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?

Lessons from Flow

This morning Facebook warned me that the clouds were moving out, so I could enjoy the sunshine in Shenzhen. 

It was already getting toasty on my walk to yoga.

I learned a few things at Flow today:

1) 70 minutes of yoga is not long when you have a good teacher.

2) Yoga is a universal language, so it doesn't matter that the class is in Mandarin. 

3) 10 second assisted hand stands are scary when you're 45!

4) Keep trying! One day you will be able to do that pose you've been chasing. Today I surprised myself by being able to do bound revolved side angle pose on both sides.

Yoga was just as I expected after my warm walk there...a sweat-fest. My favorite facial wipe is perfect for a quick clean up before heading back out in public. I love that it doesn't leave my face feeling dry.

I never eat before yoga class, so I usually have post-yoga brunch. Today's smoothie: frozen blueberries and raspberries, fresh blueberries and strawberries, almond milk, protein powder, chia seeds and yogurt.

Afternoon walk in search of anti-skid material to put under our rug that slides all over the place now that we have wood floors. It's nice of Shekou to place these umbrellas at street corners for pedestrians to stand in the shade while waiting for the light to change. 

Four more days until we leave!

Transformation Tuesday and Other Random Fit-bits

It feels good to get back into the swing of things after missing my regular fitness classes to last week's crazy schedule.

I got the day started with some laundry and an arm workout.

21-Day Arm Sculpting challenge

Day 20: rest

Day 21: 15 reps 3x

I made (with a couple extended breaks) it!! I probably should have taken some measurements or at least better pics for the big before and after, but I think my arms look toned.

I recently saved three new challenges from Popsugar (two are 30 day challenges and one is two weeks) and found a 14 day yoga challenge, but I'm not sure when to start since we are headed home on Sunday for almost 3 weeks. I think I will save the 30 day challenges for May and maybe start the 14 day challenges when I get to Ohio. Decisions, decisions.

Pilates at Vitality

I only missed once, but today felt sooooo hard. I used to get frustrated when I had a tough run. My running friends would tell me that the next one would be better. I'm learning that all forms of exercise is this way.

Lunch: protein smoothie and left over quinoa & tuna. About an hour after lunch, I snacked on some sweet potato chips. My smoothie maker isn't very big, so I'm thinking I might need to make two from now on to prevent snacking. 

The rainy weather yesterday delivered a pretty spring day today, so we took advantage of a breezy afternoon walk along the waterfront. I tried to catch a butterfly who was probably trying to escape the construction on the other side of the fence. 

Exercise equipment is just too tempting to not give a try. I love that these little areas are tucked in all throughout the apartments courtyard.

Dinner: Taco Tuesday! Blogger fail :( I did not take a picture before chomping on my tacos. They're so good, mrC had one even the he doesn't really like hard shells.

People ask me all the time if I like (real) Chinese food and what I eat in China. I do like Chinese food, but it is intimidating to try to order without help from a Chinese friend. For example, the menu will not tell you if the meat is boneless or not (and most often it's not). Here in Shenzhen, there are lots of options for foreigners. Like tonight, we had Mexican, but keep walking and you will see Italian, German, Indian, Irish and Thai. 

Have a great Tuesday!!

Men on Mountains

Today China celebrated Qingming Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day. This is the day the Chinese show respect to their ancestors.

Chinese schools were closed and many companies have the day off. While many of the SWIC hiking ladies enjoyed an extra day home with their spouses, some of the ladies brought their husbands to hike Nanshan today.

The weather heading up the mountain was sticky. It actually sprinkled a little when we left the apartment, but it didn't help any. Climbing the equivalent of 60 floors was tough in today's humidity.

Speaking of tough, I watched The Barkley Marathons documentary on Netflix. This is the craziest, most brutal race I've ever seen. 

Whenever we go to Hong Kong, we make it a point to cruise through the grocery store at the mall where we catch the ferry back to the mainland. Since we were there multiple times last week, I got to check it out a little more closely. Apple cinnamon rice cakes with pb & jelly used to be one of my favorite snacks. I was super excited to find some apple flavored rice cakes in the baby foods aisle and bought 5 bags (they're small). It's so nice to not have to eat plain rice cakes.

