Back-to-Normal Beast

Lentil quinoa salad

I do believe this is something Miss Gina would refer to as a salad beast:

• lentils
• quinoa
• shredded carrot
• edamame
• cashews
• apple cider vinegar
• olive oil

Of course I’m sad to be away from my family after such a wonderful Christmas, but I’m always happy to get back to my own food.

As my food reverts to its old, pre-holiday ways, so, too, is my level of physical activity increasing. I was sick every second of my trip home–from the minute I stepped onto the plane until we got back last night–so I wasn’t really up for much movement. I did manage to dig deep for a couple very mild yoga sessions to round out my 25 Days of Yoga, but other than that, I sat.

I no longer use the “F” word (fat) to describe myself (thanks, Caitlin). I know better than that. So after a month of cookie inhalation and stagnant couch-laying, I reverted to another (I think) kinder word: squishy. I think squishy is an accurate way of describing how I feel right now. I don’t really weight myself except to make sure I’m hydrated before and after yoga (if I’m dehydrated the number will drop drastically), but after returning home I was interested to see how much weight I’d gained. Jen taught me the average American only gains one pound from Thanksgiving through the New Year. I gained zero. Why?

I lost muscle mass. Sitting around doing nothing and lifting nothing heavier than a Christmas cookie meant that I lost muscle mass but gained little else.

Back to yoga

So I was more than happy to meet up with Caitlin for 90 glorious minutes of superflow hot yoga to get some muscles back. I expected to feel weak after my week of illness, but I found my body responding with surprising strength and endurance. A little rest (and a lot of cookies) never hurt nobody.