Tag: yoga

Return to Yoga

January 27, 2023 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

FI’ve been talking about my need to return to yoga for quite a while. I practiced yoga off and on for but due to the combination of not really liking the yoga classes offered at my gym and then the whole social distancing thing made it difficult.

Finally, I tried a new yoga studio this week. I received a gift certificate for Christmas with five passes for classes at a nearby studio. Figuring it was time, I took my first class this week. I signed up for a gentle yoga because I find starting back into anything is easier if you just take it easy at first. Signing up for the flow class seemed a bit much for starting over.

I loved it! The class was enjoyable, and the studio was lovely. The room where we practiced had large windows overlooking the Cuyahoga River so there was lots of natural light.

Sometimes it’s difficult to go to a new gym or a yoga studio or any fitness place because the people there are used to themselves and aren’t welcoming to others. This class had a number of people attending but nobody seemed to be in a clique.

The class was indeed a gentle yoga but it was clear to me that I’m not as flexible as I was a while ago. I have the strength to do things but boy do I have tight hamstrings. And once again I’m back to the beginning with the balance poses.

The advantage of starting over repeatedly is that I knew I was back to where I started and didn’t feel compelled to try to do more than I could. I felt at ease knowing that if I keep going, I’ll get better.

I’m going to pick a different class for next week. I like the idea of trying out different things since this is a new place. I think checking out the different instructors and classes will be a good reentry into the world of yoga.

How about you? Have you tried something new recently or gotten back to something that you used to love to do? Let me know in the comments.

Christmas Fitness Gifts

December 29, 2022 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

It’s a few days after Christmas and I’m enjoying my fitness gifts. This year I received personal training sessions and some passes to a new (to me) yoga studio in the area. Isn’t that a great way to go into the new year? Chris and I discussed what we want to accomplish in 2023 in our recent podcast so perhaps these Christmas fitness gifts will help out.

Yoga

I’m excited about the yoga classes because the studio appears to have a wide range of classes. I used to only want advanced yoga but these days I’m happy to indulge in some gentle yoga or restorative yoga. I can’t wait to sample a bit of both types. A bit more strenuous and a bit less. Sounds ideal.

I also saw that the woman who owns this studio used to run a yoga program at a local gym. When I went there many years ago, she had a class that I loved. It was a strength training yoga class, though it was called a Mind-Body class. It was yoga with some Pilates mixed in and some dumb bell work. I see that she teaches a Strength Training class at this new studio so I’m eager to try it out.

I’ll keep you posted on my adventures at a new yoga studio.

Personal Training

The personal training sessions are with my usual personal trainer at my gym. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with how much I spend on personal training so getting some sessions as a gift is wonderful. I’m really grateful for such a thoughtful gift.

Some years I’ve received gear for my various activities and that’s been great. This year, though, I don’t really need anything like gear so receiving gifts that allow me to do things is excellent.

Let me know in the comments if you received any good Christmas fitness gifts. It’s great when people recognize the work you’re putting into being fit and strong.

The Path of Yoga and Meditation with Julie Norman

March 22, 2022 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Episode 103 – The Path of Yoga and Meditation with Julie Norman

In episode 103, Jill and Chris talk with Julie Norman about her path of Yoga and meditation. Julie Norman delights in guiding others in experiences that foster growth and healing from a place of self-love. She believes this is essential for both individual and community wellness.

Her career as a registered dietitian in eating disorders treatment and her own recovery inspired the creation of Body Karma Healing (BKH), her signature program that guides women to peace with their bodies and food for authentic self-empowerment.

She’s the author of two books: Poems From The Path of Peace, Volumes 1 & 2 and The BKH and Goddess Wisdom e-courses. Julie is also a certified health coach, yoga teacher and equine specialist. She leads classes, workshops and retreats along with coaching individual clients, consulting and speaking on the topics she’s passionate about. In her free time she loves to travel, mountain bike and spend time with family, friends and pets.

We discuss:

Why is Yoga called a practice
The various types of Yoga
The benefits of Yoga
Tools used during different types of Yoga
Getting started with meditation
Her peace coaching at Body Karma Healing
Eating disorder and body image

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe – Watch on YouTube or you can Read on her Blog
Chocolate Avocado Muffins

Links to follow her online:

Her Website – https://JulieNormanYoga.com and on-line classes
Instagram
Facebook
Link Tree

On The Ball with Tennis Expert Gyata Stormon – Episode 51

February 11, 2020 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

In episode 51 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast, Chris and Jill continue to explore the different ways that women over 50 find to be fit and strong. In this episode, we talk with Gyata Stormon, tennis coach, author, and yoga instructor. Gyata is the author of the recently published On the Ball: Doubles Tennis Tactics for Recreational Players.

