Crazy Baby Yoga

Crazy baby yoga style!

The comments on this youtube are just hillarious!! LOL!!

• this lady needs a lot - but preferably, a bullet in the face the most

  MJNSevenFifteen 4 hours ago
• parenting level : - ∞
  burn that BIATCH!

  INiMeN3 7 hours ago
• flaged for promoting terrorism.

  SeleNazzy 7 hours ago

Pre-natal Yoga vid

GAIAM's Pre-natal yoga DVD

I found this DVD at VV (ahem, value village) for $3 and so far i've been content with it. 

The hardest part of watching yoga on TV is you can't see what others are doing beside you...and thus if you are doing the pose right, and you don't have a teacher there to correct you.  However, as my friends have told me, prenatal yoga teachers don't really do much correcting as it is all "as tolerated" when it comes to yoga + pregnancy.

I like some of the moves in the video. Some poses I didn't know about and really provided a good, joint opening stretch. However, I have to watch the entire video to find those moves again as there is no pose index for me to filter through if I just want to do certain things.  I guess the purpose of doing the whole video is the mind/body/flow concept...things are supposed to flow like this!?  Also, what bothered me was that the moves were held kind of fast. You just aren't given time to hold it..breathe...feel the stretch...and gradually ease into the next pose.  I guess I can PAUSE the video and do something on each side (ie. like Bikrams), but i've slotted about an hour every other day or every few days for these exercises...not 90mins-2 hours! What I did like was that there were three people in the video, one to represent each trimester and you can follow whoever you want as tolerated.

even though i had a mere glass of chocolate milk prior, the times after the yoga session gave me some heartburn. I guess that's something I can't help since this kid is just up there and rising! the throatburn didn't last long, maybe 10mins or less. I otherwise feel better after than just doing nothing! Baby didn't care too much for it, he wasn't bouncing around or anything after but all in all no pain or discomfort and thus can only benefit both of us.

Pregnancy and Fitness

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Excerpt from What to Expect When You're Expecting...

 

The Benefits of Exercise

What's in it for baby? Plenty. Researchers theorize that changes in heart rate and oxygen levels in exercising moms-to-be stimulate their babies. Babies are also stimulated by the sounds and vibrations they experience in the womb during workouts. Exercise regularly during pregnancy, and your baby might end up being:

* More fit. Babies of moms who exercise during pregnancy are born at healthier weights, are better able to weather labor and delivery (they're less stressed by it), and recover from the stresses of birth more quickly.

* Smarter. Believe it or not, research shows that babies of moms who exercise throughout pregnancy score higher, on average, on general intelligence tests by age 5 (meaning that your workout may boost both your muscle power and baby's brain power!).

* Easier. Babies of pregnant exercisers tend to sleep through the night sooner, are less prone to colic, and are better able to soothe themselves.

 

***********************

 

In hindsight, I was probably about to pass out last Bikram's session because of the big fat positive (BFP)!  My body was probably working extra hard just to maintain a body temp for two, hence I was feeling so sleepy and tired during the first half.  Oh well, now I know!  I've read there are some major no-no's with overheating the baby, so at this time, i've indefinitely stopped Bikram's.

 

Now onto better and brighter things; with a swim cap and goggles in tow, i've decided to take up lap swimming and aquafit at the Renfrew Community Center.  Should be fun and definitely not super strenuous on the body- but just enough.  Later on, i'll consider some prenatal yoga as i've heard some wonderful things about the inclusion of baby bonding while in-utero,  something I definitely need as i'm admitting to a state of shock and disconnect.   As well, i've decided to set up some sort of strength training regime at home with some weights as I need to strengthen my upper back for all that baby carrying I need to do!

 

20 pushups

2 x 20 arm curls

2 x 20 behind arm curls

Lifting and whatever related at work!

Yay swimming pools!!! 

Eww to slimy pool and shower floors!!

3 months off the Pill - a Reflection

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Well it's been approximately 3 months since I stopped taking the pill, you can read that post here ---->I stopped the Pill!

There are countless websites out there that talks about fears and "success" stories when it comes stopping the BCP that the only common denominator I can come up with is that all women are different!

What have I noticed for myself?

