I'm headed to DC in the early morning tomorrow. Hurricane Sandy is also headed straight for DC, so it is very appropriate to say that I am literally heading into the eye of the storm. Why am I going to DC? I have been in the process of getting certified to teach yoga, and in order to complete my registration, I have to attend a week long retreat in Virginia. If I make it to the actual destination of the retreat, I will be fine because it is inland and south of the hurricane, it is the actual act of flying into DC that is the major concern. Do I want to go at this point? Not really. Am I scared to go, scared of getting stranded in some random state for days, getting stuck in the middle of the hurricane with no food or power for days? Absolutely. So why am I going? First, I really believe in this yoga program and all that it entails. Second, I want to complete my certification after all the studying and preparation I have done.
I used to think that yoga was all about stretching, but there is so much more to it. I truly mean this when I say that ALL people can benefit from yoga. Yes, it does help with flexibility and agility, but it also helps you to recover faster from sore muscles and fatigue, it reduces stress, helps to lower high blood pressure, it helps you repair your body from injuries, and more.
The kind of yoga I am getting trained in is called Holy Yoga. It is considered a form of hatha yoga. The difference between Holy Yoga and "regular yoga" is that in Holy Yoga, we meditate on God, and on his scripture. What better way to start your morning, or end your stressful work day than with Holy Yoga? If you have more questions about Holy Yoga, feel free to email me at abby.shroka@gmail.com I would love to talk with anyone about Holy Yoga in more depth.
When I get back from my retreat next week, I will write a blog all about the retreat, all of the things that I learned, and all about my crazy adventure with hurricane Sandy. I will also be tweeting during my week at the retreat (as long as there is power so I can charge my phone). So, follow my on twitter, @Abby_Shroka to get a glimpse of all the knowledge I'll be learning next week.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Exercise For Your Life
I hope you all have had a great time meeting yourself where you are right now. Isn't it so great to experience life in the "precious present" instead of letting the past bog you down? If you missed my first blog about meeting yourself where you are today, you can read it here. I know I'm being a bit optimistic about letting the past go, because in reality, it's a lot harder than it seems. Below are three helpful hints to keep you on the right track to exercising for your LIFE.
1. Experiment to find what works for you. I once had a person tell me that he joined a gym and tried every single class the gym offered, in order to find what type of exercising worked best for him. I'm not saying that all of you need to do this, but the man has a point. I can't use running as my sole form of exercise anymore because I have too many aches and pains from running in my youth. I still run, but I do it along with other things. I love kickboxing when I'm ticked off. Nothing blows off steam like kicking and punching for an hour. Yoga really helps to relieve stress and relax me, and P90X is a great way for me to still be competitive with myself. Experiment with different kinds of exercise to find what you enjoy, otherwise you won't be able to stick with it.
2. Work with what you have. If you only have 30 minutes to exercise in a day, that's ok, you just have to find a workout that is only 30 minutes. If you have little kids that won't leave you alone for one second, include them in your exercise. Park far away so that you have to walk across the parking lot instead of parking close, if that is all you can manage in a day, that is ok. If you hate working out in the frigid winter weather, find something you can do inside instead of forcing yourself to go outside anyways. Let's be honest, by February, you will have quit going outside, so you might as well find something to do inside. Whatever your obstacle is that is keeping you from working out, decide today to get ride of it. Instead, work with what you DO have.
3. Celebrate every victory.
It's so easy for us to look back on yesterday and beat ourselves up for all the things we didn't do. Instead, focus on what you did accomplish. If you want to lose 100 pounds, celebrate every single pound that comes off. Don't say, well I lost 5 pounds, but who cares because I'm still 95 pounds heavier than I want to be. Instead, say I am five pounds lighter than I was, and I'm five pounds closer to my goal. Every single time you exercise, take a moment when you finish to acknowledge it. Remind yourself that you are exercising for your life. Celebrate the fact that you are exercising for your life.
