Thursday 8 October 2015

Namaste

As I mentioned in a previous post, I started practicing yoga. I always wanted to try it, and there is a really promising studio on our street, which eventually I am going to try out, I just wanted to make sure at home, that I like it, I enjoy it, and I can benefit from it. I know it sounds silly, because literally millions of people practice yoga and they swear by it, but that doesn't necessary mean, that it is for me. Anyway, I was on a hunt for a good yoga youtuber. I tried out quite a few, but I always had the same problem with them. Way too fast for me, difficult poses, weird explanations. I wanted something understandable, I wanted someone who can explain stuff easily, but they don't take themselves too seriously. I never take myself seriously, and I like quirky people. 



I am happy to say, that I found the perfect yoga youtuber. :) Some of you, who are into yoga might already know her, because she is quite popular, I think. Let me introduce you to Adriene

The first practice I did with her was her 20 minutes beginners yoga. and I actually enjoyed it so much, that I was very sad, that it ended. I felt great, she explained everything just the way I needed it. And I love her way of thinking about yoga, she keeps emphasizing, that yoga is different for everyone, and just because her, or someone you saw practicing yoga before looks like this or that during a pose, it doesn't necessary mean, that you have to look the exact same. Our bodies are different, some of us have long legs, some have short arms, we won't look the same doing a similar pose. Do what feels nice, while trying to do it the way it should be. If it makes sense. I love this, and this is what I do during my practice. I started noticing a difference now, in my balance, and I am a wee bit more flexible. 

I find yoga a very good counter workout for running. Running is still a kind of meditation for me, as I run alone and I just completely focus on myself, but practicing yoga is a different kind of awareness. I like how I connect with the ground, how I literally feel my organs starting to work and do what they should do. I did a couple of her videos already, and I am going to keep exploring her channel, because I enjoy all of her videos so much. Now that the weather is getting more and more rainy, I am glad that I still can do something with my body, when the conditions are not good for running. I don't mind the cold or the wind on a run, but when it is pouring down, I just can't go out for a run. But then I am happy, because there is still yoga to do!

I actually enjoy it so much, that even tho today was a lovely day, and I went for an hour long run, I still did one of her practices later in the evening, just because I wanted to do yoga as well. I love it, that she makes me want to come back and practice some more and more. This is how I imagine a great trainer. Go, check her out! She is amazing.

Thursday 1 October 2015

Update with a photo :)

It has been 2 months since I last posted a comparing picture about my progress, so I decided to update you guys on this. If you follow me on instagram you might have seen it already, but anyway. :) I don't have a picture from the day I started changing my diet, so I am using a selfie from last year, which was taken literally a year ago yesterday. 

This is the picture from the 23rd of July
And this is yesterday, 30th of September
-15.1 kg so far. I would like to lose 25 more, at least. So I am almost halfway through, which feels kinda nice. :) The past couple of weeks I started doing 2 runs a week (almost 8 kilometers each time!), and 1 yoga. At home just now, just started to get the hang of it. I will tell you guys later who I found on youtube who is finally not expecting a full beginner to do the craziest shit on the first try. :D The weather treats me, I can still run outside, and don't even need to have warm gear on, but I am going to need to look into more warmer running clothes for the winter, so if you have any recommendations where to look for them, I would be more than happy.

My diet is still the same, lots of fruits and veggies, trying to eat the whole wheat version of everything, and no sugar. I have the occasional wee cake or a slice of pizza, but everyone needs to treat themselves every once in a while, right? I still write in my food journal daily, so I can check what my body likes or dislikes, how my weight reacts to the food I ate the previous day. It is almost full now, so there is an other reason to go to Paperchase again, yay!

I will try to post more I promise, I just lost the inspiration to write, but that didn't mean I stopped doing what I started, as you see it in the pictures. :)

Why do I enjoy running?

Earlier, even this year, I honestly thought, that people who run are crazy. The only experience I had with running, were the high school PE lessons, when everyone had to run around the school like a mad man, and no one cared if you had asthma, or a sore knee, or you just hated running. So making the decision that I am going to start running was quite hard. And the first couple of times I went out were even harder. Dundee is a giant pile of hills, so you can rarely find a land for running, where you don't have to battle up the hill. This is I think the only reason, why I am still not able to run for a long period of time without walking, because every 10 minutes I reach a point, where I have to climb up again, and I am not strong enough yet to run up the hill. But I will get there.

Anyway, back to the topic. I think it took like 3-4 weeks, but after that I said to myself, ok, I like this. Not because of the feeling during running. I just started liking that like 3 weeks ago. My main motivator is the feeling I have after I finish. When I get home, sweating like a dog, trying to catch my breath, and then I look at my app, and see the kilometers I just ran, and I feel like wonder woman. And after my shower, when I drink my green tea, I have this healthy feeling, which I can't really explain, but I feel like my body is happy and is working as it should. 

And it is true what they say, that a lot of things will get easier and better, just because you work out. I feel generally happier, my mood is better than before. My skin is better, don't really have spots any more. It is great for digestion and the bowels as well. 

What I also like about running: the other runners. Everyone smiles at me. Such a great motivator, it is like a secret club, when you see the other, and you don't have to say a word, you just look at each other, and know what the other is thinking, and you just run away smiling.

This is might be a local thing, but it is not just the runners, who look and smile at you. I run next to a hospital, and a lot of the staff comes out to the park to have their lunch (and a cigarette, which I hate personally, but it is their choice). Everyone smiles, sometimes they even say hello, or well done. I remember, when my husband and I started running years ago back in Hungary, we always went late in the afternoon, night even, just to avoid as many people as we could, as it was quite common to hear "run fatty", or laughing when we passed. It is just a different environment here altogether, which I adore.

I know, that running is not for everyone, it can be quite hard on the joints, and some people just can't get breath during it, so I am not trying to force everyone into running. But if you are looking for a workout, running is free (well almost, you need proper shoes), and it might be something you will enjoy, so it does worth a try. :)