Check-in

I know I haven't updated yet this week, but it may have something to do with the crazy Glasgow, London, Atlanta, Chicago travelling that's been going on.

I've finished SHF and have figured that I need to go back to body weight workouts given the facilities situation for the majority of the next few months (read: practically none). Finishing up a 21 day yoga challenge has also inspired me to try a new flows, and *gasp*, flows longer than 45 minutes (because someone here finds it hard to concentrate after that long).

Promising more updates and photos later tonight. Mainly I'm glad to be back in my own bed, even if it's only for 2 nights before we set off on our next adventure.  

Slowing down

After being all ready to go on Monday, things have taken a bit of a downturn. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but workload has suddenly decreased for the next few weeks and I'm trying to figure out what to do with my time.

For the last few days, the miserable weather has meant I've been mostly confined indoors and so, perhaps understandably, I've been a restless and slightly disoriented.

This is when I'm grateful I've been working on building good habits: I'm still moving to some degree each day (weights circuit Monday & Wednesday, a short jog on the treadmill Tuesday, and stretching/yoga each day), eating plenty of produce, and learning what I can with Portuguese and Corporate Finance courses.

Speaking of produce, I had my first run at cooking with okra.

It's furry, slimy and a touch gloopy. Cooked down though, I must say it's pretty delicious, adding an extra element of flavour and texture to the West African beef curry I was creating. Maybe it's time to try a few more dishes with this interesting and new-to-me ingredient.

The last two days of the week ahead. They've just installed a new boxing bag in the gym downstairs so I'll probably play with that for my workout today. I'll find a yoga flow to ground myself and finally get my hair cut again tonight (it's been well over 3 months since I last tended to it). 

Doing what makes me happy

I must admit that the last few days have been challenging for me. More mentally than physically. Most people don't like not knowing what they're supposed to do and I'm certainly not an exception. It's not so much that work is too hard, or I'm struggling with where am I in life, it's just more generally I feel like I'm not going anywhere.

Sound familiar?

Then I sit down and realise that I'm always going somewhere. I'm always learning and even though most of the time I have no idea where the path goes, as long as I put one foot in front of the other, then I'll get somewhere. I've tried setting large goals and have found that it's only ever been somewhat helpful.

Maybe it's time to figure out what makes me happy.

Sweaty exercise makes me happy. Stretching makes me happy too and right now I'm enjoying/needing to free up my hips (this and this have been wonderful). Being restricted to vegan food (even if it's only for a few meals) doesn't make me happy, but eating lots of produce does. Tea makes me happy, so does coffee. Learning new things and breaking down problems also makes me happy. As does vegging out in-front of the TV and playing games.

So conclusion: plenty of things make me happy and for now, living a happy, healthy, loving life is enough. I'll find a big goal to chase one day, but not today, and that's perfectly alright. 

Weekend Musings

Weekends always feel too short, I think we all need 4 day work weeks, and 3 day weekends. I'm still trying to figure out what to do when the weather gets even colder given how freezing it is, and quickly it got so. 

Thankfully there's always warm curry mee to sooth the soul. So, maybe my vegan plan got derailed this weekend. Between beautiful Malaysian food, and large home-cooked breakfast, there really was no argument. 

My goal is to eat less meat in general, so I guess that affords me some flexibility. Speaking of flexibility, a little wine is always appreciated at the end of a long week. I'm still learning to appreciate Californian reds given I'm used to the robust Australian reds. 

Everything in balance though - I did make time to go to training (which I've been missing), walked for 2.5 miles on the treadmill while watching TV, and stretched our my poor muscles with some relaxing yoga flows. Just enough to keep active and my body mobile. 

I still haven't planned out my meals and workouts for next week, and really should given I'll be on the road again for a bunch of the time. I know that I'll have to otherwise keeping on track will be more challenging than it needs to be. But sometimes motivation is just lacking. 

