Yoga Challenge Wrap UP

Well six weeks of Yoga was interesting. I would definitely recommend you give it a try... if six weeks seems to long, try doing a month. I have, for a long time, tried to incorporate Yoga or Pilates into my workout routine 1-2x per week, but this was the first time I made Yoga a daily practice. Here are a few things I took away from the experience...

1. Like many other things in life, practice, practice, practice makes you better. Even if you're not the most bendy/flexible person, repetition will get results.
2. There is no such thing as perfection in yoga. Even if you master the movement, you still have to master the mindfulness and that perhaps, can take a lifetime.
3. It seems like everyone in Austin practices Yoga. There may be more yoga studios here then nail salons.
4. Focusing on equal and opposite forces while you stretch or hold specific positions adds a whole new degree of difficulty and physical awareness. This is something that can easily carry over into the weight room.
5. Vinyasa yoga to a Beyoncé playlist is by far the best thing ever!
6. Taking time out for yourself... to clear your head...to focus inward... might be one of the best things you can do for your body.

While I may not be able to do yoga every day now that summer is over; I will definitely make a point to go a few times a week.

Happy Sweating :)

Weeks 4 and 5: Yoga Challenge

I was out of town for 1 week and had to resort to doing yoga on my own. Normally I am a pretty solid independent study kind of girl, but I can only do about 15 minutes of self taught yoga at this point. I need help deciding which poses to transition to and when. Yoga on my own is like deep stretching and some balancing movements, but it's hard for me to think of what I should do next and at the same time focus on my breathing, relaxing, meditating, etc. However, the time spent away from the yoga studio was time spent with family, and that in itself is a mental detox from my everyday routine.  I will say that coming back to hard core 75 minutes of daily yoga was hard after a week of lighter practice. I was sore and stiff and my body seemed to lack fluidity and grace that comes from daily practice. After a few days I felt like myself again, but those first three days back were ROUGH!
This upcoming week will be the last of my six week self imposed challenge and my last week of freedom before law school begins. I better make every yogi breath count!

Happy sweating!

Week 3 Yoga Challenge

Two words people: Beyoncé. Yoga. Yes, my favorite yoga instructor put Beyoncé's Freakum Dress on his playlist for one of my classes this week. I was shaking my booty in downward facing dog, loving it! I guess he caught me dancing instead of focusing on my breathing because he laughed at me and said to me after class, "I bet that's the first time you've ever heard Beyoncé played in a yoga studio!" It sure was and it was awesome! Who said yoga has to be all chanting and gongs, and ethereal music? Who says you can't find yourself in a dance song? Who says it needs to be quiet for you to be at peace? Next Monday, my teacher promised to do a full Beyoncé playlist! I'm not sure how I'll hold a single pose for longer than 5 seconds. Hahaha! I know most people hate Mondays, but I'm looking forward to this one ;)

On another note, I did recognize, within myself, an overall lack of energy this week. It was difficult for me to focus in yoga, and instead of mental clarity and relaxing into postures, I muscled through them with fierce determination, much like I would do on the track. I would say my approach to yoga was incorrect this week... I had a lot on my mind and was unable to let it go in yoga. Therefore, I found relief for my muscles but not for my mind in week 3 of this challenge. Perhaps I will find more balance in week 4.

Happy sweating!

Week 2 Yoga Challenge

Coming from a sports background that often has coaches pushing you to go past your limitations, I find yoga a slightly peculiar workout. I am used to hearing, "do one more rep, see if you can go 10lbs heavier, dig deeper, a little faster, get out of your comfort zone, etc." I found myself in yoga class this week puzzled when instructors said, transition into the next posture when your body is ready, go at your own pace, if it's too much just stop, rest whenever you need to, etc." Amused, I thought, "this would never happen at track practice." I should mention that I went from crossfit to yoga on Monday, and anyone who has ever stepped foot in a crossfit gym knows that no one ever tells you to take a knee.

While I attended mostly Hatha yoga classes this week, I did go to one Vinyasa and one Ashtanga class. I learned something about Hatha these past few days that gave me a greater appreciation for the practice. Hatha means equal and opposite forces. The movements in Hatha are actually counter movements... pulling muscles simultaneously in different directions. I gained a greater understanding of what it feels like to elongate muscles in a stretch. The strain on your body, which last week I incorrectly believed to be very little, comes from this principle of counter movement. It was a lesson that I can see has application in other sports. The idea of balance, of evenly distributing your weight as you move, and of course properly stretching can work to ward off injuries.

