cross training

Turning to yoga

August 20, 2015 by Asia

Last year I tied a neat little bow on endurance training when I completed my first Boston Marathon and decided I was ready to take a break from long distance running. I never thought my break would continue this far into 2015. This will be the first time in four years that I haven’t run a marathon! I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it’s the way the year has unfolded so far. During this transitional time, it turns out that I discovered something else amazing. I discovered yoga.

On my mat at Yoga Tropics. I love the wooden floors.

I’ve practiced yoga on and off for years but never prioritized it. I used it as a way to stretch and stay healthy during running, Ironman triathlons, and various at home fitness programs which took up most of my time. Today, I find myself going to yoga several times per week, trying a variety of studios, and sometimes taking multiple classes per day! It’s safe to say that this is the year of yoga and it has done a lot for me. The more I learn, the more I want to completely immerse myself in the practice. (Sometimes I daydream of opening my own yoga studio…)

Yoga in the grass at the Wanderlust festival. I felt pretty hippy.

I have taken a variety of traditional and not so traditional yoga classes including hot, vinyasa, asthanga, arm balancing, stretch, aerial, buti, sculpt, and barre. I’ve been inside, outside, upside down, at festivals, solo, and with groups of friends. I get excited knowing that there are endless possibilities with my yoga practice.

Post buti yoga class

Since yoga is very prevalent in my life right now, I have tried to learn more about it. Turns out, yoga has soooo many benefits. More than I even realized! Aside from the more obvious ones of increased strength, flexibility, and a state of calm, here are some of my other favorites.

YOGA….

– Relaxes your system

– Makes you happier 🙂

– Helps you sleep deeper

– Gives you peace of mind

– Encourages self care

– Gives you inner strength

(Source: Yoga Journal’s article 38 Health Benefits of Yoga)

Still need convincing? Check out this article about how important it is to give yourself a break in life. Something that I have taken with me: “The cheapest, easiest, and most portable yoga tool we have is our breath. Simply by paying attention to one breath at a time, you reduce stress, concentrate better, and become more present.” Breathe deeply, friends!

I’ve being using my Wildfire Life membership to take unlimited classes at various studios in Southern California. UNLIMITED! It’s perfect for someone like me who can get on a roll and take 3 classes/day or who wants to only go to the same studio over and over for a few weeks before changing it up again. (Normally I only take 1 class/day but I like to take advantage on the weekends!) To check it out and get 1 week FREE and $10 off a monthly membership, you can use my personal referral link: 🙂

https://wildfire.life/referred/p88n48

I promise you’ll love it, and if you live in SD you can come workout with me! Nicole uses Wildfire too, and we love exploring new classes around San Diego together when we aren’t off running or hiking.

The yoga studios I’ve tried so far in the San Diego area (and counting) are:

– Yoga Tropics: A hot yoga sanctuary just down the street! This is where I took my first ever hot yoga class and fell in love with yoga all over again. I also like to take yoga sculpt, yoga barre, and vinyasa here. I’ve made friends with the teachers and love the community in Encinitas.

Ready for the triple threat: yoga barre, HIIT, hot yoga

Ready for the triple threat: heated yoga barre, HIIT, hot yoga

– Trilogy Sanctuary: Picture floating above buildings in downtown La Jolla with a sunset and an ocean view. This is what aerial yoga is like here! They also offer traditional classes and have a delicious vegan cafe which I am obsessed with. It is seriously so good. I can spend hours hanging out here.

Hello world.

– Sonima Wellness Center: Perfect for beginners because it isn’t heated and they offer a beginner yoga class on Sunday evenings which I recently took my parents to! They also have a juice and smoothie bar and raw vegan food that I am obsessed with. How is it so good?!

Raw coconut wrap deliciousness

– Mantra Yoga: Heated and non-heated classes plus a juice bar in Carlsbad. (Side note: I think I’m addicted to juice bars.) Nicole and I like to come here for the beginner class together since she’s feeling quite pregnant nowadays!

Post class smoothie!

– Vinyasa Arts: This place is legit. I’ve never seen so many handstands encouraged in 1 vinyasa session! One second I was practicing my tuck handstand jumps, the next the instructor had me holding the pose. Success! Classes can get advanced here but it’s very playful and free-spirited at the same time. Located in Cardiff (next to an acai cafe #justsaying.)

