Did I get in the best shape of my life?

Did I get in the best shape of my life?

Erin

As you might recall, my intention last January was to fully embrace this New Decade. I invited you, along with me, to embark on Project You.

“New Decade. New You.” I called it.

To set an intention to break through some old pattern, some old way of being.

To become the New You.

(Did you do so too? I’d love to hear about your experience!)

My intention was to get in the best shape of my life.

What motivated me?

My second son was born two Octobers ago (he’s now 14 months old), and with my 40th birthday fast approaching, I realized I was going to be between 75 and 80 years old when my children were in their late 30s approaching the big 4-0. If they, like me, wait to start a family later on, then I’ll have grandkids in my 70s and 80s and 90s and…

I want to be here for them.

Healthy and strong.
I want to be able to run around and play with and lift up my grandkids.
I want to be able to comfortably sit down on the floor and build block towers with them.
I want to live a healthy life until one day I just drop dead.

Seriously!

If I carry forward the longevity genes that are on both sides of my family, my final breath won’t come until I’m well into my 90s. Maybe I’ll even break the 100 year mark!

I don’t want to suffer any long, drawn out series of illnesses and hospital visits. And I don’t want to subject my children and their future children to the stress and emotional (and financial) difficulties of having an elder parent in that situation.

So, that is what motivates me.

Yes, I do know it’s not fully under my control.

But what is under my control is how I take care of my body and my mind.

This body that is the vehicle for my spirit, my soul, the essence of my life force energy.

My mind (my thoughts and the energy they carry) affects my body.

I need to take care of them both with regular practices that support my intention.

And so in early 2011 I embarked on a project that will continue for the foreseeable future. To get n the best shape of my life.

I found fabulous, enjoyable ways to get my heart pumping and keep my body healthy.
Morning walks with Miles when the weather was warm.
Regular, ass-kicking workouts at a Philadelphia area studio called Lithe Method.
Weekly yin yoga practices at my home yoga studio, Wake Up Yoga.
And an irregular home yoga and meditation practice that ebbs and flows with my life as a mother of young kids who runs my own business.

Did I get in the best shape of my life?

I have to say that right now it feels like it.

My core is stronger than it has ever been.

My lungs and cardio fitness are as strong as they were at the peak of my yoga teacher training days (practicing yoga five times a week).

Did I get into my pre-pregnancy jeans by June?

You bet I did!

And do I look fabulous in that bikini?

My husband thinks so, and I feel good wearing it.

And, oh by the way, those pre-pregnancy jeans are a bit loose now.

Did I starve myself and eat only wheat grass juice and green smoothies?

No!

But, I did eat well 80% of the time. (Okay, sometimes only 75% of the time.) And eating well for me means focusing on mostly home-prepared and home-cooked meals, with an emphasis of whole foods that are organic and/or locally grown.

Did I eat sugar? Oh god, yes.

Did I drink alcohol? Yes, I did.

And what I realized along the way is that sugar and alcohol are addictive. And I was reminded that the sugar cycle begins in the morning. For me, it begins with honey in my tea and ends in the evening after a few beers or glasses of wine with strong cravings for some kind of dessert. The next day I wake with aching joints and a foggy mind.

Yuck!

So, I move into 2012 with a strong desire to re-commit to Saucha.

That’s the Sanskrit word for Purity.