I Hate Superman

Not the superhero, but the P90X move. My core is plenty strong to support the move, I just can't get my shoulders to comfortably go in the proper position. I can't figure out why this is so hard for me. I have to keep my arms bent out to the side like a skydiver would, rather than straight out ahead like Superman would. I also find many yoga moves hard on my shoulders. It must have something to do with the rotator cuff (is that what it's called?) Probably from too many years of hard-core volleyball.

Aside from Superman, I enjoyed the rest of this morning's Core segment. This is a fun one. Not as much fun as Kenpo, but still fun. I feel as though I'm transported back to being a kid at soccer practice. I think my husband has those same feelings, but he's at wrestling camp. There is something to be said for the adrenaline rush you get when you're with a group and the coach is yelling words of encouragement to you. Granted, our group is only the two of us, plus the four folks on the TV, but the experience is similar.

One side note, I can't believe how much better my Down Dog has gotten in 2 weeks. Not only is it easier to hold the position, but my heels are comfortably sitting on the floor and I feel incredibly strong in the pose. This really has me wondering how I'll feel 10 weeks from now. It's exciting to think about. It seems to me that there are really only going to be 3 painful weeks to the entire program. The program is broken up into 3 phases where you do the same routine for 3 weeks and then have a recovery week (with no lifting). The next phase starts up with a whole new set of routines and that first week is hard. But the second and third each get easier. Just when you got it down, you go into recovery week and then start the new phase.

Today starts the first day of our third week . . so here are some pics of me at the end of the second week.

I Love Kenpo X

I said this last week and I’ll say it again. Kenpo is my favorite of all the P90X videos (so far). It really is fun. I feel like I’m a boxer or some sort of fighter training in a real gym. I’m familiar with all the moves and that helps out a lot. The just hour flies by.

This P90X journal has already inspired a few of my friends. So far three of them are seriously considering joining me with this new training routine, one being my cousin (actually cousins – husband and wife). The biggest reason for starting this whole thing was that I thought it would be fun to do it with my husband. The two coworkers that got us into it, both trained with their spouses and had a ball. Now, I’ve been training with my husband for years, but that has been different. He has been my trainer, being mean, pushing me too hard, yelling at me. That’s not fun at all. I wanted something that we could both do together – equally. I know just having him there would motivate me. I’m not so great at pushing myself all alone. If nobody is looking, it’s too easy to cheat. But having each other there motivates us both.

So last night we were side by side kicking and punching our hearts out. Karlo is very intense, in everything he does. He works like a machine and breathes like one too. I was listening to his mechanical breathing with every punch and kick and thought, “Wow, he’s so serious.” Then I imagined how much fun it would be to work out with my cousin. This guy is a riot – always cracking jokes. I was imagining all the funny things he would say at all these moves we were doing. I was cracking myself up just thinking about it. Jamie, if you and Eileen start this program, you will have to video tape yourselves so I can watch. That could be the best P90X video journal ever.

Tonight is our rest night and this completes week two. I feel great. I have a little soreness in my neck (from the original neck pull in week one) and my butt is still sore for the Legs night. I may do the stretching video tonight, mostly because I’ll feel guilty as Karlo spends hours outside shoveling snow on his “rest” night.

A Word About Ab Ripper X

Actually two words, “it sucks.” I am seriously doubting that I’ll ever be able to keep up with all the exercises on the Ab Ribber X video. I have notoriously always had strong abs, but that is, by far, the most challenging routine I ever tried to endure. And it doesn’t help that I’m trying to do it after I’m already burnt out. From now on I’m splitting it off from the rest of the routine and I’ll tackle Ab Ripper at lunch-time and do the rest of the work-out in the evening.

Last night (Legs, Back & Abs) was by far the toughest day for me. It’s really the only day that is unpleasant. And it really bugs me too since my legs have always been much stronger than my upper body. But things are shifting. I’ve been lifting all winter and I slacked off for nearly the entire biking season last year. My legs are just not what they used to be. But that will change!

On top of having weaker than normal legs, I also have a bad knee which really challenges me, not to mention bums me out. As if all of my physical activities are not hard enough, I have to add to it the sheering pain when my bones scrape together from the lack of cartilage in my knee. I have suffered with this problem since high school and it only gets worse every year. How depressing is that?

So last night my knee was giving me problems right away during the warm-up jog. I should be wearing a knee brace, but I'm not. Then I insisted on using weights during some of the lunges, despite Tony’s advice for “people with bad knees.” I really should have listened to him! Add to that the fact that we got a new pull-up bar which is thicker than our old one. I struggled with getting comfortable on it. I tried wearing gloves, but that didn’t stop the burning feeling like my skin was falling off. Sigh. It just wasn’t a good night.

Oh, and then there’s the fact that I promised a picture of our pull-up set-up but my whining, pain-in-the-butt husband wouldn’t let me take a picture of him. So the cat is out of the bag – he doesn’t look like the guys on the video. There, now you all know! But the fact is, he still looks great and one day I’m snapping a picture when he’s not looking and posting it. So there!

Cardio – Week Two

My husband read the blog yesterday and as a result, decided to torture me with a “bicep blast” during our lunch break. He wanted to give me the challenge that I complained about not getting. Well, I got it. Uuuugh.

Before deciding to do this P90X work-out, I had a little jest going with the co-worker that ultimately inspired us to do it. She explained this whole routine and the thought of working out 60-90 minutes a day just sounded like torture to me. According to my husband, if you can lift weights for more than 15 or 20 minutes, then you are not lifting enough weight. He believes in going to failure – and quickly. So I joked with my friend Michelle and said, “You do your 90 minutes a day for 90 days and I’ll continue to lift 15 minutes a day and at the end of the 90 days let’s compare our muscles and our strength.” I still have no doubts that I would be stronger and more ripped, but I would not have the total body conditioning that P90X is giving me. So what could be better than doing both?

I’m strategically picking the lifting routines as to not burn out the muscles I’ll need at night for P90X. Since last night was Cardio and I didn’t get enough of a bicep workout the night before, it seemed like a safe bet. Karlo burnt me out in 15 minutes, but it felt good. This morning as I type this, I’m marveling at the fact that I’m not yet sore from it. Is it coming later today or is P90X helping to reduce the amount of soreness I normally feel after a torture session with my crazy Hungarian trainer? Oh, did I ever mention my husband’s background? He started wrestling at the age of 6 and wrestling was his LIFE until his mid 20s. He achieved his life long dream of making it to the Olympics at the exact same time he got his ticket to immigrate out of Hungary into Canada. It was a very hard decision, but he decided to go for the long-term better life in Canada over the gold medal (that I have NO DOUBT he would have won at the Olympics). If anybody is used to a life of training and training hard, it’s him.

OK, I haven’t said a word about last night’s Cardio session. There isn’t much to say. It’s getting too easy. My most challenging part of the last night was “Superman.” For some reason my shoulders do not like "flying." I’m looking forward to tonight’s pull-ups. We just bought a new bar and I’ll take a picture to share.

