9 Instagram Truths

This post is being written while also trying to pack for our upcoming trip back to the US. mrC has some work stuff to do and I'm tagging along!

If you follow me on Instagram (if not, you can here), you might have already seen these photos, but today you'll get a little more of the true story behind each one.

From left to right starting at the top:

1. Friday morning mrC was on a trip so I headed out for my #runstreak mile. The colors of the sky are beautiful, but I've been noticing more foggy smoggy-ness creeping in and I don't like it.

2. Heart rate monitor shot after taking 60 minute Pilates class. I really want to take pictures during class because my classmates are so strong and flexible, but it seems inappropriate. Calorie burn is the next best thing.

3. mrC was back in town and I ambushed him as soon as he woke up to go for a run with me. He conveniently wore a semi-pinkish shirt that I made work for breast cancer awareness, even though I questioned his choice before we left. 

4. The view from our awesome 14km hike on Sunday in Hong Kong. We were only at the top for about 15 minutes. I wanted to spend more time at the top, but now I'll just have to go back to explore more.

5. Back from our 12 hour hiking trip, I still did my daily run. One night mile along the waterfront. I was nervous about running in the dark (afraid I might step in something left behind by one of the lovely Chinese dog owners), but there were tons of people out and I didn't step in anything :)

6. My newest Fitbit award! I paced around the apartment for about 2 minutes to reach 30,000 when I saw how close I was and it was almost cut-off time.

7. mrC was picked up for his trip at 4:20AM and I tossed and turned after he left. When I finally got up to do my daily mile before meeting the hiking group, I was tired and even a little cranky. 10 minutes in my running shoes changes everything.

8. The we-made-it-to-the-top hiking group picture. The picture is taken by a local Chinese park employee and he likes to take a bunch of pictures. There are 7 different countries represented in the photo.

9. On today's run I practiced using a breathing pattern again. A reader recommended 4:2 exhale/inhale. It works pretty good, but sometimes I like to take deep breaths and it messes up the rhythm. This pic is from the end of my run when I was feeling a little tired. It was a great spot to take a MRTT #runfie and catch a little break.

There you have it. The truth behind my Instagram feed. Not every picture is as perfect as it appears.

See you in the USA!

Have you ever wondered what really happens behind all those Instagram pictures?

Exploring on Foot: Shenzhen International Garden & Flower Expo Park

My trips with the SWIC hiking group lead to a Fitbit party on my arm quickly!

You can tell by my Fitbit stats (which are still sorted by US time) that I was up about 6AM and then walking with the hiking group between 9-12.

Today we explored the Shenzhen International Garden & Flower Expo Park. The park was created for the expo in 2004, but is still open to the public and free. We walked around almost all of it. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the interesting things we saw.

Near the end we spotted these. Not sure what they are called but it looked like the idea was to walk across them. It looked difficult and like it would be a serious leg workout!

What part of the day are you most active? 

What's the strangest piece of fitness equipment you've ever seen in a park?

Exploring Shenzhen on Foot: Chiwan

One thing that I do a ton of here in China is walk! I can wrack up 10,000 steps before lunch time some days which is really good for my FitBit challenges. My friends in the hiking group know how to help with that.

Today we explored an area of Shenzhen (where I live) called Chiwan. From our Monday hiking summit on Nanshan Mountain, we can see the other mountain which inspired our trip today.

Xiaonan Mountain: aka Little Nanshan Mountain - 850 steps

I met up with the small group and after waiting out some rain underground in the metro station, we walked to catch a bus to Chiwan. From the bus stop we had to walk a little ways up the road to get to the entrance of the mountain. There was quite a bit of construction going on, but a friendly Chinese man on a scooter guided us through. We followed the road until we found the steps. 850 steps later we were at the top where we found an very large observation area and an old fort. Although this mountain is approximately the same climb, the mass is smaller than our regular hiking mountain. Hence the name, little.

