YOGA...

I'm sure we have all heard about Yoga. I've known about Yoga for years. You know that exercise where everyone sits around and meditates and says...."OMMMMMMM." Right?

Mmmmm, not hardly.

So, what is Yoga?  To be honest, I really didn't know much about Yoga until my daughter became certified in Vinyasa Flow Yoga and started teaching. She has mentioned on several occasions that I need to take some classes. I took one class with her, then I took another class while I was on a cruise. But that really wasn't much of a class. Too many distractions.

Since the first of the year, our fitness center started offering Yoga classes free to members. I decided to try it. I now go three days and week and LOVE it! 

Most of you probably think of yoga as a stretch class. Yes, there is a lot of stretching involved, but there is much more to yoga than just stretching. First off, the word yoga means union; the union between mind, body and spirit. 

In yoga, you create balance in the body through both strength and flexibility. You do this by a series of poses and posture. Many times the poses are done quickly in succession, creating a heat in the body (which is the Vinyasa flow style), or more slowly to create a better alignment. This can also help with stamina. In addition to working the strength and flexibility you also work your core.

When going to a yoga class, it will be referred to as your practice. YOUR practice. Everyone's practice is different. Just because the girl next to you can twist up like a pretzel does not mean that you have to do that. Your practice will continue to evolve and change. Probably the hardest thing about yoga is letting go of your ego, and doing what is right for YOUR body. 

Another thing that is important in yoga is breathing. You breath in through your nose and out through your nose. During the practice you should never hold your breath; the breath is constant, and it is deep and long.

There is a lot to yoga, I recommend that you go try a class. I recommend that you go several times, because just going once will not give you a full understanding. Seems like the more I go, the more I want to go again and again.

TRX

What is TRX?
Total Body Resistance eXercise. 

This is actually one fun class. After the class you can really feel it. The first time I took this class I was sore for a couple of days. My Yoga class helped me out with this though. I have found the day I do TRX, I also do Yoga. That seems to be a very good combination for one of my days, which is usually Wednesday morning.

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In our TRX class, we use the bands and our body weight. This gives us a good stretch, and weight work out. Of course our class is full of beginners since our fitness club just got the TRX equipment a few weeks ago. Since there are only 12 bands, class size is limited, that is why I can only do this once a week. But that is ok, because after the TRX work out, my thighs and upper arms are very sore.

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Here's a pretty good little video that gives you an idea as to what the moves are like in a beginner TRX class.

I've been taking this class for about 3 weeks now, and I don't seem to be as sore anymore. I hope to be able to continue this great once a week work out.

RECYCLE AND MAKE SOME JEWLERY

From this....

To this...

What do you think?

Pilates Anyone?

In my last post I talked about weight and exercise. I know many of you probably thought, "Well, I don't have that kind of time," and so you don't do anything at all. Been there, done that...

The fact is, you don't have to go to the gym and spend hours upon hours there. Especially if you are doing nothing at all right now.  Just one hour a day, five days a week is plenty. Start out like I did. Walk. 

The reason walking is not working for me any more, is because, well, my body just got tired of doing the same thing all the time. Yes you read that right. You see, walking was great at first, but as my body got use to walking, it got stagnant. Just as in dieting, you have to trick your body. It's the same with dieting AND exercise; you have to trick your body.

For example...with eating. If you only ate the same thing, same amount of calories, your body will all of the sudden think that it has to keep those calories and then store them (as fat) instead of burn them. It is best if you maybe one day a week, eat a little more. Same thing with exercise. That is one reason that now I am taking so many different types of exercise.  In the next few days, I will go over some of the the forms of exercise I have been doing.

First...Pilates. Great for your core.  These muscles are in the body's lower and upper torso. Most of these muscles are below the surface, so you can't really see them. They are very important because it helps in balance, proper posture, and protects the inner organs. They pretty much help the overall health of an athlete. When I first started Pilates, I found that even though I have week stomach muscles, I have a very strong core, go figure.  So just because your stomach muscles are strong doesn't mean your core is...and vice versa.

According to http://pilates.about.com/od/whatispilates/a/WhatIsPilates.htm
"Pilates is a form of exercise  developed by Joseph Pilates, which emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength  flexibility  and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement." I guess that's why dancers like Pilates so much. 

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Breathing is very important in Pilates. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the nose.

