Yoga

So after years of looking in at yoga classes, I finally decided to try one yesterday. Oh my goodness, I am sore! While I am uncomfortable today, I am looking forward to seeing results on my body as I continue attending this class. Unlike most exercise classes I've taken, I really enjoyed this one. Spinning is hell on earth, kickboxing is exhausting, and step classes are monotonous. But yoga! It was fun. The class I took had a lot of variety, it wasn't the same thing for an hour straight. It was nice.

The class had three components: cardio/aerobics, strength, and balance. They were broken up in circuits. There were two cycles of all three components. The class was a different kind of challenging. Yoga targets your whole body. Since my core is pretty weak, I felt the most impact on my middle back and abs. However, there were quite a few moments that I had to stop and take a break because my legs were burning! In addition, yoga uses your own body weight to strengthen you. There is this one pose (I forgot the name) where you hover just above the ground in push up position. I found that pretty difficult because I have like no upper body strength. The best part about this class, though, was that depending on your skill and strength level, the difficulty can vary. For example, beginners or people who aren't as strong can alter the poses a little bit so they aren't as strenuous. Unfortunately, there aren't any modifications for the balance poses. Personally, I believe that I lack the natural equilibrium that most humans are gifted with, so I found this portion especially challenging. However, if you aren't clumsy and can walk in a straight line on flat ground without tripping, you should be alright.

I think my favorite part of the class, though, was the end. The class ended with meditation and relaxation. We laid down, the lights were turned off, and we just focused on the silence and our heartbeats and breathing. I left the gym that morning feeling better than I had in a long time. I worked hard and I felt strong, but most importantly I was happy. I felt successful, calm, stress free, and ready to take on the day. I am looking forward to going to more classes and I think you should consider trying it too! Have a great day!!

Kisses,

Isabelle 💆🏼💪🏼🙏🏻

Pros and Cons of Being in a Relationship

Hello my loyal readers!! Sorry for the short hiatus. I've been pretty stressed and anxious lately so I needed to take a short break. Anyways, I've been in a relationship for over a year now and I've been thinking about this a lot. What are the benefits of a relationship? Is being single better than being in a healthy relationship? That is up to you to decide. But here is my pros and cons list.

Pros:

• Being loved by someone other than your family.
• Small physical touches are the best.
• You automatically have a social life.
• You're never really alone.
• You have someone trustworthy to talk to.
• You have higher self esteem.
• You have more confidence.
• You don't have to worry about finding dates for events.
• Cuddling... need I say more?
• His presence makes me happier than I've been in a long time.
• I smile and laugh a lot.
• You always have someone to sit with at lunch.
• Hugs when you are sad is the most comforting thing.
• You have fun just laying around and talking all day.
• You always have something new to learn about each other.
• Companionship.
• Friendship.
• There is always someone to talk to.
• You can do cute coupley things.
• Couple pictures that you can post on Instagram. 
• Travel buddy!
• He won't judge me.
• He can keep my secrets.
• I can tell him anything.
• I will have happy memories for the rest of my life.
• I can learn from my mistakes and apply them to future relationships.
• I can learn my likes and dislikes in a partner.
• Stress levels are lower, generally. 
• Consistency.
• You always have someone to hang out with.

Cons:

• Paranoia. Or maybe that is just me.
• Potential for heartbreak. Very scary.
• You have to shave. Like every day.
• You actually have to take risks. 
• Hard work is required to make a relationship work.
• You have to look presentable. All the time.
• Expensiveeeeeeeeeee!!!! Gifts, dates, money money money! 
• Trust issues.
• Emotional baggage from previous relationships.
• Worrying about not living up to their standards. 
• You can't get everything you need from one person.
• Arguments and fights. :(
• One person always cares more and there is an uneven balance.
• They may not like your friends.
• Messy breakups.
• Hurt feelings.
• Crying at home, in your car, at school, etc. :')
• You spend more time with him than your friends and so you and your friends drift apart.
• People love different ways: some cling and some love from afar.
• Communication is hard.
• You never know when things can turn sour.
• If you care too much, you lose him, but if you care too little, you lose him. 
• Finding the proper balance is really hard.
• It is easy to get annoyed with each other because you spend so much time with each other.
• You are always vulnerable.
• You will leave a part of you with him after the relationship ends.
• It takes a lot of time.

Relationships are hard for me. I'm so anxious and I worry a lot. I have trust issues and am paranoid. I'm constantly afraid of being the one who cares the most because that makes me extremely vulnerable. I'm scared of heartbreak and I don't want it to happen to me. I know it is inevitable, however. I've also heard that being cheated on is inevitable. Not looking forward to that either. And it certainly doesn't help my anxiety. However, relationships have its positives. Studies show that your stress levels are lower when you're in a serious/long-term relationship. You have someone you can count on. In conclusion, whether being single is better or being in a relationship is better all depends on perception. You have to decide what is best for you. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Or vice versa? This has really helped me sort out my thoughts and I hope it helped you as well. So which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments! :) Have a pleasant evening, my darlings. Thanks for listening (or reading or whatever :P)!

Kisses,

Isabelle 👩‍❤️‍👩👨‍❤️‍👨💑