Day 40

Wow. Forty straight days doing yoga. Never stopping, swapping or ditching. Forty days. Doesn't seem as much, but it's FORTY days already! Where does time go? I feel that since I started the UY program, my days just fly by. Well, you know what they say: time flies when you're having fun, yes?
And fun is exactly what I had today with Gentle Yoga. After yesterday's fiasco, Gentle was just what I needed. A slow and sweet flow that made me look deep inside and to just let all those bad vibes go. Sure I had a little disagreement with Flexibility; but I'll try to mend our relationship next Thursday and hopefully I'll have a more positive, objective review of it. We all have those crappy kind of days and I am grateful for all these wonderful friends I have met through UY's Facebook group because they give me the support, nudge and kind words that I need just when I need them. So for that: thank you friends, from the bottom of my heart!
As you can see, Gentle put me in a very good, mellow mood and I got my mojo back. School is almost over, vacation is around the corner and I'll be hitting that beach every day, God willing. Good news all around me, catching up with good friends... life is good. To quote One Republic on one of their wonderful songs "We all got our stories but please tell me what there is to complain about."
Now, on to food matters! Husband and I headed out to buy our kid some cool summer clothes because the little guy grows by the freakin' second and his clothes from last year don't fit anymore. We got carried away and ended up having lunch at a restaurant nearby. I had a nice bowl of gazpacho as an entree and for the main course I had fideua with a fresh salad on the side. Fideua is a typical dish of the Valencian Community. It's very much like a seafood paella, but instead of rice, it's cooked with thin noodles like vermicelli. Check it out:

 

 

In the afternoon we went to the birthday party of one of my son's friends from soccer. My son had a blast and so did his parents. We talked and talked with all our good friends that we hadn't seen in a while and it was really good catching up with them. My throat is sore from all the chatting ;)
Back home I just had some fruit and my beloved Greek yogurt: lunch was very filling and I wasn't very hungry.
Now all that's missing is the 20 minute meditation. I'm off to do it right this second because yesterday it was so late and I was so tired I dozed off twice and was startled awake when head started to tilt forward. It must have been quite the sight...
Tomorrow we detox like beasts and then kick Hardcore in the gut. Sleep well friends, so you can get your kung fu skills going.
Namaste.

Day 39

Flexibilty.
What can I say about Flexibility?
You really wanna know?
I HATED FLEXIBILTY.
It is the work of a very nasty devil disguised as Travis.
I think it could have been a number of things that made me hate it with all my heart. Bear with me and let's get to that conclusion together.
First of all I had an incredibly busy day running from one place to another. Things kept piling up and I just kept wishing I could clone myself just to get all the crap done.
At some point we were able to stop for lunch at an all American restaurant where I ordered a big, nasty, naughty and juicy cheeseburger. Why? Because sometimes that's what we need. Not a salad, or grilled chicken or tofu spread on lame-assed bread and chugging it down with some tea (wth?). No. Sometimes we need to reward ourselves, pamper ourselves or just indulge with some bad-assed food. Whoever claims that they haven't done this has their pants on fire. Just be sure to make this a once in a blue moon indulgence, eh? Don't go all crazy and stuff yo' faces all the time. And anyway, I regret NOTHING. Take a long, long look:

Moving along, I was finally able to do freakin' Flexibility at 10:00 pm. This right here could be one of the reasons I hated it. I don't like to do yoga, or any kind of exercise for that matter, at night. Nights are for other things.
This time I thought I would start with Hardcore just to get it out of the way. BIG MISTAKE. Legs were all shaky and wobbly the rest of the damn class.
Another factor that could have influcenced me to abhor Flexibility is that I was sweating like a pig the whole time! It's damn hot and humid now in Valencia and sweat kept getting into my eyes. My still-mascara-wearing eyes and it stung like a mother. *damn it*
The class seemed to drag on forever! The stupid warm up takes more than half of the class and then the stretching part that I like is so short it just doesn't make any sense why we had to warm up like beasts for such a meh stretch.
Oh dear. I truly hated it. I would trade it anyday for Strength, that's how much I hated it. Now I am tired beyond words and I don't know how I am even writing this entry today.
Next damn Thursday I'll do this freak class in the morning and see if it's any better; but for now if Flexibility were a man I would have kicked it in the nuts. Non-reactive mind? My ass!
For dinner I was barely able to get a Greek yogurt and a peach out of the fridge and ate them. I regretted the peach because I had to chew it.
I still have to do the &8^%&$# 20 minute meditation. I don't know how. I'll probably just keel over after 5 minutes and sleep on my zabuton.
Ale is more than over and out.
Ale is done.

