Category: Z Featured

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Flying Lizard: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

Have I mentioned lately how much I love arm balancing? Arm balances are what first attracted me to the practice of yoga. Until a few years ago, I thought yoga was just a collection of standing and seated poses. I had never seen anything quite like fallen angel or crow pose before, and when I saw these incredible postures, I was intrigued. I wasn’t quite ready for the challenge of inverting because I was so frightened of breaking my neck, but I was ready and willing to test my strength and balance while staying close to the ground in an arm balance.

If you are dabbling in the world of arm balances, or if you are considering getting started, let me introduce you to a pose called Flying Lizard.

You may be looking at the full expression of the pose in step 5 and thinking to yourself, “No way. Not happening.” Guess what? That’s okay! The reason why I want to introduce you to this particular arm balance is because EVERY step along the way is beneficial—even if you never fly your lizard.

Step 1 on its own is a hip opener that is worth practicing. Step 2 intensifies the stretch. Step 3 provides the stability of 3 points of contact with the floor while adding an element of difficulty (lifting the front foot from the ground). Step 4 gives you the practice of arm balancing, and step 5 offers the challenge of flying the back leg high into the air.

Give this entire tutorial a try, or feel free to just practice the steps that feel comfortable to you at your current level of fitness/flexibility. If you would like some additional hip stretches, click HERE.

Step 1
Come onto your hands and knees for Tabletop position. Your shoulders will stack directly above your wrists, and your hips will stack above your knees. Step your right foot to the outside of your right hand. Lift onto the ball of your right foot, and make an effort to wiggle your right shoulder underneath your right knee.

Step 2
Lift your back knee from the ground.

Step 3
Engage your core, shift weight into your hands, and lift your right foot from the ground, drawing it into your body.

Steps 4 & 5
Gaze forward, not straight down. Continue to shift weight forward into your hands as you lift your back foot from the ground. As you gain strength and find your balance, practice extending your back foot toward the sky. Remember to energize the lifted leg by engaging all of your muscles and even your feet!

April 27, 2015
It’s Never Too Late

“It is never too late to be what you might have been,” George Eliot.

It’s never too late. If you’ve been following Two Fit Moms since we launched our website, you know that this is our mantra.

We are committed to inspiring everyone — but especially moms, like us, that it’s never too late to be your best self. Regardless of your age, you can achieve your fitness goals, your career goals, your life goals. You can change direction at any time and realize your potential.

This motto is one that can be applied to many aspects of life. And, we think it’s worth repeating.

Remember. It’s never too late to be your best self. It’s never too late to be fit. It’s never too late to achieve your wellness goals.

Has this quote inspired you too? If so, let us know how.

April 26, 2015
The Power of Positive Affirmations

“Start training like an athlete. Start eating like an athlete. Start sleeping like an athlete.”

One of my favorite fitness trainers gives this simple, yet very inspiring advice on an exercise DVD that I own. I can hear these words in my head, long after I’ve finished my workout.

At the heart of this message is the idea that if you play the part, you will ultimately become the part. Maybe you’re not an athlete today, but by adopting the lifestyle of an athlete, you slowly but surely become one.

Positive affirmations work in the same way. By repeating a motivational phrase and speaking positively, you can transform your habits and attitude over time.

Just as the fitness trainer encourages her viewers to start living the life of an athlete, a positive affirmations practice can help you speak your dreams into existence. You can create the reality that you desire. By repeating positive affirmations each day, you effectively drown out the internal voices that say you’re too sick, too old, too injured, too heavy, too fill-in-the-blank. Your words have incredible power, so use that power wisely.

Affirmations and Yoga
If you would like to incorporate positive affirmations into your yoga practice, I recommend stating an affirmation (out loud or in your mind) every time you do a repetitive action.

For example, you can state an affirmation every time you complete a round of sun salutations. Or you can state an affirmation every time you find yourself in downward facing dog or in mountain pose. Repetition is key. In order for the affirmation to be engrained into the subconscious mind, you must hear it often to truly internalize it.

