let your heart run free/a giveaway with dimvaloo active living

Everything I'm wearing in the photos above can be found at Dimvaloo Active Living in Ladue.  

Yoga has been a big part of my life since college, and it's been the biggest commitment I've ever made to an exercise routine.  I really believe in it as the perfect workout - it does so much for your  physical & mental well being, and well-taught yoga works for every body type!  I love running, but after Claire was born and I needed to slowly step back into a workout, I went straight back to yoga.  Not only do I think it made me capable of running again so soon, I think it's what keeps me sane and reminds me to live in the moment as a mother.  Claire & I even go to mama/baby yoga classes every Friday - I'm starting her early!  

I hate to admit it, but on days when I'm going to yoga, I pretty much wear my gear all day long.  It certainly helps if it's cute!  Dimvaloo in Ladue has to have the most fun yoga clothes on the market.  I love the prints, the brights, the patterns - I mean come on, those lime green pants!  Their clothes would make a great gift for the yogi in your life, or as a little incentive to really get after your New Year's resolution (which is to go to yoga more, right?)  Luckily I can help you get a head start on your shopping.  Kate at Dimvaloo is giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader - and you can enter below!  This is just the start of an ongoing collaboration that I'm incredibly excited about.  I'll be teaching a class and hosting a "Wine Down Wednesday" event in January with the amazing Jess of City in a Jar, and there will be even more fun prizes to win at that event as well.  More details to come!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

operation post baby body/adult recess

This week, I officially hit my pre-baby weight.  Do I look the same as I did at this weight before having Claire?  Nope, I absolutely don't.  But I can still do this: 

and I can still run for miles

3 miles, on this night, to be exact but I'm running 6 this weekend and plan to be up to 9 in December.   

It feels good to be back in fighting shape but if I'm being totally honest, I'm not quite done.  It's going to take more than just weight loss, because things just aren't the same as they once were.  Still, hitting my pre baby weight and fitting into my 6s again is worth celebrating, so I decided to do just that.  With a little yoga thrown in for good measure.  

Yoga Buzz STL is an awesome organization started by Elle Potter, a local teacher whose praises I have sung here before when I reviewed a collection of St. Louis studios.  Yoga Buzz has a pretty simple mission - bring yoga to the masses, whether it's through beer, wine, or even a trip to Italy.  

A non-profit organization, their classes at local breweries & wineries raise funds to send experienced instructors to areas that are underserved in physical education and especially access to yoga.  Knowing what a difference it has made in my life, that's a mission I can get behind.  

Elle likes to describe yoga as adult recess, and I wholeheartedly agree.  One of my favorite aspects of yoga is having the chance to try to fly, and maybe fall, but TRY because my mat is a safe place to experiment.  I can't count how many times I fell on my butt attempting crow pose before I got it, but when I did it was like the joy any kid feels when they complete the entire row of monkey bars for the first time.  Adult recess, for sure - especially with a pint of Budweiser beer when class is dismissed : )   

You can check out upcoming Yoga Buzz events here.  Stay tuned for further post-baby body updates - I may have hit my previous weight, but I'm not done just yet, there are so many more miles to run.  

operation post baby body: week 3

My relationship with running for the past year can be summed up with one anecdote from this weekend.  Saturday morning I woke up intending to start the Couch to 5K program all over again.  The problem was, I couldn't find my running shoes.  It had been so long since I'd pulled them out that I couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd seen them last.  After 30 minutes of digging and Darrell finally suggesting they might be in the storage bin underneath the bed, I found them and managed to finish the first run of the program with Fitz by my side, wishing the whole way that I had doubled up on the sports bras.  But hey, at least I went!  I was also reminded of why I used to love running so much; there's such a pure, unadulterated alone-ness about it.  I spent 99% of my days lately caring for a job, a home, a tiny person, but when I'm running it's just me.  And whether that run sucks or not, when I'm in the park with nothing but some headphones & tennis shoes I can get nothing done except running for myself.  

Running & yoga will improve the general looks of things, but in truth it's diet that will make my jeans fit again, so I've been doing Weight Watchers for the past month.  I could use a free iPhone app, but Weight Watchers is the only program I've found thus far that builds in points (calories) for breastfeeding moms.  Losing weight while you're breastfeeding is slow going - yes it helps you lose weight, but you have to keep it slow, otherwise you risk compromising your milk supply - so this month, I lost 5 lbs.  That sounds like nothing and admittedly it isn't much, but at this rate I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy weight in about 3 months, and I can handle those odds!  

As for my fitness progress overall, I'd say I'm halfway back to where I was.  While 3 weeks ago getting into a lunge was tough, I popped into a decent version of crooked sage this morning for Darrell to take this photo without relative ease.  While the leftover baby belly makes certain poses impossible still (flying pigeon, fellow yogis?) I'm thrilled to say that I feel stronger than I thought would be possible by now, and I know that's because of the effort I put in to rehabilitate my practice and keep moving.  I want to be the kind of mom who gets down in the dirt and really runs and plays with Claire, and her cute face is the best motivation I could ask for.  

*I teamed up with ALIVE Magazine to bring you this post. Thank you for supporting the people that make, this blog possible.

operation post-baby body: week 1

So even though it PAINS me to break up the never ending baby-focused posts here, I thought it was time I made myself accountable to some plans I have for myself.  The days of late night ice-cream runs & couch living are over, and it's time to start getting back into shape.  If not only for vanity reasons, also because I have NO CLOTHES.  I had to break down and buy some transitional jeans & tops last week at Loft, and even though they're cute and comfortable, it was depressing.  No one wants to spend $$$ on clothes they don't always want to wear, and believe me, I don't always want to wear pants in the size I had to buy.  The tops, however, will probably last for a while because......nursing boobs.  

