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.

#TOL and #TBT - Thanksgiving Day Fitness

Happy Thanksgiving from Hong Kong!

I'm on my own again this year (mrC is on a trip - occupational hazard in his line of work), but I keep myself busy with other friends who are also not traveling and use fitness as a VERY BIG distraction.

I pulled a doubler workout today. First I was up early to get in a run. My weather app said it was 58 degrees, which sounded like perfect running temperature to me, so I threw on a pair of shorts and a tank. When I stepped outside I almost turned around and went back in for more clothes.

Thinking out loud - I think my body has adjusted to the tropical climate because 58 degrees was COLD!

Almost. I didn't want to waste time waiting for the elevator and going back up 20 floors and I figured I would warm up. Not surprisingly, I passed a lot of people at the bus stop bundled up in winter coats who probably thought I was crazily under-dressed. I actually felt pretty awesome during my run.

Thinking out loud - I don't know what made me lace up my Wave Horizon today instead of my Wave Sky. They're both stability shoes and at this point they have nearly the same amount of miles.

I ended up running a loop with a loop through the park (it's small) to finish with a Turkey Day 5K. Since I was out so early (about 6:30am) I didn't see many other runners except a group that works with the local semi-celebrity coach here in Discovery Bay. I caught up to them along the promenade, but when I went into the park, they must have headed up the hill.

Thinking out loud - I think the coach might have thought I was part of his group because when he ran by me he said, "don't let him get away!" referring to one his runners who picked up his pace. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders. My pace, not yours, coach ;)

This run felt really good and I finished in 32:10. I'm not obsessed with my pace like I used to be, but it felt good to see it back in the ten minute range. I was also excited that I ran up the big hill at the end without stopping ---> that is seriously hard for me to do!

Thinking out loud - my body clearly likes running in the cooler weather. The last time I had a run that felt good like this, was when the temperatures dropped from the 80s to the 70s.

After a quick rinse, some coffee and a FaceTime session with mrC, I was out the door to catch the bus to my second workout of the day: GRIT Strength + Core class. It had been a long time since I did back-to-back workouts like this, but my workouts for the week had been nonexistent at this point.

The class is the perfect mix of cardio and strength with a little plyo thrown in. Today the upper body part focused a lot on the shoulders and I was ambitious with my weight choices. Thankfully, we got a break and focused on the lower body after that.

Thinking out loud - I admit that I was worried that I might be pushing my knee too hard for one day, but I knew that I could modify the exercises if I needed (and I hoped for the best). I do however, have to worry about whether I'll be able to lift my arms later.

Running this morning reminded me of all the Thanksgivings I started with some fitness. So here's a little Throwback Thursday for me you:

I have lined up with other runners to kickoff Thanksgiving Day with a race. I ran the Thanksgiving Day 10K in Cincinnati three times. I loved that race! I only stopped running it because I moved to New Hampshire.

When I wasn't able to join a run, I still got in a workout. In 2014 we had a HUGE snowstorm the day before Thanksgiving that knocked the power out for most of New Hampshire. The dog and I spent the holiday weekend in a hotel (mrC was on a trip) and I made use of the fitness center.

My first Thanksgiving as an expat was spent surrounded by SWIC friends on the hiking trails of Lamma Island. That was a great way to spend the day. They hiked in Hong Kong again today, but I wanted to run.

Do you workout on Thanksgiving?
Ever spent Thanksgiving away from home?

Today I'm Thinking Out Loud with Running with Spoons - join the link up or head over for some great reading.

Sweaty Saturday 5K, GRIT and a Walking Tour

Today I improved my 5k time.

Five thoughts during my run:

• the weather was amazing - only 70 degrees and practically no humidity. The change in the weather makes a run feel soooo much easier, doesn't it?
• it had been over a week since my last 5k run. I couldn't believe I had let that much time go by. My last 5k was the Thursday before last! I was sick on Monday and had to skip the night group run and I ran a one mile warm-up before strength class last Saturday. Wow!
• I love my Mizunos (affiliate) - they feel so light on my feet and I think they just look good.
• I only stopped for a break twice ---> once at the beach to stretch my legs and keep my knee happy and second on the final big hill at the end. mrC came along and pushed me to start running again. It was my best run in a LONG time. 
• every muscle is still sore - the ones I could feel the most during the run were my glutes and trapezius (back of my neck/shoulder area). I could really feel the soreness of my glutes when I was heading up the final hill. I guess I know my glutes were activating ;)

I was sore from Thursday's GRIT workout. I took this class a couple of times in February, but I didn't remember much about it. This class was about 30 minutes HIIT strength and 20 minutes core. I actually liked this class better than Bodypump. I used lighter weights, but the repetitions were much faster.

There was a good mix of cardio strength, supersets, and a bunch of core. It was challenging, but that is exactly what my body needs. I didn't burn as many calories as I expected, but hopefully they were burning long after class was over.

