My First Yoga Class

Happy Monday everyone!!!  Us BC folks are so lucky to have Family Day today!  I'm using my extra day off to set up a speed and cadence sensor on my bike, prep some food, and read some more the The Start Here Diet.

I did something marvelous (hosted by Healthy Diva Eats) this weekend, something that has intimidated me for a very long time...  I attended my first yoga class!!!

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I have been wanting to try yoga for years now but have always been too intimidated to go.  I am not bendy or flexible and with my recently added weight I couldn't fathom the thought of squishing around into all sorts of poses.

BUT Danielle and Kirsten have been giving Glow Yoga & Wellness such high praises that I decided to suck it up and join them for a class.

It was an Ashtanga 1 class and it was perfect for my skill level.  I was able to hold the poses, but it was a bit of an effort to do so.  On Sunday I could feel a satisfying soreness in my shoulders, back, and thighs and so would highly recommend this to beginners.  It was not nearly as intimidating as I was expecting, there were people of all sizes and shapes in class, and skill levels varying from people like me to really bendy uber yogis.

What I loved about yoga is that while it was a definitely a workout for my bod, the emphasis on breathing and keeping a clear mind was so relaxing and rewarding.  I left feeling refreshed and ready to take on my Saturday.

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If anyone is like me and has let intimidation keep them from trying yoga, grab a friend for support (and to look at for help with poses, thanks Danielle!) and get yourself to a beginner class, you will not regret it!!

I'm happy to report that something from my "Believe & Achieve" tab can now be marked as achieved :)

XO - Michelle

Marvelous In My Monday {2}

And another weekend bites the dust.

I had a busy Saturday and a lazy Sunday, which is basically how I like it.  Here's a little bit of marvelous (hosted by Healthy Diva Eats) from my weekend :)


We went out to shoot Cody's new gun, which was way more fun than I was expecting!  I got over shooting guns for hours on end about 4 years ago so I was less than enthused to find myself headed out of town with a truck full of arsenal, but as soon as we hit the back roads I was feeling pretty excited.  It was a blue skied, sunny, sparkling snow kind of day and I'm really glad I got to spend so much time in the fresh air.

Photo Credit:  Troy Zohner

Danielle and Will were kind enough to invite us all over for a dinner over the fire kind of evening.  It was cold out, but with the fire going we managed to stay warm.  I tried Mennonite sausage for the first time, which is delicious, and Danielle also made salads and really yummy cookies for us to enjoy; lucky for me she texted me ahead of time and told me to bring my lactose pills!!  We also got to meet her brother's new hound puppies (so cute!), I got to hold the squirmiest one named Eddie.

Booking our trip to California!!!  It's happening, for real.  It's a great thing to look forward to and also a great way to hopefully motivate myself to get back on the fitness wagon.  I have until the middle of May to meet my goal bod.  WOOHOO.  I am seriously so excited.

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Family dinner at Heid Out.  Our last family gathering before Troy and Keefer make their way home.

What's up for this week:

• Completing my Anatomy and Physiology test, once it's done I get to move on to a course that I'm really excited for!
• Not eating in excess.  Although I'm pretty good at eating whole foods, I've gotten really good at eating a lot of them.  I feel like I need to scale it back and start paying more attention to those random snacky urges.
• Try my first real yoga class at Glow Yoga & Wellness.  Danielle and Kirsten speak so highly of the yoga class that they have been going to that I just have to try it.  But I'm SO nervous!!
• Enjoy the week with Cody before he heads back to work.
• Seeing our pals Marshall & Heather, who are home for a visit coming up this weekend!

  Hope your Monday is off to a fantastic start!

XO - Michelle

Marvelous in my Monday {1}

As if it's Monday already!!  Weekends always seem so fly by so fast, I'm relieved to have Tuesdays off now as it breaks my work week up so nicely!!

I heard about a blog link-up called Marvelous in my Monday and decided to participate!!  Check out The Healthy Diva for more MIMM posts :)

Some marvelous things that happened this weekend that are brightening up my Monday:

• Dinner at my fave restaurant, Pedal and Tap, for a Friday night date night with Cody. YUMMMM.  Check out what I wrote about P&T on my Kootenay Love & Local Reviews page.
• A beautiful, but windy, Saturday morning neighborhood walk; and a nicer, warmer one on Sunday.
• Watching my cousin's hockey game and getting to visit with my Aunt and other cousin while we watched.  My uncle was coaching which was also pretty fun to witness!
• Late lunch at The Heid Out Restaurant and Brewhouse with my wonderful mom and dad, & Cody too!
• Grocery shopping.  I LOVE having a freshly stocked fridge and pantry.  So. Many. Options.  It seemed like everything on my list was on sale, how great is that!?
• I purchased my first bottle of essential oils (Lemon) that I plan to start using in home made cleaning and bath products.
• Completing my list of how I want to live in 2014, check it out here.

As I mentioned on Friday, there are a few ideas that I've come up with to hopefully keep me from being distracted from my health and fitness goals.  This is what I've done so far:

• I went through my closet and pulled out all of the clothes that don't fit properly at the moment.  I piled them all in a clear bin and labelled it "Goal Clothing".  As the clothing starts to fit again I can add items back into my closet.  I prefer to judge where my body is at by clothing fit rather than weight so this method resonates well with me.
• I put a picture on my fridge of an outfit I would like to wear to California (May/June).  The idea is that every time I open the fridge I see myself in the outfit and make a healthy food choice. 

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• Prep cooking!  I have been working on baking big batches of gluten free dairy free "treats" so when a craving strikes I have a better option available to me.  
• Setting up my basement work out area.  I want to organize all of my workout equipment so it's streamlined and easy to use.  I'm mostly done, but need to figure out where to set up my Rip:60 and resistance bands...  I also decorated with some inspirational posters, quotes, and pictures.

I hope you check out the Marvelous in my Monday link up and find some inspiration to light up the beginning of your week!

XO - Michelle