Day 38

Today's Wednesday's Strength. I thought it would be killer after Balance but Strength is always the same no matter what: an ass-kicker. This time I couldn't do the class in the morning because I had an appointment, so I ended up doing it after lunch.
For lunch today we were celebrating our good fortune from this morning's meeting so we decided to grill some very tasty lobsters. We had the freshest cockles in a buttery lemon sauce and a mixed greens salad with an apple cider vinaigrette. Loads of yumness going on here:

 

After an hour or so I did my 20 minute meditation and then got on my mat to face Strength off in the face. Damn that class is intense! I just keep wanting to hear Travis say: "That was mega. That was colossal", because when he says that the class is about to be over.

I did the class just fine today, but found myself to be very tired the rest of the day. Don't know if it was because of the mini break we got over the weekend due to finishing the first round or if it was because I did it in the afternoon. Who knows. I did pop a couple Advils though and relaxed on the couch as much as I could. Hopefully next week it won't hit me as hard.

For dinner I had sliced fresh goat cheese and figs with some Carr's Original Melts crackers. I had an All Bran mini fruit cake as dessert.

 

 

Well, tomorrow we have Flexibility for the first time! I am looking forward to that one: looks like a nice flow with some deep stretches afterwards. One thing I noticed today is that we have freak Cardio on Sunday. ON SUNDAY. EVERY SUNDAY. What the hellz, man??!! It's SUNDAY. Oh big mega pfft. Humongous pfft. *my computer screen is now showered in spit from all those pffts*

Have a good night everybody! And try not to think about Cardio on Sunday. ON SUNDAY.

Day 37

Balance. Call me crazy but I actually liked Balance. I found it challenging enough but at the same time I was able to get through it all. Not all of my poses were perfect; but I think I got most of them nailed. Seems I was more intimidated by what I saw that first time and by what people were commenting in the Facebook group. I started the class a bit scared and worried about not being able to hold those strong poses and constantly falling down, so when I was able to do them, the class just sped by.
I did find some poses that are the work of the devil there; like the one where you're supposed to lift one foot while you are squatting down in a twist. Yeah? Well it wasn't happening. I just couldn't for the life of me lift it, so in the afternoon I watched the class again to see a couple of poses I had some doubts about. Well, when I got to that one about lifting the foot, turns out I was trying to lift THE OTHER foot and not the one Travis was telling us to lift. I gave it a quick try and I was able to lift it no problem. So yay for me!
Another weird one is where we are in dancer's pose and then we have to lower the hand to the floor and open the hip. Seriously? Not quite there yet. Dancer's fine, but when I put my hand on the floor everything just falls apart.
I also found I was not able to do crow or crane which I usually do because of all the sweat in my arms! My knees just kept skidding down! Next time I will wipe away the sweat before trying again. Summer, humidity levels on the rise and strenuous exercise can make any gal sweat like there's no tomorrow.
Before I had said that Strength was Balance's bitch, right? Well, I take it back. For me, having done all of the classes except Flexibility, Strength is the one I find the most challenging. I'm not very fond of it and I dread the day we have to do it; but I keep hoping things will change and one day I 'll face it with a smile on my face.
Another thing happened. If I was convinced before that these classes are in a specific order for a reason, doing Balance today mega super confirmed it for me. All that hard work with Cross Train, Strength and Cardio prepares the body in such a way that you can dive into Balance seamlessly.
Well, at least that was my experience today. I did see a lot of people having trouble with it in the Facebook group, so I was surprised to see that wasn't my case. We all gotta keep at it: practice makes perfect and this is what UY is all about.
So, for lunch today I had pork loin in a chile pasilla sauce with steamed cauliflower on the side. Cauliflower had a bit of butter, sea salt and pepper.

