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Workout: Power Yoga: Stamina
Author: chaos

Had a bit of a hiatus there, largely caused to a flu-like sickness that left me pretty well exhausted for most of a week. I meant to get going again yesterday, but didn’t quite end up getting to it. While I’ve largely recovered from the illness, I still have a tendency to get sleep more often than I would otherwise, or at least need more of that sleep. Or perhaps just have the need to go to sleep, which I can usually ignore for quite a while.
Anyway, decided that with all the time off since the last workout, it would be best if I started out with something light as I try to get back into it. The workout went pretty well, I was happy with it. Light, but that’s what I wanted. The good thing about all the time I took off is that my body did manage to heal up somewhat. My knee is feeling better, although still not back to 100% by any means, and I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not taping my pinkie all the time, and I’m trying to start regaining mobility in it. I think the workout today was a bit of a stretch in terms of what it was happy with, but that’s something I’m just going to have to deal with. Might do an abs workout tomorrow, depending on whether or not I’m overly sore from today’s workout. If I’m not too sore, I’ll probably do something a little more strenuous, like one of the strength workouts, maybe. Hopefully now that I’ve started up again, I’ll ramp up pretty quickly and get serious with these workouts for the next few months. Anyway, until tomorrow…

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

Well, I’ve had significantly more trouble than I expected getting back into the yoga habit here. This is largely due to the fact that I’ve been going to sleep strangely early… I think it’s a residual effect from being sick. The other problem is that I haven’t just been doing the workouts earlier in the day, when I’m awake. I may start doing that, though, just to avoid the potential of missing the workout. Anyway, decided to just get a short abs workout today to try and jump start the process of getting back into the daily habit. It wasn’t too bad, although given that it’s been a few weeks since I last did abs, I suspect that I might be a touch tender tomorrow. Maybe not, though. Not much else to say… did some Stepmania earlier, trying to get into a daily habit for that as well. I was a little bit better today, and got a bit better of a workout because of it. Must continue to improve so as to get the best workout possible, or something. Well, hopefully I’ve managed to get the process going again, and will have more workouts coming shortly.

Workout: Power Yoga: Stamina
Author: chaos

I was originally intending on getting to a workout much earlier in the evening, but unexpectedly had some guests over. Because of that, it ended up being fairly late before I was able to do a workout. I could have just skipped the workout, but I really didn’t feel like doing that, so I just went with the light stamina workout again. I would have rather done something more challenging, but decided to go ahead and save that for tomorrow, but to get the workout in tonight anyway. Was also going to do some Stepmania, but I’m going to have to pass on that. Going to keep this short, not much to say about the workout, it was fairly easy. Reasonable focus. I’m glad it was pretty easy, though, there have been times when I’ve been coming back from injuries or whatever that it’s seemed a little bit more challenging, so hopefully I’m not doing too badly conditioning-wise. That’s all for now, hopefully a strength workout at the very minimum tomorrow.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

I have to say that this is one of the best workouts I’ve had in a long time. I really felt like I was in the groove for the workout today. The only problem I had was during the two minute downward dog, my shoulders got really tired. I’m not quite sure what the deal was… I could feel that they were a little tired early in the workout, so I rather expected the fatigue during the downward dog. I just don’t know what they could have been tired from, really. Anyway, other than that, was really happy with the workout. Played some Stepmania earlier in the day, that was decent. I definitely think practicing frequently is going to help me get a lot better. And, of course, hopefully keep me in decent cardio shape. That’s all for tonight… not sure what I’ll try to do tomorrow, might depend on how sore I am. If I’m not sore, I might try for total body or something, if I am, probably a pilates workout.

Workout: Yoga Conditioning for Athletes: Mini-workouts
Author: chaos

Back again from my mini-hiatus. Not really sure what caused it, other than being tired at the time I should have been doing yoga, and not quite motivated enough to do the workout anyway. I have been keeping up with Stepmania for the most part, though, so that’s something. Although I may have to take tomorrow off… I think I might have a small blister on my left foot, which will probably need a day or so to heal. Anyway, went for the workout right after Stepmania today, so I just went with the running and swimming mini-workouts. I liked how they felt… they definitely felt like the right thing to do. I passed on doing the all sports workout because I didn’t feel like it would add anything. Which is strange, and certainly not the normal reason for me not doing it, but there you have it. I’ll probably go with another light workout tomorrow, although perhaps I’ll do something more challenging if I decide to skip the Stepmania. I’m hoping to really bust out in the next week or so, but we’ll see if that actually happens or not.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga
Author: chaos