Currently living in upstate New York, Gyata has lived all over the world. Dealing with health and fitness in different places gives her a unique perspective on how the Becoming Elli community might benefit from tennis and yoga.

Gyata gives us advice on how to begin playing as adults and WHY we should consider starting to play. If you played when you were young or never played at all, Gyata believes we can learn to play tennis and enjoy it. She sees tennis not only as a way to stay fit but to have social connections and mental exercise.

We discuss:

How to stay fit and strong playing tennis
How to avoid injury
The difference between singles and doubles in tennis
Her philosophy on coaching
Gyata’s travels around the world and how this affected her sport
Yoga
Staying motivated
Eating paleo

Gyata shared with us some insights about overcoming breast cancer and mental health issues. She discussed how playing tennis, practicing yoga, modifying her diet, and maintaining healthy relationships keeps her moving forward.

During our conversation, Gyata described some of her favorite “go-to” foods. She talked about nut breads, including cashew bread. She also describes how she makes sprouts.

Links and how to reach Gyata Stormon

website: www.ontheballbook.com

Facebook: Gyata Stormon

Instagram: Gyata Stormon

Email ontheballbook@gmail.com

Amazon: On the Ball

Cashew bread recipe that Chris is going to try
(Note that Jill is hoping to be invited over for a cup of tea and a slice of this bread.)

My Fitness Routine – Improving Strength, Flexibility, and Balance

March 7, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Since I’ve been cleared to resume exercising, I’ve been struggling to come up with a fitness routine that works for me. I want to return to some of the things I’ve enjoyed doing but I also want to avoid injuring myself. I’ve decided I need to work on core strength, flexibility, balance, and variety.

I’m hoping that working variety into my fitness routine will help me avoid injury and any kind of repetitive stress problems.

I’ve come up with a fitness routine that is working for me right now. Of course, it’s still winter in Ohio so I’m not getting outside very often. This routine might change once spring and summer arrive.

I also find that if I assign certain days to certain exercises, I’m likely to get it all done.

Fitness Routine

Sunday

Sunday is now my upper body strength day. I asked my boyfriend to work with me on regaining my upper body strength so we now hit the gym on Sunday and use the dumb bells and equipment. It’s a challenging workout, that’s for sure. Last week, we did a lot of chest presses, flies, triceps dips, and some ab work. I felt it the next day, that’s for sure.

Monday

Monday is now my yoga day. I found a class I like at a rec center at a nearby town so I bought the non-resident passes and try to go every Monday evening.

If I can’t make it because of a scheduling conflict, I try to work some cardio in its place. That might be running or using a bike at the gym.

Tuesday

I’m now attending a Pilates class on Tuesday mornings. I’ve just started back into Pilates reformer classes and it was quickly apparent that this is a good thing for me to do.

The instructor commented on how tight my ham strings and calves are. I knew that of course but rteally haven’t found a solution. Hopefully, Pilates will help.

Wednesday

I meet my trainer on Wednesday late afternoon. She tends to give me a full-body workout that challenges me. She focuses on strength, balance, and cardio conditioning by elevating my heart rate.

Sometimes after my training session, I’ll add a brisk walk or a run or I go swimming.

Thursday

Thursday is my catch up day. I tend to do some kind of cardio. Since I want to swim at least once a week, this might be my swim day. If not, I’ll go for a run.

Friday

I see my trainer again on Friday morning. We do something that complements what we did on Wednesday.

Once in a great while, I treat myself to a orthopedic massage. An orthopedic massage is not necessarily the most pleasant massage. It’s not like a relaxation massage. Instead, it works on injury rehabilitation and improving range of motion. If I get a massage, I try to get it on Friday so I go into the weekend feeling better.

Saturday

I haven’t returned to my boot camp class yet, which is on Saturday morning. Instead, I’ve been riding a bike or running at the gym. I look at what my fitness routine has been this week and Saturday becomes the day that I try to fill in whatever I’ve been missing.