Arms and Shoulders Part II

Yesterday was our second Arms & Shoulders session of P90X and now I remember where all my confidence came from last week. I am completely unchallenged by this segment. And the kicker is that I'm doing just about the same weights and reps as the super buff chick on the video. She goes back and fourth between 10 and 12 pounds - sometimes even 8's. I stick with 10 pounds for every exercise and I barely get warm, never breathe hard, and find the whole thing unchallenging. Next week I am going to have to increase to 15 lb dumbbells. I don't have 12 pounders and I refuse to spend more money on weights. This past weekend we broke down and made a $75 investment and it just kills me that we are re-buying what we used to already own. So this means that next week (our 3rd week) I will already have by-bassed super buff chick! I'm hoping that gives me the challenge that I need. For heaven's sake, the super buff guys are only doing 20 lbs and I'll be doing 15. What is wrong with that picture?

My husband used 20 lb weights for the entire segment. That means that he's already matching the buff dudes in weights only my husband is beating them in reps! My husband is 53 and these guys look like they are in their 30s. We are kicking bootie in this particular segment.

P90X Week Two, Day Two

Today was supposed to be Cardio day, but since it was Sunday and we had more free time in the day, I decided to switch our schedule up a bit. I thought it would be wiser to do yoga on Sundays because yoga is 90 minutes long and at our current schedule, yoga just happens to fall on the one night a week where we come home from work an hour later than usual. So we are switching our 90 minute yoga day with the 30 minute cardio day. Makes perfect sense to me and I can't see why that would harm our routine.

I wondered if doing this killer yoga routine first thing in the morning would be even more grueling than doing it after work. Although I'm much better rested in the morning, I'm also much stiffer.

I'm happy to report that I got through this yoga session easier than the first time. I think mostly it was a mental thing. Last time I felt so discouraged being so tired and weak at the halfway point. I didn't think I would make it through. But today I was wiser. I knew that the really hard parts would be over at the halfway part and I was therefore in a better mental place. I felt stronger than the first week and got through most if it without too much whimpering. One thing I want to note is the difference I feel when in Down Dog. I used to feel challenged and uncomfortable holding Down Dog for too long. Now I feel like Down Dog is a welcome resting position and I'm so much more comfortable in it. That is good news for sure.

My most challenging part of this 90 minute routine right now is the one leg balancing poses. I could do Tree with no problem and the other standing poses. But the pose that requires one leg and one arm in the air - my goodness - I need a lot of improvement there. I'm finding those poses quite impossible at this point.

It feels good to have yoga behind me for this upcoming week. I'm much happier doing yoga on the weekends when I'm not so distracted by the hunger pains in my stomach as my body yearns for dinner.

First Day of the Second P90X Week

Yesterday was our first rest day from the program and to tell you the truth, I missed it. I actually snuck up to our work-out room and did the very short 5 minute Ab Ripper 100. This was a series of 10 different ab workouts - each for only 10 reps, giving you a total of 100 ab exercises. It went fast and was pretty painless. Since it only took 5 minutes, it felt like our night last night was so long and such a night of leisure. That was the great part. I have to say that committing to this program is not only hard physically, but it's a big time commitment and I'm sure we will find that to be the most challenging part of the whole deal.

So today we started our second week. It was back to the Core session and I was curious to see how it would go since we have now been through every work-out that we will face for the first 4 weeks. We would be a little better prepared. At the very least I would know what to wear for each different day!

You might find it interesting to note that today was harder than the first time! I think this is because 1) we didn't have to stop and watch a few reps of every exercise to figure out what we were supposed to do and 2) we had more confidence that we could actually do the whole thing. So needless to say, we both worked much harder. The first day, I felt intimidated and was just happy to get through the hour without a heart attack. But today, I wanted to keep up with all the buff chicks. And all I have to say is what is up with the super buff chicks getting on their knees during some of the pushups? I didn't!

And one more thing to note, and this I love. Today I wore a pair of capri (sort-of) tights. They just came out of the drier and yet they fit me looser than they did last week. Is it possible that I am already trimming down a bit? I find that hard to believe, but I got on the scale and I was 2 pounds lighter than I was 2 weeks ago. They may be because I ate oatmeal and cereal for dinner just about every night the week before starting this program (only because my husband was away and I was too lazy to cook for one). But then again, it may be from just one week of this program. I also want to add here that we are NOT doing the diet portion of this program. Losing weight is not a goal for me. I am 5'8" and I weigh 119 lbs. If anything, I'm expecting to gain a couple pounds by turning my soft legs back into the hard biking legs that I used to have.

I also decided to take pictures of myself every Saturday morning to visually track the progress. The truth is, I don't expect to change all that much from the "Lean" program, but you never know. Here's me after week one:

Kenpo X

Yesterday was our first Kenpo X session and I loved it. It was by far the most fun and I can’t wait to do it again. I had no idea what to expect, as I never heard the word “Kenpo” before. Well, it was pretty much all kickboxing. I used to take kickboxing classes twice a week for a few years. I even led my own little kickboxing class for a while. I love everything about kickboxing so I was in my element – even more so then with the yoga session. At least I’m good at kickboxing. I thought I was good at yoga, but this Wednesday night changed that feeling.

Anyway, back to Kenpo . . . it was about an hour long and no weights or other equipment were needed. We just went through several different rounds of punching and kicking the air. That may sound pretty easy, but it’s intense. If you do the moves properly and really put some uummff into it, you feel it everywhere.

I was fortunate to have experience with every move they did. If I never took kickboxing classes, I would have probably been a little lost. There isn’t really any instruction. The video just jumps right into every move at a very fast pace. But even if you do get a little lost, the following weeks will just get easier as you become more familiar with the moves.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I felt was my entire back ache. I remember exactly how this used to feel from my kickboxing days. Muscles that you didn’t know you had start to bark at you. I love it! Despite the fact that I’m hurting a bit, I feel great.

Today is our first rest day and that means that I won’t be lifting at lunch time or doing any P90X at night. Oh, by the way, I lifted yesterday (chest) at lunchtime. I lifted to failure like I always do, but still had plenty of energy for Kenpo. I’m trying to hit different muscles during the afternoon so as not to poop myself out during P90X. When I told my other P90X friends that we are doing the “Lean” version, they called us “pansies” but the truth is, I think I’m getting an even tougher all around workout by continuing my lunchtime lifting sessions. By the time my 12 weeks are up I'll be able to kick the butts of those that called us pansies!

Day Five of P90X

I may have gotten a bit over confident during this first week. I was expecting the work-outs to be pure torture and too hard to get through. I was surprised and pleased that I was able to do most of the moves and reps. My confidence was building. Then yoga slapped me into reality. Here I thought I was a strong yogi, but I wasn't feeling too strong during that session.

Yesterday was Legs & Back, followed by Ab Ripper. Legs and Back was a series of standing leg exercises, mostly with no weights. How hard can that be? Well, it was pretty hard. I usually pride myself on having very strong legs, but we are out of biking shape. I have a bad knee and doing too much weight in squats has always been a challenge. My thighs can take much more than my knee can. I made it through all the leg stuff, but it was hard.

