Obsession: yoga video (part II)

My newest obsession: Meghan Currie's yoga video "Mad love".

Just watch it and you'll understand.



// I'm off for a mini-vacation to South Karelia (Eastern Finland). I'll be able to go to the gym once, which means that I'll most definitely bring my yoga mat. I'm not even closely as flexible as Meghan (especially after my killer workouts this week), but you know what? I don't care. I'll finish my yoga as flow-y as possible. This one is all about breathing and moving to my own rhytm.

Have a great day,
/Ulrika

New year's resolution: goals for 2013

Hello beautiful people,

I hope you had a splendid Christmas and NYE - now that you're (hopefully) back to your normal routines regarding eating and working out, I'd like to share my top 5 goals (i.e. New year's resolution) for the year 2013.

1. I will stop competing with others and do more stuff for ME.
This one is really tough for me. I've already written a few texts about motivation, and to be quite honest, I have no problems with it - quite the opposite. I'm strongly externally motivated, i.e. competitive. Last year I would have written phrases like Squat deeper than the guys at the gym, finish first on a 10K run, lift heavier than any girl I know. This year I'll compete with myself, and no one else. I will do more stuff I actually love, i.e. dance like nobody's watching. I'll start this tomorrow with poledancing ;)

2. I will make sure that I rest enough.
I've learned to accept the fact that I have a sleeping disorder. I wake up at 5:15 every morning and go to bed after 11 p.m. I have chronic black circles under my eyes, and I'm ready to get rid of them. I'm launching a huge battle against my sleep deprivation and stress levels, starting today. My means are clear, too. Less running, more yoga. Less coffee, more sleep. 1-2 rest days per week (now that's a tough one!).

3. I will be in the best shape of my life on August 10th, 2013.
Do I really need to explain this further? I have a few motivational pictures I'd like to share with you guys, here goes:

Picture source
That's Nicole Wilkins, by the way. She's an IFBB Figure competitor, and I absolutely adore her. I don't need to be as ripped as she is on stage, but her off-season body is smashing. I'd love to look like that.

Now, I'm reeeeeally far from my goal #3, but you know what - I don't care. I'll beat the odds, you'll see. I have a metabolic disease which affects my hormonal balance (and therefore my body composition), and I hate it - but I will give 110% and work with what I've got.

4. I will spend less money on excessive junk.
By this I mean that I'll think twice before buying any clothes or any other unnecessary sh*t. I'll bring my lunch and snacks to work to avoid spending excess money on groceries, I won't go shopping unless I actually need something and I'll sell my clothes online or at a thrift store before August.

5. I will start enjoying my meals more.
I'll keep eating healthy and clean, but I will enjoy my meals a lot more. Ever get the feeling that you eat the same stuff week after week, lacking variation and taste? That's my November and December for you, ha-ha. I promise myself that I'll eat more stuff that I actually enjoy, and not choose foods solely based on their nutritional value. Food is fuel, but it's a big part of my life and I should teach myself to enjoy every meal more.

Here are my top 5 goals for the year 2013. I wish you a healthy, happy new year and hope to hear your goals and resolutions ;)

Love,
Ulrika

Obsession: yoga

I know this is an old video, but I still watch this every now and again. It's just mesmerizing, you know? I recommend taking three minutes to watch the video, it's worth it.

The first time I saw this video I couldn't help but thinking "I need to master this". Too bad I'm not that skinny or flexible, and my arm balance could definitely need a lot more work. But you know what? I'm still going for it. Maybe not this year, but the next. I'll practice until I'm there.

Briohny Smyth from Equinox makes it look so easy. *sigh*
Well, I guess she didn't just browse videos on YouTube and go "ooh I need to learn that" :D She lives and breathes yoga, just like I live and breathe the gym. I need to refocus. More yoga? Oh, yes.

I've had some issues with my lower back. It feels tired and stiff every now and again, mostly after long runs or lifting heavy. Completing just a few sun salutations eases the pain - completing a full 90-minute session makes me feel reborn. The best part is that I don't have to go anywhere special to do it. I can just walk into our spare room and close the door behind me, roll out my yoga mat and close my eyes.

You know the feeling after a tough workout at the gym? The feeling I get after a yoga workout is entirely different. I feel warm, but not necessarily sweaty. Every muscle and joint in my body feels like it's had a workout, but nothing feels sore. I feel at least a few inches longer after the deep stretches. My mind is peaceful and my breath is eased.

I do my yoga in silence, or listening to sounds of nature. Raindrops on our tin roof; the wind rustling in the trees; the sound of my deep breaths.
 
Inhale, exhale.

