First Person Friday: my weekend.

by

carla1505

So.

Are you all ready to celebrate tomorrow?

Are you plans all set? Arrangements all made? Got yer sneakers ready to go for a day filled with fun, frolicking activity?

Yes, People, it’s here.

Tomorrow is National Family Health & Fitness Day. (cue collective: National Family WhatWhat?! I know…)

The day when we all grab the ones we love/those whom we deem family, drag their collective arses outdoors and MOVE IT MOVE IT.

And, should you be my I(n) R(eal) L(ife) friend, it’s a day you’ll be dragged into more active play than you’d like, compelled to eat more healthy snackage than your body can handle, and experience a loving application of an Unapologetically Myself temporary tattoo to the body location of your choosing.

Yeah.

Can you tell?

I’ve decided to really get into the pretty much made up as have you even heard of it before?! holiday this year.

The Tornado is at an age where she enjoys group games/activities & the weather has finally broken enough to hang outside without MamaMiz growing bitchy melting.

In addition, this year I have a surprise up my non-existent sleeve.

You see, to know me in real life is to have been dragged into many of my harebrained schemes & plans.

Things like selling MuscleBobbles (bobblehead dolls of competitive bodybuilders), formulating Physiolean (a private labeled protein shake sold at my personal training studio), and creating TOGA: Toddler Yoga.

Much to everyone’s delight the bobbles are no longer and the Physiolean has all been consumed.

The TOGA, however, lingers on.

After I was child-yoga certified I possessed delusions of teaching my creation in a class setting (please to see who has the time & cross reference under the Tornado was a maniac while I attempted to teach).

Ive since decided to settle for one-on-one sessions only… with my daughter.

The compensation isnt monetarily what I’d envisioned (Im paid in kisses, hugs, & occasionally flailing tantrums) yet the other benefits have exceeded my expectations.

Sure the Tornado has developed better balancing skills (better than her Mama by far) & learned a few “real” yoga poses but neither of those were really my goal.

When I started TOGA with her my overarching goal was to empower her to be centered.

To teach her how to self-soothe & how to breathe deeply from her belly (& not shallow-breathe from the chest).

To have a way of explaining to her how to calm herself in stressful situations (new class at school, getting a shot at the doctors…) in a manner she can fully understand even at her young age.

(Word is also that yoga for little ones improves sleep habits & immunity as well. We’ve not seen that up in herre.  Especially the sleep part.)

Through introducing her to basic yoga poses now Im hoping that yoga is something she chooses to continue in the future.

Did you know that practicing yoga has been shown to reduce feelings of helplessness & aggression in pre-adolescent boys and girls?

Did you know that practicing yoga is thought to lead to better behavior & higher academic performance in teens?

I had no idea until I took the instructor course.

So that’s what the Tornado & I have been doing nightly.

Just for us.

Privately.

Until tomorrow when I gather up all the Toddler Tornados I can find & attempt to lead a TOGA class en masse.

Outdoors.

We’ll see how it goes but, if nothing else, at least Im dragging a few more people into celebrating this day along with me.

And I know you’ll be joining me, yes?

Even if only in Family Health & Fitness Day TOGA’tastic spirit.

resized2
 (How fun is my TOGA logo? That’s motivation enough to start teaching organized classes. You know, so I can plaster it all over tees, and tanks and mugs and…)

POSTS BY EMAIL

Never miss a post. Enter your email to get my latest posts delivered to your inbox.

Comments

  1. Love the TOGA logo…too cute!
    This weekend is a mix of things for us, TODAY we will be attending a fair, so lots of walking and it is an agriculture, organic agriculture fair, so as there is the good ol’ “fair food” it is at least made with healthy ingredients. None the less I will be very choosey as to what I eat but will walk for literally hours with my kiddos as the hubs is on assignment there today and will be off in his “zone”. I will be in mommy blogger mode as this is all new for me this year in wanting to “cover it” so to speak from amost a journalist point of view.

    Tomorrow we will be on the Wii as we have horrible weather in our forecast and tomorrow night my daughter and I will be attending a “pajama party” for my MIL being held by a dear friend. A sort of party letting her know we all love and care for her greatly before her surgery Tuesday and “showering” her with get well gifts like cozy pj’s, bath salts, things that will help her feel better post surgery.

    Sunday is another icky day weather wise here so not sure if we will hold anyhting out, but will see.

    As a whole we are trying to be a more active family. It is a very good thing.

