Inspired by the dewy breezes blowing through my open windows, I spent this week developing a plan for my "get healthy" goal. So here it is:
Ride my bike to class.
I have classes two nights a week at IUPUI for my IU Masters in PR. At the end of this month, downtown street parking is changing and I will no longer be able to park on the street and walk a couple blocks to class. My options are now to either pay for a parking permit or pay weekly parking garage fees. Neither option is acceptable and I like to bike. So I choose the bike. My sweet little hybrid bike, named Bluebell, is just what I need to conquer the new downtown Indy parking debacle and help me establish a healthier lifestyle. And besides, with the cultural trail completed in my neighborhood, I can see me and Bluebell zipping all over the place this summer!
Connect with my inner Gumby.
My brother and I loved Gumby and Pokey when we were little. They stretched, they bent, they flowed - and they could walk in and out of any book they wanted to, at any time. While book walking will have to be left to my imagination, I have started doing yoga - in very small increments - to connect with my inner Gumby (or more likely, Pokey).
I do 10-15 minutes of yoga in the morning when I wake up and another 10-15 minutes of yoga in the evening before I go to bed. I love the endorphin rush I get from that early morning session and I feel so relaxed and warm after my evening session that I am sleeping more soundly at night. I am certainly a yoga neophyte and more than a little self-conscious about my abilities, so yoga classes were always tough for me. As a result, I went searching on Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes for instructional yoga videos that would fit my requirements. Not surprisingly, I found several. My favorite routines, so far, came from a program on Exercise TV called "Anytime Yoga." The sessions are super gentle and great for a beginner like me. They get you moving and warm and, best of all, explain to you why each pose is important.
Check it out:
As with anything, I anticipate that as I continue to practice yoga, I will continue to improve. In the case of me and yoga, there really is no where to go but up.
Keep it fresh (and local).
I few weeks ago I mentioned that I had started to receive produce delivery from Green BEAN Delivery. Well, now I am a few weeks into the service and I can tell you I absolutely love coming home to my green box of goodies. I have fallen in love with cooking again and find myself scouring the internet for healthy recipes for all the amazing produce and grains. This weeks challenges include fennel, broccolette, and quinoa.
Tomorrow I am heading to Goose the Market to check out some fresh meats and their amazing selection of lentils (my favorite type of legume). While I doubt their bacon of the month club is for me, I think I will be able to find a nice protein source to add to a stir fry or curry this weekend.
So, that is my health plan, at this point. I know I will have to make additions and changes, pending weather and the apocalypse but for now it seems like a good start and it makes me feel like I am finally taking my health back into my own hands.
With health and wellness in mind, I am on my way to do my evening yoga routine and settle down for an early night. Tomorrow brings new challenges and new adventures and my happier, healthier self will be ready for them.
Don't forget to take some time to reclaim yourself this weekend.
Namaste.
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