Last year, my wife introduced Joshua (and Lily via the trickle-down effect) to yoga for kids. Before I had even tried yoga myself, she bought this yoga-for-kids DVD set, featuring yoga instructor Marsha Wenig.  Joshua enjoys it a lot, and has his own yoga mat to along with my wife’s. Lily likes to participate too, but she’s basically hanging around.

Turns out that more parents are trying out yoga for the kids. According to CNN’s article, “Yoga helps even little ones channel energy, emotion“, hundreds of studios across country teach yoga to children. Wow, I had no idea.

A few weeks ago, I realized that I was in a funk in a number of aspects of my life, but I had an epiphany, and I woke up. Actually, someone in the office took advantage of my good nature, and I got metaphorically screwed.  It resulted in the aforementioned epiphany. It was time to get out of the funk, and change my life. Get back to being me — the real me. The real “kick-yer-ass-and-take-names” me.

One aspect relates to me and my fat ass.  We’re all getting fatter, and I feel ashamed. If you look back at photos of when us folks were younger, we were so thin back then.  I look at photos of people I know nowadays, and we’ve all become fat. I saw a photo of someone I know (who shall remain nameless) who was this thin teenager.  Now, the kid is in his late twenties, married, and looks bloated. Oh, I’m not excluding myself in all this finger-pointing.  I’m heavier than ever.  Sure, some of it is a function of us getting older, and our metabolisms slowing down.  We’re so busy with kids and work, that we don’t have time for a more active lifestyle.  Still, we should be ashamed of ourselves.  It’s enough.

I started back at the gym on Monday, which was the first time since April 6th.  The real me shouldn’t have this sedentary lifestyle.  The real me shouldn’t be this fat.  How is this going to be different?  I’m committed.  Seriously though, how is this going to be different?  Because I’m changing my diet too.  I’ve started eating smaller portions, and more fruit.  What’s the big deal about fruit?  I hate fruit, but I’m eating it. If I hate fruit this much, and I’m eating it willingly, that means I’m serious.

It’s all about motivation. Sometimes, looking yourself in the mirror and being fed up is enough motivation to change yourself.  At this point in my life, it feels good to feel driven again.  Somewhere along the way, I stagnated.  I was holding the line, and nothing more.  No more. I can see this at the office already. Now’s it’s time to get my body back too.  I’m turning things around, getting back on track, and changing my life.

You want to know how determined I am?  I want to tell my childhood hero Col. Steve Austin to move over, and watch someone really become better, stronger, faster.

Today, I made my long-awaited return to the gym.  With so little free time in the past few months, I haven’t had the free time.  Can you believe that I haven’t gone since April 6th?  Can you believe that? I couldn’t believe it.  It has been a long time.

I kept it light, as I didn’t want to overdo it, and then put myself out of commission for the rest of the week.  Cardio for 5 mins, stretching, upper body workout, and then ran on the treadmill for 25 mins at a good jog. I am so tired and a bit sore, but glad I went.  Now, to make it happen Wed and Fri too.

I’m proud to announce that I’ve lost 4 lbs. in 4 weeks, which (if you can’t do the math) is 1 pound a week.  That is sustainable, doable, inscrutable, and not bamboozle-able.

I’m really happy for myself, and I’m gonna keep it going.  I was so thrilled that instead of walking before yoga today, I ran for 20 mins.  I was fired up the rest of the day.  Sure, I’m feeling it now — achy ankles and feet, sore leg muscles, but I reiterate.  “Yea!”

This past Friday, I attended my first yoga class through the campus gym.  It wasn’t bad.  The class consisted of relative beginners and more advanced folks who were very limber.  The instructor who comes in was very nice, and told me to take it easy by being “true to my body”, and only stretch as much as your body allows. 

The first thing I learned is that socks have to come off, because there is no traction on that yoga mat.  Socks came off halfway through the session, as I kept slipping.

