Happy Halloween and A Great Running How To

Happy Halloween!! Do you have any plans for the night? So far, I think ours include a night at home where I force the hubs to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas yet again. But really, how can anyone resist This is Halloween? I don't know. Unfortunately, we live right next to a massive shopping complex so all the cute kiddos go there for candy instead of our place. The first year we learned this the hard way and ended up with a very anticlimactic first Halloween in our new place and a MASSIVE bowl of candy. Being the kind person that I am, we pawned most of it off to our front office. Those poor girls got so much Halloween candy.

Now that the Halloween bit is over, let's talk running! I recently came across (and by I , I mean the hubs showed me) this YouTube channel all about running. The Ginger Runner has tons of great tips for runners out there and he is an untra-marathoner himself. Pretty great! This video gives some great tips for running at night, but he also goes a bit above and beyond the norm for it. I would definitely recommend watching it whether you are an ultra runner yourself, or are just getting your toes into the running world. Heck, even watch it if you want to live vicariously through an ultra-marathoner. His tips are pretty darn great!! Let me know how the video helped you as well :)

Happy Halloween and TGIF!!

Bikram Yoga Flow Online

We cannot (or will not) heat our homes to 105 degrees, but that does not mean that we cannot do the Bikram yoga sequence in the comfort of our own homes. If you are considering trying Bikram or Hot Yoga (which I completely recommend) but do not want to get to the class without any idea about what you are getting yourself into, do this first. This is a full Bikram class video. Unfortunately, it is just the audio instruction, but you can find a full list of the poses here.

I have found Bikram to be much easier in the heat, you just have to let your mind get over the fact that the body is hot. After the first few standing poses things become easier as the body looses up and is able to easily flow from one pose to the next. Sure, the heat may be a bit intimidating, but that is where this handy video comes in. If you are not quite ready for the heat or are traveling but want to get your Bikram flow in, you have this instead.

It's not as good as the real thing and I would highly recommend finding a great Hot Yoga Studio in your area, but for those who do not have or do not want that option, this will do the trick just fine. And, I end this week's posts with ^that ^ massive run on sentence. Yay for a day in Greece and throwing grammar to the wind!

Oh, and if you just want a hot yoga power flow at home, this one is pretty great too!

This Week in Workouts: Travels

Well, as you may know, I we finally arrived home late last week. What you may have also realized is that the Sunday post did not get out... This is mostly because I was just savoring being at home and being with our cats again. But now, it is back to work and back to slightly fewer cat cuddles.

The road home ended up being super fantastic and filled with more than one adventure. Everything started out at our good friends' wedding reception in Wisconsin. There will be much more on that as well since these friends also have an organic coffee farm in Colombia that is getting ready to start sales of their first roast. It was wonderful to see them and incredible to be with all our friends and family together again! Then, we were able to camp in the Smokey Mountains and climb a mountain. My goal (albeit silly) was also accomplished and I was able to eat Trail Mix on the Appalachian Trail. Epic. 

The mountain climb and trail hike did leave my muscles surprisingly achy... Especially the downhill run from a giant rattle snake- for real. Needless to say, the following two days were followed with relaxation and plenty of yoga. Turns out downward facing dog is the best thing ever for sore calf muscles.

Then, came two days at Disney World and a recuperative stay at the Swan and Dolphin where we had, possibly, the best view ever. I have always been partial to the Swan Hotel at Disney World, but after this stay, I may have been converted. We stayed at the Dolphin Hotel for my first time ever and had Hudgens, the  most incredible check-in assistant ever. He upgraded us to the nicest view I have ever had at a Disney resort where we opted to stay in and watch two fireworks displays from the comfort of our room. And yes, the picture above was taken from our wall-length window :)

The next morning the second part of my travel goal was completed and I jogged around the Swan and Dolphin Hotels along with a bit around the Yacht and Beach Club. Granted, my calf muscles were still the most sore things ever, so the run was only a mile long.

My legs were completely soothed by Friday with a welcome home hot yoga class to round out the week. This week's goals include at least two more hot yoga classes and a couple more short runs. Nothing too crazy, but some things that I have been missing incredibly!

Happy Monday, I hope your week is simply wonderful!

A Great Workout Boredom Buster

Have you ever done capoeira? I have heard massive positive reviews of this Brazilian fight and dance combination. Once, while visiting Washington D.C., we saw capoeira street performers and I have been in love with watching them ever since. The things they can do with their bodies almost defy gravity and definitely defy my logical reasoning.

If your workout is getting a bit bland, I would highly recommend trying out some capoeira. It is a fantastic cardio workout and those who do it get massively toned muscles that are a bit more dense than the usual yogi, but not too bulky. This workout by Pop Sugar is a great introduction to capoeira that is a great change from the norm and will burn some serious calories!

What kinds of workouts are your favorite to get out of a boredom slump?