A New Kind Of Exercise

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m absolutely HOOKED on bike riding! Never have I known “cardio” to be so incredibly enjoying.

This afternoon I did about 30 minutes of a YogaDownload Detox Flow followed by a little sequence of my own including half pigeon on both sides, full wheel, head stand and then I practiced my forearm balance for a little bit because that is the posture I am currently working the hardest on! I like to practice this up against a wall because then I can balance on my forearms and kick my legs up, having the wall to support me if I fall backwards. Once I get my stability, I kick away from the wall and balance solely on my forearms. Try it yourself! 🙂

After yoga, I headed outside and took a 30 minute bike ride to an area I’ve never been before. Basically, I just went the opposite direction of the sidewalk I always head down when I go to Ryan’s. It was positively magical. The sidewalk went down a loooong way and I passed by a horse stable, a park, cute little shops and through winding residential streets with huge houses on the water. I think I was actually grinning the entire way just because it was so nice! And to think that that is cardio?! I mean I don’t think I burned off the half of the cheeseburger I ate at 2:30 am this morning or the pizza I ate tonight but that wasn’t the point at all. It was just nice to get active and be outside on such a beautiful day. I even convinced Ryan to see if he can have his dad’s old bike so we can go bike riding together!

Before I did yoga and bike riding, I made a fruit and veggie smoothie in the vitamix using 1 stalk celery, 1/2 of an organic carrot, 1 orange, 1/2 of a banana, a big handful frozen cranberries and some ice:

This made a TON of smoothie though and I only drank about half and saved the rest for later.

When I got back from my bike ride I snacked on a small handful of nuts to keep me going til’ dinner:

As for dinner, Ryan and I went to our favorite pizza place, Sally O’Neales. We split a greek salad first—

And then we split a pizza. Ryan got half pepperoni and I got half with goat cheese, onions, black olives and basil. HOWEVER, I was a little disappointed because when I ordered goat cheese on my pizza I thought the pizza would be covered with soft, gooey pads of melting goat cheese. Instead, what I got what a cheeseless pizza with tiny specks of goat cheese. Bah! I guess it was healthier but definitely not what I was expecting…..regardless, I ate two slices and brought the other two home so tomorrow I could put more cheese on them and have them for lunch.

Since I was so disappointed by my bare pizza, Ryan took me to D’lite so I could get some froyo. I got a medium chocolate honey almond with english toffee. 🙂

It made it all better

We didn’t make the movie since we were both so tired. Even though its only 7:30 I feel like its about 11. Where did my day go??!

Have a great night!

Ps-

Here is a GREAT article you all should definitely read (thanks Jenny!!). This is the part that hit me the most:

“Stephanie Griffin, a 33-year-old director of business development for a pharmaceutical research company in San Francisco, discovered yoga after years of running marathons, spinning, and weight lifting. Before discovering yoga, she thought her intense exercise habits had turned her into a poster child for health and fitness. During the last four years, however, Griffin began doing more and more yoga and less and less running, weight lifting, and aerobicizing. As she dropped back on her hardcore fitness pursuits, she worried she might gain weight or lose her muscle tone or exercise capacity.

She didn’t. “I have maintained my fitness and even enhanced it through yoga,” says Griffin, who no longer has a gym membership. “And I like the way my body looks and feels now better than the way it did before.”

Amen.