"I have a great ass, I have a great ass �" I repeat Mandy's personal mantra aloud as I do my squats, one of 12 toners featured in the workout. As I repeat the words, I envision my future fit self playing on a Hawaiian beach, debuting my derrière in bikini bottoms without an ounce of self-consciousness.
I follow Mandy's cues as I drop into one of the first yoga poses: Chair. I hold my arms above my head while sinking into an imaginary chair. Easy enough. We then transition into Crescent pose, where I lunge forward at a 90-degree angle while holding my arms up, palms facing each other. I am definitely feeling the stretch, particularly in my thighs. For extra motivation I'm picturing myself two-inches taller with my soon-to-be elongated muscles (bye-bye high heels!).
I find my Zen in Temple pose: Toes aimed out at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, hips sinking down with hands pressed against one another as if in prayer. I feel the burn in my inner thighs, but it actually feels good. Next we come to the dreaded Downward Facing Dog (pushing palms into the floor below shoulders while pushing my butt back into the air). I say "dreaded" because my arms aren't Wonder Woman-worthy yet and it takes a lot out of me to hold this pose.
Wimping out after a few seconds, I retreat into my safety net, Child's Pose -- the rest position, which consists of dropping my knees to the floor, extending my arms in front, and bringing my forehead to my mat, stretching my hips, thighs, and ankles. Mandy says this is a great back strengthening pose that is gentle on the spine. I say this is the most relaxing workout move I've ever tried.
And then I don't feel so relaxed �
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"Sore today, strong tomorrow"
It's the day after my first Yogalosophy workout and I am sore with a capital S. My butt and my legs are killing me -- I can't even bend over the bathroom sink to wash my face without squealing. But I'm loving it. This soreness has to be a good sign, right?
I ask Puja Seth, a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor, about the benefits of that burning sensation. She tells me that what I'm going through is pretty common: Muscles are most likely to become sore after an initial workout due to the fact that the body is not used to the exertion (in my case, from the yoga poses). The exercise has broken down my muscle fibers, but they will rebuild with a stronger bond.
Puja's prediction proves accurate: Two days later, my soreness is completely gone. I even feel refreshed and even stronger. Already. After my third workout session, I find that climbing those two flights of stairs at work is not as painful, and I'm not gasping for air anymore. I'm getting a taste of what it's like to be fit again. And I want more.
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Finding calm in chaos
I am anything but a morning person -- it's hard enough trying to wake up before 10 just to get to work on time. So the fact that I'm setting my alarm for 7 is beyond bonkers, but surprisingly, I love the change. There's something about doing yoga in my 18th floor apartment/Jennifer Aniston's Malibu beach pad that I find peaceful and relaxing.
The workout is calm but concentrated as we slowly transition from one pose to the next. I spend each moment in the present, focusing on my current position, not worrying about what�s next. The workout ends with me sitting cross-legged, eyes closed: Enter relaxation mode. This is my chance to have that much needed "me" time before the chaos of the daily grind begins.
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Yoga is like crack -- but better
Even after my daily session has ended, I find my body wanting to stay in motion. It feels good to move, and I can't stay sedentary for long without feeling antsy. I try to take more breaks at the office to get up and walk around, and I'll even do a quick plié squat while I'm getting a refill at the water cooler (when I'm sure no one's around -- I'm nobody's ballerina).
Out of left field, a friend remarks that I seem unusually "peppy" and I clue her in to my new workout regimen. Yoga expert Puja tells me that exercise increases endorphin levels (those "happy hormones") and the breath-work of yoga oxygenates the blood, which reenergizes the body. Exercise also helps me sleep better, so I have more energy the next day. And the mental concentration and connected movement between body and breath in yoga increases mental alertness, which is why I'm feeling more on top of things at the office.
Who needs Red Bull when you've got yoga?
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Food: Friend or foe?
I've been sluggish for the last couple of days. It's harder to wake up and work out, and my body feels like it's been through a lot. What's going on? I was feeling so good. Trying to make sense of it all, I get in touch with Kathy Kaehler, a fitness expert and food coach who has also worked with Aniston (who hasn't?). Kathy is the creator of the Sunday Set-Up, a meal organization routine designed to create healthy relationships with food, so I'm looking forward to her insight.
I mention that I work out in the morning before I eat (I read somewhere that working out on an empty stomach forces your body to burn current fat stores), but Kathy tells me that's probably why I'm feeling burned out so quickly -- and that I'll actually get more from my workout and even torch more calories if I have a light breakfast before my workout.
Kathy also calls me out on a major diet no-no: skipping lunch. While I thought I was saving calories, what I'm also doing is causing my blood sugar to dip, which explains why I always feel so pooped when 3 p.m. rolls around. Kathy stresses the importance of snacking two hours after breakfast and again in the afternoon, and she offers some healthy snack suggestions. Low-fat cheese with a few almonds; a handful of pretzels dipped in hummus; non-fat Greek yogurt with fruit; and an apple with a spoonful of peanut or almond butter are a few snack ideas she recommends.
She also tells me that if I'm looking to stay low on the calorie intake, I can opt for a light salad with veggies and fruit for lunch. I decide to follow Kathy's advice and the following day, I walk over to my local salad bar and throw together a healthy mix. Delicious. As I chomp down on my organic greens, strawberries, and figs, I vow to never skip lunch again.
Ah, college. Two a.m. drive-thru dashes, cold Mu-Shoo for breakfast, a Hot Pocket (or three) for dinner. And beer. Let's not forget the beer. That was the life. The lazy, couch potato life. So, at the end of four long years, I left with a diploma in hand and 15 extra ugly/unhealthy pounds everywhere else.
These days I realize that I was all sorts of delusional to think that the weight would drop away after graduation like some collegiate ball and chain I'd been lugging around. Who was I kidding? After all, I was living pretty much the same life; it was just the venues that had changed. Parking my (considerable) butt in a lecture hall was replaced by sitting at a desk all day, and Thursday night beer pong transitioned into martinis and game night. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.
Frankly, getting thinner wasn't very high on my to-do list. Sure, I always thought it'd be nice to feel fitter and look slimmer, I just figured I'd get to it at some point down the line. Then, I happened to look -- really look -- at the ever-growing pile of too-small clothes that had overrun my closet. My "fat" jeans were now the pair I was grabbing most often. Talk about an "a-ha moment." I knew then that I had to take action or I'd run the risk of having things snowball further out of control.
This is the part where I'm supposed to say that I joined a boot camp and got lean and mean, or that I embarked on a successful cleanse and am now 100 percent vegan. Sorry to disappoint but, believe it or not, my inspiration came from an article about Jennifer Aniston and how she attributes her fit, lean physique to practicing yoga. Could yoga give me a celebrity-worthy body too? And, even if it would, could I afford it?
Yeah, not so much. Personal trainers may be fine for the celeb set but I needed something much less expensive. So, I did some research and found Mandy Ingber's "Yogalosophy" DVD workout. Ingber has been teaching yoga and spinning in Los Angeles for more than 15 years and lists Aniston among her celebrity clients. I decided to plunk down the $14.95 and commit to a month's worth of daily workouts with Mandy to see what a couple of DVDs and a little determination could get a girl. Here's what happened �
