fitness

My (non) Athletic Background VS Current Day

August 1, 2018 by Alicia Leave a Comment

This post is a little background before I get into my results from Fitness Genes. Stay tuned for Part 2.

**I was provided with a free kit in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.**

Hey there. Have you ever wondered what fitness genes you might have and what workouts and nutrition is best for you? Perhaps you are not seeing the results you would like with your workouts. This is because every one of us is unique and while 1 program may work for some people, it may not work for you. I am a believer that genes play a huge role in our body physique as well as our performance in fitness. This is why some people do well doing only yoga every day and others prefer HIIT style training a few days a week.

While I was at Blogfest last month, I stopped by the Fitness Genes booth. I hadn’t heard about them before Blogfest, but after talking with a representative and seeing all the data you could get, I was intrigued. Some of you may not know that my bachelor’s degree is in Applied Mathematics. I love charts and numbers!! The data is even better when you can apply it to your own life too.

Growing up, I was not athletic. I mean besides being “queen of the monkey bars” at the playground, I never did sports (at least for very long). I was the “follower” and did things because my friends did them. I dabbled in ice skating for a few years, but that was short lived. I did ballet for a bit, but never felt flexible enough and my friend quit so I quit. Once I was 8 years old, I could start tap dance and since I reached about high school when that friend moved away, I actually made the decision to continue with dance and made new friends. I’m glad by high school I could make up my own mind.

In high school I was also on the swim team one year. This was mainly because swimming was one thing I could do and another friend was on the diving team so it was a way to spend more time with her. Swimming was also a no cut sport so if you could stick it out, you were in. [A little side story, you had to have a doctor appointment before being on a sports team. At my appointment, my doctor tried to say in a kind way how I was really out of shape and should go to the gym a bit before starting on the swim team. That summer I went to the gym a bit with my dad, but I wasn’t really that into it and was only going because the doctor advised me to.] I gave it my all for 1 season, but then I was wiped. I would say the season got me into shape better, but I also look back and know I wasn’t in a healthy state because I didn’t get my period the entire 3 months of the swim season. Sorry for the TMI, but looking back I feel that is important to note. I decided to just continue with dance 1 night a week. Overall, I clearly wasn’t athletic. I dreaded that mile run in gym class and the fitness week. I had little endurance and honestly was pretty weak. Though from my body and look, you would guess I was “in shape” as I never was overweight or anything. Ask me to run and you would see a very different result.

It wasn’t until college, after I met Brian, and he decided he wanted to lose weight and lift weights in the gym. I felt better going with him because we were both beginners to weight lifting and we could help each other out. Honestly he helped me more than I helped him I think. We got stronger together and the gym was finally less intimidating. We even got a couple of our friends to join in our workout sessions too. By this point, we each had our own apartments, so we also worked on our nutrition. I saw amazing results in my body!! It wasn’t that I needed to lose weight, but I felt like I had little muscle and lifting weights worked on burning fat and building muscle in my body. While I have had mini hiatuses, I have continued weight training since 2010.

Fall 2009 before weightlifting — Fall 2009 before we weightlifted together

Since living on my own the last 4 years, I have experimented a lot with nutrition and reflected on how my body feels with what I eat. Brian experimented with keto a couple years ago and that got me to first track my food and protein and fat intake. I did learn that I felt more satisfied and better with higher protein and fats and fewer carbs. Though I never went full keto, just cutting down my amount of carbs, helped me feel better. When it came time to train for my meet this year, reaching the amount of carbs my coach advised was really challenging for me. I actually had an issue in my freshman year of college where I got shaky and dizzy spells and I still don’t have a clear answer on that but I cleaned up my diet after that and it helped. I find the processed carbs and too much sugar can make me feel unwell.

Currently, my workout schedule is 4 days a week lifting, 1-2 days for yoga (usually aerial and vinyasa, sometimes yin) and some days walk/jog training from couch to 5k app. I don’t have a pool to swim at right now, but for the past 4ish years (minus my travel time), I have done 3 days lifting, 2 days yoga and 1 day pool. Sometimes I do lifting and yoga in the same day, but I do try to have 1 full rest day a week.

Now let’s get to my Fitness Genes test results because surprisingly (or not) they explain a bit of what I have discovered on my own as well as other interesting facts. Check out tomorrow’s post for my Fitness Genes review and results.

Were you always athletic?

Yoga Workshop Fridays: Lizard Pose

December 30, 2016 by Alicia 1 Comment

Welcome to yoga workshop Fridays! Don’t know what I am talking about, check out this post.

This series will be each Friday explaining how to do a particular pose leading up to a peak pose on the last Friday of the month. Throughout this series, I ask that you listen to your body to prevent injury and warm up for a pose when needed.

Disclaimer: Though I am a certified yoga instructor, please consult your doctor before you begin practice and note that everyone’s practice may look a bit different as you align the pose to your body.

It’s often said that we hold a lot of tension in our hips and I believe that to be true. Times seem to be more stressful during the holiday season and I hope that these hip openers have helped you. I find by holding pigeon pose for a while and imagining sending my breath into my hips as I hold the pose makes me feel better. As we conclude this month and head into the new year, I wanted to bring in one more hip opener, lizard (Utthan Pristhasana). Lizard has many similar benefits to pigeon pose, but also strengthens the thigh as you are almost holding a low lunge.

How to do the pose:

Begin in a low lunge. Bring your hands inside the front foot and toe heel your front foot out to the side. Lower the back knee down. You have the option to stay here with straight arms or begin to lower down to the elbows, keeping the arms parallel. Make sure that your spine stays long as you lower down.

To make it more challenging, lift the back knee off the ground. Breathe into the hips here, allowing the hips to loosen up.

This is a pose that I like to hold for a full 2 minutes when I can. However long you decided to hold for, to release out of the pose, inhale to slowing come onto the hands if you were down on the forearms. Then walk the fingertips back towards your hips and slowly straighten the front leg taking half split pose as a counter pose. Try to keep the hips level as you take this pose. Then inhale back to low lunge and take downdog and come into low lunge on the second side to flow into lizard pose.

Props

If you want to work on lowering down to your elbows, you can place your elbows on two blocks.

Benefits:

Opens the groins and hip flexors
Strengthens thigh muscles on front leg
Strengthens hamstrings
Relieves stress

Share your pose on Instagram, tagging @bridgesthroughlife and hashtags #bridgesthroughlife #yogaworkshopFridays

I hope you enjoy this series. If you have any suggestions for what poses you would like me to break down, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email [email protected]

Yoga Workshop Fridays: Pigeon Pose

December 23, 2016 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Welcome to yoga workshop Fridays! Don’t know what I am talking about, check out this post.

Happy Friday! Today we are talking about pigeon pose or eka pada rajakapotasana in sandskrit which translates to one footed king pigeon pose. The full version of this pose involves bending the back knee and grabbing the back foot and maybe even bringing it to your head. However, I am just going to talk about the pose with the back leg on the ground. If you are more advanced and want to work on grabbing the back foot, please go ahead and do so.

In my classes, I usually have my students go into pigeon from downdog. You can also set up by starting on all fours. If you are taking the downdog route, I like to warm up and then do a few downdog crunches. Once you have warmed up as this is a deep stretch for the hips, you can follow the steps below. I also have included some prop suggestions. If you are not warmed up enough or a beginner to this pose, I highly suggest the props.

How to do the pose

Begin in downdog, inhale the right leg up for downdog split. Exhale as you bring the knee behind the right wrist. For beginners, keep the foot closer to the hip. If you want more of a stretch, bring the foot out so that it is closer to parallel. Make sure to flex the foot to protect the knee. Lower the back knee to the mat and untuck the toes so that he ties are pointing straight back. Keep your weight centered over the hips so that you are not falling to one side. If your hip is lifted off the ground a lot, you may consider a block to sit on (see props below).

Sit up tall through the spin and if you feel comfortable, begin to lower onto your forearms or extend your arms out in front of you and bring your forehead down to the mat. Make sure to remember to breathe and keep the weight between the hips over the center.

To get out of the pose, slowly walk your hands back in towards your knees, press your hands into the ground as you carefully lift your front leg up and back to downdog split. Then release the foot back down to the ground and go to the other side.

Props

There a few ways you can use props in this pose. Firstly you can put a blanket under your back knee. You can also use a blanket under your hips if you find it lifting a bit. If your hip is really high, place a block (maybe even two) under your hip as I show in the photo.

Another option – Figure 4 pose

If you find that pigeon pose is too much on your hip or knees, feel free to take it on your back. Lie down on your back and cross one ankle over the opposite thigh. Weave your hands through and pull that thigh towards you for figure 4 pose on your back.

Benefits:

Stretch groins and psoas
Opens hip joint
Stimulates internal organs
Increases hip flexibility

Share your pose on Instagram, tagging @bridgesthroughlife and hashtags #bridgesthroughlife #yogaworkshopFridays

I hope you enjoy this series. If you have any suggestions for what poses you would like me to break down, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email [email protected]

Yoga Workshop Fridays: Half Split

December 16, 2016 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Welcome to yoga workshop Fridays! Don’t know what I am talking about, check out this post.

Today I have another great pose for you, half split, known as Ardha Hanumanasana which also translates to half monkey pose since full splits is referred to as monkey pose. You can read about the story behind hanumanasana here.

If splits is in your practice, that is great! If not, try out today’s pose and maybe look at my prop suggestion as half split can help you build to full splits. Half splits is also known as “runner’s lunge” as it is a great hamstring stretch for runners. It is also a great counter pose for lizard (hint hint). I really enjoy taking half split after working my legs a lot whether that is with weights or just walking for a while. Below you will find how to do the pose and prop suggestions.

How to do the pose:

Begin in a low lunge with your hands framing your front foot. Slowly walk your hands back as you lift up your front toes coming onto the heel of the front foot. Straighten your front leg, keeping the hips level. The weight shifts towards your back knee. Feel free to grab a blanket or towel to place under the back knee if it is sensitive. Lengthen your spine, crown of the head in line with the spine. Draw your abdomen in and take a few breaths here. Stretching the hamstrings.

After a few breathes, simply begin to walk your hands forward, bending into the front knee returning to low lunge. Then step back to plank to flow through a vinyasa or step back to downdog and bring the other leg forward and repeat on the second side.

Props:

I have found it beneficial to have 2 blocks with this pose. I have tight hamstrings and having the blocks helps me to lengthen my torso and comfortably have my hands on the blocks. To do this, set up one block on each side of your front foot. Bring your hands to the blocks from lunge and then walk your hands and the blocks back as you shift the weight into your back leg and follow the steps above.

Benefits

Stretches the hamstrings
Tones the back and mid section
Increases awareness through the pelvic area*
Relieves sciatica pain*

Share your pose on Instagram, tagging @bridgesthroughlife and hashtags #bridgesthroughlife #yogaworkshopFridays

I hope you enjoy this series. If you have any suggestions for what poses you would like me to break down, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email [email protected]

*source http://harmonyyoga.com/the-benefits-of