Staying on Track...lots of greens, lots of exercise (and lots of reading)!

So far, so good this week. I've been filling my diet with big, beautiful salads, juicing every morning, staying raw until lunch (which is mostly raw anyway), staying away from sugar (even chocolate!), and waking up early every morning to go to the gym! It was rough this morning, but I still made myself get out of bed. Its always great once I get there, but its so tempting to stay in my warm bed (especially with my husband snoozing next to me).

I'm on the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and it is keeping me quite entertained. Its light and fun and takes my mind off whatever I need to let go. I find reading to be one of the best stress relievers. I have trouble relaxing because I like to be busy, so reading lets me tune out, but still be "doing" something. Sitting around watching tv too much makes me feel lazy and depressed. I always used to force myself to read something that would be "good" for me, but now I realize that its fun to read things that are just plain entertaining. I'm sure its good for my brain regardless of whether its William Faulkner or Charlaine Harris.

Time to juice!! Right now I am enjoying a cucumber, romaine, pear combination:)

ps-I've been listening to a rough cut of the Freeminer Bird's next album and its SO good! I'm trying to book more shows for them in Rochester (NY), so if you know of a venue, drop me a line:)

My New Hammock Swing

My fiance gave me the greatest birthday present I've ever received this year...a hammock chair. He installed it on our back deck yesterday. It is pure relaxation and joy. It cradles your body, stretched out in your favorite position, swinging you slowly and gracefully. I could lay in it for hours. Its difficult not to close your eyes. If you could float on a cloud, that hammock chair takes you away on a big fluffy one.

This afternoon, I sat in it twice. It was a perfect summer day. There was a cool breeze, a few white wispy clouds and a bright blue sky. A hammock ride was a wonderful combination with my morning coffee (after an early morning yoga class at BYV). There are two humongous trees in our backyard and their leaves made perfect music with the wind. My second hammock ride included a reading session this evening. I am reading The Buddha In Your Mirror: Practical Buddhism and the Search for the Self by Woody Hochswender, Greg Martin, & Ted Morino. A good friend of mine from BYV thought it would be a beneficial read for me. So far its fantastic.

I also took a trip with the fiance to Eddie's Market on St. Paul St. this weekend. It is a small market in Charles Village. We did all of our shopping for the week and it was surprisingly inexpensive. The produce was great too: Asian pears, mangoes, and blueberries! It was also nice to be almost the only people in the store. That doesn't happen too much at Super Fresh.

I am happy to report that I've been to yoga 6 out of 7 days this week. The Traditional Hatha class is my favorite and Vinyasa Flow is a close second. I am very interested in the teacher training at the Sivanada Yoga Farm in Green Valley, CA in October. I love yoga and everything it encompasses more each day. We shall see. For now, good night.