Here is a pretty good beginner work out just to give you an idea as to what Pilates is all about. She starts out talking about the breathing.

For more information about Pilates, hop on over to her blog: http://pilates.about.com/od/whatispilates/a/WhatIsPilates.htm
There is a lot of information, and who knows, this might sound very appealing to you.

The next link is a video of a good ab workout. It is a lot like the one we do at my Pilates class.
http://www.blogilates.com/animated-gifs/fabulous-flat-abs-gif-from-pilates-bootcamp

Hope you get the opportunity to try this. I love it!

MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR!

When I was a young girl, I was pretty skinny, not too skinny, though.

That's me...2nd from the right in blue shorts and white Keds Tennis shoes. I was about ten in this picture. We were at a friends birthday party.

That's me with a parrot on my right shoulder, with my dad and two younger sisters. As you can see, none of us were very big. We were pretty active. All of us girls danced. I was also a cheerleader in Jr high, and my sisters danced with the band. I probably would have danced with our band...that is if they had had such a thing at my high school. Instead, I swam in high school for a year.

In college, I was on dance teams and majored in dance, so I stayed in pretty good shape. 

My wedding dress was about a size 2.

About five years after we were married, we were FINALLY blessed with our first bundle of joy. We were so excited...so excited that we even fought over who was going to change the diaper. Ya...lol.

I really didn't gain too much weight, under the limit they recommend  But boy was that weight EVER hard to get rid of.  I was told that since I was in such good shape and I was nursing it shouldn't be that hard. 

WRONG!

With each of my precious little ones, the weight kept piling on and on.  After our last child (# four). I decided to go to weight watchers. I was pretty successful. The only thing was...my body had changed...A LOT!!! I was not size two, but I was a size 5. I really wanted that size two, but was told NOT to loose anymore. What had happened?

From that time to now, my weight has fluctuated up and down many times.  Sometimes it was medical issues, but most of the time it was diet and lack of exercise. I never really got HUGE, but it was hard to stay down. 

In 2006, I got down again, but was told not to loose anymore. A couple years later, we had been in Louisiana for a few years, and yep you guessed it, the weight came back on. I was walking about three to four miles (in one hour) in the mornings...Monday through Friday, but that good food, well, you don't have to eat much for that weight to pile back on.

And pile on it did. Here is one of my few "fat" pictures. 

So, you might be asking why am I blogging about this...well, it is because I think I have found out my problem. Since we moved this past summer, I have been going to the gym...almost everyday. The weight is coming off little by little. I haven't really changed what I eat as much as what I do. I have learned that as I get older my metabolism has gotten slower, and, sorry to say, walking ain't gonna cut it! 

I started out just going to the active older adult class. Yep, I'm over 50 now, so I can go to the "older" adult classes. I also went to Pilates. After awhile I cut out the older adult aerobic class. I really was not getting much out of it at all. Instead, I continued to go to the older adult water aerobics, and after the class I would swim. At first I was so out of shape that doing 5 laps was killing me. I stayed with it, though, and got up to 20! That was in addition to  water aerobics twice a week, water walking twice a week, Pilates twice a week, and a once a week spinning class.

I soon noticed that when I get up in the mornings, I have so much more energy. Before I hated getting out of bed...I had to drag myself out, but now, I hop out of bed, stretch, eat breakfast and off to the gym. Not only do I feel the added energy, I can tell my metabolism is so much higher. I don't really feel like eating as much. 

Since the first of the year, I haven't been swimming much. I HATE the cold, and it has really been cold lately. Our gym has started a new TRX training class and I've been doing that once a week, in addition to the Pilates twice a week, Yoga three times a week, and ZumbaTone. This week it is suppose to get warmer, so I will probably be doing some swimming. I really feel that is where I have lost a lot of my weight, and revved up my metabolism.

Anyway...I share this with you because I know I am not the only one having weight issues. I see some of these ladies in my classes, particularly in the pool, that are very overweight...like need to loose 100 or more lbs. They have told me that since they have hit the gym, they feel so much better, and their medical issues seem to be disappearing, including their blood pressure and blood sugar. I hate to say it, but in addition to what we put into our bodies, it is also keeping our bodies active. Seems like the older I get, the more I have to move my body. 

I know in this day and age, it is really hard to find the time to exercise. It is my hope that we all try to find that time to move more. If you have work and family, well, then get your family to move with you. After all, if you get them to eat right and start moving, then the whole family will have a healthier body. Many of us don't exercise at all, so just one hour a day six days a week is all most of us need to stay healthy. So, get the whole family involved and make it a FAMILY AFFAIR!

