Day 108 - Namaste

So here I am, on the other side of the Ultimate Yogi, all 108 days complete.  Let's reflect first on the juice feast and lessons learned:

Juice Feast

1. Just because I lived off of V8 for 5 days when I was 19 doesn't mean that I can do it for 3 in my 30s.
2. Smoothies taste delicious when all you've had is V8 and water (see #1)
3. Soy Milk does not count as juice and there is no such thing as Beef Juice (even the drippings from your burger???!!!)
4. Hunger comes and goes in spurts and gets easier day after day.
5. Eating nothing for 3 days is actually easier than eating raw fruits and vegetables for 3 days - at least for me.
6. On the third day I was seriously "hangry".

So with that done, I was ready to tackle my 108 Sun Salutation final challenge: 

108 Sun Salutations

1. As with most of the program it is really hard to focus for 108 straight repetitions.
2. I am still a perv - albeit a more enlightened perv.
3. There is no such thing as the Ultimate Yogi or at least I will never be it.  However, I will be more centered, happier, supplement free, stronger, more flexible, more enlivened and more appreciative than I have ever been before.
4. The middle 36 were probably the hardest because you are tired and you don't yet see the light at the end of the tunnel.

For those of you wondering about my prophecy on Day 2 - yes there were tears at the end.  I honestly don't know what came over me - whether it was hunger, sadness, fatigue, happiness, joy, pride, wussiness or a blend of all of the above, but tears were definitely involved.

So a number of you spambots may be wondering what is next?  Well more yoga of course.  This journey helped me realize that weight training is not for me anymore, at least for now (never say never).  I purchased Yoga Warrior 365 and after taking this weekend to get some perspective (read: get really drunk) I started the program today.  I can already tell it is slower paced and not as intense as the Ultimate Yogi, but that is a good thing too.  Perhaps the longer held poses will allow me to focus and work on testing my edges.

I have no current plans to post on that journey, but I encourage you all to check back once in a while as who knows when the spirit may move me.

I'll leave you in true corporate fashion with some key metrics about my journey:

1. Days of Yoga: 108 (+1 @ Corporate HQ)
2. Days to complete the journey: 116
3. Days with sufficiently focused meditation: 0
4. Days of Crazy Diets: 9
5. Pounds lost on the program: 13
6. Cumulative Pounds lost since re-finding Yoga in Jan 2013: 31
7. Tears Shed: Too many
8. Yogi Style Pushups: Too many

Namaste

Day 79 - Surprise!

Betcha all thought I wouldn't be posting anymore, but I couldn't leave you hanging without telling you how the second detox went.

You might all remember the lessons learned from veganism post.   I have only one lesson learned from a raw diet: I never want to do that again.

Just kidding.  Well half.

The diet was really challenging and not so fun.  I found that eating raw trail mix, while filling, was not so satisfying after the first couple of cups...I also found that eating fruit, lettuce and nuts did not make for a very palate satisfying foodie adventure.

So I was ready to completely write it off as a terrible idea but then I noticed a few things happening:

1. I lost nearly 5 lbs - no joke - and this was after I was certain I had plateaud.  I've since put back on 2.5, but the other 2.5 seems to be stubbornly staying off.  My favorite kind of stubborn.
2. I noticed numerous other positive health impacts (but I will spare you the details).
3. I had increased energy and less stress.

Wheee!

Still don't want to do it again, but it is a terrific reminder to eat leanly and that our body reacts so well to what we put into it.  It is almost a Karmic reaction and not surprising given that we are composed primarily of what we eat.

This was solidified by the next day where I ate a whole lot of junk and found myself feeling like junk - lethargic, more sullen, heavy and unmotivated.

My natural motivation is finally starting to come back to me and for the first time ever I don't feel like I need to get back on the supplements.  I still have bad days, but the trend is upwards.  I can do this naturally, not because I have to, not because it is "better", but simply because I want to.

