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Jun 30

Yoga Made Easy- Pose 6

Article By: Megan Stremick

Pose:

Warrior 2

Now that you’ve had a week to master Warrior 1 let’s continue the theme of the mommy warrior with Warrior 2, strengthening both your peace-of-mind and your thighs. This is a perfect pose to do for those times that you’re feeling a little less than the awesome mommy that you are; like when you beat yourself up over that Krispy Kreme you indulged in, your mother-in-law made another comment about the way you choose to discipline your kids, or instead of ‘politely’ hanging up on the solicitor on the phone you decided to release your frustration with a string of four letter words. Follow the How To below and you will feel like a peaceful, strong, and beautiful mommy in no time.

Warrior 2 Benefits:

  1. Promotes flexibility in the inner thighs, hips, groin, ankles and chest
  2. Strengthens the thighs, shoulders and arms
  3. Builds stamina
  4. Relieves back pain

Warrior 2 How To:

  1. Stand in Mountain pose, reach your arms out to a T then step your feet out to the sides so that your ankles line up underneath your wrists—yes, your stance should be that wide.
  2. Keep your arms out to a T. Spin your right leg open so that your right toes are now pointing in the same direction as your right fingertips.
  3. Pivot your left heel back so that your left foot is now at an angle
  4. Bend your right knee so that it sits above the ankle. Look down to make sure that you can see your front big toe and the knee is in line with the second toe (this alignment protects the knee and the hips).
  5. The torso sits right above the hips, do not lean the torso over the front thigh—the spine should be straight.
  6. Keep the back leg straight and strong by reaching down through the outer arch of the back foot.
  7. Take a deep inhale and lift the chest up, exhale as you relax the shoulders down away from your ears.
  8. Focus your gaze is out over your front middle finger.
  9. Hold for five deep breaths or as long as you can while breathing in through the nose and out through the nose
  10. Repeat on the left side.

Warrior 2 Cautions:

  1. Diarrhea
  2. High Blood Pressure
  3. Severe neck or back discomfort

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Feb 17

Start Your Training for the LA Marathon!

So most of you have seen the pics I have posted on Facebook and Twitter of myself rosy cheeked, bundled up, and sweating- proving that woman don’t necessarily just glow. I am officially training for the LA Marathon! Usually, you would need to give yourself around 6 months to train for a marathon. However, I don’t have time for that! But don’t worry, I will be walking the 26 mile marathon with the good people over at Child S.H.A.R.E. So not only will I have company, but I will have an excuse to not try to run the entire way.  (thank goodness)

Before we start going over tips on what to do…

I think it is just as important to go over things you should NOT do! So many beginners make so many of the same mistakes when they first start out!

My friends over at Runner’s World helped me out with this amazing list!

Mistake: Too fast, too soon
“Most first-time racers go out too fast and are miserable by the second mile,” says women’s running coach Jane Serues. Even veteran runners get caught up in the race-day enthusiasm–and other faster racers.

Easy Fix:
“Start out at a comfortable pace,” says Serues, “a pace where you’re not killing yourself and can still converse with deep breaths in between sentences. No huffing and puffing.” Then try to run each mile just a little bit faster, so that your last mile is the fastest. “A strong finish leaves a better taste in your mouth than a great first mile with a cross-eyed finish,” says Chris Carmichael of Carmichael Training Systems.

Mistake: Too much food
RW columnist Jeff Galloway says many first-timers eat too much before a race, particularly the night before. Carmichael agrees. “You don’t need to carbo-load for a 5-K,” he says. Most people have enough stored energy in their bodies to run a 5-K without taking in any additional calories.

Easy Fix:
“Eat less than normal before the race,” says Serues. Try small meals the day before, and something as simple as a banana and a glass of skim milk on race morning. “The key is choosing something easy to digest,” says Serues. “Not ham and eggs, which your body has to work hard to break down.”

Mistake: Too little warmup/cooldown
Your body needs to warm up properly before it can run well at the higher intensity required to race a 5-K. And a postrace cooldown helps you recover more quickly so that you’ll feel better the day after the race.

Easy Fix:
Include a 15-minute warmup before the race, and a 15-minute cooldown afterward, says Carmichael. For both, mix walking and jogging to help ease into and out of your race pace.

Want to come join me and the rest of the 8th Continent Crew at the Marathon? DO IT!

Make sure to keep tuning in for more tips and updates to get you to that finish line.

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