Bend it at the Ballpark

Location: BBT Ballpark, Charlotte, NC

Y'all know by now I love a good yoga class.  More than that I love a fun adventurous yoga class with a spectacular view.  I had the opportunity to go with a friend to an event at the BBT Ballpark put on by Yelp Fitness Club and a local yoga studio.  We got to go on the field to participate in a yoga class. 

Professional groundskeeping is no joke.  We had to clean off our mats before going to the field.  I legitimately thought the grass was turf but it was real grass, that is how well it is kept up!

I love the baseball stadium that we have right in the center of the city.  The light reflects off the buildings at sunset in the most gorgeous golden hour way.  It definitely makes for the perfect instagram photo!

We had a blast going through the yoga class and then trying to do all sorts of fun poses in front of the skyline to get some great pictures afterward.  I love a city adventure.  Every time I get to do something like this I am so grateful for the place that I live and the opportunities that it brings for fun and fitness. 

What is the coolest thing you have done for the perfect photo op?

Making Fitness a Priority

Location: South End, Charlotte, NC

Outfit: Yoga Capri | Tank Top | Shoes

This summer has definitely been the summer of self- care for me.  Being off of my real full time job has given me the time I need to focus on the things that make me happy.  Despite how busy I have been I have made it a priority to put health and fitness at the top of my list.  It has been glorious.  Working out daily is like hitting the reset button.  Whether I am overwhelmed and tired or just not feeling it a workout can completely flip my mood, give me a burst of energy, and make all my worries go away.

Today is my first workday of the new school year so I am having to make some shifts in my schedule. I won't be able just to walk down to the gym during the middle of the day anymore.  While, I know people have full time jobs all year long, working in the school kind of gives you two completely different lifestyles that you become accustomed to really quick.  Adjusting back to the all day work grind is just that, an adjustment.

My promise to myself is to continue to fuel my body with whole, healthy foods, and to workout every day. Whether it be walking the dog in the morning, going to a fun class with friends, a nice run on the trail by my apartment, or doing one of my TIU videos in the gym.  Every single day my body needs to move, stretch, and push itself.  Self - care becomes more of a necessity during the school year due to the nature of my job.  Health and fitness is one way I can treat my body with love and kindness.

This year I have really learned how my body craves a good workout.  I have also learned to let go of the expectations that a workout has to be a full blown intense sweat session every day.  The latter has made all the difference.  Listening to my body and doing something daily has helped me reach so many goals.  Even through a tough school year, I promise to treat my body right and keep fitness my priority, I know that with this everything else will fall into place.

What are some ways you make fitness a priority?

River Jammin

I have mentioned before how I like to plan fun things to do with people as a form of self care.  Having something to look forward to, takes my mind off of whatever kind of day I had at school.  Doing fun things in my city, with my people, is one of my favorite things. 

Last week, after a long day at work, I couldn't wait to get to the USNWC for a yoga class in the trees and letting it all go after yoga while listening to some good music.  This was actually my first ever time at River Jam.  I am officially a fan and will definitely be back all summer long, whenever I can get a chance.  It's on my summer bucket list after all. 

I love that they have yoga class before the band starts playing so I can get a workout in and enjoy my evening.  

What is your favorite way to chill out after a long day?

OMB Yoga On Tap

photo credit: Yoga On Tap

One of my favorite things to do here in Charlotte is attend yoga classes with friends.  Not just any yoga classes, because I am not in a position in my life or my budget to join a studio, free or cheap yoga classes at breweries are my thing.  I talked about the classes I love in this post.

I wanted to delve a little deeper today into OMB's yoga classes.  OMB is a local brewery here in Charlotte that is really paving the way for the local beer movement but more than that they are always looking to give back.  Their yoga classes recently have really brought people in the community together and given me a little more exposure to some non-profits here in Charlotte.

One class I attended all the proceeds went to the local hospital to benefit the heart and vascular unit.  Other classes they do bring local instructors from all over the city to give them exposure.  Then the other week we went to a class benefitting the Metrolina Association for the Blind.

This class was phenomenal in so many ways.  We were completely blindfolded the whole time, which took my yoga practice to a new level.  Suddenly poses that I feel are so typical and easy became a way for me to topple over and lose my balance.  I always feel so strong in my body during yoga but never realized how much I depend on my sight during a full class.

Think about it.  The instructor says something and you might not catch it so you peak over at your neighbor to make sure you are doing the right thing.  You are in a pose and need to make slight adjustments so you glance down at your feet to check the positioning.  When you are in tree pose and the instructor says now close your eyes - forget about it - timber goes the tree.

