Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 20

So I’ve decided that the 30 Day Challenge doesn’t necessarily have to mean 30 days in a row…. but 30 Days total… So here I am on Day 21, just 9 days to go 🙂 My numbers were a bit lower than they have been this past week or two. This definitely shows me the importance of doing them regularly. Lesson learned…

I’ve figured out a fantastic way to practice squats – I stand over the end corner of my mattress and squat down onto that. It is just the right height and gives me that little lift to get back up without falling or killing myself. Yes, it’s the simple things!!

(Imagine your bed where the butt comes down. It is a great help!)

My push-ups were challenging today because my left leg didn’t want to cooperate, and my sit-ups were good.

I’m definitely loving this challenge as it feels good to get my body moving. After today’s little challenge I did about 20 mins of gentle yoga: cat/cow, butterfly, reclining twist, wide-knee childs pose, supported shoulder stand – all of which felt yummy!

Here are my numbers:

(assisted)         (half)           (assisted)
Squats         Push-Ups      Sit-Ups

Day 20:                52                   45                37

Day Wotsit:          64                   51                 40

Day Something:   62                  49                  40

Day 17:                59                   48                   43

Day 16:                    MICHAEL FRANTI CONCERT

Day 15:                62                   48                   37

Day 14:                54                   29                   43

Day 13:                                  SPA DAY…

Day 12:                60                   21 (pull ups)    32 (unassisted)

Day 11:                61                   34 (ring dips)   34 (unassisted)

Day 10:                60                   30 (ring dips)   33 (unassisted)

Day 9:                                    DAY OFF….

Day 8:                  60                   40                    35

Day 7:                  62                   33                    41

Day 6:                  60                   31                    41

Day 5:                  58                   27                    35

Day 4:                  60                   25                     33

Day 3:                  51                   21                     28

Day 2:                  40                   18                     22

Day 1:                  42                   23                     23

Back to Basics – 30 Day Challenge: Day 7

JANE – One week in! Woot woot!

Am feeling very excited that I’ve pushed myself to do this simple workout everyday for the last week. There have definitely been days where its been easier to get motivated than others, but today was happily an easy one! I slept well and when I woke up, my drop foot had got a fair bit better. I decided to do a sweet yoga session as my warm-up, ending with 5 minutes of Legs Up The Wall (Viparita Karani).

Viparita Karani is, according to my teacher, Master Multiple Sclerosis Yogi, Eric Small, the ultimate pose for people living with MS. This is because of the fact that it is an inversion (legs inverted above the heart) which means fresh blood washes the brain and spine, bringing healing and energy to the MS plaques or lesions. I did it for about 5 minutes today, and Eric recommends doing it anywhere from 2-3 minutes when you first start to 10-15 minutes daily when you’ve been practicing it for a long time.

After yoga, I was in a good head-space to do the workout. My results are below and are creeping up 🙂

(assisted)             (half)               (assisted)
Squats            Push-Ups        Sit-Ups

Day 7:       62                  33                    41

Day 6:       60                  31                     41

Day 5:       58                  27                     35

Day 4:       60                  25                     63

Day 3:      51                   21                     28

Day 2:      40                  18                      22

Day 1:      42                  23                      23

Musings: Yoga and CrossFit

The Philosophies behind Yoga and CrossFit

As much as I love the physicality of CrossFit and the strength and determination it has given me, I shall always love yoga, as without yoga, I would never have found CrossFit.

Avid CrossFitters follow a paleo diet, plan and think about their workouts, ensure they are getting the right sort of and right amount of liquid, rest, vitamins, supplements and, at some gyms and in the CrossFit world there is a strong sense of community and a bond that comes with wanting the newest pair of Reeboks, and of course, a camaraderie of having battled through a killer work out with other members of your box (gym). With it being steeped in the military, there is also the strong sense of serving, and an underlying knowledge that everyone in the community is not only there for themselves, but there to encourage and support others.

Yoga, however, by the nature of it having it’s roots in a practice over 5,000 years-old, offers something that the new exercise of CrossFit cannot (although with it’s increasing popularity in the west, comes ego, the fashion-ista yogi and everything that comes along with that). But, true yoga offers a connection to spirit and to thousands of other practitioners who have come before us. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s (verses about how to live) also offer practical philosophical guidance as to how to have a yogic life, such as Ahimsa (non stealing) and Satya (telling the truth). By the nature of practicing yoga, even the most beginner yogi is receiving this knowledge.

And so, although CrossFitters can argue CrossFit is a way of life, which indeed on many levels it is, I would argue that Yoga is more than that. Yoga is way of being. ‘Being Yoga’ is, in my mind, my ultimate goal. ‘Being Yoga’ means being kind, being gracious, strong, powerful, focused, humble, able to give and receive, being balanced, calm and creative. It also provides a connection to the Universe and is the doorway into understanding life beyond the physical. Yoga is non-denominational, so it is not asking you to pray to a god, instead it is asking you to be your best self.

Today I am grateful that Yoga has brought me to CrossFit, which is enabling me to gain more physical strength and a closeness to my partner.

The Light in Me, Honors the Light in You.

Namaste,
Jane