When I got pregnant, Darrell & I made a pact that we would keep fitness as a priority, even with the baby here.  We promised to let one another go to the gym, a yoga class, on a run, whatever while the other is on baby duty.  I've held up my end of that bargain since she's been born, and when I finally got cleared to exercise this past Thursday Darrell starting holding up his.  I'll admit, I was terrified.  I have a long way to go.  In the year before I got pregnant, I was very into running - I even ran a half marathon:  

and I was deeply into my yoga practice

and although maybe I wasn't stick thin, I was strong and probably in the best shape of my life.  That's not to say that losing some of that wasn't totally worth this: 

because it absolutely, completely was.  And in a way, being pregnant and having Claire was just a whole new physical challenge, and I really loved it.  But I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention that being 8 & 9 months pregnant is REALLY HARD.  Your body can start to feel like a bit of a prison, like it doesn't really belong to you anymore, and that doesn't really improve much after you give birth.  It's important to find a way to reclaim it as your own.  

I had wanted to participate in Alive Magazine's #31DaysofMovement since I heard about it, because I think it's a wonderful initiative for the city of St. Louis, but I still wasn't cleared for exercise other than walking yet.  When my doc said I could start practicing yoga again last week, I figured better late than never and loaded up my schedule with classes!  

Remember how I said my body had felt sort of like a prison after giving birth?  Well, after my first class I felt like I broke free.  Yes, I got totally smacked in the ego after falling out of poses that I could do even while pregnant.  Yes, it was totally exhausting after a day full of taking care of a baby.  But it was the best I had felt physically in months and it only motivated me to keep it up.  

Whether you have a mountain to climb like me, or just want to push yourself a little further on your fitness journey, you can sign up for Alive Magazine's #31DaysofMovement challenge here, and follow updates on their new wellness blog here.  The blog has awesome and fun ideas on how to work out in St. Louis (beer & exercise leagues anyone?) and you can check out the other bloggers participating as well.  

As always I'll be Tweeting, Instagramming, and posting on Facebook about how things are going if you'd like to follow along!  You can also check out my fitness focused Pinterest board here.  

*I teamed up with ALIVE Magazine to bring you this post. As always, the story and opinions are completely my own!  Thank you for supporting the people that make this blog possible.

yoga rocks the park

This is what husbands look like when you wake them up at 8 am on a Sunday morning to go to yoga in the park.  

But to yoga in the park we went, and oh it was so lovely!  There was a breeze, and shade, and I got to take a yoga class with lots of people and a new instructor.  They even gave us a 2-for-1 pass for the next weekend we can come.  And there are lots of weekends, because this was only the first Sunday of Yoga Rocks the Park in St Louis!  

I was so excited this came to our town.  Yoga Rocks the Park is an awesome idea, basically a 2 month long yoga festival, with a class every Sunday outdoors.  Each class is taught by a different instructor from the area (so neat to get to try all these different instructors without heading to 10 different studios) and they are all accompanied by live music!  Is there anything better than YOGA.  OUTSIDE.  with LIVE MUSIC.  Not to me there's not, although I'm sure there are people who would say otherwise.  Like my husband.  

They even have a kids class to bring your littles to while you practice, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to pay attention to our grown-up class, because little kids doing yoga is maybe the cutest thing ever.  

It's in over 15 cities in the US, and I highly suggest you check it out, no matter if you're a beginner or an experienced yogi.  If you aren't motivated enough yet, let me tell you, it ends with free chair massages and free food from Whole Foods.  So, think of it as free daycare with a massage : )  

Check to see if they have it where you live HERE.  

just go

I'm sure I've mentioned before that my fiance Darrell gets up at 5:40 am.  Every.  Single.  Morning.  

Lately, the man has even been working on Saturdays.  I work at home, and technically don't HAVE to get out of bed until about 8, which feels very luxurious in comparison.  But I always felt guilty, and for the past month have been trying (and completely failing) to get up and go running in the morning.  I like to run, but I hate doing it so early.  Running is for my lunch break, or on the weekends in the afternoon, it's a little intense at 6 am.  This morning, I decided to go to a 6:30 yoga class instead, and it was the perfect compromise.  I love yoga, and go semi regularly (by which I mean at least once a week) , and the hourlong class was the perfect thing to wake me up and jumpstart my October with a clear mind.  Surely something I need, since I am getting married in NINETEEN DAYS.  Also, because a psychic at the fair yesterday told me I was "confused" about decisions I would be making in the next three weeks, and needed to remove some blocks.  (Don't worry Darrell, I'm not confused about saying "I Do.")  No, I'm going to assume she meant "energy blocks" and start upping my asanas.  

To keep me going, here are some reminders that I should go to yoga more, and I don't really have any excuse for skipping class...

things.im.loving

I'm going to get a little hippy-dippy earth mother on you with this list, but you can't say I didn't warn you!

1. This video

2. Oatmeal + Peanut Butter + Banana or Apple

How did I not think of this combination? The oatmeal and peanut butter mesh up to become this perfect, creamy, oat-y apple dip. Awesome.

3. Lululemon yoga clothes - okay, they are kind of pricey. But there's a lot to be said for pants that make your butt look like that. And yet still make you want to go work out despite having obtained the perfect butt for no work at all since you own their pants.

4. Finding an awesome yoga studio where I'm super challenged. I can do that. In the picture....and then jump back to plank. Okay, a lot of you could probably do it too but I was impressed with myself, and that makes me want to go back to do yoga all the time! If only it was free...

5. Eating seasonal food - my new favorite restaurant in St Louis is Local Harvest Cafe and they only serve local and seasonal food! With TONS of vegan options. Kale, citrus, and brussels sprouts? Who knew January was so awesome for food?

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

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