It's been a few months since my last post, but I'm happy to say that I've kept off the weight I lost earlier this year (despite a family vacation that involved baby back ribs a great selection of micro-brew beer).
I've found a second wind with an increasingly motivating vinyasa yoga practice. Often with distance running, I found my workouts to be somewhat punishing - the long miles left me feeling energized but very hungry and sore. At the end of each run, I felt entitled to overindulge. Not that any of this is running's fault (it's me, not you), but more that I found it easy to slip into auto pilot.
With yoga, the vast amount of technical details, fellow practitioners, and inspired writings help keep me engaged. Strangely, I've found that I don't miss the more intense cardio one bit. While yoga seemed too subtle at first to produce results, I soon learned that a practice can be as hard and grueling as one requires, producing results pretty quickly. It's only been a month, but I feel stronger, notice more definition all over, and even stand taller! (I started at 6' 3", but I swear I've grown half an inch).
My current routine involves rising at 7 am and practicing for an hour. I don't follow a video, but just put on Pandora and go to it. This required memorizing the sannas and connecting vinyasas, but that process was actually very interesting. Since yoga classes are pretty expensive (around eighteen bucks a pop), cultivating my home practice was key for me to feel that what I was doing was worthwhile. I do go to class once a week for a refresher, and International Orange in SF is my favorite (partly because its in walking distance of my apartment). My home routine includes 5 basic sections:
1. Sun salutations (see http://youtu.be/eGXgoW70IB0)
2. Standing poses
3. Abs
4. Backbends
5. Relaxation & Meditation
At the end of the day though, calorie deficit is what leads to weight loss. My buddy Mike turned me on to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ which has proven to be very helpful (my username is matthewatabet, feel free to add me!). While the actual calorie counts seem a bit off (the whole thing seems skewed towards low-carb, high cardio lifestyles) I found that simply recording what I eat is a great way to cultivate awareness and hedge off unwanted snacking.
Peace,
Atabet