Here are two basic guidelines to follow when creating your own affirmations: First, keep your affirmation brief so that it’s easy to say and repeat. Here are a few that come to mind: I am strong. I am healthy. I am loved. I am successful. I am enough.

Second, state your affirmation as if it is already true. Speak in the present tense rather than in the future tense. Rather than saying, “I will lose weight and get healthy,” say “I radiate health and wellness.” And rather than saying “I will find a better job and make more money,” say “I attract wealth and opportunity.”

Feel free to create your own affirmations that speak to your spirit, and let us know how you do when you incorporate these positive statements into a yoga practice. You WILL get over the discomfort of speaking positively about yourself. I know it’s uncomfortable at first, but watch your life transform as you make the mind-body connection.

April 24, 2015
Launch Day!

It was a chilly day in New York City, but that didn’t keep people away from today’s amped up yoga event hosted by Kohl’s and led by Two Fit Moms — Laura and Masumi.

The event marked the launch of the new Gaiam women’s apparel line for Kohl’s which was created to inspire people to be fit and achieve the best version of themselves.

We are happy to say that we had a hand in the design and fit of the yoga clothing. The pieces are beautiful and affordable – and are sure to encourage health and wellness.

Masumi and Laura led a one-hour yoga flow in New York City’s High Line Park. More than 80 guests — a combination of media, influencers, bloggers and celebrities — got their yoga groove on with their nifty new Gaiam yoga mats.

It was an amazing day – so exhilarating. We are excited to be associated with Gaiam and Kohl’s — two like-minded brands that also embrace the concept of yoga for everyone.

We hope you check out the new line of apparel in Kohl’s stores and at Kohls.com. In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of some of the apparel — which is perfect for every woman – especially moms!

April 23, 2015
The Key to Managing Acute Stress

These days, most articles that I run across on the topic of stress tend to be about chronic stress— the day-to-day stress of jobs, finances and family dysfunction that chip away at our well-being, year after year. This is the insidious form of stress that we all try to manage with yoga and meditation in the hope that we can gain control over it and avoid all sorts of medical issues down the road (heart attack, stroke, ulcer, etc.) Controlling chronic stress is one of my on-going goals, and I use various techniques, such as journaling, prayer, and meditation to help each day.

With all of this stress management on my mind, you’d think that I would be mindful of acute stress as well as chronic stress, but I actually rarely think about the acute variety. I lump all forms of stress into one bucket, and that’s not really a fair way to think about it.

Acute stress is short-term stress that fires up in response to an event. The event might be a near collision on the highway. Or maybe something more primitive— like being chased by an animal. In either scenario, your stress hormones are in high gear. Your adrenal glands release adrenaline and norepinephrine, your heart races in your chest, and your body feels hyper-alert and energized.

I thought about acute stress today as I was on a conference call for work. As I tried to speak naturally and (hopefully) intelligently, I worried that I was rambling and not communicating effectively. I suddenly realized that I was sweating and my heart was pounding in my throat as I was asked a series of interview questions. I was exhibiting the symptoms of an acute stress response!

I wasn’t running from an animal or avoiding a near-death experience, but I was pumped up with stress hormones as if my life were in danger. Although the physical sensations of acute stress are uncomfortable, this type of stress response (in small doses) is actually good! We want our impulses to quicken and our awareness of our surroundings to intensify when we are in a challenging situation. What we DON’T want is uncontrollable energy and fear that cannot be used to our advantage. The good news is that we can effectively manage our acute stress to work for us rather than against us.

Being able to channel the rush of adrenaline into a controlled stream of positive energy is the trick to being able to thrive under short-term stress. And you can do it!

I know this isn’t going to come as a huge surprise, being that this is a yoga website and all…but the trick to managing and channeling this stress is to control the breath.

You can turn an intense, harried situation into a calm, collected experience by slowing your rate of breathing. You will continue to benefit from the added burst of energy provided by the stress hormones flowing through your body, but you will be in full control. Your voice will not waver, and your actions will exude confidence.