 

 

In the afternoon, after revising Balance I watched Flexibility and I wasn't intimidated by it at all. There are several warm up series very similar to the ones we already do in the other classes and at the end there's some deep stretching, which I love. I'm hoping it'll be a sweet one like Yin is, although I know it's more strenuous because of all the warming up. We'll see how it goes on Thursday.
For dinner I had one of my beloved wraps with pesto sauce, prosciutto ham and dried figs.

Tomorrow is Strength. Damn it.

Day 36

Hallelujah we made it through the first 36 days! What an accomplishment! I admit it hasn't been a smooth ride, specially at the beginning when we were all sore and tired as hell. Also having to make time during the weekend to fit in those classes when all we wanna do is take a break. But it's been very encouraging to see all these amazing results and improvements in our lives: from more strength to more determination and commitment; from more physical toning to more peace of mind. The results can be felt and seen everywhere! What a wonderful program this is and how lucky are we to be able to participate in it. Much congratulations to everyone out there sticking through it and making huge changes in your lives. It isn't easy, but the best thing in life aren't, yes?
So, today after savouring a much missed Greek yogurt and an All Bran mini fruit cake, I weighed myself again. I hadn't done so since we started on May 6th, where I weighed 126 lbs. Of my body mass 27.1 was fat and I had a daily calorie intake of 2088. Today I weighed 125 lbs and my fat levels are at 26.6. My daily calorie intake is at 2081. So as you can see there is no real fluctuation there and I really wasn't expecting any. I will weigh myself again at the end of phase two of the program.
I then hurried up to finish my errands and at noon I headed out to Port Saplaya's marina. Port Saplaya is known as Valencia's little Venice because it's all gorgeous chalets and apartment buildings connected by all the canals of the marina that eventually lead out to open sea.
Anyway, I set my mat up on a nice shady walkway and got to my 36 Sun Salutations. I had lovely views all around me and a cool sea breeze was constantly blowing. I know it's only 36, but it truly was very emotional! It wasn't tough at all to do them -I think we end up doing more chadurangas in Cardio, no?- I wonder how it will feel to do 72...
Anyway, here are some pics of today's practice. I do notice a better toning of the body, specially thighs and arms.

Getting ready

 

Sun Salutation #1

 

Inhale

 

Forward fold

 

Plank pose

 

Cobra

 

Getting ready to jump forward

 

Inhale

 

Sun Salutation #36 bliss

 

Me at day 36

 

After a very nice and happy practice, we ate at a favorite restaurant of ours in Port Saplaya's beach front. I had a mixed greens salad with chunks of brie and camembert and dried fruit in a sweet vinaigrette.

For my entree I ordered a very typical dish here in Valencia called "meloso de bogavante". It is a small cauldron with wet rice and chunks of lobster from the Mediterranean. The broth in which the rice is served is from the lobster. I love this: it's very succulent.

After a lovely meal, we headed back home and I went to have a massage in a spa close to home as a little reward for sticking through these 36 days. Oh man. It was just what I needed. This day couldn't get any better.
For dinner I kept rewarding myself and had a small plate of jamon Ibérico with some slices of rye bread. Oh how I had missed thee! I also had a couple of cheese triangles from the Laughing Cow. She ain't laughing no mo'.

Tomorrow we face Balance, HardCore and a 20 minute meditation session all on our first day of the second part of the program. Easy peasy lemon squeezy? I think not. May the force be with us and may we keep getting stronger by the day.
Sending good vibes your way! Namaste.