No matter where you are today, I hope that you start to focus on where you're going. Take advantage of what you do have, so that you can celebrate every victory along the way. For more information make sure to visit my website www.abbyshroka.com. For daily tips on healthy living and exercise, follow me on twitter @Abby_Shroka
Wishing you all health, hope, & happiness
Abby
1. Experiment to find what works for you. I once had a person tell me that he joined a gym and tried every single class the gym offered, in order to find what type of exercising worked best for him. I'm not saying that all of you need to do this, but the man has a point. I can't use running as my sole form of exercise anymore because I have too many aches and pains from running in my youth. I still run, but I do it along with other things. I love kickboxing when I'm ticked off. Nothing blows off steam like kicking and punching for an hour. Yoga really helps to relieve stress and relax me, and P90X is a great way for me to still be competitive with myself. Experiment with different kinds of exercise to find what you enjoy, otherwise you won't be able to stick with it.
2. Work with what you have. If you only have 30 minutes to exercise in a day, that's ok, you just have to find a workout that is only 30 minutes. If you have little kids that won't leave you alone for one second, include them in your exercise. Park far away so that you have to walk across the parking lot instead of parking close, if that is all you can manage in a day, that is ok. If you hate working out in the frigid winter weather, find something you can do inside instead of forcing yourself to go outside anyways. Let's be honest, by February, you will have quit going outside, so you might as well find something to do inside. Whatever your obstacle is that is keeping you from working out, decide today to get ride of it. Instead, work with what you DO have.
3. Celebrate every victory.
It's so easy for us to look back on yesterday and beat ourselves up for all the things we didn't do. Instead, focus on what you did accomplish. If you want to lose 100 pounds, celebrate every single pound that comes off. Don't say, well I lost 5 pounds, but who cares because I'm still 95 pounds heavier than I want to be. Instead, say I am five pounds lighter than I was, and I'm five pounds closer to my goal. Every single time you exercise, take a moment when you finish to acknowledge it. Remind yourself that you are exercising for your life. Celebrate the fact that you are exercising for your life.
No matter where you are today, I hope that you start to focus on where you're going. Take advantage of what you do have, so that you can celebrate every victory along the way. For more information make sure to visit my website www.abbyshroka.com. For daily tips on healthy living and exercise, follow me on twitter @Abby_Shroka
Wishing you all health, hope, & happiness
Abby
Friday, October 19, 2012
Meet yourself where you are
A lot of ex-athletes struggle to exercise. Let's face it, the glory days are behind us, so why bother right? Well, the glory days may be behind you, but your LIFE is ahead of you and that is worth exercising for. Talk to someone that has been diagnosed with cancer, suffered a heart attack, or given themselves shots of insulin every day for the last year, and they will all tell you that it is SOO worth it to exercise for your life.
Still, ex-athletes struggle to exercise. You don't have the time you used to, you don't get the results you used to, and you don't have the body you used to. This leads to disappointment and frustration. Not to mention that you have a family, a mortgage, and a million commitments to keep up with. You stop exercising for a day, and it turns into a week and then a year. How can you fix this?
Meet Yourself Where You Are Today
There was a time in my life where I could cruise through mile after mile of running at 6:00 minute pace, with no pain. Yesterday, I went running and I was not cruising, I was trying hard, and I ran only 3 miles at 8:30 pace. There are two possible reactions I could have had to this. I could have been extremely frustrated that my pace was so much slower than what it used to be. I used to react like this, but all it did was cause me to hate running and exercising altogether. Instead, when I finished my run and saw that I ran 8:30 pace I was excited. I had run 3 miles with NO pain, which is huge for me. (I have a lot of aches and pains from my glory days). I was also excited because it was the fastest and farthest I had run since I started running again. On my next run, I hope to run 3 miles faster than 8:30 pace. Even if I run 8:29 pace I'll still celebrate that victory.
