Back on track

It's been an awesome time since I last wrote. Back in July I set myself a goal of running a half marathon before the end of the year. Check. Done it!

Last week I astounded myself by loving every minute of the 21.1k Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon. It was a stunning course that traversed around, over and under Dubai Creek. The highlights for me were the gorgeous, blue skies; the view of the rising sun reflecting off the buildings as I ran across Garhoud Bridge; and the awesome feeling of running alongside all the dhows on the creek. It was truly one of the best days (and achievements) of my life - made all the more sweet by sharing it with lovely friends.

Since then, I've been taking it a little easy. Easy as in the furthest I've walked is across the street to get a foot massage and a pedicure. Easy as in eating and drinking what I want. Easy as in doing pretty much nothing! My body (and mind) truly needed the rest, before embarking on my training program for my next half marathon...in 9 weeks!!!

So, today is the day that I'm getting back on track. I am fortunate that it's now school hols here so health is going to be my priority.

Goals:

1. Green smoothies :)
2. Eat to Live principles to rule my life!
3. Follow my 1/2 marathon training plan
4. Do yoga 1-2 times per week.
5. Do strength 1-2 times per week.
6. Sit in the sunshine.
7. Read
8. Live, love and enjoy!

I'm really looking forward to this next chapter :)

Day 98, 99, 100 +1

Day 98 I did yoga after school.

Day 99 I went for an outdoor run (5ks) as it was a cooler morning. I also did weights after school for 30 mins or so...before heading out ofr a fab dinner at one of our fave restaurants.

Day 100 was 100% a rest day! I capped off my very rewarding challenge with a massage after school. Disappointly, the massage sucked! My normal lady is on vacation, so I had to go with an unknown entity. I figured it would be fine since all the staff are usually great. This time, not so much. Not only was it not relaxing even one tiny bit - she HURT me! This is an example of what she did - picture me laying on my tummy, she folds my leg back at the knee and then with all of her body weight, she pummels my leg not once but twice so my knee totally jack-knifed. I literally let out a shriek of pain! From that point on I was very vocal in telling her not to wrench my shoulder out of the socket, not to bend my toes so far back they were touching the sole of my foot, not to PULL MY EARS really hard! I am telling you the woman was a psycho. On top of all that, she ripped me off. My one hour massage turned out to be barely 45 mins - not that I cared - I just wanted to get the heck outta there!!!

So, I'm thinking that I am now going to go somewhere on the weekend and get myself a GOOD massage. I certainly think I earned it over the course of my challenge! Speaking of earning things, not sure if I shared that I bought a stunning new white ceramic watch after running my 20ks. I love looking at it and being reminded of my achievement!

Today I kicked off my summer spa holiday with a 5k run - hard and fast intervals on the mill at 5am! Bliss :) (Although the colour of my face post run would suggest otherwise!).

Day 95, 96, 97

Day 95 I headed to yoga at the end of a long, busy and stressful working week. It was a great start to the weekend. Even better cos I came home to dinner cooked by Matt. Woohoo!

Day 96 I hit the treadmill and ran 11ks. I was a little apprehensive about being able to do a long run on the treadmill, but I found that I actually really enjoyed it. Here's why: It makes a nice change from running outside so there is a novelty factor; the A/C is my best friend at the moment - it was 44 degrees yesterday, so being able to run in cool comfort makes any possible treadmill tedium totally do-able; I listened to a Dr Oz and Oprah podcast - makes a nice change from tunes; I love being able to change my incline / speed and feel very in control. It took me 70 mins. I felt a million dollars after it and it was the start of a fabulous day that included surprise flowers from Matt!

Day 97 I went to the pool and did 40 HOT laps. The dang compressor in the pool is broken so it is HEATED BEYOND BELIEF!!! Think hot spa and you'll get my drift. I spoke to the pool guy when I got out and he said they're working on fixing it. I was like 'yeah - you might wanna hurry up with that'. I am pleased that I did not abandon my swim plans as soon as I got in the pool and realized how disgustingly hot it was. On hindsight, maybe I should have abandoned plan as I did not feel so great when I got out after my swim. Oh well, lots of water and a green smoothie later and all was well with the world again.

I also headed over to the gym and did weights for 50 mins. All good there :)

So this week's workouts consisted of:
1 x 5k run
1 x 11k run
1 x 30 mins bike
40 laps of pool
2 yoga classes
2 weights sessions.

Oh yeah baby!!!

Spa Holiday

We have a long break over summer here. It is one of the definite perks of teaching in an international school. Summer this year will include 10 days in China; 4 days in Singapore; 2 weeks in Queensland; 2 weeks in Adelaide; 2 weeks in Dubai; and finally, 4 days in the Seychelles. It is my goal that when we go to the Seychelles I will be looking and feeling as good as I do now - OR even better!!!!

When on vacation, there is a HUGE temptation to over-indulge, let exercise fall by the wayside and generally slide into a sugar and alcohol induced coma. Normally I am fine with this as I figure I work so hard during the year that I deserve a little break, so I live it up over the vacation big style! This rationale especially takes hold when I consider all the treats and delights that come my way on vacation, not to mention the delicious goodies that await me in Australia. Goodies that I cannot get my hands on over here, so I HAVE to make the most of them while I am back.

But you know what, this year I don't want to do that. I don't want to feel yuk. I don't want my skin to go all rashy again. I don't want to put on weight. I don't want to feel lethargic. I don't want to feel agitated. I don't want to feel that all my efforts in my 100 day challenge were in vain. All these things (and more) happen to me as a side effect of over-indulgence. And yet, somehow, in the past I have been prepared to put up with all these negative side effects just so I could eat what I (thought) I wanted.

But here's the difference: These days, eating what I want does not include unhealthy food. I want to eat fresh, wholesome food that makes me feel good - so that's what I CHOOSE to eat. Of course, I still have the occasional treat (see last night's chocolate) but by occasional I mean o.c.c.a.s.i.o.n.a.l. My food for 99% of the time is food that will nourish my body, give me energy and make me feel as though I am living my best life.

When I am in my normal routine I find it 100% easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I exercise without dreading it (in fact it's the opposite - I love it!); I drink my green smoothies religiously; I consume healthy food without even thinking about it; I have healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, partaking in leisure activities I enjoy and generally being very balanced.