BEAD SOUP IS A COOKIN'....AGAIN

Yep, that's right another Bead Soup Blog Party is simmering away. It will be my official 4th one, even though I've done 4; one of which was a non participant Bead Soup Blog Party.

Last Bead Soup Party

Usually, when I do one of these parties, I wait until I meet my Bead Soup partner. This time, I already have it picked out and ready to send. Of course I won't reveal what I am sending until my partner actually gets them.

First Bead Soup Party

In the past, I have received some beautiful beads. The purpose of these parties is so we can be challenged. So if you participate, don't be surprised if you get something that you look out and say, "What?" Not only are we to be challenged, we also have made new friends.

Second Bead Soup Party

When I signed up, many questions were asked. One of which I told her I wanted to be challenged. That is a pretty scary comment, as she could really, really challenge me. 

Lori Anderson

I hope you stay tuned, and maybe even go visit Lori Anderson's blog. And...if you make jewelry, you might even think about signing up for this next party.

Mala

Since the first of the year, I have been practicing Yoga. At first I didn't know how I would feel about it. I love going to Pilates, working out in the pool and Zumba, and so I decided I would try Yoga...especially since they were not charging members of our athletic club extra anymore.

After a few weeks of Yoga....I LOVE IT!!!! I feel so good after a class. Especially the next day after a good work out in my toning or TRX class. 

My daughter, Ashley, is a Yoga instructor in south Louisiana. She is actually the one who talked me into trying a class.  I would really like to take one of her classes. I hear she is pretty good.

Ashley had a suggestion for me. Since Yogies are usually into Mala beads, why don't I make them? Okay, what are they? Well for those of you familiar with Rosary beads, they are kinda like that. Mala beads are used in prayer and meditation. They are also used as a fashion statement.

I decided to dig around in my stash of beads and come up with something. The first one I made I used acrylic beads. I actually really like them, and plan to keep them for myself.

A Mala necklace is made of 108 beads, plus one, called a sumeru or guru bead. When performing japa, you start at one end of the necklace and go around the the other end. You should never skip over that 109th or guru bead. 

This next mala is made of glass beads. I love the bright colors.

This last mala is made of bamboo. I forgot to put the guru bead on it, so I need to correct that. I love these beads though. They are very light and also very colorful.

Mala beads can also be made into a shorter necklace or wrap bracelet of 54 or a bracelet of 27. The 108 Mala can also be worn as a wrap bracelet.

So, maybe next time I decided to do a craft show, I will have some Mala beads to choose from.

By the way, if you want to make your own Mala, check out a great tutorial by my sister, Tammy Powley.

WHY AM I A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS?

On January 31, I will celebrate my 34 years as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Why is that so special?  Well...

I grew up going to church, at least most of the time. When we moved to Florida in 1967, my mom thought we should attend church, and we started attending The First Baptist Church of Rockledge. My sisters and I also attended St Mary's Catholic School. Soon after we started going to the Baptist Church, my two sisters, Mom and I were baptized. Yes we were Baptist girls going to a Catholic school. You can see where I got a pretty good religious education.

Fast forward a couple of years. Because of some sort of issue, many of the congregation left First Baptist of Rockledge, including us. Not sure why. First we headed over to the island, but that church was WAY too big. We tried all kinds of Baptist churches in the area. I had a lot of questions and remember asking some of them to different ministers. Mostly, I got, "You should never question God." I was not questioning God, I was just curious, about a lot of things. One in particular was what happens to us after we die. I think what spurred this question on was the fact I had just lost my dog. The specific question I had was, "After we die, where do we go?  Do we go straight to Heaven? or Hell? What about family members and friends? Will we know them? Will I see my mom and know that she was my mom on earth?" The answer I got made me start doing some thinking, real soul searching. 

My best friend and I decided to start going to other churches. I remember the first time we decided to go to another church, we got up, got dressed and waited for that bus. The funny thing was we were too chicken to go out and get on the bus. We sat there at the window, and watched that bus drive right by. We were so silly. Eventually, we did catch that bus, probably the next Sunday. 