So, how did I get from the attitude of frustration over not being able to run like I used to, to the attitude of victory over running much slower? I wake up everyday and I meet myself where I am that day. You have to stop wasting your time looking back on how it used to be. The reason ex-athletes stop exercising and get very unhealthy is because they can't stop looking back at their prime. If you haven't exercised in a year, meet yourself there today. Acknowledge where you are NOW, and then work to improve it. Don't just jump in a expect to be where you were at your prime. Every five years my dad "erases" all of his exercising accolades and starts over from scratch. He told me he does this so that he can continue to compete with himself realistically. He can't expect his 40 year old body to still compete with his 35 year old body, and he can't expect his 50 year old body to compete with his 45 year old body. Instead, he meets himself where he is at that moment, and goes from there.
No matter where you are today, whether you're 100 pounds overweight, haven't exercised in 5 years, or have been diagnosed with diabetes, I hope that you will look in the mirror tonight and meet yourself where you are right now, so that you can start exercising again.
Part 2 of this blog will be up next Tuesday, so make sure to check back then. If you have more questions, please visit my website www.abbyshroka.com I also just got a twitter account @Abby_Shroka so follow me if you're interested in getting daily health tips.
Wishing you all health, hope, & happiness
Abby
Still, ex-athletes struggle to exercise. You don't have the time you used to, you don't get the results you used to, and you don't have the body you used to. This leads to disappointment and frustration. Not to mention that you have a family, a mortgage, and a million commitments to keep up with. You stop exercising for a day, and it turns into a week and then a year. How can you fix this?
Meet Yourself Where You Are Today
There was a time in my life where I could cruise through mile after mile of running at 6:00 minute pace, with no pain. Yesterday, I went running and I was not cruising, I was trying hard, and I ran only 3 miles at 8:30 pace. There are two possible reactions I could have had to this. I could have been extremely frustrated that my pace was so much slower than what it used to be. I used to react like this, but all it did was cause me to hate running and exercising altogether. Instead, when I finished my run and saw that I ran 8:30 pace I was excited. I had run 3 miles with NO pain, which is huge for me. (I have a lot of aches and pains from my glory days). I was also excited because it was the fastest and farthest I had run since I started running again. On my next run, I hope to run 3 miles faster than 8:30 pace. Even if I run 8:29 pace I'll still celebrate that victory.
So, how did I get from the attitude of frustration over not being able to run like I used to, to the attitude of victory over running much slower? I wake up everyday and I meet myself where I am that day. You have to stop wasting your time looking back on how it used to be. The reason ex-athletes stop exercising and get very unhealthy is because they can't stop looking back at their prime. If you haven't exercised in a year, meet yourself there today. Acknowledge where you are NOW, and then work to improve it. Don't just jump in a expect to be where you were at your prime. Every five years my dad "erases" all of his exercising accolades and starts over from scratch. He told me he does this so that he can continue to compete with himself realistically. He can't expect his 40 year old body to still compete with his 35 year old body, and he can't expect his 50 year old body to compete with his 45 year old body. Instead, he meets himself where he is at that moment, and goes from there.
No matter where you are today, whether you're 100 pounds overweight, haven't exercised in 5 years, or have been diagnosed with diabetes, I hope that you will look in the mirror tonight and meet yourself where you are right now, so that you can start exercising again.
Part 2 of this blog will be up next Tuesday, so make sure to check back then. If you have more questions, please visit my website www.abbyshroka.com I also just got a twitter account @Abby_Shroka so follow me if you're interested in getting daily health tips.
Wishing you all health, hope, & happiness
Abby
Friday, October 12, 2012
Waffles Made Healthy
Brunch has to be the best meal of the day. We make a huge brunch every Saturday morning that is full of our favorite breakfast foods. My husband LOVES homemade waffles. He would eat them every day if they were available. Over time, I have worked to make them healthier for him.
The first substitute: wheat flour. Having waffles with white flour (or any other breakfast carbohydrate) is a great way to ruin your day. Seriously! Those white carbs turn into sugar when digested. This causes you to have a sugar rush, quickly followed by a sugar crash. This leaves you feeling tired and lethargic for a few hours until your body recovers. There is also close to zero nutritional value, but most of you already know this.