Thinking about my goals for the month though might get me back on track. How about: 

• 20 minutes of yoga each day to treat my muscles 
• As much produce as possible before the winter hits for my health and to nourish my body
• Setting enough aside enough time with myself to figure out what I need

Experimenting with Meals

I’ve lost count of the number of blogs I’ve started then stopped after a few months (apart from EdiblePosts which is still trudging along with a lonely post every month or so). Started because I really just wanted to write. Stopped because I had too-high expectations of how often I would write and internal conflicts on what I should write about. So the remedy is to simply write about what pleases me. That generally revolves around food, fitness, travel and all the hobbies that are baubles that hold my attention for a brief period of time (or quite a long time if they’re especially shiny).

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a master of nothing, but an experimenter in plenty of different fields. Which is what makes life fun to me.

One such example, after reading a few of Michael Pollan’s and Mark Bittman’s books on eating and cooking, my newest experiment is to eat vegan before dinner, then eat without food-group restrictions for dinner. I’m on Day 2, and the experiment is somewhat contaminated already by a lapse in vegan-ness in breakfast for Day 2.

To be honest though, breakfast was still vegetarian (eggs) and M cooked it for me I have no reason to complain at all. So far though, my ‘as according to plan’ meals have been looking like this:

Breakfast: oats in flaxmilk with berries, nuts and flaxseed + a vegan protein powder and greens smoothie

Lunch: massive salad with vegetables, grapes, and beans

Dinner: a meaty stew (as a nod to the cooling autumn weather)

All supplemented of course by a steady supply of coffee and (new!) teas. Tea shops are my candy store. Farmers Markets are too, but that’s a different story.

I’ll be travelling for work for 2 days starting tomorrow though, so I’ll keep on track with both food and workouts as much as is sensible. Life is a balancing game of good nutrition, movement and managing stress though, so I refuse to let myself be stressed out if I ‘slip-up’ in any way. 

Rest weeks

I went into this week with the best intentions; I had all my workouts planned out (and was somewhat ambitious in my scheduling), and a list of new recipes I wanted to cook. Let's just say things really didn't pan out exactly like I wanted to.

First up, the heat rash I'd picked up during our layover in NYC flared up (itchy and painful) meaning that working up a sweat was a bad idea. I tried to soldier on Monday and Tuesday, before waving a white flag and allowing my body to settle and recover. Also, the program I'd decided to tackle relied too much on weight machines and without access to a gym membership, it wasn't really viable even when I made the kettle-bell substitutions I could.

On a brighter note, I'd managed to do all the yoga flows I'd planned including a 60 minute flow working up to Firefly pose, did a Tai Chi session (much to happiness of my body) and finished the week on a strong note with two body weight workouts today.

Unexpected rest weeks are pretty awesome.

Nutrition-wise, I ate well 90% of the time although did barely any cooking. I made the first recipe on my list but between M offering to cook (with delicious results) and low motivation on one occasion, the rest just didn't get shopped for or made. There's always next week though.

Not much on the excitement-front this week; plenty of work involved, with today being the highlight.

There were World Cup matches to watch at the local pub (and the final tomorrow to look forward to).

And the neighbour's tail-less cat chilling out on my yoga mat. 

Given I'm travelling to Texas for a meeting on Friday, my workouts for the week looks something like this:

• Sunday: rock-climbing, workout w kettle-bells; yoga to unwind (35) 
• Monday: bodyweight workout; yin yoga (35)
• Tuesday: workout w kettle-bells; detox flow (45) 
• Wednesday: bodyweight workout; core yoga (30)
• Thursday: workout w kettle-bells; wind-down flow (20)
• Friday: bodyweight workout; run; post-run flow (20); 
• Saturday: workout w kettle-bells; heart-opening flow (55)

I thought about what program I should do, and ended up revisiting one I'd completed previously. With my current workout equipment situation (yoga mat, resistance bands, kettle-bells only), it seemed like the option I'd be most likely to stick to, so consistency is trumping novelty this time around.

One question, should I schedule a rest day though? My body has managed over the last few years with little issue so I'm not entirely sure I need one, but given life has a way of throwing the unexpected at me, I figure rest days will happen even if I don't plan for them.

Given I didn't make the recipes I wanted last week, this week is about redemption:

• Turkey vegetable meatballs
• Cassoulet with lots of vegetables
• Eggplant dirty rice 
• Cauliflower chickpea curry 

Let's do this. 