I also enjoyed doing a little more core work in my classes this week. I usually find that yoga does not focus enough time on core work. Since most of the difficult and even moderate poses require core strength, I am not sure why it is overlooked.

Summer Yoga Challenge

To challenge myself and give my body a change from my everyday workout program, I am doing 6 weeks of yoga. 42 days straight. My goal is to increase flexibility, body awareness, and basically take a big exhale over the past few emotionally hectic months. I am 1 week into this challenge, and each day I've learned something new.

Monday: Hatha Flow yoga after I downed half of a wheat grass smoothie (not a good idea). First of all wheat grass is nasty, but I am trying to detoxify after vacation gluttony. It was my first experience with Hatha Flow; I have only done Vinyasa. I enjoyed it and found it challenging. My teacher whipped out a guitar and sang during savasana and I actually found that part of class distracting and a nuisance. Tuesday: Hatha yoga, which was different than Hatha Flow was relaxing and allowed for time to clear my mind, but it wasn't physically stressful. My teacher recited a lot of poetry and quotations while we held poses. She also used about 2 minutes to let us dance around and shake our limbs. It was strange, but then again, I dance around my own house to relieve stress, so why not do it with strangers? Wednesday and Thursday: I went back to my Vinyasa roots and really felt the burn in my hips and shoulders. My instructor rang a gong throughout savasana and the sound vibrated through my entire body... I was not a fan, BUT he baked cookies for us (it was his birthday) and had a killer play list... definite bonus. Friday: Ashatanga yoga kicked my butt. I was not familiar with the flow of the series and I was sore from the previous 4 days. Saturday I did Vinyasa at home after travelling.

Anyways that was probably an unnecessary breakdown, but the main take away from the week was I am not stretching enough and I lack focus at times. Hopefully, that will improve in the coming weeks. Hopefully, I can relax my mind and my muscles. If you're looking for a change in your workout routine or need some cross training to balance your lifting and running, try yoga. After this first week, I still believe pilates is a stronger core workout, but my guess is that yoga will provide greater gains in lengthening and releasing muscle tension.

Happy Sweating ;)

Circuit training

Here's a good cardio circuit that should only take 10-20 minutes. I always prefer to run on the track because that's what I'm used to, but you could easily do this on a trail or on a grass field. I've done a similar circuit and found that the hardest part is not the running, but the activities in between. Something about no rest and having to go from standing to doing push ups or abs, just knocks the wind out of you.

On another note, I ran into an Olympian track runner at Whole Foods the other day. He happens to be a former Gator and an acquaintance of mine, so we caught up for a bit. He told me about London, and I told him about my day. His story was way better than mine. While I was leaving, I thought, these folks in Whole Foods have no idea that a USA/World Champion/Olympian was standing right next to them buying groceries. Like this man is on Nike billboards! If he were a football player, people would be all over him! I guess in Track and Field, you can have fame and privacy? An elusive combo. Anyways...

Warm up: Jog half a mile and stretch. Do 20 meters of walking lunges, 20 meters of high knee running, and 20 meters of butt kicks.
Workout: 
Run/Stride 100 meters
Do 25 sit ups
Side shuffle 100 meters
Do 15 push ups
Run 400 meters
Do 15 burpees
Do 25 sit ups
Do 15 back hypers
Run 200 meters
Do 30 body weight squats
Side Shuffle 100 meters (change direction from the first side shuffle)
Do 10 wide arm push ups
Run 100 meters

Hopefully this long list does not freak you out. You are only running a mile (including the warm up), and the exercises in between keep your heart rate up, while working on muscular strength. This is a good workout for anyone who wants a combination of cardio and toning without bulking up.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Medicine Ball

I apologize for being away from writing for a few weeks, but I am back training and learning new exercises to tone and strengthen! I think one of the smartest buys I have ever made was a 10lb medicine. I am now looking for a few 12 or 15lb medicine balls to up the difficulty. Medicine ball workouts are incredible for your abs, butt, legs, and even your shoulders.

