing is, I gave up my gym membership at the Y last year due to lack of use, and they had you pay extra for classes anyway. So I've been looking into yoga classes and the cost thereof. Here's what I found:

-The City parks & rec department has a class at a rec centre 10 minutes from my house, with 14 classes for 84$. Six dollars a class, not bad. Also, since it's run by the City, I'm hoping it will be non-meditative. I'm not into emptying my mind or focusing on my inner energy or whatever.

-Blue Bamboo Yoga offers pay-as-you-go options, so for the same number of sessions as the City offers, I'd be paying just over 200$ including tax. And they're like 20 minutes from my house.

-Yoga & Tea Studio offers a 13-week course for 177$ including tax. About 13$/class. 30 minutes from my house

-The YMCA doesn't offer the kind of yoga I'm looking for, and they're a 15-minute drive away.

My choice was clear. I registered with the City over the phone this morning, and my first class will be a week from today! I was so excited, I wore yoga pants today. No green, though.

The first workout

After a profitable meeting with Cristy a couple of weeks ago, I did my first at-home workout on the plan she made for me. This is what it looked like:
-lunges with a twist (holding a 5 lb free weight): 2 sets of 10
-hamstring curls on stability ball (the pink one Hannah got me- thanks, sis!): 2 sets of 10
-chest flies with 5 lb weights on stability ball: 2 sets of 12
-bicep curls: 2 sets of 12
-tricep kickbacks: 2 sets of 12
-crunches on stability ball: 2 sets of 12

There was also a one-armed row using the weight bench, which I omitted because a) the weight bench is in the basement, and I'm not; and b) I didn't find it worked the muscles it was supposed to work, and it seemed like the kind of thing that could bring injury if not done properly.

Altogether, my workout took half a Starfield CD to complete (just under 25 minutes), and baby D's been napping in her crib the whole time. (It's amazing how waking up early means she takes two decent naps in a day rather than little twenty-minute siestas here and there.) A couple of things I need to do next time: first of all, wear shoes. My balance isn't as good without them, and I know it leaves me a lot more open to injury if I'm not suitably shod. Second, I have to do the requisite stretching at the end. Which I think I'll go do now; I was just so excited about this that I had to post right away!

To sum up:
At home workout...
Personal trainer: 35$/hr (I had purchased 3 hrs, for a total of 105$)
Stability ball: gift
Free weights: purchased for maybe 10$ a number of years ago
Motivation required: put on gym clothes, go downstairs, set up music on laptop
Total of 115$, good until my muscles get too used to the exercises (but I can also mix it up with the pre-baby workout I had, or any exercises I find in magazines or online)

Vs gym membership...
50$ per month
Motivation required: put on gym clothes, drive 15 minutes each way, remember to bring pass and MP3 player
Total of 600$ a year

Considering my current workout is all paid for, I think I'll take the former for 115$, Alex!

The only gym for me is Halpert

When I was pregnant with baby D last year, I signed up for three sessions with a trainer, Cristy. The first one was to learn some safe and effective exercises to do during my pregnancy, the second was to make sure I was doing said exercises properly, and the third was for post-baby fitness. I hadn't seen Cristy since April, until today. I had asked her to create a workout I could replicate at home using equipment I already have (free weights, exercise ball, weight bench) because I've been thinking for awhile now that my gym membership has overstayed its welcome.

It was May of 2008 that I first started going to the Y, and it was to get fit and have more energy; I didn't have any set weight goal or anything. I chose the Y because it was ridiculously close to my house at the time, and I felt better about contributing to a community-based organization than a corporate gym whose goal is to make money by pressuring potential and existing clients (not that I'm bitter at Goodlife for trying to finagle me out of money).

I generally made pretty good use of my membership: I tried to go around twice a week, and I'd stay for an hour each visit, doing a combination of cardio (via elliptical or recumbent bike), weights, and abs (with limited results). From my due date until eight weeks after baby D's birth, I suspended my membership, and from that time until now, I've been back at the gym off and on. More off than on, as it turns out. Since my monthly fee is just a smidge over 50$, I decided that money would be of more use elsewhere in our budget.

The plan now: doing my new workout at home twice or three times a week. I'd also like to try and run, which will shock anyone who knows me well. I make no bones about the fact that I hate running. Three weeks ago, I went running with the hubby and the babe (in a stroller that he pushed), and really enjoyed it, aside from the running part. Nevertheless, I'm going to give it a good shot. Our neighbourhood is pretty conducive to running, with a good amount of sidewalks (although usually only on one side of the street, with no rhyme or reason as to when they switch to the opposite side) and the odd gentle hill (which feels like a straight-up incline if you're me). I did run with my mom yesterday, and even then I felt a lot better than I did during and after the original run. As a supplement to any running, I'm also going to walk with my main girl baby D, since she loves her stroller and I love a good walk. Seriously, put me on a 5 km walk instead of a 2km run any day.

In general, I just want to incorporate fitness into my daily routine, rather than having to go to a specific place to get fit. The real kicker was this run with the hubby: he hadn't done any running since a few weeks after baby D was born, and I had been going to the gym pretty regularly since she was 8 weeks old. He totally outran me, and wasn't nearly as drained as I was at the end. That illustrated to me that ellipticals and recumbent bikes bear no resemblance whatsoever to actual cardiovascular exercise. I guess I was lulled into thinking I was fit because I did my little one-hour circuit twice a week, when really, I should be trying to get thirty minutes' exercise a day.

In other news, I just finished the lacy cowl (aka neckwarmer) I was knitting for my parents' friend B. I probably should have prefaced that post by saying that I am a knitter; it's not like I just decided to pick up the hobby in order to cheer up B. Anyway, the pattern was 61 rows, and it took me two and a half weeks. For someone who's been knitting for almost four years, that's abysmally slow. However, I am also the full-time caregiver for the cutest fifteen pounds I've ever seen in baby form. So I'm not going to beat myself up about it. The cowl is drying at the moment, and will be delivered at some point this weekend. It looks really pretty, and I think next time I'll make it in a solid colour rather than a variegated yarn.