Getting Back on Track

All right, I'm starting to get back into the swing of things now! Throughout October I'm only going to hold myself to weekly weigh-ins & measurements, but I will be on that like a hawk throughout the holidays. I've got the lovely problem of all my pants falling off me right now, and I don't want to reverse that trend (yes, I am up .9lbs from last week--I blame yesterday's feasting!).  Although I do need some new pants. 


You'll also notice that the fitness log has a new entry in it! Yesterday, Adam and I started the Couch to 5 K program. You can check out the running plan here. Alison and I followed this plan when we started running about a year ago; while part of me is frustrated & disappointed to end up here again, the other part of me is just happy to be able to do it again. To be honest, I'm sore from yesterday's workout! Adam always pushes himself harder with regard to speed (although he had to lay off that to make it all the way through), so I feel that at the end I'll definitely be a faster runner than I was before. 


I also taught Adam a couple yoga poses I like to do after I run--it's easier to get the equal stretch in your legs when they're limber, and yoga & running work so well together to get you in shape. The big two for me are warrior pose:

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Followed by triangle pose:

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I do a round of the more traditional stretches you associate with running, but throwing in a few minutes of yoga makes a big difference--especially to really stretch your inner thigh. Us ladies especially tend to contract and squish this muscle with our leg-crossing. Do an experiment for me: go into any pose in which you're going to bend your knee over the ankle. Now look at your knee. Make sure that your knee is pointing toward your middle or pinky toe, rather than your big toe. After a long day at the office, I bet it's kind of difficult! But that's the position you need to be in to have an even stretch on both sides of your legs. It's a lot easier to get into if you've just been running. 

Those of you who run, do yoga, both, or just stretch, what are some of your favorite poses to stretch out your legs?