New Years Resolutions ~ Intention vs Action

Happy New Year! Did you stay up and party like wild people last night? We were all exhausted and fell into bed rather early only to awaken to the sound of fireworks at midnight, rolled over to each other and said, “Happy New Year”, and just as quickly fell back to sleep. Old. Farts.

Do you have resolutions set for the new year? Are they grand? I think the start of a new year is the perfect time to put the past behind you, or in my case, my behind in my past! There is a bit more behind to me than I’d like and so when I received an invite to “friend” my hubby on Loseit.com a few weeks ago, I accepted-well, I accepted today. I don’t do diets but I do think a little reality check in the calorie department will be good for me. When I was running and training this summer I got used to eating larger portions and many more snacks. Other than a few jaunts on the treadmill each week, I’m a fair weather runner so the cut in cardio has definitely caught up to me!

In yoga we talk about setting an intention for your practice. What is your intention today? Intentions and resolutions are essentially the same thing. Good intentions only get you so far; this is where the rubber meets the road and without ACTION you are all talk.

Are you all talk or have you taken action towards your resolutions?

New Years Resolutions ~ Intention vs Action

Happy New Year! Did you stay up and party like wild people last night? We were all exhausted and fell into bed rather early only to awaken to the sound of fireworks at midnight, rolled over to each other and said, “Happy New Year”, and just as quickly fell back to sleep. Old. Farts.

Do you have resolutions set for the new year? Are they grand? I think the start of a new year is the perfect time to put the past behind you, or in my case, my behind in my past! There is a bit more behind to me than I’d like and so when I received an invite to “friend” my hubby on Loseit.com a few weeks ago, I accepted-well, I accepted today. I don’t do diets but I do think a little reality check in the calorie department will be good for me. When I was running and training this summer I got used to eating larger portions and many more snacks. Other than a few jaunts on the treadmill each week, I’m a fair weather runner so the cut in cardio has definitely caught up to me!

In yoga we talk about setting an intention for your practice. What is your intention today? Intentions and resolutions are essentially the same thing. Good intentions only get you so far; this is where the rubber meets the road and without ACTION you are all talk.

Are you all talk or have you taken action towards your resolutions?

Fila Body Toning System Pants ~ Review and Giveaway

My days are spent in workout gear. I head to yoga right after dropping my kids off, so I start my days in yoga pants. I typically run before picking up my kids in the afternoon, so I’m sure there are folks out there that wonder if I just spend my life in workout clothes. I was recently asked to review the capri from Fila’s new Body Toning System (BTS).  The double layered panels and compression design are intended to make you look a full size smaller and make your muscles work 50% harder.

I’m a runner at heart. I train to run half marathons and will likely train for my first marathon after the new year. On my longest runs I wear compression pants to aid in muscle recovery.  The descriptions of the Fila BTS seem similar to the way I understand traditional sport compression pants work. Fila BTS uses double-layered panels of INVISTA’s LYCRA® SPORT fabric and retail for $50, a significantly less expensive product compared to the $100 plus I have paid in the past for compression pants.

These pants are definitely flattering and they are the first ones I grab when I know I’ll be running around in public before a workout.  The double layer fabric system is pretty hardcore, very thick, but it didn’t bother me very much until I was in a yoga class. I am a power-yoga-in-a-heated-room kind of gal and I’m not sure these are my favorite for that type of activity. I sweat to the point of soaking in these classes and I think I prefer more of a wicking fabric for this activity. For regular light yoga, this would be an ideal pant, and you would most definitely enjoy looking at your fabulously shaped boot-ay in all of the mirrors!

I found the Fila pants to be much better suited for light workouts, weight training, and shorter runs. While these pants don’t compare to the amount of compression I experience with my more expensive pants, designed specifically for runners, they did provide a good bit of support. I’m not sure that I experienced any more or less benefit in terms of muscle recovery or effort, but the flattering cut was a big plus.

I would love to see Fila try to make the seams in these pants less detectable. I wouldn’t say they rubbed or felt overly uncomfortable but I was definitely aware of them. I understand that they are part of the strategic design but if it were possible to minimize them at least on the inside of the pant, I think I’d be more likely to choose them as my “go to” pant for both long and short workouts. (Note: shortly after this review was published, Fila responded to let me know they are addressing this seaming issue in next season’s line!) OH, and one more thing…. Fila friends, please, please, PLEASE come out with a petite length for your longer pants! We petite gals would love you for it!

For those women who want to benefit from the 50% increase in muscle exercise, do the math. If you want to work your muscles hard you’ll still need to push your body through the motions. A 50% increase in the muscle work while sitting on your ass isn’t going to get you down a jeans size. On the other hand, I work out pretty hard so I won’t “poo-poo” a little boost in workout efficiency!

Overall, I think the Fila Body Toning pant is a good value. We active moms run around in active wear for a good portion of our day, we might as well look HAWT doing it!

Would you like to make your boot-ay sing? The good folks at Fila will give away a pair of BTS pants to one lucky BB reader!

Congratulations #73 Amber G.

ENTER TO WIN!

*Leave a comment telling me what you think about the new Body Toning System.

Bonus Entries (leave one comment for each):

1. Subscribe to Bantering Blonde

2. Like FilaToning on Facebook and tell them I sent you!

3. Follow @banteringblonde on twitter

4. Tweet this, a few times a day if you like! :

I just entered to win New Body Toning Pants from @filatoning and @banteringblonde http://bit.ly/cBBG65

Winner will be chosen at 12am November 23, 2010

Confused Yogi On Board …

I love my morning yoga.  I wake up at 5:30 am before anyone is awake and I sneak out of the house before I even know what I’m doing.  I’ve been especially dedicated to this morning ritual lately because running really does a number on my lower back and hips.  I love the breathing and the stretching and the sweaty sweat sweating.  The soothing voice of the instructor….  but the one thing I can’t seem to do is shut off the logical part of my brain that MUST consume and analyze input.  So, no matter how calm and soothing the voice, I’m always thinking about what is being said.  This morning I was particularly troubled by the following….

“Breathe in…. and out.  Be present.  Right here.  Right now.”  (Ok, I’m present, I’m here, let’s sweat baby!)

“Forget about where you are.  Don’t think about where you are, think about where you are going….. where you have been and all that you have accomplished. Where you are now does not matter, accept yourself where you are and see where you are going.” (uh.. huh? Wait… ok so, huh?)

Goodness, I’m so confused.  If I’m supposed to be present and in the moment, BUT also just accept where I am but NOT think about where I am, only where I’ve been and where I’m going… Does that mean that I’m supposed to be able to be here but not think about being here?  And recognize where I’ve been but NOT think about where I’ve been?  As far as the where I’m going part, I think I have this part down because I’ve got goals and I know where I’d like to be….  except for the part where I’m supposed to only be present… hmm.  It’s hard for me to not think.  I’d like to understand this though, because if I could, maybe I would be all Zen and chill like the true yogis.

The fact that I’m still thinking about this two hours later is a little disturbing, no?