An Introduction to the Amazing Omni Yoga Swing

This is an actual Yoga product, demonstrated by Andrea Austin.

Update 13 - Getting Whipped into Shape - The 18-Week Measurements

Yesterday Andrea took my 3rd set of measures since we started working together in November.   Let's see... I'm down 3 pounds and 1.5 inches (that's a combination of chest, waist and hips).  The body fat is down from 25.67% to 23.53% (the goal is 18%).

While it's true we didn't associate a date with the weight and body fat goals - at this pace it might take until 2013.  I just assumed a pound a week would be a no-brainer.  If that were the case I'd be at my goal weight of 110 right now, today.

So, reality check.  While the original goals will remain the same - I'll be realistic about the pace.  I'll continue to concentrate on cardio endurance and toning, which have both improved noticeably over the past 18 weeks.  

We plan to do the 4th measurement readings at the end of May. 

My First RealRyder Spin Class at 501SP1N

Andrea finally convinced me to try a 45 minute RealRyder class at 501SP1N. The instructor for Tuesday's 7pm RealRyder class is Kristi Hicks.  Kristi also utilizes Andrea as her Personal Trainer, and will be the subject of an upcoming success story.

You may recall from previous postings that the RealRydercycle is more intense than a regular spin bike in that it allows you to turn and move as though you're riding a real bike - thus providing a full body work out.  It's a unique experience, and I felt a little wobbly during this first class.  Even though I wasn't able to keep up with Kristi - I let my limited coordination and a touch of "saddle soreness" hold me back - I quickly worked up a sweat.  The music was butt-kickin', and the class ended with a thorough stretch routine. 

I must say the people who do RealRyder are a happy bunch.  If you're looking for a group cardio experience, it's a great place to start.  If you're new to spinning (or, like me, haven't been on a bike in years), I would definitely suggest requesting a padded seat cover.  Also, it might be helpful to wear a pair of gloves - I noticed several people in class wore them. Even though the handle bars are padded, my hands got a little sore. Kristi intermittently incorporates push ups in her routine, which puts some pressure on the hands (again, just depends how hard you're working).

Click here for a list of all the classes offered at 501SP1N.  If you're not sure which class/classes would be best for you, 501SP1N's partner, 501F1T, offers a 1 Free Week Pass, which allows you to try as many Spin Classes you can handle, along with access to 501F1T's facility and 1 G-Werx Group Strength Class.

Yoga Insights with Victoria Rico

Submitted by Victoria Rico

Spotlight on two Minneapolis Yoga Instructors:  John Robert Shaw and Inanna Jessup

John Robert Shaw

John is sincere in saying that the yoga journey has positively influenced many aspects of his life and physical being along with those with whom he has practiced and had the honor to teach. The opportunity to practice and teach Bikram and Corepower yoga is a supreme blessing that continues to and will forever impact his earthly and spiritual existence.

Inanna Jessup

“What I love about teaching yoga is the ability to move energy through a room, and through a community. I love that when people walk through the studio doors, they feel at home.  They feel THIS is a part of their day where they can be themselves and take CARE of themselves.  It is such an honor to be a part of that experience.”

While the featured yogi have divergent stories, it is interesting that both John and Inanna were initially drawn to Bikram Yoga.  The Bikram (Hot Yoga) practice is intense, systematic, evenly paced and meditative.   John took a Bikram class looking to refresh his body and mind after over 25 years as a runner, biker, and health club rat.

Inanna, who spent years as a competitive gymnast, found herself in Philadelphia, in fashion design school.  After 8 hours hunched over a sewing machine, hot yoga was the perfect holistic medicine for neck and back pain from previous gymnastics injuries.  Please look for both John and Inanna on the schedule at CorePower Yoga at 501 Washington Avenue South.  To learn more about their extensive teacher training, please look for them on the CorePower Yogawebsite.  If you live in the neighborhood please ask about special pricing on yoga classes.

1. What are some common myths about yoga? 

JRS:  That it’s sitting around legs crossed, chanting and believing in some weird anti-Christ.
         That it’s one thing, not a broad base study of life and energy in the Universe.
         That hatha (postures) yoga is easy, not hard work.
         “I am not flexible” thus, yoga is not for them.  Contrary, increased range of motion is one of the goals/benefits of yoga practice.

