I have changed my fitness routine to try to be more well-rounded. Running only develops certain muscles, while others are neglected. Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to start lifting (my most hated of all forms of exercise) or anything. When I started running at the gym I intended to do some lifting, mostly lower body, but that happened about twice. No, I'm opting for the more soothing, calming, enjoyable activity of yoga. I've taken classes before and really enjoyed it. I need to increase my flexibility, especially in my hamstrings, so I figure this is a step in the right direction. So, today, instead of running, I did 30 minutes of yoga. I haven't done yoga for a long time, so today I was mostly learning the poses for a new routine, but I should be able to do it longer (and be more focused) once I get back into the groove. I have to admit that I'm easily distracted, so I think I might need to find a different room to do it in, too. There's too much going on in the room I was in today and I allowed myself not to focus, but instead to look around the room at all the stuff. And believe me, when it comes to stuff, we have a lot of it. Anyway, my plan is to still run 4 times a week and do yoga 3 times a week. This increases my fitness routine to 7 days a week, but decreases my mileage. I'm hoping that having some rest days will help me to have more energy to run, since I've been so tired lately and my runs have felt pretty fruitless. Also, the tight hamstrings. Have I mentioned the tight hamstrings? I would love to get to a point where I could run and do yoga in the same day, but, like I said, I've been tired. So, 3 rest days a week that aren't total rest days, I'm optimistic. | 