As anticipated, went with another light workout tonight. Decided to go with abs, as I want to get back into the habit of doing them every third day or so, if not more frequently. Not quite sure how well that is going to work out, since Stepmania definitely uses the abs. Tonight’s workout was fine, though, no noticeable soreness or anything. Focus wasn’t quite as good as I would like, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. It’s been a bit of an off day all around, so it’s not terribly surprising. I haven’t played any Stepmania yet today, but I think I probably will a little bit later, unless I end up sleeping or something instead. Not yet sure if I’ll get a long workout in tomorrow or not… if not tomorrow, I definitely plan on getting one in on Friday.

Workout: Yoga Conditioning for Athletes: Mini-workouts
Author: chaos

Going with my general plan for the next week, I did a Stepmania workout followed by a light yoga workout. For tonight, just went with the mini-workouts again, doing running, swimming, and all sports. They were decent for stretching out after Stepmania, but actually felt a bit light. I might have done more of something, but I’m developing blisters on my big toes from playing Stepmania, so I think I’ll have to take a day or two off from that. Which is fine, since my goal for this winter was to really work on my yoga, not my Stepmania. Admittedly, I have been having a lot of fun with that, but it’s not really the direction I’m trying to go, at least not now. Anyway, I’m planning on doing total body in the next day or two… probably tomorrow, unless my toes are still too sore, in which case I’ll push back to Saturday. I think they’ll probably be okay as long as I don’t play any more Stepmania, but it’s hard to say for sure. Either way, almost definitely a workout tomorrow, probably pilates if not total body.

Workout: Intermediate Mat Workout
Author: chaos

Wasn’t really feeling in the mood for a workout today, but I decided to press past that and get a workout in anyway. Total body seemed somewhat ambitious, particularly considering the motivation issues, so I just went with the intermediate mat workout. It went fairly decently, although it emphasized the need for me to start hitting the abs harder again. I swear, take a month off and you have to build everything back up again. Anyway, I held to it pretty well until the teaser, which is almost always a problem, so it’s not that surprising. Still, I think I can get to the point where I can cruise through this workout, or at least be solid throughout. Something else to aim for in the next few months. Definitely going to try for the total body workout tomorrow, presuming I’m not still plagued by motivation issues. Until then…

Workout: Power Yoga: Total Body
Author: chaos

Finally made it back to the total body workout today. I’m sure this is the first time I’ve done the workout in months, since I’m fairly certain I haven’t done it since sometime before jamming the pinkie on the right hand. It went pretty well, actually. I figured I probably wouldn’t be able to make it through the whole thing since it’s been so long since I did it, but I was actually able to complete everything, even the upward bows, although I did cut a few things a few seconds short. Still, it was a lot better than I was expecting, and pretty encouraging overall. I’m now somewhat more hopeful that I’ll be able to really make some progress during the remainder of the off season. Focus was fairly decent for the workout, that may have helped somewhat. Took yesterday off from the Stepmania, going to take today off as well, and hopefully be ready to get in a serious workout tomorrow. Not sure how I’m going to handle doing both the yoga and the Stepmania, especially if I get back to doing an hour worth of yoga a day, which I’d like, but I’ll just have to play that by ear. I should have the time for it, I’m just not sure I have the energy. Although the workout today didn’t drain me too badly, it was tiring. Hard to say. I’m probably going to be pretty damn sore tomorrow, so most likely something light to stretch out a little.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Balanceball
Author: chaos

Well, as I rather expected, I was rather sore today, particularly in the legs. This did not stop me from playing Stepmania earlier, however, and it also didn’t stop me from getting in a balanceball abs workout. My goal is to really step up the intensity of my abs workouts for the next couple of months, and that means doing a lot more balanceball and pilates, and a lot less yoga. Today’s workout went fairly well, although I was really hungry before the workout, so my stomach was objecting a little bit. Other than that, though, things were fine… not my best edition of this workout, but a decent one. Not a whole lot more to say about it, really… mostly just another step towards getting into the condition I want to be in, as well as returning to the daily workout routine. I’ll probably go for something more in the yoga realm tomorrow, possibly something like strength, or perhaps a stretching workout if my legs are still all sore.

