Recent Life Lessons Learned & Things to Ponder...

One of the things that I enjoy most about life (and get ready--I know I'm about to sound like a BIG dork) is learning new things. I know, SUCH a dork, right?! But, it's true. I'm a total student at heart, and if I could spend my entire life going back to school in some way, I would. So, naturally, I also love the lessons associated with daily  life and the random things learned along the way... 

So, today I'm going to share some of the oh-so-basic things that I learned this past weekend, organized by category (because you know this girl LOVES herself some structure!). Read on for some random tidbits and things to ponder...

Image via farm4.static.flickr.com

Work Lesson:

"What do Sir Winston Churchill, Bobby Soderstrom, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Jefferson, Donald Rumsfeld, Vladimir Nabakov, Ben Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci and Treehugger founder Graham Hill have in common?  
They all worked standing up."
-"You'd Better Not Be Sitting Down When You Read This" from Elephant Journal

Pretty cool, huh? I've been a BIG proponent of working standing up, or avoiding sitting all day (AT ALL COSTS) ever since I quit my full-time desk job and noticed that a lot of my constant lower back and hip pain dissipated as soon as I wasn't spending 8-hours a day sitting. Then, I saw this article entitled "This is What Really Wrecks Your Body" and it made me happy, because it totally supports what I have experienced firsthand. 

Don't have the luxury of being able to stand or move around at work? I recommend doing some chair yoga at your desk, setting an alarm as a reminder to get up and move around every 30 minutes, or going on a long walk or grabbing a quick class (yoga, spinning, anything!) during lunch. Standing desks are also a great idea, if your office supports this kind of thing...and look at the image below if you don't believe me!

Image via elephantjournal.com

Yoga Lesson:

Modifications are where it's at. My newest yoga philosophy for my personal practice? Question every pose and make sure it's right for your body--where it is right now. 

As one of my favorite yoga teachers, Kristin Leal says, "every body is different--every skeleton is different." Some skeletons will not allow the body to EVER do a certain pose, and that's okay. My current issues don't have as much to do with my skeleton as they do with a bunch of injuries  that have flared up (wrists, shoulder tendonitis, and resurgence of old hip/back injuries when in certain poses...), but they're a great reminder that even when you're hurt, or tired, or sore, you can still practice. You can make your practice your own and you can skip any pose that doesn't feel right for you. Whether that's just for today, or for forever, it doesn't matter. Through my recent modifications I've seen that even if I can't ever do a jump-back in my practice again, I'll be okay. I'll be really, really sad, and will have to mourn it, but I'll be okay. 

And Dwi Pada Sirsasana (below)? Never. I will ALWAYS modify or skip this pose--and yes, I'm fine with that :)

Image via yogadawg.com

Nutrition Lesson:

THIS is what McDonald's McNuggets come from (see below). Oh, and if this doesn't convince you not to eat there, how about the recent study that said that the McRib shares a common ingredient with yoga mats. 

Yep! Enough said (I knew there were many reasons that I've been boycotting this establishment for years, but sometimes it's great to get a visual reminder! YIKES).

Image via mindbodygreen.com

Finance Lesson: 

Doing your taxes in February = amazing (do it!). 
Having a tax structure that makes just getting your taxes ready for your accountant take 3 hours = not so amazing. Having an accountant handle all of the crazy number-crunching and form-completing = true bliss. 

Until this weekend, I had almost forgotten one of the few downfalls of being self-employed...but not to worry, I  was surely reminded of ALL of the admin details that come along with "living the dream" when I sat down to tackle my 2011 taxes yesterday. Organizing income from 5 different employers, calculating business expenses, organizing deductions, oh yeah, and living in both DC and VA in one year? Makes your head spin. So the lesson I was reminded of here? If you work for yourself, pay estimated taxes and get a good accountant. 

AGREED!!! Oh, wait, they aren't talking about yoga instructors, are they ? ;) Image via welcomeomdc.com.

CrossFit Lesson:

When it comes to CrossFit--and all physical endeavors, really--it's all about baby-steps (and form!). Following in suit with my recent yoga lessons, I've also come across some challeges at CrossFit as of late, and here's what I've realized: the goal is to stay healthy, improve, build strength, and have fun. That's really it!

I may not be able to do a pull-up--EVER?--but until they seem more accessible, I can work on my kipping pull-ups (I'm almost there!) and just take it one day at a time. It's all about patience, right? 

And as a side-note, I'm convinced that some of us are not proportionally built for pull-ups. I have a typical pear-shaped female body (see below to get the image--I'm not kidding, this is exactly how my body is shaped!), and I feel as though it's not fair because unlike a male body, that only has to lift 50% or less of their body weight,  I'm lifting 75% of my body weight when I do a pull-up AND my upper body is the weakest part of my body. Make sense? If not, there's a visual below...

Do I look like I can do pull-ups? (image via styleguru.com)

Relaxation Lesson:

Taking a walk with loved one, with no destination in mind, is one of the greatest ways to spend a Saturday afternoon...

Yes! I was a real person this weekend with a chunk of available time (aka, nothing scheduled) and Ben, in a moment of uncharacteristic spontaneity, told me to get in the car because we were going on a walk outside. We drove to a trail along the Potomac, and ended up meandering along for about 3 hours, exploring the city and enjoying the sunshine. I kept thinking to myself, "so this is how the other half lives!?!?" It was amazing. I must do this sort of thing more often. 

Some of the friends we met on our walk :)

So what lessons did *YOU* learn this past weekend? Remember, we're all students of life, hehe! ;)

Here's to a week full of learning, broadening our horizons, and listening to our bodies!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine