Two New Poses in Family Yoga Class- Dolphin and Vishnu's Couch

I am still going to the family yoga class at my son's school. I was hoping he would participate too but he doesn't seem to be into it. Luckily they have a volunteer that watches a few of the kids that would rather play so that the parents can still participate.
The teacher is really great and it is a basic class but it is still giving me a great workout. I was telling Audrey I would like to strengthen my core and there were two poses that seemed to be a godsend for this purpose. One was called the Dolphin and the other was called Lord Vishnu's Couch. They were both tough to do repeatedly and with focus. I found a demonstration on Youtube of the dolphin so I'm posting that. The closest thing I could find to the other yoga pose is this Pilates pose. We were simply lifting our legs while lying on our side and propped up on one elbow. (It's harder than it sounds.) You are not propped up in the Pilates pose and they have added the difficulty of a scissor kick at the same time. I'll have to try it!
(PS there is a bad edit on the first clip but you will get the idea.)

Dolphin Pose Demo
Pilates "Banana Split"

I found this instuction on the pose. (Dec 6)
http://www.ehow.com/how_2331201_assume-vishnus-couch-pose-yoga.html

A Salsa Night Out

I had the opportunity to go out with an old friend to last night. She came in from Vancouver with her son and it was nice to see her. My mother in-law was able to have my son for a sleepover so I thought I would take advantage and see some salsa dancing in action. I am taking salsa lessons for fun and to stay in shape so I wanted to see how it takes form in the clubs (not going to them too often:). Lula Lounge is great because they start out the evening with an informal, basic salsa lesson. It was packed. I did the beginner lesson and it was fun!  The instructor was an amazing dancer herself and incredibly personable. We approached her about her shoes, which were fantastic dancing shoes. (Style and structure;) It turns out she has a dance studio in Mississauga so I will post a link.
After the lesson, there was a short performance by a ten year old girl and her brother. They are in world class competitions and their performance was incredible. ( I may post it. I happened to have my camera.)
The live band that played was an 8-10 peice ensemble called Cafe Cubano and they were really outstanding. I realize how lucky we are in Toronto to have this kind of live music on a regular basis. It really is a treasure.
I was asked to dance and failed miserably but I guess that's part of the learning process:) I had a blast and it was really intriguing and inspiring to see all that dancing in action!
I wasn't able to maintain my dedicated commitment to the cleanse though. I had two glasses of wine and boy did they hit me! Ah well, back to the routine today. Now my decision is whether to try to drop a final 5 pounds or not to get me to 135. I will think on that.

Pictures after the Cleanse and 6 weeks of the program

20 pounds lighter "after"

After

After

After

After

A "before" shot to compare

A "before" shot to compare (There are also some in the "good-bye muffin top" blog post)

I Just About Fell Off the Scale! :)

I am still on Audrey's cleanse. (Day 9 of the second phase) I haven't been getting on the scale too much lately because I just wanted to focus on the health aspects of the cleanse. It takes a little bit more mental commitment than just weight loss I think. Perhaps that is due to the keeping track of the supplements, psyllium component, herbal cleanse component and the protein. It could also be the no carbs for 9 days that is a little tough. I'm not a big dairy eater but I do like to have yogurt on a regular basis. That too was out. Because of these limitations I just wanted to focus on the benefits I was giving my digestive system and therefore the rest of my body. All this is to say that I was hardly looking at the scale because of this.
This morning I thought I would check in with the scale and just about jumped when it said I was down to 140 pounds. Whoa! Now, this may be temporary as I go back to eating more regularly but I was surprised. That means I am down 20 pounds in total. I can hardly believe it. It does feel good though! I will get some photos taken this weekend to compare to the "before" shots.
Also, I think the link I had to Audrey's website is now working. (I didn't realize it wasn't until yesterday.) She will soon be selling product on-line. I'm pretty sure you could send her an e-mail if you have any questions about her Vitazan cleanse. Of course, if you are one of her clients already, feel free to ask about it.

On Day 7 of the Cleanse

I find I have had emotionally up and down days while on this cleanse. I felt OK today but yesterday was a bit tough for some reason. I'm sure the detoxification has something to do with it as well. I am looking forward to day 10 when I can include some grains again! I also miss those proti-bar snacks as a way of dealing with junk food cravings:) BUT it has been going well. I stepped on the scale and was down a little bit again. (147 or so.. I could be getting to 145) Most importantly, I have been able to stick with it which is commendable I think.
Really, I don't think there is any way you can do this if you are travelling or at a very busy time in your life. That being said, I do work full time and keep a busy schedule. I have been very disciplined with having the right foods in the fridge which just makes it so much easier. I have been tending to eat a lot of fish and tofu while on this cleanse. As well as a lot of salad or veggies throughout the day. I cut up raw veggies to snack on. (Celery, carrots, cucumber) Dinner has included baked squash and fish, squash and turnip soup or chicken with steamed kale. Again, the menu is also dictated by the food box we have been getting. Sadly, I haven't been able to eat those yummy organic Ontario potatoes that are in the box as they are off the menu. As Audrey suggested, having hummus as a snack has also been great. We got some dry beans in our food box so I may try to do a variation on hummus with them. I've also kept a mix of raw almonds and sunflower seeds in a little bag to have as a snack if the need arises. Lots of herbal tea choices also help to keep the water intake up. I have my protein with almond or soy milk which seems to be the luxury of the day;) especially with an added banana or some mango.
The amount of the psyllium mix you have to take everyday does get a bit daunting. I've been tending to get 4 doses of it throughout the day as opposed to 5.  People at work have asked about the psyllium and I simply tell them I'm on a detoxification program. When I start teaching my second class in the morning that glass of pyslium and water comes with me:) The students don't even notice.
Here's to getting to day 10!

