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So i’m now firmly entrenched in my yoga practice again. And after so many years, it feels great. Today I even suffered my way through a very hot, Sunday morning class, while it was 72 and sunny outside! Now that’s dedication! What’s more, I loved it, and practically bounced out of the studio afterward. I’m really hoping I’ve found my exercise path, and that I can stick to it.
And I’ve also written about the broader benefits that a regular yoga practice can bring. Increased mental clarity, more focus, and a greater sense of control over the things that well, you can’t control. It’s very different to the Lindy Hop adventures Rick and I went on last year, but I’ve experienced similar benefits. Dance and yoga – I always hoped I’d find my way back to both.
So, now that we’ve discussed these benefits, can we get to the good stuff? Because girls, really, when all’s said and done, yoga is all about the clothes…
I joke of course, but come on! Admit it, there’s definitely a culture of yoga style out there, and even just looking at some of it makes you feel healthier, more glowing and more zen. Or at least that’s what the advertisers will have you believe! And even though I consider myself a fairly savvy consumer, and am definitely into yoga for the holistic health benefits, I’m not immune to some gorgeous yogi style.
So I was thrilled to discover Athleta, a Gap offshoot, very similar to the ubiquitous LuLu Lemon in style and aesthetic, and a brand that seems able to balance the practical needs of various sporting activities with every girl’s need to look cute while doing them!
So far, i’ve only plumped for the black harem pants pictured below, hoping that they look a fraction as cute on me as in the picture, but there’s a whole long list of things I’m lusting after. Of course, that would be denying my yoga principles, but a girl can dream while she takes a few long breaths from the diaphragm. Right??
(Photo credit: Athleta.com)
Usually by the time Christmas rolls around, i’m really tired, very stressed out, and often feeling very unhealthy indeed! Lots of social events, work projects that need completing before the annual pilgrimage to the UK, and not enough sleep – not a good combo for the body and soul. Especially when you throw in a 12 hour flight, twice in 10 days!
So this year, i thought i’d try a slightly different approach, as i needed to get back into balance. But no Blueprint Cleanse craziness for me, (although I hear great things about it, and might try it to kickstart next year). I needed something a little more accessible. That meant cutting out alcohol for a good couple of weeks, getting more quality sleep, cooking and eating home-cooked food (one of my life goals from a while back), and trying to focus on productivity vs worry at work. Nothing major, and nothing radical. But small steps toward a more balanced life, and good preparation for the guaranteed frenetic pace of Christmas in the UK.
It also meant taking control of some of the worries that overall anxiety can give rise to. That nagging fear of flying that cropped up a couple years ago, the recognition that I could be eating better. You get the drift.
So, a few weeks on, how did i do? Pretty good actually! Here are a few of the things that really worked for me:
- Drinking delicious juices, fancy (healthier versions of) sodas, and grape juices that, poured into a beautiful wine glass, can almost pass as the real thing! Try Trader Joes’ French Berry Lemonade or Wine Country Soda for a non-headache inducing way to relax
- Not feeling guilty about ‘just hanging out’ – trust me, i always have a personal to do list as long as my arm, but after Thanksgiving, I was so burnt out from various things that I literally holed up on the sofa and watched TV all day. Would I want to do that forever? No. Did it feel good to have nothing to do for a little while? Yes!
