MOTIVATION: sweat out the stress.
Stress. We hold onto it. We let it grip onto us. We freak out. We get pissed.
Better yet, release it so stress doesn’t stand a chance on you.
Best way to do that? Get your workout on.
Channel all that raw emotion into a workout. Maybe it sounds cheesy. But punching a wall sounds ridiculous, too. Spare your knuckles. Get your sweat on. Have the best, hardest run of your life. Get out of the house and speed around on your bike. End your work day with a kickass in the zone dripping with sweat cycling class, hot yoga class, kickboxing class, whatever kind of class you want!!
Let the stress and outside negativity seep out of your pores. Sweat it out. Release it. And it won’t have any control over you.
Sweat out the stress.
photo via Move Nourish Believe
(via sweatnsass)
MOTIVATION: discover your WRKout style.
If you’re a runner, gym rat, yogi or or cyclist, you know what it means to find a workout you LOVE and just can’t get enough.
If you’re slogging through your workouts and hating it - the simple truth is you’re doing it wrong. Change it up. Find your style.
Lucky for us we don’t live it the 80s-tastic world of aerobics and thong leotards where the only options are either take a jog in your Nike “trainers” or join Jane Fonda in her leg-warmer-wearing high kicks!
We live in a currently fat, yet fitness obsessed society where there are, quite literally, at least 5 different kinds of workout options in a 10 block radius.
If you want to punch things there are at least 10 different types of gyms where you can do that in different styles. If you cant to dance around, there’s Zumba, hip hop aerobics, strip-aerobics, salsa dancing, the list goes on. Want to workout in your own home? Here’s PX90 and Insanity. Want to lift weights? Here’s CrossFit and 45 different CrossFit takeoffs you can do. Want to run? Long distance? Short distance? Track and sprint? Want to get zen? There’s hot yoga, fast yoga, breathing yoga, strength and power yoga. Want to join a team? Kickball? Dodgeball? Soccer? Pick up bball or football?
Boom, they all exist. All we have to do is try them out and pick one. Or pick five. Whichever.
In today’s world, there is absolutely no reason to do a workout you hate. Life’s too short. But the thing is, your life depends on it. #moveyourbooty
(Source: thrustr, via wooshwoosh)
MOTIVATION: wake & workout.
What’s 45 minutes of snoozing really do for you?
You get some extra zzzs, probably have a weird dream and wake up all tired eyed and bleary.
What’s 45 minutes of working out do for you?
Wakes up your muscles, clears your mind, sweats out yesterday’s toxins, ups your confidence, calms your body consciousness, tightens up your muscles and fills your body with Vitamin D.
Point goes to the workout. Sorry, snooze. You’re just not worth it.
You’ll always regret that snooze. You’ll never regret that workout.
Now that you’ve conquered a morning workout, the rest of the day is easy…
(Source: mochacafe.net, via carogetsfit)
MOTIVATION: one hour for you.
We fly around at top speed from the minute we wake up to the minute we check our email for the last time and hit the pillow. We make time to do countless things in our day. We squeeze in a million errands and appointments. Why do we not try as hard to squeeze in our workouts? Why do we not have time for one hour when we focus solely on our bodies? Why do we not have one hour to clear our minds?
Make it a priority. Make it your time. Do any kind of workout you love the most. Do it for you. Stop. Log off. Tune out everything else. Focus on you. And get moving.
photo via addhemar:
‘Yoga Teacher Training’ Series from Photographer Kamil Bialous
(via recovery-warrior)
WHERE DO YOU WORKOUT?
MoveYourBooty NATION is collecting the best workout spots, gyms, classes and studios in the country!
What’s your favorite yoga studio? Cycling class? Local gym? Running route? Core class? CrossFit gym? Dance class?
We want to shoutout your local towns and all the MYB fitness opportunities they have to offer! Email info and links to moveyourbootyblog@gmail.com. All sorts of workouts are welcome!
(via MYB nation.)
MOTIVATION: anywhere/anytime.
A “workout” can truly be anything. Sure a clearly defined gym visit or run, yoga class or cycling session is great. But get creative! A know that an MYB lifestyle embraces it all! Literally, everything counts. I’m talking taking the stairs and instead of the elevator or escalator. Walking home instead of taking the subway or driving. Biking or running between your errands. Carrying you groceries home by hand instead of driving. Rearranging furniture! A super quick mini sweat session between your busy schedule. Lunges between where you are and where you gave to go. Maybe don’t go lunging around your office. But if you’re there late night, don’t be afraid to bust out some push ups or yoga in your office. Traveling on a plane? Get some stretches in.
No matter what you do or where, it’s great for both mind and body. You don’t have to be in full head-to-toe dri-fit or in the confines of a gym to get your MYB on. Instead, see the world as your “gym” and see how you can up your heartbeat in all kinds of ways wherever you are.
photos vis yogicphotos:
Jordan, the last photo shoot before leaving Mysore for a few months. We had a great time exploring the train station!
(via myyogaon)
MOTIVATION: anti-gravity.
Ever since I heard about it, I’ve been super curious about anti-gravity yoga. As if I have enough trouble balancing in yoga as it is…
(via Well+Good Facebook)
You may have tried AntiGravity Yoga. But how about AntiGravity Pilates? We tried the brand-new hammock-based class at YogaWorks’ Upper West Side location: http://bit.ly/HR2i8q
MOTIVATION: putting the COMFORT in DIScomfort.
