Something else that I've decided to start recently is Yoga ! My mom has been doing yoga for years, and it seems to benefit her in so many ways. Not only has it kept her body in pristine conditions, she says it makes her more flexible, feel happier, and just generally be healthier. 

So after watching her go to Yoga classes daily, and also following the occasional youtube video when I'm feeling stressed, I've decided to join a class. 

I've done hot yoga once with my mom (she does it at Bikrams) and it was... not fun. I honestly didn't really enjoy it. I blame it on my claustrophobia. The room was filled with sweaty bodies and the heat cranked up so high, I felt like I couldn't breathe. SOOOO after that experience, it kind of turned me off the idea for a while. 

And then recently, out of sheer boredom, a friend and I decided to do some yoga for fun. I'm not going to lie, we smoked up a little beforehand, so it made it VERY fun and relaxing, but even after that day, everytime I've done yoga myself at home, I've felt significantly happier and more relaxed afterwards. 

After some research, I found this Yoga studio a couple of blocks away from my house. They've got this introductory membership for newbies that seems pretty appealing. 

The deal is you pay 99 dollars for unlimited yoga for 9 weeks as a trial. Which seems like a pretty good deal if you ask me, since my mother pays 120 a month for Bikrams. 

And then after your 9 week trial period is up, you can choose between two different unlimited memberships or 3 different session pass bundles. 

If I decide I like this whole yoga thing after my trial period , I will probably continue with one of the unlimited monthly bundles since they seem to be the best deal. If you want to check out their prices, the link is http://sh.st/uBb22

My first day : 

I decided to try out the 9:30 am Hatha yoga class for my first day. Early, I know, but I wanted to start getting in the habit of getting up early (my body automatically wakes me up pretty early, but I just stay in bed for another hour or so) and getting my day started.

So I got up bright and early and headed to the yoga studio. It wasn't quite what I expected. When I went to Bikram's with my mom, it was quite a big facility. I walked in and there was the teacher sitting at a desk by the door. So I talked to her for a bit, got signed up, paid for my trial period, and got a little tour. It was pretty much one big room with big open windows, and a very open floor plan. There were two small "rooms". One was where all the equipment was kept, and the other was where the refreshments, tea, snacks and water was kept. 

For equipment they provide you with mats and bolsters and bricks and straps and whatever else you could need. Which I thought was a very nice touch considering usually you'd have to pay a little extra to rent the equipment. 

Because it was my first time, I felt a little out of place. Everyone in the class seemed quite a bit older than me.  It's not like I haven't done yoga before, but I usually do it in the comfort of my own home. So being around all these adults, I was a little intimidated. 

I think I was nervous for no reason though because it's yoga for crying out loud. It's the most chill, meditative, relaxing, worry-less exercise. As soon as the class started, I just focused all my attention to the directions that the teacher was giving me, and just kind of forgot about everything else. 

Overall I had a pretty good first day I would say. My body was definitely not used to being up and going at it that early, and I had to go home and take a little nap after my very relaxing class. But I like that they have classes so early, because being finished with yoga at 10:30 really helps with starting the day positively, and also still gives you loads of time to do whatever you need to do for the rest of the day. 

I'm excited to go again and start making a habit out of it. 

For me personally, I'm going to keep sticking with the 9 / 9:30 classes or the 10 / 10:30 classes. I love that it leaves me with so much time to other stuff, but I still want to give myself sleep in time every once in a while :3

So on those days that I need a little extra TLC in the beauty sleep department, I'll attend the 10 or 10:30 am classes, and start the rest of my day at 11:45. 

overall, I mean it's definitely not this huge company like YYoga or Bikrams, but I really enjoyed my experience at Open Door Yoga. It's really quite a quaint little studio but it gives off that nice "family" vibe. I feel like I would've been even more intimidated going to YYoga due to the sheer popularity and size of their studios. So I'm glad I'm starting my yoga journey here. 

I'll definitely keep you guys updated on how I do. 

If you're in vancouver and thinking about starting yoga, check out Open Door Yoga's website here http://sh.st/u2xaQ

They have 4 different locations to choose from, so I hope you find one close by you (:

More soon,

So I was reading Chloe Morello's blog today, and she had this great post of just pictures that inspire her to be fit. If you want to check out that post go here : http://www.chloemorello.com/2012/09/fitness-inspiration.html

SOOO anyways, I thought I would make my own. These amazing photos DO NOT belong to me, and I wish I could source them, but I don't even know where their originally from ): they're mostly just popular photos that I found online, so if they're yours CONGRATS YOU'RE HOT AS FUCK. 

I know I know, I should love my body, and stop comparing it to all these photos... BUT I want you all to know that I DO love my body, and that's why I want to better it ! There's always room for improvement !

I hope you guys are feeling as inspired as I am ! Now get your butt off the computer and go DO SOMETHING ! (: 

until next time my lovlies, 

I did the grouse grind. Once. 

It was pretty much physically the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I swear to god I was going to throw up and pass out. BUT I PREVAILED (because there was no going back).

So this was a big thing for me, this little sign. It was pretty much the heavens telling me that there was hope, and that maybe I wouldn't die on this trail.

I'm not going to lie though, the feeling of finishing it was absolutely godly. The view was amazing, and I felt ten thousand times better about my life in general. I might not do it again any time remotely soon, but I'm glad I did it atleast once (:

I'm going to end this post with this picture of me being a dinosaur. 

My non-existent bum that I hope will look better once I start laying on the squats

My little tummy that needs to leave ! 

Side view of said tummy

Flexed tummy. Even flexed there is barely any definition @__@ god help me. 

Right (lack of) Bicep

Left (not even going to say bicep because there's actually nothing there)

My thighs

Overall

Disclaimer by the way, I know close to nothing about fitness and weight training and all that good stuff. I'm honestly still just learning about it myself, so I can't really help anyone ): sorry. But maybe I'll write about all the new things I learn along with my tracking so maybe it'll help out any of my buddies out there who are also just discovering and learning about fitness too ! 

I've been just reading different websites recently, and I'll list some links below to some of the readings I have been doing. Maybe they can help you out too. I'm going to start heading to my boxing gym as soon as next week rolls around and get my workout in again. Maybe going to ask one of my guy friends to help train me in the gym and get me started, I DON'T KNOW. We'll see. Boxing gym for sure though. 

Currently reading :

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fawnia1.htm

http://www.niashanks.com/2011/12/11-beginner-strength-training-tips-women/

http://www.niashanks.com/2012/09/womens-beginner-strength-training-guide-lift-like-a-girl/

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/12-week-beginners-training-routine.html

Thanks for visiting guys,