And in between each set of leg exercises we had to do pull-ups. Yuck. All different kinds of pull-ups: wide arm, narrow arm, hands wrapped around the bar one direction, then reverse the direction. I knew I wouldn't last very long doing multiple pull-ups so I used the back of a chair for assisted pull-ups. Even that was hard. And the worst part . . . I never tried doing a pull-up with my hands wrapped around the bar, in what I consider a backwards way. During my first pull-up I felt something snap in my back and instant pain up to my neck. Just what I needed. I've been in a lot of pain ever since that moment. The rest of the workout became doubly challenging.

After an hour of this, we still weren't done. Next it was Ab Ripper and it's called that for a reason. I have always had amazingly strong abs. I compare my abs to my greyhounds. They lounge around 99.5% of their lives and still look like buff athletes. They don't deserve to look the way they do. They don't work at it. It just comes naturally. Well, that has always been my abs. I guess I'm very lucky that way. But still, last night showed me that I have a long way to go in building more strength. There were very few exercises that I could do the full 25 reps. I think after the 15 minute blast, if you did them all, you would have done over 600 ab ripping moves. Good grief, I need a donut.

Killer Yoga

Last night was our first Yoga X session. Both my husband and I were looking forward to it because we feel "at home" with yoga. All I can say is . . . Anybody out there that thinks yoga is only a meditative bunch of chants needs to try this P90X version of yoga. It was challenging to say the least. My husband, who's name, by the way, is Karlo, pointed out the fact that he curls several sets with 125 pounds every day and yet this was more challenging. So far we've done a core workout, a cardio workout, and a weight lifting session that concentrated on arms and shoulders. Yoga was by far the toughest. And we are both very accustomed to yoga moves.

The biggest challenge for me was the length of the video. It was an hour and half long and watching the clock was very de-motivating. After 45 minutes of not stop strenuous poses I was ready to collapse and then when I looked at the clock and thought "we're only HALF WAY through," I almost gave up. But, to our delight the session shifted from agonizing variations of sun salutations to balance poses. These poses weren't terrible easy, but at least they didn't make my muscles want to explode. From there we went to some floor work and just the thought of sitting of laying down thrilled my soul.

I was expecting to be sore this morning, but I'm not. That's interesting. I am, however, always tired. Since we started this P90X program have been falling asleep at night the minute my head hits the pillow and having deep restful sleeps. It will be interesting to see how quickly my body adapts to this new routine. I would imagine everything will get easier as the weeks progress.

Day Three of P90X

Today we concentrated on Shoulders and Arms. I didn't do any lifting at lunch time and instead went to my Zumba class. I find Zumba to be just plain fun. It's not very hard and I really don't feel like I'm getting a real workout, but at least it gets my heart-rate up for 45 minutes or so.

This was the first P90X video that required equipment. I wasn't sure we were totally prepared as I didn't know what sort of dumbbell weight increments we would need. The sad part is that we had over 800 lbs of free weights that we practically gave away last year because we didn't want to move them to our new house. Seems pretty lazy for folks so interested in staying in good shape. And as a result, we only have one set of 10 lb and one set of pathetic girly 3 lb dumbbells, along with some heavy duty resistance bands. My husband used the bands for the entire work-out and I used the 10 lb dumbbells.

I have to say, I was extremely proud of myself. I'm fairly certain that the super buff chick on the video used mostly 10 pounders and I kept right up with her in every single exercise. The video leads you through every set and asks you to record how many reps you did and what weight you did them at. This is to track your own progress as you make your way through the 90 days. Day one, an hour of lifting with weights, and I'm already keeping up with the super girl on the video. This was a huge high for me! I am much stronger in my upper body than I ever gave myself credit for. I guess my husband's militant weight lifting sessions have really paid off. As a matter of fact, I never really got hot during the entire workout. The folks on the video are sweating up a storm and I literally still had goosebumps. I should add a footnote here for those of you that don't know me. I am always, always cold and almost never sweat. Plus our heat is turned way down and we live in CT so the room was pretty chilly. But STILL, I would have thought I would have been working harder.

So it looks like I'm off to the store to buy some 15 lb dumbbells. If day one of weights didn't challenge me, it's time to increase the weight. I can't wait to see how sore I'll be tomorrow. One this is for sure, no matter how sore I am, it will be NOTHING compared to the pain I've suffered under my husband's coaching rein. I'm ready for the pain. That's one thing I've grown very accustomed to. Bring it on.

Day Two of P90X

Just as I suspected . . . I'm sore. I woke up in the middle of the night and when I tried to roll over I got the first shooting pain. It was a quick reminder of our first work out. Uh oh, I haven't even gotten out of bed yet and already I'm hurting. Not a good sign.

But it wasn't as bad as I expected. Our first workout was called "Core" and strangely, none of my core muscles hurt. I was expecting my abs and obliques to hurt, but instead all my soreness was in my rear end. My entire butt and upper back of my legs felt like they have been torn apart. This made me very happy, as this is the one part of my body that I feel really needs help. I don't think I'm alone within the female population with this one.

We got right up out of bed and slowly shuffled to our work-out room. I had no idea what today's target zone would be and I was pleased to find out that it would be cardio. At least cardio doesn't rip muscles. So we started it up and the first 10 minutes were the warm up. Most of the is warm up entailed yoga and I both me and my husband were pleased because we feel at home with yoga. Only this was hard yoga. Good grief, I barely got through it and the whole while I'm thinking . . . "this is the WARM UP?" We had to go through several positions of plank, down to push-up pose, to upward dog, back to plank, another push up, up to downward dog, one leg in the air . . . Over and over. I'm lucky I didn't break my nose trying to do all those push-ups. They threw in a few warrior poses, which despite the fact that they were deep and difficult, they still felt like a relief. By the time the warm up was done, I was exhausted.

Or at least I thought I was. The minute the rest of the real cardio kicked in, I came back to life. The video is so much fun and always changing. It's exciting right now because we have no idea what to expect. I assumed it would be 30 minutes of non-stop jumping around, but all the exercises were greatly varied. There was lots of kickboxing and that thrilled me. I used to do kickboxing for years and loved every minute of it. I felt right at home with all the old moves. I really had a ball and was very proud of myself with my performance. I thought, of all the videos, cardio would be the most challenging. Now this is not to say that tomorrow I won't be twice as sore. I'm already feeling more muscles tightening and rebelling. But I'm not complaining. I do love that feeling and I'm very accustomed to it .

The Journey Begins

Today was the start of our 90 days of bootcamp-like training. I was very excited to get started and as my husband would say, I was "hungry for it." After hurting my knee last week, I've been taking it easy for the past 7 days. My husband has been on a business-trip all week, eating far too much and not exercising, so today we were both ready.

Just to give you some background, I am 39 years old and my husband just turned 53. To make him feel better on his birthday, I switched the candles around to read "35." He honestly looks and acts more like 35 than 53 and I think he's going to have an easier time getting through this program than I am.

