Some Great Yoga and A Book

by Jenni in ,

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!

Yoga for the Holidays

by Jenni in

Hello friends! I am sorry for the confusion yesterday and the lack of an actual post. This weekend we were at my uncle's wedding in Miami and I came home on Sunday with a terrible bug. Thankfully, the hubs came home from his film shoot Monday night and promptly took me to the doctor Tuesday morning- you know, since being ill means I am automatically turned into a baby who is capable of doing nothing for herself. Now, I have been on antibiotics for for a day and already feeling better! But, that does mean yesterday was a haze of not caring about anything other than sleep, water, tissues, and food.

Today though, we have two fantastic yoga sequences that I did last week and absolutely loved. The first was completed after a short run and the second was done before bed after the wedding Saturday night. I absolutely loved the sequence before bed. It was the perfect way to finish off the day. After the wedding, my cousin, grandma, and I went back to the hotel and found ourselves tired but not tired enough to fall asleep. To help this, Alicia and I did the evening yoga sequence that was only about 20-minutes long but did the trick. Afterwards we were refreshed and ready for bed. Neither of us remember falling asleep, but we do not remember being awake for long. It was a very good night's rest.

Yoga for Core 30-Minutes

Yoga for Core 20-Minutes

The next morning neither of us wanted to get out of bed, so Alicia asked if there was a good online yoga sequence we could do while still in bed. I found this one by Tara Stiles. It is 4-minutes long and tricks you so good at the end. I would suggest not watching it ahead and doing it tomorrow morning. Tell me what you think of her trickiness!

Detoxifying Bedtime Yoga Flow

by Jenni in

Well, I promised long ago to post my favorite bedtime detoxing yoga flow, and here it is! The yoga flow takes  about 15-20 minutes to complete and will leave you feeling fresh, loosened, and ready to get some serious zzz's.

What I love most about this flow is the detoxifying effects. During the night our bodies have a rejuvenation process that happens all the way from our vital organs to our skin. This is one of the key reasons sleep is so important for a healthy body, happy mind, and great looking skin! When we detoxify our bodies before starting the rejuvenation process, we are keeping everything in better working order. This flow will help work out some of those kinks we can get in our digestion along with doing some good for our spine, blood flow, and the oxygen absorption within the body.

If you are really wanting to make this workout stick, I would recommend drinking a cup or two of water both before and after the yoga flow. Be sure not to skimp on the Shivasana either! It may seem odd to rest before you rest, but a good Shivasana before bed can help take away all the day's stress and give you a better night's sleep.

Thank you Casper Mattresses for teaming up with me to make a super simple and highly effective yoga flow for better sleep and a better body :)

Enjoy!