The one thing that I’m struggling with right now is that my daily steps have dropped. That’s due to a change in my living arrangements and I’m just not getting in as many steps as I used to in doing my daily activities. I need to figure that out because while having some physical activity is important, so is getting in those steps. That’s next on my list of things to figure out.

I’m happy to have worked out a fitness routine that works for me. Of course, this will change when I can begin to go outside. For example, my Sunday activities will probably change when the weather improves. When that happens, I’ll adjust what I’m doing and figure out how to keep the variety going.

What I’ve Learned During Six Years of Yoga Practice

September 1, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

The thought of a “Yoga Practice” used to intimidate the heck out of me.

I had a lot of preconceived notions about yoga. For most of my life, I thought that yoga was made up of lot of impossible poses that looked very possibly painful. I pictured a session filled with an instructor calling out unusual animal names for poses and routines like dolphin, cow, alligator and up dog/downward dog… and me flopping around on a mat trying to get into odd positions. In my minds eye, all the others in the class would be tall, thin, limber people, who would immediately go into the routine without looking around trying to figure out what the heck we were doing. And there would be weird music. Weird incense smells. And maybe even some weird religious stuff.

In 2006, after I had hurt both ankles and was moving less and less (and gaining more & more weight), my marketing firm was asked to help develop a marketing program for a new local yoga studio that was moving into town. There were a couple women on the staff who were very excited to work on this, as they loved yoga.

Not me! Since I had never ever done yoga before, I would make that squinty-up-nose face with a slight shake of my head at the very thought of yoga. NO WAY will you ever drag me into a yoga class. I was more than happy to leave the whole yoga project to someone else!

It didn’t help that the owner was a thin, incredibly muscular woman who insisted that power yoga was not for sissies as it was “incredibly challenging.” She confirmed for me that I didn’t want anything to do with the project and definitely didn’t want to think about developing a yoga practice of my own.

However, in 2012, when some of my good bike-riding friends mentioned that we should all take a yoga class together, I remember thinking “UGH-OH, I don’t know the first thing about yoga.” That was enough for me to explore what yoga is all about. I fully expected to hate it. But I didn’t want to look foolish in front of my friends. (Many of my friends never did go do yoga, but it got me going!)

So I started with a yoga “fusion” class that was part work-out with a little Pilates and a little yoga thrown into the moves. It was in a closed room with about four other women. The instructor was very friendly and not at all intimidating. The music was fun. That gave me the courage to try other classes. Vinyasa Flow. Restorative Yoga. Power Yoga.

Over the next six years, I’ve taken different types of yoga classes at different places/studios with different instructors.

And guess what? Some of the things I dreaded about it, I love now.

Things I have grown to love about my yoga practice:

music
breathing
learning how to relax
trying new things
building mental toughness

I have come to understand that EVERYONE is in a different phase of yoga. That is the practice part.

I also know that there area some instructors I really love and there are some that I just won’t take a class with. There seems to be as many different types of yoga experiences as there are different types of studios and people.

Some of the things I worried about are the things that I really enjoy now. Getting calm and centering my mind. Paying attention to my breathing. Adjusting where my body is in a pose to get a little deeper or straighter or stay a little longer with it.

I still don’t like instructors who try to intimidate you with their knowledge or attitude. (But that feeling is not limited to yoga!)

I’ve only encountered two of those. I’ve taken many classes now and over the last 6 years I have found about 15 instructors who are amazing, kind, thoughtful, and earnest in providing a wonderful experience.

I found out that you don’t have to be perfect to start. In fact, you shouldn’t expect yourself to be good at all to start. And learning to silence that constant negative voice in your head that is judging yourself is all part of learning yoga and improves with practice.

I also learned that it is called a practice because you’re on a continuum. Always learning. Always improving. (It’s kinda like BECOMING ELLI… we’re all on our way to becoming!)

I have also learned that it is a good opposite to running, Yoga has become part of my cross training for muscles, joints and ligaments that are over used and not stretched enough.

There are still plenty of hard parts:

Sitting cross-legged at the beginning of class (if you’re not familiar with it, go ahead and google lotus position for beginners) is still hard for me and I keep my ankles on the mat and don’t get my foot up on my thigh.
Although I love to relax in child’s pose, my big toes don’t exactly touch each other and my knees are still a bit tight, making it hard for me to get deep into the pose. But that is okay.
All the poses: I’m still learning. Balancing. Stretching. Adjusting.
And doing corpse pose at the end of class, where you just lay there, is still challenging because you-just-lay-there. But it also feels so good.