You obviously cannot shut down in the middle of your stressful episode to meditate or start flowing on your yoga mat. Instead, you will practice these two breathing techniques and re-gain control of the situation. You may find that one technique is easier than the other. Try them both for a couple of minutes each and see what works for you.

Slow-Deep Breathing
Inhale deeply through the nose for a count of six until the lungs are full, and then exhale through the nose for a count of six until the lungs are empty. In your head, count like this: Inhale-two-three-four-five-six; Exhale-two-three-four-five-six. Keep the count in your head for a couple of rounds until the rhythm of the slow breathing exercise feels natural.

Square Breathing
Inhale through the nose for a count of four; Hold your breath (with lungs full of air) for a count of four; Exhale for a count of four; Hold your breath (with lungs empty) for a count of four. Practice this breathing technique by maintaining this count in your head: Inhale-two-three-four; Hold-two-three-four; Exhale-two-three-four; Hold-two-three-four.

April 22, 2015
Springtime Flow

Spring is a season characterized by rebirth, renewal and growth. Many of us are looking forward to longer, lighter evenings and the uplifting energy of Spring. To celebrate the season (and to help you out of bed before the sun has risen), we are putting a fresh spin on a traditional sequence. Each pose within the sequence becomes a hybrid — and a hip opener — by keeping the legs in tree pose. Challenge your balance and flexibility by practicing this variation of Sun Salutation that pays homage to blooming trees and fresh routine. Remember to practice the sequence on both sides of your body, and breathe deeply through each pose.

1. Tree Pose

Start in Mountain Pose at the back of your mat. Toes are spread, spine is lengthening towards the ground. Slowly shift your weight into your left foot and pick up your right foot. With the help of your right hand, place the sole of the right foot onto the inner left thigh. Find stability in this pose by pressing your right foot firmly into your left thigh, and your left thigh firmly into the sole of your right foot. Keep your right knee pressing out. Bring your hands together at heart center. Take 5 deep breaths, then on your next inhale sweep your hands up towards the sky.

2. Standing Forward Fold with Tree Legs

On an exhale, swan dive down into this Standing Forward Fold variation. Continue to keep your right knee open to the side. Feel the hamstring stretch along the back of your left leg and the stretch in your right hip. Stay here for 3-5 breaths.

3. High Plank Pose with Tree Legs

Rather than stepping or jumping back into Plank Pose, as you would in a traditional Sun Salutation, on an exhale, slowly walk yourself out into Plank Pose with Tree Legs. Continue pressing your right foot firmly into your left thigh, and try to make a straight line with your body from head to heel. Stay here for 3-5 breaths.

4. Side Plank Pose with Tree Legs

Before moving into your Chaturanga Dandasana, which is usually the next pose in the Sun Salutation, take a short detour into Side Plank Pose with Tree Legs. On an inhale, shift your weight onto your left hand, roll onto the outer edge of the left foot and pop up onto your right fingertips. Find your balance here. On the exhale, slowly extend your right hand up towards the sky. Keep your hips lifting as you continue to root down through your left hand. Look up at your right hand for an added challenge. Stay here for 3-5 breaths and return into your High Plank Pose with Tree Legs.

5. Low Plank Pose with Tree Legs

From High Plank Pose, slowly shift slightly forward. On an exhale, bend your elbows coming into Low Plank Pose (or Chaturanga Dandasana) with Tree Legs. Hug your elbows in and engage your core to maintain stability.

6. Upward Facing Dog with Tree Legs

On an inhale, roll over the left toes and come into Upward Facing Dog with Tree Legs. Feel free to modify by taking the Cobra Pose variation with hips on the ground. Press into your hands, lift your heart and relax your shoulders. Take 3-5 breaths.

7. Downward Facing Dog with Tree Legs

On an exhale, roll back over your left toes and come into your Downward Facing Dog with Tree Legs. Spread your fingers wide, relax your shoulders and engage your belly. Stay here and hold for 5 deep breaths. Complete your Sun Salutation by walking your hands back to your left foot and then slowly lifting back up into Tree Pose! Release the right foot, shake it out and repeat on the other side.