Days 55-58 - In my own time

I was going to stop this blog altogether.  Reason being that I realized I was putting pressure on myself to keep it updated and that was counterintuitive to what I have been trying to accomplish here. I've been trying to convince myself to take life more easily.  Not to create arbitrary goals and work for myself.  Not to have the stress.

So I was going to say sayonara when I realized I was doing it again even when I was trying not to do it again.

I need to be better at letting go.  I need to accept that sometimes "giving up" is really the right choice, no matter how hard it might be for me.

But that also shouldn't come at the cost of a good thing - an outlet for me and hopefully others.  A chronicle of an important journey and a chance for me to pen thoughts in real time.

So I am going to give up on daily updates.  (I arguably did weeks ago!)
I'm going to give up on feeling like I have to post and only post because I want to post.
I am going to give up on caring so much about consistency and just say what I wish to say and only if I wish to say it.

Days 51, 52 and 53 - I owe updates

Wow a 3 for 1.  Here is me trying to convince you that my laziness in not updating this blog is actually a good deal for you because it gets you more efficiency in the post.

So what have I discovered over the last 3 days?

1) Hippie Chick is present and looks amazing in more workouts than I realized.  I think I've developed my first vegan crush.
2) I am the kind of person that assumes that the hippie looking girl in the yoga program is a vegan and indeed the only vegan.
3) The other ladies are still pretty hot and distracting.  Particularly given the skimpy attire they wear.  Meredith is super buxom in the balance workout and Lauren looks like a ballerina when scissoring in the flexibility workout.  Sigh...

I'll stop there because things always work better in threes.

But I couldn't possibly justify that alone as an update soooooo...this is a perfect time to talk about meditation.

I'm still failing to meditate on most days, but I found a great app called Headspace that gives you the first 10 days free.  There is a lot of haterade in the reviews about how it is advertised as free, but really isn't.  I don't think it is advertised as free and honestly find it strange that anyone in this day and age is indignant about in-app purchases or a subscription model.

At any rate, the free 10 days are 10 minutes (really 11) a piece.  Although I've found it relaxing and helpful, it is pretty much the same thing every day and I just finished Day 6 so I don't know if it is worth plunking the extra cash down later.  That said the other segments are supposed to be different, but it is hard to tell for sure without seeing what they are like.  Perhaps a better business model would be to do a sampling of segments for the free trial, but what do I know.  I still haven't launched a business.

I'm also reading this terrific book called the Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.  Still not sure whether I will be able to really modify bad habits, but it sure helps to understand them.  I actually have been working on some bad habits with some good progress so please keep your fingers crossed for my continued success.

Ok - low battery warning - better finish up.

Days 49 and 50 - An Ode to Hippie Chick

So there is one lady in the group I haven't discussed, but shame on me for ignoring her just because of her hippie headband and vegan crunchy granola attire.  There is a beautiful lady and wonderful yogi who doesn't get nearly as much attention from the camera as she deserves.  Sure she is not as busty as Meredith, leggy as Lauren or toned as Patty.  But overall she has the total beautiful yogi package.  She is pretty, diligent, flexible, toned and dare I say it without knowing anything about her - humble.  I know so little I haven't even found out her name like the rest.  Nevertheless, there she is in most of the workouts, quietly unassumingly being such an asset to the program.

Sadly the best pic I could find of her on the interweb...(based on a 30 sec web search)...

Source: seekretreat.com

That's her on the right in front of Travis.  Look how deep her warrior one goes! I know it's not a competition, but she is kind of putting the incredibly hot Lauren to shame in this pic.

Go hippie chick! (Scar chest is also lunging pretty deeply!)

Day 48 - Twist those organs

I mean purify those orga...blergh gotta use the restroom again.

Twist after twist after twist.  Challenging as always, but loads of fun.

Believe it or not I deliberately said "no beef" to my bibimbap today and would have had a fully vegan meal but for the two small fishcakes I had on the side.  I just feel better when eating healthier and that is worth everything.

