Oh yeah, I also needed a yoga mat, since I've been using the Equinox mats. I briefly considered getting the Lululemon Align Ultra mats, but remembered that they were pretty slippery when I've used them to do in store yoga on Sundays. I read the reviews on them which confirmed my suspicion. I was told that The Mat was pretty good, but I didn't feel like spending $70+ on a mat. So I went to Target and got a cute Gaiam "Butterfly Meadow" mat for $19. Perfect.
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| I love the pretty print! |
Ok so after I got the mat matter settled, I found one of the flyers I took from the Lulu store with a free week of yoga at CorePower yoga, which just opened a few months ago down the street from me. I didn't know it was all hot yoga. But it's perfect because I've always wanted to do hot yoga. I tried it at Equinox a few times before but it wasn't quite as hot. I still remember how nice it was once I got used to the heat. Since my body was so warm, I was a lot more flexible, and could get into much deeper poses and stretches.
The hot yoga classes at CorePower yoga range from 80-95 degrees, depending on the level of the class. The studio is very modern and clean. They have a really nice locker room and showers with all the amenities, even tampons lol. It feels more like a fancy spa actually. The only thing they don't give out for free is towels - you can only rent them or bring your own which is kind of lame. The yoga rooms are large with hardwood floors. It's very different from the Bikram studios I've heard about which are hotter, and have carpeted floors that retain the sweat and smell. Yuck, gross. The actual studios at CorePower yoga also have steam coming out from a vent on top of the heat, like a steam room. The humidity makes you SUPER wet. I came out drenched from head to toe. My aruba No Limit Tank was perfect for that though. I'm glad I wore it! I also matched my new yoga mat! The mat wasn't slippery at all either but next time I'm definitely bringing 2 huge towels vs. my little hand towel. I can't believe I didn't think of that before I went there today.
So after trying it out the studio today, I really liked it and will totally keep going back. I'm very glad to have found a nice yoga studio close to me that I can see myself going to regularly. During my free week next week I will try out all the different types of classes they offer. They have a class where it combines yoga and free weights, body bars, etc. in the hot room. I really want to try that one. It's funny though that you don't really know how hard you are working in such a hot room, because you are sweating so much just by sitting there in the heat. I do feel a little sore though so I must have worked hard! And my heart rate stayed higher than usual so I burned more calories! Woohoo! The classes are only an hour long there which is great - I'm a busy girl and an hour is plenty especially in that heat. It also leaves no time for chanting! Hehe. They lock the door right when class starts. No late comers are allowed in. They are pretty strict about that. It's nice that you don't have to worry about people coming in late and interrupting.
I remember seeing CorePower yoga all over Denver when I went there last year. I guess it's based out of there. But now they are opening more locations in California too. I can see them doing really well here, because it really is a very nice studio. They also have on demand membership where you can watch/do yoga classes at home for like $10 a month. Not a bad idea, but I rather go to the real thing.
Ok so after I got back from yoga and washed off my sweat, feeling all rejuvenated and detoxed, I made this yummy breakfast with pretty much all Trader Joe's ingredients.
It's got 2 eggs, 1/2 cup liquid egg whites, about 4 tbsp of the amazing Trader Joe's fresh bruschetta sauce, chives, mushrooms, cucumbers, and one link of mango chicken sausage. There's olive oil in the bruschetta sauce, so I didn't even need to use additional oil to cook it.
I could've made an omelet out of it, but I suck at flipping so I scrambled everything together and topped it off with some fresh avocado. Sooo good! And pretty healthy too.
So yum! What a perfect way to start a Sunday! Makes me feel a little better about going back to work tomorrow.
