Some Yoga for Your Hips

Candace over at Yoga by Candace has started a hip opening challenge for April. It is filled with lots of hip stretches that will make those runners, desk sitters, walkers, and crossfitters all feel a bit better in the hip region. 

Our hips can get so very tight and sometimes, we just need to stretch those hard-to-reach muscles and ligaments to make sure we can preform at our best (without injury). I am loving this April challenge and think you will as well! Here is my favorite April hip stretching sequence so far :)

Some Great Yoga and A Book

Well, after this week, I am definitely needing some great yoga! It has been a wonderful end to 2014 and a very progressive but relaxed beginning. On December 31st I picked up North and South- a favorite mini series (Richard Armitage as John Thornton, I can't even) and classic English literature. It turned out that I was as engrossed in the book as I have always been in the mini series and got 20% through Wednesday, spending most of yesterday reading and finishing last night around 2 am.

It was a beautiful book and I loved hearing all my favorite characters' thoughts through out- especially John Thornton's. Swoon. Unfortunately, I thought the end was rather abrupt and wished for another chapter or two. But, that is what they say a good book should feel like, right? One should race to the end, then feel remorse that there is no more. If that is the case, this is definitely a book you should consider reading, or watching the mini series that is free on Netflix and Amazon Prime. It is so. good.

Now, on to the whole purpose of this post, nay, this blog- a workout! I have not been doing as many of my own workouts lately, but taking workouts from online and adding a bit extra to it. There is a resistance band bum workout that will simply have to be shared soon (it will change your bum), but for now, here is a yoga video that I love and will be doing later today!

I did this flow a few days ago after a 3-mile run and simply loved it! It was the perfect stretch/tone/cool down that my body needed. This yoga flow can be done on it's own, or with another cardio or strength workout to get those muscles warmed up and ready!

Now, for a questions... Do you prefer reading a book first or watching the movie/mini series/show? I am a fan of watching the movie for an overview, then reading the book for a more in-depth look at the characters!

Also, sorry for the messy half post yesterday... That is a future title that I thought was scheduled for next week. So, there was a little preview for you- Life hacks for 2015!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanksgiving Workout

Well, we are officially running off for the holidays! I am so excited about Thanksgiving FINALLY being here, I simply cannot wait. This year, my Mom will be staying with us and her room is just about ready for her. We had the guest bedroom all finished, but then, around 1:00 AM on Monday evening I decided to completely redesign it and move all the furniture around. Two days later and we have some really cute mirrors, floating shelfs, a new nightstand, new bedding, a simple and gorgeous pendant light the hubs installed (my hero), and we are down a dresser that there really was not enough room for anyway. I also found this awesome bed from Target and am waiting for Black Friday/Cyber Monday to order it. For now, Mom will make due on the bed she has :) 

Oh, and pictures will be on the blog when it is all done, promise!

Aaand, back to Thanksgiving, the rest of our family will be arriving today as well, but we will probably not see them until tomorrow. As for what we are cooking, I am doing this vegetarian stuffing, a quick and easy bread bowl of artichoke dip, Brussels sprouts, and a breakfast crustless quiche for our house in the morning! Ahh, it will be so fun! 

Of course, with all this massive, massive eating comes a workout or two. Yesterday I did a 1.5-mile uphill run-a-thon followed by a bum workout and today I am thinking P90X Plyometrics. The little workout guide above was on the Elf 4 Health Facebook page and I thought you would enjoy it as much as I did. Goodness, we could make a pretty fantastic workout with just following what we eat. Mine would include about 30 push-ups, 150 jumping jacks, a whole ton of squats (maybe mix in some Sumo and jumping ones), and more burpees and mountain climbers than I can comprehend. And that is just the first set. Seconds and thirds would be a sure thing. 

Happy Thanksgiving! What would your Thanksgiving workout look like? 

Motivation for Your Monday

This quote by Walt Disney is almost always on the fences separating new work projects from the visitor area at Disney World. It is also one of my favorite Disney quotes and another at the front of my daily planner. Actually, this quote was the foundation of this blog.

Hopefully, this quote will help all of us (including my super sleepy self) get up and get this Monday done! What are some of your favorite quotes from Walt Disney?