Whenever I start talking about my open hips, hubby loves to chime in with  few off color jokes, but this story is actually about Yoga.  Not the little green guy from Star Wars and not the bear who was filthy for picnic baskets, I’m talking about the ancient art of health and relaxation with such wholesome poses as “downward dog”, “camel pose” (I said pose) and the “easy plow pose”.

When I first started yoga I learned that I have very wide, open hips (ugh, I can already hear him laughing).Before you let your imagination run wild, I don’t mean that in a slutty way. I was born this way and can literally sit in a butterfly position, with the soles of my feet together and my knees touching the floor, then lean all the way forward until I’m lying flat. Go ahead…try it. Most people are lucky if they get halfway there. You’ll be lucky if you can lean forward enough to decide if it’s a “Summer’s Eve” kind of day, much less fold yourself like you’re being shipped out by Amazon.

Freshness aside, let’s get back to my open hips.  Last week I was in yoga class doing Pigeon Pose and was literally lying face down on the floor. This is something that usually amazes my instructors, and I even had one announce to the class not to use me as an example because it’s just not normal. So there I was, one leg straight, one tucked underneath me, staring at the floor while doing my deep breathing.

Naturally my mind wandered.  Not to enlightenment.  To Subway sandwiches.  To be fair, this isn’t even close to the weirdest place my brain has gone during yoga.

• Was Snow White having sex with any of those dwarfs? Is there hidden meaning to them singing “Hi Ho”?
• If a smurf couldn’t breathe, what color would he turn?
• Every hand I’ve shaken has held a penis.
• Why is W called double U, shouldn’t it be called double V?
• If I fart in the shower before I turn the water on will it still smell as bad?
• Is a hotdog technically a sandwich?

…and speaking of sandwiches, I’ve loved the veggie sandwich at Subway long before I became a vegetarian. I’ve tried desperately to recreate it at home, but it never tastes the same.  As PR nightmares go, it’s hard to top Jared. But I think we all remember the “yoga mat” controversy about what was being put into Subway’s bread. The word on the street is those ingredients have since been removed, which is obviously great news. But for this health-conscious, open-hipped mama, it got me thinking…

What exactly was I rolling around on three to five days a week?

I spend a lot of time on my yoga mat. I’m face down on it, breathing into it and occasionally drooling on it after a particularly relaxing class. If I was making an effort to eat cleaner and live healthier, it only made sense that my yoga mat should be as “clean” as everything else I was bringing into my life.

After way too much research (you’re welcome), these are my top three picks.

(1) Jade Harmony Yoga Mat: Made in the USA with natural rubber in a sustainable manner. Contain no PVC, EVA or other synthetic rubber and BONUS…for every mat sold they plant a tree. This was one of the more expensive mats I bought but I reasoned that I can use it for a long time and it was so highly recommended that I splurged on myself.

(2) Manduka Welcome Yoga Mat: Eco-friendly manufacturing, free of solvents and toxic glues. Made with energy efficient manufacturing as the company strives to minimize environmental waste and make products that last. This is the mat I bought my pre-teen daughter and it was perfect. She was starting to go to yoga and I wasn’t sure if she’d like it so I didn’t want to buy her a more expensive Jade YET I wanted her to have a safe and “clean” yoga mat too. This was a perfect choice for her. After we started going together we got confused on whose mat belonged to whom and would switch off. I found myself using this one more than my Jade.

(3) Gaiam Yoga Mat: This one I don’t personally own…yet but tons of yogis in my studio use it. Both my mats are a plain-Jane blue color but these come in all sorts of fun colors and designs on them so you can be eco-friendly, safe and stylish all at the same time. These are made without the six most harmful phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP – it’s like the alphabet soup of toxins), latex free and they even sell mats just for kids. They’re reasonably priced and this is definitely going to be my next birthday gift to myself.

So there you have it. Three yoga mats that let me focus on my breathing instead of wondering what mystery chemicals I’m lying on.  Hubby still isn’t convinced about yoga, he thinks it’s more like if Twister was a one player game.  After showing him some of the latest poses I’ve been working on I’m pretty sure I hear him upstairs shopping online for “2-person yoga mat, washable”.

The post All Yoga Mats are Created Equal is A Bit of a Stretch appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Now, full disclosure. I’m the kind of girl who never really needed to work out. (Hold your boos until the end, please.) I could eat an entire bag of douche chips (salt and vinegar) and polish off a bottle of screw-top wine without gaining an ounce. My skin might eventually start looking like Ray Liotta and my liver would probably be calling the cops, but you get my point.

I had it all under control through my twenties, got married, had kids in my thirties and bounced back pretty well. Then I hit my forties and…well…shit got real. It wasn’t anything drastic, but my body had clearly decided we were playing by a new set of rules.

I realized pretty quickly that not only was I going to have to stop stuffing my face, I was also going to have to embrace the dreaded “E” word.

Exercise.

It had been a long time since Jane Fonda was yelling at me through the TV, so I figured it was time to drag my workout routine into the 21st century.

I managed to dodge the Freshman 15 years ago, but now I was battling the “Fortyish 15.” I joined a yoga studio and committed to going three to five times a week. It was one of the best decisions I’d made, but I still wanted to add a little more variety to my routine. That’s when I stumbled across Aaptiv.

Aaptiv is an audio fitness app that offers guided workouts with trainers coaching you through everything from yoga and meditation to treadmill workouts, strength training and cycling. What I liked most was the flexibility. Some days I had forty-five minutes. Other days I was lucky to find ten. There was always something that fit my schedule.

The yoga classes were a natural fit since I’d already learned many of the poses in the studio. The ab workouts absolutely kicked my butt, and the meditation sessions usually ended with me falling asleep. Not exactly the goal, but I’m counting it as a win.

Then there was my elliptical.

You know…that expensive machine in the bedroom that’s usually covered with yesterday’s laundry.

Apparently it’s exercise equipment.

Who knew?

Having a trainer in my ear made a huge difference. Before Aaptiv I’d watch cooking shows while halfheartedly pedaling, which, yes, I realize is wonderfully ironic. Now someone was actually pushing me to keep going instead of letting me convince myself I’d earned a break after three minutes.

The app also offers programs for 5K and 10K training, treadmill workouts, indoor cycling, outdoor walks and running.

Running might be a stretch.

The only time you’ll catch me running is if someone yells, “Free wine!”

For someone like me, Aaptiv fits my life perfectly. As a mom, my schedule changes by the hour. I don’t always have time to drive to the gym, work out and drive back home. Some days those extra thirty minutes are the difference between getting a workout in and talking myself out of it.

I needed something ready whenever I was.

If I wanted 13 minutes of “Absurd Abs,” 37 minutes of “Chill Pop Vinyasa” or 15 minutes of “Legs Like Fire,” it was sitting there waiting for me with a pair of headphones.

So maybe it’s time to stop sitting on the couch eating spicy food and pretending that’s cardio.

Aaptiv offers a free seven-day trial, and I’ve always believed if it’s free, it’s for me. If you’re looking for a workout that’s convenient, motivating and doesn’t require leaving the house, it’s definitely worth checking out.

After all, the only thing you have to lose is the butt-shaped dent in your couch.

The convenience, versatility and motivation of the Aaptiv program inspired this review. I received a complimentary two-week trial, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The post Fitness that Fits in your Hand appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.