I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the supplements.  This is the first time I've been feeling "normal" off supplements.  But normal is still negative, pessimistic, gripey and generally tired.  Which beats the "feel like death" every day that usually happens when I come off supplements.   I keep wondering why not get the best of all worlds and have the yoga with the positive effects of the supplements?

Still struggling to focus, but that is improving too.  If I was certain to have focus and a full light at the end of the happiness tunnel I would stay off....more to think about

Days 46 and 47 - Gently Flex

I really like that flexibility workout.  It is a perfect mix of challenge and soothe.  Push hard but get looser.  Part of me wishes I practiced in the evening so I could really make progress in the workout.  In the morning I always feel sooooo stiff.  But hey it loosens me up so what more could I want.

The gentle yoga today was good too.  Really relaxing and set me in just the right mood for work.  Amazing that I did so well on just one cup of coffee.  No depression, no sadness, no feeling overly stressed.

You might also be wondering why I don't do the hardcore anymore.  In a nutshell - because I don't need to.  I am getting an excellent workout without it and part of "letting go" is letting go of the perfectionism I need for the hardcore.

I've also been doing a daily meditation, which has been pretty good for me.  Just 10 minutes a day.  It is in an app and is guided.  This was my 4th day and the first I had trouble with it.  Perhaps it is too repetitive, but I will keep doing it for now and right a separate post on it in due time.

Namaste.

Days 42 & 43 - Let's get that cardio flow & crack/pop goes the Tito

Just as I finish complaining about not sweating enough I encounter the cardio workout the next day.  Nothing gets you going quite like some sweet cardio flow.  Drizzled sweat on my matt, but not as sweaty as a man called Bibo (that's what you get for chasing me!)

Today I got through the Mountain (no surprise), the Pranayama breathing (no surprise) and failed the meditation (no surprise).  This time I just turned it off at the beginning.  Skipped meditation last night.  I just am not comfortable in my own mind.

I went to an awesome new chiropractor today.  I haven't felt this normal in a long time.  I still have some minor discomfort in my shoulder, but he really got the right adjustments.  Glad I finally switched.  This guy asked all the right questions and saw all the right stuff.  My hip was out of alignment so my right leg was actually 1/2 an inch longer than my left.  Once back in alignment through some adjustments (neck, rib, shoulder) the pain was gone and my legs were back the same length.  Crazy...

Pop goes the Tito!

Day 39 - Flexibility

What a great workout today.  I was a little nervous when I saw that Yin Yoga was no longer a part of the program for the next few weeks.  I really enjoyed that practice, but the flexibility workout seems to combine the best elements of Yin with a much more dynamic practice.

Funnily but I suppose unsurprisingly enough, the strength and flexibility workouts meet their stereotypes with the former being dude dominated and the latter being lady loaded.  *insert crass joke about flexible ladies*...va va voom!

But srsly folks.  It was athletically challenging and yet so rewarding.  Really a fun workout.  The one pose I couldn't begin to do was the yogic squat with bind.  I'm not sure that's the name, but in any event, I'm pretty sure my body doesn't bend like that.

My hamstrings are still so tight, but hopefully through this workout they can get better.

It was a great start to the morning.  Too bad the rest of the day sucked.  I can't wait to do it again.

Days 37 & 38 - Balancing with Bibo

A man named Bibo came to visit.  Together we did yoga.  It was great.  Really nice to have a real life classmate.  We were both distracted by the buxom Mila Kunis lookalike (Meredith).  Why did she have to be in the front row for the balance class?  I pretty much go into an anime like nosebleed tailspin every time I see her so putting her up front and center in a balance class is a cruel distraction.

That Bibo guy was a lot more focused than I was though.

Today's strength workout was harder on him though - I'm pretty sure I heard a few "no...please..." groans coming from him.  Reminds me of my first week on the program.

I'll give a more detailed breakdown of the balance class next week, but suffice it to say, you need to do a little more than tree pose...

Given my poor hamstring flexibility and calf weakness it was probably my hardest class to date and I'm looking forward to trying it again.