/Ulrika

Experiencing acupuncture

Some days I feel really clumsy. (Prepare for a long story)

Like yesterday, for example. I did my regular (short) set of handstand push-ups and landed a bit off, causing my left glute to crampe up. I tried to shake it off, do some short dynamic stretches but nothing seemed to help. I just had to limp my way out of the gym. Sigh.

I tried to move around at home, but nothing seemed to work. Rotating my hip caused sharp pain in my glute, and the pain kept moving around, up and down my buttock. Sometimes I thought it was the piriformis muscle, other times I thought it was something entirely different. I did a differential diagnosis on it, which was that I'd strained my piriformis muscle together with a deep hip muscle.

Luckily I'd already set up an appointment with my friend  Mikko, whom I visited earlier for thai herbal massage (read about it here). He was supposed to treat my lower back, but since I'm accident prone, he got to treat my hip instead.

I was prepared for acupuncture, but hadn't a clue what it would feel like. I'm not afraid of needles, so the thought of having a few needles stuck in my skin wasn't something I feared, although I wasn't exactly looking forward to it either... Well, anyway. Mikko was really soothing, he explained how it would feel when he inserts the needles and he kept asking me how I felt. I felt surprisingly good.

After locating the strained muscle he showed me where he'd place the needles: two needles on the foramens 1 and 2 of the sacrum, two needles on my left glute and one needle on the back of my foot. ( i.e. Gall Bladder 30, Bladder 54&29&30 and Spleen 4.) I'm surprised that placing the needles didn't hurt. I felt a small pinch when the needle went through my skin, but it didn't feel bad at all.

After a few minutes I felt a somewhat tingling sensation combined with a deep heat coming off the needles. It almost felt like electricity running through my glute and thigh, all the way down to my foot. And that was before adding the heat.

A few minutes after inserting the needles Mikko added a few chinese moxa cones (i.e. small pieces of burning coal) on the needles. Since I had five-centimeter (2-inch) needles in my sacrum and 7,5 cm (3-inch) needles in my glute muscles, the warmth was spreading quite quickly through my tissues. Oh, how good it felt. Weird, but good. The moxa cones burned for ten minutes. When the moxa cones had burned all the way, Mikko took the needles off and I got a chance to move around.

After not being able to walk stairs without limping, or even standing on one leg, anything would be an improvement. Now I can stand on one leg, even jump around a bit without pain. The strain hasn't been cured, but I'm so happy to be pain-free.

Mikko said that I shouldn't do any exercising today or tomorrow (bleh), and I should avoid going to the sauna today, since acupuncture may lower my blood pressure.

Have you ever tried acupuncture? Any experiences you'd like to share?

/Ulrika

Picture source 1 2 

Fitness trends: Prana Beats®

Do you find yoga boring?
Can't break a sweat during a regular yoga class? 
Are you a yogi, always wanting to incorporate dance in your workout schedule?
Do you have two left legs and find dancing really challenging?
Do you want to end your day with a great, full-body workout that gives you inner peace?

If you answered "yes" to even one of these questions, you should try Prana Beats®. Prana Beats® is a new group fitness concept, combining dance and yoga in a bold, new way. It was established in 2011 by a Finnish yogini and dancer Mia Jokiniva and her yoga company Villa Mandala. The class consists of traditional yoga poses, starting with sun salutations; very easy dance routines (flamenco, hip hop, contemporary dance, reggae) and easy yet effective muscle workouts for the entire body. The three elements are rhytmic flow, harmony and prana "clean" (relaxation).

The class duration is 55 minutes, but according to the Villa Mandala home page there's also a 75 minute class (with a longer relaxation). Every teacher teaches the same program for three months, before the program changes (the concept reminds of the LesMills concept, where the teachers participate in four quarterly workshops every year). Prana Beats® programs vary a bit, since every other program focuses a bit more on dance routines and every other on yoga. This program, number three, focuses on yoga and meditation, but has a quite a few dance elements in it.

Picture source: MeNaiset

I entered my first Prana Beats® class yesterday at my local gym in Kerava. I called the gym in advance, asking the receptionist about the class and the participants - she said that Prana Beats® is the most popular class at the gym! Good thing I called, since I got the last spot.

I've been doing yoga in silence for a few years now, so listening to the softly beating music was really hard for me in the beginning. Luckily, I was swept away by it in just a few minutes. The music reminded me of a slowed down Massive Attack, especially during the sun salutations. I loved it. I think I'll have a yoga playlist with me in the future. Massive Attack? Yes, please.