Hurricanes and Flight Delays

Due to Hurricane Arthur causing havoc with flights in the Northeast, were stuck in NYC until Saturday night. As expected with a storm so close, the weather has been miserable with plenty of malicious-looking clouds and rain, rain and more rain. Still, we had a comfortable bed, warm sheets, and nowhere to go until Monday.

Then miraculously, Saturday was bright and shining, with the sky a brilliantly beautiful shade of blue.

As a further silver lining, we're were fortuitously stuck in NYC for the 4th of July celebrations, so hooray, fireworks!

As for the last month, my workouts have been based around what's available. Food choices have been similarly made.

It feels good to have access to a reliable grocery store and kitchen as I'm finally able to organise my meals, and a fitness plan for the week that I now have a higher chance of completing (and without having to shoot low due to uncertainty).

So my week looks something like this:

• Sunday (done)!: cardio warm-up and workout w kettle-bells; spinal yoga flow (30) 
• Monday: cardio warm-up and workout w kettle-bells; lunar flow (30)
• Tuesday: cardio warm-up and workout w kettle-bells + body-weight finisher; relaxing flow (20); 
• Wednesday: cardio warm-up and workout w kettle-bells; Hatha yoga flow (20)
• Thursday: bodyweight workout; Forrest yoga flow (45)
• Friday: run; post-run flow (20); Taichi + Wushu (maybe)
• Saturday: cardio warm-up and workout w kettle-bells; Firefly flow (60)

Phew, ambitious much?

Meal-wise, I've got the following planned:

• Kombu ginger chicken soup 
• Turkey vegetable meatballs
• Cassoulet with lots of vegetables
• Eggplant dirty rice 
• Cauliflower chickpea curry 

Looking forward to a productive week ahead. 

The End of the Journey: Ilhabela and Sao Paulo

The last three weeks have passed by in a blur. It’s hard to believe that we’ve traversed across Brazil and met so many friendly people in such a short space of time. Part of me is looking forward to getting back to some kind of routine (staying in strange apartments and hostels and not knowing where we’ll be eating next has a way of throwing a spanner in the works), but the greater part definitely does not want to leave this beautiful country.

I guess it doesn’t help that we spent a few days in the idyllic island of Ilhabela (“Beautiful Island”). Scuba diving, boating around to beaches, driving through forests in a jeep – paradise really doesn’t get better than that. Well, thinking about it a bit more, paradise without the evil bloodsucking, mad-itch inducing black flies would definitely be better.

Seriously though, look at this scenery...

From Ilhabela, we made our way to Sao Paulo, staying in the Vila Madelena area that was filled with weird and wonderful graffiti.

We risked some cheap street food (and survived), and made time to catch the sunset with some locals and their dogs.

For our last day, we lazed about in our hostel, checked out the Museum of Art Sao Paulo, enjoyed a lunch in the basement restaurant, before making our way to the airport.

What a trip. I managed to squeeze in some yoga/stretching each day, a few bodyweight workouts a week and plenty of walking so fitness-wise, I don’t think I’ve slipped too far backwards. Which reminds me, I need to find a new workout routine and set some goals (I’ve never been particularly good at that though so any suggestions are appreciated).

Our experience has been about trying the local food, and going on as many adventures as possible taking in both the cultural and natural beauty of Brazil. Oh, and catching a few football games as well (which if I’m honest, was the primary reason for the trip). We’ll definitely be back, and intend to see a lot more of South America next time around. 

Porto Alegre & Florianopolis

Holidays are glorious, especially when you get to travel from city to city in this beautiful country. After a few hot and humid days in Cuiaba, it was great to escape to the relative chill of Porto Alegre.

Of course, we were here for the Australia vs. Netherlands match. We went in somewhat expecting to steamrolled given they had just thoroughly thrashed Spain but were then taken on a roller-coaster ride; we played brilliantly, went 2-1 up at one point and the Socceroos made us all incredibly proud. What an amazing atmosphere and crowd to be a part of.

The boys celebrated with a big night out with some friendly locals after the game, but I retreated to stretch out and get an early nights sleep. Us introverts need a bit of 'me' time. 

A 6 hour bus ride from Porto Alegre took us to Florianopolis. Beautiful beaches, some stand-up paddle boarding (super fun) and a dip in the sea. 

