Day 4: CARDIO RECOVERY

While it was nice not to pound my joints into submission today, this was a decidedly unsatisfying routine, at least from the perspective of a yogi who was expecting a little yoga today. Not only were none of the stretches very deep or long enough for me, but some really key areas were completely ignored. No backbending, no deep external hip rotation. Loved some of the table work with one knee lifted and the other coming in to the armpit for oblique crunches, and I can see using these in my classes.

This routine also felt very short. I’ve had it in the back of my mind to swap this routine for a yoga day in the future, but I thought I’d give it a shot at first. I’ll see how I feel next week. I had to do a few backbends and pigeons after this routine was over. If I do a lot of forward bends without backbends to balance everything out, my lower back starts to ache. Also, my hips/piriformis are the first things to tighten up. I think most people would be more than satisfied with this DVD though, and would probably look forward to it.

Another thing, do this routine without shoes and use a yoga mat. Give your arches and toes a chance to open up after all the pounding. Yoga with shoes on is pretty pointless and you do not need shoes for this.

With the other routines I haven’t had half a second to notice whether I’m enjoying the routine or not – they are so hard they require every ounce of concentration, but not so with this one. Didn’t drink water, take any rests, or really even break a sweat. Which is fine. Tomorrow strikes fear in my heart, as I’ve heard that Pure Cardio is a tool of the devil himself. Cardio endurance is not my strong point, as I’m more like a cat with short bursts of power. Running used to just kill me and I never got very good at it. Plus, I hate cardio. Well, I’m committed to sticking with this, and I’ll get plenty of rest tonight and be ready to dig my claws in tomorrow.

Oh – I’ve still been eating around 1,600 to 1,700 calories. I’ve been eating more protein than I usually do. I’m a fish-eating semi-vegetarian who grudgingly eats other animals once in awhile, and lately I’ve been eating more chicken, etc. I do like my meat substitutes, though, like Morningstar Farms breakfast strips and “sausage patties.” Shaun advocates for no processed food and no sugar substitutes, but I’m not following that to the letter. I like stevia and I do use some sugar-free products. I’ve been cooking some things from Hungry Girl lately, and she’s not known for her purist attitude toward food. I also like that I can have some extremely low-calorie sweet treats and not totally blow it. I had microwave chocolate cake last night (130 calories… although I ate two!). Well, I haven’t had a diet soda since I started and other than my Indian food day, no high-sugar, high-fat desserts. I have a sweet tooth, though, that can’t be ignored.

My sinus problem is nearly gone. I’ve been using a neti pot twice a day and taking extra vitamin C, and I wonder if Insanity actually helps.

Results-wise, I know my jeans are a tad looser. I’m not going to weigh myself until next week. I feel like I’ve been looking a lot more muscled, although not today, which makes me wonder if I ate too much salt yesterday.