Yoga – Page 2 – Runs With Hips

Yoga

Favourites Fridays

August 29, 2014 runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers!!

I know I usually post my favorite workout, recipe, or run of the week on Fridays, but

I had to take a step back from working out at my usual intensity and allow my quad to heal up a bit.

So, the timimg and circumstance is perfect for Favourites Friday to include a Yoga Pose! ~~Or 5!!~~

Or, at least I think I do.

***

My favorite body part ~~of all time~~ to train and strengthen are my hamstrings.

I don’t know if that’s because deadlifts are my all time favorite exercise and that makes for stellar hams,

or because running makes then awful tight and need extra attention.

Either way, I love working them, and strengthening them via running, lifting, and yoga 🙂

Big muscles need lots of oxygen, so they are hard to train. But it must be done!

Don’t skimp on the Deadlifts, Squats, and Lunges, Hip Huggers! They’re your foundation!

Here are some of my Favorite Hamstring awakening Asanas.

Sugar Cane Pose

Crescent Moon Pose Variation

Lizard Lunge

Hand to Big Toe Pose

Not all work and no play… when it’s time to give these hammies a rest…
we invert!

Hollow Back Handstand

Yoga has absolutely seduced me and taken over Favorites Fridays!

Want even MORE yoga? I shared my nightly sweet dreams sequence here.

If you are having a hard tome getting rest,

these poses may just fix you up and get you into a slumber in no time!

Check it out, Hip Huggers!

Thanks for stopping by and have a Great Weekend!!

***

Question: What’s you favorite body muscle to train?

Triangle Pose

Yoga

Sweet Dream Sequence

August 29, 2014 runswithhips

Hello Again, Hip Huggers!!

I want to take a yoga moment and share how my practice has truly enhanced my lifestyle.

From the time I rise until my eyes close, in some form or facet, yoga is on my mind.

Even when working out, I am always incorporating yoga into my recovery for days I left and run,

as well as active rest on days I don’t! But, it doesn’t S~~avasana~~ stop there.

Yoga not only enhances my days and workouts, but my nights and sleep as well!

Practicing a short, restorative sequence before bed brings awareness to my breath,

areas of my body which are tense, and allows me to fully relax and release my day.

Needless to say, the act of just simply deep breathing & deep stretching is calming and centering.

This, Hip Huggers, allows for a more restorative sleep. Our brains and bodies NEED this!

Note: I am not a yoga teacher, so please use caution when attempting these or any yoga poses.

Also, if this particular sequence is too long for you, or you’re not comfy with the flow, that’s ok!

Modify by choosing the ones you feel most comfortable in, and start building from there.

I practice each of these poses for about 10 breaths, and switch sides if necessary.

I focus on breathing and keeping my spine straight as possible while bending at the waist.

Let’s Get it in, Hipsters! Ready, Set, Flow!

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose:

Seated Head to Knee Pose:

Standing Forward Bend:

Wide Legged Forward Bend:

Legs Up the Wall Pose:

Reclining Hero Pose:

Child’s Pose:

Too tired to get on the mat? Then jump in the bed and get flowing!

The benefits will come wherever you decide to give your mind and body

some love! Bonus: if you can take just 5 minutes in the morning and do a few rounds of

Sun Salutations to wake up your body and mind by getting the blood flowing, you

are off to a fantastic start to your day, too! Come home to yourself. You deserve it!

***

I’m off to my Friday night yoga class,

Namaste, my friends! Sweet Dreams 🙂

Question: How much restful sleep a night are you getting?

Eating, Fitness, Lifting, Uncategorized, Yoga

Gettin’ In the Check In…

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014 runswithhips

Hello Hip Huggers!! Just checking on in wit ya…

You’re here now. That’s all that matters.

If you check in with me on Instagram, that little ticker right down there in the right hand corner, you’re up to date on my yoga challenges.
So, I’ll talk a smidge about other things that have been progressing over the last couple of weeks.
Since my last post, I have been doing a lot of reeling in on realizations about my fitness, you know, staying on my toes…

First, I had a short tenure again with MyFitnessPal.
After a few days of fitting all my macros, I came to the conclusion that I don’t really need a food tracker any longer.
Aligning with my fitness goals, I just need to continue eating whole, real healthy foods as I have been.
Being certainly mindful of my protein intake, keeping a close watch on fats, and gettin’ in my fiber goals daily.
With delicious real meals such as this one from last night…

Next, BodyBeast has been pretty much everything I have expected.
Not for the weak-minded I must say, because you will certainly be humbled when you are lifting drop, super, and giant sets!
I can’t believe I am saying this, but I had to break out my 5 lb. weights…yes. However, It lives up to the name.
I am seeing gains again. Check out this PUMP!!

I DID have to take a week off though, and that totally had me in the dumps.
I overextended my quad in yoga during a Vinyasa flow.
To be precise, too many lunge variations to quick in the sequence kinda irritated my upper left quad.
In short, a lot of fast flowing lunges that ended like this…

I was afraid I had pulled a tendon at first, that’s how bad it hurt.
But after icing and resting a few days, the pain has completely subsided.
Thank GOD! Lesson learned: Slow down to keep up!
Being sidelined from everything because of one thing is not a good look…
And trust me, I’ve worn it. Never. Again.

So, I had to scale back and return to less intense yoga and workouts.
Running was out of the question, so I picked a few 10 minute full body workouts to do daily,
After that pump, I trek over to the ‘Incredimill’ for a quick 30 minutes of walking intervals with hills,
or get it some step aerobics to get that heart rate up as well as that fitness…
For a fat burn that looks like this…

Sometimes less is more. The name of the game in forever fitness, Hip Huggers

Check It!!

Question: What is your favorite form of Cardio?