Always Read the Instructions

I am in the middle of a cleanse (see previous post). For some reason I thought you had to keep grains out for only 5 days, but it is actually 9! OOPS! I'm glad I checked that before I ate my spelt toast for breakfast tomorrow:)
I'm still on track and miraculously made it through the weekend. However I didn't have anything out of the ordinary going on either, which was nice. (ie no kids' birthday parties or going out of town etc) I went to the movies with my son and cursed myself for forgetting some almonds and sunflower seeds to snack on. As a result I bought myself a big bottle of water. (I hadn't brought that either) That worked to help me get through the movie but the almonds and sunflower seeds would have been a nice snack.
I do feel my body is de-toxing. My energy levels are pretty good but I feel a little moody or sad. That could be a result of the time change as well. I didn't get in good chunks of sleep last week and it definitely makes a difference.
Again, good luck to anyone doing this. It isn't exactly easy but the benefits for you digestive system and general health are worth it!

Over the Hump (Day 5)

I've been committed to the cleanse and haven't had trouble staying on it. (When I put my mind to something, it's serious. It's making the commitment that takes time:) Yesterday, (day 5) I kind of felt like I was hit by a truck. It may also have to do with the time change and disrupted sleep this week. I feel better today (day 6). The hardest part of this cleanse is keeping track of all the components and getting them in at the right time of day. Once you get in the rhythm of it though, it is not too bad. I also find the psyllium component a bit daunting but I think that is the MAJOR part of the cleanse so I'm absolutely keeping it up. I do keep in mind Audrey's advice about trying to eat small amounts through the day rather than a large meal. (Grazing, as she calls it. I simply have to eat like my 6 year old!:) As well, she said I wouldn't feel hungry and I am not. (All that psyllium;) I'm really proud of my progress so far. Making this kind of commitment to my health isn't easy, especially when so much around you pushes you to do otherwise. I am feeling quite a bit leaner and healthier than I did at the end of the summer.
To anyone also doing this cleanse with Audrey this week. Good Luck!

The Cleanse

I took the plunge and I am trying Audrey's detox cleanse. It consists of a kit made by Vitazan that has a psyllium/ herb/clay mix, a liquid herbal cleanse and colon detox supplement packs. As well, it is recommended you take a high quality protein supplement 2 x a day. I am on day 3 and I felt a little woozy on day two. It is to be done for 15 days total. All I can say is DRINK LOTS OF WATER! (Herbal tea is my friend) It has been an adjustment getting into the routine of when to take different components of the cleanse but it seems to be going fine. I am a little worried about the upcoming weekend however. We will see.

Dinner the other night

Tasty dinner the other night consisted of:
Tilapia with cumin, green onion, lime, a little salt and pepper. Bake at 350 F on baking pan sprayed with PAM for about 1/2 an hour. I used cumin seed and ground it up in a mortar and pestle which had a nice fresh taste. I also put a little squeeze of fresh lime juice just before serving.

Also had:
 A whole butternut squash peeled and cubed, toss with curry (1 tsp), paprika, (1tsp), basil (1tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp).  a little pepper. All seasonings can be done to your taste. Cut up 2 fresh tomatoes and mix with the squash cubes. Put on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375 F or until soft. Yummy.

Compliments are motivating

For some reason it seems that people at work have noticed that my shape has changed. As I've said before I teach ESL and one of my students asked me what I was doing to get in shape. I told her the basics but I was surprised she had noticed. Later in the day one of my co-workers also mentioned it. Even later that day the Executive Director also mentioned it. (Both of whom were women:) Last night my mother-in-law came over for dinner and also gave me a compliment on how I looked. It was funny that it all happened in the same day. It is good because it reminds me I'm on the right track and to keep with it!

The Family Tree

I am very excited that my son's school is offering a family yoga class. I took my sister and son last Monday and it was great! It is incredibly reasonably priced and will continue until December. Whoo hoo! It is a one hour class of basic stretches and the instructor is very nice. There were other parents and children there as well.  My son was basically scooting around the gym (where the classes took place) while the class was taking place and would come in and out (mostly out) of the routine as it interested him. He DID have one eye on the class however. I will try a few more times and see how it goes. He is a very active kid and finds it hard to focus in school. I'm hoping if he gets into the yoga it will be a kind of moving focus exercise. In September, I enrolled him in a local art class for the same reason and it started out the same way. Now he is coming home with lots of art and information about art and artists. I'm hoping the same evolution might occur with the yoga. We will see. It was good fun anyhow and so close to home and my routine! Yay!

Finally down a pound :)

Well, slow and steady wins the race I guess. I weighed myself yesterday and was finally down a pound or 2. (148) I haven't felt any major stumbling blocks lately. I still have to go thoroughly through my portion control.  I would also like to do one more cardio activity a week. Zumba is very high cardio that gives me a little happy boost:)

Banana Bread error

I realize I listed Quinoa flour as a main flour but I think it must have been spelt flour I used. It is cheaper. I went to the healthfood store in my neighbourhood and they don't sell it in bulk. It was pricey. I made the change to the recipe listed in that post. Sorry for the misinformation.