And so comes the challenge.

The challenge will come on vacation in many forms. Can I resist the all you can drink and eat at the hotels we are staying at?(I mean we've already paid right, I may as well get my money's worth). Can I cope with the fact that maybe I won't be able to have a green smoothie every day? Will I really want to exercise first thing in the morning when I have been out late the night before and know I have a full day of siteseeing ahead? Can I say 'no thanks' to all the treats that will stare me in the face at the Central Markets and cafes of Adelaide?

You know what, I think I can. Why? Because I know what is best for me in the long run. And because I have a plan! Here it is:

1. I will exercise each morning. That will include running 3x per week (a mixture of interval, tempo and long runs - I want to clock 20ks a week); swimming; weights; yoga and walking. By getting the exercise out of the way early, it will set me up for a great day and ensure I don't run out of time later in the day.

2. I have bought some green smoothie powder and capsules for those days when we haven't been able to find greens / fruits. Whilst not as good as the real thing, I'm hoping these babies will still give me a boost.

3. I plan to buy a travel blender so that I can whip up smoothies in the hotel room.

4. I will have 4x glasses of wine max per week (maybe even less). This will still allow me to treat myself without going over the top.

5. I will have a sweet treat one time per week.

6. I will choose the healthy options when possible.

7. Most of all, I will be mindful of the choices I am making regarding everything I do. I will make the conscious decision to exercise. I will make the conscious decision to eat healthy. I will make the conscious decision to be mindful of every action that will affect my well-being.

By doing the above, I hope that I feel EXCELLENT at the end of the vacation (hopefully even better than I do now). Seychelles here we come baby!!

I always say that if I didn't work full time I would be the fittest person going. You know, with all that time on my hands, I would be free to workout when I feel like it and plan and prepare meals carefully. Well, here is my opportunity. I therefore plan to treat my summer vacation as a spa holiday. Bring it on!

And when will this start? June 16th baby. Yes. The day after my 100 day challenge finishes :)

Days 92, 93, 94

Day 92 I did 30 mins of intervals on the bike before school. At least I think I did - I can't remember back to Monday and whether I did a run or bike ride. But I know I did something. It's been that kinda week! Still, the week has not been all doom and gloom. I mean what's not to like about getting to the end of Monday and having a pedicure and foot massage after school, followed by dinner at one of my all time fave restuarants?! Mmmmm green papaya salad ...

Day 93 I headed over to the gym after school and did an hour or so of weights on the bosu and fit ball. The workout managed to revive me and give me energy for the evening.

Day 94 I did 5 ks of fast intervals on the treadmill before school (32 mins 30 secs). It was great!

Last night I was reading back over my posts from the start of the 100 day challenge. It is so good to have a record of all the hard work I have put in. I am so proud of the fact that I am still going strong. For the last 94 days, I have done at least 6 workouts per week (often more like 7-8). I have been super healthy with my eating (give or take the odd glass of wine or piece of choc). And the result, with 6 days to go, I am feeling fabulous. Clothes that have not fit me for years now fit. I have little / zero back pain. My knee pain is manageable. My skin is clear. I feel positive and balanced.

I know that this is just the beginning for me - I am shaping my new self. My fit self. The self I intend to me for the rest of my life.

I am actually a little sad that the 100 days is coming to an end next week. But never fear, I am currently in the stage of mentally planning my summer vacation challenge so that I do not undo all my hard work. Stay tuned!

Day 88,89,90,91

Day 88 was a rest day. I went for a 1 hour massage after school instead of working out. What a lovely end of week treat it was. Even more so as the place was having a 50% off special! Happy with that :)

Day 89 I got up at 4am and was running by 5am as Safa Park. I did one lap (3.4ks) before deciding that it was waaaaaaaaaay too hot. It was steamy, humid and baking hot. My legs felt good but my beetroot face did not. So I decided to head home and take my workout inside. I ran for a full hour on the treadmill - that is a definite pb for me as I have never done that before! I was listening to some podcasts, gazing at the pool and dreaming of floating up and down in it later that day. Turns out it was a good move to take my workout inside. It ended up being 47 on Friday!!!! At 5am it was already close to 40! Jeepers. Oh well. I guess the outdoor running in Dubai is now shelved until post-summer. Treadmill it is then!

Day 90 I swam 40 laps and then later headed to the gym to do weights, bosu and ball for an hour. Fun!

Day 91 I will head to yoga after school.

Day 85, 86, 87

Day 85 I did 30 minutes of intervals on the treadmill (3 minutes fast running / 30 seconds walk for 30 mins).


Day 86 I dragged myself to the gym to do weights. I was a bit rushed for time as we had been out shopping and then I was going out for dinner. A HUGE part of me wanted to go into a coma on the couch for an hour... instead it was off to the gym to pump iron and balance on the bosu. Of course I loved it. Of course I was pleased I went. Of course I felt like a baby for complaining about HAVING to go to the gym. That's why the phrase 'Just do it' is so apt. Just damn well do your workout and get on with your life! As someone wise once said, you know you ALWAYS feel better after a workout! And it made my yummy dinner out even more enjoyable :)

Day 87 I did 5 ks on the treadmill. (32 m 10 secs). I ran 3 minutes at 9.0, with a minute at 10.0 thrown in every 4th minute for 5ks. I don't usually do this style of run on the treadmill but I loved it. It was a great challenge to run at a swift pace, interpsersed with a fast minute, for 5ks.

Days 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84

Woah - looks like I'm getting lazy in my ole age! A week since I updated last? The good news is that it's only with my blogging that I've been lazy. Exercise is still going according to plan (ish).

Day 79 was a planned rest day :)

Day 80 my buddy and I did 5ks at 5am and loved it as usual. We're still surviving the heat - long may it continue! After school, I headed over and did an hour or so of weights.

Day 81 was a not planned rest day but I was too pooped to muster up any energy ... Coffee after school and a relaxing dinner at home won over exercise... I figured I'd make up for it over the weekend :)

Day 82 I did 10ks at Safa Park at 5am. It was a gorgeous, cool morning - 25 degrees with a breeze. Such conditions really would have been more conducive to 20ks ... unlike the sweat-fest of the previous week. I loved my 10ks cos it was a short(er,) totally do-able run. I just did it and felt great after!