The second substitution: change your toppings. The easiest one to change is your syrup. Getting 100% pure maple syrup is one of the best things you can do. It has natural sugars in it that your body can use for energy, so it won't cause a sugar crash. It also is free from all the chemicals and junk in regular syrup. I think it tastes alot better too, but thats obviously not a fact.
You can also substitute the butter that you put on waffles with peanut butter. This will add healthy fat and protein (from the peanuts) to your meal. It will leave you feeling fuller longer, which will ward off over-eating throughout the rest of the day. For people who try to stay away from dairy, this is a good option.
The last substitution: add fruit. Ok, I know this is technically an addition, not a substitution, but just hear me out. Cut up your favorite fruits and add them to the waffles. Cut up fruits fit great in the waffles and the fruit/ syrup mix is an awesome combination. We like to put berries on our waffles.
Even though these substitutions are meant specifically for waffles, they are still a good rule of thumb to start with for any breakfast carbohydrate. Stick to wheat instead of white, use natural sweeteners, and add fruit. Substituting your breakfast in this way will help you to stay full, satisfied, and energized all morning long. Isn't that better than feeling sick and sluggish all morning?
Make sure to check out my website for more great recipes and substitution ideas.
Wishing you all health, hope, and happiness
Abby
The first substitute: wheat flour. Having waffles with white flour (or any other breakfast carbohydrate) is a great way to ruin your day. Seriously! Those white carbs turn into sugar when digested. This causes you to have a sugar rush, quickly followed by a sugar crash. This leaves you feeling tired and lethargic for a few hours until your body recovers. There is also close to zero nutritional value, but most of you already know this.
The second substitution: change your toppings. The easiest one to change is your syrup. Getting 100% pure maple syrup is one of the best things you can do. It has natural sugars in it that your body can use for energy, so it won't cause a sugar crash. It also is free from all the chemicals and junk in regular syrup. I think it tastes alot better too, but thats obviously not a fact.
You can also substitute the butter that you put on waffles with peanut butter. This will add healthy fat and protein (from the peanuts) to your meal. It will leave you feeling fuller longer, which will ward off over-eating throughout the rest of the day. For people who try to stay away from dairy, this is a good option.
The last substitution: add fruit. Ok, I know this is technically an addition, not a substitution, but just hear me out. Cut up your favorite fruits and add them to the waffles. Cut up fruits fit great in the waffles and the fruit/ syrup mix is an awesome combination. We like to put berries on our waffles.
Even though these substitutions are meant specifically for waffles, they are still a good rule of thumb to start with for any breakfast carbohydrate. Stick to wheat instead of white, use natural sweeteners, and add fruit. Substituting your breakfast in this way will help you to stay full, satisfied, and energized all morning long. Isn't that better than feeling sick and sluggish all morning?
Make sure to check out my website for more great recipes and substitution ideas.
Wishing you all health, hope, and happiness
Abby
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I Survived the Wine Drought
There was only one time in the second two weeks that I actually got a strong craving for wine. I made spaghetti with homemade pasta sauce, and the smell of the sauce was making me crave a glass of my favorite merlot. That italian food will get me every time!
I also noticed that I didn't get one headache after the first week. Before I started this wine challenge I was getting 3-4 headaches a week at night, after drinking wine. I still got headaches in the first week that I quit drinking wine. I now realize this was my body detoxing itself. I always tell my clients to listen to your body. This is clearly my body telling me that it doesn't like it when I drink wine every night with dinner. My body can't function as efficiently when I drink wine that often.
When October 1st hit, and I was able to drink wine again, I didn't even have a desire to drink it. I still did have a drink of course, but the desire wasn't there like I thought it would be. Since then, it has been 10 days, and I've only had wine twice. Not because I'm trying to cut back, but because I just don't have the craving for it anymore. I feel really good now that I'm not getting headaches and clearly my body is happy. If my body really NEEDED wine, it would be craving the wine for me.
