Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts

Monday, April 30, 2018

Do You Travel with One of These? + Tight Muscles

mrC makes fun of me for carrying a tennis ball in my purse when we travel. But seriously, it is a mini-massage ball, a tiny foam roller, magic for making my muscles feel better when I don't have a masseuse...or a foam roller handy.


My legs felt pretty good after my run on Saturday, but I noticed that the range of motion for my left knee felt a little tight. I can usually relieve that with a good stretch session, but zeroing in on tight spots with the tennis ball has a much better result.

While mrC went off to play work in the simulator on Sunday, I took our dirty clothes to the laundry room. I walked on the treadmill while the clothes were washing. It was a rest day, so I kept my pace moderate and the incline only on 2.


I do not put my workout clothes in the dryer, so I took them to the room to hang up and have some coffee while the rest were in the dryer.


It was a cold and blustery day ---> perfect for some chicken noodle soup. It's been awhile since I had this microwaveable Campbell's soup and I remember it tasting better than it did today.


When mrC returned and had eaten, we went for a walk. It ended up being much shorter than I wanted because it was super windy and the wind was really, really cold! We explored the center next to the hotel and found a used books/movies/music shop. I thought it was such a great idea because you can buy and sell.


Before dinner I did a yoga video ---> Travel Yoga - Revitalizing Flow (I'm trying to bring back the yoga practice). I didn't really know it until I got going, but my legs had gotten a little sore, I guess from my run on Saturday. So the short and sweet session definitely felt good!


In the picture I'm doing wide leg forward fold with a twist and wow! I could feel this stretch in all parts of my leg muscles including the outside of my ankles up to my knees. It made me think about how many tight muscles I have in my lower body - a lot more than I realize.




We ordered pizza for dinner and then mrC did some more studying while I watched tv. It was a pretty relaxing day!

What do you carry when you travel that people might find strange?
How do you spend a relaxing day?



Wednesday, April 11, 2018

My Hawaiian Vacation

Aloha!

My weekly wrap is a little late because I just got back from a surprise trip to O'ahu with mrC. I'd been dropping hints all over the place about how fun it would be to getaway and apparently he was listening ---> he's a great husband!

Since mrC is retired military, he was able to get us into the beach cottages on the Marine Corps base. Even when it was cloudy, our own little paradise was pretty amazing. (we got some great shots and video on this trip with our GoPro)

Hanging out on the SUP at Secret Beach - steps from our cottage!

The highlights:

Hiking Diamond Head

This was an easy hike with a series of switch backs most of the way up to the 761 foot summit. The path was a little slippery from the passing morning showers, but with good shoes it was no problem for us. The "hard" part was near the top - 99 steps, a spiral staircase and a few more steps to reach the summit. It was pretty crowded and some clouds rolled in right as we reached the top, but it was still amazing to cross this off our Hawaii bucket list.


Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

mrC introduced me to snorkeling when we were on Kaua'i almost 10 years ago and knows how much I love it (even though I don't really like deep water), so he took me to one of the most popular snorkel spots on O'ahu. We swam around spotting fish and avoiding coral (it was low tide) and even got to see a monk seal that was sunning on the beach that day.

View of Hanauma Bay from above


I made this little video of our snorkeling



SUP at Secret Beach

We rented a SUP board from the MWR office and used it while we were staying in the cottage. The water was shallow and full of coral, but so flat. Perfect for SUP (my new bikini top was perfect for all my water activities!).


Swimming at Pyramid Rock Beach

A great spot for swimming and sunbathing was right down the road from the cottage. Named for the pyramid shaped rock on the coast, Pyramid Rock Beach had powder white sand and was surrounded by tropical plants. It was a lot harder to swim there than the pool at the fitness center, but way more fun!


Visiting Pearl Harbor

When we arrived on Tuesday, we stopped at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. We lucked out and got the last two free tickets to take the 75 minute USS Arizona Memorial Tour. We watched a short documentary about the attack on Pearl Harbor took a shuttle boat to the USS Arizona Memorial. To see this place in person is quite powerful and moving. I found myself fighting back tears many times.



mrC's friend gave us a private tour around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. He drove us past the submarines, aircraft (no photography allowed for obvious reasons) and even the beach cottages where the movie Aloha was partially filmed. We stopped at The Lanai on the Mamala Bay side of the base for some Hawaiian fish and chips...and some daiquiris. We had a great view of the main beach on base which is literally right next to the runways. I would have loved to SUP in this bay!