The only downsides of paradise? There are hardly any places open for breakfasts, lunches are a 90% buffet affair and without a car, getting around involves plenty of walking and hills. Other than that - glorious.

Another night here in Florianopolis before another bus towards game 3. Tchau! 

Cuiaba

We're waiting at Brasilia airport for the next flight to Porto Alegre for the next World Cup match for Australia. So far Brazil has been wonderful, with plenty of very friendly people despite/because-of (?) the language barrier. Everyone is helpful and happy to answer our silly questions in broken Portuguese/English. Strangely enough, they always ask if we’re ‘Japonaise’. Maybe most of the Asians they see are Japanese?

Better photos from M’s camera will be coming after the trip, but I thought I’d share a few snaps from our first few days in Brazil.

The first meal I had on Brazilian soil was breakfast at Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport. A sweet and mostly healthy acai bowl with a side of bananas. Many of our other meals have been buffets with plenty of rice, beans and meat (delicious), or breakfast biscuits (definitely less so). One eats what’s around I suppose, although that probably doesn’t explain my newly formed Coke Zero habit. 

Onto what we did: the highlight so far has been the Australia v. Chile match of course. The atmosphere was incredible, with cheering fans and waves of excitement, with only the oppressive heat and sometimes splash of beer putting a very mild damper on things. It’s a pity about the result, but WE SAW AN AUSTRALIAN GOAL!!!! Hooray! Fingers crossed for a few more in the next two matches. 

Before the match though, we went on a very long walk around Cuiaba city. Rest stops in a park right in the centre of the city was needed.

The day following the game was dedicated to resting, and napping but the day after we tackled the Parque Nacional Chapada dos Guimareas. The weather was warm, but mostly tolerable, and with the help of a guide, we went on a 7km or so hike to see five waterfalls and a cave, complete with dips as needed to cool off. Seeing nature trumps seeing the city pretty much anywhere in my opinion. Food options in nature are lacking though, with unfortunately biscuits being the order of the day. 

Onto city #2! 

Mostly keeping on track

I can't believe another weekend has already flown by - leisure time sure does pass fast. I stuck to my fitness for the most part making sure that I did almost every session I scheduled (even though motivation was severely lacking at times). The only one I missed was Wushu, but by the time Saturday rolled around, my body didn't feel up for it and sometimes rest is just what's needed. Managing to squeeze in an additional yoga session more than makes up for it in my books too.

Smoothies each morning was a decent experiment although I'm not sure it's something I can do on a consistent basis as I feel like something more solid for breakfast. I cooked five of the eight recipes I wanted to try out and there was at least one keeper; chicken, yam and chard soup is nutritious, delicious and ridiculously simple to make. Perfect.

The weekend was equal parts relaxing and invigorating. Saturday we caught up with a few friends for a morning coffee, then wandered over for a Taichi session, before enjoying some melt-off-the-bone tender lamb shank at a local Pakistani restaurant, before ending the afternoon with some beers and cider in the company of numerous puppies and dogs at a fundraising event for the local shelter. 16,000 steps later and I was ready for a nap, followed by a 60-minute yoga flow, before tucking in for a deep sleep.

A sleep in Sunday was followed by a drive down to a lake almost an hour away. We spent the next few hours relaxing in the water and in the shade before heading back home for Chinese food, ice-cream and now unwinding before a few more days of work.

No photos from the weekend, so you'll have to settle for a picture of the neighbour's cat stalking me. 

With the amount of flying this week, workout and meals will be all over the place. The very tentative plan is to get in some yoga each day, even if it's only 20 minutes (and 1/7 sessions down for this week already), and do at least 4 body-weight exercises as I can do them. 

On the nutrition side, the only thing I have planned so far is to make a stash of protein bars for all the travelling. Other than that, we'll use up everything we have in the fridge, and everything else will likely be bought (with a view towards healthy purchases I hope). 

Not long now till this much needed holiday is upon us.

Not quite home-made soup

Ok, very much not home-made soup. But coming from my local grocery store with all natural ingredients and no artificial junk, it's almost as good as home-made.

It's even better than home-made when my motivation to cook is severely lacking. Still, the week has gone well so far - plenty of movement and new recipes and things have mostly followed the plan I made for the week. Of course, the one thing that didn't go to plan was that M's upped and gone interstate for a day.