Day 36 - Phase I complete

And there you have it - 36 sun salutations done.  The hardest part has been restraint.  Knowing that I could get more athletically from doing up dogs and additional push ups, but also knowing that my back would regret it later.  I've had a hard time not doing what feels right in the moment and deferring for future gain.  I was able to do it though.  Although that made the 36 "easy", the challenge really was in holding back and I'm proud to have done it.  I hope that by day 72 my back will be better and I can really push myself in the sun salutations.   The other challenging thing was that Meredith (aka hotter Mila Kunis) was wearing a very low cut top and they kept focusing on her swooping up and down in the sun salutations.  Ohhhhh Travis, how you manage to challenge us in so many different ways!!!

Days 33-34 - Be Gentle

Yesterday was the first day of eating vegan.  Probably ever.  As I write this I am staring at my bowl of roasted red pepper hommous and thinking that veganism actually is not that terrible.  I have had more energy, felt lighter and more refreshed.  But I've also felt more hungry.  I think I tend to get fuller faster over fewer calories but then my body gives a backlash so I end up eating more frequently.

Yesterday I made a cauliflower and chick pea curry.  Proud of myself because I did it with no recipe and it was actually pretty tasty.  Today I made a spicy bok choy with pad thai noodles.  Tomorrow I'm thinking of doing something with tofu.

Today's yoga practice was the first time doing gentle yoga.  Not really my cup of tea.  Much prefer the yin yoga (which is tomorrow's practice).  I couldn't focus well, but I'm sure it didn't help that I was freezing, exhausted and running late.   Work has become insane again and I'm trying to motivate, but it is very hard without the supplements to delude me into a happier mindset.

I better get to bed and do a little meditation - starting to feel hazy and today was extremely stressful.  Glad to be ending it in a good mood.  Tomorrow I have back to back meetings all day, but I still have my Yin Yoga practice so I know I will be fine.

Days 24 and 25: Back on the repair

I was nervous about yesterday's strength practice because that is the one that uses the most back strengthening poses and my back has still been in trouble.  I just made sure not to overdo the bow poses and things actually worked out pretty well.  Still the same thing that the morning is the most painful, but the day gets better progressively.

Today's Yin Yoga was just what the doctor ordered.  I still think it is hilarious that Travis talks about the forward fold as "a little treat".  My pretzels at Auntie Annies today - those are a little treat?  The pretzel dogs I ate tonight b/c I was still craving pretzel goodness - treat.  The cheese plate I prepared to watch the grammy's with - treat.  The caramel nut tart the wife prepared - treat.  Bending forward and reaching out for my toes...um not sure why that's a treat.  Probably would help if my hamstrings weren't so tight that I could actually get somewhere in the pose.

Anyway from the above I'm sure you can guess that I'm failing the food program pretty miserably.  Was doing well, but seem to have fallen off the wagon.  Need to get back on the train.  Winter always makes me want to hibernate.  Also doesn't help to be hungover today...

Yeah I feel off that wagon too.  Boss had a big party so couldn't say no to the open bar...nor the shots once I got home.  Ok step 1 - stop drinking.  Step 2 - stop eating junk.  Step 3 - rule the world.  Well even if its just my world that's good enough.

Day 23 - Electrify that spine

I swear that Travis Eliot might have been the Rock in a former career.  He has so many catchy catch phrases like "Electrify that spine" and "See you on the mat" all of which sound like WWE catch phrases.  He truly is the people's Yogi.

My focus has been remarkably strange.  I no longer perve so much - even Lauren Eckstrom in brown yoga pants can't catch my glare when I'm on, but little things (like an errant $75 credit card charge) can drain 10-15 minutes of my workout on and off.  Really frustrating.  But I am getting better at pushing it out of my mind and coming back to my breath.