Workout: Power Yoga: Strength
Author: chaos

Had a difficult time motivating for the workout tonight. Had a difficult time motivating all day, really. I have a very severe need to break out of this long-term slump. Anyway, managed to convince myself to do the workout anyway. It was okay… breathing was pretty good, actual mechanics were decent if not stellar, concentration was somewhat lacking. That’s somewhat to be expected on a low motivation day, I suppose. Anyway, trying to just keep going, hopefully I’ll at least get back to the point of physically wanting the workout every day, and then maybe I’ll be able to get motivation jump started from there. Who knows.

Workout: Yoga Conditioning for Athletes
Author: chaos

Had another surprisingly good workout today. I’m not quite sure why I’m being caught so off-guard by having these good long workouts… probably because when I’ve started doing long workouts after a long break in the past, I’ve had difficulty with them. I’m not sure if the current success can be attributed to better cardio fitness or what, but I’m not complaining. I did get a little bit tired during a few points in the workout, or at least my muscles got fatigued, but I was able to keep going with little difficulty. Given this trend of success, it’s pretty likely that I’ll be trying out the intermediate yoga workout again pretty soon, maybe even by the end of the week. We’ll see how sore I am from this workout tomorrow… that might be a determining factor in how soon I actually attempt it. Trying to stay on top of things in terms of eating healthy and everything, although I find it terribly annoying to have to do. Still, that’s part of life, so I guess I’m going to have to continue dealing with it. I’m going to try and motivate to do the pilates abs workout tomorrow, but we’ll see if that actually happens or not.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Pilates
Author: chaos

I’m beginning to think that my recent success in doing long workouts lies not necessarily with better conditioning, but in a willingness to push myself closer to my limits. While I don’t think I’ve had to push too hard, I think there are times in the past where I would have wimped out instead of continuing to work through. This occurred to me tonight because I managed to do the entire pilates abs workout, but I really had to push myself to keep going during the series of five. I did notice today that after the series of five, the workout gets a little bit easier for a bit to let you recover, or at least I think it’s easier. During the workout I mostly follow the more advanced line, but I follow the modified line to do the series of five, because I know I’m not yet ready to do that with the full version. Anyway, pretty happy with the workout overall, although my abs are definitely feeling a bit worked. That’s good, though. It’s nice to be getting back into the habit, even if I’m still having a little trouble motivating to get the workout in at times. Going to go do a little Stepmania now, see if I can’t make a few improvements in my technique. Not sure what I’ll do tomorrow… Maybe something like YfS:s1 or something, or possibly I’ll even bust out and try intermediate, although I think I’d rather wait until Friday if I’m going to do that.

Workout: Intermediate Yoga
Author: chaos

Decided to go for broke and bust out on intermediate yoga today. Certainly I had somewhat less success with it than I have been with the other long workouts this week, but that’s to be expected. I continue to experience some difficulties with my shoulders getting fatigued early in the workout. Not quite sure what the story is there. Of course, this workout requires a fair amount of arm and shoulder strength for the inverted poses, so that made life a little more difficult. Still, I only skipped one of the handstands, and one of the upward bows during the workout, and at least made an attempt to do everything else. I had decent success with half moon pose, and had probably my best revolved triangle poses to date. It’s a really subtle balancing of the legs, while at the same time relaxing the legs and the body. Not quite sure how to describe it, and I’m not actually sure I’ll necessarily be able to repeat it next time. Have to wait and see, I guess. During headstand I was able to balance my feet away from the wall for a little while, which was cool. I’m starting to get a little more of the sense of balancing upside down, I think. I need a lot more practice, of course, but you have to start somewhere. My right knee seems to be healing fairly well… as long as I’m careful, I can rotate it pretty much as well as I’ve ever been able to. So maybe I’ll get back to doing the hip opening workout soon. Not too much else to say, other than this was definitely the most tiring workout I’ve done in a while. I’ll probably take it a little easier tomorrow, maybe do flexibility or something. Might even take the day off, depending on some outside factors. Anyway, until next time…

Workout: Power Yoga: Flexibility
Author: chaos

After pushing the envelope a bit for the last couple of days, I decided to take it a little bit easier today and just get in a little flexibility workout. I figured that it would stretch me out a bit, without straining my shoulders, which seem to be the weakest link right now, as it were. Pretty successful workout, as far as that went… definitely got in some leg stretching, and didn’t notice any shoulder fatigue at all, which is really all I was hoping for. Focus could have been a little bit better, especially at the end, but I’ve noticed I often don’t focus well if I’m worried about time at all, so that was probably part of it. Anyway, just wanted to get the workout in a little earlier today, and take it easy. Not sure what I’ll do tomorrow… ideally some combination of abs and another workout, but we’ll see if I manage to motivate up for that.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Yoga, Advanced Yoga: Hip Opening
Author: chaos

