Weekly Wrap - Independent and Keeping Busy

For some reason it has been almost a month since I wrote a Weekly Wrap post and linked up with Tricia and Holly. Wow! I've either been super busy or super lazy. Honestly, it's been a little of both. mrC has been on a trip for about ten days now and my I can do it on my own attitude is faltering.

I actually learned that there is a term for this situation in the expat community: orphan spouse. It refers to spouses that spend a large chunk of time apart thus creating a living separate lives feeling. Yes, we have friends/coworkers to fill the void, but it is not the same as having your spouse there to share the day-to-day stuff. Thank goodness it is temporary and mrC only has these longer trips once in a while.

A big part of my survival when he's out of town is to keep busy. Besides all the normal day-to-day stuff that needs to get done, I try to wear myself out with as much fitness as I can. That way I'm too tired to start feeling sorry for myself (this works most of the time).

Monday - AWA hike and rooftop lunch at Beef and Liberty ---> this will be a great place to take the kids when they visit next month.

Tuesday - REST day. My new exercise bands came and I'm super excited to use them.

Wednesday - I went to a NGO Workshop at the AWA office to learn more about what the American Women's Association does and then ran some errands.

Thursday - My very own Turkey Day 5k and GRIT class

Friday - I finally made it back to Bodystep class after about a month of conflicts on the calendar.

Saturday - More GRIT ---> this class is so challenging but that is why I love it.

Sunday - Walk to plaza for some shopping. After three fitness classes in three days plus running a 5K, my body was ready for a rest. I did some foam rolling and stretches, but really gave my muscles a day off.

And just like that, another week is done!

Don't forget to check out the Weekly Wrap link up with Tricia and Holly.

Move It Monday (and Tuesday)

Yesterday I finally returned to Bodystep class. I was a little worried about how it would go. It was not easy, my legs were still seriously sore from my return to strength training on Saturday and my instructor just does a good job of kicking everyone’s butt.

mrC went to the North Plaza with me. While I was in class, he got a haircut and then waited for me at the tables. I joined him after class and enjoyed a little cool-down while he went to get me more water.

Since Hong Kong was enjoying some breezy weather from a passing tropical depression, we walked to the main plaza later to run some errands ---> post office to mail off some protein to littleC, order water for the bubbler, drop clothes in the recycle bin (which was moved to somewhere else), look for vanilla Greek yogurt at the grocery (no luck) and pick up some new light bulbs for the kitchen at the hardware store. Our HK kitchen is tiny, but fresh bulbs make a big difference!

It was a low carb day so I had some eggs and ham for breakfast, left over chicken breast and green beans for lunch, and then more eggs for dinner. I ended up NOT going to the Monday night group run because my legs were just flat worn out. The last thing I need is to aggravate my knee because my leg muscles are fatigued and not be able to run.

If I couldn't run, I'd be a little lost and definitely sad, but I'd keep going. This has come close to happening a couple times  and over a year ago I actually blogged about my non-running back-up fitness plan. Now that things with my knee have improved to the point that I can run a 5k, I'm hopeful that I will never find out what life is like if I couldn't run (this is a Tuesdays on the Run topic - link below).

Today, I got up, packed my bag and basically headed right out the door for my sprint workout. Anything to avoid losing my motivation. I should probably get my bag organized the night before. I try to take just the necessities - water  bottle, body wipes (affiliate links), safety gear. 

It was pretty early so I had the promenade mostly to myself. I like to refer to it as my #tracktuesday spot. If it was cushioned like a real track, I would be in heaven. I make it work. It is flat (a rarity in Discovery Bay). Today’s FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout: 20:40x18. 

The first 14 sprints went pretty well. This surprised me a little considering that after my warmup walk, my legs screamed a little during my stretches. By the time I got to the 15th sprint, I had slowed down a lot and was just focused on finishing. (Side note: I use the Nike Run Club app to track my run data but when I use my watch, it doesn’t give me the GPS data - even when I carry my phone with me. Anyone else have this problem?)

I walked back to the apartment and promptly forgot to do the ab portion of the workout - I got it in later: dead bugs, bird dogs and leg lifts.

