Yoga

It's no secret - I'm not a fan of rest days and Friday is my "complete" rest day. However, I despise the feeling of guilt I get for being a slug the entire day. I understand that my body needs a break but I don't believe that has been total inactivity.

With that in mind, I had the idea to designate Fridays as Yoga days. There are two specific benefits to doing a Yoga DVD before work on Friday. First, I am able to quell that (irrational, I know!) sense of guilt, as previously suggested Additionally, yoga is all about stretching the muscles, which is something I don't always do as well as I should after a run, workout or activity.

I decided on a new Yoga DVD - Crunch, Joy of Yoga - and I wasn't very satisfied with it. The instruction wasn't as clear and I was usually in a position that I couldn't see the TV so I was constantly breaking the poses to look up/over/around. However, I do like two of their other Yoga workouts - Fat Burning Yoga and Candlelight Yoga.

Regardless, the stretching and focus on breathing was a very satisfying way to still get active while still being mindfull of rest and recovery. The lunges, especiallly, feel good after days of hill intervals on the treadmill and strength training.

I can't say I'll ever be a yoga-devotee but once a week it'll be good to focus on something other than mileage, calories burned and/or counting reps and sets.