Survived and feeling good

Today's tally...
1205 calories consumed*
592 burned
613 net daily calories

*my daily target is 1500 consumed...  which would allow a daily calorie deficit of 780 calories. This is in line with my target of a -2+ lb loss per week.

From a nutrition perspective, today was a bit challenging. I'm always challenged when I'm home - because I get antsy and/or anxious. My plan was to have breakfast with a friend and then work on my home office. When breakfast fell through - I had to think through my eating plan at home. I decided to have a low cal egg white fritatta. It was fully loaded - with sun dried tomatoes, chicken, spinach and my absolute favorite seasoning : rosemary and garlic. I used Egg Whites (from the carton).  Lunch and dinner became more challenging - I had a protein shake and chicken breast for lunch. While I was working on the office... I came down for a break and B had Tortilla Chips and salsa. I have to say that these are the most delicious - but absolutely the worst tortilla chips you can have. They are not baked and are so delicious that you know after one bite, that they are bad for you. At 180 calories for just 13 chips... I knew I couldn't have more than 3.  It was hard to resist not having more..but I did.   Later in the evening, as a family we went out to a local mall/food court to hear a the Northwest Gospel Jazz Band (which by the way did not play one gospel song :-| but hey we are in the Northwest)  . While there, B had a chicken fajita and I shared his sauteed onions and beans. I also had a cup of egg drop soup.   All told - while challenging , I still remained under my daily caloric goal.

For my workout - I got the crazy idea to head over to the Bikram Yoga studio.  It has been at least 2 years since I've been to this yoga studio and at least 15 months since I've done Bikram. I did it a few times in San Diego - but not consistently.  The good news is that not only did I manage to stay in the class - but I did all of the poses and didn't need to stop:).  The bad news is that my body is totally different than the last time I did it. So my mind remembered the poses but my body has fat in places that make it difficult to completely do the poses.  Mentally - this is a bummer and I wanted to crumble...but I kept telling myself "you are here and that is good".   A few examples:

This pose is called Eagle Pose.... this was so much easier to do when I didn't have 40lbs of extra flab. I used to love this pose because I could do it very easily and hold it the entire time. Now I couldn't wrap my bottom leg all the way around. I will ! Bikram Hot Yoga burns 7 calories a minute so at 90 minutes it was 592. I think it was probably more because the 7 c calculation is probably based on a normal weight person.

Anyway -- I am feeling good about today . I'm accepting myself today and trying really hard to not compare myself to my old self. I'm accepting that my body has had health challenges and that I'm a few years older, but I'm not allowing any excuses.  Excuses are tools of the weak and incompetent and I am neither.  ...Until tomorrow

4 hot yoga sessions in 5 days in 4 cities...

So I had to travel to NY and LA for business. Although I arrived in NJ a day early to spend time with family, it was still an incredibly short trip (1 day in each city). I knew that my new favorite sweat session (Bikram Yoga) was located in states all over the country. I decided that I would try and make a hot yoga session in each city. Because Bikram Yoga is a Franchise and as such it is practiced exactly the same all over the world (the same 26 poses done in a heated room with the very same instruction given ), I knew that it would be pretty low risk .

Friday am: The day before my flight to the East coast, I took at 6am Hot Yoga class at my regular studio in Redmond Wa.. Since the studio is relatively new.. it is very fresh and manicured . The room has cedar walls and wood floor. The main room can hold roughly 50 people, but I've never taken a class there with more than 20. In fact my first class was just me and another person. The class was as expected, wonderful. The teacher was awesome as usual. She always has really good coaching and correction. She also takes time to say everyone's name and to acknowledge that you are doing well. There was really good energy in the class. I'm starting to get really strong in some of my poses and after this class, I felt like my practice was definitely getting better.

Saturday travel.

Sunday : Day 1 in NJ. I took a class at the Westfield Bikram studio. This studio is roughly 1 year old and still feels new. The teacher was exactly the same as what I was used to - without the encouragement and acknoledgement. I could tell she was a new instructor. As I looked around the class , I could tell there were a few veterans and several newbies. Generally speaking the newbies are in the back of the room and the veterans (or near veterans) perch themselves in front. I was appropriately positioned in the middle.

There were two women in the back who caught my eye. Two sisters who were dressed in long sleeve tee and heavy sweat pants. I figured they must know what they were doing because why else would someone show up to a hot yoga class with artic wear. The teacher eventually pointed out that it was their first day. I expected them to stop the class at some point, especially given their attire. They stuck out the entire class and even did most of the poses. I felt great after this class and so glad I went. In fact I felt like I could have taken a double class.