Our agent came by with a contractor. We have some water damage in the bedroom from Typhoon Hato. They’ll be back tomorrow to fix it. Then mrC and I headed to Central for the afternoon. 

It was low carb day again - eggs and ham for breakfast and then turkey rolls up with left over green beans for dinner plus a few Cheez-its (very non-low carb ---> I'm a work in progress).

Finish the sentence If I couldn't run... (or join the link up below)

What's in your fitness bag?

How do you track your runs?

Today I'm going the link-up with Patty, Erika, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run! 

Not My Typical Low Calorie Workout

Fridays are low calorie, active recovery days. This means taking it easy, letting muscles recover and low intensity workouts. I started the day very low key. While my coffee was brewing, I foam rolled and stretched out my sore muscles from yesterday's Bodypump class. This time my legs were feeling it.

Since I already had the yoga mat out, I played this silly how-to-get-thinner-legs-even-if-you're-lazy video that I saw on Facebook. It was quite amusing and surprisingly, not all bad!

On Monday I missed the cardio party, so I made up for it by doing Bodystep class today. It didn't really fit the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® workout plan for the day, but I figured it was ok since I had two extra rest days at the beginning of the week. No over-use problems to worry about.

The class was AWESOME! How do I know it was awesome?

1. I burned nearly 600 calories in the hour long class (598 according to my Apple watch).
2. I was so sweaty at the end that I could barely hold onto my legs during reclined pigeon stretch
3. My hair was so wet you would think I had showered.
4. My face was bright red even after riding the bus back to the apartment.
5. It was a super fun cardio party!!!

mrC and I ran some errands after lunch and I was quickly reminded why people stay indoors in the afternoon around here. It is seriously hot!

 Low calorie day - the meals

Broke fast before class again (about 9am). One PB&J apple cinnamon rice cake.

Brunch around 12:30: two scrambled eggs with ham (topped with my favorite seasoning) two PB&J apple cinnamon rice cakes and orange juice. 

Snack - mini bag of Cheez-its

Dinner: left over buffalo chicken quinoa and corn. Followed by a bowl of watermelon.

I was about 200 calories over --- probably the Cheez-its, but my macros were almost perfect!

I'm linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!

What is your typical active recovery workout?

Ever skipped your recovery day for something awesome?

Speed Burst Days

Low carb day in the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® means speed bursts and speed bursts are my favorite workout right now. Probably because I'm a cardio girl. I tend to gravitate more toward the workouts that are sweaty and get the heart rate going.

Week 5 Low Carb Day 1 - the workout

Speed Burst - I chose to take a Bodystep class again because I can get high intensity, intervals, and all the leg exercises like squats, lunges, step ups, and all kinds of jumps. Since there are typically 12 tracks in a class, the warm-up and cool-down are included. This class kicked my butt. Literally. I could feel myself struggling through some of the peak tracks, but later in the day I completely fell off the struggle bus and landed in bed. I think I was just dehydrated, but I felt like garbage.

Low Carb Day 1 - the meals

broke fast around noon - 3 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 PB&J rice cakes

lunch - leftover Italian chicken breast and greens beans

dinner - leftover Italian chicken breast and greens beans

snacks - handful of peanuts and half a protein bar

Low carb day 2 - the workout

Warm up - I walked about 10 minutes to the beach

Speed Burst - I chose sprint intervals for a private little Track Party-like workout. The workout was sprint at 100% effort for 20 seconds (about 100 meters) and recover for 40 (I walk around for this) seconds. Repeat 18 times. I was worried that it was going to rain, but it only sprinkled a little in the beginning. I can tell that my endurance has improved from the first set of sprints, because I didn't start to feel the leg wobble until the last 4 or 5 sprints.

AB circuit - I totally meant to do this when I got back to the apartment, but I completely forgot until now as I write this post. I was supposed to do: russian twists, bicycles, crunches and leg lifts. To my credit, I did most of these or similar in Bodystep. So I can say that I did them early, haha!

LISS - Walked home up the hill ---> kept my heart rate in the fat burning zone.