I was listening to a group of women talk after the class. They said that they're waiting for the new program (to be launched in November 2012), since they're not that keen on yoga. I find that hard to believe - I thought the class had too little yoga in it! :) Well, luckily we're all different. I'll just have to try program number 4 in November to see what all the fuss is about.

Mia Jokiniva, the creator of Prana Beats®. Picture source: Fit.fi

You don't need to wear shoes, and the gym usually provides a yoga mat for you (I had my own yoga mat with me, since I love it ;). I'd recommend wearing a long-sleeved sweater, since the relaxation is long (and perfect) - you don't want to freeze while lying on the floor.
If I'd have to name one wish, it would be more difficult dance choreos. I've done a lot of dancing in my time, and I really don't want to go through the same easy choreos every week for three months.

I just have to mention one last thing: the instructor (her name was Laura, if I remember correctly) was absolutely brilliant! She had amazing presence and was everything I needed on a Friday night: happy, always smiling and very inspiring. She had amazing technique and instructed the class flawlessly. Even I, a first-timer, was totally on board the whole time. The greatest thing about the class was that I felt serene and relaxed yet trained afterwards.

Have you tried Prana Beats® yet? I'd love to hear what you thought about it!

Hope you're having an inspiring weekend,
/Ulrika

Rest, recovery & relax: Enjoying a Thai herbal massage

Happy Friday, beautiful people!

I hope you've had an awesome week. As always, I've been challenging myself as much as possible - my motto is "try something new every week". I want to keep my body guessing. This week I challenged myself with a lower body plyo circuit (tougher than ever before). I'll reveal my September workout schedule in my next post.

Last week's special treat was a Thai herbal massage at my friend Mikko's physical therapy office in Malmi. Mikko opened his own physical therapy facility last week and I was his guinea pig for one hour on Wednesday. I've never tried Thai massage - especially combined with herbal medicine or heat!

Mikko promised me that the treatment would sooth me to the core. The combination of heat, massage and herbal medicine is claimed to improve circulation, relax sore muscles and ease respiration.

Since I work out like a little maniac, my lower body is constantly sore (especially my hamstrings and calves, I love plyo!) and I find massage really painful. My massage therapist has told me to visit him more frequently on several occations. For some reason, I just can't pick up the phone and make an appointment - why would I want to torture myself and pay for it? You'd think that I would have an issue with flexibility, since my muscles are always sore. I'm hypermobile (over-flexible), a lovely remain from my time as a teeny-weeny ballerina, and I still have "knots" in my muscles. Traditional massage hurts like h*ll, so I usually visit a hot stone massage therapist. The heat, organic oils and massage works best for me. I heard that Thai massage would be something like that - of course I'd give it a try!

The Thai herbal compress balls are steamed, so they're pleasantly hot. I really loved the warm feeling of the fabric against my skin, it wasn't at all burning-hot (like hot stone massage can be). I experienced a deeper heat, it felt like the warmth went straight to my muscles. The combination of the compress balls and extra-virgin coconut oil on my skin was really pleasant, the slight friction of the fabric felt almost like soft exfoliation. The coconut oil left my skin feeling extra soft. What's not to love?

Compared to hot stone massage, my skin wasn't hot afterwards - in fact, it felt pleasantly cool. My skin wasn't at all pink either, even after massaging the muscles. Maybe it's because of the herbs? I don't know, but I liked it a lot more than traditional massage. I imagine that Thai herbal massage works really well during the summer season, because it doesn't leave you feeling hot. I could easily imagine myself getting this treatment on my lunch break and returning to the office as a happy, reborn woman!

 

I got the "Rejuvenating" treatment. The Thai herbal compress balls consist of the following herbs:

Curcuma Longa (turmeric)
Curcuma Zedoaria(turmeric)
Cymbopogon Citrates(lemongrass)
Citrus Hystrix (Kaffir lime)
tamarindus indica (tamarind leaves)
pandanus odorus (pandan leaves)
nibuhria siamensia

I got the treatment for my lower body, so I didn't actually smell the herbs during the treatment. I can imagine that a back or neck massage works as an aromatherapeutic experience as well. I got a whiff of the compress ball after the treatment. I love lemongrass and it's a shame I didn't get a neck (or facial) treatment. Well, maybe it could be my "something new" for next week..? ;)

Sorry international readers, I think Mikko only does these things in his new facility in Helsinki

Mikko's contact info:

Fysioterapia Mikko Utecht

UH & FIX Malmi

Pekanraitti 14

00700 Helsinki

puh 046 810 2070

mikko.utecht@rilaks.fi

http://www.facebook.com/fysioMU

Have a relaxing weekend!

/Ulrika

Body & mind.

My favourite yogini, Katja. Pics by me.

