The food battle continues... Still eating too much sugar, but still under the calorie goals set by myfitnesspal.com. I think I'm going to spend some time today researching some better snacks that have less sugar in them. I like fruit, but it's not doing me any favours right now.
On Thursday night, I decided to accept a friend's invitation to go to a Yoga Fusion class at a local studio. She's mentioned it to me before, I've always been reluctant to do group exercise activities. It's not because I'm embarrassed to exercise around people, just that I like solitary exercise.
Anyway, I'm glad she talked me into it. I was looking for something different to do for exercise that night, so I borrowed another friend's yoga mat and made short trip there. I walked into the warm studio, unsure of what to expect, but open to whatever would happen.
I'm glad I brought a big bottle of water and a towel.
It was a surprisingly relaxing class, even though we worked hard. It was a mix of Pilates (which I've always enjoyed) and yoga. I thought that the warmth of the room would do me in (it wasn't officially a hot yoga class... perhaps tropical is the better word?), but it's true that your muscles stretch better when they are warm. It was interesting, because during the resting poses, I felt curiously cooler, even though I'd been dripped with sweat only moments before. I knew I'd be sore the next day, but I felt good about it, proud that I'd given my muscles a new challenge.
The class ended with a long period of corpse pose, which went by really quickly. Actually, the whole 90-minute class went by in a flash. I felt like I could breathe easily again after a long day. I overheard a couple of people say that they didn't think their blood pressure could take another class, but I really thought it did my heart good. I suppose the real test would be to test my blood pressure after I got home and showered and cooled down, but I'm going to have faith for now that it is good for me.
And yes, I'm going back next week. Maybe I'll get a yoga butt after all. Oh, and I lost two pounds this week. Yay me.
Beautiful post Adrienne :)
ReplyDeleteThe positive response of the blood pressure is one of the most telling demonstrations of Yoga's ability to regulate and synchronize body systems.
With warmed yoga, any yoga, consult your doctor, use common sense, and don't push hard in any of the poses the first three days. The poses in which high blood pressure patients must continue to exercise caution until their blood pressure checks out normally are these: the backward bending portion of Half Moon, the Standing Bow Pulling, Balancing Stick, Cobra, the third part of Locust, Full Locust and the Camel.
Depending on the severity of your condition, the above should be done for a count of no more than five at first, building to ten counts only after two weeks. Be absolutely sure to rest between each set. It is also essential for heart patients to breathe normally during the postures. As for the Bow Pose, (on the floor) a beginner with high blood pressure must never perform the pose without a qualified teacher present.
It is because these backward bending positions create pressure in the chest, and so on the heart, that high blood pressure patients must use caution. Do not eliminate them though--with the exception of Bow Pose. They are the very friends you need to control your ailment ♥
You're awesome, SereneG. :) Thanks for visiting.
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