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!