Jul 30, 2012

Aerial Yoga

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One of my fitness goals for this summer was to try an aerial yoga class and yesterday I got a chance to cross that off my list.

I woke up a little, uh, worse for wear after a late night on Saturday so I was looking for something a bit more laid back than my usual Sunday morning workout (not to mention something that started later in the day). The Clarity Centre offers an aerial class at noon so I figured that would be the perfect workout option.

In retrospect, perhaps taking a class that has you suspended in the air upside down isn’t the best option for someone with a mild hangover but luckily my head and stomach didn’t seem to mind. Actually, I had a really fun time.

So what is aerial yoga? Basically, you do a series of yoga poses while suspended several inches off the ground using a long silk hammock. By counteracting gravity, aerial yoga:

  • helps you maintain proper posture
  • increases flexibility by relieving muscle and bone tension
  • prevents back strain

It’s also the funnest workout I’ve done in a long time. Everyone was giggling and having a good time; even the instructor couldn’t help laughing at with us as we struggled to get into certain postures.

That being said, it’s not as challenging as it looks. When you see pictures of people all rigged up and contorted in their hammocks, hanging upside down, you might be intimidated about trying it but it really isn’t that difficult once you get the hang of it (no pun intended).

I was definitely nervous about flippin myself upside down the first time, but once you do it and you realize the hammock is not going to come crashing down from the ceiling (they hold up to 2,000 pounds apparently), it becomes tons of fun.

For newcomers, the teacher will lead you through all of the poses and also help you get into a pose if you need it (for example, I tried to get into one pose and ended up swinging around wildly, almost crashing into my neighbour; the teacher was kind enough to come around and steady me).

Some of my favourite aerial poses so far:

Pigeon – this allowed me to get much deeper into my hips than regular yoga:

Hand stand (because I can’t do this one in regular yoga!):

Dancer’s pose – again, this allowed me to get much deeper into the pose than I’m normally able to go:

Shavasana - I have to admit, anti-gravity corpse pose was probably my favourite!

The only thing I’d warn you about is that the hammock hurts in certain poses (i.e. any pose where your weight is resting on your underarms/lats). Luckily, we didn’t spend a lot of time in any of these poses so it wasn’t too bad, plus the regulars say you get used to it after a few classes anyway.

Oh, and apparently it can cause mild seasickness, although I didn’t feel any (and I of all people probably should have).

If you get a chance to try aerial yoga, I’d highly recommend it.

What’s the coolest workout you’ve ever done? 

Filed Under: Yoga · Tagged: , , ,
Jul 27, 2012

Group Ex 101

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The other day, Bec @ Half Baked (go check out her blog for some mouthwatering baking ideas) asked for some suggestions on trying group exercises for the first time. Her question sparked the idea for this post, so here we go.

Find something you think you’ll enjoy – if you love dancing, for example, Zumba or step might be good options. If you’re totally uncoordinated, try spin. If you’ve been wanting to lift weights but have no idea where to start, try a class that incorporates strength training. If you love high intensity workouts, check out a bootcamp class. I’m a firm believer that everyone can find an activity they like (or at least can tolerate) at the gym.

Come prepared – find out what classes your gym offers beforehand and read the descriptions so you’ll have an idea of what to expect, what you need to bring (if anything), whether you need to sign up in advance, the level of difficulty etc. I hate walking into new situations blindsided so it’s better to know what you’re getting into before you arrive.

Talk to the instructor – show up a little early so you can introduce yourself to the instructor and let him or her know you’re trying the class for the first time. This will give you a chance to discuss your level of fitness, past workout experience and any past or present injuries so that the instructor can offer you modifications during the workout.

Don’t be intimidated – I know it’s a little scary walking into a new class for the first time but here’s the thing – nobody cares what you’re doing. All of the hardcore attendees will be too busy admiring their own reflections in the mirror while your fellow newbies will be focusing on trying to keep up. Nobody is going to notice or care if you screw up the choreography, need to take a lower intensity option or need to take a breather. We’re happy to have you there! We like working out with other people, that’s why we chose the group ex class over the weight room / cardio equipment.