• an insatiable appetitie
• probably a 5lb weight gain secondary to that insatiable appetite!! ugh!
• skin is less dry on my face
• skin tone is more even
• slight difficulty handling the stressors of work (although I have to admit it's been CRAZY at work)
• some nausea a week before period time with random wretching!
• feeling Bikram's detox symptoms a lot more, and needing to rest during the sessions
• water doesn't make me full
• I get obsessed with buying $$ stuff, but don't secondary to online researching for multiple multiple hours (maybe days! haha)
• the smell of VIM cleanser can be too much, I used to love the smell!
• moments when my head feels cloudy and maxed out!
• making really good food choices but not feeling full
• hair gets oily if I use certain types of shampoos like Herbal Essence
• scalp gets itchy and flaky if I use crappy shampoos
• sleeping well as always, but with super vivid dreams
• food tastes different, maybe more flavorful
• skin is clearer and less acne prone
• some minor cramping week prior to period time

That's all I can remember for now, but i'll definitely update when I think of it!

Master!

For those that have just dived into the practice of Bikram Yoga and was wondering about positions, watch these two videos of Esak Garcia!  This guy is like a boneless piece of meat, no limits to his flexibility!  haha!   But really, for those who go to classes where the instructor barely leaves the podium, or the dialogue is not as constructive/instructive as you would like, the way Esak Garcia does it, is how it's supposed to be done or look like.

All I can say is, good luck with this!

1)  Standing Series



2)  Floor Series



Bikram vs. Ashtanga Yoga

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Amusing article on Bikram vs. Ashtanga Yoga:  CLICK HERE for the comparison.
Read the comments, some people are just so sensitive! Sheesh!

I like this comparison the best,
"THE VIBE
Ashtanga: Serious external practice with serious inner-life investigation
Bikram: Survivor Island yoga: A hot-mess road through delirium, near breakdown, and miraculously still alive at the end"

So true! LOL!

Yoga

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Exercise/activities have always been a part of my life (and so it should be for everyone's life)!  I used to run a lot, I loved running the oval tracks at local high schools first and foremost and using the treadmill second (good for rainy days).  I wasn't really into pavement running as I liked an even ground to run on and I was able to anticipate change and regulate breathing.  The one thing I did wrong though was run in the same direction, using the inner circle for a number of years, and now my left knee is damaged!  Ugh!  No, nothing super serious..but it's constantly clicking when I go up a flight of stairs, crunching with every bend, kind of hurts to go down the stairs too.  I have to say that i've 'given up' on running so I won't be a debilitated person when i'm older.  I want to maintain my mobility when i'm old!

I've heard about "hot yoga" for a while now, I think there was a boom sometime in 2007/2008?  I liked the idea of yoga, but not the cost, a drop in session would be about $20 for any yoga class, or commit to classes by paying $200+ for greater than 15 classes.  Yikes!  In the bigger picture, it's a small price to pay for the health benefits it provides and if all goes well, then cheaper for the health care system!  My yoga studio offered a $26 unlimited 1 week intro offer, let's just I was more than eager to join during my fall 2010 vacation.

Hot yoga is a branch of yoga where it's 90 minutes, in 40degree celsius rooms, high high humidity and there are a set of 26 poses.  There are many websites that talk about hot yoga, here is a youtube video that sets a great visual!



Except for the constantly flying sweat from other people's bodies, my experience has all been positive.  Everything about Bikram's yoga has such a psychosomatic and somatic affect on the body.  I've never sweated so much as I have in a single yoga class.  I absolutely love it!   I do warn that this yoga is not for everyone and in my opinion, especially when you're pregnant!  Moreover, you would have to be in some sort of physical health to last the class, and know your body enough to listen/feel for during and post workout reactions.  I've heard of the standard faint feeling, nausea, lightheadedness, during and post class, but i've also heard of heart palpitations, migraines, the shakes, actual fainting.  Listen to your body!

Some great advice i've received and have passed on are that:

• drink plenty of fluids all hours prior and of course after the class, it takes about 45 minutes to absorb the fluids and you don't want to get dehydrated
• wear shorts and clothing that wick away sweat as you'll be drenched and sweating from places you've never sweated before
• top up on your electrolytes prior and post class.  I eat lots of fruit before, and have a piece of fruit (I like oranges) for after the class ...potassium!
• it's not a competition, and you won't be able to do everything your yoga-mates can do even after 10 classes
• listen to the instructor, because there's no point if you're doing the position wrong, again, it's not a competition
• freeze your water the night before, take it out on the day of your workout to start melting process, and it'll melt more during your class but you'll have a nice chunk of ice to cool your water during class
• prepare to not leave the room during the class, and there are poses where you can't drink water just yet (but when you have to, you have to)
• Listen to your body