Start with an 8-10lb medicine ball (you can find one at Sports Authority or any store like that), and grab a partner for medicine ball throws. You can do it without a partner, but you'll have to chase your own ball down, which can be annoying and takes longer.

Start with ball slams to warm up. When the ball is over your head, really concentrate on extension; stretching your torso and getting up on your toes. Do 3 sets of 10











Move on to Single leg V-ups. Do 2 sets of 10











Then move on to medicine ball throws. There are 3 main throws you should try.

1. Overhead backwards: Stand with your feet shoulder with apart, squat down with the ball in your hands hanging between your legs, and toss the ball over your head backwards from that position. Upon releasing the ball your body should be at full extension. Do 1 set of 10
2. Lunge and Pass: Lunge with right foot in front while holding the ball at chest level. Push/throw the ball to your partner. When you throw you should stand up out of the lunge; focus on pushing off that front foot. Land with the opposite foot in front (so in this case land with the left foot in front). Do 10 each leg
3. Double leg forward: Stand with your feet shoulder with apart, squat down and jump forward. As soon as you complete the jump forward throw the medicine ball underhanded to your partner.


Happy sweating,
Dominique

Circuit training

Circuit training is a good way to get in some cardio without having to run or bike your entire workout . Try this on your own:

Complete 5 minutes of exercises, 1 minute per exercise, no resting between, followed by a 1 minute jog.
1 minute of high knees
1 minute of burpees
1 minute of sit ups
1 minute of body weight squats
1 minute of walkouts (in the push up position)
 After 5 minutes, go for a 1 minute jog

Go through this (6 minutes total) 4 times. Make it continuous if you can. The purpose is to keep your heart rate up. The 1 minute jog is your rest, so do not worry about going fast.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Resistance training

Adding resistance to your workout can really give your training regiment a boost. Yesterday we added a few elements to our boot camp session that focused on muscle definition/toning. In order to do some simple resistance training on your own, you will need access to the following; an elastic band, an elastic loop (a band that closes in circle and cannot come apart), and either a medicine (10lbs preferably) or a 10lb plate. Here are a few ideas to try out on your own:

1. Using your medicine ball or plate, do walking lunges. When you lunge, twist your upper body to the side of the leg out in front. Do walking lunges with a twist for 30-40 meters. You can also do walking lunges while holding the weight over your head (arms straight), and when you lunge bend your elbows so you bring the ball behind your head. This will work you triceps, abs, and legs all at the same time!

2. Using the elastic band, place both feet on the middle of the band (you should be standing on it with one end of the band in each hand), then do a bicep curl. You may continue doing bicep curls (3x10-12), or you can add a push press after the curl (that means, once you curl up, extend your arms straight up and over your head).

3. Using the elastic band again, stand on the middle like in the previous exercise, and lift both arms into a "t" position at your sides. I suggest doing both arms simultaneously, but you will find that one arm will most likely fatigue sooner than the other. This exercise is very common and usually done with weights, but the advantage to using bands is the additional resistance you receive when you bring your arms down, not just up. You are able work your muscles on the descent, instead of just dropping your arms with the weights.

4. Using the elastic loop, place both feet inside the loop and move the band so it is around your mid calves. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, and squat down as close to parallel as you can get. Then take small side steps for 30 meters. This exercise works your booty and is a tough one! Remember to keep your butt down as you walk!

If you have any questions, let me know.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

The importance of Cross-Training

Whether you are training for a 5k, a marathon, a triathlon, or just trying to get/stay in shape, consider diversifying your workouts. I cannot tell you how many times I meet someone who trains 4-6 days a week, but executes the same type of workouts. Your body, much like your mind, needs new challenges to keep it sharp and tuned.

If you do a lot of body impacting workouts; such as, running, crossfit, or plyometric workout, consider adding 1-2 days of non-impacting work. This can be swimming (open water or in a pool), biking, yoga or pilates. It is also a good idea to factor in body weight only workouts if you do a lot of weight lifting. Doing body weight (bw) workouts, like pull ups, push ups, or  bw squats will allow your body a lighter day that still has value in your overall fitness goals. 

