Can I claim redemption?

Because I made a Bikram commitment, I am regularly feeling guilty when I have the opportunity to attend class, but do not go.  With my rotating schedule, I can't go at all on days I work day shift, and night shifts make me battle between the need for sleep or for yoga.  Sophie's choice.  As you may have noticed from previous posts, I frequently hook class.  But today I think I am on the road to redemption, because already, I ran 4 miles to train for my Cherry Blossom 10-miler on April Fool's Day (of all days, who am I kidding?) and then went to a work meeting.  I have penned in Bikram tonight at 5, so anyone who invites me to happy hour will get a big fat NO, today.

I'm now taking a quick break from reading The Hunger Games, so I wanted to take a moment to discuss Bikram and its effect on one of my life's passions: food.  It sounds silly, but I love food!  Like, I get excited at the sight and smell of new dishes, pure joy, even happiness from tastes and flavors.  I moan while I eat and say over and over how good my sandwich is as I'm eating it.  I love cooking and learning about food and ways to prepare food (you can check out some of my favorite food blogs for recipes on my blogroll).  If you want to explore new restaurants in the area, I'm your girl.  I once got turned on when my friend's boyfriend started going over his exotic grocery list to make authentic Pho.  Anyway, that's how much I love food.

I think Bikram has changed me.  I was looking for new recipes on Pinterest today, and recipes that I would normally be excited about making, like "Oreo stuffed cheesecake brownies," now make me want to vomit.  Skimming the recipe for sugary frosting for these gorgeous fudge chocolate cupcakes for work on St. Pattys Day practically throws me into diabetes.  The other night at work I ate broccoli cheddar soup and I almost puked afterward because it was super cheesy, a quality I would have moaned over not long ago (in the good way).  And heavy foods like when I had sausage, eggs, and home fries for breakfast sent me straight to the toilet!  Not to mention, when I drink, I can guarantee an hours-long to days-long hangover.  These days I've been obsessed with salads and making different salad dressings from scratch.  I've been frequenting Baba's on Fort Ave because hummus and falafel have been my best friends, along with wraps and basically any raw, crunchy veggies.  Not that I'm against healthy eating, but I'm sad because I think my body can't handle anything greasy, fatty, or heavy anymore!  They just make my stomach hurt and when I go to yoga later, my body sends out a big "f*(k you" while I'm doing Locust pose.  Bikram may be right about the practice "regulating" one's body, but its encroaching on one of my body's greatest gifts: my GI tract of steel.  Hmph.