Friday Five: Good Things

Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia host Friday Five, and this week is Five Good Things to celebrate Good Friday.  I'm not much of a religious type, and I think I'm going with a little bit of a different interpretation.

Here are Five Good Things that I'll be focusing on doing this month!

1. Yoga at least twice a week - this will help manage my stress levels and help with my fitness.  May 1 is the last day of classes, so this entire month is really turning into crunch time.  As in I should be working on homework but instead I'm writing this blog post crunch time ;)

2.  Running at least twice a week - I have lots of good races coming up that I want to be stronger and faster for.  Unfortunately for me, this involves actually running!  I want to reconnect with it before it's obnoxiously hot down here and I have no motivation at all.

3.  Weight train at least once a week - I really want to get back into this.  I've been neglecting the gym, which hurts both my wallet and my heart! Eventually this will be back to more than once a week, but there's a lot of other things going on this month, and I want to give myself an attainable goal.

4.  Watch my micronutrients as well as my macros - I was doing pretty well on a low carb/high fat eating plan, but was sometimes left feeling light headed or dizzy.  From what I've read, this is often attributed to a lack of magnesium, potassium, or sodium (or a combination).  As I transition back to LCHF, I want to make sure I focus on these.

5.  Work on homework every day - I always procrastinate and do everything last minute.  I can't exactly do that with a 10 lesson unit plan that's due.  I have a schedule of what to work on each day, but I'm actually already behind on it!  I need to be able to break this into small chunks, for completion and my sanity.

These are the Five Good Things I'll be focusing on in April.

Do you like to set monthly goals, or yearly?

Lauren

Tuesdays on the Run: Cross Training

Patty, Erika, and April host Tuesdays on the Run, and this week we're posting about cross training!

I will admit that in training up until now, I haven't really done any cross training whatsoever.  Now, I'm getting into it.  Honestly it's not for cross training/running purposes, that's just a plus, it's really just for general fitness.

My main form of cross training is power yoga, which I've posted about before.  I absolutely love yoga and can really tell a difference in the strength I'm building.  I haven't noticed all that much difference in flexibility, although I haven't been completely consistent with it.  Maybe with more practice, I'll get that.  I burn anywhere from 400-550 calories in an hour long class, so that's great too!

I'm working on starting weight lifting as well.  I have a friend who tends to go to the gym a lot to lift, and he has a friend that wants to go with him, so we're trying to work out a schedule for the three of us to go.  I've gone once with him so far, and other than that our schedules don't quite match up, but I'm working on it!

I'm also going to read the New Rules of Lifting for Women.  I've read from a few other bloggers that it's been really helpful for them, and then maybe I'd feel more comfortable going to the gym by myself.  I like going with my friend for the motivation factor, and because I'm completely lost on what to do.  I have the book, and I'll just have to read it now, so I'll try to update everyone if I get on that plan =)

I'm trying to be more consistent with both my cross training and running, in hopes that it will make me a stronger and faster runner.

I'd also love to cycle as cross training, but I never learned to ride a bike!  I love the idea of it, but I think now that I'm 22 (so old, I know ;) ) I've also developed a mental block against it.  The idea of falling absolutely terrifies me to the point of not even getting on a bike.  Maybe I'll be able to overcome this...who knows?

Are there any forms of cross training that you do that I haven't listed here?
Lauren