The cardio portion of the workout was actually pretty easy today.  Sadly because of my back condition I couldn't do certain moves like plow ("Darn!") and so of course I used that as an opportunity to perv on Lauren and the equally hot Patti who is super hot in that Brazilian muscular chick way (though I have no idea if she actually is Brazilian).  Of course she is not quite as hot as the uber beautiful Victoria Gracie from the Georges St. Pierre Rushfit series.

Image courtesy of http://cosasdenacho.siguealconejoblanco.com/marvel/las-ironettes/

Which I think is a site that pervs on the ladies from Iron Man 2

Yes I said Gracie.  In other words she could probably triangle choke you out in a few seconds and if not, her brothers/uncles would be sure to kick your a$$!  It was a hard day when I decided to quit the program due to shoulder and wrist pain, mainly because I wouldn't be able to see her beaming on a daily basis.

Anyway - the good news according to the doc and my X-rays is that nothing is broken or slipped in my scapula.  The bad news is that it is unclear what is causing the pain.  Doc suspects it is "muscular", but it could take a few weeks of physical therapy to improve...which I take to mean more yoga.  I'll just be careful when I electrify my spine...

Days 21 and 22 - Oy

Man - as things get more hectic at work they also get more hectic for me to keep up with this blog, but I am loving the program still and keeping strongly with it.  The only catch is I can't shake the neck crook, which seems to have migrated into upper back pain.  I've tried the foam roller, more stretching, taking anti-inflammatories, resting, etc. but it just keeps on droning at me.  Really frustrating.  I tried to get to a chiropractor today, but couldn't get one to pick up the phone.  It is worst in the mornings, but I think it is progressively getting worse, not better (though the neck is definitely better).

Yesterday's meditation was atrocious and kept me in a foul and aggravated mood all day.  I didn't even make it to the end of my work day before I had to leave.  I know the meditation is supposed to put me at ease, but I think sitting in the cross-legged posture for so long with no back support is one of those things really aggravating my upper back pain.  Sooooo...next time I do it, I will go through it in a savasana pose and hope that solves the problem.  Luckily I had an amazing evening by seeing my little boy just love the Android app I created for him.  It is such a simple app, but right up that little 19 month old's alley.  So the evening ended on such a high note.

Despite the back pain I actually had very little trouble with my cross-training workout today and was able to go deeper in most poses than I had before including finally being able to bind on both sides!  I consider that a huge milestone as the only time I ever pulled that off before was after about 5 months of daily yoga.  Can't wait to see where I am on day 108.

Didn't have time for Hardcore this morning as I was already going to be about 20 minutes late to work so I tried it this evening, but between the lethargy, hunger for dinner and back pain during the iso holds I couldn't get all the way through it.

Still have to do meditation...yeah about that...

Day 20 - Vingt, 3shreen, Hatsuka, Yi-Ship

20 days in.  Wow.  Despite a few setbacks I still feel energized with the program and I can't wait to keep moving forward with it.  I've actually been losing weight and feeling better (minus those damn neck crooks).

Been nice to have my "Goo gir" back again and she is the perfect hot water bottle for the cold winter days.

Today's vitality class was fun.  It is not the most challenging of the power yoga classes, but it has a lot of unique motions that make it a fun practice.  At the end of the practice my dog came to curl up in between my legs during savasana.

I still can't meditate well, but I did get through the full 10 minutes last night (barely), which is actually the first time I've even tried in quite a while.

I'm afraid of tomorrow's gratitude meditation, but I will do my best.  That's all I can hope for.

Days 18 & 19 - Double Your Money

2 posts for the price of one.  Doesn't get better than that?  Reason being - not much exciting to report.  After a day where I was too sick to get out of bed I did manage to bring myself to the mat for Yin Yoga yesterday.  It was just what the Dr. ordered and I honestly started feeling better afterwards.  But just being able to walk around again and get out of bed seemed like a miracle.  Also the mystery neck crook had returned and didn't seem to want to go away anytime soon.