Day 35

It's now Sunday and we find ourselves with our last little break from yoga madness with Yin, Pranayama and Meditation. Tomorrow? Balance says hello and we will all probably die a little. So, savour this moment because Yin will be gone for this next stage of the cycle. I know some people out there are happy as hell to see Yin go; but I'm one of the few weird ones that actually like it. Oh well, till Day 71 Yin!
It was a nice late lazy morning for me, so I wasn't able to do the class then; but I wasn't worried about doing Yin later tonite because it's just so relaxing for me. I did do Pranayama and Meditation though, so I wouldn't be going to bed super late. Again, I didn't have any problems with Pranayama and Mediation went smoothly. Travis' guidance is pretty awesome and I never get tired of it.
For lunch I had a very nice veggie curry with some basmati rice on the side. I also had some mushrooms in a Port reduction sauce.

I spent most of the afternoon helping my son study for his very last exams -thank God!- and by the time we finished I was able to relax just for half an hour before starting dinner and whatnot.
I had a fruit salad this time for dinner: I chopped up bananas, figs, apples, red plums, peaches and green melon and sprinkled it all with a bit of orange juice, sea salt and cayenne powder. I also had a slice of the low-fat vegan banana apple chunck bread my husband made on Friday.

Now. On to my opinon of vegan lifestyle after trying it out for three days. What can I say? First of all I think it's admirable all those people that opt for this way of living to be able to carry out veganism to the fullest. The passion definitely has to come from within and the deep respect for animals these people have is truly amazing. I wish I could have that resolve, but I just happen to think differently. What I express in these next paragraphs is only my opinion and I don't intend to offend anyone. Also, if any of my terms or vocabulary are "off", please take into consideration that English is my second language and I might get some things wrong from time to time -but I think it's pretty damn cool I can speak it so well and make so few mistakes occasionally: not everyone can say that-.
I was raised an omnivore, and as such I have lived my whole life. I have been through all kinds of roads down my life and I have sometimes indulged in some very bad eating habits. For the past 7 years I have taken conscience of my actions and decided to walk a healthier path for several reasons.
First of all I have a family that I want to be there for a long, long time. Eating crappy food isn't going to get me there. I also want to set an example for my son so that when he grows up he can make the right choices in his life in all aspects, food-wise issues included. A very important reason for me is that in order for me to look good, I need to feel good; and eating moderately and in a healthy way makes me feel good. I like, no: I LOVE looking good, and for me that is reward enough for all those sacrifices I make when I turn down that cupcake or cheesburger.
I decided to do the UY program not as a weight loss program: I have actually been at my target weight and fat levels for five years now and am not looking into loosing a single pound. I am sure that when I weigh myself tomorrow there will be no difference in weight as compared to when I started the program. I had been eating right and excercising a lot before I started the 108 cycle. All I want is to improve my yoga practice and tone my body a little more.
These past three days have made no big difference in what I eat, really. Nowadays I eat much more less processed foods than I did before and I have been cutting down on my animal protein intake with the UY program. What I did miss and am not willing to give up is my dairy intake. I love cheese! I love my Greek yogurt! I love food that has eggs in it! It is so much tastier than all those cardboard vegan ingredients! I can understand some people freaking out about eating the meat of an animal, but I just don't see the problem in eating their by products such as milk.
Now, some of you might say: "Well, why don't you go vegetarian?". Hellz no. I don't think I could stop eating meat! I love chicken! I love seafood! I love meat! And I adore Jamón Ibérico! I just can't picture a life worth living without being able to taste Jamón Ibérico again. Life is too short, in my opinion, to be restricting oneself so much. All in measure is a favorite saying of mine. I truly believe we are what we eat and our body is really all we have that is ours. If we feed it crap, well, that says a lot about us, yes? Whenever I see an overweight person, I really feel sorry for them because I know that they have no respect for themselves treating their body that way. Funny thing is that they always have a good reason for being overweight: "It's the gluten!" (STOP eating gluten), "I have no time to cook healthy so I always eat out" (order A SALAD instead of a Big Mac), "I can't cook different things for me and other things for my family" (ALL your family NEEDS to be eating healthy, not just you), and so on. Another funny thing is that they call people that are in their target weight "skinny bitches". Well thank you for that compliment! I wish you could see that being at target weight takes a lot of self restraint, sacrifice and commitment. I'd also rather have that cheesburger sometimes, but I think twice and order something else. Our bodies are our temples and we should treat them with respect. This part got a bit off track, but it is something I have always wanted to say because it is not easy loosing weight and keeping it off. It's not "genes". We are all born perfect babies: what we do from then on it's on us. I truly admire all these people in this wonderful UY group that are changing their eating habits and shedding those pounds off. I have been there and I know it's not easy: it took me two long years! So keep going strong because the rewards are endless.
All that being said, I don't want to become vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, tofuturkey-arian or any of those things. I am happy as I am and don't think I am doing anything wrong. The meat and by products I buy are purchased with conscience and I always look for free range and other things that tell me that the animal was treated with respect.
That being said, I don't think I'll do the raw lifestyle part of this program because if I am not willing to go vegan there's no way in hell I'll go raw. Ever. Never. Ever.
The juice fast? I will do that but just for a cleansing purpose and because I already bought the damn juicer. But the minute I feel uncomfrotable or hungry and moody, I will eat. With conscience. Like I always do.
Hopefully I haven't offended any tofu loving people out there -hehe- and all this will be taken for what it is: an opinion. Opinions are like belly buttons: we all have one.
Well my beloved yogis: tomorrow is Day 36 and we get to do our 36 Sun Salutations!!! I am pretty stoked about it and will head down to the beach to do them. Husband is coming along to snap some pics to post as my first round of the journey comes to an end.
I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday and are as excited as me for tomorrow to finally arrive. Sending lots of good vibes to everyone out there! Namaste.
PS As soon as that clock strikes midnight I am eating at least one triangle of that stupid Laughing Cow cheese. That cow needs to learn some boundaries.

