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An Active Bank Holiday

Good morning from London! I am spending a long weekend here catching up with some girlfriends. Today I’ll be working from Casey’s flat but once 5pm comes around the weekend will begin!

Yesterday I took advantage of our bank holiday in Geneva to enjoy the perfect weather and workouts before heading to London.332Bo and I had full intention of sleeping in but around 6am we both found ourselves wide awake. Instead of fighting the urge to wakeup we spent an hour in bed sipping coffee and just chatting. It was so nice to spend this time together as we’ll be apart for the next few days. While I’m in London he’s in the United States for a friend’s wedding in Savannah followed by a few days in New York City. While I’m sad I couldn’t make the trip back it just wasn’t financially smart and would have been difficult with work.

328After a relaxing few hours around the house he headed to the airport and I headed out the door for a trail run. Yesterday’s weather in Geneva was absolutely incredible – 65 degrees and sunny.  I ran along the Rhone River trail which was busier than normal due to yesterday’s holiday and the beautiful weather.

334339347 After finishing the trail portions I stopped at a ramp where I did 4 hill repeats. Renaud and I did this ramp last week 3 times and while it definitely wasn’t easier it felt good to be able to push for four sprints up the zig zag ramp. You can’t really tell from this picture but the ramp is super steep and therefore is a great place to practice running on the balls of my feet, leaning forward and engaging my glutes. 349310

An hour after finishing my run I headed to InnerCityoga to meet Katie for a rare mid-day treat of a 90 minute yoga class. The yoga flow class was described as a class for all levels but the sun salutation set and multiple plank portions definitely left me sweating. I took advantage of the studio’s showers and saved myself a trip back home by showering there before heading to the airport for my flight to London. There is a delicious health food spot in the train station where I was able to refuel with an Indian salad including curry chicken, pineapple, cucumber, nuts, and lettuce. So fresh and delicious!355The flight to London was smooth and before I knew it I was enjoying the late evening sunshine in Regents Park as Casey and I took their adorable dog, Lady, on an 1.5 walk through the parks and along the canals. I didn’t bring my camera but it was perfect weather! 366

We spent the rest of the evening at their favorite neighborhood restaurant, Lahore Kebab House. A Pakistani restaurant located in Marylebone, everything we ate was delicious though a few dishes definitely left me drinking water and craving the cool, cucumber sauce.  I am not an expert on Indian or Pakistani cuisine but many of the flavors seemed similar though I noticed more meat dishes on this menu than I feel like I’ve seen at most Indian restaurants. If you’re a London local I highly recommend this spot as the prices are very reasonable and the flavors will leave you thinking about it a day later. 1309357Do you take advantage of holidays to squeeze in extra workouts or do you relax? Have you ever had Pakistani food?

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High Protein Snack Ideas

It’s Friday! Hope you guys had a great week! This post was supposed to go up last night but clearly that didn’t happen so today you may get lucky and have 2 posts! Today’s topic is one that hopefully many of you all can benefit from – healthy, protein filled snacks!

my favorite high protein snacks I’ve mentioned it a few times but this new workout schedule has me smiling from ear to ear. My body is sore for the first time in ages and I find that my energy levels are soaring. However, there is another thing soaring as well – my hunger.

I love the fun t-shirts and images like those below just as much as the next person but my clothing and body doesn’t necessarily feel the same way. The last thing I want to do is gain weight. In fact, I would like to stay at what I’m calling my “race weight” or the weight at which I feel best when running and training.

In order to offset the bottomless pit that I call my appetite, especially on Tuesdays and Thursday which are swim days, I thought I’d share with you my recommendations for healthy, protein filled snacks which can be enjoyed at anytime.  I know first hand just how easy it is to start eating mindlessly at the office, enjoying meeting leftovers or unhealthy vending machine snacks. As I shared in a guest post on Heather’s blog a few years ago, I gained 10 pounds before my wedding due to mindless office eating.

These days, I keep a bag of snacks on my desk, in plain sight, at all times. These snacks range depending on my mood but I’ve found that it’s really helped me think twice before grabbing something from the vending machine or one more cappuccino. Most of my go to snacks are items which don’t have to be refrigerated since our office doesn’t have a community refrigerator. However, since some of you may want these snacks at home or have access to a refrigerator, I’ve included a few on the list which require either a cold pack in your lunch box or a fridge.  high Protein snack ideas

I’ve also created a Pinterest board – Protein Filled Recipes – featuring healthy protein rich snack and recipe ideas.

image  Check out these other articles for great protein filled snack ideas!

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Thankful for New Challenges

At the end of tonight’s yoga class, our instructor asked us to think about and reflect on the things in our life that leave us feeling thankful. Sometimes I find it hard to focus on this meditative part of class which lasts for 3 minutes after savasana but tonight I sat there in silence with a smile on my face.

I am thankful for so many things these days. But tonight I reflected upon how much has changed for me and the new fitness challenge I’m enjoying. This isn’t an official challenge I joined or something I read in a magazine. Instead it’s the challenge to overcome intimidation, try new things and make them a habit. 

Today was the 5th Tuesday I’ve swam in the morning and practiced 90 minutes of yoga in the evening!

I am living proof that with practice even the hardest, scariest things get easier. There are so many things I want to conquer this year including running the Saleve with Renaud again and a marathon PR in Berlin come September. But for right now, this new found love of yoga and swimming is the perfect cross training and challenge.

Just two months ago I never imagined swimming as part of my workout regimen. For years I let intimidation get the best of me. In a similar way, I’ve always groaned at the thought of a yoga class lasting longer than an hour. Now, I find myself going to bed on Monday nights excited for what Tuesday will hold. Each week is a new challenge whether on the yoga mat or in the pool. I am still the slowest person when swimming with the kickboard and in fact get passed while doing our drills. But put me in sprint mode and I can hold my own and today I was able to swim the length of the pool with only one breath. 

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I thought it would be hard to convince Bo to wakeup at 5:15am on Tuesday and Thursday morning for swim practice when he isn’t working. Luckily sunrises like this and great workouts have him equally as motivated.

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By the time I walk through the door at 9pm each Tuesday night I’m exhausted and starving. But the beauty of it is that I walk through the door feeling stress free and energized, regardless the type day I had at the office.

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Don’t worry, neither of these sports are replacing my love of running but man am I thankful to have discovered InnerCity Yoga and our P&G swim club and have a great training partner who gets me out of bed in the mornings. 

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