Later that day I went to the gym and did an hour of weights. The bosu and fitball are my new best friends. They sure add a high degree of challenge to all weight exercises.

Day 83 I did 50 laps of the pool. I hadn't been swimming for a couple of weeks, so it felt good to be back in the pool.

Day 84 I did a post work yoga session. Loved it. As always.

Day 76, 77, 78

Day 76 after my mega 20k run, I decided that I would take it a little easy! I woke up feeling good - just a little tightness in my legs, but other than that, ok. I headed to the gym in the afternoon and did 30 mins of arm weights, followed by a great yoga class. My muscles thanked me for that one!

Day 77 I also went to yoga. It is honestly the best way to keep my muscles from getting too tight. (Along with my foam roller!)

Day 78 I got outta bed at 4.50am and did 30 mins on the bike - a nice change from running :)

Days 70-76

Wow - what a week it was!

Day 70 I intended to go to yoga after school but fell into a deep sleep coma and missed it!

Day 71 I did 30 mins on the bike before school. I enjoyed the change of pace from running!

Day 72 I lazed about.

Day 73 My buddy and I ran 5 ks before school.

Day 74 was a rest day. My three days of no exercise this week actually had a purpose ... I was saving my energy ready for the BIG ONE on Day 75 :)

Day 75 I did 20ks! Even as I type that I can't quite believe it. I woke up at 3.30 am and was running in the pitch black by 4.20am. It was a hot, humid morning with zero breeze. Given these yucky conditions I didn't know if I'd manage to do the 18-20ks I wanted to do. But I had my secret weapons. For the first time ever I had some "Gu" energy chomps. I popped one of those babies every 3 ks and I don't know if they worked or not, but at least I felt like they gave me an energy burst. I also had a few sips of Gatorade every 3ks or so. (Again a first for me). As I had not run that far before I was a little concerned about how my body would deal with the extreme amount of exercise and THE HEAT. Oh boy it was a hot one. I therefore decided that Gu and Gatorade were the way to go!

I felt great for the first 3 laps (10.2ks) and it was at that point that I thought I probably had this run in the bag. Lap 4 (up to 13.6ks) was the biggest mental hurdle for me and I knew if I could succesfully complete that one then I would be fine. I ran Lap 4 really well and felt great. Into Lap 5 (up to 17ks) I started to think of reaching 20ks and it went by pretty quickly. I also had a quote going through my head that Estee Lauder said ... something along the lines of "When I thought I couldn't keep going, I did not give up. My success is based on persistence, not good luck". Lap 6 (the last one) was a killer! All of a sudden my legs were so heavy and I felt like I was barely going forward. A nice man (who had also been running since 4.20am!) passed me (going the opposite way!!) and gave me some lovely words of encouragement. I thought ... just don't stop! I then walked about 1.5ks at the end and I am not joking when I say that even walking was very gruelling! I was looking at my legs willing them to keep moving!!! I wanted to walk to get all the lactic acid moving. I didn't time myself but I think the run took me over 2 and half hours ... now that is a damn long time to run for (in case you were wondering!!).

All in all I was very proud of myself, but oddly enough I did not even feel as proud of myself as after I did 17s a few weeks ago. I think I was just so exhausted at the end that I couldn't even muster up any emotion!!! I now reflect back on my 20ks with wonder and can't believe it was actually me who went that far! I am glad it's done.

I thought that would be the end of my long runs for a while (until it cools down again) but now I am feeling an odd compulsion to do another 20k run in a few weeks! We'll see :)

Day 67, 68,69

Day 67 was a rest day.

Day 68 I ran 12ks - I felt good until about the 10k mark and then the last 2 ks were really hard. I was hoping to do more ... but never fear, there's always next week. And I'm still very proud of my 12ks.

Day 69 I had a lot of penance to do. Last night I drank a bottle of wine. Seriously. It went down like water and tasted so good. I can't quite believe I drank that much. And felt fine.

In my 100 day challenge I have hardly touched alcohol, so I really thought last night's consumption would hit me hard. Lucky for me it didn't! Along with the bottle of wine, I also had a rather large amount of choc. Again, I've barely touched the stuff in 70 days, so I'm not quite sure where last night's frenzy came come. I really haven't even been missing it or craving it that much.

Anyway, I decided not to beat myself up over it - we all need a little treat from time to time. Right? RIGHT?!??!?

Instead, I decided I would take a proactive approach to my over-consumption. So I hit the gym. Three times.

Session 1 I swam 50 laps.
Session 2 I did a good weights workout using the bosu and fitball.
Session 3 I went to yoga.

Last night's sins now erased! At least that's what I'm hoping for :)

Today ...

Today I'm feeling ...

...pooped at the end of a week of loooong and busy days at school.

...healthy from my beloved green smoothies and healthy way of eating

...excited about my run tomorrow. I'm going to attempt a BIG one!

...proud of the fact that I am now 60+ days into my 100 day challenge and still going strong.

...anticpation about settling in on the couch tonight with the latest book I'm reading ... Shantaram. I'm about 70 pages in and loving it.

...calm

...balanced

...happy

All of the above makes for a smiling Michelle!

Day 65, 66

Day 65 I went to the gym after school and pumped some iron! Te he! It's been a looooong time since I've done weights. It felt good to be back at it. I gave a decent go of it and ended up doing about 40-50 mins of weights. Yes my arms were like jelly afterwards. Yes my arms are sore today. I really am going to try and do weights once a week. I've let it slide a little as I've been doing lots of yoga which I figure is a strength workout ... but I really should do weights too.

Day 66 my buddy and I did our 5k run before school. It's getting w.a.r.m out now but we soldiered on and in the end, it was a great run!

Day 63,64

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to exercise we go :) It's never ending this business of keeping fit!

Day 63 I went to hot, stinky, sweat-dripping-off-the-tip-of-my-nose yoga. And it's not even Bikram yoga. I can't even begin to imagine how hot I would get doing that!