It is believed that the weather will turn nice after Qingming Festival. Almost appropriately, the storms moved through this afternoon. Watching the visibility drop from the 11th floor is quite something. We can normally see Hong Kong across Shenzhen Bay.

Back home in the US, I'm hoping for beautiful spring weather for all the Reds fans heading out to Opening Day. I wish I could be there again this year.

I Do Not Give Up

I'm pretty sure that mrC and I just had the busiest week ever. I didn't even get to a yoga class.

We planned every part of our upcoming trip to the US. Believe it or not this took the whole day. We have to coordinate everything with his employer since he will be working for part of it and that takes time. Lots of time. But we finally booked everything.

Had pretty much every part of our apartment cleaned or maintenanced by the landlady (the wood floors, the AC units, the plants) and even had a couple of random girls come in and try to sell us a cleaning product! We thought the landlady had sent them too, until they started asking for money.

Went back and forth to Hong Kong three times. This meant being out the door around 7 AM to get the 7:45 ferry to Central, walking about a mile to catch another ferry to Kowloon, and then walking a few blocks to our final destination. 

Spent a day in Futian (about 45 minutes away) taking care of some of mrC's yearly work stuff. It was a lot of waiting around, but we did have lunch in a Chinese dining hall with the company handler helping us order and showing us how to wash the dishes. 

Needless to say, we were both worn out.

Today, I finally had the time and energy to do a workout and enjoy it. 

First we went for our first walk in days. It felt nice to stroll along, not rush, and enjoy the morning. I also enjoyed this new pair of Lululemon Align yoga pants I picked up in Hong Kong while waiting to catch the return ferry to the mainland. They are simply the softest pants and feel like they're barely there. 

30 Day Pilates Body 

Days 29 & 30!!

And I'm done! I was so distracted by our busy week that I put off the last two days of this challenge, but I do not quit! I loved that the final workout pulled everything together. 

My reward for finishing was an overdue pedicure which felt so good on my tired feet.

21 Day Arm Sculpting 

Day 19

Another day of 15 reps, but the extra rest must have helped because my arms felt better.

So maybe I finished a 30 day challenge in more than 30 days. That doesn't bother me at all. The point is, I finished. I didn't let a couple of days of no workouts derail me. Sometimes, people get caught up in the need to follow workout schedules perfectly and when they see or feel that they can't, they want to give up. I hope I can show people that getting back to it is not always easy, but it can be done. As they say, one workout is better than no workouts. And, I think one workout early leads to two, three...Before you know it, it's a habit.

I'm hoping to get back to regular workouts, like yoga, this week! 

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!

Lian Hua Park and Random Fitness

I got my morning started with a cup of coffee and some yoga flow.

#RunnersLoveYogaFlow
day 4: low lunge
I love this pose. It makes my body feel so good, even though it challenges my tight shoulders.

The weather was cooperating, so I met up with the some of the hiking group for a walk in the park. Shenzhen has a lot of great parks spread across the city. This was my first time to Lian Hua Park in Futian. 

Highlights: a gorgeous lake, the peach orchard (although we missed the blooms), a classic Chinese gate, and the Huang tomb of a Song Dynasty descendant.

We walked about 5 miles and that makes this girl hungry. Especially when I didn't eat a proper breakfast. Thankfully, I was smart enough to grab a Vega Sport bar on my way out the door.

Speaking of smart decisions, these Athleta Classic Metro pants were a great purchase. They are super comfy and so versatile. I can wear them for yoga (see above), hiking, lounging, and even dress them up.

After having some left-over quinoa for lunch and relaxing for a bit, I did my daily pilates workout.

30 Day Pilates Body

day 24: booty

Truth: I hate this exercise. It is so hard to bridge up/down on one leg. However, I know that my legs and booty are getting some major work, so I do it. Ugh!

mrC made it back in time for Good Friday dinner and took me to the Australian restaurant for some shrimp. 

Have a great Friday!