It took one class of being blindfolded to have me realize how much I take for granted the privilege of sight.  P.S. I wear contacts because my vision is so bad [my glasses don't fully correct my astigmatism] but I have the ability to have my vision corrected so I am privileged. I was uncomfortable with myself, unsure of if I was doing everything correctly, and the blindfold kept falling down my face as an extra nuisance and something to worry about during class.

I am so grateful for OMB Yoga On Tap for bringing these types of classes to the brewery, friends who are willing to take risks by my side, and the chance to truly reflect on how blessed I am.

What have you done lately that reminded you of a simple privilege you have? 

How to Bounce Back into a Healthy Routine After Slipping

We all have those days, mine typically fall around my time of the month. The days where we are exhausted and don't feel like cooking or working out.  The days where no matter how great you meal planned whatever that healthy item is just doesn't seem appetizing anymore.  So we cave - we give into our unhealthy cravings and indulge. Or we take a nap instead of that fitness activity that was planned.

Whatever the slip might be.  It's normal.  It's okay to have days that aren't 100% clean eating and attending a crazy bootcamp where you burn 500 calories.

I used to let these slips get to me.  I would really beat myself up about it.  You can read more about what I gave up for lent and why: here and here.  I would turn negative self talk into an internalized terrible idea about myself and my worth.  The vicious cycle of "it's not worth its" "I am a mess up" "I just can't because of x,y,z" would turn one bad meal or skipped workout into a bad few days.  Those bad few days turns into a whole week of unhealthy choices for myself.  Then all of a sudden I find myself in a huge rut, fueled by unhealthy habits that crank up my anxiety and negative self-talk, to the extreme.

Slowly, I have had to evaluate that cycle that seems to happen within me.  It's so not worth it.  I have had to literally change my language.  Being a part of the Tone It Up community has helped me so much with that.  K & K teach that they don't use language like "cheat meals" because then it means you are doing something wrong and should feel guilty [which you 100% should not!] Sometimes your body just needs a break or a huge bowl of mac and cheese - you do you boo. Treats are not something to be guilty about or to kickstart an incredibly unhealthy cycle, they are treats.

After that "treat" you talk to yourself and your dialogue should look more like: okay that happened, it's okay, it was worth it, I am rested, I totally and mindfully enjoyed every bit of that mac and cheese and now what's next.  And here is the trick, you do something about it.  Your next meal is a green juice.  You go for a walk after your nap.  You treat your body with love and respect because you only get one.  You make healthy choices because you love your body and you want it to be able to perform well every day.  You eat healthy because your body deserves good healthy fuel.

You don't let a slip turn into a bad week or month or year because you are so much better than that. Change your mind set.  Change your language.  Take care of yourself first!

How do you bounce back after slip ups?

Green River Revival

Happy St. Patricks Day sweet friends.

Today is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  I have some Irish in me so this day is definitely a chance to celebrate my Grammy's heritage.  My Gram and Pop got to go back to Ireland for their 35th wedding anniversary a long time ago.  After having the opportunity to listen to Gram's stories as well as see pictures of her homeland, my dream has been to go visit.  I want to kiss the blarney stone and frolic in the lush green landscape.  And in honor of the holiday: 

An Old Irish Blessing 

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Charlotte actually had a bunch of festivities last weekend for the holiday.  We made our way to the Whitewater Center for their Green River Revival festival.  There was a color me green 5k trail run [which a few of our friends ran] but I opted to go to the yoga class that was offered at the same time.  Long story but a trail run here screwed up my ankle before so I stick to road running and races now!

Yoga outside was amazing.  The location is beautiful.  It's almost like you are in a tree house.  The perfect spot to have a good practice in.  The Whitewater Center will be offering yoga classes every Saturday morning at 9:30 from now on. Then once River Jam starts up in May on Thursdays there will be a yoga class in the evenings for River Jam [stay tuned! I can't wait to go check these events out this summer!]

After our fun fitness events we all met up around the river for some drinks and conversation! The USNWC had bands lined up to play all day.  We stuck around for them to dye the river GREEN! It was so cool to see the water completely change colors, almost like slow motion flowing along with the water because they started the dye at the levy.

The day we went was right before the snow in Charlotte so it was actually freezing out.  There were even a few flurries during my yoga class! The USNWC is definitely a nice weather day activity but there is so much to do there besides white water rafting.  Kudos to those people kayaking and rafting last weekend.

I can't wait to come back here and check out more of the events and outdoor activities this place has to offer. Having this place near Charlotte makes my outdoor mountain loving heart so happy.

