Body Flow

Last night I tried something different.

The gym was pretty packed when I got there and most of the treadmills were full. So instead of running, I went over to a beast of a machine called the Stair Master. Now this thing is not your typical "stair master" where the pedals go up and down. Oh no! Imagine walking up the down escalator...that is what this machine is. A set of rotating steps.

I have used this machine only one other time. It seems to be pretty popular. The gym only has one and most times it is occupied. After going on it, I can see why. After 6 minutes at a level 10 I was dripping with sweat. I pushed my way through and completed my 20 minutes with a few minutes cool down afterwards before going into CX30.

CX30 is a fantastic class. If you go to a gym and they offer it, I highly recommend it. It is only 30 minutes and is a full core workout. After only going a few times, I can already feel myself getting stronger. I am already able to do some of the more advanced moves. It keeps me motivated to continue to go because I am feeling the results.

After CX30 I signed up for Body Flow which I mentioned in yesterdays blog. I wasn't sure what to expect and was surprised to see everyone taking off socks and shoes prior to class to go barefoot. I am a yoga novice so some people may be saying "well duh of course you go barefoot" to that comment. At first I was thinking "oh ick" to being barefoot on the gym floor, but you use your own yoga mat to stand on so it really wasn't bad.

Vicki, our instructor, said to some of us newbies that we may not be able to do some of the moves right away and we may lose our balance but that she would give options as we went through.

Apparently my flexibility assessment portion was right on. I was able to do many of the advanced moves without a problem and was even able to stay pretty balanced and not stumble. The stretching was very relaxing and felt great. The class passed very quickly.

At the very end of class we laid on our yoga mats in corpse pose and Vicki led us through a 10 minute meditation. I left that class feeling very relaxed, stretched and refreshed. I was surprised at how many people skipped the meditation portion. It really helped my muscles recover from the class- I highly recommend staying for the whole class if you take it.

I am shocked at how sore I am today from my workouts yesterday. Nothing I did was high cardio- jump around. You would expect to be sore after a high impact workout. But low impact obviously works just as well. I mean, even my forearms are sore. Ha!

After such a great experience, you can bet that I will definitely be adding yoga into my exercise routine.

Recipe of the day- from Prevention:

Sassy water from Flat Belly Diet (I plan on making this after my next trip to the grocery store) helps with bloating and the ginger helps soothe the GI tract. It is also tastier than just plain old water and will help ensure you are getting the right amount of liquid for the day.

2 liters water (about 8 ½ cups)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 small spearmint leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight.

Drink the entire pitcher by the end of each day