We have both stayed in pretty good shape for the past several years. We have been together now for over 6 years and during this time we keep very active biking, kayaking, hiking, lifting, doing yoga, to name a few activities. But at the same time, we live in CT and it's just plain difficult to keep in good cardio shape in the winter time. Although we have free access to several indoor cardio machines, they simply bore me to tears. I can pedal on a real bike all day and cover incredible distances, however I think I’m gonna die after 2 miles on a stationary bike. I just can't do it. At this point in the winter, we have been trail running just about every day for the past 3 weeks, but that, and a little Zumba dancing for me, has been the extent of our winter cardio.

Our first training DVD was "Core" fitness. I have to say it started out pretty good. I was able to do just about every move, but not as many reps as the chiseled robots on the video. These people just make me sick! Yes, it's inspiring to see perfectly fit human beings, but it's a little depressing at the same time. It's hard not to mumble under my breath and call them names. But overall, I kept in good spirits.

The best part about today was that it didn't require the use of much equipment - just some dumbbells. We are trying to do this routine in a spare bedroom and space and equipment may pose a challenge. The piece of equipment that is scaring me the most right now is the chin up bar. I have to say that I'm pretty darn proud of myself, as I can already do about 7 pull-ups, but not from a dead hang. I can only come down until my arms are at 90 degrees - so it will be my goal after 90 days to do 10 pull-ups from a dead hang. Ouuch, it hurts just thinking about that . . . But we'll see.

So we got through our 55 minutes today without too much whimpering or complaining. Overall I feel pretty good about our first day. I can't wait to see how sore we will be tomorrow and the thrill of not knowing what the next video will be is very exciting. I love the format of the DVDs and the lead dude is very motivating. I know it's very early to give a rating, but after today, I give it a 2 thumbs up!

My Journey Through The P90X Work-out

I am about to begin the P90X work-out and I intend to document my journey through the next 90 days of what just might be Hell. Making the decision to commit to this very rigid work out routine was not an easy one. I have been fairly diligent with my every-day routine of either lifting weights or doing yoga at lunch time, and either trail running or doing one of my many exercise videos, (including Zumba dancing and MyFitness PS2 game) in the late afternoons. All of these things have been doing just great. I feel like my cardio is coming back and my strength has definitely been improving rapidly.

I have to thank my personal trainer for all my strength training. He happens to be my husband and we just happen to work together at a company that offers us a full gym. This is a huge perk that I'm very grateful for, and it wasn't like I felt unfulfilled and desired some different kind of routine. I just sort of got sucked into the excitement of it all. Some friends at work had started this program and just hearing about it every day ignited my curiosity and my desire to see if I could do it too. Now, I learned many years ago that I can't keep up with these nutcases that I work with. Several of them have done Ironman triathlons and they also enjoy biking up Mt. Washington. They are a bit out of my league, but still their enthusiasm is infectious. So here I am , hoping that I don't kill myself.

After the initial hurt and resentment that my husband felt when I informed him that I wanted to try this program, he agreed to attempt it with me. It took a while to explain to him that I wasn't seeking a better personal trainer and that I didn’t think he wasn't doing a good enough job. To further appease him, I decided to do this program in the "lean" version, which is just less upper-body strengthening than the "classic" version. We plan to continue our lunch time weight lifting sessions while doing this P90X program. Our ultimate goal is to jump on our bikes in the Spring as if this long cold winter never happened. Nothing is worse than that first ride of the season. The hills seem like mountains and your lungs feel like grapes. I hate it.

I'm sorry if this blog turns into a P90X journal for the next 90 instead of a place to turn for yoga inspiration and tidbits. I hope my journey through this enduring ordeal does inspire you in whatever form of exercise you do.

Have You Tried Zumba?

Recently a friend told me about a fitness dance class that she was taking at her favorite yoga studio. This friend swore I would LOVE this thing called "Zumba." This peaked my curiosity and I went to the trusty Web for more information. What I found was amazing. I had no idea that hundreds of yoga studios and dance studios across the country and around the world are offering these Zumba classes. Was I living under a rock?

This Zumba dance is rooted in latin dancing - lots of moving of the hips. It's fast and fun and I can't believe it has taken me this long to discover it. If your local yoga studio is offering these classes and you haven't already given them a try, you should. It so much fun, it really shouldn't be called exercise at all. It's like eating candy and being told that it's actually healthy and good for you.

To learn more about Zumba visit their website here: http://www.zumba.com/. If your yoga studio does not offer the classes, search for classes on the site by your town. Chances are you will find something near by. And if all else fails, you can buy the DVDs and have some fun at home.

Laughter Yoga

This has to be the best news ever! I've been reading about "Laughter Yoga" and what I've learned is astonishing. I always thought that good hearty laughing works your stomach muscles and burns calories, but the benefits seems to go much deeper than that. Not only does it provides an aerobic workout that exercises the heart, diaphragm, abdominal, intercostal, respiratory and facial muscles, but scientific studies show that laughter boosts our body's oxygen and energy levels and also boosts levels of immune cells that attack cancer, infection and virus.

Laughter releases endorphins, a natural pain killer that is responsible for the 'runner's high'. Laughter yoga sessions stimulate the lymphatic system and boost our immune system, and can reduce levels of stress poisons in our bodies by 50% or more within an hour. Laughter is used in hospitals around the world to speed healing and improve patients mental outlook. It can be especially beneficial to cancer patients. It can treat and often cure depression and improves our ability to cope with stress. Studies show that laughter boosts creativity and communication skills and also boosts our self confidence.

Can you imagine all this good can come from simply enjoying ourselves? So go get yourself a good comedy, a joke book, or watch America's Funnies Videos and know that you're truly doing by body some good.

Here's a little something to get you started:

30 Minutes to Bliss

Release stress, boost your immunity, and honor yourself by creating an at-home bathing ritual.

When was the last time you enjoyed a long soak in your bathtub? Maybe you shy away from taking baths because of time, or prefer the ease of the shower; either way, skipping your nightly bath is a missed opportunity to boost your immunity, releasing stress, and honor yourself with a little me-time.

Creating your own bathing ritual is a simple and enjoyable experience. To begin, remove any clutter from your bathroom. Cool colors like purples, blues, and whites are all inviting bathing colors; too many hot or bright colors can be distracting, so limit colors like red, orange, and gold. If you can, go out and buy some cozy and luxurious towels. Finally, find your favorite bathing essentials, i.e. bath salts, candles, and oils. Some of Find Bliss's favorites include the Babassu Milk Bath from Inara (inaraorganic.com), an organic line featuring babassu, a rich, moisturizing oil from the Brazilian Babassu palm. To maximize the healing benefits of your bath, add a scoop of bath salts from Abra Therapeutics (abratherapeutics.com). Their unique salts are designed for specific conditions and ailments varying from PMS Relief to Sleep Therapy. Need a quick pick-me-up? With its invigorating aroma the Energy Tonic blend is the perfect prelude to an evening on the town. Finally, retreat to your bathroom, turn off your cell-phone, treo, and ipod, and turn down the lights. Light some soy candles, run the bath, and gently slip away to your own private spa retreat.

Need a little more inspiration? Visit www.findbliss.com

New YogaDudes Tanks Coming Soon

Please help us pick our next tank top design. Our new blank tanks are on the way and we need to decide which design to print on them. We recently got a couple requests for black shirts so these new tanks will be black with white printing. The design choices are show above. Please case your vote by selecting your favorite design in the poll to the right of this entry.