IJ:  Number one- that you have to be flexible. I was a gymnast and a dancer and have always had natural flexibility but it is a daily struggle in my practice to not rely on that flexibility and to find more power and strength. People that walk in with limited flexibility have JUST as much or MORE to gain from a yoga practice.

2. Breath is an integral part of yoga, how difficult is it to learn to breathe in yoga?

JRS:  Not difficult at all once the student realizes how cleansing and energizing even small improvements in breathing can be to all aspects of his or her. Yes, it takes practice. Good things aren’t supposed to be handed to you on a silver platter.

IJ:  Once you bring your focus to your breath, it is so easy! It is amazing how little attention we pay to such a simple action that in fact keeps us alive. Having power over your breath does not just mean being able to enlarge your lungs or take longer, deeper breaths. It gives you the power to challenge your mind and body in ways that help you in the smallest every day interactions and reactions. It helps you learn to control or channel the fight/flight response that we so naturally adopt in situations of anxiety or stress.

3. Is yoga a mind, body and spiritual practice?

JRS:  Even more than that, yoga is life, the study of energy of which mind, body and spirit are just human interpretations.  There are eight forms of yoga and eight limbs of yoga.  So yoga is more than three dimensional, it is all encompassing.

IJ:  Yes. It fluctuates between all three. Some days it is just about the physical. Some days it is simply meditation. Some days you just cannot get out of your busy mind. And on that rare day when everything falls into place, all three come into balance.

4. How did you get started in yoga and when?

JRS:  Though I had done two yoga classes at LTF in SLP in 2000, 2001, I finally did my first Bikram class on Jan 30, 2002. This was after +25 years as a runner, biker and health club rat. Classic; I was looking for something different to refresh the body and mind after long days at corp USA. Several club friends extended the invite and the three of us took this very long and very hot class. It was extremely hard but the effects immediate and compelling.

IJ:  I started doing yoga when I was very young but did not get fully involved until college, when I began a daily Bikram Yoga practice in Philadelphia. I went to fashion design school and after 8 hours hunched over a sewing machine, hot yoga was the perfect thing for my body, and the only way to manage my neck and back pain from previous gymnastics injuries. When I moved to Minneapolis two years ago, I began practicing at CorePower Yoga and immediately fell in love.

5. How has your practice changed from when you first started practicing yoga?

JRS:  My personal practice has evolved very nicely in the last 9 years from being stiff and limited range of motion and low attention space and big ego to a smooth and graceful practitioner with excellent range of motion and incredible focus; for a limited amount of time! 

IJ:  When I first began, Yoga was all about the physical practice. I had been both a competitive gymnast and a dancer and so how my body acted and reacted was all that was important to me in the yoga studio. After a while though, I began to see the other benefits of my practice manifest- my control of my breath improved and so did my ability to both energize myself and calm myself down in stressful situations. Every class I take is different- sometimes I am still fixated on the physical joy of movement, but sometimes it goes beyond that entirely.

6. Do you incorporate music into your classes?  Why or why not?

JRS:  Yes, the music can add to the experience in many ways.  Quiet, calm, upbeat for certain parts of class, distraction from unwanted thoughts, energy for the entire class and instructor.

IJ:  All of our classes at Core Power Yoga have music in them. The atmosphere of a class is so important. I love making new music mixes and discovering new music for my classes because it creates the attitude and inspires my students.

7. What does moving meditation mean?

JRS:  My interpretation and personal experience is that through the focus on the breath and the movement of the body in asana isometric postures and moving transitioning asana sequences, the mind, breath, body and spirit become one and join in union with the energy and of the yoga space. It’s a very unique experience and challenging to describe but not that difficult to attain a relative low or mild state of moving meditation.  When the room is heated in my opinion, the experience is accelerated and enhanced.

IJ:  Yogis sometimes call their Asana (Posture) Practice a moving meditation. What it means is that while the body is active, the mind is able to steady and calm itself- focusing only on the breath. You become an observer of your thoughts and reactions- not attaching yourself to results or outcomes and experiencing your own ego and personal challenges with non-judgment and compassion. That is what moving meditation means to me.

8. What are your favorite books on yoga?

JRS:   Anatomy of Hatha Yoga-Coultier, Journey into Power-Baptiste, Bikram Yoga-Bikram Choudhury, Hatha Yoga Illustrated-Boon, Kirk, DiTuro.

IJ:  My very favorite book is the Bhagavad Gita. There are a lot of different translations out there that are all wonderful. It is a beautiful story that illustrates some very accessible wisdom about the path to enlightenment, our place in this world, karma, and the meaning of it all.