US National Whitewater Center Details:
Location: along the catawba river [past the airport]
Budget: depends - they host free events like these festivals and yoga classes but parking is $5.  you can buy a season parking pass for $40 if you plan to come often.  There are free things to do like hiking and enjoying the scenery.  But if you want to rent gear, rock climb, zipline, raft, kayak, buy beer, etc the prices vary.  Along with parking you can get a season pass to have access to everything for $200 dollars. Or just coming for the day and want to do it all? A day pass is $60.  For me the parking pass and taking advantage of the free events / hiking all year long is worth it as well as budget friendly!
Time: all the time you want - there are restaurants here or you can pack a cooler and leave it in your car so you can literally hang out here all day to explore all there is around the complex without ever getting bored.
Recommendations: Yoga, hiking, enjoy a beer on the lawn listen to some tunes and watch the kayakers! These are my favorite things.

What is your favorite way to celebrate St. Patty's Day? 

Yoga in CLT

photo credit

"Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self." - The Bhagavad Gita

I have touched on my love for yoga a few times now.  When I was in grad school one of my professors had just received her yoga teacher certification and taught us about the benefits of using yoga in our daily life as well techniques as with clients.  I have always loved the way I feel after a good yoga class.  Learning more about the theory and research behind it made me love it even more.

When I moved to Charlotte, again, I wanted to find a yoga studio to join so I could keep up the practice more frequently.  Eventually, a goal of mine, is to get my teacher certification as well so the regular practice would be beneficial.  Then, the reality of my budget hit, and yoga studios are all out of my price range!

A friend invited me to a yoga class at a brewery in Charlotte over the summer and I was hooked.  I was able to get a good yoga class in for little to no cost out of my pocket! There is something about going to a class vs doing a yoga video online that pushes me to have a better practice. Plus being an extrovert I get to be around people instead of just my dog in my bedroom!

Actually in Charlotte, the whole fitness class centered around a brewery thing is blowing up! You could probably find some sort of free or cheap workout class that covers the class and a beer for the price! Work for your Beer has done a fantastic job of rounding up all the classes that you can attend to in Charlotte for the various prices and locations.

My particular favorites are OMB Yoga on Tap on Tuesdays.  5 dollars gets you a yoga class and a pint after the class [the picture above is actually of me there; I'm on the orange mat!] This class gets crazy crowded so you have to get there early to get a good spot.  Thursday's I go to Free Range Brewing for their yoga class.  This class is free. Also crowded but a little bit smaller and not as crazy popular as OMB. Typically I will stay after and support the brewery because it's one of my favorites in Charlotte.

So while my budget doesn't allow me to go to a studio for my yoga fixes, Charlotte breweries have made it possible for me to get a great class in with friends for a fantastic price.

Have you been to any brewery yoga classes? Have a yoga / workout class you think I should check out? Let me know! 

Gratitude Lately

When I read the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are  it left such a huge impact on my life.  I even talked about it in this post.  Every so often, when the to do list seems to only grow, students seem to need a counselor more than ever, and there are not enough hours in the day, I need to stop everything that I am doing.

Making a gratitude list is like hitting the reset button for me.  Thinking of things I am thankful for changes my outlook.  It's more than that too, gratitude helps us look for the good in everything around us.  Gratitude forces us to find joy in the little things; including all the daily tasks that we have on that growing to do list.

Here are some of the things I am grateful for lately:

1. Yoga.  Especially free/ really cheap yoga with friends at local breweries.  Recently, I have become a regular at a few yoga classes offered around the city; fan girl over here.  Yoga has become one of my favorite things to do for self care.

2. My Blessed Is She devotionals.  This community of Christian women have some powerful messages daily, it follows the liturgical calendar for bible readings and the reflections are literally spot on what I need every single morning.  Best enjoyed with a journal and coffee.

3. School Counselor Week.  I find that a lot of people really have no idea that my job even exists.  I love the work that I do and one of my passions is advocating for schools and students. This week is national school counselor week for just that reason.  My school has been so wonderful recognizing me and my co- counselor for what we do around the school.  It's nice to feel appreciated.  If you want to learn more about school counselors: check out ASCA.

4. Plants.  Lately, I have had an obsession with gardening.  I currently have one window that lets in light with a shelf right in front of that is overflowing with more and more plants I keep getting. But green, growth just warms my soul.

5. Birthday Celebrations.  The month of February brings my birthday.  I am currently planning out all my celebrations.  I can't wait to go to a fun place with all the people I love to honor another trip around the sun.  It's going to be so wonderful.

What have you been grateful for lately?