I really loved reading this post. I didn't work out today and I ate like crap. I feel like crap now, but reading this post reminded me how great I usually feel when I get in my workout, yoga and healthy food. Have you ever noticed that when you stuck in an unhealthy rut, you tend to stay there for a little while? It's almost contagious! Anyway, you renewed my will to be healthy. Thanks! The yoga studio sounds awesome and your breakfast is making me hungry! Much better than my chocolate chips and potato chips!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, p.s. the Insanity workout I was talking about in an earlier post is different from P90X (but by the same company), it's MUCH MUCH harder. Well, it's different. P90X has a lot of muscle conditioning and some cardio, but the cardio isn't that intense. The Insanity workouts are all plyometics and pushups (think burpees and tuck jumps) and is the most intense workout ever. Seriously, I guarantee you will love it. You seem like the type that wants to do the hardest workout and conquer it! It does have a meal plan, but trust me, if you just do the workout (it's a 60 day program), you won't need to diet. I lost an inch off my thighs, an inch off my hips, just a little off my waist and a half inch of my biceps and I ate MORE than ever. The group of girls I did it with all toned up, too, and I don't think any of us followed the plan. Having said that, I read the plan and it makes sense and seems like it would definitely work.
Thanks Andrea! I know exactly what you mean by falling out of healthy habits. It's always so easy to cheat on the weekends. It happens to everyone. When I eat one unhealthy meal on the weekend, I kind of feel like I should just pig out all weekend since I already f'ed it up. But I have to tell myself that that's not the case! One bad meal does not un-do a whole week's good work. Besides, I think I now can sweat out a bad meal in one yoga session! Hahaha... oh and I had like 2 pieces of chocolate today too (dark chocolate though, better?)... and a handful of plantain chips! Eeeeek
ReplyDeleteThat workout sounds great! I love hard workouts because I don't want to waste my time on sissy stuff! If I'm gonna put in my time to work out, then I want to make it count. I will definitely look at the program. I need to get on a bride diet and exercise program pretty soon here! =)
So happy to see your blogging alot lately! Awesome! I've never tried hot yoga because I never really believed that you would be getting as good as a workout as say...running/spinning etc., since all you are doing is sweating out all the water in your body and throughout the class, you need to drink so much water - I would like to think that fat is melting off just by doing some stretches but Im so skeptical..!
ReplyDeleteAlso congrats on the CFA! My bf is going for his CA and doing the exam this summer so I know how much studying is needed. Craziness!
Thanks Mel! I hope to keep up the blogging, but when I have to start my studying regime again real soon, I may not have time to anymore. =( We'll see, I will try to keep it up! Tell your bf good luck! It's a big commitment and something you don't want to take more than once per level. So better work hard the first time and all will be worth it when he passes!
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, cardio and strength both have their own benefits and should be combined. I always feel like I have a great workout mentally when I run and spin, but I'm usually sore in different places after yoga, pilates, and barre type of workouts too. After all, muscles help burn fat! And they look good too. I don't think fat will magically melt off in hot yoga (I wish though!), but I think you are sweating out the sodium that keep you bloated and the toxins in your body. I now think if I do yoga once a week anyways, it might as well be hot yoga so I can get even more benefits out of it! That class with the free weights might be even tougher and better for me. You are right about the water, that's good to drink more water though and flush everything out inside! I'll be going back a bunch of times this week and will let you know if there is a difference at the end of the week!
I was doing Bikram for 3 months and loved it. I had to take a break for a few months because a lot of sick people were going to flush out their sickness and every time it seems like they were right next to me. I was going twice a week and it was such a great addition to my spinning, running and 3 times a week of weight lifting. The studio I went to was similar to yours, a really nice spa like studio and it had hardwood floors. I never went to the carpeted Bikram class, that just doesn't sound clean. Right after we leave they are already sanitizing the floor. They keep it really clean and I liked that. I plan on starting again in March but after reading this it makes me miss it even more. I've been working with a personal trainer once a week for a few months and she told me I had to take a day off. It was so hard to stay home today and not workout, especially when you have new Lululemon clothes to wear! I'm really looking forward to my spin class tomorrow morning. I look forward to reading how the rest of your yoga classes are this week. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteI have no clue what Trader Joe's is, but have seen it reference many times in a few different blogs. As I have said before, being on the East Coast, Canada, I see things in your blog that just aren't available here.
