What to Bring to Hot Yoga

When it comes to yoga, Bikram hot yoga is my absolute favorite. I remember the first class I took many years ago like it was yesterday. At the time, I had just done a figure show and felt like I could take on any fitness challenge. Surely, I could handle a little yoga. So what the room was hot. Big deal.

Boy was I in for a surprise. The heat was so intense and unlike anything I had done prior, I questioned whether I would make it through the entire class. I was plotting my escape to make a beeline for the door. But I hung in there, and made it through. It was truly a humbling experience.

I found the heat to be a new challenge. I wanted to conquer it and all those poses that I could barely do. Yes, practicing yoga in a room set to 105 degrees is mildly torturous, but I love it.

I've taken a bit of a break from yoga and am going to start incorporating it into my routine again. It made me think of all the things I need to remember to bring with me to be comfortable. In case you're thinking of adding a little hot yoga into your mix (which I highly recommend), I thought I'd share the items I find to be most essential.

1. Yoga mat. Of course, this goes without saying. I find that any yoga mat will do. You can rent a mat for a small fee at Bikram studios.

2. Towel. You can use a bath towel, and these can also be rented at Bikram for a small fee. One year I got a yoga towel for my birthday and now I can't imagine practicing without it. The towel fits perfectly to the size of a yoga mat and doesn't bunch up. A worthwhile investment in my opinion.

3. Fitted top. Because you sweat so much, you don't want a loose fitting top to get in your way. A fitted tank is the way to go.

4. Water bottle. You'll want one that has a wide mouth that you can easily add ice cubes. CamelBak makes one that's good for this use and it's BPA free.

5. Coconut water. Add this to your water bottle with a bunch of ice cubes. As you get through the class, the ice cubes will melt, keeping your drink cold. Be sure to add plenty of ice cubes. I suggest filling the entire bottle with cubes, then add the coconut water on top. Coconut water is a great source of electrolytes and potassium which helps regulate fluid balance in your body.

6. Flip flops. You don't want to leave class and have to stuff your sweaty feet inside a pair of gym shoes.

7. Yoga shorts. Like with the top, you want to wear a fitted short of some sort. I think ones with some color and flare are fun, but any will work. You definitely don't want to wear pants.

8. A clean top and short. After you're done practicing, you'll be a sweaty mess. There's nothing worse than sitting in your car, and driving home drenched with sweat. A fresh shirt and pair of shorts will make the drive comfortable. If you want to rinse off and shower at the studio, go for it (just remember to bring all of your shower goodies).

31 Days of Weight Loss Tips: Day 16 Do Yoga

Photo by lululemon athletica on Filckr

One of the best ways to boost weight loss is to do yoga -- it's a great cardiovascular and muscle building workout, plus it detoxifies.

The stretching, pulling and twisting done during a yoga session assists the body's detoxification systems in eliminating waste. Waste removal is important because the build up can cause unnecessary excess weight and having cells free of as many toxins as possible, keeps organs functioning well.

Yoga doesn't seem like it would compare to more traditional forms of cardio, i.e. running. But the positioning and holding of the different postures really increases your heart rate and oxygen consumption which improves aerobic capacity -- the functional capacity of the cardiorespiratory system (heart, lungs and blood vessels).

The isometric contractions performed during yoga are great for muscle building. I posted earlier about the benefits of building muscle -- the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest.

I personally love Bikram yoga -- there's something about sweating in a room that's 105 degrees that is refreshing (ironic, I know). I always come away feeling cleansed, relaxed and fit. But any form of yoga is beneficial. If you're new to yoga, give it a try. Or if you're a seasoned yogi, maybe try a new style to switch it up. Have fun with your workouts.

Namaste.

Resources:
Gaiam Life
American College of Sports Medicine

Clean Eating Vacation

Mommy needed some Mommytime, so I went to L.A. and ended up drinking green smoothies, eating veggies and doing yoga. Score!

I've been trying to make my diet as clean as possible lately, so I was a little nervous about how I was going to eat on this much-needed mini-vacation.

But there was no way I was going to cancel the trip. Hello? Stevie Wonder was waiting. Plus, hanging out with my buddy out there is always a good time.

On the way to the farmers market at The Grove

I recently read The Beauty Detox Solution and decided to follow the Radiant Beauty phase for 30 days to see whether I should adopt any new approaches to my current clean eating diet. The program calls for green smoothies daily, cutting out dairy, reducing grains, having animal protein at dinnertime only and, most challenging of all, very specific food pairing guidelines. To give you an idea of what the food pairing entails -- no protein and starch together (so no turkey wraps, which is usually a go-to healthy choice when I travel).

Normally, a vacation of any length usually means a little party time -- bring on the indulgences. But not this time. I planned ahead.

My plan was to drag my friend along with me. We'd go to the farmers market to get all the necessities for the smoothies and hit a Bikram yoga studio. Also, I planned to stick to a more vegetarian menu options while dining out.

Did it work? Yup!

When I hit town Saturday, we went straight to a couple of  farmers markets. First stop was the Silverlake Farmers Market where we picked up a few things like celery, parsley and this amazing roasted red pepper hummus. Next stop was the Farmers Market at The Grove where we got the rest of the things we needed -- lettuce, spinach, banana, pear and cilantro.

Lunch was a veggie gyro and I swapped the fries for salad. It was really tasty, too. That evening we met some people for an outdoor movie night, which was right next to the Los Angeles Coliseum. There were eight food trucks there with goodies from ice cream to sweet potato fries to Philly steaks -- but I resisted them all because we came prepared with our cooler of hummus, cucumbers, peppers, crackers and dairy-free chicken salad. We were set.

Our healthy movie snacks

Sunday morning started off with me making green smoothies, which was followed by a hot yoga session. Lunch was a large salad and later that evening we went to the Hollywood Bowl for a Stevie Wonder concert where we brought the cooler with the rest of our veggie and hummus fixings. I did have one little indulgence that night -- we split a small piece of red velvet cake. Oops.

At the Hollywood Bowl for Stevie Wonder concert

Another oops -- I had some chicken salad on wheat crackers one night and the next night that same chicken salad on a whole wheat pita (improper food pairings). So, I wasn't perfect. But all in all, not too bad. Best of all, I had a great weekend. My batteries are recharged and the veggie, green smoothies, yoga infusions did me well. This much cleaner approach to eating is energizing and amazingly I don't feel deprived or miss any of my previous meals.