Good Start to a Cold Weekend

Don't you love when you finish a really great workout and you just feel refreshed and fantastic? Like you can do anything? Well, that's how I felt this morning after mine. I woke up and headed out in the cold to make it to the gym for yoga.
___________________________________________________________________
I've been asked what the difference between yoga and pilates is, and this is what I found:

• Both yoga & pilates focus on the mind/body connection and produce long and lean muscles.
• They both increase flexibility and improve alignment
• Both increase body awareness
• Both create a stronger core
• Pilates classes are typically 60 minutes long and can use both a mat and/or machine
• Yoga classes can be either 60 or 90 minutes and poses are done on a mat (no machines)
• Yoga is thousands of years old and began in India
• Pilates was created by Joseph H Pilates (1880-1967) to create awareness of breath, alignment of the spine and strengthen the core. He created all the equipment and tools.
• Yoga involves meditation and reaching a stress free, focused state. There is a strong spiritual component.
• Pilates is focused on the physical aspects of the practice.

The two practices are very similar and great compliments to each other, but there are differences and one may meet your goals better than the other.
____________________________________________________________________

Class was pretty good, but truth be told, I'm not all that fond of the teacher. Her personality and teaching method rubs me a bit wrong, but in the end, I do feel like I'm improving a bit and the timing & location works well for me. Perhaps when the weather warms up a bit I will seek out another club location with a better teacher. (I do think the teacher is extremely important) I love the last few minutes of class when we're laying on the floor, relaxing and reflecting on our practice before heading back into the crazy world.

After class I did 48 minutes on the elliptical and then a quick strength workout that consisted of the following:
1. 175 crunches
3x10 of each -
2. pull downs
3. tricep dips
4. bicep curls
5. row
I did these pretty quickly back to back, so my heart rate was up through the whole workout. Tomorrow, I'm going to try Spinning for the first time!

Woody and I met up at the gym and headed to the grocery store for our staples. We then made breakfast - pumpkin walnut pancakes using almond milk (a mix my parents gave us for Christmas) and sauteed fruit (1 ea - apple, pear, banana). We capped it off with a cup of hot Stumptown coffee. It was delicious!

I'll be baking cookies for the cookie exchange later today. I've never tried this recipe before, so I hope they turn out well. I've found two recipes with a healthful twist, so this should be good!

Hope you're all having a great day!