Hey There!
Its been another dreadfully rainy day in San Francisco but the weather is supposed to perk up for the rest of the week; which is good because I sure need a kick in the pants! This weekend with my brother and sister in law was wonderful but teaching 16 classes, playing tour guide and managing everything else on my plate has definitely left me a bit drained. Instead of looking at things in a negative way I’ve used today’s weather as an excuse to stay in bed and recharge – well, at least in btwn my 6am & 12pm class I squeezed in a nap, and btwn my 12pm class and my 3pm shift at the studio I did some yin yoga…it’s all about making time for yourself and listening to your body, right?!?!
We’re so close to wrapping up this lovely 16wks of 2016 Motivation challenge and I think both Phil and I have become that much more in tune with our bodys’ needs and how much the food we consume plays a role in how we feel. This weekend was full of more fried food and ice cream than I would care to admit and I’m feeling it contribute to my low energy today. I’m taking steps to hydrate, cleanse, & reboot for this week by adding some probiotics, as well as my trusty apple cider vinegar & lemon tea to help cleanse my system and have my feeling sharper/more alert. It’s GREENS, GREENS, GREENS for the first week of spring & we’re hoping they’ll have us feeling good as new in no time!
Week 12
“The reward make the work that much sweeter”
Exercise:
- Phil – 55 min. yoga 2x/wk + 55 min. lifting w/cardio 3x/wk
- Me – 55-75min. yoga 6x/wk + 55min cycling 3x/wk
- Both – Skiing ALL DAY 2x/wk
Dietary Routine:
Breakfast
- Multigrain cereal w/banana and almond milk
- Zucchini Muffins w/orange juice
- Protein Shake
Lunch
- tofu nuggets w/bbq sauce, carrot & celery sticks
- roasted veggies w/lavash bread & hummus
- chicken or tuna salad w/multigrain crackers
Dinner
- Mixed Greens w/Feta, cranberries, almonds & balsamic vinegar dressing
- Mixed Greens w/Gorgonzola, pears, walnuts & champagne vinegar dressing
- Mixed Greens w/Goat Cheese, roasted veggies, & white peach vinegar dressing
Snacks
- apple w/nut butter
- chia pudding
- popcorn
’til next time, keep smiling 🙂
The poses shown above are as follows: Big Toe Hold A & C (Top Row), Happy Baby, Plow, & Legs up the Wall (Bottom Row). Each pose is to be held for around 7-10 breathes or about 2 minutes. Use a towel, strap, or t-shirt to help with the first two, feel free to bend your knees in plow (the middle one on the bottom row), and make sure your but is touching the wall in the last one.
I hope everyone else enjoyed their weekend as much as Phil & I. When I said we wanted to get back out on the mountain and prove ourselves (to ourselves), I wasn’t lying. We took it relatively easy Saturday and totally blew past where we thought we’d get to on Sunday…with a little help from our friends. After a lunch time pow wow we decided to join our them yet again and tackle some tougher runs. We dove in head first and went down some of the more challenging terrain – it felt great! 
I of course couldn’t have survived the 6hr ski days without my yoga practice – starting the morning with some mediation / light vinyasa and finishing the day with some yin to stretch things back out. Now, it’s back to the power yoga grind with 11 classes this week (2 advanced, 1 beginner, 8 all levels).
Obviously there is no shortage of physical activity here, haha, but the dietary routine is on point too…it has to be to stay happy/healthy! We’ve got 7 more weeks to make some real changes & it’s feeling great!
Well, we survived the birthday weekend shenanigans in Tahoe and Phil & I really challenged ourselves on the slopes. I’m feeling motivated after the rush of pushing past my comfort zone on the mountain and hoping to carry that momentum into this week!
Neither Phil nor I are venturing near a scale until the beginning on March but we know we’re on the right track because we’re both feel good – indulged this weekend but didn’t go crazy, bumped up the intensity of our cardio a bit, and are trying to cut back on booze during the week. It’s a double boost of motivation because we’re officially in the
Lenten season & now more than ever we are supposed to work on being the best version of ourselves. We were both considering ‘giving up’ something for Lent but since we’re already on this healthy living grind we’re kicking it into high gear instead…we are half way through our ‘2016 healthiest year ever’ kick start and I
pe everyone is excited for a romantic weekend, haha!! Of course, I am kicking things off with a lovely evening of FREE yoga and exclusive shopping! That’s right, tonight is the night I teach at HAVEN collective yoga’s trunk show hosted by the beautiful & talented Jacqueline Palmer. I am so excited to slip into their amazing contour leggings and share my offering with the Bay Area beauties in attendance. But enough about that, today’s Foodie Friday is sort of a Valentine’s themed because I made this recipe specially for my handsome husband. He asked me to pick up some zucchini bread ingredients earlier this week and they sort of just sat there. So I took the hit, haha, and got to work concocting a healthy but still delicious zucchini muffin for us both to enjoy this weekend & coming week.
Just like everything I make, this still needs some tweaking, but certainly good enough to share as is…I present:
I was definitely skeptical at first but I must admit, I could become addicted to these moist, delicious, little wonders!! I hope you and yours find yourselves inspired to get creative with some of your favorite treats this weekend!!
I’m excited to share this weekly dose of motivation because we’re both starting to see differences. As I have been sharing we’re still enjoying our lives, indulging in moderation, and we’re both down 5+ pounds. More than that, we’re both noticing a bit more muscle definition and feeling great! 
We had a wonderful weekend in Tahoe skiing and enjoying the amazing views! This week, in addition to my studio classes at 
But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. Here’s what we have lined up for this week to keep us motivated and making positive changes. It’s week 6 of 16 and we’re feeling like we could do this forever!
Can you believe the first month of 2016 has already come and gone?!?!? I think I must have blinked and missed it because I sure can’t! January was full of so many exciting visits, adventures, and exciting career opportunities I can’t imagine how February is even going to compare.
One thing is staying the same though, and that’s our commitment to healthier choices. We made it through one month of more conscious living: eating well, exercising, making healthier decisions, etc… and even though there was indulging, like these amazing desserts from dinner at 
I am filled with love and excitement from such an incredible weekend at Yoga Journal Live San Francisco and I can’t wait share everything I absorbed with my students! This week is going to be a little crazy with Phil traveling AGAIN and family visiting but we’re both doing our best to stick with regular exercise and smart dietary choices. 
As a teacher and a student of yoga it is very easy to slip into a routine…just move through a sequence without paying attention, follow the same ques, repeat the same things, etc… I know yoga is supposed to help you be present, focused, and all that jazz but trust me, it happens to the best of us, haha! I really started to feel that way yesterday; as I was teaching the 2nd of 3 classes for the day it felt like I was saying some of my ques just simply out of habit, not necessarily because there was any intention behind it. It occurred to me I didn’t have a focus…I was just showing up. And while that may be enough for some, for me, it just isn’t. So, with a few more classes to teach this week, and a whole lot of 
With my classes I chose to focus on thoracic spine opening, and for myself I am focused on being present, staying motivated, and breathing through the tough stuff. There is much more in life to love than you can possibly imagine…you just have to focus! ❤
Livingleen 