Fitness + Food | Hot Yoga + Buttermilk Buscuits

I think Mondays are a great day to talk about food & fitness – don’t you? After all, we have the whole fresh week out ahead of us – with no mistakes in it yet.  And every bride needs to put down the Pinterest and think about something other then her wedding every once in a while…

This post started as an insight into my thoughts on crash dieting before your wedding, and my own struggle, then success, with getting healthy.  Then it got all weird and touchy feely. So I’m leaving it for now.

Here’s a bit more of a light-hearted post for you.

Fitness + Food | Hot Yoga + Buttermilk Biscuits: two of my favorite things that I don’t indulge in as often as I would like to.

First, the biscuits:

I made buttermilk biscuits tonight.  It was that or go to the gym.  Figuring that I already went this morning, I caved and made these carb loaded, buttery morsels instead.  Here’s how I did it.

2 cups flour (sifted)

1 T baking powder (aluminum free is a must for me)

1 t salt (kosher or sea, please)

2/3 c buttermilk (regular milk is fine too, the more fat the better)

6 T shortening or butter (or a mix of the two)

Tonight I made a triple batch because I want to try freezing them for when my parents come to visit.

Mix dry, add wet. Today I melted the butter, some days I cut it into the dry before adding milk.  Whatever you fancy.  Form into little biscuit shaped flat balls and bake at 425-450 (know your oven and cooking vessel) until they are golden.  10-15 minutes or until they smell done.

These are one of the few baking items that are very forgiving and don’t require exact science.

Spread ’em with butter or jam.  Or whip up some sausage gravy and #breakfastfordinner! Tonight I used ED Smith Organic Raspberry, Cherry, Rhubarb Jam.  Totally a Costco thing.  I like that it is organic (when you eat the skin, I like to spend the $$$ to be organic). Delish.

Now the Hot Yoga:

I am absolutely in love with Hot Yoga (also known as Bikram Yoga).  For those not “in the know”… Hot Yoga / Bikram Yoga is fast, medium or slow paced yoga, done in a room heated to about 104 degrees with 40% humidity.

You have never sweated so much in your life. Especially not in a dark room with strangers. Don’t let the picture above fool you.  It is deliciously dark during class.

You can literally see the toxins draining from your pores and dripping onto the floor in front of you. And you don’t care because everyone else has the same puddles around them.

You will sweat in places you didn’t know had sweat pores.

You get so sweaty they have these special grippy yoga towels to place on top of your yoga mat so you get proper traction.

You will sweat so much, you will finally understand why “wicking” is so important in your clothing selection.

Now, some people swear you burn a gazillion calories an hour during hot yoga, but from what I have read, this isn’t true.  You sweat because it’s hot, and burn a few extra calories because your body is regulating its temperature.  So hot yoga / Bikram yoga is not a miracle weight loss activity.  But that’s fine.  I get my hot yoga on because it is the one thing that truly clears my mind.  Normal yoga was frustrating for me. Boring. Hard. I felt silly.  During hot yoga, I am trying so darn hard not to pass out (hello child’s pose!), that everything else actually melts away.

My perfect evening includes making dinner for the fam, saying goodnight to my little guy, a normal workout from 7-8, then sweaty, relaxing hot yoga sesh from 8-9.  I’m relaxed and ready for bed.  Okay, a shower then bed.

Prana in Puyallup, Washington is an amazing yoga studio.  I’ve never experienced hot yoga / Bikram yoga quite so amazing. Oddly enough, my waxer (waxist?) told me about it… the things you talk about in the little room while they rip hair off of you… Prana is a little spendy, but the studio is clean, the staff is friendly, and above all non-intimidating.  I walked in as a totally yoga rookie, and felt right at home.  Did I mention how CLEAN this place is?

Plus the girls that run it are absolute dolls.  They have no idea who I am, but I totally love what they are doing!

So there you have it.  Two of my favorite indulgences.  Hot Yoga + Buttermilk Biscuits.  Because it’s Monday and we all need a little pick me up! Back to your wedding-y scheduled things tomorrow.

-lmk