Pushing your limits is important. I’m not saying find a place of pain. I’m saying push past your comfort zone to a place of progress, a place of growth and development. Poses in yoga, distances of running, rounds of kickboxing. These goals often live outside our zone of comfort. And getting there can involve a bit of discomfort. Embrace it. Carefully.
We often back off a workout because we’re tired or sore or our muscles are a bit fatigued. Within reason, find a way to push past these self-inflicted obstacles and push yourself further than you’ve gone before. Stretch out the stiffness in your muscles, warm them back up and get going. Shake off the tired and wake up. Push back against the excuses, the fear, the unknown in your mind to prove what your body is truly capable of.
Push yourself and you might find a person on the other side of those limitations who wants more, to go further, and to dig deeper. Embrace this person. It is you.
Photo via kamilbialous:
I photographed some amazing yoga teachers in-training while in Tofino with Natalie from @PacificElements . More on the main site…
kamilbialous.com
(via yogurtyoga)
MOTIVATION: moody yoga.
You can go into a yoga class feeling awful and come out feeling like a whole new person. But! What to do when you’re cranky, upset, frustrated and frowning but don’t have the time to escape to the yoga studio?
I love that! Read on…
The lovely Robin (a fellow UPENNer and Paris studymate!) has written up a great article on 3 simple yoga poses to beat that bad mood!
“Even when the fog of depression seems impossibly thick, connecting with the body is an awesome way to find presence, and presence is like a headlight that lets you see a way forward and out.”
3 Simple Yoga Poses for Beating a Bad Mood!
(via 3 Simple Yoga Poses for Beating a Bad Mood!)
There are so many postures in
yoga that help with depression and mood. Yoga is about dropping out of your head and into your body by way of pairing movement with breath. Even when the fog of depression seems impossibly thick, connecting with the body is an awesome way to find presence, and presence is like a headlight that lets you see a way forward and out.
That said certain
poses in particular have unique energy and mood shifting properties. I like the following:
1. Camel pose. Backbends are heart opening and energizing. They are great if you are drowsy at work or are having a hard time waking up in the morning, or if you’re in a funk and need a lift. Camel, Bridge, and Wheel are all great backbends, but I find Camel to be simultaneously grounding and stabilizing, as well as a huge emotional and energetic release. Beware – if you have trouble getting to sleep avoid backbends before bed.
2. Pigeon pose. One of my favorite body workers likes to say, “Most people aren’t broken, they’re just stuck.” If you are stuck in your mind, chances are you are stuck in your body too. Excess energy tends to pool and get stuck around the large joints, especially the hips. Spending a solid two minutes in pigeon on each the right and the left, breathing with conscious awareness the whole time, is a great way to move stuck energy and relieve tension. A common pitfall here is spacing out. Make sure to stay in the room!
3. Headstand (or Legs Up the Wall). Every posture is a new perspective. If you need a totally new perspective on life, there’s no better posture than turning it all upside down with a headstand. If headstand is new to you or feels daunting, legs up the wall is equally effective, and in fact, I have experienced some of my most profound energetic shifts in yoga in legs up the wall when I stayed for at least five minutes. Inversions are balancing poses. When the mind is overactive, putting the heart above the mind both literally and figuratively helps to quiet the mental chatter.
Inversions also promote digestion and hormonal equilibrium.
MOTIVATION: change it up!
So I moved apartments. And not just into a new apartment, but into a new apartment with the boyfriend. And when I broke this news to my father, he didn’t have the typical reaction. He didn’t ask about this boy’s intentions or where this was going. Instead he asked, “Are there good running routes around there?” My new spot in Brooklyn is, in fact, close to my favorite Williamsburg Bridge run, a run on the water overlooking Manhattan, and the McCarren Park track.
But just like our mind, our muscles get bored. And if you drudge through the same exact movements every day, they’ll stop reacting the same way to the workout. So I’ve been trying to change up my routine. The other day I ran the Pulaski Bridge which connects North Brooklyn to Queens (pictured!). When the scenery around you changes, it’s a whole different experience.
But sometimes it has to be more than just changing your running route. The same movements, same muscles being used, the same muscles NOT used, the same workout class, same weight lifting routine—eventually your muscles plateau and aren’t challenged anymore. Now that I’m officially into my 30s, I’ve found supplementing my running is more and more important. You gotta branch out people! Biking, yoga, core training, weight lifting, any of it, all of it — change it up! Try random stuff you never thought you would! If we learned anything from this 60yo runner, you can peak at any time in all kinds of activities!
So change up your typical routine! Maybe even bring a friend along (MYBsocial!).
MOTIVATION: take it with you.
No props. No accessories. Just you and your sweat.
#moveyourbooty #takeitwithyou
(photo via kurmayoga instagram)
MOTIVATION: workout change-up!
Don’t be afraid to change up your workout! Try that new class you’ve always wanted to! Bring a buddy! Our workouts always can use a shake-up! Let your muscles move in a new way. You won’t be sorry…
via fit-to-be-thin
(Source: runyogapassion, via runnerbridget)
MOTIVATION: don’t forget to laugh along the way.
The lighter you take life on, the lighter you feel.
(via yogurtyoga)
MOTIVATION: reach for the best of you.
runmicheyrun:
“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and follow where they lead.”
- LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
(Source: lovelyogi)
High-res
