Zen at the Gym and more..

As you all know i practice yoga everyday- i have a physical practice and i live my yoga daily. if you go to the gym consider taking your yoga off the mat and into the gym too. i honestly never thought i would belong to a "gym" again- then i entered equinox and changed my mind. i was remotivated to explore my body in a new (but old) way. i've always been an active person. when i was pregnant with mason and for years before that i would do at least an hour of cardio a day, plus my mind/body movement, plus whatever activity i was doing that day- tennis, bike riding, etc... i have always loved moving and i still do. as i have gotten deeper into the mind, body & spirit forms of movement such as yoga, pilates and gyrotonic exercise i now have a deeper connection to my body. i can connect with it on a deeper level- i can lengthen from the psoas, i can increase the space between each vertebrae, i know when my back body needs to be released etc. i can't go a day without checking in with my body and doing the needed exercise/movements/breathing etc needed to balance it or release it.
when i do my workouts at equinox i bring the same mind/body connection to my movements. if i'm on the elliptical i'm not mindlessly pumping up and down thinking i can't wait for this to be over. instead, i'm lifting up and in through the core, lengthening between each vertebrae, connecting with all the muscles in my body, focusing on deep breathing and expanding my ribcage posteriorly and laterally and sooo much more. i strive to have my whole body and mind connected working in flow. when i'm lifting weights all the same is true and i focus on precise alignment of each joint. i don't just do the same old weight and same old repetitions each session but instead i feel what my body is needing that day. one of my goals right now is to increase my upper body strength. so on my upper body days i focus on working my muscles to the point that they can't do another repetition- each movement being slow and precise. i enter a zone when i'm working out. most of the time i'm listening to classical or zen/yoga music that helps me be in my own space. its easy for me to block out what is going on around me and just go within. i love it.
i challenge you to reconnect with your workouts and see if you can go deeper within. you will gain sooo much more from your workouts.

Today i could not wait to go to equinox- i just needed a good intense workout!!- i was there when the door opened at 7am!!
home for my green juices blended with chlorella and a few spoonfuls of chlorella tablets.

owen munching on his chlorella tablets while we played shoots and ladders after i got back from the gym this morning!

i took my power smoothies with me to mason's karate class since we were going to be out and about running errands afterwards. power smoothies are such a great solution for busy moms. you make a huge batch, put them in travel mugs or cups and off you go. you can sip on them all afternoon and stay energized!!


coconut water
goji berries
strawberries
blueberries
mango
spinach
kale
sun warrior vanilla protein powder
pure synergy green powder
blue manna
acai powder
pomegranate powder
dulse
crystal energy
ionic minerals
i was craving a nutrient-dense salad so i threw together this for owen and i.


Spinach and kale
fermented sauerkraut and kim chi
arame and hijiki
dulse
pumpkin seeds
hemp seeds
dressing of: tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne
i love stacking a forkful of salad on top of lydias organic crackers!! owen does this too- it's sooo cute!! mason is not as in to these salads as owen!!

The kids and i did sooo many awesome activities this weekend- it was a warm and cozy inside weekend most of the time. But here are a few pics:
mason had a blast at a b-day party at pump it up.

we played loads of games including: shutes and ladders, pictionary, monopoly, uno, memory, slap jack, curious george and i'm sure i'm missing more...

we put together these awesome geography puzzles and learned about many new places in the world.

mason loves the little legos right now. daddy and him put together this boat yesterday and today was a truck and dinasaur. we have more sets for tomorrow and this week.

owen loves his choo choos!!!


have a happy monday!!
kelly