Meathead to Veghead

So to say that I was a meat lover, would be an under statement. My favorite foods were meatballs, beef jerky and basically any form of meat on a stick. In 2010, I decided I would completely dedicate myself to my yoga practice. I attended a workshop at Maya yoga Studio, that talked about your "doshas" (basically a yoga personality test that dives into the mental, physical and emotional) and the power of meditation. After the workshop I picked up a pamphlet on becoming a vegetarian. I was already feeling this weird Avatar, cosmic karma, butterfly effect aura around me but this pamphlet made me realize that my love for meat, was not only killing/tourturing animals, it was killing the earth and my arteries. I was putting rotting carcasses in my mouth everyday and doing it with a smile. I was this glutton of a human rolling around in meatballs with jerky in my teeth. I needed to change, and fast! At first I thought I would try no meat for a month. Honestly the first week was hard. I had a dream that Wolfgang Puck was serving me platters of ribs, chicken and beef. I couldn't say no to this famous chef!? I woke up in a cold cut sweat, it was only a dream. But after two weeks, I realized I didn't need/want meat. I even tried to eat some seafood when I took a little trip to Seattle and ended up puking my guts out for 12 hours. My body didn't want to meat either. Many people asks, what about iron, protein. I have given blood twice since I have become a veg-head and my iron level is higher than it ever was when I ate meat. This year at my annual health check up for work my already good cholesterol (not to brag) had lowered 20 points and my triglycerides had lowered 44 points! I have never felt better. Also my friends have started eating less meat. Many weren't huge meat eaters to begin with, but they tell me they now look at vegetarian options and try different meat substitutes. So you may read this and think that you could never give up meat, but if I can do it, anyone can.

Unlimited Yoga

Statement/Declaration to myself: I decided to take the next three months and do nothing but yoga. No running, no lifting, no Pilate's. It's not like I wont walk the dog, play tennis or go for a hike. I just want to put yoga to the test. I will report how I feel every two weeks or so. Yoga 4-6 days a week.

Tasty Vegan Product: Sick of Soy Milk? Does it make your tongue tingle? (maybe that is just me, sounds pleasant...but the tingle sensation gets annoying) Almond Milk is my milk replacement of choice. So good! Reminds me of skim milk that I use to drink every morning, until I liked extreme 3:00pm gas pains with my daily glass. If you have every had gas pains/bloat while sitting in a cubical, you know the purgatory I was in. I can't believe it took me a year to link the two. Anyway, enough about my gas. (We all do it! even Ann Curry from the Today show....although she is so classy, I bet the are all silent.) OK, enough about Ann Curry's flatulent.

I did a Vinyasa class at Maya Yoga. I had never done yoga to the sounds of Lady GaGa and other great upbeat songs it was a great change. I am hoping to get a friend to come to the intro class tomorrow, I think she will really like it and be very surprised by the intensity.

Yoga Love

Although my grandmother Shirlee had been practicing yoga for the last 15+ years in California, I never really thought it was a "exercise" for me. I was a cardio/weight junkie. From kicking it with Billy Blanks Tae Bo tapes (Pump it, you got to pump it, visualize), running (2 half marathons under my belt), and going to personal trainers (I popped a blood vessel in my eye doing a squat). I also liked "make you sweat" group classes, spinning, step class and even tried zumba. To me, yoga was a class you did after you ran 3 mile, yoga was "too relaxing"! Ha. Now I don't want you to read this and think I am an exercise junkie or super in shape or anything. I like being active almost as much as I like to eat so finding new forms of exercise helps in both of these areas. Back to yoga, almost 3 years ago I started taking a "Power Yoga" class at my gym. I had never been to a class that challenged me in so many ways, strength, balance and concentration. I was completely humbled. I thought I was strong, I couldn't hold up my own body weight in down dog position. I thought I was limber, I couldn't do a back bend that I remember doing everyday as a child. I thought I was balanced, standing on one foot looked like a tree in the wind. But for some reason I kept going and this great thing happened, I started getting better. I mean, they were small steps but yoga allowed me to see progress. Suddenly, going to the gym, wasn't about burning calories or blowing off some steam, it was about over coming these challenges. I knew why my grandmother had taken up this practice, I was just sad it took me this long to find it for myself. (Picture of two of my top 5 favorite people: My Grandmother and my Sister)