Showing posts with label thinkingoutloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thinkingoutloud. Show all posts

Thursday, January 18, 2018

TOL - One Random Hong Kong Day

I thought it would be fun to document a random day in my life with my random thoughts for Thinking Out Loud. This is what my Wednesday looked like.

I really wish I could sleep in later than 6am. Maybe my body is just super thirsty because I always guzzle at least one bottle of water before I have my morning coffee.


The air quality in Hong Kong can be really bad sometimes. I'm glad that I can run on the treadmill at the fitness center to avoid the pollution.


After lunch I went to the plaza to buy a couple of dresses from a lady selling them through a local wardrobe swap group (one fit, one did not). I also found a fun Hong Kong memory card game at the stationary store to send to my BFF's little girl.


I spent the rest of my day in Central for an appointment and an AWA activity. Sometimes when I'm there it feels like I'm standing in the middle of chaos. It's crazy but I kind of love it.

Picture taken by mrC on previous trip to Central

Bunco Happy Hour is sooo fun! I have only played twice, but I absolutely LOVE it. Last night I tied for most wins, but then lost in the roll-off.


The ferry is one of my favorite times to listen to podcasts. I'm currently listening to Accused about a newspaper's investigation into a 40-year-old unsolved murder. If you listened to and liked Serial, you'll like this one.


Do you have a treadmill backup plan too?
Do you play Bunco?
What podcast are you listening to?

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



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Thursday, November 23, 2017

#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.


Thursday, October 19, 2017

Hiking: Cape D'Aguilar

The 2017 hiking season officially began for me yesterday.


I have been waiting for the temperatures to cool down to a more comfortable place before I joined the AWA hiking group. Thinking out loud: Hiking in the heat is not fun to me. Luckily, the nice weather we have been having continued and we were blessed with perfect weather.

The hike starts at Cape D'Aguilar Road. It's a nice easy walk down a narrow road (open to cars) to the Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve.


At the fork in the road, you can go left to the lighthouse, but we went right toward the Marine Reserve area first. On the way down, we took an overgrown path that led to an awesome cave that opened up to the sea. It was awesome to watch and listen to the waves rolling into the cave.






We continued our walk down to the Marine Reserve building. The place looked very run down, but we walked past it, and there was so much to explore.


The first thing we saw was Miss Willy. This is supposedly the actual skeleton of a killer whale. There was no information in English to confirm this.



The views of the water were just beautiful. We could see the outlying islands, boats and just endless blue sky.


We felt compelled to explore, so we climbed the rocks and found more views and crashing waves on the other side.




I found a nice little spot to enjoy the view and listen to the waves. I love the sound of waves. Thinking out loud: It would be a great spot to stop and have a packed lunch.


Before heading back, the group took advantage of the prime photo backdrop to have some fun.



We skipped the lighthouse (Hok Tsui Beacon), but thinking out loud I wish we had taken the time to walk up the road to it. It's not as big as the ones we see in New England, but it is the oldest lighthouse in Hong Kong.

Source

We walked back to catch the bus to Shek O for a shared lunch at the Shek O Chinese and Thai restaurant. The casual open air seating was a perfect spot to refuel after a day of exploring. It also gave me a chance to refresh with Shower Pill body wipes (affiliate).



After lunch we walked over to Shek O beach to have a look. You can see D'Aguilar Peak and maybe even the lighthouse out on the end of the cape. It is actually possible to hike from the beach over to Cape D'Aguilar. The trail is unofficial and marked only by other hikers leaving chalk marks and flags.


I would love, love, love to come back here to play in the water. Hiking to the cape? Maybe.



Do you ease into activities because of the weather?
Would you hike an unofficial trail?

To get Cape D'Aguilar:
We took the ferry from Discovery Bay.
At Exchange Square we took bus 25 to Admiralty MTR (to meet the rest of the group)
Took Island Line to Shau Kai Wan station exit A3
Took the #9 bus to Cape D'Aguilar Road
PS - #9 bus also goes to Shek O

Other hiking posts:


Today I'm Thinking Out Loud with Running with Spoons


Thursday, August 3, 2017

Just One of Those Days (TOL #2)


My usual trip to the fitness center for strength training was scrapped when severe storms passed over Hong Kong. I woke up to the sounds of thunder and lightening echoing off the mountains and multiple alerts hitting my phone. I can do rain, but I don't do storms.


So instead of doing the planned gym workout for the day, I did the FASTer Way at-home version. I love that I have options for my workouts so that I can do what works for me any given day. Even with options, it took me a while to get motivated though.

-I was tired from waking up earlier than usual.
-Our small apartment is not exactly an ideal space for workouts.
-The hand weights we have are not really heavy enough for me anymore.
-There may have been multiple episodes of RHONY playing via Slingbox (available on Amazon)

It was just one of those days. We all have them once in awhile and it's totally ok. Eventually, I put on my workout clothes and got out my gear. We don't have much. A couple of 4kg hand weights that we bought in China.


Today's strength focus was back, biceps, abs and finishers at the end. It actually went ok even with my underweight dumbbells. I was expecting to feel underwhelmed, but it wasn't like that at all. Only couple of exercises felt a little futile. Thinking out loud, even if the first part of the workout had been mediocre, the finishers kicked my butt. As usual.


Regular calorie day - the meals

Broke fast at 11:30 - breakfast while catching up on the Bachelorette!


Lunch -


Dinner -



How do you motivate yourself when you don't feel like working out?



I'm joining the Thinking Out Loud linkup with Running with Spoons



Thursday, July 27, 2017

Thinking Out Loud #1

This is my first time participating in the Thinking Out Loud linkup with Amanda at Running with Spoons. Since the theme is always something random, I figured it was a perfect fit for me! You can learn more about the linkup here.

For my strength training workout, which was back, biceps and abs heavy, I signed up for another round of Bodypump at The HIT Room. After being away from this class for a couple of months, it feels good to be back (minus that I was seriously sore after my first class last week). I'm still trying to figure out the best times to take classes to "match" my carb cycling workout schedule, but I think Bodypump is going to fit in there.


Even though we receive hot weather warnings every day here, if it is cloudy I try to walk to and from class. Without the sun, it is a nice walk and I won't want to take a walk after I get cleaned up. I hate getting sweaty after I just showered.


I never burn as many calories in Bodypump as I do Bodystep (which is one reason I love Bodystep), but I have to remember that strength training means building muscle and as muscles repair themselves throughout the day, I'm burning more calories for longer after class. This is one of the key parts of FASTer Way to Fat Loss® and I want to keep moving in the right direction after my sneak peek at my results the other day. 


I spent the rest of the day inside working at my volunteer job (we have another US Naval ship coming to visit Hong Kong), reading (I'm loving this new book on my Kindle about being a fitness junkie) and eating!

Broke fast earlier than usual. The last time I went to Bodypump I felt a little lightheaded during class, so mrC recommended that I eat a little something before class. I chose PB&J apple cinnamon rice cake.


Lunch - our groceries from the American store were delivered and we splurged on Cheez-its. The go great with chicken breast and cheddar cheese sandwiches. Not pictured: Greek vanilla yogurt with some chocolate sauce.


Dinner - Buffalo chicken quinoa and corn. This is one of my favorite meals.


When I'm not working, eating or reading, I like to window shop internet style ---> browse all my favorite online stores and fill my shopping bag. Sometimes I will eventually buy something, but often times things just sit in my bag. Athleta is having a HUGE sale and I couldn't resist placing an order with these prices! I already have one high neck chi tank and I love it!


How do you schedule your weekly workouts?
Do you internet window shop like I do?


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