So, if you don’t do yoga, my challenge to you is to try a yoga class. Be open to it. To remember that EVERYONE who currently does yoga, also had their first day. Select a gentle yoga class to begin and arrive early to check out the instructor. Get the vibe to see how they may react to you.

If you are currently doing yoga, what are you working on right now? What do you like most about it? What still bothers you?

-Chris

A Workout Wrap up from Last Week’s Fitness

August 27, 2018 / Chris Brown / 7 Comments

Most weeks I have a plan for working out but sometimes my week just rolls along. That’s how I felt about last week’s workouts.

Monday – rest day – restorative yoga

After lots of driving for sister weekend, Monday’s workout consisted of a restful day. I find that weekends are usually a busy time for me, so having a Monday yoga class at my gym fits well into the schedule. Restorative yoga is a workout for the brain where you help your body learn to relax. I am learning how to let go, focus on breathing and getting my body to relax.

Tuesday – slow jog

The goldenrod are just starting to open up in this field near my run/jog/walk.

The weather wasn’t cooperating very much on Tuesday, but I did manage to get a few miles in. Tricky with my Achilles Tendonitis acting up, so I keep the pace very slow and tried not to think about the 13.1 miles coming up the end of September.

Wednesday – 17 mile ride

This is my screen capture from Strava, an app on my phone that tracks miles, elevation and speed.

I had a nice ride with my bike riding group through Cuyahoga Valley. We started at Brandywine Falls and rode up to the lookout above Tinkers Creek. Two minutes into my ride, my Catseye mileage thing popped off my handlebars so I turned around to find it. Then I spent the next 5 miles really pedaling hard, trying to catch the front group. That got me breathing hard and it felt good. There’s one pretty big hill that also got my heart pumping hard, so by the end of the ride, I felt I had earned our potluck supper.

Thursday – missed a run

I had planned to run with a running group that I found through a woman at my gym, but ended up having to work late. Boo. 🙁

Friday – gardening

I didn’t get all my steps in, but managed to burn over 2000 calories anyway. Did a bit of gardening, but I feel can’t really call it a workout because I didn’t do a whole lot of heavy breathing. I did get some bending and stretching in.

Saturday – walk/slow jog

I notice when I walk instead of run, I tend to see more things. How many times have I run past this little mini garden without noticing?

When I woke up my ankle was acting up again. Feeling stiff mostly. So Saturday’s workout consisted of an hour of walking and slow jog. I listened to an upcoming podcast of Becoming Elli after doing some production work on it, so I was able to multi task to use the time to do an audio proofread of the podcast. I’m psyched about the one that is going to be published on Tuesday. I’m eager to hear your comments on it.

Meanwhile, I did some icing on my calf and ankle when I got back home, followed by heat from the rice bag. It felt better.

Sunday – 51 mile ride
My big cardio workout of the week turned about to be a bike ride instead of a run, which was more fun and a better workout than I would have gotten on my sore ankle. Four of us took the Valley Parkway up to the marina near the lake, had lunch and rode back. There was a big steep hill at about mile 48, but I managed to ride it all the way up for the final push. Definitely a big effort and a great way to start this next week.

After I got home, my husband and I went to the gym to go swimming. Definitely loosened up my muscles! A great way to finish the weekend.

Workout Wrap Up

This link goes to other women fitness bloggers who do a weekly workout wrap up accountability link up. The Weekly Wrap is organized by the rope-climbing Wendy and Holly, who’s starting a new empty-nest normal. I’m also linking to Liz, a writer who runs in ~~London~~ actually in Birmingham, in the Midlands. – Chris

What Should I Wear? A Guide to Workout Clothes

May 3, 2018 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

A young friend and I were talking recently and she said “I spent 20 minutes today trying to figure out what to wear to yoga. You should write about workout clothes in Becoming Elli.” I said, “great idea!”

Thinking about this made me remember the horrible gym uniforms we used to wear at school. They were one piece outfits with bloomers and they snapped down the front. Why did we wear those things? Anyone else remember them? Anyway, those days are long gone and now we wear whatever we want to work out in.

Workout Clothes

So here’s my quick list of what to wear for a few sports.

Yoga

I remember my very first yoga class. I had no idea what to expect. I went to the local drug store and bought new socks because I had this vague idea that I would need them. I got there and discovered that you typically do yoga in bare feet.