Sailing at Mamala Bay

mrC's friend took us out on the bay in his sailboat so that we could see Oahu from another perspective and so mrC could get some sailing in. Surprise, I got to take the helm, too! Oahu is such a beautiful place. I loved seeing Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach from the water.



Sightseeing

Taking the advice printed on my GAP tee, whenever we felt like stopping to see something, we did. It was fun to strike a pose on lava rock, enjoy the views from various lookouts (never got tired of this) and see mrC's old stomping grounds. We even stopped to watch the various planes and helicopters at work on base and around the island.

Nu'uana Pali Lookout and Marine Corps Base Hawaii in the far background

Kaupo Bay and Rabbit Island in the background 

Amelia Earhart's Marker - first person to fly from Hawaii to Mainland.

Halona Blowhole Lookout (at low tide :( so no spray)

Kanehoe Bay Lookout on our way to dinner 

mrC's old neighborhood - Kailua

mrC's helicopter

We had to cross this runway on base to get to the cottages

Waikiki Beach

We spent our last day at the Marine Corps hotel, Hale Koa, downtown and on Waikiki Beach. This place was amazing! The grounds were so beautiful. We were steps away from the pool, restaurants, shopping and the beach. We spent some time on the beach and then explored along DeRussy Boardwalk. 

View from our balcony

Friends

We got to spend time with mrC's friend who he hasn't seen in many many years and we met a family from California staying in the cottage next to ours who were very nice, but these "cottage cats" were the cutest friends we made in Oahu! 


Food

It's always good to be back in the USA and enjoy our favorite things, but it was fun to experience new places too. mrC's friend took us to Haleiwa Joe's for an awesome seafood dinner and then The Lanai for a delicious lunch. Our Cali friends recommended Goofy's Cafe where we had the BEST acai bowl. We stopped at the highly recommended Happy's Snack Bar on the beach for a little happy hour.



If you are still reading (THANK YOU) and here are my workouts for the week:

Monday - Yoga and swam (new personal best!)

Tuesday - Travel and walk around Pearl Harbor

Wednesday - Morning yoga on the deck and SUP

Thursday - Hike Diamond Head, SUP and swim in the ocean

Friday - snorkel

Saturday - rest day...on a boat ;)

Sunday - Walk the beach

And that's a wrap! This unexpected vacay was the perfect mix of fitness and pleasure. 

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!



Have you ever been to Hawaii? Which island?
What workouts do you do when on vacation?


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Monday, March 26, 2018

Bamboo Aerial Yoga | Weekly Wrap

This weekend I met up with a group of friends to add Bamboo Aerial Yoga to my I-tried-it list. If you have seen the enviable photos of aerial yoga over the sea, you probably understand why I didn't hesitate to accept the invitation to join the fun.


We attended a three part full day workshop for beginners. First we met up at the Yoga Bambam studio in Central for an introduction aerial yoga lesson. Our instructor (and founder of Bamboo Yoga), Aleksandra, showed our small class of nine how to do 8-10 different poses and gave us plenty of time to practice during the hour-long session.


After a break for brunch at Mana, we taxi'd across Hong Kong to Sai Kung and hiked to the beach. The 30-ish minute hike to Sai Wan Beach was mostly downhill, so it was easy to chat with each other and enjoy being in nature along the way.

At the beach we had time to change our clothes if we wanted. I decided to put on my yoga shorts and keep my capris dry (affiliate). We did a warm-up yoga flow while Aleksandra and Melissa, another instructor, set up the bamboo tripods.


With two bamboo tripods erected, our class was split into two groups for the 90 minute beach session. Our group of five stayed together and took turns going through the poses we learned in the morning session.


We first had to learn how to get into the hammock. The hammocks are hung higher than normal over the water so that while you are posing upside down, you don't have to worry about waves getting in your face.


