At the ripe old age of 25, it seems I can't go a week sitting at an office desk with out walking away with some gripe about sitting all day, a grumble about having a stiff back, or whining about feeling tight. True story: I once went to Urgent Care because I was worried something in my back was seriously messed up 😳 Thankfully, they told me I probably just had a micro-tear in a muscle, and would be just fine. It's possible they were just being nice and trying to give me some credit, when they actually saw nothing wrong. 🤔 (Well, that was embarrassing to admit! Moving right along.)

After that little stint, I realized I really just need to commit to treating my spine better.

First, I set a reminder on my work computer to work at a standing desk every day at noon. It was a cute attempt, but with in two weeks the alert became nothing more than a pesky piece of dust on my screen, which I would wipe away with a single strike of my track pad. "I'll stand later, when I'm less busy" (yea right).

So the next thing I did was promise myself I would go to yoga once a week for the next two months. That's it. Once a week. Not long ago, when I was much more dedicated to yoga as a practice, yoga once a week would have been laughable. But we all evolve, right? And as I found new activities, I found I did yoga less and less. Daily practice diminished to weekly and then weekly diminished to "I'll just do some yoga at home in the living room" which almost always turn into "Ohhemmmgee, I had no idea there were so many dust bunnies under the couch! I need to clean them. NOW." and, well, there goes yoga practice.

But this time, I kept my promise to myself: once a week for two months. No less (and I'll admit it: no more). What a difference it makes! By week 4 I was already telling Oliver I could feel the difference. The deep, impossible to massage or stretch tightness that I was experience week-over-week? Gone. It feels miraculous but it was really just a commitment.

By week 5 I was really struggling to convince myself to go. By week 6 I was convinced I might go twice in one week. This is week 7, and we'll just have to see what happens. When my 8 week stint is up, I'm going to try hard to keep up my once-a-week pace going. If a skip a week here or there it's ok, I'll just tell myself to jump back on the train.

Do you practice yoga? What does it do for you? What keeps you committed?

If you like this recipe, you might also like my tuna power salad recipe!

Simple Salmon Salad

Paleo, Primal, Grain-Free | Caitlin Sherwood

I prefer salmon salad over tuna salad, as it has more flavor.

Serves: 2 | Total Time: 10 active minutes

Ingredients:

1 six-ounce can of salmon
3 tablespoons mayo (try Sir Kensington’s, made with avocado oil) OR greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 stalk celery, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoons minced onion
1 dash granulated garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: sprinkle of dried oregano or 1 tablespoon minced parsley
To serve: salad greens, cucumber, tomato, avocado, etc.

Directions:

Put salmon, mayo/yogurt, mustard, celery, onion, granulated garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl, and mash with a fork until everything is combined. Add optional oregano or parsley at this time, and stir in.
Serve salmon salad over bed of greens with your favorite salad add ons: cucumber, tomato, avocado, etc.

Featured