Lose Fat On The Mat: Week 2

By Nicole Beland

Week Two of one skeptic's way to weight loss.

Choosing My Gurus

The first step seemed obvious--cut out commute time and per-class charges by working out at home, which meant getting some DVDs. I drove around borrowing titles from friends, and by Monday night had a decent-sized stack. Then I discovered the problem of trying to exercise within 2 feet of your own couch. Immediately after popping in the first DVD, I sat down and propped my feet up on the ottoman.

I watched a few minutes of two DVDs by big-name gurus, but it wasn't until I put in the third, Yoga Shakti with Shiva Rea, that I stood up and rolled out my mat. I loved the fact that she had a real, strong-looking body, and the beach scenery was gorgeous. It had been another rough workday for me and the quiet, edge-of-the-world atmosphere was just what I needed. I finished the 30-minute basic workout and 15 minutes of "solar flow" before the phone rang. Two seconds later I was back on the couch, talking about yoga instead of doing it, but I had put in a solid 45 minutes. That night I stayed up until 1 a.m. working, but wasn't overly stressed. As a result, I didn't feel my usual compulsion to munch on Cheetos as I typed.

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