The Perfect 10 Workout: Hot Yoga

I was looking through some of the ASME award finalists yesterday and came across an article from O Magazine last year.

The piece was a two-part series about this woman who subjected herself to the 60 day Bikram challenge. She was at a bad place in her life and decided to force herself to spend 90 minutes a day in a 105-degree, 40 percent humidity room, stretching and sweating. She measured the before and after and the results were pretty impressive, especially given that she didn’t do one traditional workout—no dung bells, no treadmills, nothing. Just stretching and sweat.

I did a little research and Bikram yoga, commonly referred to as “Hot Yoga,” is a little different than other methodologies. The founding guru, Bikram Choudhury, studied yoga from a young age and developed this methodology. He then founded the Bikram Yoga College of India, which isn’t necessarily in India; any Bikram-accredited yoga studio is part of it.

I’m intrigued by Bikram more than other methods of yoga because of the results. Most yoga strategies help with concentration, focus, balance and general wellbeing, but Bikram advocates a bit more.

Bikram yoga incorporates 26 traditional Hatha Yoga postures and two breathing exercises. But the studios are usually very simplistic (no chanting or incense) and have mirrors so that all yogis can see themselves and constantly perfect their style. The classes are 90 minutes long, but yogis are required to stay in the room. I’m not kidding here; I just looked at one of the waivers and that point is clearly stated among the other details that basically say, “If you die, it’s your fault.” Intense.

But the benefits are supposed to be tenfold (Perfect for my ten obsession). Because you’re sweating so much, you’re literally sweating out your body’s toxins. And the poses supposedly stretch, tone and/or utilize every muscle and almost every organ. For detailed information about the specific benefits of each pose, check out this site. Looking at those pictures, I’m sure an additional benefit is increased limber-ness. And then, of course, there’s the mental exercise of challenging oneself to stay in the room. That right there is a workout in itself.

My minor asthma goes funky in heat and humidity, but that’s actually part of the reason I’m intrigued by the idea of Bikram yoga. What if I could challenge myself, push myself enough to the limit that I could control my own asthma? That’d be pretty awesome. And I’m sure the high from the intense workouts is much better than the jittery, uncontrollable high from an inhaler. Ick.

There are great first-timer discounts. But I want to try out all my options. So I plan on doing a variety of yoga styles before settling (hopefully) on one. I’ll use my free week at YogaWorks, experimenting, and then I’ll take advantage of the Bikram Yoga Manhattan studio that’s right at Penn Station, a 10-minute walk away.

By the time I’m back in Boston, I can decide whether to commit to Back Bay Yoga or Bikram Yoga Boston. Choices, choices, choices… Hopefully Daddy is willing to help with the membership charges, as well.

The Inner Ten

You know how when you wear red lipstick, you go around with this goofy little mysterious smirk? It’s such a thrill, one can’t help but feel empowered.

Well underwear does the same thing. I skim Women’s Wear Daily in the mornings and they have a regular section called “innerwear,” completely devoted to covering fashion advancements in the nether regions. What I think people fail to realize is the power of underwear.

And no, I’m not talking about over other people (though I suppose it has that power, too). But I love wearing sexy underwear. It doesn’t matter who isn’t seeing it; I wear it for me. As I said before, if I can’t treat myself well, how can I expect anyone else to?

Applying the ten ideology to underwear is important, though, and often overlooked. When underwear/innerwear/whatever is sexy and fits properly, it can do wonders. And nothing gives a girl a smirk better than the secret knowledge that she’s sexy underneath, too.

It’s empowering. And when paired with red lipstick, it’s probably that much more intense. Here’s to us women and our sexy innerwear. May it always be a ten like we are.