I'm very glad that it's Friday soon though; weekends are simply more fun than weekdays (the lack of work responsibility and extra leisure time doesn't hurt a bit). Not too long until it's time to simply relax.

Loving lazy Sundays

I love lazy Sundays where you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do. Sleeping in is allowed, and thinking about work of any kind is forbidden (until at least 9pm at night). 

Of course, my capacity to sleep in has been greatly diminished by work. The all-too-often 6am starts tend to mean sleeping past 9am is close to impossible. Still, it means that there's time to squeeze in both a kettle-bell workout and a short yoga flow before even thinking about food. I'm still trying to make daily yoga a habit, even though this has meant some days I do an hour-long flow, and other days I do 5 poses and call it done. 

Right now I'm sitting near my local Whole Foods, sipping on an ice-cold coffee, planning out meals and workouts for the week. 

I'm relishing my last week of workouts with weights, wrapping up a program I've been on for the last 12-ish weeks, before enjoying the un-planned freedom of a holiday (although knowing me, I'll try to do some planning). I do have to plan my yoga or else I'll end up doing gentle stretching all the time! So my week looks something like this:

• Sunday (done)!: full-body workout w kettle-bells; twisting yoga flow (25) 
• Monday: Forrest yoga flow (45)
• Tuesday: full-body workout w kettle-bells; detox flow (25)
• Wednesday: core yoga flow (45)
• Thursday: full-body workout w kettle-bells; relaxation flow (20)
• Friday: Vinyasa flow (50); Taichi & Wushu 
• Saturday: full-body workout w kettle-bells; flow w backbends (60) 

There's currently not a rest-day in there, but next Sunday will definitely be a rest day, and I imagine my body will have plenty of time to recover on holiday. It'll be glorious.

As for food, I want to get more smoothies into my diet, so they'll form the majority of my breakfasts for the week. I'm excited to try some new, but simple recipes for lunch and dinner though. Tentatively, I'll cook: 

• Bunless burgers
• Tuna salad 
• Chicken, yam & chard soup
• Baked salmon
• Gingery brocolli & beef
• Grilled chicken w rosemary
• Salmon w coconut cream sauce
• Turkey & vegetable meatballs

Plenty of variety and plenty of food - just how I like it. Lots of fresh fruit for snacking will be in the grocery basket as well. I love summer and the abundance of sun-ripened fruit it brings! 

Here's to a productive week ahead *sips on coffee*. 

Plan B is always more fun than Plan A

Plan B is more fun than Plan A, simply because it holds the promise of so many what-ifs. I like my Plan B. While it's always been incredibly fluid, ranging from opening a bakery/cafe/bookshop, playing video games, to becoming a personal trainer, I think I've finally settled on a winner. Travel the world, house sitting and looking after people's beloved pets if I ever get sick of my Plan A. Not that it really gives a reliable income and certainly results in a nomadic life, my Plan B can be decidedly whimsical.

That said, my Plan A is doing me well so far. A lucky chain of events mean that I'm now living in Berkeley, California with days full of sunshine and laughter, with an amazing man by my side, traveling the US and UK for work (which is hard work, but has its undeniable perks), and am most importantly healthy. All-in-all a pretty wonderful deal (which I need to remember when I'm feeling frustrated and down).

Berkeley has been un-characteristically cloudy over the last few days; after almost a week straight of bright sunshine and warm spring temperatures, Saturday morning is overcast and just a little bit chilly. Still, it's the weekend and I refuse to be grumpy at the weather. Baking banana bread and filling the apartment with the most gloriously tantalisingly cinnamon smell lifts the spirits like nothing else. Well, almost nothing else. Eating the fresh-out-of-the-oven banana bread with a cup of strong coffee is probably even better. Mind you, the baking and eating happened late Friday afternoon so I may have gotten my weekend started a little early.

After a training session last night, all the tiny little muscles in my hips and legs are aching. You may think I did a super-intense workout, but no, I did a Tai Chi class. 75 minutes of Tai Chi is no joke, both mentally and physically. I suppose this all means I need to train more.

Now, a relaxing weekend awaits, a few more days of work then a well-deserved holiday.