  2. I wonder why that is that yoga lessens feelings of aggression in boys?

    I hadn’t heard that and I work with a group of boys who are at risk youth.

    Thanks for the info, Miz, as I will look into it more now.

  3. Woohoo!! A holiday! Wear you TOGA (umm…I mean do your TOGA) proudly! I’ll be out there chasing a soccer ball around (one I’ll probably never catch!).

  4. It’s sad that we require holidays to be created like this one and Grandparents day to remind us all of what we should be doing ANYWAY!

    I love the logo.

    Only you would be all inclusive/multicultural in a logo.

    That’s why I love ya.

    Have a great weekend, Miz!!

  7. Love the idea of teaching kids yoga at a young age! So often parents are eager to push them into competitive sports; this seems like a much better set of life skills to cultivate.

    Have a great healthy almost-holiday tomorrow!

    It’s “Pet Tea Dance” in my crazy town this weekend, which means there will be dogs at our favorite bayside disco tomorrow afternoon. So besides running and weights, boogie-ing with the bowwows is definitely on the agenda.

    Have fun with the class!

  8. GIRL YOU KNOW I KEEP TELLING YOU YOU NEED TO TEACH TOGA!!!

    (Yes, I am yelling at you :))

    Do it.

    Step away from the computer.

    xo xo

  9. What a great idea!
    If my nices are any example. kids have a way of out performing themselves for special occasions like that. I hope this time it’s more sucessful!
    The logo is cute.

  10. I want to eat tha logo its so dang cute!!

    Tomorrow, we (me, my mom & A.) are walking a 5k together for Substance Abuse and spending the day OUTdoors! yay!

    Happy Togaing!!!!!!

  12. Okay, that logo is straight up ill!

    As for me, tomorrow, I have no idea what’s up. I like to be well rested for Sunday Sports 🙂

  13. First off…love the idea of toddler Yoga. There are a few DVDs I’ve seen but didn’t think anything of it. Maybe I should give it a try.

    Secondly…love the logo.

    Thirdly…It’s gonna be a nice day tomorrow so I vow to take my family out and spend the entire day doing outdoor activities – biking in the morning and chasing the Hurricane on the beach boardwalk in the afternoon. All followed by eating healthy meals all damned day long!

  15. I’m having that kind of week where I need to take it a day at a time. I just thought “tomorrow” and my brain screamed how much I needed to do today.

    But I’ll do something for the holiday.

    And I love your Toga Logo.

  16. I’m going to drag the whole family outside to help me clean up the yard for winter…trim rose bushes, I’m going to mow, pull weeds. Our lawn will be sooo manicured by the time we’re done.

    There’s a lady at our school that comes to class every so often to teach the kindergartners yoga. God bless her. My son comes home to demonstrate his new abilities. Awesome.

  17. Great logo!
    Wish I could be there to watch you teach toddler yoga, but I will be working.
    May take part in a drop-in exercise class in your honour, though!

  18. great info about the yoga. And, yes, love the toga logo! Cute.

    My toddler does downward dogs and cobras all the time, just on his own. I never taught him, he just busts out the moves now and then. Maybe they are born to do yoga?

  19. I wish we lived by you!! I’d bring all my toddlers to TOGA. I totally think kids benefit from learning yoga. Plus if the moms do yoga too then maybe they’ll be calmer and more centered as well – unlike, say, the soccer moms I’ve been around lately.

  20. We definitely need more days in the year, and more months too, so all the holidays can have their own day or month. That said, I celebrate all I can, even if it’s generic, so I will be one with the Miz tomorrow!

  21. such a great morning here. It’s in the SIXTIES (which I’ve learned in TX means GIT OUT THE DOWN JKTS ;)).

    The Tornado and I are off to play at the park and are *walking* there.

    Please to alert the media outlets.

  22. The TOGA class sounds fabulous! I wish I were your real life friend! 🙂

    My toddler actually takes an kids’ yoga class at our gym on Sundays. At almost 2, he is still a bit young, but it’s fun. And you have just made me realize that I should really make yoga a nightly ritual! THANKS!

    I’ll be thinking of you and your TOGA class when I make my family exercise in one form or another all day tomorrow! 😉

  26. YOU ARE SO CUTE.

    TOGA is such a fantastic idea. Start them when they’re young 😉

    I hereby extend National Family Health & Fitness Day to Canada, too. And the rest of the world. Will round up the clan for some quality deep breathing. Good stuff.