Day 34

What a sweet lil' thang Gentle Yoga is! It's now moved up to my top three fave ones. Lots of gentle moves, sweet stretches and that triangle pose arm flow is just divine. He mixed one of my favorite poses and added a nice feel good movement for those shoulders. Brilliant!
Only tough part I came across was the infamous yogi squat. My hips went aaaaaa!!! but it was a nice stretch once I relaxed into it. One of the best hip openers there are for sure and an excellent introductory pose to move on to crow, so be sure to squat down low so you can later ease into Bakasana.
Today was a super early morning for us as we headed down to the soccer tournament that took away all of our Saturday morning. We headed back home close to lunch time, and with no time to cook anything, we headed out to a nice italian restaurant close to home. I had THE ONLY vegetarian dish they had -blasted be this Spanish culture of trash eating- and ordered a vegan trofie pasta in a light pomodoro sauce.

Doesn't look very good, yes? That's because it wasn't. Bleh.
We got back home and I got right on to Gentle class. But not before having to place my sweet lil' Idefix someplace else because he was just too comfy soaking in the afternoon sun lying on top of all my yoga gear. Awww shucks.

Gentle gave my day the calm it needed, the stretch it wanted and the wisdom it craved through Travis' monologue. I absolutely love this guy! I can't wait to go next year on a retreat with him. It'll be my own personal reward when I complete the 108 days. There's your motivation, right?
Anyway, for dinner I decided to switch up my salads a bit and went asian this time. Well, my own little version of asian, anyway. I was craving for something light and fresh after that heavy pasta lunch I had. So I had a big bowl of iceberg lettuce and added alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts and lots of edamames -God how I love edamames!-. I seasoned it all with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and a couple splashes of Maggi sauce. Check it out:

Well, for vegan day two this wasn't so bad. Discovered a fave class and a big no-no restaurant. Learned a lot today ;)
See you all on the peaceful mat of Yin tomorrow! Namaste.