My First Bikram & a Spandex Binge

If you aren’t into yoga or any of that hooky west coast hippie stuff… read anyways.  If Bikram is good enough for Kobe to blab about after the All Star Game, it’s gotta be at least kind of cool.

(I might get disowned for speaking kindly about a Laker.  Clevelanders, keep reading just because I still hate LA, ok?)

And if you really, really don’t care about my stupid first-ever hot yoga class, scroll to the bottom to check out my new workout gear.  I used everyone’s comments and those holey tights as leverage in my case with B on why I NEEDED a shopping spree :)

Oh and don’t forget to mail out your chain letter for the Giveaway!

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Our apartment complex offers free yoga classes and since I’m super cheap and can’t say “no” to FREE, I went.  And now I love it and look forward to class every week.

This isn’t the meditative, rubber-band stretches, OMMMMM-y crap you’re probably imagining.  It’s lunge poses until your legs quiver so bad you fall over.  It’s not being able to lift your arms above your head to brush your hair the next morning. It’s having to line-drying your clothes before you can put them in the hamper.

It’s athletic, acrobatic, and graceful, all in one.  It’s 10 times the strength workout I ever got from our strength & conditioning sessions for Division I softball in college.  It’s I’VE NEVER BEEN THIS SORE, ALL OVER, ALL AT ONCE, EVER.

I’ve been going regularly to those classes for a month or so, and finally cashed in a Groupon I bought months ago (that was about to expire) for Bikram Yoga in Laguna Beach.  Bikram, or Hot Yoga, is essentially 90 minutes of yoga in a sauna.  No joke.  The room is heated to 100+ degrees and 40% humidity.

The only way I can accurately describe what class was like (because I’m afraid the dehydration has severely impaired my brain function) is like getting out of a warm bed in the morning – your mind is telling you that you need to, but your body just does.not.want.to.  Each time the instructor said to move to a new pose it took every ounce of strength I had to make my muscles oblige.  The heat of the room, intensity of the movements, and 20 gallons of liquid that somehow came out of my pores left me COMPLETELY SPENT.

I’m proud to say I made it through the entire class.  Less can be said about the buff dude that was also there for the first time.  He spent the last 30 min of class in corpse pose (laying on your back) fanning his face.  Girl power.

And now for the good stuff.  Shopping!

1)  C9 (Target) Tech Tee – $7.99 on sale

2)  Champion (Sports Authority) *non-shelf-bra* racing tank – $9.72 on sale

3)  Adidas (Sports Authority) cross-back tank – $5.97 on sale (wore this to yoga & loved it)

4 & 5)  Forever21 spandex leggings – $4.50 each

6)  Forever21 foldover shiny spandex capris – $10.80 (6&7 are a slim cut and fit almost like tights)

7)  Forever21 foldover cotton capris – $7.80 (regular price HELLOOOO go buy some)

8)  Underarmour (Sports Authority) cross-back bra – $13.47 on sale

9)  Champion (Sports Authority) running shorts – $7.47 on sale

10)  Champion (Sports Authority) sports bra – $11.97 on sale

Grand total for a fresh spring workout wardrobe = $84.19

Who wants to take me shopping??!

Since I was such a savvy shopper I don’t even have to cut anybody from our wedding guest list!  Isn’t that great news??!  If I’d had gone to Lululemon we’d have a bit of a situation on our hands…

Sarah Soon-To-Be