After going form one denomination to the next, I finally quit going all together. I knew, though, something was missing. Then, one day while I was a Sophomore in high school (1975), I met a girl. There was something about her that people were drawn to, including me. I really couldn't put my finger on it. I remember talking to her about her church. She was very open and I learned a lot. I learned that many of the things she was telling me, I already believed. One of which were eternal families; how after we die, we had the opportunity to live with our families, and that marriage was not "until death do we part" but "for time and all eternity." 

Another thing that struck me about what she believed was that you didn't just go to Heaven or Hell. I always thought that was strange, because some people are REALLY, really good, some are just so so, not good enough for Heaven, but surely not bad enough for Hell. I learned that there are actually three parts to "Heaven."  It even talks about it in the Bible. 

The Bible. Scripture. Now that was something that was REALLY different about her church. They believed in the Bible, taught from the Bible, but they also had other scripture. Hmmmm, not sure how I felt about that, until I was shown in the Bible where it talks about other scripture. So, I guess there can be other scripture. So, I started reading the Book of Mormon. Wow! That book talks so much of Jesus Christ. As I sat in their church meetings, that is all they talk about...Jesus Christ and His teachings. I started doing some more investigating.

To make a long story short, I was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on January 31, 1979; about four years after I first heard of this church. Each year I celebrate that day. No, I don't have a big party and all, but I do celebrate it in my heart. 

I know the Savior lives. He loves each and every one of us. Even those of us who are in great sin. I know it saddens Him when we make bad decisions. I think as a parent, I understand more how He feels than I did as a child. I know that Jesus Christ, God our Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost are three separate individuals. As I read in the Bible and listen to the Lord's words I can't help but know that. For example...

How can the Lord sit on His own right hand? When Jesus was baptized, and a voice from Heaven said, "This is my beloved son in who I am well pleased." So, is he pleased with himself? Then at this same baptism, there was a dove. So was that him too? And...when Jesus was on the earth as a baby, then a child, etc. Who did he pray to?  When Jesus was suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, when called out to the Father, who was He talking to? It was His Heavenly Father. There are so many things in the Bible that prove they are three separate individuals. Yes, it talks of them being the same, and they are...one in purpose. Just as my husband and I are two separate individuals, but we are ONE. Mark 10:8 (talking about marriage) "And they twain shall be one flesh; so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." 

Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, I have had so many of my questions answered. Sure, I still have questions. I believe there will always be more and more questions, and many of them will not be answered in this life. I'm not saying that all the other churches are bad either. They are not, in fact there are many good things about other churches. The thing is about the church I go to, is that we have more information. 

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yummy Green Smoothie

In my last blog, I talked about eating right. For this blog, I have a really good smoothie recipe I'd like to share.

Here are all the ingredients you will need: A good blender, flaxseed, vanilla, raw sugar, orange juice, Greek yogurt, spinach, banana, frozen strawberries.

Since I have a vitamix, I put 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, a BIG handful of fresh spinach and 1/2 of a banana into my blender.

Then I add 1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt

and 1/2 cup orange juice (mixed up of course).

Then I added a tablespoon of flaxseed, a tablespoon of raw sugar and a tablespoon of vanilla. The other day, I forgot the sugar and it was just as good, so you really don't need the sugar. I'm sure you could also substitute honey.

If you don't have a vitamix, you probably want to put the liquid ingredients in first.

After you get your ingredients into your blender, blend it up! I like to add a handful of ice cubes because I like my smoothie to be a little icy.

If you want to make it vegan, you can leave out the yogurt. I have made this same smoothie without the yogurt and it is really yummy. I just happened to have this yogurt on hand, and I don't want it going bad.

Well, I hope you try this, it is really good. By the way, you can NOT taste the spinach, I promise.

I believe I will go and make me one now...

I am SOOOOO Confused!

Eating eggs is not good for you...they cause high cholesterol. 

Eggs are fine for you to eat, studies show they don't really cause high cholesterol, and eggs are a great source of protein.

Be careful with fats. You really should eat a low fat or fat free diet. 

We should NEVER go totally fat free, because we actually need fats. They are important to a healthy diet because they provide us with all kinds of good stuff; essential fatty acids, for nice soft skin and to deliver fat soluble vitamins. They also give us a wonderful source of fuel for energy. 

We should stay away from sugar. Diet sodas are a good substitute if we want to drink something besides water. 

Diet sodas are horrible for you. Bone loss, kidney damage, and even weight gain are just a few things that diet sodas will cause.

