The Early Bird gets the StairMaster

I always say: the early bird gets the french fry (who wants a worm?), but I have adjusted my mantra this morning. Today I have done the unthinkable... a day I thought would never come: I was at the gym before 8 am. Crazy? Yes, but life forced me againsted my will. I've have gotten to the point in my hectic college schedule that if I don't exercise in the morning then I won't have time the rest of the day. I feel like like a woman who works 8-5, goes home to make dinner for her cooking-illiterate husband, and then takes care of her 5 crying and pooping children. Maybe not exactly, but this is what a lot of people call life. And life is messy in which we have to adjust.

My way to adjust is going to the gym at 7:45 BUT there are positives to an early workout:

1. I got the good StairMaster, the one that has the working television. Score.
2. I was able to do my NIKE training ab work-out in the aerobics room without receiving strange looks because my phone is talking to me. 
3. and finally, I was able to attend my 9:30 class and know I didn't have to go to the gym afterwards... though I was probably that one "smelly kid" in class (and I apologize to anyone in a 3 ft radius of me this morning).

But to get to the main concern of this post, let me give some background. This morning I was oddly hyper and needed to let it out via StairMaster... below is the result of my energy burst, but let me remind you this is not a commonality for me (though it'd be nice).

Now, this raised a question... how accurate are the calorie counters on cardio machines? Did I really just burn an exponential amount of calories or is Life Fitness lying to me? Well, I've done some research and this is what I found:

According to FitSugar (follow them on Twitter @fitsugar, they always have great fitness and health tips):

The calories burned readout on cardio machines are not known for their accuracy. Some machines are even known to bump up the calorie readout by almost 25% (apparently the feel good factor keeps us using their machines). Furthermore, machines do not always take into consideration all the factors in individual fitness levels and the specificity of the exercise and they're not often re-calibrated after hitting the gym floor, so things can get off set with time. Basically you can (and should) use the calorie readout only as a guideline but not as the end-all-be-all of how many calories you've burned.

Sigh. I feel I've just been told that there's no Santa Clause. Though depressing, this makes us rethink those feel good donuts for a job well done at the gym.

There are ways to help increase the accuracy of your cardio workout: Enter your weight.

Want even more accuracy? Use a heart-rate monitor which will give generate atop notch calorie reading.

But as the take away from this post, don't define your workout by a number. It's like your when you weigh yourself. Sure, it's a number that can fluctuate but it does not control how you feel about yourself. A number can't define a person's being; focus on being healthy and reaching your own personal goals.

Yoga Pants with a Purpose: the Sweaty Aftermath

I've just returned from hot yoga (still sweaty) and lived to tell the tale; and guess what the first thing was I ate when I got home? Hot soup. Is that weird? I guess the hotness ran its course or I'm some sort of heat freak, but my thoughts about the heated session?...It is a tough work out! I salute the people who complete a yoga session with complete poise and balance, you need a good deal of mental and physical strength and concentration. My arms are pooped out; but, I do feel completely relaxed and at ease in my own skin. Mission accomplished. Before the class, I wanted to know how many calories are typically burned during a session of Bikram yoga. I figured the most exertion would be the heat, but I was surprised at what I found. One site said I would burn around 600-700 calories! Is this possible? Well I looked up a nifty, little yoga calculator (who would have thought) and the results were similar! Try it below!  Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories you burned doing Yoga:
Type:	Intense Yoga (Ashtanga/Vinyasa/Power/Classical Hatha)Bikram Yoga
Weight:		PoundsKilograms
Time:		HoursMinutes

The yoga room smelled like incense and the lighting was dimmed. If the floor wasn't covered in yoga mats, I would have thought I was getting a massage (and I would have been okay with that). My initial reaction about the heat was Oh, it's not that bad. Actually, it's kinda nice. My friend looked at me Oh, just wait. 


We began with some basic stretching and breathing. Everything was hunky dory until the repetition of downward dog (which my instructor was extremely found of; my hamstrings? Not so much). We would jump into a plank, go into a cobra stretch, into downward dog, and repeat x5. Planks, in general, aren't an easy task, so they're even more difficult when you're slipping and sliding in sauna-like heat. But I liked that everyone was at all levels and went at their own pace, so there was no pressure to keep up with instructor or the prized yoga students in the front of the room.

After the first 30 minutes, I took back what I said about the heat. I was wiping constantly wiping sweat off my face and trying not to slip out of poses. The heat itself didn't bother me, it was more of the sweat that was tricky. Plus I thought some of the poses were difficult. The instructor keep harping on our breathing, but it's hard to focus on your breath when trying to accomplish warrior stance, damnit! I think I would be a better breather with practice and becoming more comfortable with the poses. And I was right, I was a pro at Pose 13 (see below, it was called the corpse pose....it's a gift I suppose).

My favorite part was the last 5 minutes of relaxation. At this point, your body is jelly. You just lay down, close your eyes, and clear your mind. It was like adult nap time. I was so relaxed and at ease with my body. And besides being physically tired, I felt darn good.

I liked the Bikram yoga, but am not yet in love with it. I know each instructor is different, so I am going to give it another shot. It was a nice mix up from my regular work out routine (treadmills can get so boring), and I accomplished ultimate sweat levels that confirmed a successful work out. I recommend it to anyone, even men! You don't have to have good balance or be ultra flexible. Yoga is all about going at your own pace and setting personal goals. It works not only your outer limps but your soul as well. I hope to get hooked and keep nourishing myself in ways that only yoga can achieve.