Working out without running - is it a workout?

As part of my new, non-running workout regimen, I decided that I should again give prenatal yoga a try. You always hear that it's the greatest workout ever for expectant women, but truth be told, I've never really seen your basic yoga as a 'workout'. And I don't expect that late in my second trimester that yoga dvd will be telling me to prepare to kick butt and work up a serious sweat! Nonetheless, it was cold and rainy out, so I spread my yoga mat, shooed the dogs away and popped in the dvd.

I was right, this wasn't exactly a calorie blasting, sweat inducing workout, but many of the stretches felt so much better than they otherwise do. Although I'm seeing my body change daily, I'm not always consciously aware of the impact that has on muscle tightness and my already pathetic flexibility. At one point, I felt like making sure I told our childbirth instructor that I was doing this - she'd be proud.

I also did a fairly good job of not feeling like I was in competition with the instructor to stretch further, breathe more deeply or hold a stronger and longer plank pose. Again, even for someone who isn't a star athlete, the lack of competition is another flaw of yoga in my book. This is part of the reason I avoid yoga classes, usually, it's not fun to compete when the others in the class don't realize that we're racing for the deepest downward dog!

The one piece of any home yoga workout that I don't get is the mental element. First, because I sent Stuart to the store while I did yoga, I got no less than four phone calls -- "Where are the frozen berries?", "Which organic yogurt brand do you want?", and my personal favorite "They don't have quinoa, can we use kiwi instead?" (although he was kidding on that one!). Second, is the aforementioned dogs. So, instead of making my way through the guided relaxation they proscribed, which involved me laying on my side, instead Ally the spaniel wandered over and plopped in my lap and we spent ten soothing minutes cuddling and petting. Definitely a relaxing activity, so I think it counts.

Overall, this wasn't as satisfying as a run in the rain with Nick the dog, but I'm going to try and make it a regular part of my week at least until Baby M makes her appearance.