Here’s what I think is best for a yoga class. I like pants that come up high enough to my waist that I don’t have to worry about my clothing when doing something like a down dog. If you go with bell bottom pants, be award that the extra material may get in your way when you do some balance poses.

Also, shirts should be tight enough that they’re not billowing around your face when you’re doing a forward fold. I like my shirt to be fairly tailored for yoga class.

Running

Ah, running seems to entail a lot of wardrobe choices. You really shouldn’t need a lot for running but I’m always dealing with my clothes. Here’s what I deem important for running attire:

Running pants. If these are too short, you may experience chafing of your thighs. It hurts, believe me. I like capri length pants but of course that’s a personal choice. If you find running pants with pockets, BUY THEM! I love pockets and most running pants don’t include them.

I prefer a looser shirt for running but stay away from a regular old T-shirt and instead wear a “tech” shirt that is made from material that wicks the sweat.

Get a good sports bra. If it’s too small, you may have chafing. (Yes, chafing is a theme in running clothes.) You want adequate support and coverage and make sure it doesn’t rub under your arms. Because you know what will happen…chafing!!

I like a hat when I run. It keeps the sun out of my eyes and protects my head. If it’s hot, I might just wear a headband to help absorb the sweat.

Shoes…running shoes could have its own blog post and may at some point. This is where your money should go. Go to a running store and get yourself sized and analyzed. They should be able to analyze how your foot strikes the group and recommend the best style of shoe for you.

I bought compression sleeves for my calves and they helped tremendously. I was surprised at how much they helped. If you’re having problems with tight calves, invest in these.

Biking

Like any sport, you can spend a lot of money buying the fancy outfits and accessories when you take up biking. Here’s what I would say are the basics:

A shirt that wicks the sweat. You want this shirt to be tight enough that it’s not billowing about you as you pedal but you also want it loose enough that you’re comfortable.

If you can, get some bicycling pants. These are pants that have padding in the rear. I have a fancy brand of bicycling underwear. They have the padding but I have to put something over them. They’re not made to worn alone. I also have a pair of biking shorts that just have the padding and can be worn as is. Whether or not you get official bicycling shorts with the padding, whatever you wear should be tight on your legs. You don’t want loose leggings getting caught in the bike chain.

Don’t forget your helmet!! That’s important. Get a decent helmet and wear it.

If you’re going to be doing a lot of bicycling, it’s probably worth investing in bike shoes. Make sure that the shoes you buy work with the clips on your pedal. Or make sure that the pedals you buy match the shoes that you have. However you do it, there are different configurations for pedals and shoes and you want to make sure they match.

Until you decide you want to make that investment, a comfy pair of running shoes will probably suffice.

Swimming

Really, what can you possibly need for swimming except for a bathing suit? If you’re going to take up swimming, invest in a swim cap to cover your hair. Also you will need goggles. It took me a while to realize this but swimming is much easier when you wear goggles. That’s pretty much what you need: suit, cap, and goggles.

If you’re buying a swim cap, consider spending a bit more and upgrading to silicon. They cost a bit more than the silicon ones but last longer. On the other hand, if you don’t know how much swimming you’ll be doing, buying the cheaper one to start with is fine.

If you want to buy more, consider buying water shoes. If you’re going to walk in the pool, you’ll definitely want some water shoes. Also, if you’re going to do open water swimming, you probably want something on your feet.

I’ve seen aquatic earphones that allow you to listen to music (or podcasts!) while you swim. I’ve not invested in these so I can’t tell you anything about them.

Lifting

When you’re lifting weights or working out at the gym, you don’t need a lot. A pair of comfy shorts or leggings and a t shirt is fine. Again, don’t wear the baggiest T-shirt you own because you don’t want to have to worry about it riding up when you bend over. I don’t seem to need the fancy tech shirts for this so much and it’s my chance to wear some of the t shirts I’ve gotten from various races.

People say that you should wear flatter shoes when you lift. I just wear an older pair of running shoes, the ones that don’t quite have enough support for actually running in and haven’t had any problems with this.

You often see people in the gym wearing gloves for weight lifting. I’ve not gotten to that and I like having calluses that I get from lifting the bar.

That’s about it for lifting. I haven’t figured out a way to spend money on this workout, other than my gym membership.

Here’s a helpful hint for all of these clothing items. You can often find great deals on sports apparel at consignment shops or thrift stores. I found some great bicycling shorts at the local thrift store.