Born to Run.

My lovely friend, Paige, loaned me this book--Born to Run by Christopher McDougall--when I told her about some of my health goals for this year. Paige is a runner (she's run a marathon!) and she knows full well that I am not, but she told me that this book is very inspiring and after reading it, I just might want to give running a chance.

I started this book last night before bed. I am almost done with it as I type this.

I also jog/walked today.

Paige was absolutely right. I don't know if you have ever read this book, but if you have not please please please find it and read it immediately. Even if you have no plans whatsoever of running, this book is an amazing read. McDougall tells about his search for a tribe in Mexico's Copper Canyon that has been elusive to outsiders for generations now, but are very well known for being the best endurance runners ever. McDougall tells his story and that of many well known runners (well, I assume they are well known because I actually know nothing about running, so this is all new to me) and how they came to be the super athletes that they are today.

I am completely captivated by this book and am going to peer pressure others to read it as well just for the story of the Tarahumara Indians of Copper Canyon, Mexico alone. It is fascinating!

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go finish my book and then plan on running a little more tomorrow.

Hot Yoga

So, I know I've talked to you about yoga and how much I'm loving it.

Well, that's still true. In fact, I've committed to my relationship with yoga and bought a mat of my own. It's orange like the one pictured above. I heart it.

On Saturday, my friend Paige invited me to go to a hot yoga class with her and our friend Melinda at CorePower Yoga (a yoga specific studio). As a first timer to the studio, my class would be free. I was kind of nervous about making it through the entire hot yoga class, but decided to give it a shot. My friend Melissa did a bikram yoga (which is very similar to hot yoga but with a different name) and she has ranted and raved about how much she loved it. When I said I was going to hot yoga, she was most excited for me.

Hot yoga is basically yoga done in a sauna. The temperature in the room hovers around 100 degrees. It's hot. And sweaty. A gross sweaty.

Here's the thing--it was hard. This class had some yoga poses I hadn't done before. The instructor was a bit...intense. There was a man who was wearing the smallest pair of bike shorts possible and it was not pretty (especially with some of those yoga poses...*shudder*). But, I liked it. I did way better than I thought I would. I was so sore the next day, but it was that good sore of actually accomplishing something in a workout.

Part of becoming a new member is that you not only get one day free, you have a whole week to try out as many yoga classes as you wish! So, this Wednesday, I'm going to another hot yoga class. Yep, I liked it so much, I'm going back. And, I think I might even actually pay for a class once or twice a month. (Corepower is kind of like a pre-pay cell phone. You can pay or a whole month of classes or you can pay for classes one at a time. Some of them are kind of pricey, but for once or twice a month, it's doable.)

Oh, and I totally forgot to tell you...

I took my socks off.

Zumba

I took a Zumba class for the first time today.

I was nervous. I'm always nervous walking into a room of people I don't know, especially when that room is an exercise room and I'm expected to exercise in front of everyone.

The teacher walked in and I felt a bit more comfortable because the teacher was a Colorado version of my cousin Jamie. For those of you who do not know my cousin Jamie, she is a 4'11" tiny blonde who could be Reese Witherspoon's sister. Jamie's been dancing since she was teeny and tiny and is very confident in a dancing realm. This teacher had that same confidence. And was also the same height.

I kind of knew what Zumba was, but if you do not know, it's a dance-fitness program. It's a lot of Latin music and dance moves. It makes you sweat and shimmy and feel inadequate at times.

I loved it.

Now, I love to dance anyway, which I why I thought Zumba would be kind of interesting. Am I a good dancer? Ha! No. No I am not. But, I love it anyway.

The zumba class I took at the Y was an hour long and I was ready to be done after 30 minutes. It's also done in an aerobic room, so there are mirrors on 2 out of 4 walls and I find that so annoying. The last thing I want to do is watch myself turn red as a tomato and sweat like a pig. I like to believe that I don't look like a red hot mess while exercising and those damn mirrors kept showing me otherwise.

It was such a workout, though. Lots of moving and jumping. I had walked 2 miles before the class, so my calves hated me a little. But, overall, it was fun! I liked it. I'm definitely going to go back next week.

I'm just going to ignore the mirrors. They're just bullies.