Monday NY: So the midtown Bikram studios have been around for 10 years and are very well established. I decided to attend the first class (6:45) on Monday ..before my 10 meeting. The class fee included towels and a mat- which was a nice touch. The lobby is large and filled with products to buy and member contest information.
When I walked into the yoga studio, I almost choked from the smell. It smelled like 10 years of sweat had built up in the carpet - which is probably not far from the truth. I felt good in the class.. strong in my poses and focused on proper technique. There were obviously people in the class who were veterans.. probably teachers.. but I was unfettered - i just did the very best that I could. I felt great afterward - especially happy to be in fresh air.

Tuesday LA:
So LA is the home of Bikram World Headquarters. It is where it all began..in fact Bikram himself, still teaches a class once a week.
So I arrive after a 20 minute ride in a cab- that should have been 10.( Driver didn't know La Cienega S from N). This delay put me dangerously close to being late. In most Bikram classes, the doors are locked at the exact start time. There was lots of drama around my arrival. I had to run across La Cienega dodging in between cars. only then to try to get in to the front door ...which was really the back door and was locked. I then ran around the corner to the back (which was really the front). I ran in .. asking if I could still take the class - even though I was about 3 minutes late. Once I got the ok, I quickly put my stuff away and walked in.

The room was cavernous. I think perhaps 350 people could fit, possibly more. I found a spot in the middle of the room. The room was so big, that I really couldn't see my eyes in the mirror. Seeing my eyes in the mirror is my way of staying focused and allowing myself to be truly in the moment. This made me a little distracted. The real reason I was distracted, was that there were so many beautiful bodies in the class...with perfect form. It was hard not to look and say "oh that is how it is supposed to look." Being distracted during hot yoga makes me wobble and struggle to nail the poses. So this is what happened the entire class. You would think it was my first class. I was so focused in NY and NJ, but for some reason I just couldn't get it together in LA. In any event I was super happy that I went. I even picked up a bit of shwag..(hat and bag):)

Yin and Yang of Hot Yoga and Spin Class

So my workout routine looks like this... Spin on M and F, Weights on Tues and Thursday and Hot Yoga on Wed,Sat (and occasionally Sunday). Each workout is very different and enjoyable for different reasons.
I love spin -because of the extreme cardiovascular and muscular challenge. Working through the burning sensation and the anaerobic challenge - makes me feel like I really accomplished something. It gives me a boost for the day. Also the mid morning endorphin rush can't be beat.

I love Hot Yoga because it is extreme - the 105 degree temperature is unlike anything I've experienced. Also the postures are quite challenging - especially the balancing poses. But more than the physical challenge, yoga brings about the need to be totally present - not focused on anything at all. In order to succeed in the poses, I need to be totally in the moment - focused on my body and my breath. This is something I've been able to carry with me in other parts of my day "off the mat". I am really enjoying the mind/body connection. Also it makes me want to put good things into my body.

Weight training - I love feeling strong and I like my body best when I have definition .

So while all of this seems a bit schizophrenic, it is working for me....

Hot Yoga + Dehydration = Mistak

I took Hot Yoga ...or better yet , it took me.

It started off fine, but I was dizzy for most of the class. I felt stiff and unable to do many of the poses. it didn't occur to me until about halfway through the class that I was dehydrated. I didn't have any water the previous day. When the class was done, I was so exhausted. Anyway it is fairly obvious, but I want to reiterate - Hot Yoga without hydration is a big mistake.

Hot Yoga

I finally tried Hot Yoga. Last week was my first week of returning to 5+ workouts a week. I did P90x plus a few spinnervales sessions on the bike. Well this week, I finally got a chance to try Hot Yoga. A new studio opened near my house and I decided to give it a try. There was a great new member offer that was too good to pass up. $10 for 10 days. So far, I've done it 4 times . I think I am hooked. Bikram Hot Yoga was invented by Bikram Choudhury (more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram) . It is a guided series of 26 poses done in a room heated to 105 degrees. I'm a little late to discover it as many folks around Seattle area have been doing it for years.
I am not exactly sure why, but I find myself wanting to do it again once I'm done. I really can't explain it. I think about it when I am not doing it. I know kinda strange. Let's be clear .. it is not easy. Nor is it enjoyable. It is rather tough and some of the poses are painful (at least for me). However when I'm done, I feel like I've put in a good workout and I get a nice boost of energy. It is not as boring as 60 minutes of straight cardio on a machine. I feel like I can challenge myself each time. Plus I am naturally flexible so - some of the poses feel really good.
So exactly what does this mean for P90x. Well quite honestly, I'm not sure. I will still do it - but I will fit it in between Hot Yoga. The Hot Yoga requires an additional investment - which really makes me think twice. I need to decide if I am going to join the triathlon club at my gym ($500) or do some form of a Hot Yoga plan (ranges from $99 a month to $600 for unlimited annual). Or do nothing and just continue my regular gym membership and do my hot workouts in the basement.
I think Im experiencing fitness ADD. I'll finish up my 10 day plan and then see how I feel.