I personally like to incorporate pilates because it is great for total body toning and a good way to work on your core. Yoga is also very beneficial for stretching and upper body strengthening; however, I prefer pilates for the abdominal work. If you can find a dynamic yoga instructor, you will find that you can work up a sweat and raise your heart just working on the mat. ;)

With all that said, I believe that if you are a runner or crossfit enthusiast, the best cross-training work you can do (if you can only pick 1) is to SWIM! Swimming is restorative for your muscles and joints, great cardio work, and completely non-impacting (for all the bad knees and ankles out there). Besides, it is summertime and it is hot out there, so go for a swim and see the benefits!

Happy sweating,
Dominique

Boot Camp Tip Day 1

You can add a level of difficulty to your interval workouts by incorporating "active rest." Active rest allows you to incorporate additional strength development and keeps your heart rate up. Here are some examples:

• Repeat 200m runs on the track with 1 minute rest, followed by 1 minute of exercise (walking lunges or body weight squats or jumping jacks or sit ups), followed by 1 more minute rest. 
• Run for 10 minutes, do 2 minutes of exercises, continue until your run is complete.

Anytime you would normally have a few minutes of rest, substitute that for general strength exercises, core work, or dynamic stretching.

Happy sweating,
Dominique

Pre and Post Workout Prep

Stretching before a workout helps warm up the muscles and prevent injuries, but did you know that stretching after workouts is just as essential? Stretching right after a workout relaxes and lengthens the muscles. If you really pushed yourself during a workout that day, you may want to stretch before you go to bed as well, and/or in a hot shower the next morning. Stretching in a hot shower is a great trick, because your raised body temperature releases muscle tension and allows for a deeper stretch. Remember, stretching = injury prevention, so do it as much as you can!

I also want to take a minute to speak to hydration. Have you ever gone to a spa for a massage, and afterwards they encourage you to drink lots of water? Proper hydration in conjunction with stretching, will flush out the toxins and lactic acid your body builds up when you work hard. Do yourself a favor and drink water throughout the day, especially in this record breaking heat! However, be sure to switch to an electrolyte packed drink post workout; such as, Gatorade, coconut water, or an Emergen-C packet added to your water bottle. While water flushes out toxins, it unfortunately flushes electrolytes too... it does not distinguish between the too. That means you could be losing electrolytes while you sweat  AND while you hydrate. Loss of electrolytes will lead to cramping and injuries, so make sure you replenish with the proper post workout beverage.

Let's recap: I would like you to drink water throughout the day, stretch before and after workouts, stretch a third time if needed (either before bed or in the shower the next morning), and make sure you are drinking an electrolyte beverage during workouts.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique

Wake UP and MOVE

You'll burn more calories if you workout as soon as you wake up! Your metabolism is in hyper drive from the past night's sleep, so take advantage of it. More importantly than the calorie burn, you'll start your day off with an endorphin boost! Now if you're saying, "Dominique I don't have time to do a whole workout in the morning; I have things to do;" here is what I suggest:

1.Wake up a 15-20 minutes earlier! I know we are not all morning people, but 15 minutes won't kill you.
2. Get on the floor and do 4x30 Abs exercises. I suggest picking 4 different types of situps/crunches, so you don't get bored.

• Pretzel crunches: Sit down indian style or with your legs in a pretzel, then lay back so you are lying on the floor while your legs remain crossed in a pretzel. Do 30 crunches this way
• Toe touches: Lay on the floor with both legs held straight up in the air (keep your knees straight)
• Raised Leg Situps: Take a chair and lay down with your calves on the chair. You knees should be bent at 90 degrees and the edge of the chair should be right against the back of your knee. Sit up and reach for your ankles.This works the lowest of abs in an 8pack (those tricky suckers most people cannot reach)
• Russian Twist Crunches: Sit on the floor and raise your feet a few inches off the ground. You should balance on your butt and keep your back in a good postural position. Twist from side to side making sure to touch the ground with your hands on each twist. You can use a weighted ball to add difficulty. 

3. Next roll over and do 30 pushups
4. Do 20 air squats and 20 split squats (10 each leg)
5. If you have more time, I would suggest getting in some short cardio as well, but if not, then the above is a nice start to your day.

Happy Sweating,
Dominique