Day 15

And we're off for week three!
I have to say that of all the classes we've done in the program so far, Cross Training is my favorite. Perfect flow, perfect level of "pain" and beautiful pose sequence. Breathing was on point and I was completely synchronized with Travis' instructions. My yogi pushups were not on my knees: I did not lower all the way down, mind you, but I'll eventually get there. Right away I did Hardcore and I am now doing the full 30 reps. Yay!
What made my day was that as I got dressed, I noticed that my shoulders are way, way more toned than before. Arms are looking real good! It made me very happy because who doesn't love that sexy arm bump muscle, really? Like I say: bring on those blasted yogi pushups!
Today I also wanted to touch on the meditation aspect of our journey. I know meditating is hard: that mind won't just shut up, yes? I have noticed a real improvement on my meditation practice since we started. I have been alternating different apps that aide in this aspect and have found them to be extremely helpful.
This first one is called Health through Breath - Pranayama Lite: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/health-through-breath-pranayama/id347190704?mt=8. This one basically helps to improve your breathing. It does the counting for you -like Travis- and the music tells you when you have to inhale and exhale. It helps to relax and calm you down, as well as gradually reducing the breathing rate as you progress through the sessions.
One of my favorites is Smiling Mind: http://smilingmind.com.au/. You can use this one either following the course they have set out for you or simply choosing your minutes and meditating. The course is really good, specially the body scan part. Before meditating for 10 minutes, I always play the body scan first because I find that it prepares me for the full 10 minute meditation. I also love that it can be customized to your age, so I have been playing it for my 8 year old son and we're both enjoying the benefits of a quieter mind.
I also use one called Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/. This one is just a timer that you can customize with your minutes and the sounding of singing tibetan bowls at the start, middle and ending of your session. I like that it records your sessions and you can write down your thoughts after.
I have another one that I don't use as much because I don't like the tone of voice the woman that guides you has. But hey! That's just me; maybe you will like it. It's called Simply Being - Guided Meditation for Relaxation and Presence: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/simply-being-guided-meditation/id347418999?mt=8. This does exactly what it says: she guides you through the meditation. You can choose to have nature sounds or music for the background. The music is pretty nice, btw.
And finally there's The Mindfulness App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-mindfulness-app/id417071430?mt=8. This is another fave of mine. It has body scan, guided and silent meditation, bells are customizable, you can set up reminders and you can personalize it down to a T. It also shows you a statistic progress of your practice. I think this is the most complete of them all.
So there you have it! Some of these are free, some are not. I'm sure there are hundreds of meditation apps, and I hope I have been able to give you a peek at what's out there and get you started. If you know of an app that's good or if there's an app you love, let me know. I'm always up to try new things!
Moving along, today I had a very hearty lunch: steak and cremini mushroom organic wild rice pilaf. I am so glad we have leftovers because this one was very good.

For dinner I kept it simple and had a nice mixed greens salad with goat cheese, prosciutto bites, pine nuts, goji berries and dried figs in a creamy raspberry vinaigrette.

Ok people. That's it for today. Get your act together because tomorrow we have a face off with Cardio. Bring it!