Day 64 I rose and shone my way down to the treadmill to do a sweaty 5ks of fast intervals. There seems to be a great deal of sweat involved in all my workouts at the moment.

I read that watermelon is great for replenishing fluids after sweaty workouts, so this morning I made a watermelon / lettuce / alfalfa smoothie. It was pretty good but not my fave ... I think I might have needed a whole lot more watermelon. I put in about 1 cup...I'm thinking I probably needed about 3 cups. I love sneaking alfalfa into my smoothies ... an extra hit of green!

The only thing I am lamenting about the smoothies is that we can't readily buy kale or spinach of any kind here. That means I'm left to rotate my way through the many types of lettuce available. I'm becoming quite the lettuce conoisseur I must say! If you saw our shopping basket on any given day, you would think we had a lettuce fetish. With two of us drinking smoothies, we go through a crazy amount of greens! Still, could be worse things to fill your shopping basket with I guess!

Day 60, 61, 62

Day 60 I was kinda pooped after a busy week at school. We headed out for coffee after school and I kinda thought I didn't have it in me to exercise. But then we got home and I decided that really there is nothing better for me than to exercise when I'm feeling so tired, so it was off to the pool I went. It was crazy-Arab-men hour at the pool. Aside from that, I enjoyed my swim! And of course, I felt great for the rest of the evening.

Day 61 I got up and headed off to Safa Park at 5.20am. Not bad for the first day of the weekend! I had a planned a shorter run so that's what I did - 3 laps / 10.2 ks. I love that 10.2ks now qualifies as a short run :)

Day 62 I'll head to yoga this evening.

What a blissful weekend of relaxation, hanging by the pool, going out for dinner and exercise it's been!

Days 57,58,59

Day 57 was a rest day.

Day 58 I did a HARD interval run on the treadmill before school. I ran fast and felt good!

Day 59 my buddy and I did our 5k loop. It was a beautiful morning and I am so thankful that it's not yet too hot to run outside! I certainly wouldn't run during the middle of the day as we've been hitting the high 30 degree mark, but running early in the morning is still quite pleasant! Long may it continue!

Day 56

Yesterday I ended up going to yoga to stretch out my post-17k-legs. My legs loved it!


Today after school I trundled off to the pool to swim some laps. The pool's been closed for renovations for about a month, so it was sooooo nice to just walk across the road to the gym and jump into the pool. I loved it and felt so good afterwards. A perfect end to what was a fairly long and tedious day at school.

You may recall that I set myself some running goals at the start of my challenge. Upon achieving each goal, I was gonna reward myself with a little something! So, as it goes these have been my rewards for doing things I never thought possible!

12k run - I pod shuffle
14k run - Day Spa with a friend
16k run - which actually was a 17k run - New makeover and makeup from MAC! I had fun yesterday being 'made over'. I ended up buying new foundation, blush and 2 eye shadows. The lady taught me some great new tips, so I gave them a burl this morning. I liked the look and how natural the makeup looks!

I love having my little rewards to keep me going! Although I must say that actually just achieving the goals is motivation enough! I look back at my 12k goal and feel so proud of how far I have come. Honestly, in my very overweight and very unhealthy days, never in a million years would I have thought I would be able to run 17ks. I really like who I have become - a healthy, focused individual who exercises for kicks rather than stuffing my face with whatever food is near! Well, most of the time anyway!

Day 53,54,55

Day 53 I had a rest day! It obviously paid off cos on Day 54 I did something that I never really thought I would be able to do! I ran 17kms! Yup - a long way huh! It was a great run and I felt good the whole time. I mentally broke it down into a lap-by-lap approach. Each lap of Safa Park is 3.4 ks. I ran 5 laps, making a grand total of 17ks. I love the lap concept as it easily allows me to picture my distance. I was (and am) still so proud of myself. I broke down into tears of elation when I finished! I am slowly but surely edging my way to my goal of being about to run 20ks. It is looking more and more likely that this goal is well within reach:) I celebrated my run yesterday by having a few beers, a couple of mojitos and watching the Royal Wedding at a fun beachside bar! It was a great day.

Day 55 I will go either to yoga or swimming :)

Day 51 & 52

Day 51 I got out of bed as promised and hit the treadmill. After 20 sweaty minutes, I thought I was going to puke. So in the interests of preserving my body, I settled on just 20 mins (instead of 30) on the treadmill then finished off with 10 mins on the bike.

Day 52 my buddy and I hit the pavements for our morning 5k run. It was really hot but it was a good run!

Hopefully, that is now all the sickness out of me and I can get on with my challenge!

Days 46 -50

Jeepers! I thought it was waaay longer than 5 days since I blogged. Phew.

Days 46-49 I was down and out for the count. A massive headache and a crazy fever took me by the shoulders and shook me up real bad! All I could manage was a yoga session on Day 49 once I finally got rid of my fever.

I'm still not sure what exactly I 'had'... I have two theories:

1. It was a detox reaction to my green smoothies. Although I am now into Week 3, so it was kinda a late reaction????
2. A REALLY bad bug was trying to take hold of my body, but cos I'm so healthy now cos of my green smoothies, my body fought it off and all I got was the fever / headache?

All I know is I'm happy I'm better!

The other good news is that I was so mega healthy over Easter. I easily maintained my healthiness. Easter Egg count = ZERO!!! First time I can say that's EVER happended! And I did it without even trying! These green smoothies make you crave healthy food...honestly! Hot Cross Bun count: Three. But I didn't even enjoy them much and we have had 8 leftover hot cross buns sitting in the fridge for days!

Today (Day 50 - woohoo! Half way!) it was back to school after the Easter break, so it was also an exercise free day. Just getting through a school day was a major acheivement given how yuk I've been feeling! Anyway, I survived, so rest assured I will be on the treadmill at 5am tomorrow!

Day 44 and 45

Day 44 I took the liberty of having a day off exercise! I generally try and 'force' myself to take at least one day off a week. I say force as I really do love exercise and often do more than one session a day ... so I figure my body probably needs a break from time to time. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Day 45 my running buddy and I headed out to a warm, foggy morning. It was quite lovely but we both sweated a crazy amount due to the high humidity. Yuk! Love my morning runs! 5ks done before 6am - happy with that!