I do a lot of hard workouts. As a matter of fact, around 80 % of my own workouts are really intense. Now, you don't have to be a fitness guru to know there's something wrong with that. 

In my defence: I instruct a lot of group fitness classes with a variety of intensities. That means that I really don't need any light jogging or dancing on my free time, I get plenty of that at work. But just to balance things, I should do some yoga, stretching or any other type of light exercise to recover better. Something to improve flexibility and give me peace of mind.

Why can't I do it?

I've discussed this a lot with my friends and coworkers. I need to achieve stuff, feel that I'm really good at something and beat myself every time I do something. I set realistic (and sometimes unrealistic) goals for myself and work my butt off to get there. It feels really difficult for me to do something just because it's fun. Ridiculous, isn't it?

We're all driven by different things. I'm the type of person to be driven by extrinsic motivation. That means that I really like numbers and setting goals - I get really motivated when I see a change in myself, whether that's a change in physique or attitude. I'll learn to like the actual workouts eventually. Doing something just because I like it feels like a waste of time, when I could be doing something really productive. 

I stress easily and lose sleep over silly things, because I feel like I can't let go...

What should I do about it?

Now, I know that I like yoga. I actually reach the yoga state of mind - serenity - quite easily. I should just convince myself that I really need yoga. It would improve my stress levels and therefore help me reach my goals more easily. It would most definitely help me fall asleep at night (and in case I wake up, I could fall asleep again with a relaxation exercise). Yoga would also improve my flexibility and core strength, and by increasing the flexibility in my hips I'd get better results at the gym.

How do I get started?

I should definitely make yoga a part of my weekly workout schedule. If you've been reading carefully, you've seen that I've already done that. I do everything I promise and more. Sometimes I exceed my weekly workouts by a few quick jogs. Maybe I would feel better if I exchanged those jogs into yoga sessions or pole dancing classes with my trainer? Oh, yes.

I'll start right now. Ommmmmmmm...

Have you ever encountered a similar problem? It doesn't have to be about yoga, or any exercising for a matter of fact.

Hope you're having the best Wednesday,

Love,

Ulrika

Have you had motivational problems? How did you get through it?

The start of something new.

Hi and welcome.

I'm so happy that you've taken the time to read my first post. Yay!

In my first post I want to tackle a huge problem: stress. Spring is a stressful season for most of us - getting into shape for the summer isn't easy.

Here are my top 7 tips for de-stressing your body and improving sleep quality:
1. Turn off the TV and computer at least one hour before bedtime. Flashing lights and exciting stuff on the internet won't make you sleep better! If you must watch TV, avoid thrillers and horror bits and focus on comedies instead.
Try creating a routine - you know it's important for children, so why not for adults as well?
2. Make sure you take enough magnesium. Magnesium aids in calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles, which in turn can help you fall asleep - low magnesium levels may cause the release of certain stress hormones in the body, which increase under stress. In short, that means that magnesium deficiency can cause insomnia. Low magnesium levels can also cause muscle cramps, disrupting sleep.
3. Use adaptogens like Rose root, Indian ginseng, Liquorice root, Holy Basil, Maca root.
An adaptogen is a plant based metabolic regulator which helps the human body to "adapt" or to "adjust" to strains and changes of daily living and normalizes the functions of bodily systems. Adaptogens increase the ability of adapting to environmental factors and to avoid damage from such factors. For example, rose root has been shown to significantly regulate sleep disorders and improve sleep quality. Adaptogens help you bounce back from a terrible flu or a killer workout!
I use maca root daily, mixed in my morning smoothie.
4. Cut down on caffeine after 4 pm. Try herbal infusions like rooibos or lemon&ginger infusion. The latter one gives you a perfect sense of warmth, I absolutely love the feeling.
5. If you have trouble falling asleep, try to wind down by stretching, reading a book or writing a diary.
6. Take a look at your workout schedule. Is there too much high paced cardio, too little strength training and no time for a calming workout like yoga, pilates, chiball, asahi or stretching? Is there simply too much of everything? When do you work out, if at all? Do you spend enough time outdoors?
If you need help balancing your workouts, contact a Personal Trainer (PT).
7. The most important one: Think positive! Challenge yourself and stop complaining for a few days. Give your face a workout and smile more! I promise you, this single tip makes the biggest difference.

Which de-stressing method works best for you?

Model: Maija. Pictures taken by me.

I'll take a closer look at a balanced diet and stress in another post.

I'll be happy to answer any of your questions, so go on and post some comments :) Since this is my first post, I really hope to get some ideas and wishes. What do you wish I write about?

Thanks for reading!

/U