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Okay, okay! I think you get where I am going with this blog. From one day to the next, we get all kinds of mixed messages as to what is best to put into our bodies. 

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, I have learned about The Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89:1-21). I hope you take the time to read this passage. 

Our body is a gift from God. We need to keep our bodies and minds healthy and strong. God gave us a law, a law of health (Word of Wisdom). This was given to Joseph Smith in 1833. In addition to proper eating and physical and spiritual health, God also speaks against the use of tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea and illegal drugs. We are promised wonderful physical and spiritual blessings if we follow the Word of Wisdom. The scientific community promotes many of the same principals found in the Word of Wisdom.

In verse 11 "Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof..."

Today, when you go to the store, you can pretty much get what ever fruit or vegetable you want. But is this good? Are they in the season? Yes, somewhere they are, but are they in the season where you live? If you suffer from allergies, LOCAL raw honey is best for you. That tells me something right there. LOCAL is the key word. So if local is the best for honey, why shouldn't it be for everything else; and if it is local, then it would need to be in season. Just a thought.

Verse 12 talks of eating meat SPARINGLY. The Lord mentions in verse 13 that it pleases him that meat should not be eaten only during cold or famine. To me, these verses say that it is okay to eat meat, but not too much, like most of us do, but also that we should eat some, in other words maybe not be a vegetarian or vegan. I know this probably steps on a lot of peoples toes, both those of you who eat A LOT of meat, and those who don't eat it at all. There needs to be a happy medium.

Verse 14 mentions that grain is the staff of life...for all animals. I guess grains are important. There again though, I do believe the Lord means in moderation. In recent years, it seems that wheat and corn are in EVERYTHING. This is NOT good. I believe this is why many of us are developing food allergies...because we are eating too much of one thing. Too much gluten, too much corn, too much dairy. Let me ask you this, why does gluten have to be in lotions and shampoos? Why does CORN syrup have to be in EVERYTHING?  

I don't understand why the food industry has to genetically change our foods. Corn is not corn anymore. It looks like corn, but it is not. There are other foods that are not what they look to be anymore. I'm sure you have heard some of our older population talk about how a carrot or tomato does not taste like it use to. Why do you think that is? I really never gave it much thought until I noticed that the vegetables we grow did not produce seeds. Yes, they cannot reproduce themselves. Why? Because they have been genetically altered, so we have to buy seeds every years.

Oh, and one other thing, cows are not suppose to eat corn, they are grass eaters, so why are they being fed corn? Corn is not good for them, and it is not good for us to be eating corn fed cows.

I write this blog just to get you thinking. Why are Americans so over weight? Maybe because of what we put into our bodies. Yes, many of us eat way too much. I think we are eating too much because our brains do not get the message that we are getting the proper nutrients, therefore our brain does not tell us we don't need anymore food. Instead, our bodies store the garbage we eat as fat, and then gives us a signal (hunger) that we need more nutrition, then we eat more. 

Personally, I am not obese. I am overweight and do need to pay more attention to what I am putting into my body. I have made a goal to figure out what MY body needs. My first step was to get me going each day. Since August, I have exercised just about everyday. Now, my next step is to add better nutrition. 

Not all of us are going to be that skinny little size 0. To be honest, that is not healthy for the majority of us. Each of us need to figure out what is healthy for us, and do it. If we do, I believe that we can pretty much get rid of diabetes, heart disease, and many other health issues that plague our society.

Sparkly Snow

I complain about being cold. I shouldn't, because it is much colder other places. Right now at almost 5:00 pm it is 42 and sunny here in Western Kentucky. In Rexburg, Idaho where our youngest son is attending college it is 19 and sunny. 

BRRRRRRR!!!

Believe it or not, it has actually warmed up a bit since we were there a couple of weeks ago.

As we traveled down the road toward Idaho, I enjoyed the beautiful snowy scenery from our warm car. Sure am grateful for the nice heater and warm blankets I wrapped up in as I looked out the window. 

One thing I did NOT enjoy were the white out conditions we experienced between Cheyenne, and Laramie, WY.

After the few miles of blowing snow, we were blessed with some more beautiful scenery.

There were miles, and miles, and miles of that white stuff.

Look closely at the snow in this picture. You might have to click on it to get a better look. The snow sparkled in the sun.

I am very grateful for the Lord's beautiful creations!

For those of you still Memories Blog hopping, click here for my Memories blog.