Are You a Realist?

Take a fun online survey to see if you are a realist. I am. This is what it said about me.
Take the quiz yourself by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Make a New Years "Intention" Rather than "Resolution"

I found this article on the Yoga Journal web site and I loved it. My biggest New Years resolution was to drink more water. On New Years Day I barely swallowed one glass. That is simply pitiful and it depressed me. This article made me feel better. Adopting this outlook on New Year resolutions is a much healthier and easier approach.

POSITIVE POWER A Sanskrit word, sankalpa means "will, purpose, or determination." To make a sankalpa is to set an intention—it's like a New Year's resolution with a yogic twist. While a resolution often zeros in on a perceived negative aspect of ourselves (as in, "I want to lose weight"), a sankalpa explores what's behind the thought or feeling ("I crave chocolate chip cookies when I'm feeling stressed or sad. I will set an intention to become conscious of this craving and allow my feelings to arise and pass, rather than fill up on fats").

EFFORT COUNTS A sankalpa also praises the nobility of the effort rather than focusing on what you are doing wrong. "New Year's resolutions leave me feeling guilty and mad at myself for not keeping them," says Wendy McClellan, a yoga teacher in Louisville, Kentucky. So, last year, in a conscious effort to reject the resolution rut, she taught a special New Year's Eve yoga class and encouraged students to look back and let go. Her intention, or sankalpa? To open her heart to new possibilities. "An intention has much more of a global sense than a resolution," she says. "It helps me be softer with myself." With a sankalpa, the self-loathing that comes from dwelling on past transgressions can begin to dissolve. In its place is an exercise in effort and surrender—create an intention and open yourself to the universe.

LOOK INWARD For several days, set aside time to write in a journal and meditate. Mull over your typical resolutions. How do they make you feel? Anxious? Unsettled? Incomplete? Now contemplate how you would like to feel during the coming year. Is there any way you can reframe your results-oriented resolutions into something that will make this year's journey more joyful and worthwhile?

REPHRASE IT Create a short sentence or phrase for your sankalpa. Be careful not to set limitations based on fear. For example, instead of "May life bring me only happiness and joy this year" consider "May I be happy and open to what life brings me."

BE FIRM BUT FAIR Change doesn't happen overnight. When you stray from the essence of your sankalpa, don't berate yourself. Instead, gently remind yourself of your intention. But be firm in your resolve—it's a good idea to incorporate your sankalpa into your daily routine. Use it as a mantra during pranayama or meditation practice; post it on your computer, phone, or mirror; or simply say it to yourself quietly before going to sleep.

New Yoga Bracelet from YogaDudes

This is our favorite bracelet offering to date. These black synthetic leather bracelets are a snap to get on. They are actually stretchy and roll right over your hand. They feature a sterling silver YogaDudes pendant, along with two other silver-tone charms: one says "yoga" and the other the OM symbol. You can find them in the YogaDudes shop here.

Holiday Yoga Gift Packs

Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift for the yogi in your life? Do we have the item for you! Over $39 in retail value is bundled in this YogaDudes original, satin green bag. Inside, the lucky recipient will find: a pair of stainless steel tree pose earrings, a porcelain ornament, a set of flat magnets, and two decals. And best of all, it comes with a Happy Holidays card ready for you to personalize.

Find them online here.

Holiday Specials

Looking for a gift for the yoga lover in your life . . . or maybe a little gift for yourself? Our newest YogaDudes shirt is now on sale for the holidays. Originally priced at $19.99, our ladies blue ringer-style Namaste t-shirts are now on sale for $14.99. View them online here.

In addition, our most popular Tree Pose Earrings are also on sale. Originally priced at $19.99, these stainless steel earrings are now on sale for just $12.99. View them online here.

Web Site Make Over

The YogaDudes website www.yogadudes.com, just went through a little make-over. Last night we launched the brand new site. With all computer-related things . . . there will be bugs. Please be patient while we work them out. And if you find any issues and would like to report them, we would really appreciate it. You can email any comments or suggestions to info@yogadudes.com.

Please be sure to visit the YogaDudes shop to see all the newest product additions.

Yoga Radio

Did you know that Yogamates.com has a FREE Yoga Radio? Go to the home page and scroll down, on the left side you will see a Yogaradio button. Enjoy FREE spiritual/yoga music ALL DAY. You can even have the mini browser open while you are at work on other sites! Check it out.

New YogaDudes Bracelets

Brand new to the YogaDudes line up are these silver tone cuff bracelets. Because there is no clasp to fumble with, they are easy to get on and off. They are thin and very simply stated. Show off your strength everywhere you go. They cost only $11.99 and you can find them online here.

Buy Stuff Online, Earn Points, and Get Free Stuff

Who doesn't like free stuff? With the price of gas these days, shopping online makes more and more sense. If you are anything like me, you do it often and some time last year I discovered a web site called "My Points." It's a shopping portal that includes hundreds of big name online stores. Places that you probably shop at every month. If you become a member of My Points (and it's free to do so), every one of your purchases made to those merchants will earn you points. All you have to do is first go to the My Points web site, search for the merchant, or the item you are trying to buy, and use their links to get to the storefronts. Then your purchase will be tracked and you will earn your points. I already have 15,000 which scored me a $100 gift certificate to my choice of lots and lots of stores.

You will quickly get in the habit of always checking with My Points before you make an online purchase. First see if the merchant you are about to shop with is participating. Or maybe you are looking for a particular item and are not locked to a certain merchant. For every dollar you spend with My Points participating merchants you will be getting closer and closer to free stuff! You have nothing to lose and only some free gift certificates to gain, so what are you waiting for?

Click on the graphic below to find out more.

Free Yoga E-books

I recently found a couple of free yoga e-books online at YogaMiracles.com. The books and their descriptions are listed below. Just click on the title and you will be taken straight to the e-book. Thank you to Yoga Miracles for offering these.

Easy steps to yoga
In the United States the form of yoga most often practiced is Hatha yoga. Using yoga for health improvement is now a common practice in this country. The health benefits of yoga are generally well recognized.

Practice of karma yoga
While yoga itself may not be a specific cure for any one condition there are established links between yoga and health benefits of many kinds. The practice of yoga is routinely recommended as a component of treatment for a variety of conditions ranging from weight loss to the pain and stiffness of arthritis.

Mindful Meditation

A few minutes of alone time can save your sanity. Here is a simple meditation practice called "Mindfulness." Use it when your attention is scattered. It will bring you back to a calm state and allow your brain to function normally.

Step One: Start by sitting in a way that doesn't block anything: sit with your legs uncrossed and with your hands resting on your legs.

Step Two: Become aware of the feeling in your toes. Wiggle them and feel the texture of your socks.

Step Three: Now move that feeling up to your legs and calves.

Step Four: Close your eyes and breathe in. Visualize air going into your body and traveling down into your legs and feet. This air is going to clean away all of the tension.

Step Five: As you breathe out, visualize all of your tension as a dark cloud that that you just blow out into the air.

