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. 

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.

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*.