hot yoga on a cold morning.

Saturday I experimented with a new form of exercise. Jessica and I ventured outside of our comfort zones and went to a hot yoga class. Let me just tell you, I have a whole new level of respect for people who can contort their body into the various positions the yoga instructor calls out. 

It started out cozy. It was a rainy Saturday so being in a quiet, warm and dark room had its perks. However, it didn't take long to realize I was out of my league. It was apparent that Jess and I were the only beginners in the room. Anyone who has ever said yoga is easy is so wrong. This is one of the better workouts I've had in a long time. It was... fun (in a painful sort of way) to push my  body past the limits I thought I had. 

I expected to go in for a peaceful workout.. Man, was I wrong! I do think that it would eventually be a relaxing thing, but the first class was mentally and physically exhausting. Yoga takes an extreme amount of concentration. I found this hard to do while thoughts like "Is this supposed to hurt there?" and "I didn't even know a human body could do that..." were zipping through my head. 

Overall, I think yoga could be a great thing. If it was something I could work at - like any exercise, I think the benefits would be huge. However, realistically prices for monthly yoga memberships are out of my budget. The only way I was able to attend this class was a free trial pass I received at my work's health fair. I am considering trying to find free YouTube videos that walk you through it, but I feel like I need an instructor to watch and ensure I have good form. 

For anyone that is wanting to give yoga a try, here are a couple of tips. 
1. Start off in a beginner's class. Just because you work out does not mean you should jump up to the normal classes. Most likely you will realize yoga is stretching and strengthening muscles you didn't even know were there. 
2. Look for places that offer community classes at a discounted rate. I know the place we went to, Yoga on Baxter, offers a community class every Saturday morning for just five dollars. 
3. Set up in the back of the room so you can observe the more experienced students before attempting the various positions. There is definitely a learning curve associated with yoga. 
4. Call ahead of time and make sure the place you are going rents yoga mats at a reasonable price. I wouldn't recommend purchasing your own mat until you know it's a form of exercise you want to pursue. 

Thanks for reading!

Melody 

enjoy the journey.

It seems to be easy to get caught up in the idea of your long term goals. I want to be skinny. I want to be healthy. I want to be fit. I want to be... 

STOP

Take a breath.. It is important to not only look into the future at what you want to be, but enjoy where you are at now. You will never get this time back - don't overlook the present while you're focusing on the future. The process of finding a healthy lifestyle for yourself should be something that you enjoy. If you don't allow yourself to have fun doing it, most likely it won't take long for you to slip back into old habits. 

I am all for using working out as alone time, but some days working out seems like nothing but a chore to add to your seemingly never-ending to-do list. On days like this, look for ways to make exercise fun. After a particularly challenging week, I was ready to toss my daily exercise to the side. If it wasn't for Jessica, one of my very best friends and partner in this healthy lifestyle exploration, I would have spent my evening sitting on the couch behind a textbook. However, we encouraged each other and got to spend time jogging in this beautiful weather instead. That beats being cooped up inside any day. 

Two and a half miles later, we not only had managed to squeeze in a good amount of much needed girl talk, but a nice workout as well. That was a win-win in my eyes. 

Remember not to get bogged down with a routine. Do what you need to do to make this journey enjoyable for you. Mix things up, enlist a friend, or do whatever it is that will make the time you spend working towards your goals good for you. 

-Melody

celebrating small accomplishments.

Last semester I lost 15+ pounds. I had a summer full of bad diet choices and found myself gaining 5 pounds back. At the start of the semester, I decided to rededicate myself to the goals I had the prior semester. I have hit my first milestone of the semester! From the beginning of this semester, which started mid-August, I have lost 10 pounds.  

 It is refreshing to put on my old clothes and feel extra room I no longer need. I generally don't share my size with the world, but I am just so excited to be back in size 10 jeans. I am by no means where I want to end up, but that doesn't mean this is no big deal. Losing a jean size is something to be proud of - and let me tell you, I am proud.

I celebrated this accomplishment with a new pair of jeans. Nothing like a new pair of jeans to boost your self confidence a little. Here's a tip though, don't spend too much money on staples such as jeans if you are planning on losing more weight. I scored these Express jeans at T.J.Maxx for 20 bucks. 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my celebration. I would love to hear about accomplishments

you have made. 

-Melody

beware of binge eating.

Since fall break I have been having trouble getting back on track. I made the mistake of adopting the "It's fall break, I can eat whatever I want" mentality last week. Now, I am back in my regular routine, but my diet is not bouncing back quite as fast. 

It is always a lot harder for me to start back up once I "take a break." This goes for exercise as well. Once I am back on the right path, I quickly remember how much better I feel both mentally and physically - but those days leading up to this realization can be rough. I wholeheartedly stand by the idea that you should occasionally splurge on a diet.. it should feel like a lifestyle change, not a punishment. However, these weekend binges have become a bad habit of mine and it's getting increasingly more difficult to bounce back from them. 

My number one tip is to AVOID BINGE EATING. However, it would be hypocritical of me to pretend like that is an easy task. You will occasionally have a lapse of self control - let's be honest.. it's inevitable. Here are a few tips to get back on track.

• Pick a day to recommit - the earlier the better. I try to aim for the next morning. 
• Make sure you are not trying to compensate for your splurge by not eating - that will not help. The idea is to make a healthier lifestyle, and while losing weight may be part of that, starving yourself is not going to lead to better health. 
• Don't make excuses! Everyone is busy - that's no excuse to indulge in a Big Mac then skip the gym. If anything eating healthier and working out will just increase your productivity. 
• Think positively about your goals. Don't think about how hard it will be, but how amazing you will feel once you get there. 
• Focus on how far you've come. It's okay to be proud of your accomplishments, even if you have a ways to go to reach your ultimate goal. 
• Drink plenty of water.Sometimes we confuse thirst for hunger. I like to keep my tervis at my desk. If you have trouble drinking water, you need to work on making it a habit. This was something that was difficult for me. I eventually figured out drinking out of a straw helped me.  

Tomorrow starts my challenge to get back on the right track. Hopefully, with these steps it won't take too long. Thanks for reading!

-Melody

eat local honey, improve your allergies

Hi, all! Today, I went to our local "Flea off Market." I have been dying to check it out for a while now and finally had the opportunity. This month a man was there with his local honey. I've heard some great things about the health benefits so I decided to give it a try. 

It is said that honey can help with your local allergies. Just about anyone in Louisville would look at that as a plus - it seems as if we are bombarded in just about every season with things to make our allergies go nuts. Finding a natural way to lessen the impact would be so much better than pumping our bodies full of over the counter allergy medicine. The idea behind the process is that honey of local bees will have the local pollen in it. By eating the honey, you should slowly build "immunity" to those allergens. 

I have personally never been a huge fan of the flavor you get from honey, but I've never really given it a fair chance to win my affection. However, between the benefits of replacing sugar and artificial sweeteners with honey and the chance to lessen the impact of my allergies it's hard not to give it a try. 

I am not entirely sure what the best ways to incorporate it into my diet will be. I am thinking of using it as a spread on bagels or toast and as sweetener in my coffee. Sounds like it's time to hit up Pinterest for some more inspiration. Be sure to comment below with any tips you guys have!

-Melody