A month ago, I documented my intention of leaving my Brooks running shoes in my closet and focusing solely on yoga and occasional swimming for the month of June.  June + yoga + swimming = Jogas.  

If you missed the post, you can read it here.

It’s the last day of June, and here’s my final assessment:

Jogas was the single best plan I’ve done for my body.  

The End.

What, you want more?

The Benefits

Body Restoration.  

My hips and all the secondary glute muscles have been tight and in pain for over a year.  

Taking out all high intensity exercise and replacing that with yoga helped heal probably 85%.  I’m still not quite there, and maybe never will be, but I can do this again:

That’s me, sitting cross-legged on the floor for more than sixty seconds.  Cue the angels.

Mental break.  

Sometimes, I gleefully embrace a sweat-filled, lung-busting, muscles-firing workout.  Other times, half the effort goes into gearing up for one.  While yoga is not easy, the mental calmness I receive while practicing it means I don’t have to psych myself up before pressing play.

Time flexibility.  

Knowing I could pull out the mat and bring up the video anytime during the day decreased the stress of planning.  Running outdoors in the summer requires me to get out quickly before the intense heat.  I actually practiced my own mid-day “hot” yoga outside a few times.  To my surprise, this warm-natured, always-sweaty girl enjoyed it.

Quantifiable Results

Because I was curious, I performed a few metrics on June 1, and again today, on June 29.

Weight before:  144

Weight after:  144

The scale is a dusty tool I occasionally use to gauge where I am.  I’ve written before about it and prefer to use how my clothes fit and how I feel.  I admit this parity came as a shock, considering I had both a long weekend and eight-day vacation in June.  I’ll take it, though.

Push-ups to failure before: 40

Push-ups to failure after: 41.5

The P90X YogaX and Asana Rebel apps both have plenty of triceps-based Chatarungas.  But it doesn’t call for many repetitions.  I’m pleasantly surprised this didn’t decrease.

Straight-leg Flexibility before: 41 inches

Straight-leg Flexibility after: 43 inches

Two inches!! Wow! Both were done after a practice, so my legs were warm and loose.

Drawbacks

No Mindless Runs.  

I definitely had moments of wanting to lace up my shoes and go for a run.  Sometimes I just wanted 30 minutes to myself.  Other times, I was craving the creativity I receive.  Yes, swimming is somewhat mindless, but dang it’s hard!  I’m always having to remember to breathe at the right time. I’m also not very good, so I have to focus on reaching my arms, fluttering my feet, properly positioning my head, and not gulping in water.  Too much thinking.

Feeling Guilty.  

This summer I’ve been coaching an outdoor workout group. It’s circuit-based and quick moving.  Initially, I felt ashamed watching my girls work their tail off, while I directed what was next or corrected their form.

I’ve released that guilt somewhat because I end up scampering around demonstrating and answering questions.  My girls wouldn’t be able to work as hard if I was trying to do my own thing.  And, as I’ve told my classes, they pay for a great workout, not for me to get one.

What about swimming?  

Yes, I swam laps, but only two or three times.  I played in the ocean water on two vacation days.  But slapping on the swim cap and goggles never called me, so I didn’t answer.

Final Thoughts

I loved Jogas.  Let’s make this an annual tradition.  I feel so refreshed, physically and mentally.  In a few weeks, I’ll be starting my Williams Route 66 half-marathon training.  I’m hoping my body responds well, and I’ll definitely reward my miles with more Sun Salutations.

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