Namaste: the Rocky road of rejoining the yoga fold

So I used to be all about the yoga. I once did a show where we did 3-4 hours of yoga everyday as part of the rehearsal process. I could do a V sit for hours.

But for the last 5 years? I can count the times I’ve done yoga on one hand.

So today I did it. 90 minutes of power yoga.

It kicked my ass.

At first there was some chanting so I thought - ooo - sleepy yoga. No. There was to be no rest.

Plank. Downward facing dog. Left leg up. Warrior 2. Triangle pose.

Our instructor barked out orders (and by barked I really mean told us in a husky Brooklyn drawl). We followed.

I sweat. My calves were not going to stretch. At. All. But I kept up. Only took a couple of mini breaks.

Then came the “Ninja Death Pose.” Erm what? This is not going to be good.

So…I have a bad right knee. If I exercise it doesn’t bother me too much until my legs get tired. But if I train slow and steady it’s ok.

But, as I said in my last post, I haven’t been training. And working day and night means I’m not sleeping right. And the damn weather is all over the map.

Basically this means I have an achy right knee. But I didn’t give it too much thought. Until….Ninja Death Pose.

What you do is put a folded blanket against the wall. You put your right knee on it and put your lower leg up the wall. Then you lunge with your left leg. Just a lunge with your back leg up. Your legs look like a Z. Easy right?

For my right leg? It might have been one of the most painful things I’ve ever done to it. Not “I’ve hurt myself” pain but the kind of stretch that makes you want to cry, scream and swear. A lot.

Then you are supposed to push your left leg out and go to the floor. I went to the floor. Couldn’t move my leg. So the instructor had to tug it across the mat. The stretch lasted what seemed like 10 years in that position (I think it was 30 seconds) and I collapsed.

Left side? No problem. Great stretch.

So I’m going to add a weekly yoga class in. My body remembers most of it and it let me stretch all the week’s tensions away.

Any yoga tips, send them my way!

It’s time to pick a few better choices for breakfast…goodbye bagel.

Back to square 1.5

How easy it is to fall back after such a short time.

4 months after the marathon and I’m back up nearly 15 pounds, 3 inches on the waist and 4 inches on the hips.

How did that happen?

It appears eating what you want and drinking and stopping exercise all together is what happened.

I actually ran into someone yesterday that asked where my running photos were. He missed them because they were motivating him. Damn. Someone noticed!

Two things I know about myself…I’m all or nothing and I stop taking care of myself when I’m overwhelmed and stressed.

So something must change.

The problem? Hinging everything on one big goal instead of bringing in small goals and making them a part of my life…forever more.

It’s not about a number on a scale. In a way that’s easy to get. But it’s also easy to lose. I want to change this mentality of mine.

I like eating healthy. I like exercising (I like how I feel after at least). But why do I fluctuate so much?

Work is offering this program called A Quarter is Change. I work with the personal trainers at our gym, with a nutritionist, and they help me adjust my lifestyle. I do a weigh in on Mondays, have to work out 2 times at the gym each week, keep a food diary and come to weekly meetings.

And I, of course, will also blog it.

Yesterday I met with the nutritionist. I’m not “horrible” but I’ve realized I eat out for almost every meal. 10-16 hour days makes that a little too easy. I often don’t eat until I get home so that means I eat lunch between noon and 3 and sometimes don’t eat supper until 9-11 at night.

Not good.

So first I’ll tackle 3 things nutrition wise that seem easy but are big ones for me living in New York.

#1 Drink water: I don’t drink ANY water. Fact. I would die if I lived in a desert. Decaf coffee does not equal water so it’s time to start having water. 8 glasses a day!

#2 Eat snacks between lunch and dinner
This means healthy snacks people. The staff at work are wise to our long hours so we’re not working on “Don’t eat dinner at the time they start going out in Barcelona” but rather, have healthy snacks so I don’t eat all the things from the Thai food restaurant when I go home.

And finally…

#3 Cook three dinners a week at home

I actually enjoy cooking but I’ve fallen woefully out of practice especially since moving to New York.

So I have pledged to eat three dinners a week at home (they don’t have to be complicated) and I have to dedicate 1 hour on a Saturday or Sunday to grocery shop AND prep my food so I can come home in the week and easily throw something together.

This means planning.

The program doesn’t start for two weeks but I’m going to start now. Heading to fill up on water right now…

38 (or so) things to do in London

As a (former) long time London resident, people ask me about the best things to do in London. Before I get into my long long list of top things to do in London, here are some links to a couple lists that exist already.