Listen to your body – while the teacher is leading the workout, you don’t have to follow every single thing he or she says. If an exercise causes you discomfort, do something else. If you really need a break, take one. Don’t injure yourself just to impress people (again, nobody cares anyway).

Shop around – try out as many classes as you can in order to find out what you like and dislike (I usually give a class a few tries before I dismiss it completely). Over the years, I’ve found instructors whose classes I love and others I’m not so crazy about. The more classes you try, the more you’ll start to figure out what you like and dislike in a class (my must haves are good music and a teacher who motivates and encourages but doesn’t take it toooo seriously and is able to have some fun with it).

So those are my top tips gleaned from two years of bouncing around from class to class. If it weren’t for group ex, I’m pretty sure I’d still be a couch potato so if you’re able to, give it a try sometime.

Here are the group ex classes I hit up this week:

Monday – Pilates
Tuesday – BodyAttack
Wednesday – BodyPump
Thursday – BodyCombat

Today is my rest day and tomorrow I’m going to BodyPump again. My only non-group ex workout was a quick run on Sunday morning.

What’s your favourite group exercise class?

If you’ve never done group ex, why or why not? What’s one class you’re curious to try?

Filed Under: Motivation · Tagged: , ,
Jul 25, 2012

What I Ate (And Worked) Wednesday

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It’s Wednesday, which means two things: 1) we are that much closer to the weekend and 2) it’s time for another WIAW post. As always, thanks to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting. Here are yesterday’s eats.

My breakfast and morning snack were pretty typical – almond butter and strawberries on P28 toast and Greek yogurt with blueberries and granola.

For lunch, I had leftovers from the big batch of jambalaya I cooked on Sunday. This was supposed to last us all week but we’re already down to one bowl. Oops.

Consequently, I was back in the kitchen yesterday and I cooked up an amazing shrimp, turnips and pasta recipe from my Power Foods cook book.

The recipe called for Japanese rice vinegar and I just happened to have some on hand. I bought it over a year ago, totally forgot about it and left it in my mom’s fridge. She recently brought it over with a bunch of my stuff (since I moved out, her favourite party trick is to show up at my door with boxes full of my old crap like a disgruntled ex. She likes to offload a little bit more with every visit but I guess I shouldn’t complain since I actually ended up needing the rice vinegar).

This meal has all of the things I love in a recipe:

1) Easy prep work (all I had to do was peel and grate a piece of ginger and cut up a couple of turnips)

2) Short cook time (I was hungry)

3) Yummy (paprika + vinegar + ginger = lots of flavour)

4) Healthy

Anyway, I topped off dinner with a salad (spinach, avocado, grape tomato, yellow pepper tossed with olive oil and lemon juice). Cause I’m Italian and that’s how we roll.

After dinner, I literally had to drag myself to the gym. I made the strategic error of taking a nap after dinner and I was pretty grumpy when I woke up but I knew a good workout was just what I needed to pull me out of the little funk I’ve been in over the past couple of days.

It worked! I was in a great mood within minutes of starting class. I did the newest BodyAttack release and I loved it. I’ll give a more detailed review later in the week, as I’m planning to do a few more Les Mills releases this week.

I also tried a new class at The Clarity Centre on Monday night. This one was Tone and Stretch, a 75-minute pilates inspired workout.

I’m surprised I liked it as much as I did. I thought it might drag given the slower pace of the class, lack of music and longer than average run time but the class really flew by. The instructor was great and gave a lot of helpful prompts for each exercise (I hate doing an exercise and wondering if I’m doing it properly or if I’m feeling it where I should be feeling it).

One more class off my summer bucket list!

What are your criteria for a great recipe?


Have you ever tried pilates before? 

Filed Under: Daily Eats · Tagged:
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