August 19, 2008

The Olympics

The Olympics are motivating people to get back in shape. This blogger friend has been hiking and walking. And another friend of mine is running with her baby in a jog stroller. I have loved watching the rowing events. In fact, ever since moving to DC I’ve wanted to learn how to scull. I see people gliding up and down the Potomac River, and it looks so peaceful. Plus, I’ve heard it’s a great workout. I tried to take lessons once before, but since I don’t function at all at 5:00am I didn’t make it very far. This time I signed up for evening lessons, and my husband is joining me. Today was Day 1 of our lessons. I tried to get to the boathouse early so I could stretch out my muscles with a few yoga poses (like Bound Angle pose and Down Dog and Upward-Facing Dog) before rowing. But I got lost and wound up arriving a half hour late. Thankfully today’s class was a lot of basic material (just a few strokes on a training machine along with a lecture about the parts of the oar and boat). It sounds like there are many mistakes beginners can make that will dump you in the water, so tomorrow I’m wearing my bathing suit. Š

Posted by Jennifer at 11:25 am | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sustainable Vineyards

The last time Ron and I visited California, we had dinner with Mike, a wine connoisseur. Even though Mike’s from Southern California, he knows Napa Valley like the back of his hand, and he’s always bringing the most delicious and wonderful bottles out to compliment our meals. He’s a big fan of red – my favorite (and the kind that’s good for your heart). Also, he a member of many wine clubs. Recently, he sent me a list of the wine clubs he recommends in Napa and encouraged me to join a few.

Even though I’m not drinking too much wine anymore (apparently it’s not such a hot beverage when it comes to boosting fertility), I thought it sounded great to join at least one wine club, especially if I could find an organic or sustainable vineyard. At the basic level of most clubs, I’d receive 8 bottles per year. Perfect. Not too much, but plenty to give as an occasional gift, bring to dinner parties, and use for our own enjoyment once in awhile. After scrolling through Mike’s list, I found one sustainable vineyard. I was so excited to sign up for Shafer only to learn that their mailing list was closed due to demand. And then I discovered something horrible: shipping wine to the state of Virginia is illegal. Bummer. So today I searched vineyards in Virginia to see if I could find an winery here that used sustainable farming methods. I found Cave Ridge. I’ve never tried their wine before, but I liked everything I read on their web site. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to have a wine club. The search continues . . .Š

Posted by Jennifer at 11:24 am | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wraps

My backup dinner is to cook up a little rice, heat up a can of black beans, boil some frozen corn kernels, and take the salsa out of the fridge. I then pile a little of everything on my plate and dig in. It’s filling, healthy, and so easy. The hardest part is remembering to put the rice on 50 minutes before I want to eat (it is short-grain brown rice and takes that long to cook). I used to pile everything in a whole wheat wrap and eat it that way, but the problem is I’d end up wasting the wraps. They come in a package of 10 or 15. I’d eat one, my husband would eat two, and even if we had the same meal again the next week, the rest of the wraps would go back in the fridge . . . and eventually go bad. The other day I was flipping through a magazine and came across a recipe for breakfast wraps. You basically make some eggs, mix in some veggies, and put it in a whole wheat wrap. Sounds yummy to me. Now I have another purpose for those leftover wraps.   Š

Posted by Jennifer at 11:23 am | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 13, 2008

Car Anxiety

I have car anxiety. It’s come on suddenly – in the past few months – and I have no idea why. I’ve never been in a bad car accident (or train or boat or plane or even bicycle accident), but lately I’ve dreaded getting in the car and driving anywhere. Actually, it’s worse when someone else is behind the wheel. I feel a little bit better if I’m in control. But when someone else is driving, it’s gotten to the point where I have to grab onto the handle and just close my eyes until we get to wherever we’re going. Otherwise, I’m jumping out my skin each time another car passes or merges or even approaches from the opposite direction on the other side of the street. Obviously, I’m going to have to work on this problem (when I Googled it, I noticed that car anxiety is usually a canine issue . . . huh). Anyway, there is one upside to car anxiety: if at all possible, I’ll walk. So lately, I’ve been walking everywhere. To the post office, farmer’s markets, restaurants, haircut appointments, and the drug store. I love the extra exercise and how something as simple as taking a walk can make your body feel great. The other day I walked two miles to the grocery store, bought a bunch of fruit, cereal, milk, and bread, and carried the heavy bags two miles back home. The weather has been so gorgeous here it wasn’t bad, but I know I’m not going to want to do that in January when it’s in the twenties and there is ice on the sidewalks. Maybe I’ll take up cross country skiing.        Š

