Namaste (INSANITY DAY 4)

For those of you following along, I'm sorry I forgot to post yesterday! I PROMISE I did the workout! It was the day that Shaun T "takes it easy" on us. The best way to describe the video is a mixture of Yoga and Pilates moves. I loved it! It was still a hard workout, and even though my heart wasn't racing like the normal chaos of INSANITY, I was still working up a crazy sweat and finished with my normal case of jello legs.

I took Bikram yoga classes this summer and I fell in love. Basically it's an HOUR AND A HALF (that's a long time) of 26 poses both standing and sitting in a room that is ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE DEGREES. You read that right. Imagine doing really hard yoga in a sauna. It's so intense, you bring a towel to lay over your mat. And when you leave, you, and that towel are soaking wet, as if you just came from the swimming pool. For those of you who love routine, Bikram is for you. The same poses are done every single time, and the same exact dialogue (almost verbatim) is used by the instructors. I also like it because the instructors "PUSH" you (if you've taken Bikram before you would get the play on words I made there). There is always room to improve, so don't worry about getting bored with it. It takes about 3 classes before you get completely used to the heat. They encourage to sit down and take breaks whenever you need it, and you first couple classes YOU WILL NEED IT. That's perfectly fine. It took me 6 classes before I was able to survive the entire series with no breaks, and it took maybe 8 before I was able to execute every single pose. And I still had plenty of room for improvement.

There is some controversy around Bikram... as the heat can be dangerous if you're not properly hydrated and there are some concerns about the contortions and certain poses that cause you to lock your knees. I wanted to start Bikram again but it is VERY EXPENSIVE. At the studio close to where I live, you can get punch cards for about $12 a class. A year's unlimited membership is over $1,000. I decided instead to invest my graduation money into INSANITY instead. However, I'm keeping an eye out for any Living Social deals or Groupons because I miss it. I saw GREAT results with Bikram and it also helped a lot with stress. I also like it because it keeps you accountable with your diet: You will NOT be able to make it through a class pleasantly with junk in your stomach. With that said, it's highly recommended to drink a LOT of water before you go and have an empty stomach (do not eat any big meals within 3 hours of class). I usually go first thing in the morning and grab a protein bar and munch on it on the way there. I would also recommend freezing your water bottle (of at least 1 Liter) and bring it to class completely frozen. It'll defrost, don't worry. Otherwise, you'll be sipping on bathwater throughout your workout. (Yuck!)

If Bikram sounds too intense for you, I would still encourage you to practice traditional yoga. Not only does it increase flexibility, it is a great way to stretch and strengthen muscles without being too strenuous and it is a tremendous stress buster. Namaste!

When I first mastered Toe Stand. I was so excited I had my mom take a picture when I got home, haha!