Basically for 90 minutes it was all about getting the photos. With the help of our instructor, Melissa, we did all the poses from the morning and a couple of extra for fun ones that we saw her do while we took a break.

Here are some of my favorites:






Even though none of us had ever done aerial yoga before, the backdrop of Hong Kong mountains and the South China Sea made all of our poses #instaworthy. This was definitely a fun activity to do with friends!


After the class, we took the water taxi back to Sai Kung. The views from the boat were just beautiful. Hong Kong is an amazing place to live and play!


The rest of my week looked like this:

Monday - Rest

Tuesday - Swim 500 meters plus Dirty Dozen Arm Workout

Wednesday - Swim 650 meters

Thursday - Rest

Friday - Yoga + Swim 650 meters plus two cool down laps

Saturday - Dirty Dozen Leg Workout + Yoga + SUP

Sunday - Aerial Yoga

Have you ever tried aerial yoga? Would you try it over water at the beach?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!


Saturday, July 22, 2017

What hurts most? Active recovery day!

My Bodypump workout left me dealing with DOMS. As the hours passed, the delayed soreness increased.

First it was my back muscles. I had a brief meeting in the morning and I just couldn't get comfortable while sitting in the coffee shop because everything was feeling so tight.

Then my biceps. I did some grocery shopping after my meeting and every time I reached out to grab an item, my biceps screamed at me.

Oh, my legs! I'm pretty sure it would be easier to just stand up all day.

Does any of this sound familiar? Midday I broke out the foam roller and yoga mat.


I did ten passes on my hamstrings, hips, glutes, quads and back. Then I did a nice and easy yoga flow to stretch out. This definitely helped my legs and back, but my biceps (and triceps) are still screaming today.

I wear my Oofos all the time in our apartment and I'm sure this helps the recovery of my legs too. I was excited to find so many options (including the style I wear) available on Amazon.

We are currently under Tropical Cyclone warnings here in Hong Kong as Tropical Storm Roke approaches a little closer than originally thought.


Hopefully I can get out for a short run!


Tell me about your worst case of DOMS!



Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Global Running Day + Strength Training

It wasn't a scheduled day for running, but I had to run because it is Global Running Day and the whole FOMO thing!


So, mrC indulged me and we ran to the fitness center. I carried the #OiselleWorldRelay virtual baton in Hong Kong while sporting my favorite running shorts and tank (similar).


The short run was literally a great warm-up for our strength training in the gym. It's already in the high 80s before 7AM here, so we were nice and sweaty going in.


While I'm on the topic of heat and running, June is also National Safety Month. One precaution runners who lace up for outdoor runs in the summer should take is staying hydrated. You probably couldn't see it in the other photos because of how nicely it tucks into my sports bra, but I run with my Simple Hydration water bottle. The bottle is so comfortable back there that when I started my strength workout I realized I had forgotten to take it out!


Week 2 Regular Calorie Day - the workout

Warm-up - 10 minutes of (your choice) - Perfect spot for my run.

Strength training - Legs. Chest. Shoulders. Finishers ---> let's talk about these. At the end of an already intense training session, these extra exercises are meant to push you to the next level and leave your energy depleted. The benefits to adding finishers at the end of workout are 1) increased fat burning time after your workout has ended, and 2) burning more calories in less time.

Side note: I finally found the in-between weighted dumbbells. Game changer.


Cool down - Any thoughts we had about running home after the workout disappeared after those finishers. Instead we walked back and spent a little time stretching in what we call the best spot in Discovery Bay ---> because there is always an amazing breeze here.


Regular calorie day - the meals

Broke fast around 11:30 - 2.5 scrambled eggs with ham, 2 pieces GF PB&J toast, and red grapes


Lunch - Quinoa & tuna and some green beans

Dinner - 4 crunchy tacos and corn


Snack (aka dessert) - strawberries

Hitting my macros was a struggle in my previous rounds of carb cycling, but I seem to be getting the hang of it, finally.


How are you celebrating National/Global Running Day?
Do you ever do things because of a FOMO?



Today I’m linking up with Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner and I'm linking up with AnnmarieNicole and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!!





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