I really want to encourage you all to take a break from drinking wine and see how you feel. It doesn't have to be 30 days like I did, but try more than seven. Ten days is a great place to start. That is enough to get through your body's detox period and really start to feel the positive changes. I would love to hear from you about any positive changes you feel after taking a break from wine!
Don't forget to check out my website for more info www.abbyshroka.com
Wishing you health, hope, & happiness
Abby
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
My Fall Bucketlist
Everyone needs a fall bucket list! I think alot of people agree with me that fall is the best time of the year, and there is so much to do! If I don't make a fall bucket list for myself, I end up missing out on all of these great things that I planned to do, but didn't. So, here is my list:
1. Go to a pumpkin patch. I grew up going to pumpkin patches every fall. There is no better way to get healthy, organic, farm grown, seasonal produce!! Besides, pumpkin patches are a great way to bring out the kid in you and enjoy the great weather. It's also a great weekend date :)
2. Make homemade applesauce with apples from the pumpkin patch! My mother in law makes homemade applesauce every year and it is sooo yummy! I'm going to try the recipe for the first time this year.
3. Carve pumpkins and remember to take pictures BEFORE they rot!! Last year, we carved awesome pumpkins together, but forgot to take pictures. When I finally remember, one of them was rotting :(
4. Go to starbucks and treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte. (I see a pumpkin theme starting here). I know coffee isn't the best for anyone, but we all have to indulge every once in awhile and this is such a wonderful way to treat myself
5. Go to the farmers market regularly. Every time I go to the farmers market, I always have such a wonderful time, and the whole way home I ask myself why I don't go more often. So, now it's on the bucket list
6. Go to a bonfire at the beach. Nothing says fall like bonfires, and this is a great way to take advantage of living in SoCal
7. Do a fall cleanse. A fall cleanse helps to rid your body of all the water, excess fat, and loose weight that you have been carrying all summer. It helps to prepare your body for the winter months. Cleanses feel amazing once you're done too! A basic cleanse is just an overload of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
What is on your fall bucket list?
1. Go to a pumpkin patch. I grew up going to pumpkin patches every fall. There is no better way to get healthy, organic, farm grown, seasonal produce!! Besides, pumpkin patches are a great way to bring out the kid in you and enjoy the great weather. It's also a great weekend date :)
2. Make homemade applesauce with apples from the pumpkin patch! My mother in law makes homemade applesauce every year and it is sooo yummy! I'm going to try the recipe for the first time this year.
3. Carve pumpkins and remember to take pictures BEFORE they rot!! Last year, we carved awesome pumpkins together, but forgot to take pictures. When I finally remember, one of them was rotting :(
4. Go to starbucks and treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte. (I see a pumpkin theme starting here). I know coffee isn't the best for anyone, but we all have to indulge every once in awhile and this is such a wonderful way to treat myself
5. Go to the farmers market regularly. Every time I go to the farmers market, I always have such a wonderful time, and the whole way home I ask myself why I don't go more often. So, now it's on the bucket list
6. Go to a bonfire at the beach. Nothing says fall like bonfires, and this is a great way to take advantage of living in SoCal
7. Do a fall cleanse. A fall cleanse helps to rid your body of all the water, excess fat, and loose weight that you have been carrying all summer. It helps to prepare your body for the winter months. Cleanses feel amazing once you're done too! A basic cleanse is just an overload of fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
What is on your fall bucket list?
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
No More Wine... 7 days down, too many days left to go
Well I'm about a week in and so far I've been able to stay away from drinking wine. I miss my wine pretty much every night. I saw some friends in San Diego this weekend and, as usual, they popped open a bottle of wine and I had to politely (and a tad tearfully) say no thanks. This of course brings an onset of questions and looks that I know are leading to a possible pregnancy. This, of course, is untrue. If you want to read about the reasoning behind my wine boycott, read my previous blog titled "No More Wine - 30 day Challenge (eek!!).