ReplyDeleteI, like Andrea, have been off the healthy wagon for a while. I am back at my workouts today, along with eating healthy again. So hard in this cold weather though, we tend to gravitate towards "comfort food", and staying inside where it is warm. Hard to get my butt outside when it is -15C or colder... But I did it today. However, between Tuesday and Wednesday we are expecting 40cms of snow, so getting outside to exercise may pose more of a challenge than I am up for.... LOL!!
@Anon: Great to hear that Bikram was a good addition to your cardio and weights workouts! I suspected as much. I'm really excited to go back and use my hot yoga tanks, like the Hot Class tank, and No Limit! I totally get more excited about working out when I have cute outfits to wear. I guess that's why I spend so much money at Lulu! I need some bottoms for hot yoga. What do you suggest? I don't think I want shorts because the steam makes my legs so slippery. I wore my wunder unders last time and most girls were similar style bottoms in class. Any thoughts?
ReplyDelete@Becky: Trader Joe's is a great grocery store chain! But it's not a regular grocery store like you would think. It's much smaller, and has that local store feel, with different merchandise than the big brand name food manufacturers you usually find at regular stores. They make a lot of their own stuff, they carry tons of booze, and everything is much cheaper than normal grocery stores. Basically everyone loves it. Every Trader's I go to is always super busy and hard to find parking. There is only one Trader's in NYC and people there line up for hours just to pay for stuff! In fact they have someone who's entire job is to direct people where the line starts. It's insane! I love it but not THAT much lol.
Also, I don't know how you guys do it, but if I lived in the cold like that I would not leave the house! You guys get snow days where you can stay home from work though right?? That's awesome. We never get any days off due to adverse weather conditions. The most it does here is rain a little. When it gets cold here which is like 60 degrees, I feel like having comfort food too!
I wish we had a corepower in Washington! I have heard such great things about that studio. I love hot yoga and practiced Bikram for about three years, but the 90 minute time commitment got to be too much. I think hot yoga combined with running and strength is an awesome workout routine. In fact, I did lots of hot yoga right before I got married and it really helped my posture. And I agree about cute yoga clothes! Hot Class bra is the best. I usually wear crops on the bottom because my legs get slippery, too.
ReplyDelete@ Superficial Endeavors...
ReplyDelete(It is soooo hard for me to not put the "U" in endeavours... that is the Canadian influence ;)
We rarely get days off of work due to snow, it has to be coming down pretty hard and steady, and usually the RCMP have to close the roads. However, where I work currently we can decide to not come in, or to go home, at our own discretion. Other places I have worked I have not been so fortunate.
Kids, however, have schools closed due to snow, I have a feeling school will be cancelled tomorrow and Thursday both, as it is now looking like we may see up to 80cms between tonight and Thursday. (my son will be happy!) This is why I drive a 4 wheel drive SUV, so fun in the snow!!
Looks like my exercising outside will be put on hold for a few days... I may have to break out the 'old Taebo Dvd's, and do the Shake Weight too! LOL
Good luck with your hot yoga! Might want to invest in a fittoes towel! It is cheaper, and slightly thinner than the yogitoes towel (same maker) but if you are practicing often, and don't have time to wash it between every class you want to save money on multiples. I think you'll love your gaiam for years to come too, I recently replaced mine after a good solid three years of practice.
ReplyDeleteNamaste!
@Becky: That's so funny the differences in spelling! When I lived in Australia, I got used to adding "u"s, and using "s" instead of "z" in certain words, using one less "l" in some words, etc. It was very confusing for me when I returned to the States after a year. Lol.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the weather! That does not sound fun. But speaking of Taebo, it was so popular when I was in high school and I remember doing them all the time! And we didn't even have DVDs back then so I still have the VHS at my parents house! LOL! I wouldn't even be able to watch them now if I wanted to!
@Anon: Thanks for the tip on the towel! I think I might have to get one!