Low carb day 2 - the meals

broke fast at 11:00 - 3 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 PB&J rice cakes

lunch - wasn't hungry today and I had a little getting ready for vacation fun at the nail salon 👇🏻

PS - wearing my Oofos to the salon = happy legs

dinner - leftover Italian chicken breast, green beans and salad

snack - mini chocolate bar, celery and hummus


Have you ever experienced post-workout dehydration symptoms?

Burning Calories and Rice-ing Veggies

We're still having ugly rainy weather and one thing currently able to distract me from it is my workouts. One of my favorite fitness classes is back on the schedule and it was a perfect fit for low carb day again.

Week 4 Low carb day - the workout

When I read today's FWTFL workout, I knew that Bodystep would be a great fit again. Today's FWTFL workout called for speed bursts (choose one: 4 cone drill (sprints and shuffles, running stadium steps, or intervals) followed by a HIIT leg circuit (squats, lunges, step ups, scissor jumps).

We did all that and more (abs at the end) in Bodystep today.

If you've never taken a Bodystep class (you totally should, asap), I found the graphic below that breaks it down. The entire class is a HIIT workout and it's 100% addictive.

After class, a local spa had set up a space in the adjoining workout room and was giving free mini massages. It was worth stopping by for a quickie because they also handed out 50% off cards. I can't wait to book an appointment!

Low carb day - the meals

Broke fast about 12:30 - 3 scrambled eggs with ham, 3 sausage links, a dab of maple syrup, one PB&J rice cake ---> that was a lot of food!

Lunch - NA

Snack - popcorn

Dinner - Cheesy chicken and veggie rice

This was a brand new recipe for us that I found on Skinnytaste.com. I love how you can search for recipes based on ingredients, course, season, special diet. This was listed under low carb and it looked so good that I just had to try it.

I don't have access to pre-made "riced" veggies, so I had to look up how to do it. Turns out that it's pretty easy. I bought fresh broccoli and cauliflower and chopped it all into smaller pieces. I used my blender and some water to turn the veggies into rice. I did it like it's shown in this video (I have a Philips blender ((similar to this one on Amazon)) and the 6-8 pulses method worked fine).

After straining the veggies and patting them dry with a paper towel, they look like this. Doesn't this look like a plate of rice?

It's been a while since I shared my macros here. I'm still tracking them on MFP and posting to my FWTFL group. Some days are better than others, but I always hit my low carb day goal of 50 net grams or less.

What's your workout plan for today?
Have you ever made your own veggie rice?

(If you are interested in joining the FASTer Way To Fat Loss program with me, learn more about the program here.)

You Can Do Speed Bursts at Bodystep

Today I made up the low carb day I missed on Tuesday. I've said this before, but I really love how easy it is to make carb cycling work for you. If you need to, you can switch up days because of work, appointments, parties, or whatever. It's no problem.

(If you are interested in joining the FASTer Way To Fat Loss program, here's a link to join and start carb cycling with me! Click here).

Week 3 Low Carb Day - the workout

The FWTFL workout for the day was a choice of Speed bursts followed by an ab circuit. My favorite Bodystep instructor is back from Australia after an extended (almost 2 months) leave, so I had to go back to class.

There are 12 workout tracks in a typical class which means there is a lot, I mean a lot, going on. The whole class is high intensity intervals: cardio followed by strength and ends with a powerful core workout. Here are some of the things I remember doing today, but not necessarily in the right order (after the warm up).

Warm up - step moves mostly on the floor
Warm up part 2 - step moves on the step
Cardio peak - basic stepping with glute leg lifts, burpees, lunges, knee repeaters
Mixed strength - lunges, squats, glute leg lifts with weight plate
Speed track - skaters, speed step, plyo jumps and burpees ---> I thought I would be sick!
Another Cardio peak - I honestly can't remember what we did ;)
Core - oblique focus: side crunch with weight, bent leg side drops, and plank twist with weight
Stretch

After a couple of weeks of missing cardio classes and a couple of months since my last time at Bodystep, this was a tough class. Good, but tough. It felt awesome to see how many calories I torched.

mrC did his low carb day workout outside at the fitness center and then met me in the North Plaza after my class. We probably could have walked home, but the sky looked too unpredictable. We took the bus instead.