No Ordinary Moments

I just watched "The Peaceful Warrior" and loved it. Its an excellent movie disguised as a gymnastics story when, in fact, it's more about yoga and training the mind. My favorite line from the movie is "There are no ordinary moments." The whole story is about living in the moment — something that is very difficult to do.

Missing the Moment
Trying to live fully in the present—or being in the moment is a challenging proposition. We frequently get caught up in our routines, habits and thoughts, and find ourselves feeling disconnected from what is happening around us…or even within our own bodies. Instead, we spend our time and energy creating to-do lists and dwelling in the past. These thought patterns prevent us from truly being present and from completely engaging in what is happening in our lives right now…in the present moment.

Attending to the Moment with Mindfulness
Mindfulness means that we are paying attention to everything that happens within our bodies and around us in the present moment without judgment. However, when we are on autopilot, we often act unconsciously or habitually. We just react. Even our thoughts can occur without our conscious awareness. It is human nature to categorize and evaluate everything that we think, see, hear, etc., and these evaluations typically alter our experience and are usually at the root of our stress.

By using mindfulness techniques to pay attention to our minds and bodies, we can begin to take more control and switch off the autopilot. Learning to be fully aware of our bodily sensations, thoughts and emotions—no matter whether they are pleasant or unpleasant—can help us deal with our stress more effectively.

How to Practice Mindfulness
As with any skill, mindfulness can be learned. The practice is in the repetitive act of directing attention to only one thing in this moment. No one would suggest that just paying attention is the answer to all of life's problems. All of life's problems and stressors, however, can be seen more clearly when our mind is clear.

When we begin to see more clearly how we are thinking, feeling and reacting, we can begin to learn new ways of being and responding to the things going on in our lives.

Ease Headaches Before They Happen

Are you feeling stressed? If you are anything like me, your stress causes terrible headaches. We often express stress in our necks and jaws. Without even noticing, we tense in these areas, blocking our breath, decreasing our circulation, and sometimes provoking a headache.

Luckily, we can avoid these symptoms by taking a break to relax the neck. Here's how:

While seated, interlace your fingers and place your hands on the back of your head. Allow your head and arms to relax forward and your chin to travel toward your chest. The weight of your head and arms, combined with gravity, will begin to release your neck and reduce or eliminate your headache.

Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The Move is Over

Sorry that YogaDudes has been so low key over the past few months. We were suffering through a period of temporary partial shut-down as we moved our world headquarters (which is our home in CT). After four long months of being homeless and operating on very low inventory in a temporary office, we are finally getting settled in Eastford, CT. We found ourselves a blissfully peaceful spot with so many places to do yoga it's unreal. I think the photo above will be my favorite one.

We hope to get the business back on track real soon. This fall will begin our monthly newsletters, regular blog entries, and sales promotions. Please stay tuned and thank you for your patience.

YogaDudes Vacation Shut Down

We are taking some time off for some much needed OM. After a few months of laying low and running the business from a temporary location, with only half of our inventory, we are taking a break and shutting down for nearly two weeks. I'm sorry that this blog hasn't been updated more frequently. Once our big move is finally complete, YogaDudes will get back on track.

For now, we are off to Croatia for some sailing and bicycling - oh and lots of yoga on the ship too! Be back in mid July with more news.

Try Something New

What have you always wanted to do? Take a dance class, learn to sail, knit a sweater, sculpt—whatever you choose, your life will be enriched with fun, new friends and the pride of trying something new.

When you challenge yourself by trying a new pursuit, you affirm your belief that neither time nor fear should be an impediment to growth. You comprehend the value of learning—the interest it adds to your day-to-day experiences and the creativity it inspires within you. Being a beginner can be hard, and you may find yourself tempted to give up, but try not to let yourself become self-conscious. If you are revisiting an activity you enjoyed in childhood, you may take in information more slowly than you once did or you may pick it up again like it was yesterday. The simple fact that you are pursuing a path because you want to means that your determination will give you the strength to cope with any difficulties. Your ability to work toward an aim will be heightened by your sincere desire to grow as an individual.

Try learning something new this week. There must be something that always wanted to do . . .

I always wanted to ride an off-road motorcycle, but it always terrified me. I finally decided to ‘just do it.’ Bought myself a bike and took it off-road the first day out. Nothing feels better than accomplishing a long awaited dream. And even if success didn’t come right away, the thrill of the attempt is enough to give yourself a high.

Your Thoughts Become Your Destiny

I found this yoga-inspired poem/quote today and liked it so much, I wanted to share:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny.

- Upanishads

Laughter Yoga

Has anybody tried this laughing yoga bit? It sure does look like fun and I have read studies on people curing themselves of sickness by watching funny videos over and over. This seems too good to be true, but I say it's worth a try. Nothing bad could come from adding more laughter into our lives.

Laughter helps us keep healthy by enriching the blood with ample supplies of oxygen, the lifeline of our system. According to the science of yoga, life energy (prana) flows through the breath. By controlled and deep breathing we can enhance our own well-being. With the 15-30 minute package offered by the Laughter Club, participant carry home the healthy habit of deep breathing at least 10-20 times a day. This helps to increase the lung capacity, thus enhancing oxygen supply to the body.

Laughter helps to remove the negative effects of stress, which is the number one killer today. More than 70% of illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, depression, frequent coughs and colds, peptic ulcers, insomnia, allergies, asthma, menstrual difficulties, tension headaches, stomach upsets and even cancer, have some connection to stress. Laughter also helps to boost the Immune system, which is the master key for maintaining good health.

So to keep you all healthy, read these:

How Do You Get Holy Water?
You Boil The Hell Out Of It

What Do Fish Say When They Hit a Concrete Wall?
Dam!

What Do Eskimos Get From Sitting On The Ice too Long?
Polaroid's

What Do You Call a Boomerang That Doesn't work?
A Stick

What Do You Call Cheese That Isn't Yours?
Nacho Cheese.

What Do You Get From a Pampered Cow?
Spoiled Milk.

What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?
Frostbite.

What Lies At The Bottom Of The Ocean And Twitches?
A Nervous Wreck.

Why Don't Blind People Like To Sky Dive?
Because It Scares The Dog.

What Kind Of Coffee Was Served On The Titanic?
Sanka.

Did You Celebrate Earth Day?

I might not have specifically celebrated Earth Day, but I am celebrating the fact that it's been 2 weeks since my husband and I have been to a gas station . . . And today we passed the 500 mile mark on our first tank of gas in our "almost" new VW Golf TDI. Last month we decided it was time to trade in our thirsty SUV to a much more fuel efficient solution. Convinced we needed a truck for all our hauling of 'stuff', carrying two large dogs, kayaks, bikes, etc. we got very used to having a big vehicle and a big gas bill. But upon closer examination, we realized that we could downsize and still keep our dogs, haul the 'stuff' that we need, and keep our sport hobbies.

I am positively thrilled with this solution of a small diesel car and I just can't figure out why they are so rare here in the USA. Just about all the cars in Europe run diesel. Why can't the Americans figure out that this makes a lot of sense? It’s too bad that our choices here are so slim, but I'm hoping that the idea will catch on.