Today's Obsession: Living Luxe

I’ve been trying to be good lately about, well, everything. I’ve cleaned out my closet (mostly), eliminated clutter (mostly), and been on a health kick (as long as you don’t count the daily chocolate binge and ice cream for breakfast). But really…

The lovely Laura Max Nelson has also got me obsessing about yoga, which I’m not even that big on. But she has a blog that she keeps updated about the Boston yoga scene and I feel like I’m majorly missing out. After our Bahamas adventure (Eek!), when Tash has left the city (anti-eek!) and I have nothing to do, I am detoxing. I’m taking this ten thing and applying it to everything, including myself. I will be a ten. I will look good, feel good, and actually be good. And here’s how:

• For starters, I will already have a super awesome tan from the Bahamas; that’s enough to make any girl happier.
• I will become familiar with my running shoes. The weather has been gorgeous and I could really do with a Hudson river run every morning.
• I have these coupons for personal training sessions (my job pays me in coupons) and a week-long gym membership that I will use to strengthen my core.
• And I have another coupon for a week-long membership at a yoga studio, which I will use to calm myself down. My dad is bringing my yoga mat with him when he comes next week.
• I might even (gasp!) de-activate my Facebook for a week or two or a month.
• There’s also this detox flush cleanse diet that I’m intrigued by. I don’t really care about losing weight, but during the diet, you literally flush all your toxins (down the toilet). It’s part inspiring and part disgusting, which is why I’ll be doing it when Tash isn’t here anymore.

One of my favorite things about health kicks are the clothes. Having cute workout clothes is part of the equation, because when you look good (like a ten, maybe?), you actually want to work out. I love my crazy colored Nike goodies. “Just do it” is the worlds greatest mantra. But I also find these Bling Yoga Shorties from Victoria’s Secret just as inspiring. VS actually has a TON of yoga goodies, from pants to shirts that say “Live Luxe” to yoga underwear that goes undetected under all that butt-hugging spandex.

But really… These shorties are adorable. Good for hot, summer yoga or for running, and just teeny enough to be inspiring, as well. Because no one wants to wear short shorts when they don’t look good. Plus, they have rhinestones, and who can argue with that. Obsessed.

Victoria's Secret – Bling Yoga Shorties, $29

Struggling with Buyer's Remorse?

I went shopping yesterday. I ripped my pants SpongeBob style and needed a pair of new jeans so I braves the Times Square madness to hit up Forever 21. I found my $10 go-to jeans in about 3.2 seconds, but continued to look around the store. I found this pair of shorts I've been lusting after online for weeks (damn you online shopping!) and thought I'd hit the jackpot.

I didn't bother trying on my jeans because their the same jeans I always buy that slowly fade from dark wash to overly-loved. They're a total ten. For $10. A win all around.

And I didn't bother trying on the shorts because the lines for the dressing room were longer than the checkout lines (Why do tourists insist on shopping at Forever, of all places?). Big mistake.

I also hit up Victoria's Secret, but left empty handed, and Zara, my new obsession. When I got home and tried on the shorts, they were--how do you say--unflattering? Terrible? Disgusting? Fat? Needless to say, I will be returning them, unfortunately only for store credit. They were a two. Mayybe.

It was funny... when I was buying my jeans, I felt so good. I was on a buyers high, so when I saw the shorts, the ten mentally slipped a little bit. And it ruined my night. I couldn't even enjoy my time at Zara, where I found these perfect black pumps that were super comfortable, my size and on sale. I passed them up.

The post-buy high and subsequent crash were partly due to the fact that this is the first time I've bought myself any clothes in the city. But to see that hard-saved cash wasted is a punch to the throat. Oof. Here's hoping my lesson is learned.

The upside, of course, is that my jeans look fabulous, not fat.

Today's Obsession: Perfect 10 Ring

On my way home yesterday, I stopped by a shoe store because I felt inspired to look at some summer-y shoes. I found this pair of teal leather espadrilles that would have been perfect for the Bahamas, but the quality of the heel was, to put it kindly, utter crap. So as painful as it was (and it was), I left the store. But I made the right decision. I’m keeping this 10 streak going.

Part of the book I mentioned included a section on jewelry. For someone who identifies their style as “classic” (me—or at least that’s the goal), they advise to keep the jewelry simple. Typically, just a classic black leather watch and a pair of diamond studs. Now, I’ve done the black leather watch (I’ve had the same one since 8th grade) so I’m going shoot that one down. Instead, I’ll just keep to my beloved Michael Kors gem.