– YogaSix: I was really into the deep stretch class in Carlsbad on Sundays earlier this year.

– Inhale: This is a very unique studio in downtown Del Mar with no mirrors where you practice facing each other. You are forced to truly focus on the inside of your practice. So zen.

– Riffs Yoga: An outdoor studio and guitar shop in downtown La Jolla with a Southeast Asia feel to it. (At least that’s my takeaway after practicing a bit in Bali last year!) This is where I tried yoga to live music and that was pretty special.

– Yoga80: I tried my first arm balancing class here in Carlsbad. It’s cool they offer that as a weekly class because most studios only offer paid workshops.

– Core Power Yoga: This was the first yoga studio I tried in San Diego and it has grown immensely since then. This is where my love for vinyasa began!

I still enjoy running with friends and recently went to a run/yoga/brunch meetup in LA with some of my Oiselle teammates. I started 2015 with a run EVERY SINGLE DAY in January as a new year’s resolution with Nicole! Running will always hold a special place in my heart and over time, I know I will find more balance between yoga and running. They both have incredible things to offer.

Oiselle teammates post run + yoga sesh

There is nothing like completing yoga after a stressful day at work or practicing first thing in the morning to get in the right mindset for the day. After yoga, I feel like I can take on anything the world may throw at me and I think it makes me a more patient, kind person. I’ve been going through a lot this year so that says something.

Bali is beautiful.

Yoga is about connection. Yoga teaches you to be present. Yoga opens things inside of you. I truly believe there isn’t anyone out there that can’t benefit from yoga.

Namaste.

Do you practice yoga? What are some of your favorite benefits? Studios?

Staying Fit Until The Next “Big” Race

May 3, 2015 by Asia

After I ran Boston Marathon last year, my exercise regimen was put on the backburner. I usually take a break after a big race, like the Ironman or full marathon, because I feel a sense of burnout from doing the same exercises repeatedly. Once I feel refreshed again, I start training for a new event and pick it up. (Clearly I need lofty goals to stay motivated!) Well, it has been one year and I still haven’t signed up for the next BIG thing because I can’t decide what to do! 50k trail run? Re-qualify for Boston? Destination marathon? The possibilities are endless!

Inspiration from the locker room at Rhythm + Power spin studio

In order to stay motivated, fit, and sane in the meantime, I found that I enjoy taking a variety of classes in addition to running 3+ days/week.

Yep. Those are my feet.

Luckily that’s when I found out about Fitn – an app that let’s you take classes from a variety of studios in your area through 1 membership. This couldn’t have come at a better time. I can take yoga, spin, barre, dance, pilates, bootcamp, and more without having to commit to multiple studios! Whaat? I cancelled my gym membership and so began my obsession with fitness classes.

Nicole and I have been taking barre before work together. We’re still running buddies during the week too!

Carlsbad 5000 race rocking our Oiselle jerseys

Coastal running date

I’ve always been someone who throws myself completely into whatever I’m doing, so literally every class I take, I find myself getting super excited about it and wondering how I lived without it in the first place. (Did you know there are heated yoga barre classes?)

Seen at a Fitn community event

Cross-training has been a great way to keep my conditioning up while taking a break from the intensity of full marathon training. I’ve met some like-minded fitness enthusiasts along the way and rediscovered my passion for dance. My sister Skye and I take weekly hip hop classes together now, and I’ve even tried ballet bootcamp! I also practice yoga and join guided meditations to keep calm, and I’ll do a spin class when I really want to work up a sweat.

I’ve been used to people calling me crazy when I’d go out for 90 mile bike rides and 20 mile runs, but now that I’m exercising for FUN (while sometimes taking up to 3 classes/day…) I hope that more people will join me! There’s no class that I won’t try at least once. 🙂

What’s your favorite way to stay motivated and fit in between big races? What race should I sign up for next?!

Getting my TUCK on at Studio Barre

June 11, 2013 by Asia

Studio Barre entrance

I recently tried a week’s worth of barre classes for the first time, and Studio Barre was my gracious host. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m always up for trying new workouts and pushing myself outside my comfort zone, so I was ready to give barre a try. After getting guidance from the website on how to dress, I put on fitted pants and a tank and brought a variety of socks with me, not realizing you get free ones to use at your first class! (Note: Grippy socks are very necessary on hardwood floors. Make sure to get a pair! Going barefoot is not encouraged.)

Studio Barre is located in the La Costa area and offers 60 minute barre workouts 7 days/week. A barre workout is ballet inspired with an actual bar, but you don’t have to be a dancer to reap the benefits. (I did, however, have flashbacks to my early days as an awkward ballerina!) The class promises a dancer-like body without years of technical training, creating definition in your arms, giving you a lifted booty, and sculpted lean thighs. This sounded partciularly appealing to me going into bikini season! More importantly, and less shallow of me, I was looking to improve my posture and strengthen my core since these are two areas I need to work on as a runner.

Looking in on 1 of 2 studios

I showed up early to my first class on Sunday, and everyone was very welcoming. The girl at the front desk loaned me some complimentary socks, walked me into class, and introduced me to the instructor. Newbie alert! She helped me get set up with all the necessary equipment: mat, ball, 3 lb weights (you can use more or less), blue band. I also had a bottle of water and towel, both which came in handy. I positioned myself up front next to an instructor who was sitting in on the class so I could copy her moves. There was a large mirror in the front, and smaller mirrors in the back of the room. I started to wonder if I was in ballet class again…

The music started and a very fun and peppy instructor gave us our moves to the beat of a blaring pop song. Definitely not ballet class! The 60 minutes were divided into several sections, and I’m by no means an expert on the structure, but these were my takeaways.

1. Warmup

– Standing: high knees with some oblique twists and ab work…gets the heart pumping and abs engaging

– Mat work: Standard pushups, yoga side plank, traditional plank with movement, triceps pushups and dips…gets the arms shaking and the abs still working

– Standing: triceps extensions with weights…puts the arms to shame

…You call that a warmup? I was wide awake after that and pretty humbled. This was going to be tougher than I thought!

2. Main Set broken into several sections (quads, calves, butt, abs)

I took 4 classes (Sun/Tues/Thurs/Sat) and had a different instructor each class, allowing me to experience a little variety in each session. (There are no different types of classes.) Some of the bar work included a ball squeezed between my thighs. Other times, the ball was positioned behind my knee as my leg was lifted in the air. (I kept dropping it.) We did a lot of tucking (air humping), squeezing, holding, and lifting. The movements were teeny tiny but very challenging. I was on my highest tippie toes for a lot of it, and my legs were begging for mercy, sometimes shaking uncontrollably. (Note: Do NOT run before this class.) The instructor was always involved, correcting my form when necessary. A little change made a big difference. I had to stay very focused to make sure I was doing everything correctly, but this made the time go by quickly.

We did some stretching throughout the main set, but I would have liked a little more. My body needed it! When we went into our optional splits, I was so far from a split it was obvious to me that I had developed a runner’s body (aka tight hips). Remember that time when I could do the splits? Yeah, that was a few years ago.

After most of class went by, we got on our mats for ab work. Sometimes there was no equipment; other times I used a band or ball. I couldn’t get through an entire set perfectly and would have to modify or take breaks. Now, this is coming from a girl who used to do P90X Ab Ripper like nobody’s business. Clearly I need to get my abs back!

3. Cool down and stretch

The last few minutes we got to stretch our legs and hips and do a few moves that I remember from my yoga days (happy baby). Class always finished with a big round of applause for all our hard work which I thought was a nice touch.

Post Class

There was complimentary coffee, water, and light snacks like almonds and apples in the shop area. FREE COFFEE, people! You have no idea how excited that made me.

Coffee bar

After my first class, I knew I could get addicted. I was excited to be doing group workouts again after many solo runs and was challenged in each session. I was also having FUN, loved the music, and loved the community of women (and a couple of men) it brought together. The commentary coming from the instructors was priceless, and I could tell they enjoyed being there. (The shallow part of me also wants to see what this will do for my bikini body…Vegas in 5 wks!)

I’m also pretty sure I could fit this into my running regimen a couple of times per week as a strength and core workout. I’ve run before class and after class, and it makes the most sense to separate the 2 workouts by AM/PM or at by least 1 day. The only part that is slightly disappointing to me is the lack of showers, so I can’t get ready there and go straight to work in the morning. It might make more sense for me to try an evening workout, but then I have to suffer through extra rush hour traffic. I need to iron out those details, but I want to make it work.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie like me or a seasoned pro, these workouts will leave you tuckered out and coming back for more. That being said, I need to sign up for some more sessions!

Have you ever tried a barre workout?