Well the decision point came - do we give up our beloved dog of 4 years or do we try somehow to keep her despite our overly hectic schedules? Our mother-in-law had been taking care of her for the few months leading up to this, but suffered a broken elbow after slipping on the ice when our dog tugged on her.  The irony is I had just been saying to my mother-in-law the day before that we should consider finding the dog another home because it would be a better life for the dog.  Better than receiving two short walks each day and being left alone all day.  Better than being seen as a burden and a chore.  She should be somewhere she can run off lead and be with a family that loves her.  That is in the dog's best interest.  It is also in our best interest because we can relieve ourselves of the commitment.

But after spending a weekend with her a few things happened:

• I saw how loving an animal she is.  She came to curl up with me just like old times, keeping me warm when I was shivering from my illness, laying down outside of my son's room while he slept, and otherwise just being by our side.
• I realized how much my son loves her already.  He chases her around saying "Goo Gir" (good girl) and patting her.  He would feed her kibble by kibble.  The smile on his face is just priceless. What an amazing opportunity it is for him to grow up with the love of animals - something my parents never gave to me or my siblings and something we had to develop (and only some of us did).
• I came to understand that all her "bad behaviors" were really not hers at all, but rather the byproduct of bad ownership on our part.  I was saddened to see everyone else willing to discard her just because she was inconvenient, but all the memories of all the times she had been there for us in the last four years came flooding to me.  

So I decided I could not give up on her.  If she truly was a member of the family, something I always maintained, then I needed to fight for her like I would every other member of this ragtag group I call a family.  The dog stays.

As I wrote this she came into the living room and just jumped into my lap and laid down.  She's a great dog and indeed a "Goo Gir".

So with a clear conscience I awoke this morning and commenced the detox workout.  Partially due to the illness, this was easily the hardest workout I've faced yet and I was sweating buckets, but I made it through and at the time of writing this, I realize I haven't had medicine in nearly 8 hours and I feel great - except for that neck crank.

Day 17 - Strength through Sickness

Definitely caught my bros cold.  But it was great to see him nonetheless.  Still.  I'm feeling pretty exhausted and run down.  Last thing you need is a 5 hour flight (with the delays) when you are under the weather and DayQuil really doesn't do what it used to.  That's what I get for trusting in the "no more vitamins or supplements" philosophy that is all the rave now.  I have been sleeping just fine and otherwise keeping very healthy. :-/

Feeling way too tired to complete this post right now so let me leave the usual sarcastic jibes for another day.

Good to see my boy again.  Have an important decision to make this weekend...more on that later.

Day 16 - Hotel Room Yoga

Nothing like doing yoga in a hotel room on a little laptop screen.  I guess I'm spoiled to normally be able to do it at home.  Anyway, the warmer weather here actually made for a more sweaty workout which I appreciated.  The cardio workout is one of the most physically demanding in the program.  Unfortunately, I mistimed things so I had to skip the last few minutes of the program and I certainly have not been keeping up with my meditation.


I suppose that even this update is a way of procrastinating from doing my meditation.

On the flipside, I got some sunshine and just generally had a really good time here catching up with friends, meeting new people, being in a new environment, etc.  Got to eat at the world famous "Tech Company" cafeteria and it was even better than I had heard.  Even got to see my brother for dinner so all in all a great day.

Well I'm looking forward to going home and seeing the wife and kid.  I know it has been a rough week for the Mrs. so I am hoping I can bring back some California sunshine to her day.

So with an elevated mood that is definitely part of the goal - no?  Of course I did have supplements the last couple of days too. :-/

Day X - Another Yoga

Those of you who know me know that I work for a subsidiary of a big tech company.  I am visiting the headquarters of our parent this week and had my awesome colleague sneak me into the gym for a live yoga class.  I did my first headstand today...I think ever in my life.  It really wasn't that difficult.  The class was super fun, but I'm looking forward to getting back to the program tomorrow.  Still, it was nice to do something a little different and actually be in the presence of people.  Oh and *hint* *hint* the food and perks on the campus is amazing.  If only we had those kinds of perks at our subsidiary.