Weekend in Newport

Just like our weekend in Newport, I am stuffing as much as I can into this blog post. There's just so much to do and too little time.

We always make a point to visit our favorite diner while we are in town. It's a small place right outside the naval base gate and since we stay on base it is super convenient. They have a great menu, great prices, and great service. 

We met up with my father-in-law and brother-in-law at the marina after breakfast on Saturday for some sailing. It was a picture perfect day for sailing and being on the water is so relaxing.

The Deck at the O'Club is one of our favorite places to eat when we don't want to go to downtown Newport because it has an amazing view and a great menu. In the summer it's even better with live music. Since our last visit, they have expanded the deck to make it even bigger. More room for people to eat and watch sunsets!

We walked to the fitness center on base to do our full body workout on Sunday morning. This center opened about three years ago, but this was our first time going inside. It is AMAZING! The machines are all high-tech. I even emailed my warmup summary to myself from the treadmill. At the end we used the blood pressure unit. 

After a little shopping at the Navy Exchange, we drove to the Cliff Walk. It had been awhile since we had been there, so we had some fun while we explored the trail.  

The Forty Steps is a popular place to get a closer view of the cliff side and ocean. Brave souls even climb on the rocks to enjoy swimming or just relax and enjoy the view.

There are many places along the Cliff Walk where you can walk and/or climb a little to get a better view and even dip your toes in the water. We weren't shy about venturing out and enjoying some of those places. 

Back in town, mrC scored a prime parking spot downtown, so we headed to The Red Parrot for lunch. We always have a good meal here and this time we even got a coveted seat at the window looking right out onto lower Thames Street, home to Newport's thriving atmosphere.

One thing I really enjoy about downtown Newport is that you never know what you're are going to see, but it is usually amusing. We loved the look of this cool dog!

That's a wrap on our weekend in Newport. We are hoping to make it back once more before our return to China, but it will just depend on the timing of things.


Ever spent time in Newport, RI?
Favorite summertime place?
Funniest thing you've seen recently?

Sweet Sunday

We walked to morning Mass. I love when we are able to attend when we are traveling. This church was absolutely stunning inside. If I lived in Portsmouth, I would really enjoy services here.

We were given a walking tour from missD. We saw her office, Prescott Park, and most of downtown. 11,000 steps. 5+ miles. 

She took us to Popovers for lunch (great gluten free options there) and then showed me her favorite place to get essential oils.

I picked up some sport spray for my fitness equipment and peppermint oil. I read a comment from an ultra runner that peppermint oil helps with tendinitis. 

We ordered dinners from the Juicery. The girls and I all got acai bowls. It was my first one. Why haven't I tried these before???

We finished the evening with a trip to UNH to see missG's dorm room (I can't believe she is almost finished with the first year of college!!) and watch her soccer game.

Today we are saying goodbye to girls and then we are visiting some friends before heading back to Springfield. I'm looking forward to seeing this guy the most.

Have a great day!

Big Hills and a Pea Protein Smoothie

My sister-in-law lives at the bottom of a pretty big hill. Today she took us with her on the route she takes to decompress after a long day at work. At the top of the hill we could see all the way down the Pioneer Valley into downtown Springfield. It was a gorgeous day for walking and taking in the views.

She made us some gluten free blueberry muffins for breakfast. It's hard to eat just one of these!

For lunch I made a salad and went wish listing through the Athleta catalog. They have great stuff. 

I also made a smoothie and used one of the sample proteins sent to me by Naked Nutrition. I've never tried pea protein before. I'm not dairy free, so I mostly use whey proteins. After doing some research, I learned that whey protein is considered "complete" and pea is "incomplete." This means that whey proteins have all 9 essential amino acids and pea proteins are missing some. 

I could not detect a taste to the pea protein in my smoothie at all, although it has been described to me by others as being earthy and grainy. Naked Nutrition pea protein was smooth. Today's smoothie: frozen strawberries and blueberries, almond milk, plain yogurt, and spinach. 

Naked Nutrition proteins are made without additives, essentially stripped of chemicals. Hence the name. I like the sound of that.

Tomorrow we are off to New Hampshire to visit the girls and some friends.

What is your preferred type of protein?

Yoga & Heels

I made a friend on my way to yoga class today.

Post- yoga brunch: a plate full of cheesy scrambled eggs with ham and a smoothie.

I've been feeling a little under the weather, so Emergency-C is my new snack.

A couple of days ago, I noticed a hot, tingly sensation in the side of my heel when doing downward dog. I've been spending some extra time on my calf muscles when I foam roll hoping it's just a kinky nerve or myofascial issue. I'm going to make it my mission to study the illustrations in this article that show which muscles are affected by different stretches.

Spotted this cartoonish looking cloud floating over Shekou during my afternoon walk.

Ever have heel pain only when you're stretching?
Favorite cold remedy?

