Lucky travelling

I'm incredibly lucky to be able to travel the world for work. This week, I was in NYC, then the UK, and am currently sitting in a hotel in Madrid, Spain.

I'm incredibly tired with the amount of travelling and work involved (including an international red eye flight sandwiched between two meetings), but there are definitely rewards for the effort. I'm remembering to be grateful for the opportunity, especially when I'm stressed, hungry, tired and sore.

Segovia is so very European and beautiful, even if the weather didn't cooperate with ominous clouds all around. 

I find feeding myself right and exercising to a plan difficult while travelling, but I do make the effort when I can because I just feel that much better when I look after my body. I have one final workout left of SHF and have been keeping up with the yoga challenge (with modifications to keep within time restrictions as needed). I've had fun with workouts, making full use of pull-up bars and squat racks when they've been available because, why not? 

I've made sensible food choices for at least 50% of the time, but the other 50% have been delicious but not too good for me. Roast suckling pig, meat platters and fried pig ears and pimento peppers anyone? Mmmmm fat.

Back to the UK (Scotland) tomorrow, then in London for a few more days before Atlanta, then finally home to Chicago for the weekend. Phew!

Happy and grateful indeed. Hasta luego!

Life goes full circle

So I'm back in NYC yet again, this time for a conference. While I don't particularly feel excitement anymore coming to the city that never sleeps, I'll always be grateful for the opportunities that bring me here.

After my post last week, I spent a day each in Columbus OH, Washington D.C. (or close enough) and Atlanta GA (not really, but the biggest city near where I was) before returning home. By Friday night, I was exhausted and honestly ready to do nothing. I didn't even unpack.

Not that I had much time to relax: the weekend was so busy that M had actually thought to put together a schedule (which actually made sure we got everything done). Chores around the house was followed by a yoga session, training, a well-deserved massage (ahhhh), a long drive in traffic into Chicago, dinner at Chick-Fil-A (not the healthiest choice but convenience sometimes just wins out), a spectacularly wonderful Jason Mraz concert and a nightcap affogato. That was just Saturday.

Sunday was less crazy: EPL + workout while watching, packing for the next fortnight, the Dr Who season finale while doing some paperwork before heading to the airport, a plane ride than then finally arriving in NYC. 

Back to the Jason Mraz concert though. I'm always amazed how music can bring people together. I have my doubts whether M and I would have gotten together if it weren't for the music or whether it would simply have meant we would have gotten together later. Perhaps the latter, but music and the the eloquence of how it phrases our emotions is to thank for a lot of things being put into motion. And that's pretty wonderful.

Sitting at the concert, I was consistently filled with wonder and inspiration and occasionally got a little teary, not only because Mraz's voice and songwriting are truly magical (because they are), but because everyone finds that music resonates within them at some level. I love feeling emotion (for the most part, sometimes I wish I didn't show it as easily) as it makes me feel alive. Needless to say, it was a very blissful 3 hours for me.

My workouts have been on point this week and I even managed a jog around Central Park with a colleague during the day (slowly for 4.4 km in 27:14). I've been keeping up with the YogaDownload challenge every day even though some days it's been hard to fit in even 20 minutes worth, and finishing up the final stage of SHF. I'm getting strong and it definitely feels wonderful. Now to find the next program to tackle. Any suggestions?

Eating has been less on point, with little indulgences here and here, but on the whole, it's been a good week. This week will be challenging, but nothing I can't handle. One more day in NYC, before heading back to Columbus, then on to the UK and definitely looking forward to spending the weekend in Madrid.

Life is wonderful.

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

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.