Driving a fuel efficient car makes me feel good. Here are some other things that we can all do to help out our environment:

Shopping and Cleaning
Ecobags -Bringing your own bag when shopping saves plastic bags. Visit www.ecobags.com.
Method Home - Method offers some cleaners that are dye- and perfume-free, nontoxic, biodegradable, naturally derived and never tested on animals. For more information, visit www.methodhome.com.
Seventh Generation products - Seventh Generation is one of the leading brands of nontoxic household products. For more information, visit www.seventhgeneration.com.

Energy
BITS Ltd. smart power strips - Even after turning off a computer, power continues to flow to computer peripherals like printers and scanners. This power strip ($32.99) stops the energy from being wasted. For more information visit www.bitsltd.net.
GE Energy Smart lightbulbs - GE Energy Smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than incandescent lightbulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. For example, by using a 26-watt compact fluorescent lightbulb—equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent lightbulb—users can save up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Saving energy saves money and is better for the environment.

Dead Bug Pose

I just love that pose name! Who comes up with these things? I think I may start my own YogaDudes pose names . . . imagine how much fun that will be.

I recently found this pose and it's supposed to help combat the effects of slouching at a computer all day. I am very guilty of that. By the end of the day I'm practically laying in my chair. Here's a little clip that may help that problem . . .

Sitting at a desk all day, glaring at a computer screen causes you to slouch. That man-made curvature of the spine speeds up the natural degeneration of the discs. The species known as "office workers" have backs that are beginning to resemble our humble predecessors—Cro-Magnon man. To counter feeling (and acting) like a caveman after a brutal week, try a few stretches for the muscles and bones in your back. And while you work toward standing upright again try the poses that calm your nerves. This at-home triage will make you feel like you've really evolved.

Spine Soother

Dead bug pose feels a lot better than it sounds. Even if you have the flexibility of a steel rod, it's a universal spine pleaser. The benefit of this passive stretch: the pose works out the back, butt, and hip kinks while you lie there. Give in, it works its magic when you are in a completely relaxed state. Watch this video and try it yourself before hitting the sack.

A Great Recycling Solution

I recently discovered a very interesting website for those recycling conscious folks. Last month, my husband and I had the horrible task of packing up our house and moving. It is amazing how much stuff you realize that you own and don't need. We made several trips to Good Will and donated lots of other larger items to another local charity. That felt GREAT. I realized that I truly enjoy donating things. I HATE the thought of wasting things and I often hold on to things that I know I don't need, only because they are too nice to just throw away. Well, here's an organization that can help me and probably lots of other globally conscious yogis.

The Freecycle Network™ (http://www.freecycle.org/) is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by clicking on "Groups in your local area." You may then go directly to your local group by clicking on "Go To" or you may immediately joining by clicking on "Join." It will generate an automatic e-mail which, when sent, will sign you up for the local group and send you a response with instructions on how it works. Can't find a group near you? You might want to consider starting one (click on "Start a Group" for instructions). Have fun!

The Freecycle Network was started in May 2003 to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown and help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The Network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. One person's trash can truly be another's treasure!

Desk Yoga

Have you been too busy lately to make it to yoga class? Or maybe even too busy to change your clothes and do yoga at home . . . That has been my crazy life for the past month. I'm sorry for the lapse in blog posts. I don't even know where to begin to explain . . .

I seem to be doing more desk yoga these days than real yoga, but every little bit helps. Today I actually made it to the gym to walk on the treadmill. The weather here in Connecticut is still dreary. I blame myself. I already packed all my winter clothes, and therefore, winter is dragging on endlessly. While on the treadmill I was reading an article about yoga. It talked about how yoga shouldn't just be about achieving a nice butt. It should be the process that rewards, not the result. I was thinking how that sounds lovely, but I wouldn't be too upset with the nice butt either!

Until my life settles down, I will be reduced to desk yoga. In case you can use it too:

Release the muscles in your back with this twist -- While seated, cross the right knee over the left knee. Place your left hand on the outside of the right knee, and brace your right palm against the right elbow rest. Twist to the right, keeping your left sitting bone firmly grounded. Look over your right shoulder. Switch sides.

There, now doesn't that feel better?

New YogaDudes Long Sleeve Tees Now Available

We are just squeaking in before the end of winter with the introduction of our brand new, colorful YogaDudes long sleeve tees. These 100% cotton fitted Ts feature a colorful YogaDudes display. The three different poses are labeled Balance, Harmony, Strength. Great for on or off the mat. You can view and purchase these new shirts online here.

Free Yoga MP3 Download

Have you checked out a web site called www.itrain.com? Seems to be pretty cool. They offer MP3 downloads for a variety of different workouts including: yoga, dance, cycling, running, etc. Want to try one yourself? Get a free download on iTrain.com when you enter the promo code YL2007 at checkout. Choose from their library of 45 and 60-minute multilevel yoga classes.

Where is Your Peaceful Place?

When you meditate, where do you go? Do you have your favorite peaceful place? Is it a real place . . . somewhere that you have been do . . . something that you already experienced? Or do you go to an imaginary place? Do you even have a special place?

My husband told me about his special meditation spot and it made me realize that I don't really have one. When I meditate, I try to clear my mind. I try to see nothing but a blank white canvas. This is very challenging for me, so I imagine that I'm surrounded by snow. Then to make it more interesting, I pretend that I'm sliding down a never ending hill on a white inner tube. There are no trees (of course) so there is no need to be concerned with obstacles. I just slide and slide down the hill of snow.

I was happy sliding down my snow covered hills until my husband explained his special spot. He told me that his feelings, when he goes there, are more powerful and peaceful than when he originally expereinced it. His special spot is 3,000 feet above the ground with his hang glider. He can perfectly describe, in detail, what this flight was like for him . . . what he saw, what he felt, what he was thinking about at the time. He explained the difference between the real thing and his meditation spot. During the real flight he still had to be concernded about the real dangers - where would he land, turbulent air, the commercial jet that was flying below him. But when he goes back there now, there is no stress. He just relives the longest and best flight of his life and he will never lose that.

So I'm jealous. I decided that I also need a peaceful spot. I don't have anything that compares to my husband's flight and now that I think about it . . . I have very few quiet and peaceful times to go back to. A favorite peaceful exerience that comes to mind is our lazy hours on the swing in our backyard. So many weekends we would go out and bike for 30 or 40 miles on our hill training rides and then come home to lounge in our swing and watch the sun go down. The feeling of complete exhaustion and complete relaxation (and relief to be off the bike), together with the warm sun on my face and the gentle glide of the swing. Ahhhhhh, that is about as relaxed as I have ever been. So this will be my new meditation spot. That is where I want to go when I need some tranquil time. So do you have yours all picked out?

Free Yoga E-cards

Brand new to the YogaDudes website . . . Free yoga e-cards to send to your friends. This is a brand new feature and all the kinks may not be worked out yet, but please give it a try. Send a yoga-inspired message to brighten your friend's day. There are 8 different cards to choose from and it's completely free. Just visit http://www.yogadudes.com/posty.htm and follow the instructions. Have fun!