- Finding little treats that wouldn’t derail my good intentions completely. This is a British thing, but I’ve been eating delicious little 100 calorie pack of Maltesers – sooo good and chocolatey, but not as much of the guilt…
- Taking evening walks with Rick and Sophie. I have to confess that weirdly enough, my slightly healthier lifestyle hasn’t necessarily coincided with going to the gym a lot. I think I need to find a new way to work out actually. Gym has kinda burned me out, after all these years. So, a brisk evening walk with my two favorite housemates has been a great way to work out a little and more importantly, de-stress from the day
- Going for a consultation with a nutritionist. No decisions made yet (there are too many delicious baked goods in my office to start a real healthy eating kick!), but I have all the information i need to commit to sessions in the new year, which feels good
- And on the topic of ‘knowledge is power’, i finally attended a ‘Fear of Flying’ clinic at San Francisco Airport. To my surprise, the clinic was full of women just like me. Professional, intelligent, rational women, who suddenly had a fear creep up after many, many years of happy flying. I could never work out what sparked this a few years ago, but it was a very practical, useful day and I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to take control and arm themselves with the facts they need to enjoy flying and travel again
I hope I can keep up some of these things into next year. I’ve found they’ve really helped me a lot. But I still have a long way to go! A diet and exercise overhaul is next, and after the huge slice of pizza I ate today for lunch, there’s clearly some work I have to do! Plus, we’re now entering the real danger zone of the festive season of excess – work parties, friends’ cocktail bashes, visiting family and friends in the UK (and you know how much English people love pubs!). So, i can’t promise anything, but at least I’m going into it feeling good! Wish me luck…
Sometimes it seems as if even your free time is highly regimented. This blog is called Life Beyond The List for a reason, as it’s my attempt to chronicle some of the ways even an anally-retentive, list freak like me can chill out and enjoy the good stuff. BUT, then i find myself with a to-do list for weekend activities! This weekend, it went something like this:
- Spend quality time with boyfriend (yep, this actually made it onto an actual list – and yes, before you say it, I feel sorry for him too;)
- Go to gym twice, so i can kid myself those two Specialtys cookies last week won’t make it onto my hips
- Go to grocery store, so i can buy some healthy food for the week and not resort to take-out tacos from the hole in the wall on Divisadero Street, near our cottage
- Cook said food in advance for the week, knowing that there won’t be time to cook all the luscious-looking veggies and fish when i actually need to eat them
- Harangue myself for buying the same old things at Whole Foods, that are easy to make, taste good and fairly healthy. I always want to cook new recipes, but just never have the time. Turkey chili and roasted squash it is then
- Call my Mom back in England, for a weekly dose of local gossip, swine flu update, and progress report on my brother finally moving out, aged 29…
- Set up my new laptop, so i can transfer my ridiculous number of photos and have a proper repository for my blog materials
- Research a potential Fall trip to Chicago, only feasible if United points can be used. And we all know how easy and intuitive it is to book flights with miles…
- Wonder aloud for the hundredth time why my herbs (Italian Basil, Thyme and Sage if you’re asking) won’t grow any taller, but be grateful that at least they smell amazing
- Wring my hands in horror at the damage snails have wrought on my baby squash plants, and consider kind ways of torturing them
- Try and train an 11 yr old dog in the basics of obedience
- Walk 11 yr old dog for an extra time during the day, ’cause the sun is shining and i feel like a bad person if i don’t
- Facebook my friends that left me messages three weeks ago
- Finish and order my first Blurb book, of our new cottage, for my Mom back in England
- Buy frames for two prints that are begging to go on a wall, somewhere
- Work out new ways of preventing dog from going upstairs and chewing through baby gate, without damaging the look and feel of our cottage
- Decide on a theme (with boyfriend of course) for each room in cottage, so we can finally make some more progress in the decor dept (note to boyfriend – posters of classic Sci-Fi movies do not a country-style cottage make…)
- Sort through photographs to start planning the photo wall that Anh-Minh inspired me to create
- Visit a new restaurant or new bar (in this case, Press Club for delicious wine, and Lolo for quirky, amazing food), so i can at least kid myself my boundaries extend beyond SPQR and Delfina Pizzeria
- Try and walk past Gap without buying some new floral print item of clothing (oops, failed – take a look: http://tr.im/u7rt)
- See the new Harry Potter movie, because, you know, it has to be done. (Very good by the way. Nice and dark, which always appeals to me)
- Practice Lindy Hop before our two hour, Monday night class
Yep – sounds sooo relaxing doesn’t it?? And the sad thing is, this didn’t even involve hanging out much with my friends, something that definitely needs to be remedied for next weekend (luckily, August is full of good times ahead in that dept, so a little calm before the Margarita storm was actually kinda welcome this weekend).
BUT – the good thing is, it did involve hanging out with my boyfriend a lot, which, as he works every Sunday, was a good deal. It also involved one of the best massages i’ve had in a long time at Uncoiled (try it, and say i referred you – discounts in it for you and me!), and some old-fashioned, zero cost, zero stress, sitting on a chair on my porch, in the sun, and with a very happy dog, just the flowers, butterflies and wind chime for company. Lovely.
View from my back yard
It’s a constant battle of mine to actually switch off completely and relax. I’m not that great at it, and sometimes, it isn’t even that great for me. In fact, sometimes (and as noted with the Lindy Hop trials), it’s actually more therapeutic to engage my brain in something different and challenging, then just lie around, feeling wan and apathetic. But, i would like to feel less pressure to complete all these different personal projects, that can sometimes feel overwhelming. Even a three day trip to Calistoga has required military-style planning, and don’t even get me started on a Christmas trip to the UK. I guess i need to remember that sometimes, a day spent in the sunshine, listening to nothing but peace and quiet, and stroking a very chilled out dog, should be at the very top of my own, personal, to-do list.
What about you? What’s top of the personal de-stress list, and do you have enough of it in your life?
