Monday 22 September 2014

Things I love about spring in Hobart.

magnolia blooms.
the odd shirtless runner.
the legitimacy of icecream.
uncomfortably warm cars.
getting my pins out.
the short period where winter veg is still sweet and delicious but you can get the occasional mango.
the smell of daphne and jasmine heavy in the air on a warm evening.
grand final day.
not lighting the fire.
how quickly the weather changes.



what I don't love about spring in Hobart.
the bird (a wattlebird I'm sure) that makes a terrible noise outside my window for roughly 30 mins from 5:30AM every single day. 

Dee x

Saturday 13 September 2014

An Exercise Overload.

So, I feel like I should preface this with a bit of a spiel about my past sporty self. I used to play a lot of hockey and most summers I disappear into the mountains and turn into a bushwalking guide (cue huge quads, rock solid hammies and a diet that consists primarily of fruit cake) so my body does know how to move, I'm just lazy. 

This is what happened. Parkrun started up in Hobart and Eli convinced me to go with her. We decided we should go for a warm up walk one afternoon on the Mountain before our first run where we some how decided that we should also start going to a boot campy thing type. WTF was happening? In the space of a few days I had gone from being a chronically lazy person who occasionally commutes to town on a bike to doing 3 separate exercise events a week! On top of that, I soon remembered that I had earlier committed to playing futsal once a week. Shiiiiiiit.



So, I wanted to document how all this exercise was going down...

Did I suddenly feel fit and fabulous?
Was I crippled by the activation of muscles that I never knew I had?
Was I compelled to eat whole bunches of kale in one sitting and drink coconut oil for breakfast?

Parkrun.
I thought I'd take the couch to 5k in a morning approach. It felt pretty good at the time but now, I'm not so sure. Eli and I plodded along, playing jump frog with a few people who were doing the whole run fast then walk thing. I can't do that, I'm all about maintaining a pace. The first week left me feeling pretty bloody sore! In fact I think it might have started off a bit of a knee problem but I'm sure it's nothing that a few Voltaren 25s and the physio can't sort out.

6:30am Boxing.
Boxing, also known as mildly aggressive cardio in disguise. It's pretty great! There was lots of interaction with the others in the class and as a total newbie, I felt myself improving over the space of a single class. The only issue is standing face to face with someone else's morning breath. Alex's morning breath is the only sort I can handle and even that gets tough sometimes.

Sunrise Pilates.
It's not actually called sunrise pilates but I think it makes it sound so delightful and whimsical. It's more accurately described as torture as it awakens looooong dormant muscles like there's no tomorrow. The deep breathing made me feel a bit faint and the foam roller caused all sorts of pain but afterwards I felt like I had been stretched out from top to toe and my muscles were fatigued but I didn't feel lethargic which was pretty amazing.


A paddock full of daffodils to brighten your day. 
Futsal commentary to come! First game is tomorrow; GO YOLANDA!


Dee x


P.S Eli wants me to do Zumba some time. I tried telling her that I have about as much rhythm and coordination as a drunk baby lamb but she didn't believe me. She'll learn.

P.P.S There's been no kale or coconut oil drinking. In fact, I think I've been using all this exercise as an excuse to eat like a football player.

Details:
Parkrun is a weekly event that runs all across Australia. The principle is run for 5km against the clock and yourself, they will time you and compile your results so you can track your progress. It's free and fun and you should all get around it.

Go Booty is run by Mel, a superwoman disguised as a normal person albeit one with great muscle tone. She has established an amazing atmosphere of support and makes you want to go to her classes!