food for thought

So Bikram yoga = my newfound love. (Bikram is a series of 26 yoga postures done in multiple sets, in a room set to anywhere from 100 to 104 degrees with 40% humidity). I've only been going for two weeks, but I'm loving it so far. Sounds insane, I know, but that's not the reason I'm writing about it. I just had to tell you how it even became possible for me to make it through a class.

I went to my first Bikram class back in April, before I became totally vegan, and let me tell you, it was an epic fail. I sat down every 5 minutes with my head pounding, and finally ended up just walking out before the class even ended because I was about to pass out. I felt incredibly weak a defeated (and truthfully, a little embarrassed), but brushed it off with a confident "it just wasn't for me." Except that I really wanted it to be. I had taken yoga for 4 or 5 years, and it had never really resulted in a big change in the way I looked, although it was always the only type of exercise I really enjoyed. The people in that Bikram class looked amazing, and although I don't necessarily aspire to that kind of athleticism, I knew how great it could make a person look & feel.

So last week, after eating an entirely vegan diet for 4 months, I went back.

It was night and day. I was still incredibly challenged, don't get me wrong, but rather than pant my way through the entire class and not even make it through, I actually found myself enjoying the challenges AND (if you can believe it) the heat. I was able to control my heartbeat through my breathering, and when we were done I was actually surprised at how short the class felt. In addition, I have bounce-off-the-walls energy pretty much all day after class, and actually look forward to getting up before 6am to go.

This isn't me saying that everyone should take a Bikram class, or that I'm now such a perfect devotee and I'll never miss a day - I'm sure I will, and I'm sure it's not for everyone. I tend to go through phases with my workouts. But I am saying that maybe just eating vegan a few days a week could make a difference in everybody's workouts, whatever you choose to do and the gym, and what you get out of them. Just food for thought...

"Maybe if they all could be combined - art, rock and fashion. Those were always my favorite things."-Stephen Sprouse