8. Optional: Supported Headstand with Tree Legs

For an added challenge, feel free to add an inversion at the end of your Sun Salutation practice. Keep your elbows hugging in, neck long, belly engaged and legs energized! To maintain our tree theme, slowly bend on knee and bring the sole of the foot to the inside of the other thigh, then switch! Remember to continue breathing. Take a well deserved Child’s Pose after you come down.

April 21, 2015
Recipe on the Go: Overnight Chia-Oat Pudding

Are you ready for another recipe from our “Recipe on the Go” series? The idea behind this collection of recipes is to provide you with quick meal ideas when you have no time to spare. We know what it’s like to always be on the go, and we want to help you with tips and suggestions for maintaining proper nutrition even when life gets unusually hectic. A quick recipe at home is still better than most options you will find at chain restaurants and local delis.

This time, we are bringing you a make-ahead breakfast (or snack!)— a delicious overnight chia-oat pudding that sits in the refrigerator all night and is ready to eat in the morning.

If you like to eat breakfast at the office, mix all of the ingredients into a mason jar or some other type of portable container so you can grab and go without any hassle.

I love this overnight pudding because it’s satisfying without being sweet. You’ll notice that I include an optional ingredient (maple syrup) to sweeten the mixture, but I actually do not use the sweetener at all. Perhaps you will not need the sweetener either — it all depends upon your palate. Feel free to top your pudding with some fresh or frozen berries to add texture and additional flavor and nutrients.

Ingredients
(One Serving)

½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon almond butter
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup milk (I use cashew milk)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or more, to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a jar, portable container or drinking glass. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as is or with berries/fruit.

Helpful hint: If you prefer a sweeter pudding, consider using a sweetened almond or coconut milk — or drizzle honey on top. For added texture consider adding nuts. The possibilities are endless!

April 20, 2015
Taking Care of You

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a life coach. It’s an interesting concept. Most people have probably never considered the idea of getting a life coach, but in theory, I guess it makes a reasonable amount of sense. All elite athletes have a coach to help them train. A coach can see things in you that you are unable to see in yourself and therefore, they are able to direct you toward the best path for success.

Unlike a therapy session or a counseling session, which delves into your past to understand the present, life coaching analyzes the present in order to help bring positive change to your future.

At the end of my coaching session, I felt like I had been shown my own reflection, and that reflection wasn’t muddled or distorted. It was a perfect mirror, and I was able to see my own life with a level of clarity that I hadn’t seen prior to the session.

I didn’t receive bucket loads of advice from this coach. In fact, I think good coaches rarely tell you what to do— they illuminate the way so that YOU know exactly what to do and can make those important decisions yourself. This particular coach did happen to give me a piece of advice, and I’m so happy that she did. It’s such a great piece of advice that I’m going to pass it on to you. It sounds obvious, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. Are you ready? Here goes:

Do something for yourself every single day.

Did you get that? You probably think you do, and maybe you do. I thought I got it, but I didn’t.

I said to the coach, “I always do things for myself! I wake up at the crack of dawn each day and exercise, just for ME! I stay up late preparing healthy meals for the next day. That’s also for ME! I practice yoga to balance all of my strength training and to stay limber. And I even meditate every night! Trust me, I’m doing lots of things for myself. I’ve got this concept down pat.”

The coach listened. We then discussed each of the items that I rattled off my list. After talking for quite a while, I came to understand that everything that I did each day for myself was out of obligation, not pleasure. The coach’s intention behind her suggestion to do something for myself every single day was based on pure pleasure.

Yes, I happen to enjoy my daily wellness habits, but I’m not doing any of those items for pleasure. I exercise, meditate, stretch and cook for hours to maintain good health and to avoid painful flare-ups. I do them religiously because I value my health and partly because I fear the pain and immobility that accompanies an autoimmune flare-up.

