Yogalosophy

I have had a love/hate relationship with exercise for years now.  I know I need to do it for my health and to set a good example for my kids.  I know I'll feel better after the fact.  I know all the common sense facts about the benefits of exercise.  Yet, I've hated everything I've tried.  And the bottom line is, if I don't enjoy something, I'm not going to do it long term. 

I've had elliptical phases.  Running on a machine like a monkey, watching music videos on my phone.  Checking the clock every 30 seconds to see if my time is up yet.  I have tried pretending to enjoy it.  But I hate it. 

I've had walking phases.  I've walked up and down my hilly road over and over.  But having two kids, my only options of doing this are either the crack of dawn before the kids are up and Allen needs to leave for work.  Or at the end of they day.  Well, I'm not a morning person and do not enjoy walking in the dark.  And I have zero energy left at the end of the day so why the heck would I want to leave my family to walk up and down a road.  I've also tried taking the kids along with me.  While this is a fun adventure for the family, it is definitely not a calorie burning workout for this Momma.

I had a Jillian Michaels workout phase.  That girl is crazy.  Enough said.

I've had workout dvd phases.  I like this concept because I can do it any time of day, with or without kids.  But it requires gear.  The dvd I have has me dragging kitchen chairs into the living room, laying on couch cushions in the floor, and using weights.  There's lots of get up, lay down, go faster, repeat.  It's a little annoying after a while. 

But I recently read an article on Yoga and decided to try it.  I decided to go with Mandy Ingber's Yogalosophy.  She's Jennifer Aniston's yoga girl so I figured, if she works for Jennifer, she's gotta work for me.  I liked the idea of Yogalosophy because it combines yoga poses with toning exercises.

Let me just tell you how much I LOVE it.  I mean really, I enjoy it!  I've been doing it for a week and I think I'm actually craving it.  Here's why I love it so much:

* It fits into my life.  It's 35 minutes.  That's it.  I don't need gear or much space.  I do it in my bedroom in a small space between the bed and the dresser.  How simple is that?  I can do it any time of day.  I can do it and then go somewhere because I don't get disgustingly sweaty.  I can turn a cartoon on for the kids and run in the bedroom and do my thing before they even realize I was missing.  {They are very clingy these days.  It is very heart warming that they love me so much that they want to be with me every second of the day.  But at the same time, it's getting very challenging to get anything done.}

* It feels good!  I actually enjoy the feeling.  Now there's a first.  The toning exercises are grueling, but as soon as you do one, you switch to a yoga pose, which feels great.  I feel extremely relaxed when my 35 minutes are over.

* I'm a deep thinker and there's a "deepness" to yoga.   The idea of connecting to your inner self and to a higher power.  It's my 35 minutes of the day to connect. 

* I totally get Mandy Ingber's personality.  She's funny and real and not annoying at all. 

* I already feel stronger.  Seriously, after one week I feel stronger.  I love the idea of getting strong just by using your own body.  No weights, no gear, no bs.  Just balancing and holding your body in a certain position.  It's awesome.