My Birthday Boy and Favorite Protein Sources

Happy 13th birthday to my retired running buddy (I guess we are both retired now). In a perfect world this guy would be living with us in China, but we know he is being spoiled by our family in Massachusetts. 

Today I warmed up with flow again, but I had coffee first. I like how this challenge adds a new pose to the flow sequence each day.

#RunnersLoveYogaFlow
day 3 - triangle
My muscles were feeling stiff this morning, maybe from staying up later than usual last night but waking up at my normal time.

After flow, I went right into my strength. I had two arm workouts today.

21-day Arm Sculpting

day 15 - 14 reps again

I'm in the home stretch and hoping to finish strong. The reps are getting harder to do after about 12. 

30 Day Pilates Body

day 23 - arms

After using 4 pound weights, you'd think weightless moves would be easy, but not so much. Death by repetition! 

I'm always looking for new ideas to stay motivated and focused on my fitness goals, so I signed up for a free webinar being presented by Robin from The Balanced Life. I'll be sharing the tips I plan to use, but you should check it out yourself.

It was raining when I went to yoga, but thankfully today's class is in the studio right across the street from our apartment. I still need to get a comfy pair of rain boots. It's on my US shopping list.

Mindfulness Yoga

The class was held in a smaller room today, but the light and the view (see the kitty in the window?) were so nice. The session focused on simple poses that build strength but don't require a lot of movement and more stretching which felt really good for me today.

I don't always eat enough protein, especially when mrC is on a trip (like the one he's been on all week), so I try to find easy ways to add it to my daily diet. Today I made a quick smoothie for lunch and some quinoa and tuna for dinner.

Berry Protein Smoothie Recipe:

1/2 c. frozen raspberries

1/2 c. frozen blue berries

1/4 c. almond milk

1 scoop vanilla protein powder 

3 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 c. spinach

1/4 c. greek yogurt

Cheesy Quinoa and Tuna

Cook 1 cup quinoa, then add

2 tbsp. greek yogurt

2 cans tuna 

1/4-1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Do you have a running/workout buddy?

Ever taken a webinar?

What's your favorite source of protein?

Not so Flow and Flexibility Achievements

Sometime last night as I lay on the couch Netflixing and scrolling my Instagram feed, I saw the daily post go up for the #RunnersLoveYogaFlow challenge. Since my day was essentially over, I saved it to do first thing this morning. And that's what I did.

#RunnersLoveYogaFlow

Day 2- reverse warrior

Three thoughts: I love that I know what this pose is without having to Google it. I can move through the flow sequence to get to it (yay). I really need to work on my leg position when I'm doing flow...to do this I think I just need to slow down.

Not wanting to waste a nice set of warmed up muscles, I went right on with my morning workout pre-coffee. NBD.

30 Day Pilates Body

Day 22 - legs

Most of the leg exercises in today's video were a repeat of my Pilates class yesterday. I almost couldn't do them today! Like the kneeling side kick. I could feel this one working my abs and back too, as I tried to keep my core stable. Hard work here!!

I had just enough time for a cup of coffee and some TV before yoga class. So much sadness in the news again. I used to run to sort through my emotions, but now I find that the challenge of yoga helps.

I made it to yoga without getting rained on. We are on a Yellow Alert through tomorrow which means a lot of rain in a short period.

Flow 70 with Lee

Lee turned out to be a man and my first male yoga instructor. Lee was good, but Flow was really more like Hatha. We practiced a lot of poses, some with variations, but we didn't really move from one pose to the next. I still liked the session though. Oh, and I really nailed, I mean NAILED, crow pose today.

After class, I made a smoothie for breakfast/lunch. 

The new "new" washing machine was delivered. The owner, Paulie, came along to oversee things. About an hour later the installer came to hook it up and again the owner was here to see it was done properly. 

Service in China is much quicker than the US. The Bosch repairman came the same day that we called in and two days later we have a new machine installed.

A month ago I vowed to improve my forward fold. Armed with great advice from my yoga pal Danielle, regular yoga classes on my schedule, and yoga challenges, I'm getting there! So today, I love my muscles for being flexible!