So now…. Time to re-evaluate. Do I do something for myself every single day? Purely for pleasure? Probably not. I am ready to make this change. Are you? It doesn’t have to be an hour-long activity. It can even be 15 minutes. What do you love? Maybe it’s a cup of tea at a favorite café. Maybe it’s a bath at night. Maybe it’s a bike ride or a half hour with a magazine or good novel. Whatever it is, let it be something with no strings attached. No guilt attached.

Do it for your well-being. Do it as a daily ritual to honor yourself.

Please share what you plan on doing each day in the comments section below!

April 19, 2015
My Favorite Meditation App: Alleviate Stress in Ten Minutes

Yesterday was quite a day. Stressful and intense are two words that come to mind when I think about it. I admitted my daughter to the hospital for an overnight treatment to help fight a nasty virus in her newly transplanted kidney.

As I packed my bag for the trip, I assured myself that everything would be fine, and my daughter wouldn’t be too upset about this hospitalization.

We’ve done this before, I thought. I am fine with going back to the hospital. We know so many of the nurses and can navigate that children’s hospital like pros. It’s just a one-night stay. We’ve had to stay for weeks in the past. One night is nothing. She won’t mind. We will make it as enjoyable as possible. We will play Candy Crush and watch a movie together and make the best of a crappy situation.

Well, I must have been in denial. My daughter was horrified to learn that we would have to stay overnight. The last time she was admitted to the hospital, she endured weeks of painful, extensive treatments and tests. Coming back to the same hospital and being re-admitted must have triggered terrible memories. It was tough for me to see her so upset.

I was in for a huge shock when it dawned on me that this hospitalization was hard for me, too. I really thought it would be fairly easy to handle, but I found it to be sweat inducing, nerve wracking, frustrating and downright difficult. It was nearly 11 pm when the treatment finally began, and I was completely spent. We hadn’t yet started the movie that we planned to watch, we hadn’t gone to the gift shop to buy bags of popcorn, and we hadn’t done anything that we had intended to do to make the hospital stay a bit easier. I was sprawled on the rollaway cot in the hospital room, and I didn’t even have the energy to walk to the bathroom. Every inch of my body was exhausted, and my brain felt like it stopped functioning. I’m not sure why it suddenly crossed my mind to meditate right then and there, but that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t have the energy to sit up. I didn’t even have the energy to clear my mind on my own.

But I did find the energy to pull my iphone out of my pocket and open the Headspace app. I listened to a free 10-minute guided meditation, and when it was over, I opened my eyes, and I was completely rejuvenated. I felt like I had slept for hours. I’ve NEVER experienced anything like that before. I’ve heard that meditation is quite powerful and can have a restful effect on the body, but I have never personally experienced such rejuvenation after 10 minutes of anything!

I guess there’s a first time for everything, and I’m thankful that this particular first time happened to occur during this stressful experience at the hospital. It probably helped that this wasn’t my first time meditating, and it probably also helped that I had a daily meditation practice— but I’ve only been meditating on a regular basis for about two and half months. If I can create a successful meditation experience that is both restful and rejuvenating with just a couple of months of practice, I know you can, too. If you are interested in creating a regular meditation practice, begin by reading some of my tips for getting started. Then, go ahead and download the Headspace app. Give the 10-day program a try. It’s not overwhelming, and I know you have 10 minutes to spare.

Please note that I do not work for Headspace, I am not paid by Headspace. I do not benefit in any way by telling you about this Headspace app. This is just part of my personal journey, and I want to share whatever happens to be working for me.

Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve discovered so far (which isn’t a lot because I’ve only recently started using it):

Headspace is an app that offers you the basics of meditation in a free 10-day program called Take10. Each day, you listen to a 10-minute guided meditation. It’s simple. You put your headphones on and tune into the instructor’s voice for ten minutes. You don’t have to think about setting a timer or finding background music or wondering if you can tune into your breath. The instructor tells you exactly what to do, and that’s what makes it so easy. It takes all of the thinking out of the process, which is exactly what you need as a beginner.