  28. I can totally see yoga doing that. When my 8 and 10 year old cousins visited for the summer they did yoga with me almost daily. They were much calmer and centered doing so. They really enjoyed it and told me they still do some of the poses now that they are back home. It helps them to breathe when things are unsettling.

    Besides I’d want one of those shirts if you ever make them 🙂

  29. That sounds like a fabulous thing to do with the children! Fun and fitness – they should always go hand in hand.

    I am off tomorrow for a long bike ride with hubby, which I really look forward to! Hitting up one of the many fall festivals in our area.

  30. I want to take Jake to Crabby’s doggie tea dance! Oh why is that all the way across country??

    Tonight I am going to a show and dinner and with friend in town for the weekend. It WILL be the highlight of the weekend.

    And since I’m recovering from a cold, I will spend the weekend resting and recovering. read: watching lots of football and baseball while knitting and napping.

  31. Toga is such a great idea. You are brilliant Miz! I think it’s so great you involve the tornado in your workouts and are teaching her how to incorporate that into her little life 🙂

    This weekend I will be walking the golf course in my neighborhood. I have PGA tour tickets but plan on getting some good exercise out of it!

  32. Love your TOGA idea! And that logo is too cute. Hope the session goes well tomorrow!

    I think my kids are learning a little bit of yoga in their dance class, they keep showing me their tree poses. Thing 2 (5 year old girl) gave a rousing thumbs up to the “Silly to Calm” yoga DVD we got at the library the other day. Thing 1 showed me the “boxer shuffle” and crunches that he learned in PE class. And the Mr. is talking about doing a 5K run with me in October. I think this fitness stuff is starting to sink in gradually.

    I had no idea about Family Health & Fitness Day. Coincidentally, I’m dragging the lot of them on my triathlon adventure tomorrow at a regional park, so they’ll get some outdoor (and hopefully water fun) time.

  33. LOVE your Toga logo. love it! we will be celebrating (now that we know about it!) with some tiny tot soccer. a bunch of flailing and kicking! i love it!

  34. Christieo, the Tornado started soccer last weekend. It’s so funny to watch and I love that she calls it KICK IT!

    For now Im not correcting her 🙂

  37. I thought of you yesterday morning when I went outside and it was cool – knew that you and the TT would be enjoying yourselves!

    Love the TOGA idea – and yes, the logo is awesome!

  38. Oh darn. I didn’t know tomorrow was one of those National Day thingys. And I plan on soliciting family help to clean out the basement of excess boxes filled with who knows what and other unnecessary crap. Somehow, (although not an outdoor activity) this is gonna be a fitness doosey!

  39. Too cute! I am going to celebrate by taking a bike adventure because it is too beautiful here (seriously, being inside at work today is KILLING ME) to spend the *entire* weekend stressing about wedding stuff.

  40. What a great idea. I think I’d instruct them first on downwardfacingdog and go get a cup of coffee while they’re down there.
    Then do that Lion pose and tell them to keep their face that way and then take all their pictures for a gift for parents.

  41. Love the toga thing with kids! I think they would enjoy it!!! Logo is so cute!

    Well, the weather here has been beyond hot & not really suitable for outdoor activities so I will attempt to do the indoor mall walking or something like that!!!! I will find a way!

    Enjoy!

  42. Wait a minute, if the holiday is on Saturday… wasnt my work suppose to give me today off to Celebrate, they do for other holidays that fall on Saturday or Sunday….

  43. I homeschool, and yoga is on the PE agenda! Tomorrow, we are at the soccer field. (cue confetti shaped like tiny soccer balls) 🙂

  46. I wish I could outside and be fit, instead I have to try to prevent this cold/flu from going full blown by drinking lots of water and taking vitamin C!

    I love that you are doing yoga with your daughter! I took Bikram Yoga and have been trying to get my son to go with me instead I have taught him a few poses and he’s one of the most flexible football players on his team!

  48. TOGA is such a great idea? I am really excited to see how it went for you. You are very brave to take on a small posse of TOGA goers 🙂
    Hope it went well and you had a great time!

  49. Very cool!

    I’m lucky enough to get to teach yoga at my kids private school and am loving it. Still learning the best way to teach it but it seems to be a combination of pose + silly song + savasana stories…

Trackbacks

  1. […] doctor even asked her to stand on one foot which allowed the Tornado to display her tree-pose prowess (something which delighted her to no […]

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This