Vitamin Infographic

I thought this was interesting....

Book Worm

When I was a kid I always had my nose in a book. I remember reading on the bus, reading before school, and just about every where in between.  I always wanted to get back to my book.  Many of those books because part of my being and I will always love them.

As I grew older I got busy, started my own company and worked on my MBA...all of which took me away from reading and then I fell out of habit of buying books and certainly reading them.

This summer I've made a concerted effort to start reading again and more importantly, start enjoying it. Its taken me a while, and there have been books that I've trudged through and haven't really fallen into. However, there have been ones that I've loved and have brought back my love of reading.

While I don't have a complete list of what I've read, I can tell you I've enjoyed the 50 Shades Series, The Hunger Games Series, Discovery of Witches, caught up on Sohpie Kinsella's books and fallen in love with Elin Hildebrand.  I've also read a few books to deepen my understanding of yoga and meditation.

I know that there will be times where I won't be able to read as much as I have recently and I know that I won't love every book I read.  However, I do know that its a simple and inexpensive pleasure that we often over look because we can't fit it in.  I am challenging myself to find time to read at least ten pages a day. I think that's do able!

Not So Colorful

As you know I was supposed to run The Color Run recently.  I didn't know much about it until I received a race information email a few days before the race date.  I was going to travel to Maine after the race with my husband and Roxy.  The Color Run was not near our home, it was a few hours away but it was on the way to Maine.

I found out via the email that I'd have to park in a parking lot and then be shuttled to the start line.  Then, the runners would start in waves every 15 minutes.  After I finished, I'd wait until the next 15 minute color toss, then wait in a line to get back to my car.

My husband would have had to wait in the car by himself for hours and I would have been on my won running the race and waiting for the start.  I was bummed, but taking Roxy and my husband into consideration, I bailed on the race.

Turns out I made the right choice. There was an accident on the highway keeping the buses from making their scheduled rounds and people waited hours to be bused back.  I'm shocked that such a large and popular event had so many hoops to jump through and was so un-runner friendly.

I learned that its very important to know all of the details way before you sign up for a race.  I also learned that the for profit races are not as warm and fuzzy as the charity races and most importantly, maybe big races aren't for me at all!

Women's Olympic Marathon

Congratulations to Kara Goucher and Shalene Flanigan, our two female marathoners who recently competed in London's Olympic games.  Regardless of not winning a medal, their times are the best US women have put forth in a while.  And I'm happy to find out that I'm not the only one with funny running short tan lines :)

Sleeping Habits

I'm not a great sleeper.  I never have been.  I even remember when I was a little kid my parents would want me to nap and I wouldn't want to, afraid I would miss something.  Its become so clear to me now that sleep is such a vital part of healthy living and any training routine.  So I'm working on decompressing more in the evenings to trigger a relaxation response.

I've been using a few tools.  The first is reading.  It seems simple and while you can get caught up in a book and use up valuable sleeping time in a story, its a great way to distract your mind and start getting relaxed.

Secondly, I like keeping a book of lists or a journal.  It gets things off your mind and onto paper.  Its never going to be seen by anyone else but you so it doesn't have to have perfect grammar, handwriting or even make much sense.

I have been using an eye pillow over my eyes some nights.  The one I have is filled with delicious smelling things like lavender, but you can get them unscented and in all sorts of materials.  These are great for blocking everything out and just focusing on breathing and relaxing.

My other favorite thing is incense.  Its great to burn before bed.  The scent changes your perception of time and makes you relax.  While you should be careful with any fire, its great to burn a stick and put it on your bedside stand.   Incense is actually quite inexpensive and can be found lots of places online.

I'm also leaving my computer in the office, NOT taking it to my bed side stand.  I do still charge my phone there and peek at it from time to time, but I'm more cautious than I have been in the past.

So while these may not work for you, these techniques have worked very well for me.  I try to vary things from night to night so nothing feels routine.  I can even vary the scent of incense I use.  

Sleep tight!

Outdoor Yoga

As you all know I've spent some time this summer on an island off the Main coast.  That means I've been away from "my" yoga studio for some time.  I thought this would really decrease the quality and quantity of my yoga practice this summer.  I thought that it would be a sabbatical of sorts for me and I'd pick up my training in the fall.  (Kind of like how I run in the winter but its not the same as the spring, summer and fall months.)

I mentioned previously how my yoga studio owner offered a MP3 audio download of a typical class and I bought it and loaded it onto my iPod before coming out to the island.  I spread out my mat on the front deck and loaded the iPod up onto some speakers.

I really thought the practice was going to be very different from that which I have inside the studio.  I was right in some ways and wrong in others.  The purpose of the type of yoga I practice is to focus inward, on your breathing.  Its about how you feel, not how you look.

So while there is no teacher on the deck with me to adjust my position, I have learned not to care.  I'm out on the front deck, where all the neighbors can see me, the dogs can run by and my own family is sometimes in the yard.  I have learned to turn inward and focus on my practice more completely.  I no longer care if my shirt is riding up, or my hair is falling out of its ponytail.  I'm there to practice and reap the benefits that yoga has to offer me.

I do look around a little bit more than in a studio.  The birds, trees, flag and sun all entice me and they give me energy that I don't get from the hanging lights of a studio.

So while I will love getting back to a varied practice and getting back to a studio environment, I am loving my new studio, "Front Deck".  I used to think that yoga wasn't something I could do with me when traveling and now I realize that like running, its something I can do wherever I go and enjoy the scenery and energy of a new place in a way that I otherwise would not.

Joy Tee Review

If you're looking for a super cute tee shirt for yourself or a gift for the yogi in your life, look no further than this tee shirt.  

The tee shirt is made of 95% cotton and 5% lycra so it holds it flattering, feminine shape.  Its adorable design is simple and meaningful.  

The best part is that Joy Tees donates $1 of each purchase to Off the Matt and Into The World.  You can view the charity's site here:

http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/

If you'd like to get your own Joy Tee, you can find them here:

http://joy-tees.com/tees/

The tee comes in small through extra large and pink and white.  I will say they run a little small so order up if you want it a bit roomy.