One is of my “Day of Fun” - a fantastic day with a few friends trying things in London I’d not done before I moved to New York last year. The other one is a link from a friend who was a community manager at Yelp of her top things to do in London.

And here is the list of things to do in London. For those of you going for a short time, you won’t be able to do it all but I’m happy to tell you more about places if you are limited to certain areas, so please leave your comments below and I’m happy to add more!

1) Go for a Sunday Roast. Full stop.

2) Get tickets now for Secret Cinema if you are able. I’d love to bring this to New York. IT IS AMAZING!

3) I was told you have to book this Alternative tour of London in advance, but it looks like fun

Shoreditch/ Brick Lane/ Old Street:

4) Shoreditch has clothes and bars and whatnot. It’s where the hipsters live. There was a place called pool. It had a pool in the middle of it. Like proper school one.

5) Spittlefields market, and Upmarket on Brick Lane

6) Ministry of Stories/ monster shop

7) Callooh Callay

8) Brewdog in Shoreditch and ‘the underdog’ underneath brewdog in shoreditch, is a 1920’s speak easy themed cocktail bar!

9) Look Ma No Hands is a coffee shop/ bike repair shop: You don’t have to go there but I like that it exists :)

10) Columbia road flower market, there’re a few Banksys around there

11) Negotiate the price of a curry in Brick Lane. An experience everyone should have!

Central London:

12) Carnaby Street for shopping and you MUST go to Irregular Choice – my favourite shoe shop ever - and Liberty of London is wonderful to wander around!

13) Top of national gallery – Have a drink or a meal there and you can look over Trafalger square as you do it!

14) Gordon’s wine cellar (in underground tunnel) near charing cross tube (north side)

15) Neal’s yard - blue plaque showing where Monty python worked on material. Best vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever had

16) Rock and Soul Plaice in covent garden has awesome fish and chips. Across from ice cream place that once had breast milk ice cream

17) Maison Bertaux, or Bert’s House as my friend and her boyfriend affectionately call it… London’s oldest patisserie on Greek Street. Best English tea and French cream cakes in town. Go upstairs to sit for the full force of honest non-commercialism

18) The Radio Rooftop Bar at M E Hotel on the Strand - stunning views across the river!

19) Breakfast at Simpsons on the Strand.

20) Rules in Covent Garden (very gamey, not great for veggies but very British).

Southbank:

21) Love the BFI. Love it.

22) Have a drink on the second level of the Royal Festival Hall at sunset. You’ll be looking over the Thames and it’s beautiful…actually just A walk along embankment at sunset would be lovely.

23) Tate Modern – there’s a whole room of Rothkos that I love. (I’ve written about him quite a bit and my production company is named after a Rothko painting there)

24) The George Inn. Oldest inn in London, rumoured to be Shakespeare’s local!

East London:

25) Pub: The Grapes, Narrow Street, E14
26) Pub: The Camel, Globe Road, E1
27) Zetter Townhouse in St Johns Square, Farringdon. Best cocktail bar in London

West London:

28) The American bar at the Stafford hotel in St James’- where the queen mum used to “drop-in” for a night-cap.

29) St James’ Park is often overlooked and as the RSA is there, it makes a nice visit at the same time as doing Buckingham Palace.

30) Afternoon tea at the Lanesborough.

31) Champagne at Harvey Nichs.

32) Pizza East on Portabello road, it’s right at the end of portabello, so you can walk through the market, stop for a few drinks along the way, and end up there for lunch. The market gets so crowded on a Saturday morning so get there early and move quickly through the top touristy bit til you get past the railway bridge, that’s where all the vintage clothes and better stalls are

North London:

33) Lincoln lounge is cute, small and very neighbourhoody, it’s near…

34) 06 St Chad’s place which has high ceilings and hidden bathroom doors

35) Don’t do London Eye - go to Primrose Hill and look at London from afar. Then go for a pint. Primrose Hill was in “run fat boy run” and the Primrose set frequent the pubs nearby. I’ve witnessed Kate moss and Sadie Frost having a number of drinks round there :)

36) I know where the Spaced house is. Not great shakes around there but if you were a super fan it’s nice to walk by.

South London:

37) Brixton Village Market

38) If it’s nice and you’re deep in the south, Brockwell Park, Brixton is lovely followed by Olly’s fish and chips on the grass.

Shopping:

There’s so much everywhere but I like:
39) Fuel (also near Clapham Common)

40) Bullfrogs (lot’s of London designers in there – but it’s a bit out of the way at Clapham Common station in south London)

41) Boutiques around 7 dials (near Covent Garden so more central)

I hope you enjoyed my list of the best things to do in London. Enjoy! And do let me know if you do any of these and what you think of them.