Day 42-43

Day 42 I went to Power Yoga. This is such an intense workout! Who ever knew that literally stadning still could make you sweat so profusely. I loved it...as always :)

Day 43 I went running at 4.50am with my buddy. It was a gorgeous, cool morning and we both loved it!

We're both still loving our smoothies. We hit the 2 week mark yesterday and are still going strong! I look forward to them every morning! I also usually have one when I get home from school - a lovely after school treat! Seriously. I have started putting just one lot of fruit in each smoothie as I find I am really craving the 'green' taste and one lot of fruit makes it sweet enough for me. Plus, that means that I have 2 servings of fruit a day which I think is enough for me as I don't like to have too much sugar.

So there you go! Something must be working cos today I'm wearing my new skinny denim skirt ... a few weeks ago it was too tight to comfortably wear it! Yay!

Days 37 - 41

Don't ask me where last week went! It was a blur of early mornings, late afternoons and general back-to-school craziness. Phew - I was pooped.

Day 37 & 38 I was lazy and didn't do any exercise :(

Day 39 I went for a 5 am run with my friend.

Day 40 I was lazy and didn't do anything.

Day 41 I kicked some major butt and ran 14ks! No joke :) It was a fabulous run and I loved every minute. It was just one of those days where I felt good and every step was not a battle.

I left home at 5.30am to beat the heat - now that is some major commitment if you ask me! The run was complete with the following 'incidents'. .. running 14ks takes a long time and therefore there is a big window of opportunity for 'things' to happen :)

1. I swallowed a bug. As if breathing isn't already hard enough!
2. I had a full on collision with an oncoming walker ... who clearly does not understand the principles involved in avoiding a collision i.e do not step DIRECTLY into my path as I am coming towards you. I was all set ready to pass her without incident and next thing I know, she took a step to her right meaning she stepped straight into my path. OMG. It's not rocket science lady. Thankfully no injuries were sustained.
3. A lovely man who was running the opposite way to me cheered me on saying I was doing great!!!
4. I got the BIGGEST smile from a little old granny who was trying to run! So cute.

So that's that. Overall I feel I probably should have done at least one more workout somewhere in the week. But hey, I guess 1 yoga session; 30 mins on the bike; a 5 k run and a 14k run ain't too bad.

Day 34, 35, 36

Things are going along just nicely in the excercise and health department. We had last week off school, so it was nice to chill and focus on being healthy. Matt is also getting into the groove which excites me no end!!

Day 34 I went for a swim. 40 fabulous laps.

Day 35 I went to yoga. What a perfect end to a stressful and ultra busy day at school.

Day 36 I got up to do a treadmill run, but our gym at home had no lights due to a storm last night. Fearing I may fall off the treadmill in the dark, I opted for a 30 minute bike ride instead! It was great to have a little break from running and mix it up a little.

L.O.V.I.N.G my green smoothies. This morning I had apple, pear, parsley and a giant amount of greens. It may well have been the best yet :)

Day 30, 31, 32, 33

Apparently I am getting a little lazy with my blogging! No new posts for 4 days ... oops! I kinda put it down to the fact that I am in take-it-easy-vacation-mode :)

Day 30 was a rest day.

Day 31 was a 5k run around the 'hood. This run was inspired by Matt. He took himself off to the gym for the first time in ages ... and this prompted me to get off my butt and go for my run!

Day 32 was hard core yoga session. Love the end of week stretch fest.

Day 33 was a 10.2k run.

I was a little disappointed my with run today as I had thought I would try and do 14ks. But alas, for some reason, the planets did not align and I settled for 3 laps of Safa Park - a solid 10.2ks. I would say that's still a pretty fair effort, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little peeved that I didn't meet my goal.

But in the interests of looking on the positive side ...
1. 10.2ks is still is damn long way.
2. I still loved every minute (easy to say now that it's over!)
3. I have a new i-pod shuffle with some great new tunes!
4. I had a good ole think about life ... I love how running gives you time to do that. I decided my key word at the moment is 'journeying' - literally and metaphorically.
5. Doing a shorter run meant I did not injure my knee / back meaning that I will be better and stronger for my next run.
5. Next week will be better cos I am determined to make it so!

In green smoothie news, things are going great! Some of my fave concoctions have been lemon / mint; pineapple / orange and orange / mint. I love also adding in a big handful of parsely and of course, lots of amazing greens! I have honestly never felt so energised as I do after drinking one of these babies.

I am loving them so much, that as I was running this morning, all I could think about was how much I was looking forward to my post-run green smoothie. Who would have thought, hey?!

Day 29

Powered by my green smoothie I did a great 5k interval treadmill workout. It felt like I was running really fast...

But, as it turns out, I was probably close to my normal interval pace as I still did the 5ks in the same amount of time as it normally takes me.

But I'm telling you, that green smoothie made me feel like I was flying, so that's the story I'm sticking to!

Green Smoothies!

It's official! My friend Rach has inspired me so much that today I had my first ever green smoothie!

I made it with 400mls water; 2 handfuls endive; 1 nectarine; 1 orange; some mint; 1 handful of parsley and a squeeze of lemon! I loved it!!!

My smoothie looked a lot like this.

Thanks to cari-fit.com for the image!

Matt was curious about what I was doing, so I explained the wonderful effects that green smoothies have had on my friend. After showing him Rach's blog and pictures, he was sold and he asked me to make one for him! My husband ... the man who does not 'do' healthy ... let alone ask me to make him a GREEN smoothie!! So for Matt is was 400ml water; 2 handfuls endive; 1 orange; 1 apple + a little bit of parsley that I sneaked in! He loved it and has told me that he will have green smoothies every morning for a month!

THANK YOU, Rach! I am so inspired by your journey and so thankful for sharing it with us! xo

Who ever knew something so damn healthy could taste soooo good :) Here is a great website I have found to answer some of my questions.

Day 27 and 28

Day 27 consisted of buffet breakfast, hours lazing by the pool with the greatest distance I covered in 8 hours being when I swam approx 50 metres to the swim up bar for a beer, happy hour on the balcony and a fabulous seafood pizza for dinner. Oh baby. These types of days are so rare ... I loved every second... but as always ... good to get back into being healthy...