I walked my way through Friday's active recovery day on a history of Hong Kong walking tour with mrC. Even though we have lived in Hong Kong for nearly a year now, it was fun to learn more about the history and politics from a local.

Our guide was very open about the way Hong Kongers see events from the past as well as things that are currently happening. It was very helpful to hear a local explain the effects of past wars and post-war agreements made with the British and China on everyday life in Hong Kong.

It was also interesting to learn new things about places that we have visited many times. For example, the HSBC Bank building has two lions made out of bronze flanking the front of the building symbolizing protection and security. What we didn't know is that the holes in the lions are from bullets and that the lions were actually stolen by the Japanese during the war.

We wrapped up our successful run today with some pool time. I will never get tired of this place. It is impossible to NOT relax here.

Then part of breakfast included a big Bob's Red Mill protein (affiliate) smoothie. I've been making more of these lately and getting better at using my Hong Kong blender (I really miss my Ninja (affiliate).


Any improvements or PRs you want to share?
Have you ever taken a tour of your own "home" town?
Do you love/hate your blender?

I'm a little late and off topic, but still linking up with Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0!

Workout Recap - A Week of Love

Tough Love.

DOMS...yoga love...hard core hiking...HIIT...running. All things that make my heart race, get me sweaty, and put a smile on my face. This is where I put my heart this week.

Monday - I love that Bodystep was offered on a Monday this week (normally only on Fridays). I was still sore from Saturday's GRIT class, but I was able to keep up during most of the class. I thought my legs would feel better after from all the movement, but...not so much!

Tuesday - mrC was home for the day, so we spent it together fasting. We took a walk to pick up dinner ingredients and did some Valentine's Day #loveyoga on the Love Locks Promenade because we walked right by it.

I'm so excited to have an extra pair of Oofos to wear outside!

Wednesday - My stomach woke me up about 2AM (not fun) and my quads were still very sore from back-to-back-to-back GRIT, running and Bodystep, so it was a slow and easy day. No matter the reason, I love that I'm ok with an unscheduled rest day.

Thursday - I love spending time with my Shenzhen hard core hiking friends. They came over to hike  Hong Kong again. We finished Wilson Trail sections 3 and 4 together: 38,000+ steps, 17.9 miles, and 264 floors climbed! We killed it!

Friday - Hard to believe my legs were up for Bodystep, but I'm happy they were because I love the calories I can burn in this class. It is quickly becoming my favorite class at The HIT Room.

Saturday - I was back at The HIT Room for another workout. GRIT strength is seriously hard, but I love the high intensity interval workout and it's a perfect match for low carb days. Today we did about 35 minutes of HIIT and 15 minutes of core work.

Sunday - The day I look forward to the most because running is my first love. I'm soaking up every moment of my interval runs including the post run stretch.

What got your heart racing this week?

Weekly Workouts - Another Week, Another Year!

Last week I completed another trip around the sun and I don't feel any older! Ha! Seriously though, I enjoyed an easy week with a little exploring, a little fitness, and a lot of fun!

Monday - I was supposed to go to Bootcamp at 6:45pm, but I skipped because as much as I thought I could do an evening class, I just couldn't. I'm pretty sure I burned a few calories jumping up and down while watching the Super Bowl though! What a crazy finish! I heard people were disappointed in the commercials this year, but I loved this one:

Tuesday - Fasting = the best time to get my hair cut and colored. 

Wednesday - My Bday Day! I was super excited that my bday box arrived in time. I love my new Oofos (shared on Instagram) and my new Sherpani Sadie crossbody bag (I ordered it from Amazon). It's the perfect size for when I go for a walk and don't want a backpack. 

Thursday - I went on a local shopping trip to Kowloon with a group from AWA. It was fun to browse through the shops together and try on shoes and jeans. Then we had some lunch at a local Chinese restaurant.

Friday - I took another trip with a group from AWA to a Heritage Festival. The celebration included a procession to the village temple and a lantern lighting ceremony. They use the lanterns to notify ancestors of newborn boys in the clan. It was very interesting to be a part of this celebration.

Saturday - My Bodypump instructor recommended the GRIT strength + core class to me. I love trying new classes and this one did not disappoint! There was a lot of jumping/hopping moves and oh man were my legs sore. 

Sunday - I went on another interval run. mrC was on a trip so I was out the door early enough to see views of the sun rising over the water. I increased my intervals to 40:25 which gave me 2.59 miles. I'm so excited to be running again at my age and with my knee injury history.

Speaking of running and getting older. Liz is trying to make a documentary called The Human Race about runners in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s. Check out her project and help her if you can.

Crowdfunding Video aka The Ask from The Human Race on Vimeo.

Did you watch the Super Bowl? Favorite commercial? Did your team win?

Do you buy your own birthday presents? 

Last exercise that made it hard for you to walk?