Tomb of the Last Emperor:

Our descent off the mountain took us right by this historical spot. Song Shao Di Mu became emperor at age 7 in 1278. When losing a battle with Mongols, his protector Lu Xiufu took him and jumped into the sea. Legend says his body washed up in Shenzhen near the Tian Hou Temple in Chiwan.

By the end of our exploring, my feet were toast, but I completed day 2 of my plank challenge: up/downs and arm lifts. I did 3 sets of 5. Then I relaxed.

Are you a FitBit user?

5+ Miles and 21,000 Steps

It's been a busy week.

We finished our residency permit application process and were approved! I'm not sure what that really means except that we do not have to leave China before 30, 60, or 90 days the way some people do.

We are still working on getting settled in to our new life and figuring out where everything is. The best way to do this (for me) is to literally get out and SEE the city. We took the metro to one of the popular malls and we took a bus to Walmart.

I find out a lot by running and walking.

On Tuesday I ran a 5K and found out how to get to the park that eluded me on my last run.

On Wednesday, I walked to a complex near us called Peninsula and watched the Chinese fishing boats.

On Thursday I added another 2.5+ miles to my Mizunos and discovered that we only live one mile from the ferry terminal where we go to get to the Hong Kong airport.

On Friday mrC's friend from work took us on a walking tour through the back city streets and a gem of a park hidden amongst the skyscrapers. Then we climbed up and across the Nanshan Mountain, a much longer hike than the one I did the first week. It was more than 5 miles round trip and 21,043 Fitbit steps.

We have a small wish list of items we would still like to get here and this morning we walked through the muggy rainfall to the QSI International School yard sale where we tried to find a pair of bikes. It was a hot mess in the small cafeteria, but we have a lead on one for mrC in the morning.

What's one thing you could not live without if you moved to a new country?

Weekend Snapshot: Tall Buildings, Treadmills, and Parks

The weekend in Dubai is Friday and Saturday. Fridays are holy days in the Islamic culture, so all offices and schools are closed.

On Friday, mrC and I went to the Dubai Mall to see the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We purchased our tickets online (about 35 dollars each) to guarantee a spot at the time we wanted. The entrance to the Burj Khlifa is located near the food court of the mall. We printed our tickets at the online kiosk, grabbed a cup of Caribou coffee, and waited for our time slot.

After going through security, we made our way though a series of hallways displaying information about the construction of the tower to the high speed elevator area. We took about a one minute ride to the 124th floor observation deck. The views were amazing!

Afterward we walked around the waterfront and scoped out places for when we return for dinner and to watch the Dubai Fountain show.

Before leaving we walked around the mall a little. The Dubai Mall is huge. In addition to the traditional shopping, inside you will find the Dubai Ice Rink, Fashion Avenue where you'll find 70 luxury brand flagship stores (think Chanel, Versace,  Hermes, Jimmy Choo), a real dinosaur skeleton exhibit, a flight simulator, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and more.

With all that walking I hit 10,000 steps on my Fitbit before dinner, but the darn thing is having trouble syncing here in Dubai. Sadly, most of my days look like I have had ZERO steps.

Speaking of dinner, we ate at Texas Roadhouse and I had the best Chicken Caesar Salad. I'm still thinking about it.

Saturday was a lazy day for me. mrC had his check-ride (he passed!), so I went for a run and did some swimming. Since it was already 80 degrees at 6:30 AM, I chose the fitness center. It was much easier than my outdoor run the other day.

My first elevator runfie!

When mrC finished his work, we went to dinner at TGIFs (so many American restaurants!). I had a so-so chicken enchilada. It's nice to eat out and not have to clean up, but I'll be happy when we are settled and have a kitchen of our own.

After another simple buffet breakfast at the hotel Sunday morning, mrC and I took a walk to drop off some laundry and enjoy the local park.

Do you track your daily steps?
What's the biggest mall you've been to?