Day 28 ... healthy food and yoga! Here we go again!!

Day 25 and 26

Day 25 was a hard core Power Yoga session! So hard, but so good for my muscles! A little post-yoga / start of Spring Break celebration was had in the form of a couple of glasses of vino and 2 mini Cherry Ripes all the way from Australia!

The little celebration made my Day 26 run a little challenging!!! Still, I got up and did my 5k Mirdif loop so happy with that.

We are now heading away for 2 days, so I'm guessing a little exercise and healthy-eating hiatus is in order :)

Day 24

I did the best interval workout on the treadmill this morning! A few weeks back I tried my first pyramid workout ... I decided today was the day to try one out again!

It consisted of the following:
3 mins warm up walk
1 min 8.6kph
1 min 9.6kph
1 min 8.6kph
2 mins 9.6 kph
2 mins 8.6 kph
3 mins 9.6 kph
2 mins 8.6kph
4 mins 9.6kph
2 mins 8.6 kph
5 mins 9.6 kph
2 mins 8.6kph
2 mins 10.0kph
1 min 10.6 kph
1 min 11.0 kph

Yup - at the end I was pooped! But oh boy I felt good.

Day 23

Today calls for a "Feel Good List". A few years ago when I was working at Endeavour, a staff member shared her Feel Good List with us. She looks at the list whenever she is feeling down and then chooses something off the list to do that will help elevate her mood. I've always thought what a great idea it is and have mentally gone over my list many times. After a rough couple of days, I have decided it is time to formally write my own feel good list. So here we go .. in no particular order ... the things I love to do and the things that make me FEEL GOOD!

1. The outdoors ... anywhere, anytime, anything. I love everything about being outside.
2. Sunshine ... kinda related to number one but special in its own way.
3. Flowers! I bought some gorgeous pink tiger lillies last night and I could not stop looking at them!
4. Exercise. I love what a mood elevator is is and I love pushing my body to do things that I never thought I would be able to do.
5. Reading a good book.
6. Reading my favourite blogs.
7. Reading the New York Times "Most popular" stories on my I-Pod Touch ... always so interesting and thought-provoking.
8. Laying on the couch, with a blanket pulled up over me and gazing out the window.
9. Finding new healthy recipes and cooking them.
10. Eating lovely homecooked meals.
11. Listening to relaxing chilled out music.
12. Decaf lattes.
13. Dining out and about at fabulous restaurants.
14. Swimming.
15. Travelling!!!!
16. Finding the perfect purchase when out shopping.
17. Talking on Skype with my family.
18. Last but not least ... My husband!

Day 22

Today I'm having kind of a blah day. You know, one of those days where sometimes people's actions make you feel as though you are back in junior high. I swear that for as long as I live, I will continue to be perplexed by the actions of humans. Why can't we all just be kind and loving people? Life would really be much easier that way.

Anyway, my day started off with a reluctant drag-my-ass-out-of-bed at 4:50am maneuvere. I am pleased to say that I was successful and what followed was an energetic and utterly exhausting 5ks of hard intervals on the treadmill. I haven't been doing my intervals as much just recently as I really prefer to run outdoors. But, when it's dark and you don't have a running buddy, I always opt for the safe option and workout in the safety of the gym!

Thank goodness I started my day with such a great workout. I hate to think what a crazed mess I would be (due to circumstances from paragraph 1) if I did not work out this morning!! I totally find that exercise is the best stress relief and mood elevator. Morning workouts, in particular, usually set me up for a fabulous day.

Anyway, let's hope the mean girls learn how to be not so mean and let's hope I learn to deal with it better and not take it so personally. There are still many hours left in today and I feel a resolve to make this Monday a wonderful one! If all else fails, at least I'm getting my hair cut tonight ... one of my favourite things to do!

Day 19, 20, 21

Wow-wee this little 100 day challenge of mine is chugging along :) I am still yet to work out (no pun intended) what my 'reward' for the 20 day mark is ... I'm thinking a new little i-pod shuffle seeing as how my 4 year old 'ole faithful' is suddenly saying a resounding NO to being soaked in sweat every time I work out! Oh, how pleasant and charming some aspects of exercise are...

Anywho... Day 19 I had thought I would go to yoga, but shopping and a glass of wine to kick off the weekend won instead!

Day 20 was 40 glorious laps of the pool. Gotta love the sunshine while swimming mid-morning on a Friday. Pure bliss.

Day 21 was 7.8ks (2 laps) at Safa Park. Seeing as how I had already done my 8.9k run on Wednesday, I decided not to push it and 'just' do 7.8. Also, one of my friends was also keen to do 2 laps, so that's what we did. It was damn hot, so in the end I was pleased that I was not doing a longer run. And yes, Lime Tree for breakfast after did occur...

Oh, and PS... I am still working up to my icecream indulgence...

Day 18

Above is the group of teachers from my school who ran.

On Wednesday, 23rd March, a group runners and
walkers met at the Meadows, Dubai for an 8.9 km run to
contribute in their way to help raise money and
awareness for the tragedy that has hit Japan. There
were approximately 300 men, women and children,
many waving Japanese flags and/or colours. It was
a fabulous run around the beautiful lakes and
fountains of the Meadows sub-division. There was such a positive energy and, after a few words of appreciation,
many of us started off with a tear in our eye.

I truly loved doing something positive and healthy for the people of Japan. It is so hard to watch the images on tv as a feeling of helplessness seems to overcome me. By partaking in this run I felt that I was able to help the people of Japan just a little bit.

Oh, and from a fitness perspective, the run was awesome. It was a great distance, around a beautiful lake and the evening was just divine. As the sun set over the Marina, it really made for an awesome backdrop to the run!

I had never run in this area before but I think it won't be the last :)

Day 14, 15, 16

Day 14 was spent recovering from my long 13.2k run in the best way I know how - with a deluxe visit to the spa at the Park Hyatt! This is most definitely my favourite place in Dubai! The day consisted of a 105 minute spa treatment (facial and massage), hanging by the pool and dining. Truly, I can't even begin to convey the serenity of this place.

Day 15 was a yoga day! Loved every minute. As always!

Day 16 was a 5am 5k run. A great way to start the day.

