Another Climb Up the Mountain

My head cold is definitely in the final stages of existence. I know this because far fewer tissues are being defiled and my appetite is back.

It felt good to meet up with the SWIC hiking group for another Monday climb up the mountain. There's a lot to think about while climbing the 850ish steps to the top. How lucky I am to be able to do this every week. How blessed we are to have the chance to live this adventure in China. How much I miss my family and friends in the US.

When we get to the top, we always take the obligatory group photo. Some might think of it as just another picture of ourselves, but to me it means more than that. It takes a lot to get to the top. It's a strenuous climb. Sometimes we are attacked by mosquitos. We sweat a lot because it's hot and humid. But, still, we do it. All the way to the top.

Then we rest. We take in the views and enjoy our success. Even though we repeat this every week, it still feels like we crossed some imaginary finish line. After that, everything is just covered in happiness.

We tried a new place for our post-hike cool down and I ordered watermelon juice. It was delicious, but I would have rather had a smoothie. I'm definitely a smoothie person.

Just for fun, here are some random things I saw today:

A merry-go-round - probably part of the Mid Autumn Festival which is a celebration of the moon.

This sign - you might not know this, but there are a boatload of dogs here and many strays. I hope the dogs can read so they know to stay off this one random street.

Do you prefer juice or smoothies (especially after a workout)?
Did you see the super blood moon?

Motivation Monday! Who Dey!

Today started with a little American football. I had to show support for my team while listening and watching online.

The team that no one ever believes in came out the winner!

I met the SWIC hiking group for the weekly climb up Nanshan. Today one member who usually needs to turn around made it all the way to the top!

I started thinking about the WHO DEY message. It originated during a time when the team was doing poorly, but then went on to play in the Super Bowl. Who Dey think going to beat those Bengals? Nobody!

We all go through those times, when we doubt ourselves, when others laugh at our goals. Those times when the mountain seems insurmountable.

But we have to
keep pushing,
keep fighting,
keep working,
keep climbing
for what we want.


What's your mountain?
How do you stay motivated?

Mountain Monday: 5 Lessons on a Rainy Day

The forecast for today was thunderstorms.

Approaching the meeting place for the weekly climb up the mountain, the sky looked rather ominous.

We always go unless it is pouring.

Here are some lessons I learned from today's hike:

1. Don't let a little rain scare you away. I would have missed out on a great climb and great company.

2. Mosquitos come out to party when it's wet and cooler.

3. I'm still afraid of thunder, but friends laughing at me make it better!

4. Athleta shorts stick to your legs when they are wet.

5. Sometimes you have to take a lot of breaks on your way to the top. It's ok.

It did start to rain on the way down the mountain. Good thing I also had an umbrella. It was still a fun hike and the post-hike chatting at Starbucks is always entertaining.

Climbing the mountain also helps me hit my 10,000 steps. I love the feeling when my Fitbit has its little celebration on my wrist.

In other news...the difficulty level is rising on my daily plank challenge. Today we had to do 10 second walking plank, 10 second spiderman plank, right into timed standard plank. Oh abs on fire!

And today I conquered the daily recommended 20 strokes with The Stick.

Tell me something you learned from your fitness today.
Do you exercise in the rain?

6 Days in China and I Climbed a Mountain

It is hard to believe that we've only been in China for 6 days because it feels like so much more.

Here's what we've been up to...

Day 1:
We arrived very early on Saturday morning and proceeded to sleep most of the day after making our way from Hong Kong to Shenzhen via a ferry. Four suitcases, two taxis, and one employee from the company to see us to the hotel. We were quite the spectacle at the ferry terminal.

Day 2:
After sleeping in on Sunday, we explored Shekou, the Shenzhen district that we will be living in, and randomly met an expat from NEW HAMPSHIRE (of all places!) on the sidewalk who generously showed us around and shared a ton of tips with us. We ended up at Happy Hour with her and the wife of mrC's coworker.

Day 3 & 4:
We spent two days apartment hunting and finally found one we can move into this weekend. I attended my first women's group called SWIC, Shenzhen Women's International Club. The energy is a lot like my MRTT group, so I'm really excited to get involved. We also attended a very traditional Chinese dinner hosted by mrC's boss.

Day 5:
I completed my residency permit physical at the Shenzhen Hospital and then we opened a bank account. We explored the grocery scene and took notes on which stores have items we like and the prices.

Day 6:
mrC had to work, so I ventured out for the first time solo and climbed a mountain! The Nanshan Mountain is located just down the road from our hotel and is a very popular daily activity for expats. SWIK actually has a hiking group that climbs it every Monday.

The 363 meter climb is mostly steps all the way to the top. Fortunately for me, there were plenty of places to sit and rest, or to stop and take in the views. The breeze today wasn't the best, but there was some and it felt amazing because at 84 degrees with soupy-doupy humidity, it's HOT!

At the top there is a very interesting two-story viewing tower (failed to get pic of tower, bleh!) with amazing views of Shekou.  It was fun to try to figure out what I was looking out from way up high. I'm pretty sure that's Hong Kong across the bay and one of the buildings on the left side of the small bay of water is our new home.

So, I haven't yet had a chance to go for a run and I'm still trying to figure out how that will look. It is seriously warm and humid here! I'm hoping that once we are in the apartment which is on the water, I will find a breeze there for a nice morning run.

What do you do when you can't run?