If you give the app a try, please leave a comment and let me know! Share your journey with us!

April 18, 2015
Why I Gave Up Moderation

I’ve been debating whether or not I should write an article about this topic for quite a while because it’s a bit controversial, but this morning, I finally decided that it was time. None of this may resonate with you, and that’s ok. I am posting these thoughts because they might be helpful in analyzing your own wellness journey, and they might even encourage you to change your current approach.

As the title of this article suggests, I’m not one to tout the “everything-in-moderation” mantra. I’ve come to the realization in recent years that the concept of moderation just doesn’t work for me.

Let me start at the end, rather than at the beginning: What I have discovered over the past few years is that a wellness journey is very specific to each individual. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another. I have experimented and tweaked habits and tried various techniques to find the wellness path that works best for me, and my ultimate conclusion is that my personality just doesn’t allow for moderation. Rather than fighting this realization, I have embraced it. And I assure you that traveling along a healthy path is easiest when you are fully in tune with who you are as a person— your habits, tendencies, and overall personality.

Let me tell you a quick story.

The other day, I was talking to Kate (our Director of Marketing), and she told me about her former colleague who would open a small bag of pretzels each day at her desk for a mid-day snack. Rather than devouring the entire bag (that’s my style), she would eat a few, and then re-seal the bag with a clip for the next day’s snack.

I just stared at Kate in silence. Cue the crickets. Who was this woman? She must be the poster child for moderation! Incredible! How did she eat five mini pretzels and save the rest for later? She was capable of snacking moderately and moving on with her life? How?!! I’ve run across people like this, and it baffles my mind. My own husband has a very similar personality. He can take one bite of a cookie and say, “That was delicious. I’ve had enough.” My personality would never allow for such behavior.

Let me illustrate my own scenario in the same office setting: I would open a bag of pretzels, eat five, and close the bag with a clip in an attempt to practice moderation. Then, I would return to my work. Rather than concentrating on my work, I would sit and obsess about the remaining pretzels even if I wasn’t particularly hungry. After wasting a reasonable amount of time trying to show restraint, I would re-open the bag of pretzels and finish them all.

Why is it that Kate’s colleague can snack on a few pretzels, and I cannot? Do I lack discipline? No, it’s not that. I have a tremendous amount of discipline. For years, I willed my body out of bed at 5 am each day to hit the gym, even if I went to bed at midnight. I’ve pulled all-nighters to study. I’ve committed myself to strict healing diets in the past to heal from inflammatory conditions. I definitely have discipline. BUT, what I see now is that practicing moderation has nothing to do with discipline!

I am an all or nothing kind of girl. For me, it’s easier to skip the pretzels altogether or to eat them all in one sitting. It’s more of a challenge to eat a few today and then to try and eat a few each day going forward. Moderation is tortuous for me.

I don’t buy candy and cookies and junk food for my house because I can’t just eat one cookie. It’s MUCH easier for me to not have any cookies in sight. Without cookies in my pantry, I don’t even think about them! There is no struggle. When I do want a fabulous dessert, I go to a restaurant and have one. I eat it with great enjoyment, and then I continue on with my life. There are no fabulous desserts in my pantry. All or nothing works for me. Eating junk food on a daily basis in moderation doesn’t.

Today, take a few moments to analyze your own personality. Does your personality allow for moderation? If so, carry on. If you have more of an all-or-nothing personality, don’t fret. Work with your strengths by creating routines. I think I thrive so much on my morning routine because my personality craves the structure and discipline. I don’t leave it up to fate to decide whether I will have a bite of a doughnut for breakfast. My weekday breakfasts are non-negotiable. I plan them in advance, and that’s it! I don’t even have to make a choice to practice moderation because I’ve created habits that work for my everyday life. It works for me and keeps me happily moving down Wellness Lane. I am not sure if it will work for you. It all depends on your own personality. Either way, it’s food for thought. Thanks for reading.

April 17, 2015