Weekend Wrap-up

The weather was absolutely gorgeous in Shenzhen all weekend. These are the days you wait for all winter and after a week of rain, they were so needed.

We enjoyed a morning walk on Saturday. We sat and warmed ourselves in the sun for awhile. I can understand why cats seek the sunshine for a little nap.

We hiked Nanshan Mountain on Sunday. It was a busy place, but we were there early enough to beat most of the crowd.

On Sunday evening, we went for a sunset walk and enjoyed some people watching. The skyline has changed a lot since we arrived almost a year ago and more new buildings are still hiding behind the old ones.

30 Day Pilates Body

Day 25: guest (inner thighs)

Loved this workout!! The crossing of my legs really made me feel my inner thighs working. 

Day 26: pick a favorite 

I picked day 25 to repeat. Why not use a good thing when you have it at your fingertips? My inner thighs need the work. 

21-Day Arm Sculpting 

Day 17: 15 reps!!

Had to channel my TI Fitness peeps to get through this one.

Day 18: rest

#RunnersLoveYogaFlow

Day 5: standingL

These are tough. Balance, flexibility, and strength all in one.

Day 6: revolved half moon.

Seriously tough. I tried to make it fun by doing it on the side of the mountain. I entertained the little Chinese ladies doing their tai chi. 

We had dinner out on Saturday and picked up some Easter flowers on the way home. 

I hope all of your baskets are filled with happiness and peace today and always!

Summing Up Sunday

It was a slow, quiet day around here. This morning I had a nice walk with mrC before he left on his trip...back to the Maldives (lucky guy). It is slowly warming up in southern China, so more and more people are out in the mornings.

I did yoga camp day 26. There were lots of well timed hamstring and quad stretches. My legs were a little stiff when I woke up this morning.

30 Day Pilates Body Challenge

day 5 - Upper body again (it was pick your favorite workout from the week).

Honestly I would have rather done a core workout, but we didn't have one (yet), so I gave my legs a rest. Plus I only do push-ups when someone is telling me to.

This little life saver has been put to use many times the last couple of days. Not only were my legs sore from HIIT class on Friday, but my trapezius muscles have been very tight (I think from all those shoulder presses we did). Laying on the tennis ball for a couple of minutes makes a huge difference.

That's it. I had some eats. Netflixed. 

I told you it was a slow day!

Practice, Practice, Practice!!

mrC and started the day with a walk before he had to go to work. Sometimes the environment just invites me to strike a pose. Even though I was just playing around, I noticed right away that doing this pose was A LOT easier than it was a couple of months ago. Consistent yoga practice really does work.

Speaking of yoga practice, I went back to my regular studio for a Flow with Alignment class. This studio has more space than the new one I found across the street. I tried to take a picture of the removable wall they use to open up the room when the class fills up, like today. I decided to get another pass even though it is more expensive, because sometimes I like to just be a part of the crowd. 

This class felt good. I was feeling a little sore from yesterday's yoga and Pilates workouts, but I felt strong. It also felt good to know what I was doing most of the time and I was able to keep up just by watching since the class was ALL in Chinese!

While scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a new challenge. I've been talking about Pilates a bunch lately and I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I took this as a sign that I was meant to do it. 

What new challenges are you taking on lately?

4 Reasons Morning Workouts Rock!

Another morning of working out is in the books. I love getting back to my routine. Not that I don't love a trip to the Maldives (I may mention this in every post for awhile, you've been warned!), but when I'm not on vacay it feels good to start the day with fitness.

Today I grabbed the iPad and got warmed up with Yoga Camp. The intention for day 18 was I Surrender.  I kept this on my mind during all of my workouts.

During yoga I tried to let go of my obsession to make every pose perfectly aligned. I surrender my need for perfection.

During the Fitness Bender: Butt & Thigh video, I pushed through the squat jumps even though my legs were burning by that point. I surrender feeling intimidated by shaky legs.

I learned about Fitness Blender from my friend Nicolasa. They have a ton of free workout videos.  I followed up my leg workout with Upper Body Workout. I surrender to the power of weights.

Finally I did a 5 minute ab workout from Popsugar. The last move was so hard, I had to stop twice. I surrender feeling inadequate for taking breaks.

Yoga, legs, arms, core. I was busy this morning and I love it! I'm sure there are lots of reasons why working out in the morning rocks, but here are some of mine:

1. Great way to wake up - getting moving always shakes off the sluggishness.

2. Sweat-n-shine then I'm ready for the day - I definitely have more energy to take on the day.

3. Rumor has it we work out more in the AM - for me this is so true.  Life gets in the way if I try to workout later in the day. It's easier to get it done first thing.

4. Starts the calorie burning furnace for the rest of the day - I don't know how this works, but it's ok with me if it's true!

After all that working out, I took my sweaty self for a walk to cool off and look who came out to play. My shadow! I haven't seen sunshine in about 5 days and wow, I missed it.

When do you workout?