Overall I am feeling really good. I am, however, having the most annoying craving for icecream! I think it is due to the fact that summer is coming. And we all know that summer is merely a synonym for icecream :) Anyway, this weekend (if I adhere to all my fitness goals for the week) I plan to indulge. I am currently mentally sifting through where I think I'll get the most satisfying icecream from...

Days 12 and 13

Wowzers ... it's been a busy and fulfilling week. In.between all the exercise, I have also been out for dinner twice and to the movies once! Oh, and of course, maintained my job which is no mean feat!!! Especially seeing as how it's report writing week. AND add to that the anticipation of the birth of my youngest sister's first baby. She's now 12 days overdue. This waiting patiently business is doing my head in.

Exercise wise ... Day 12 was the best yoga class I had ever been to! I was kinda in a slump at the end of a hectic week so I decided on the spur of the moment that another yoga class was what I needed. That makes 3 yoga classes this week. Yes muscles, you can thank me any time you like by loosening the hell up. Anyway, what made this yoga class so good, was that you held the poses for minutes at a time. I love knowing that I am stretching out all my aches, pains, knots etc from running. I just adored the class. And magically, by the time that hour was up I was brimming with energy and no longer in a slump. I love how exercise does that to you!

Today was mission Safa Park. Again I really hoped to do at least 12ks but I was really apprehensive that I might not be able to match last week's accomplishment of running the furthest I've ever run. Anyway, once again, I felt good while I was running and ran my way to a new PB - 13.2ks. 4 whole laps of Safa Park. No joke! So happy with myself.

A little reward tomorrow in the form of a spa day at the Park Hyatt with one of my buddies. I think I've earned it :) Pampering... here I come.

Day 11

Today started at 4.50am with what was supposed to be a 5k interval run on the treadmill. To say my heart was not in it is an understatement. Even as I was walking downstairs to the gym, I wanted to turn around and go back upstairs.

Anyway, I did make it to the gym and ended up doing an easy-ish 3k interval run (20 mins of one minute sprints and 30 seconds walk) and then 10 mins on the bike. Better than nothing hey!

Having said this, I am a firm believer in listening to your body. I truly believe that on those days when I don't feel like I'm up for a hard workout, it's because my body is in need of a something a little easier. Normally I love my workouts and really embrace exercise so the fact that today was not one of those days doesn't worry me too much. Rather, I am focusing on the fact that despite r.e.a.l.l.y.n.o.t.w.a.n.t.i.n.g.t.o.w.o.r.k.o.u.t I still did 30 mins of cardio.

After school today, my workout buddies and I are going to yoga and then out for dinner. I have never been to this particular yoga class but apparently it is amazing! Can't wait!

Day 8 and 9!

Day 8 was a wonderful hour of yoga goodness. Oh how my muslces needed to be stretched out from their shrivelled cocoon state after my long run yesterday. I am sure I could see my legs muscles literally expanding before my eyes with every extra second that I held the poses. The meditation at the end wasn't bad either!

Day 9 started at 4.50 am (yes you read that right!) - meeting up with one of my running buddies to do the 5k Mirdif Loop. It was warm out and this instills me with a little bit of anxiety that summer is on its way!!! Most people would get excited about the approach of summer. I used to be one of those people. Until I moved to Dubai.

Day Seven

Day Six doesn't get a post cos I didn't do any exercise :) I was saving up for this morning's run ... I aimed / dreamed / envisaged to do 12 ks. I was kinda more hopeful than anything that I could actually do it!

Turns out I could ... and more! I miscalculated on the maths, so I ended up running 12.3 ks.

Do you know that this is the furthest I have ever run?!

And I did it all by myself cos our running group members were ill / otherwise occupied. It was a great run - I felt fab the whole time.

So, even though I was by myself, I needed to celebrate. Limetree for breakfast it was. Amazing how good a banana smoothie can taste after a giant run.

Unfortunately, I also got scrambled eggs. While the were yummy at the time, I have been feeling queasy all day since eating them. I think it's cos since I moved to Dubai I haven't eaten many eggs and now my stomach can't handle them. Actually, I have no idea if that's the reason, but that's what I'm going with.



This is Safa Park - betcha never knew the desert could be so green and lush! There is a 3.4 km track that goes around the park. Most of it is beautifully shaded and I love gazing at the greenery as I run. Also, it makes it really easy to calculate your distance. (Today's error an obvious exception that that!)

Day Five

A great after school swim of 40 laps capped off a great week of healthiness!

Day four

Day four started with a 'pyramid' interval run for 30 mins. It was great and it was the first time I have run the whole time with intervals ... up until now my intervals have been walking interspersed with fast running. Proud of myself but feel I could have pushed myself to go a little faster in the fast intervals. Still, for the first workout of this type, I was happy with how it went.

I also headed to Body Balance in the evening. I usually love Body Balance but I do not love egotistical, primadonna instructors who roll up 15 minutes late! Then, this instructor proceeded to conduct the class as though it was all about him. Like a "Look at me, look at me, I'm so fit, see what I can do!". I was over it before it even started, but I still stayed and did the class (begrdugingly!).

Note to self: Give Body Balance on Wednesday night a miss :)

Day Three

Today is a rest day from excercise ... mainly cos I am getting up at 4.50am tomorrow to go for a run and then I also have yoga tomorrow night.

As for today, I am excited cos I have just started to sprout some goodies for the first time. So, in a few short days, I should have a bounty of mung bean sprouts! Good for you in so many ways.



Project mega healthiness is going strong!

Day Two

Today consisted of hours of sitting through a professional development session. During the session, it would be accurate to say that for a good 80 percent of the time, I dreamed of my after school swim. (The other 20 was spent dreaming of what I would cook for dinner... I settled on yummy salmon pasta). As for the course, yeah not so much thinking done about that.

It was pure relief, therefore, to finally break the cool, clear water with my first splash and begin my 40 laps. What a great way to finish the day! Swimming still remains my fave form of excercise.



In other health news, I am now having withdrawals from putting the kybosh on my decaf latte consumption. I gave up caffeine about 4 months ago and slowly started bringing decaf lattes into my life. I've decided that since I was at the point of craving one every day that they can't be too good for me. So, I'm now going to have just one decaf latte a week. But my question is this: How can I be so addicted to decaffeinated coffee? Hmm, maybe those baristas have been playing funny buggers on me...