One thing I have noticed this past week is the fact that wine is EVERYWHERE!! This makes it really hard to avoid it (duh). There is wine on tv shows, in movies, all over billboards, in commercials, it's everywhere. I never noticed how prevalent wine is until I am wanting it but can't have it. Every time I see a reference to wine, I get a longing and my mouth starts to water a little. Hopefully this reaction will fade throughout my 30 day trial. This also makes me wonder how much advertising and propaganda really do affect us?
There are two major differences I have noticed. The first is that I haven't been getting any headaches at night. In the past I would get headaches 3-4 times per week sometime after dinner (after drinking wine). I always wondered if this was related to wine, and now I have my answer. It's only been a week though, so I will have to see if I remain headache free. I also noticed that I eat dinner alot faster now. Wine really makes me slow down and enjoy my food. Probably because I love to sip and savor wine, and wine also brings out the flavor in food, so it encourages slow savory eating. I thought it would affect my sleeping and my energy levels, but it really hasn't at all. This is really good news to me because it means that wine doesn't effect me in these ways, or I don't drink enough wine on a daily basis to have it effect me in these ways.
How did I make the change to having NO wine? Most people tell me that they just can't do it because there is never a good time and they love wine too much. I'm there with you. The two things I have done these past seven days to prepare myself for no wine were:
1. Have alternative beverages ready. I knew this would be my biggest struggle. I am a big water drinker, and drink it pretty much all day long, so at night, I don't want water, I want wine. Something full of flavor. I knew if I was going to last 30+ days, I needed a substitute that was full of flavor. I started adding fruit to my water; lemons, raspberries, grapefruit, oranges, whatever I feel like (and whatever I have available in my fridge). This gives me that blast of flavor I am missing, and is super healthy!
2. Be prepared for the temptations. When I'm out to eat, with friends, celebrating, eating chocolate, etc. I want to drink wine. So, before any of these occasions, I simply remind myself that I'm not drinking wine right now so that I'm not caught up in the moment and find myself ordering my favorite Merlot before I remember that I'm going wine free for 30 days.
So far so good! I'm not dead yet, although my taste buds probably think they're dying. Check back in next week for my blog at the half way point of my 30 days wine free challenge.
One thing I have noticed this past week is the fact that wine is EVERYWHERE!! This makes it really hard to avoid it (duh). There is wine on tv shows, in movies, all over billboards, in commercials, it's everywhere. I never noticed how prevalent wine is until I am wanting it but can't have it. Every time I see a reference to wine, I get a longing and my mouth starts to water a little. Hopefully this reaction will fade throughout my 30 day trial. This also makes me wonder how much advertising and propaganda really do affect us?
There are two major differences I have noticed. The first is that I haven't been getting any headaches at night. In the past I would get headaches 3-4 times per week sometime after dinner (after drinking wine). I always wondered if this was related to wine, and now I have my answer. It's only been a week though, so I will have to see if I remain headache free. I also noticed that I eat dinner alot faster now. Wine really makes me slow down and enjoy my food. Probably because I love to sip and savor wine, and wine also brings out the flavor in food, so it encourages slow savory eating. I thought it would affect my sleeping and my energy levels, but it really hasn't at all. This is really good news to me because it means that wine doesn't effect me in these ways, or I don't drink enough wine on a daily basis to have it effect me in these ways.
How did I make the change to having NO wine? Most people tell me that they just can't do it because there is never a good time and they love wine too much. I'm there with you. The two things I have done these past seven days to prepare myself for no wine were:
1. Have alternative beverages ready. I knew this would be my biggest struggle. I am a big water drinker, and drink it pretty much all day long, so at night, I don't want water, I want wine. Something full of flavor. I knew if I was going to last 30+ days, I needed a substitute that was full of flavor. I started adding fruit to my water; lemons, raspberries, grapefruit, oranges, whatever I feel like (and whatever I have available in my fridge). This gives me that blast of flavor I am missing, and is super healthy!
So far so good! I'm not dead yet, although my taste buds probably think they're dying. Check back in next week for my blog at the half way point of my 30 days wine free challenge.
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