The second thing I learned is that it’s hard to keep all those poses, while remembering to breathe.  Breathing at least once in 60 minutes doesn’t sound difficult, but I noticed that I was holding my breath while trying to get into the various poses.  I suppose I was concentrating as I moved into the various poses.  I had to remind myself to, hello, breathe.

The third thing I learned is that you can break a good sweat just stretching.  Yoga is just stretching and breathing, so I felt initially bored while I wondered when I was going to do something exciting.  Towards, I was breaking a sweat as I moved back and forth from downward-facing dog to student pose, to warrior pose to that weird pose with your arms interlocked around your back and under your thighs.  I tried all the positions, except that pose where she had us put our rears and legs straight up in the air.  I couldn’t do that, but I sorta gave it the old college try. She then had folks move the legs over their heads like a fishhook.  I laughed, and gave in.  There was no way I could do that, so I waited until they were done.

Strangest part?  During one of the poses, the fellow in front of me farts audibly.  I gave the back of his head a dirty look.  All in all, I’ll do yoga again.  I’m certainly not as limber as I used to be, and this would be good for me at least twice a month.

I attended my first yoga class today. The company gym on our campus offers a number of free fitness classes, including yoga, Zumba, abs class, core strengthening, etc. So I decided to take a yoga class, as one of my coworkers said it was pretty good. I also realize that I’m not as limber as I used to be, so it couldn’t hurt to get limber again. Especially if I take Sting and his wife up on their offer to teach me that whole tantric thing.

I had no idea you could break a sweat during a yoga class. I got to class a little early, so I did some cardio, then went into the 1-hour class. Yoga appears to be just a whole lotta stretching, breathing, and some use of my 3rd eye. Who knew I had a 3rd eye? I thought it was blind? [chortle, chortle, I'm so witty.]

The instructor told me to take it easy as a beginning, and not to do anything my body wasn’t able to do “Be true to your body.” I did all the exercises, but when the class started raising their legs and posteriors in the air (supported by their hands), I hung back. When they then extended their entire lower bodies over their heads, I laughed and waited for them to finish. No, there was no way I could do that.

It was a pretty slow pace, but I think I’ll do it again next week.

You have to be kidding me.  I thought my 20-30 mins 3x time cardio a week on the treadmill or stationary cycle was good.  The American College of Sports Medicine is recommending 50 mins of cardio per session, 5x a week, if you want long-term weight loss.

Bah! This is discouraging.

So I’ve complete 5 workouts at the gym this year in the past two weeks.  My current workout regimen is upper body exercise (free weights and machines) Monday or Tuesday, then lower body exercises (machines) Wednesday or Thursday, and just cardio on Fridays.  I do cardio at all workout sessions — 20 mins on the treadmill when I’m doing strength training, and 30 mins on the treadmill when I’m not. 

So far, so good.  I’m keeping track of progress on a worksheet, and I’m in stronger/faster than I thought after a year of inactivity.  I’ve lost 3 lbs in the past 2 weeks, but I know that portion control will make or break my health program.   I’m trying my best.   I’m not being unrealistic — 1 lbs of weight loss a week is the goal.

Though, I gotta confess that my abs are really sore. 

I’m wrapping up my 2nd week back at the gym.  I’ve lost 3 lbs. so far, which isn’t that impressive, as it’s just the usual few pounds you lose after your body is shocked by the sudden change from a sedentary to active lifestyle.   It’s obviously been tough to find time to work out.  I try to go at lunch time, but there’s often too much going on during the day for me to go at lunch time without guilt.  I’ve had to work out at the gym more often after 5:30pm, which unfortunately gets me home late. 

Thankfully, my wife is supporting me on my 2009 back-to-basics health kick, even if she doesn’t believe I need to work out.  She’s sweet.  Deluded, but sweet.

It’s also been about portion control.  I have cut back on the frequency of fries, sweets, and other foods with empty calories.  I cut back on the soda, and drinking more water from the water fountain at the office.  Speaking of portion control, the Today show had an article about a new diet book, The Belly Off Diet, by Jeff Csatari.  I’m not buying the book, but it’s interesting to read how food portions have grown ginormous since the 1950’s.