Love the coffees from Limetree ... a wholesome, fresh and delicious cafe that we frequent each Friday after our long run!

Day One!

Day one of the 100 Day Challenge is here!

I woke up at 5am and bounded out of bed with as much excitement as one can muster at that time of the morning. After a 4 day hiatus from excercise, due to my bad back, I was looking forward to a run. I also felt the very intense need to burn off some of those calories from the weekend ...

Apparently, however, my body was not quite so happy to be excercising. It went into some kind of protest within about 2 minutes of my run. Everything ached and my breathing was so labored it was as though last night's oily pizza had clogged my lungs! I was not a pretty site as I dragged myself around my Mirdif 'loop' - a distance of approx 5 ks.

But ... I did not give up. I did not stop. I did not even slow my pace. There is work to be done on this body, my friends... and work it is that I will do.

And of course, when I got home I marvelled about what a great run it was and how fabulous I felt. Isn't it amazing how once the said torture is over, the mind forgets and your body thanks you??

When I got home, I did a mega foam roller stretch and had a warm shower ... all was well with my world.

Then, to give my body some energy at the end of the day(after a gargantuan day of sitting during a training session), I headed off to the gym and did 30 mins of weights / stretching.

So yup, proud of my achievements for day one!

100 day challenge

This weekend we headed away to what's called 'The Empty Quarter'. This is an amazingly isolated place just on the Saudi / UAE border ... err... hence the name. Honestly, it is one of the most stunning places on earth I have ever been to!

Along with much dune-viewing and relaxing, there was much eating and drinking. So in the spirit of doing things properly, I am doing two things evening. 1. Having pizza and wine for tea to round off a weekend for over indulgence 2. Setting some new health related goals! Hands up if you think there's something wrong with this logic?

So, there are approx 110 days until we depart for our summer vacation ... so I am going to do my 100 day challenge!

Each day I am going to set a goal ... be it food / excercise / mind / balance related. I am also going to record on my blog my daily food intake and excercise! Some may find this boring but I think it will really keep myself accountable.

Main goals
1. To have NO MORE back or knee pain ... I will up the ante on my yoga / foam rolling / stretching
2. To be able to run 20 kms by the end of the 100 days!
3. To do a lot of crosstraining to condition my body so that I can run 20kms! ... swimming / yoga etc
4. To maintain my normal pattern of eating unprocessed, natural and healthy foods.

I also plan to reward myself! Things such as shopping, foot spas, fine dining etc should fit the bill quite nicely! All this will help me to be a tank top and short wearing running machine come June :)

I love being healthy and am looking forward to getting started on the above!

Done!

V happy with myself! After fighting off the bugs that had me way-laid for two days, I managed to run the 10k at the Western Mina Seyahi Hotel today! It was a great route, out along the marina, then through the stunning gardens of the hotel. I didn't feel great running - it was one of those days where I just didn't seem to loosen up ... BUT I still ran the whole thing in a time of 65 minutes! Proud of myself. A group of about 7 of us did it - good times!

I am now laid up on the couch, where I plan to stay for the rest of the afternoon! I will keep ploughing through my new favourite blog losingweightinthecity.com I have 70 more pages to read before I am up to date! I have so far read about 170 pages ... now that is some dedicated blog reading! Ummm, I'm thinking my run will counteract the extreme couch session that I am planning :)

In other fitness news, I decided I would purchase a foam roller. I went with the mini edition, so 'only' parted with 40 bucks instead of 80 bucks for the full size one. I just put it to use and loved it! I am sure my knees, hamstrings and other suspect parts of my body will love it too. My wallet, not so much but oh well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Hmm...

Oh my goodness I take my health for granted. I say this after a night of being violently ill with vomiting and stomach pain so bad that it brought tears to my eyes.

After contemplating a trip to the hospital at 4am, I managed to fall asleep... only to wake up and endure 6 more hours of pain and vomiting :(

Anyway, I must now be starting to feel a little better cos all I can think about is the fact I have to be better by our 10k race on Friday! ... That and wondering if spending 80 bucks on a foam roller to help me with my stretching is a ludicrous amount of money to spend on a bit of foam.

Please stomach, continue to behave, I have exercise to do...

January

January has been wonderful!
I set myself some very clear goals at the start of the month and for the most part I have achieved them.
Achievements:
- Being a very dedicated gym go-er. Body Balance, Body Pump, Yoga... oh how I love these classes! Having lovely friends to attend with makes the workout even more fun!
- My running has improved big time! On a Friday morning, we are now regularly running 10kms. To think that in early November, just after recovering from back troubles, I could barely run 3.5 ks! This Friday we have a 10k run and I can't wait! 10 years ago, who would have thought that such things would excite me so much! Oh, who am I kidding, 2 years ago who would have thought such things would excite me!
- I have been mega healthy ... natural, unprocessed foods. Lots of fruit, veg, legumes and wholegrains. I have had wine on 2 occasions during the month!
- I have discovered some awesome fitness blogs. My fave by a million miles (other than my sister's!) is losingweightinthecity.com. It is simply awesome. Check it out!
- I have 'found' some great new music and have made the most awesome 'Relax' playlist on my I-Pod.

Still to work on / goals for Feb
- Bring reading back into my life! I feel that I feel too much time checking out blogs! Need to find some balance here...
- Work on my sore knee. With all the running we have been doing, my right knee has taken a bit of a beating. To solve this problem, I am pretty sure I need to stretch out my hamstrings and quads a whole lot more than I currently do.
- I am still on the search for some sort of craft that will fit into my lifestyle. I have thought of knitting and crochet - but let's face it, when I live in a climate as hot as this, do I really need woolen products? I then considered embroidery, but I am not sure I have the patience... any tips on a possible craft for me would be much appreciated!
- Sadly, I have let my breathing and meditation slide. My excuse is that we had visitors for so long and our spare room used to be where I did these things each morning. Now that they have all left, I am hoping to get back into it ... at least the meditation part ... I love it!
Hope your January was also awesome!! What were your special achievements for the month?
xx