About Victoria   With over 400 hours of teacher's training through CorePower Yoga and the Green Lotus Yoga and Healing Center, Victoria is certified to teach Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Hot Yoga, Hot Power Fusion, and Yoga Sculpt. Combining her love of healthy living with yoga and life long learning, Victoria creates yoga classes and workshops to refresh, stimulate and challenge the yoga practitioner.  She can be reached at 612-554-7755 or victoria@victoriarico.com

Update 12 - Getting Whipped into Shape - Hanging in There

In my last update I mentioned Andrea increased my cardio target heart rate range from 130-150 to 160-190. Okay, that turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be, but I've been working at it every freakin' day.

There's a commercial for some weight loss gimmick currently playing on the radio.  It begins with a guy stating that women over 40 have to exercise an hour every day just to maintain their weight.  I don't subscribe to gimmicks, but that statement seems true. I do exercise an hour a day, and the scale doesn't move.

This aging business is starting to irritate me. There's fat popping up in places that were previously the easiest areas to firm up - what's up with that? 

Mill District Business Spotlight: Bierbrauer Chiropractic

I recently met with Dr. Chris Bierbrauer of Bierbrauer Chiropractic, located at 221 10th Avenue South in the Bridgewater Lofts building.   The soothing spa aroma puts you into relaxation mode as soon as you enter the office.  His website states it's "a new kind of Chiropractic care", and I quickly learned exactly what that meant. 

After earning his degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1995, Dr. Bierbrauer practiced in Green Bay, Chicago and Platteville.   All the while, he knew there was a better way to treat patients, and about 10 years ago he started looking at soft tissue work.   Since establishing his own practice here in the Mill District in November 2008, he now concentrates on two soft tissue methods - the Active Release Technique and the Graston Technique.  This is what sets Bierbrauer Chiropractic apart from other practices.

Below, Dr. Bierbrauer demonstrates how he uses specific tools to manipulate nerves at the muscle level.  This allows him to zero in on issues ranging from carpal tunnel syndrome to tennis elbow.  He cited an example of a patient suffering from "calf contracture" - her calf muscles were so tight they felt like bone, and she was unable to stand flat-footed.  Soft tissue treatments were the effective treatment for her.

Patients range from newborns to seniors, although a large percentage are athletes - runners, iron men, triathletes, skiers and weight lifters.  In fact, Dr. Bierbrauer's first patient was a pitcher from an AL Central Team in town for a game against the Twins.  Although his office wasn't officially open yet, he was sought out because of his ability to perform the tissue treatment needed for this professional athlete.

A colicky baby may be in need of a single adjustment to provide relief.  The birthing process can be tramatic - all the manipulating can cause immobility in the neck from the cranial nerve that comes off the brain stem. 

Dr. Bierbrauer explained the efficiency of soft tissue treatments.   He does not subscribe to the old ways of scheduling X visits per week for X number of weeks.  Rather, he spends more time with a patient during a visit, and only schedules a follow up if it's needed.  (So this old joke does not apply here: "How many chiropractors does it take to screw in a light bulb?  Only 1, but it takes 36 visits.")

Dr. Bierbrauer lives in North East with his wife, Missy Wilson, a Graphic Designer for Duffy & Partners (another Mill District business).

Update 11 - Getting Whipped into Shape - Back on Track!

Last Sunday's scale reading was a real wake up call, and I took it to heart.  It's amazing what a difference a week can make. While I still had a treat every day, it wasn't the usual overboard indulgence (like an entire box of Girl Scout cookies).

During this Friday's session with Andrea, we worked on kicking up the cardio a few notches.  She proved to me that I could indeed do 6.4 MPH almost as easily as 5.2 - well, dah.  So, it will be interesting to see the results of that simple adjustment over the next week. 

When we started working together in November, the goal was to maintain a heart rate of 130-150 while doing cardio.  It's now been updated to 160-190. OMG!

Tweaking Exercise Routine to Enhance Marathon Training

This week I met Deb, who was already in great shape prior to seeking out a personal trainer.

As you'll learn in the video, Deb is now training for her first marathon.  Working with Andrea Austin will help assure her success.

Email Andrea at andrea@tweakmyworkout.com if you'd like to try a complimentary RealRyder spin class at 501SP1N, or if you have a fitness or nutrition question.