Working in the Workouts: Next stop, yoga

Each week, Debbie will share her goals, challenges, successes and tips on how to fit in fitness when caring for a rambunctious toddler.

You know what? I feel great! I love that my new fitness regime is morphing into something that I enjoy, with lots of variety that somehow actually fits int o my lifestyle. I still find this mind-boggling, as I really didn't believe I could do much more than nothing with my hectic toddler-centric schedule.

It's OK with me that I dumped the loathed elliptical, because I have filled the time with something else that I actually like doing (30 minute walks).

It's OK with me that some day, and some weeks, I get more exercise than others, because that is just part of life, and in the big picture, I am doing lots of good fitness-type things.

It is not OK with me that I haven't been able to fit in yoga again . . .yet. So that is my next goal, and here is how I plan on sneaking in some yoga time . . .

In the past, I wrote about my favorite yoga poses, and I want to try to incorporate some of them into my day again. I already know that I enjoy them and that they do great things for my body, mind and spirit. How can it be hard to squeeze in something that powerful? I also found a few more I'd like to try to do every day, so . . .

• I vow to hold Boat Pose for 30 seconds every day, and do as many sit-ups in this pose as I can. This pose is will be great for my abs, which are in need of some serious work (look for a future post, in fact!).
• I promise to do Cat-Cow twice daily, morning and night. This will warm up my core and back for the day, and stretch it and relax it at night.
• My solemn oath is to do Cobbler's Pose each day for two minutes as soon as Owen goes down for his nap. The inner thigh stretch is great and it really helps my posture.

But here is the yoga thing that has been tricky for me. Since a weekly yoga class outside of the home isn't really an option for me right now, I bought a bunch of DVDs that I seriously love, but they are just so darned long that I feel like it is a huge commitment to do one of them. So here is what I will try this week. My friend lent me a yoga DVD that is only 20 minutes long, so I will try to do it at least once before my next post and report back on whether or not it is worth the time. My dilemma is that the 90 minute DVDs I have are definitely worth the time, I just can't seem to find that big of a block of time, especially on a regular basis. But will 20 minutes really be a satisfying yoga experience? I am skeptical but willing, so stay tuned . . .