Posted by Jennifer at 1:34 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mysore

Has anyone tried a Mysore yoga class? I was reading up on the description the other day and it sounded right up my alley. You basically go to a class with other students, but each student practices a series of poses at their own pace (with the teacher giving individualized instruction). Too often I feel rushed in yoga classes, so this captured my interest. I hunted around for Mysore classes close by and the one I found meets at 5:45 a.m. Wow, that’s early. I’m going to keep hunting because it I’d like to give it a try (but not at that hour). Š

Posted by Jennifer at 1:33 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 8, 2008

Ashrams in India

This week I’ve been working on an article about yoga for a magazine, so I’ve been researching places to practice yoga in India. Talking with people who have spent time in an ashram has been interesting – they make it sound fun, but intense. Most people tell me that their first trip there was overwhelming – the crowds and chaos and culture shock were almost too much. But upon a return trip they fell in love with the country. Has anyone been to India or want travel there? Anyone practiced yoga at an ashram?Š

Posted by Jennifer at 12:08 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 6, 2008

Company Blogs

As much as I love to blog, I’m not the best at reading them. If I let myself, I could get lost in the blogosphere for hours (thus not getting any work for pay done), so I tend to limit the number I visit. The ones I do read are almost always personal blogs by other writers. But blogging for Wasa got me thinking that I should check out some other “company” blogs. Once in awhile I’ll see what’s going on at Yoga Buzz, a blog by Yoga Journal. And sometimes I read Eat Like Me over at Self magazine. What company blogs do you like?

Posted by Jennifer at 5:28 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

Buddha Belly

I have a soft belly. It’s this squishy little pudgy bowl. It’s hard not to be critical of it and imagine how much better I’d look in a bathing suit if I could get rid of it. I thought yoga would help, but I noticed we almost never work on abdominal crunches in class. I wondered why until I was talking to a yoga teacher the other day who said having a goal of hard abs isn’t necessarily a good thing. He mentioned that abdominal exercises often flatten the lumbar curve and tighten the hips and hamstrings. I poked around Yoga Journal a bit and came across this article. It talks about the muscles surrounding the abdominal area and how to strengthen them while at the same time keeping them flexible. We don’t want too much fat there, the author says, but suppleness is good. So I will continue to work on reducing my sugar intake while bringing awareness to this core part of my body and learning more about it through poses. Also, I won’t be so critical of my belly (although I’m sticking to a one piece suit at the beach).   Š

Posted by Jennifer at 5:27 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

Essential Oils

Perfume makes me sneeze, so I’ve never worn it. But my mom uses essential oils instead of perfume. I love they way they smell, and they don’t make my nose go crazy. She says she dabs the oils on the sides of her neck so that when she hugs someone they catch a whiff. I have a small bottle of lavender buried somewhere in the bathroom cabinet – I got it to sprinkle on my pillowcases to help me sleep at night (lavender is supposed to be relaxing) – but I put it away and forgot about it until recently. When I drove from Colorado to Virginia, my dog’s vet recommended putting lavender on a cloth to help my dog relax (she gets anxious in the car). Since my dog’s sense of smell is much stronger than mine, I only used a couple drops. She was a pretty good sport on the long drive home, but I’m not sure how much the lavender helped. Do you use essential oils? What do you use them for?   Š

Posted by Jennifer at 5:26 pm | Permalink | Comments (0)

August 1, 2008

Having a Ball

I went to the gym today with my mom to mooch off her session with a personal trainer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I‘m not a gym rat. I don’t get why anyone would choose to walk on a treadmill when you can hike a trail. Or throw a ball against a trampoline when you can play a game of tennis. Or put glide thingamabobbers on your feet and slide along carpet when you can rollerblade. We practiced some yoga too, but with socks and shoes on our feet so it felt different. Needless to say, I wasn’t having a ball . . . until I had a ball. Yes, the one thing I did enjoy was the exercise ball (one of those big, round rubbery things you see in gyms). I sat on it, then rolled onto my back where I stretched out and tried to touch my hands to the floor behind me with my feet splayed out in front of me. It was a nice full body stretch. I think I am going to get one to use as a chair in my office. I’ve heard they help with posture, circulation, and strengthening abs. Anyone use an exercise ball for a chair? Do you like it? Š

Posted by Jennifer at 8:02 am | Permalink | Comments (2)