And while there’s no way in hell that I will be getting diamond studs anytime soon, I do like the idea of simplistic jewelry. This weekend, I went through and collected bags of clothes and jewelry (many stolen impulsively from work) to give to friends/donate. As cute as they were for one outfit, they take up too much room to justify keeping.

I’m leaning towards the simplicity. Blame my Buddhist-loving boyfriend and his simplistic style :). But with the right goods, simple doesn’t have to equate to being “plain.” I’m thinking my basics should include my pearls (duh), my soon-to-be-mine Michael Kors watch, my gold Aldo French hoops that I wear all the time, and a ring.

I’ve been scouring etsy for estate rings this morning. I want something simple, but still unique, and something quintessentially me. My girl Laura has this David Yurman ring that is to DIE for (and so very her). And my beloved J actually collects and wears different wedding bands; they’re all a little unique.

While I send a heartfelt shout-out to this key ring from Kappa, my version–or what I like today at least–is this gold and pearl ring. The price tag isn’t too ridiculous and I like that it matches my sorority pin (R.I.P. wherever you are). Pearls are actually my birthstone, so there’s an added bonus. Plus, the gold would tie into the MK watch, even if I wear the ring on my right hand.

I’m trying to eliminate outlandish pieces. No matter how fulfilling the original response, there are reasons why trends are “trends.” Gold and pearls are genuine classics and always have been. TSM, perhaps. But we can’t help it if we’re klassy. Obsessed.

The Pearls of Lord – engagement ring, $380

Today's Thoughts on 10

So I’ve been thinking a little more about this 10 concept (I get a little caught up in things sometimes and they tend to rule my life)...

I realized—gasp!—that I really shouldn’t be shopping online. Unless, of course, I’m willing to pay return fees for anything that comes and isn’t a 10. This sounds like it’s no a big deal, but SO much of my shopping is done online. It’s what I do to waste my time (well, that and blog). Shopping online boosts my creative juices.

Actually, sometimes after being online, I’ll get this idea of exactly what I want. Once that happens, nothing really comes close to being a 10. For example, despite today’s beautiful weather, I’m set on finding an envelope collar winter white wool coat. And I’ve found some amazing white coats, like this one on etsy and this one from Alloy, but they’re not perfect, even if they’re cheap.

Actually, in retrospect, I really like the one from Alloy.

This is hard.


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The Search for the Perfect 10

In the same book I referenced yesterday, the authors argue that no one should own anything less than a 10. It doesn’t matter which great aunt bought you your perfume; if it’s not a 10, you won’t wear it. So ditch it.

On the way home yesterday, I did a little strolling in and out of stores looking for something celebratory (again, I don’t need a reason to celebrate). But I went home empty-handed. I couldn’t get the 10 concept out of my head.

Imagine what your closet would look like if every clothing item you owned was a 10. It might not be so jam-packed, but the items in there would be quality. They would fit correctly and be timeless. They would go together effortlessly. It’s certainly inspiring and I spent my downtime yesterday looking at various “10” items, many in the triple digits.

But then I got thinking even more (I tend to think a lot). What if I never settled for anything less than a 10? What if I surrounded myself with nothing but the best of the best… Quality friends, boyfriends, primo wine, the best food and flavors, quality furniture.

What if I always gave a 10 on top of that? 100 percent into school and my extracurriculars. Going to the gym, taking a yoga class, painting and sketching again. It’s certainly a challenge, and exhausting. But how rewarding.

I mean, really… Why do we ever bother to settle in the first place? Why do I convince myself that the shoes will feel more comfortable after I “wear them in.” Why do I let myself be battered in a less-than-10 relationship?

Surrounding myself with 10s would be exhausting. It would be expensive. And it would be disheartening when it seems that I can’t find the perfect 10. But how rewarding, too. I’m a fan of quality over quantity, even if I am not a practicing member of the club. But maybe now is the time.

No more settling. Nothing but 10s.