Nameste, Ya'll !

I haven't posted in a while. Odd, huh? I guess it's not that odd. But there's no real reason for it.  What I've been doing lately is yoga!  

You know...Owning my Workout Habit. 

And let me just say...it's hard. And yet it's also rejuvenating and has given me lots of endorphins. I have fallen in love with a local hot yoga studio. I don't think I've talked about my quest to find THE yoga place for me. So I'll give you a taste here.

Credit: DaPino-Colada

All of the studios I've visited, offer "drop-in" options. You can try them out with absolutely no obligation. Many studios sell "punch cards" to purchase multiple classes at a discounted rate. Some studios have a monthly plan with unlimited classes. That is the plan I'm doing for now.

I was taking yoga classes at a different studio almost every night. It was great. Each studio has its own personality and vibe. 

I was like Goldilocks. One class was too hard, and another was not challenging enough. But several studios had classes that I found "just right."  What a wonderful new world I've discovered. 

Though it was fun to go to a different studio for each class, paying drop-in rates is not sustainable. Not if I want to work out 3 to 5 times a week. I decided to do the monthly pass at my favorite place. It makes life much easier. Now I just plan around "my" studio. This week I've taken five classes. Much to my surprise, I've been getting up "early" on the past few Saturdays to go to either an 8:00 or 9:00 class. 

I'm still one of the newest students in class. New to yoga. And there are many poses that I don't attempt (yet). But there are many things I'm doing now that I couldn't do in January! So, I'm not discouraged, even on the days when I find myself needing to take a child's pose in the middle of class. I come out of the classes drenched, exhausted, and exhilarated. 

Some teachers recommend setting a mantra for our practice. The first time I set a mantra was last month. My mantra was: "I am strong. I am healthy."  It was my first class after the hospital scare that left me weak for over a week.

It is true; it's good to be reminded.
I am strong, I am healthy, and I am grateful.

Permission to Be Wrong and Look Silly

The puppy pic is to celebrate a spring sunny day. Who can resist a puppy looking out the window?

I've been killing it with my "own my workout" goal for 2015. Before the snow hit I was at a yoga studio almost every night. I think I may have found my workout of choice. But...then the snow and ice came it was impossible to go. When the snow/ice melted I decided to get right back to what I'd been doing. So Monday night I did hot yoga...it wasn't one of my favorites. I didn't feel stronger after. But, it was still time that my body was moving and burning a few of the calories I need to burn.

My favorite yoga class is held on Tuesdays. But it's a pretty late class. I would have been in a time limbo for too long to make that class make sense. So, armed with my new sense of workout duty, I went to the gym at my office. I decided to ride the bike for 30 minutes plus a cool-down. Granted it's been a while since I have done pure aerobic exercise. --I'd been doing the hot yoga instead. So, when I started to feel yucky while riding the bike, I was not deterred or surprised. I thought to myself..."Yep, this is what you get when you let yourself get out of shape. You get winded and you want to throw up."

Like the militant taskmaster than I can be, I shamed myself into continuing.  My heart rate according to the bike was all over the place. I'm never convinced that the machines are getting accurate readings. I didn't give myself a break until 25 minutes of stationary bike hell. I decided "today my workout is 25 minutes...not the 30 minutes I planned." And I decided I was okay with that.

I was pretty disappointed when the nausea didn't automatically go away when I stopped the workout.  I mean what the heck? I walked to my car and started the commute home. Luckily it was late enough that there wasn't a ton of traffic. The whole way home I felt sick, but I made it without an incident. 

I got home and just sat on the couch trying to control that queasy feeling and "will myself" to not be sick. Long story short...that didn't work. 

Hours later (after being sick) I had no relief. So we called the insurance 24-hour nurse, which led to the decision of "better safe than sorry" and an ambulance and EMS workers taking me to the hospital. The symptoms I was having can be linked to a heart attack, which is why the drama.  

I'm happy to tell you that I did not have a heart attack. I had a virus. One that made me very sick and resulted in dehydration. I'm so thankful that what I experienced was not life-threatening. I'm also proud of myself for not being afraid to look foolish. Because, what if it was a heart attack? And I was too afraid of looking silly to follow through on the nurse's advice? Or what if I didn't call the nurse at all? 

Granted, if we hadn't called for advice/help we wouldn't have a medical bill that will be coming our way. But, really, the cost of medical care is a topic for another day. 

The Bellevue High Life

I have been thinking about living in small(er) spaces for a while now. When we sold our house in the Seattle area, we downsized to a much smaller space. As a matter of fact, we originally planned on buying a condo right on Elliott Bay. As part of our planned downsize, we sold virtually all of our furniture. We kept one couch and one chair for the living space and we kept our bed and bedroom dresser. Other than that...gone.

A Few Scenes From Home

Snow Storm of 2015...

Do you remember last year? We called it the Snow Storm of 2014. You may remember I got stranded. 

That's my cute little car I left behind when it was clear I wasn't going to make it out of that neighborhood until the ice melted. Yeah...good times!

I was convinced we wouldn't see the snow this year. (Wishful thinking?) But, alas, snow and ice we have seen. The good news is that each day the snow started to fall before I had left the house for work. We had a snow day last week and a day that started at 10:00.  Tuesday I decided to use a vacay day rather than risk the crazy drive. Yesterday we started at 10:00.  (See a theme?) Today our office message said our office would open at 10:00. There was 6 inches of snow on the ground. But I live close to a main road...and I knew that once I was on that I should be fine. Tomorrow is more likely to be icy...and I'd rather drive in snow. 

So, off I went to the office. The road had been cleared and was mostly okay, though I'm really lucky that there were not many cars on the road. When I was about 2 miles from the office I noticed that street lights were out and there were no lights at the mall. It occurred to me that we might not have power. 

Yep! Got to the office. I was the only one there. I checked my phone and there was a message that the office is now closed due to no power. 

What are ya gonna do?

I turned around and came back home. I didn't have a problem until I got to our parking lot. Specifically, the parking space I tried to reclaim. Tires began to spin out. So, I called my husband to come help. He got it in the space. He made it look easy. Whew. Been home drinking hot tea and having a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and just enjoying the day.

But the story doesn't end there. Just a few minutes ago we got a knock on our door. A neighbor came to tell us that we had left the car's headlights on. Yeah, like four hours ago! Jordan was a trooper and went out to turn them off and start the car to make sure the battery wasn't dead. 

Lessons? I am incredibly lucky and thankful for friends and neighbors.  

Stay safe!