What a change!

We went from 33 C/91 F yesterday to 16 C/61 F today - after big storms rolled through last night and broke the heat.

It is still pretty warm inside most places and my gym was no exception this morning. I did 30 minutes weights followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical and I was just dripping sweat!

Eat to Live is going well so far, luckily for me it is not a huge stretch. The hardest part is limiting bread, I think. Here is a link that explains more about the program.

I did have two glasses of champagne at my son's graduation reception yesterday evening, though! It sure tasted refreshing at the time!

Hot Yoga

Today we are in the tail end of a little heat wave here in Belgium - no biggie for those of you in Texas or Florida, but for us it's pretty warm. And very humid. And I did I mention muggy?

Anyhow, what was supposed to be a running day, turned into a "hot yoga" day! I put my mat down in the coolest part of my house (the living room) and did about 20 minutes before I got too sweaty and gave up. Oh well...

Luckily we are supposed to get big storms in this evening and things will cool off. So tomorrow I can go to the gym, as planned.

I also started with the Eat To Live eating plan this week - a good time of year to do this, as it calls for big salads and lots of raw veggies and fruit. I actually woke up really early and went out in the garden to pick raspberries at 6 am before it got too hot - and then enjoyed them in a smoothie for breakfast! Yum!

Summertime is a great time for change

Those of you who have been reading my blog for the last couple years know that I usually take advantage of the summer months to tackle a big exercise program. Last year I did New Rules of Lifting for Women, the year before Body for Life.

As I am thinking about what my plan will be this year (yes, I have some ideas!) I just read this inspiring quote from Kirsten Armstrong's yoga teacher on her blog:

"We tend to think that summer is about letting go, chilling out, time off, taking a break. And it can be that, but it's also about using the heat to fuel change. Summer is a perfect time to explore your edge. We do this thing, all of us, we get so close to the point of real growth – and then we shrink back. We get to the uncomfortable edge, and we pull back. Always getting close to the change we need, peering at it, but not fully going the distance to make it happen. I want to encourage you to put the Soul back in Solstice, to think this summer about the growth you really want and need in your life and go there, don't shrink back. We have to be willing to stay with the fire, the discomfort, if we want to generate the heat."

Perfect! I have been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish this summer and I have found the fitness program I plan to do, starting the first Monday of July: the new Matt Roberts book, I Will Make You Fit Fast. This is a 12 week program and I am really enthused about doing it. More on this once I get going. For now I am finishing out the workouts I previously planned for June (only two more gym workouts to go!).

And on the food front, I am committed to doing the Eat To Live program this summer and see how that works out for me. I already eat a vegetarian, mainly vegan diet, but things have gotten sloppy in the past year or so (wine? chocolate? chips?), and I am ready to clean up my diet and aim to lose those last ten pounds I have been struggling with. I will keep you posted!

And while I am working on these two things this summer, I will try to remind myself not to shrink back, and stay with the discomfort, right?

Sopping wet - twice!

Yesterday I did manage to get out and get my run in outside - 42 minutes and 6.5 km. Later in the afternoon I biked to school to pick up my son and just as he came out, it started to pour. In the ten minutes it took us to bike home, we got completely soaked. I might as well have stepped into my shower, fully clothed.

This morning I went to the gym for my "B" workout:

• 25 min biking (to and from gym)
• 35 min weight training
• 20 min treadmill run, easy pace
• 30 min elliptical

As I got on my bike to go home, guess what? It started to rain again! Luckily not as hard as yesterday, but still! By the time I got home, I was soaked - again!

Oh well - I don't mind too much when I am heading home. It sure made my hot shower feel extra good.

We are looking forward to some warmer temperatures and a bit more sunshine this weekend.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Happy Birthday Felix!

Today is Felix's 12th birthday! He's my youngest so it seems like quite a milestone, especially since he is almost done with primary school, and as of next September, I will have all three of my boys in secondary school.

I was busy making cupcakes last night for him to take to school, tomorrow we are going out for dinner at his favorite restaurant (Thai House), Saturday he has friends over, and Sunday my in-laws come to celebrate - so it is going to be quite a few days of partying!

In the midst of all that, I intend to get my runs and workouts in all the same (otherwise I just might go crazy). Today I plan to run 40 minutes but at the moment I am watching the weather to see if it's going to be at the gym or outside...

Rainy rainy day...

Luckily it wasn't raining when I had to walk Felix to school or when I biked to the gym. I knew it was going to rain today so I made sure I went out and picked a bunch of our raspberries before it started and before going to the gym.

I did weights and 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym. It felt hard today. But I got it done! And then I biked home in the rain. Which wasn't too bad since I had my rain hat with me to keep it out of my eyes. It may look dorky but on days like today I am glad I have it!

And at least we will have some fresh raspberries to munch on this afternoon.

Procrastination

I promised myself I would get moving by 10 am and it's nearly 10:30. Oops! Happens to all of us sometimes, I guess. But it is always so nice to catch up on what everyone is doing...

So this will be a short post, so I can go get moving. Yesterday it was very bad weather, so I hit the gym for 60 minutes running on the treadmill. My friend Christine (professional cyclist, so certainly not a slouch herself) asked me how I could run for so long, and I told her, "Very slow and easy!" Which is the truth indeed! Now I just need to ask her how she can bike for so long (and so fast)!

Had a great late lunch with Christine yesterday at our favorite vegan cafe in Leuven: Loving Hut, where I enjoyed their raw spring rolls. It was delicious and I felt very virtuous afterwards! I love the way eating healthy food makes me feel.

10:27 already - gotta go! Have a great day!