OOTD: tank, capris (similar), shoes, bag

Low carb day - the meals

Broke fast at 12:00 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, 3 sausage links, one PB&J rice cake

Lunch - 4 turkey rollups, peanuts and a chocolate protein shake ---> last one, ran out of this protein that I can get on Amazon.

Dinner - leftover chicken and green beans


Has your workout ever caused you to throw up?
I need to buy protein. What's your favorite brand for chocolate shakes?

Today I'm linking up with Nicole for the Fit & Fashionable Friday link-up

Life Between the Workouts

Yesterday, I started off the week by burning a ton of calories at Bodystep. This was my last class for a few weeks because our instructor is off to Australia (her home) and she is the only one who does Bodystep. I'm going to miss this class while she is gone.

Today, my workout of the day was foam rolling. It still hurts, but I do think I'm making progress. My foam roller is the flat kind. I don't know how anyone uses the type that looks like a torture device.

Here's a look at the rest of my day.

I had a meeting in Central, so I took the ferry over a little early to do some shopping. This is the ferry arriving at the terminal.

Victoria Harbour is full of amphibious traffic of all shapes and sizes. Today I saw a large ship pier-side, several other ferries from the mainland and outlying islands like ours, and a small fishing boat.

Spring weather lately - rainy

I had three items on my shopping list: a dress, a pair of walking shoes, and a blender. I was looking for a new dress to wear to an event tomorrow night. I have a dress, but just thought I would see what was out there. I found this really cute dress at Reiss, but I couldn't convince myself to splurge that much. No new dress for me.

I had just enough time to stop in ECCO before my meeting. I slipped on a pair of the Osans and a few minutes later I walked out wearing them. They are super comfortable.

Work meetings in public places. This is a very normal thing for a lot of people, but in my previous non-expat life, I was confined to my classroom and high school building most days ---> meaning (not counting days I might have slipped outside at lunch for a walk or run) 184 days in the building. This meeting is not for my job, but for a volunteer coordinator position that I am taking over within the American Women's Association to provide support to visiting US Naval Ships.

mrC met me after my meeting and we went to see the chiropractor together. We both needed an adjustment and I've been having a little trouble with my shoulder. The chiropractor thinks I've injured my rotator cuff.

Lulu, the chiropractor's dog likes to keep patients company

After our visit with the chiropractor, we popped into Wing On, a Hong Kong department store, shopped the blenders and found a winner. We've had our current single serve low-power blender for two years and it was time to upgrade. 

On our way to catch the ferry back to Discovery Bay, we grabbed a few things from City Super for a late lunch ---> which we ate on the ferry. I love their crab cakes.

Unpacking at the apartment, I found this spoon taped to a bag of chips. The cashier at City Super must have thought I'd need it for the yogurt I bought. Wasn't that sweet?

For dinner, I made smoothies with the new blender! Wow what a difference a few hundred watts makes. 

In the morning I'm hoping the rain has moved on so that I can get out for a run and meet a friend for some SUP.

Do you ever have work meetings in public places?

Smoothies for dinner? Yes or no?

Blogged After Waiting Out the Clouds

My day started with a quick #30for30burpees session and then a Yoga with Adriene video to continue my 30 days of April yoga. There were a lot of chest opener poses today and it was exactly what my body needed. I love when the workout feels like it was tailor made for me.

I was hoping today would be the day to take my iSUP board out on the water, but I woke up to massive fog invading the island. It eventually passed or rose or whatever it is that fog does, but the day stayed gray and glooming. Not my idea of a good day for SUPing.

Because of the fog, I took the bus to the North Plaza for my Bodystep class. Normally I walk, but the bus got me there early enough to also pay the gas bill. Win. I left Bodystep in a massive heap of sweaty clothes, but it was worth it. 588 calories burned. And I walked home, continuing to get sweaty. You're welcome bus people.

Just because they added some color (and we needed color) I thought I would share my favorite food from the day  ---> strawberries!

Every time I thought about going for a walk, the sky looked like this. No thank you.

Crossing my fingers that tomorrow's weather will be better!