back to basics

happy wednesday! it's the middle of the week - almost the weekend! i've been off on my days all week. yesterday was mine and hubby's anniversary and we celebrated by going out to this little italian restaurant we adore. i kept mentioning how i couldn't believe it was only monday - hubby was like "hello, how strong is that drink??" i absolutely had to have a french martini last night. what can i say? i'm a martini yogini.  it's kind of cool to feel a day behind. it means my weekend will get here even faster!

i've been going back to basics lately with food, exercise, yoga and life. over the weekend, i laced up my running sneakers and headed out with the hubs. we did a quick mile and it felt great. i had a short lived love affair with running last year but the brutally cold winter kept me indoors and once summer hit my schedule went haywire and i didn't make much time to fit in the miles.  this cooler, fall weather is just begging me to get out there and who am i to ignore mother nature? we had a blast and my love for running returned hardcore. i'm signing myself up for a local 5k event that's hosted in december. yes, it's always crazy cold, but the race's claim to fame is the hot chocolate awaiting you at the finish line.
score.
'nuff said.
so back to basic race training. and i'm pretty thrilled.

i've also been relishing in my home practice. i've taken it back to basics with my asana and pranayama and am practicing with more of a beginner's mind. i tend to want to always push ahead in my practice and get all sweaty in a vinyasa, but sometimes restorative and yin yoga just rock my world and i need to honor that slowness and deepness of practice. i'm exploring my practice from the inside out and taking my time.
i've also been busting butt in the kitchen lately. making super simple raw or vegan meals and making sure the hubs and i are nourished with whole foods that fuel us. he's been loving it and i'm finding it really fun to just discover new recipes and get busy baking. i haven't made the same meal twice in close to 3 weeks and i'm finding a love for things i never thought i would. white button mushrooms, butternut squash 'fries' and kale salads... nom nom nom.

vegan black bean burgers were on the dinner menu on monday. i made extra and have since crumbled one up over a kale salad.

i just finished a small batch of vegan pumpkin scones. my entire apartment smells like fall. um, how freakin' awesome! who needs candles when you have a stove and some organic canned pumpkin? these puppies are for after dinner tonight with some warmed cinnamon vanilla almond milk.

and hopefully i'll be enjoying that decadent treat in bed next to these

anniversary flowers from hubby!

and this

because who doesn't love to have a slumbering puggle next to their bed?

and if he's in his bed, that means i get my bed all to myself!

well.. at least until the hubby comes in.

have you ever felt the need to just take it down a notch and switch things up by going back to old routines, hobbies or practices?  do you find peace in returning to basics?  or do you thrive on pushing to the next level?

rainy day ramblings

happy tuesday!
is your day as rainy as mine is?

i'm taking a quick break between work and classes. i've been feeling pretty good lately and i've noticed that i've been consistantly eating very well.  i think it's very important to find out how food effects you and your body when it comes to anxiety. chugging coffee and scarfing junk food can sometimes cause us to experience symptoms similar to what we feel when we have anxious moments.  and i'm human, every now and then i'll have "treat" foods, but i pay for them.  but i've noticed this week that i've been really spot on when it comes to my diet. i've also finally gotten completely back to my workout routine and that's been amazing. i definitely take rest days, but sometimes i just gotta sweat!

some things that have been making me feel amazing:

protein smoothies!

raw pasta and shrimp primavera

raw spaghetti and meatballs - score! this was delish!

my workouts have been mostly yoga and spin, but i'm beyond excited to take a 2hr zumba party on friday night with my friend. Yes, this is how i spend my friday nights and YES i love it beyond measure!

and i've been focusing a lot on doing things that bring me peace and relaxation. lots of reading, movie watching and walks with my hubby. 

i hope your week is off to a great start!

i'm off to finish up some work and get my yoga and spin on tonight. 

channeling martha stewart

today is a gorgeous day in new york and i'm very excited to spend it with the hubby.  my weekends vary so much because i'm often subbing classes or taking classes, but this weekend i have absolutely nothing concrete to do.  the world is mine! at least for this weekend it is  =)

on the agenda today is an INSANITY workout followed by a trip to the park with the pup and possibly checking out Iron Man 2. 

i channeled my inner domestic diva and whipped up a batch of protein choco-chip banana muffins which are currently baking away (and smelling delish!) because i'm always looking for new ways to get easy, protein packed snacks into our diets.  last week i made homemade protein coconut bars so i figured i'd switch it up a bit and when i found that recipe for the muffins i couldn't resist!

how are you spending your weekend?  any fun plans?  hopefully you are somewhere enjoying the spring weather.  enjoy your weekend bloggie friends!

morning, noon or night

i tend to have anxious episodes in the morning. i'm not really sure why this is a peak time for me, but when anxiety rears its ugly head, it is more often than not in the morning. this morning was one of those mornings. i had been excited to teach all week (busily creating playlists and new flows) and when my eyes opened a little after 4am i found myself riddled with anxiety. i eventually fell back asleep and awoke with my alarm clock feeling a bit better. i shook it off and went about my morning routine and about 45 minutes before i was supposed to leave for class i got very ill. my anxiety knotted up my stomach so badly and so fiercely it actually shocked me. there was nothing to be nervous about! i was excited about teaching. i began my breathing, knowing that once i got to class i'd be fine because i'd lose myself in the moment and pleasure of teaching and all would be well. but i had to get there first!

needless to say, i did make it to class because even though the anxious feelings nagged me, they didn't stop me. big difference from a year and a half ago. but it still bothered me that i had the anxious feelings in the first place. after coming home and dissecting the morning activities i think i know what may have caused the anxiety and stomachache.

1) my husband was going on a road trip

2) i ate a boat load of pizza last night

ok, so #1 doesn't really seem relevant to me, but it is. road trips were triggers for me. i despised the car. i hated long car rides. it caused me IMMENSE stress and many times i made myself SO sick i couldn't even get in the car. maybe just the thought of him traveling in the car, even though i was personally far removed from the situation, caused me to stress without realizing it. if i don't sense it or catch it, it escalates. perhaps this triggered something in me that was very unexpected. it's funny how these triggers work!

and #2... well, that's self explanatory. I hardly ever eat junk food and this is due in large part to how it makes me feel the next day - which is totally crummy! but i threw caution to the wind last night and inhaled some eggplant pizza. i won't lie, it was amazingly delicious. but feeling so sick i was near tears this morning made it so not worth it. and another thought flashed in my mind.... i cannot eat like this in europe or i will ruin my experience and my husband's trip. every once and awhile i enjoy indulging in 'bad for you' food but i do it so infrequently that once i do my body totally rejects it and i'm made to pay the price. and this leaves me thinking... is food really worth it? i'm self inducing anxious feelings and stomachaches for the experience of eating pizza (or any junk food!) and it serves me no purpose other than shallow satisfaction.

chalk it up to --more-- lessons learned. i may not always enjoy every minute of my journey, but i can sure learn from everything i encounter on my way.