Started amping up my schedule today with a yoga abs workout and the hip opening workout. I’ve long meant to start combining abs workouts with other short workouts in order to increase the challenge and the rate of my progress, but have often had difficulty actually doing so, either do to motivation or injury. However, I’m currently at a point where it provides a more adequate level of workout, and I’m not overly injured, so hopefully this will be a new trend in shorter workouts. Anyway, wasn’t really that great of a workout day. The physical aspects were pretty much fine, but I wasn’t quite there mentally. At least for the abs workout. For the hip opening workout, I think I’ve regressed a little bit, but not actually all that much. I didn’t actually complete the workout, because my knee hasn’t completely healed, and I felt like I had put enough stress on it for the night. However, the fact that I was able to do many of the exercises was a good sign. So I’ll probably start trying to get this workout in more frequently again. Of course, with all the workouts I’d like to start getting in more frequently, I’m not sure I’ll actually have time for all of them, so we’ll see what actually happens. Since I can add this one to other short workouts, it might have a slightly better chance. Not quite sure what I’m going to do tomorrow… might be about time for another total body workout. Of course, I’ve been thinking about getting yoga burn in again, so that’s also a possibility. Most likely something long, though, whatever I end up deciding.

Workout: Yoga Burn
Author: chaos

Decided to go ahead and try out the yoga burn workout again. Looking back at my previous entries for this workout, it seems that every time I try it, it seems more difficult. Which I think means that I’m getting better at doing it the way it was meant to be done. I think today’s workout was pretty decent… I was really keeping with the pace of the workout pretty well, and working the muscles. Particularly in the chest and shoulders, but that’s an area of constant work right now, it seems. One day I’ll have real strength there, oh yes. Anyway. Not really too much to say about it, other than I should really stop underestimating the difficulty of the workout, and probably try to integrate it into the routine more often. Although, as I was saying, given so many workouts it’s difficult to integrate everything in. The shorter ones will probably be less frequent for a while, probably at least until the beginning of ultimate season.

Workout: Yoga for Strength: session 1
Author: chaos

The problem with the shorter workouts, once I’ve started getting into the longer ones again, is that they no longer seem particularly challenging. Sure, they have some challenging aspects, but overall they’re just not that difficult. Of course, sometimes that’s for the best… really, this is more of a note than a complaint, per se. Anyway, was having some problem motivating to do the workout, but eventually managed to go ahead with YfS:s1. I wasn’t quite up to a hour long workout tonight, but this is definitely one of the more challenging of the shorter workouts, if mostly for the headstand preparation sequence. Anyway, it was a fairly decent workout, no real complaints. For tomorrow, I think I’ll probably try and do an abs workout with another workout, possibly pilates and hip opening. We’ll see… not quite sure I’m ready for hip opening again so soon. And not sure I’ll feel like doing much else after pilates abs. But I’ll probably at least try to throw in py:stamina or something light like that if I end up deciding against hip opening.

Workout: Abs Conditioning: Pilates, Yoga for Strength: session 2
Author: chaos

I managed to go ahead and bust out with the double workout tonight. Started off with pilates abs. It went fairly decently… I don’t think the workout overall was quite as strong as the last one, but it was still pretty good. I think it’s definitely something that I just need to keep at in order to really build up the abs. Decided to follow it up with some YfS:s2. I’m not sure that was actually the best of ideas… I was somewhat drained from the abs workout, and just wasn’t really able to do that well with the strength workout. I suppose it went okay, but it was definitely somewhat lacking. Tree pose was fairly much a bust, as was warrior III… I think I was just too tired to balance properly. Pendulum was also a bust, but that’s pretty much usual. Everything else was okay… I even managed to pull off a fairly decent crane, which I was reasonably happy about. Anyway, not too sure I’ll try combining these two workouts again, at least not for a while, but it was good to make myself do a second workout in combination with the abs pilates, even if it didn’t go all that well. Depending on how tired I’m feeling tomorrow, I think I’d like to do either total body or intermediate… it’ll probably also depend on when I get to the workout. There’s an off chance that I’ll even end up taking the night off to give myself a bit of a break, but we’ll see. I’m not sure it’s quite time for that yet.