Sail on, silver girl

Last weekend I was in the country just outside of Ottawa.  I played some soccer with Angela and her brother, and we did a bit of walking/jogging.  It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend.  I slept in until 9 each morning (this is unprecedented for me, as I always wake up automatically by 7am), and we enjoyed a number of movies, TV shows, the Sims, and a 1000 piece puzzle.

When I got back to my Shred class on Wednesday, I lagged behind.  It's amazing what even just a 5 day break can do.  I also ate enormous amounts on the weekend (it was Thanksgiving!), so I'm sure that has also been slowing me down.  Time to shave that off!

I did a Pump class today, and I was happy that my legs were doing all right and I was able to do the same weight as usual for them.  At a party on Friday night with coworkers, I had a few good talks about fitness, and I have a number of friends who would like to workout with me.  Bring it on.  It's always nice to have a buddy to keep inspired.

I was actually feeling quite morose all morning, right up until I started writing this entry.  Pump was fun, but I had this terrible shadow looming over me.  I felt down and didn't even want to go to my class this morning, but I'll be damned if a silly feeling stemming from a dumb incident earlier int he week is going to take away my health.  I won't let it change what I do in my free time.  I have so much more going for me that it's ridiculous.  Somehow, writing this all down has taken a weight off of my shoulders, and mulling over a talk I had with my mother has made me see the positive, or at least the different options I have.

Marie is back from the Dominican, so it's full speed ahead for our workouts this week.  We're planning it out, and it looks like it's going to be a killer week (in a good way).  Esther and Rachel ran the Scotiabank half marathon this morning, and I'm so proud of them!  It really makes me want to train over the winter and next summer so I can join them next October.  We'll see...!

Things happen, but life goes on.  In fact, those things are life, so get used to it.  It just makes the rest of life so much more enjoyable and that much happier.

Travelling fitness

Ahoy from North Carolina!

I arrived on Friday for a 10 day vacation with my wonderful friend Dan.  When one goes on vacation, one usually wants to get away from the bustle of life and relax.  Dan and I, however, decided to make our vacation an active, fun one.  Weeks in advance of my visit down, we talked about all the activities  we could do.  We promised to work out together and eat healthy (mostly.  You can't be in the southern United States and not eat southern breakfast or pulled pork).

Today, we made good on our promises.  After a bit of a relaxing morning, we suited up to go for a hike at Lake Norman State Park.  It was raining, but it certainly didn't stop us.  We barely felt the rain as we walked up and down hills, sheltered by towering trees and entertained by the red clay banks of the lake.  In total we hiked about 5 miles.

After lunch, we went for a gym workout.  My upper and lower body strength need a lot of work, so I chose to focus on arms for today.  I did some basic bench presses with free weights and then some bicep curls and tricep pulldowns with the cable.  We followed it up with the seated cable rowing machine and some ab work.  We celebrated by going to see a movie.

Now, sitting on the couch and watching tv, it certainly feels good to know that we had stayed active all day and even started to build some new muscle.  This day goes to show you that a) you don't have to fall back on your fitness plans when you travel and b) a rainy day can't keep outdoor activity away!