Video Game or Workout Routine?

I was just flipping through an issue of YogaLife magazine and I ran across an ad that drew me in. It reference a web site called "Body by Playstation" and I just had to check it out. You should too!

On the web site you will see videos explaining this game. You not only need PS2, but also the Eye Toy camera. If you happen to have those two things (like I do) this looks too good to be true. It's a full work out system, including a 12 week training program that appears to be a blast to play with. I just researched it online and read as many customer reviews as I could find. Everybody says it's terrific. I was preparing myself for a big price tag, but I also found it as low as $40 at Walmart and even lower, used on Amazon. I'm gettin' one!!

Here's the site to check out. The product is called Kenetic. Go have yourself some fun while getting in shape.

20 Things To Do In a Lifetime

In my quest to be more organized this year I recently found my old Palm software. I have no idea where the actual PDA is, but the software lives on in my hard drive archives. I stumbled across some old memo notes that I wrote years ago and found them amusing. I thought I would share them, or at least one of them. I have three, and they are:

20 Things To Do In a Lifetime - This is a collection of some of the noteworthy and fun things that I have done in my life time. Things I would recommend to anyone.

Things That I Just HAD To Do - another list of silly things that I have done, just because I had to do them. Do you have things like that in your life? Things that you've done for no other good reason, but you always wanted to do it?

Wish List of Things I Still Want To Do - Well that is self explanatory. Everyone should always have a wish list.

So here is my list of things to do in a lifetime (in no particular order):

1. Bike a Century (100 miles in one day)
2. Ride a gondola in Venice
3. Dance or perform on stage
4. View Paris from the Eiffel Tower at sunset
5. Hang glide
6. Ride a tandem bike
7. Rescue a greyhound
8. Make something special with your own two hands and give it to someone you love
9. Hike Yosemite in the Spring
10. Eat sushi & drink sake in Tokyo sitting on the floor
11. Overlook the Hong Kong bay at night from Victoria Peak
12. Drive a motorcycle - not riding on the back - driving!
13. Find your soulmate and fall in love
14. Own a jeep and take it off-road
15. Go for walks in the pouring rain
16. Slow dance in the middle of a crowded city street
17. Walk through the Roman Forum and marvel at the history
18. Watch a meteor shower while laying on the beach at 4 AM
19. Experience the real meaning of "cold" on a dog sled ride in Canada
20. Get lost for the fun of it (but bring water)

Yoga and Toe Cramps

What is with yoga and toe cramps? Seems they go together like peanut butter and jelly and I can't figure out why. I thought it was just me . . . getting terrible toe cramps during yoga, making it nearly impossible to do the poses correctly. But last week, my friend reported having the same problem. OK, maybe it contagious since we take yoga classes together. Who knows?

I did a search online for toe cramps and learned that:

• The most common cause is ill-fitting shoes. Hmmmm, I'm not wearing any shoes during yogs.
• Another culprit is high heels . . . which I very rarely wear . . . especially in yoga class!
• Also to blame could be deficiencies in calcium or potassium - Now this is most likely my problem as my diet is pitiful.

I did find one tip to help prevent the terrible toe cramps, so I though I would pass it along:

To alleviate toe cramps, you can do special exercises designed to strengthen the muscles. Try standing on tiptoes and raising your body up and then down repeatedly, using your toes to support you. Hold each position for five seconds. Another good one is to pick up marbles with your toes and relocate them to another spot on the floor. Walking on sand strengthens toes, massages feet and exfoliates the skin … a great workout for feet!

Save a Greyhound

Click on cartoon above to read.

Ok, this has nothing to do with yoga, but it's just too cute to keep to myself. Since I have personally adopted two greyhounds that I love to pieces, I wanted to spread the word about how wonderful they are. If you are looking for a new pet, please consider adopting a greyhound. Not only will you be saving their lives, but you will also make a "Fast Friend." There are lots of greyhound rescue organization all over the US (and Europe too, I think). Check them out. You just might fall in love.

Fun New YogaDudes Product

Introducing a fun new YogaDudes product - a tin of yoga pose magnets. Not only are they cute, but they are useful too. This new product was inspired by my crafty friend Lisa. She gave me the idea and I just couldn't wait to make it a reality. I'm very excited to add these adorable yoga magnets to the YogaDudes line-up. Imagine all the places you can stick a small yoga pose magnet . . .

You can find these in the YogaDudes store online here.

Please check them out and drop me a line to let me know what you think.

What’s Your Yoga Personality?

Last night I discovered that my “on the mat” yoga personality completely matches my “off the mat” personality. In the middle of my class last night it occurred to me that I am just as uptight and neurotic in class as I am all the time. For instance, no matter what pose we are supposed to be in, I’m neurotically straining my neck to see the instructor. I need to see her to verify that I’m in the right pose. “Am I doing this right? Do I have the correct arm in the air? Do I look foolish? Is the instructor looking at me? Am I sure I’m doing his right?” Yes, that’s me. How many times should I need to LOOK at down dog before I’m confident that I know what I’m doing? I could ask the same question to myself about cooking pasta. How many times to I need to cook pasta before I STOP reading the instructions on the box and setting the timer to 10 minutes? It’s official. I’m sick.

When I caught myself peering across the room at the instructor last night to verify that my basic yoga pose was correct, I happened to glance over at my friend Lisa. That’s when it hit me. What a difference between me and Lisa. Lisa is a laid back, free spirited artist. While I’m worrying about if my knee is at a precise 90 degree bend, Lisa has her eyes closed and is fully immersed in the moment of yoga. She didn’t seem to have a care or worry in the world. She was completely confident in her poses and didn’t need any visual verification.

Now isn’t yoga supposed to be all about your own pace and whatever feels comfortable for you? Why am I so neurotic? I guess you can take a wild animal out of the wild. But they are still a wild animal and just because they are not in their normal habitat doesn’t mean they have changed their disposition. Once a wild animal, always a wild animal. Is there any hope for me?

YogaDudes Ad in New Yoga Magazine

Have you seen the new yoga magazine on the book stand shelves? I have a couple of issues and I do like it. As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I decided to advertise in it. Only problem . . . I don't think there are many people out there that even know about this book, let alone subscribe to it. Although my advertising dollars got wasted, I do want to still promote the magazine. If you haven't already seen it, please check it out. It's called YogaLife and you can see them on the web here: http://www.iyogalife.com/index.shtml.

And if you DO happen to find the magazine and look for the YogaDudes ad, you will find a 20% off coupon code. Happy hunting!

Free Exercise Podcasts

Have you tried downloading podcasts to your iPod or other mp3 player yet? It's a pretty neat concept. Yes, we all have worked out to our favorite music, but what about combining the music with actual fitness instruction? I found a page where you can sign up for a FREE 30 day trial. Please note, that they take your credit card and will charge you $19.95 after your 30 day trial ends. You can cancel at any time.

Cyndi Lee is one of the participating instructors , and in addition to yoga, they have all different kids of cardio training. You can check it out at: www.podfitness.com/yogalife.