Feels Like Home

I am beginning my 10 month in Geneva. While I have saved you all from the details, not every day has been rosy. The time change is difficult on relationships with friends and family who are in the United States. I miss having an incredible support group of friends both in the health and wellness world and in our personal life. I’ve tried to find some of this through the wonderful group of women in London who are part of Team Naturally Run but only being their once to twice a month has made establishing those relationships difficult. There are moments when I close my eyes and wish nothing more than to be back in the chaotic, easy life we knew in New York City. No, I don’t mean that living in NYC is easy but our life there had just hit this wonderful rhythm. Our groups of friends were merging into one cohesive group, we knew how to find everything in the grocery store, I’d fallen in love with a few group fitness instructors, I was surrounded my friends who pushed me beyond my comfort zone during workouts, my commute was a science, we loved every inch of our neighborhood, I had a wonderful relationship with my co-workers, and the tall buildings and crowded streets which had once overwhelmed and threatened me now felt like home.

When I open my eyes from this dream of living back in NYC,  I remember just how blessed we are. For nine amazing months we’ve discovered London and Geneva together while also traveling across Europe. Our relationship as a couple has strengthened as we’ve figured out what works for us as we deal with the distance four days per week. I have become dependent upon people and opened up in a way that was never necessary back home. While the word dependent can sometimes have a negative connotation, it has been a good thing for me. I tend to be too independent in both work and personal life, wanting to do everything my own way. I’ve come to respect the feedback, opinions, cultures and support that I’ve found in Geneva through my work environment and the group of friends who have become my rocks.

While I can’t transport my family, running buddy or dearest friend to Geneva, I am learning slowly but surely how to invest just a bit more time in making Geneva feel more like a home than a temporary location. Today, instead of running along the familiar banks of Lake Geneva, I spent my morning and evening filling one of the gaps in my life – finding positive energy through group fitness.

For 3 hours today I found support, inspiration and strength in two unique places – the swimming pool and the yoga studio.

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I was nervous before both activities but for very different reasons. I have never swum competitively in my life and this morning’s swim team experience brought together a number of fears: being in a swimsuit in public, seeing co-workers in swimsuits, having a coach scream at me, having a coach prescribe impossible workouts, and gasping for breath in the pool.  My nerves around the yoga class came more from the studio and experience than the class itself. This studio is the only yoga studio I could find on Google which features classes in both French and English along with hours which suit my work schedule. I knew that after this class I would know whether the studio was a fit for me. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the teacher, studio, teaching method and space during a 2 hour class which had me attempting crow pose and dripping at just ten minutes into class.

I walked home tonight, through the quiet Geneva streets, feeling just a little bit more at home.

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35 Minute Sprint Boot Camp Workout

How is your week going?

This week flew by quickly this week thanks in part to David’s visit and some projects at work that are keeping me busy. Our evenings were relaxed while David was here, enjoying dinner out each night.

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I treated David to his first fondue experience in Switzerland at Bains des Paquis and last night we enjoyed delicious chicken at Restaurant Chez Ma Cousine. I was so excited to hear that his Lonely Planet guidebook even suggested Chez Ma Cuisine due to their tender and delicious chicken which is also one of the best dinner deals in Geneva!

fonduechez ma

I didn’t walk through the gym doors this evening until 7pm. I was tired and not in the best mood. My plan called for a 4-5 mile easy run but as soon as I realized my iPad was dead I knew there was no way I could make myself run on the treadmill. Instead of forcing myself to do something I didn’t want to do I hopped off and decided to do a boot camp workout instead. I love creating boot camp workouts as it takes my mind off the workout itself and only doing any single workout for a short duration helps keep the workout fun and ensure I push myself as hard as possible. The treadmill speed intervals did a great job keeping my heart rate up and challenging me while I mixed up the strength to ensure I was focusing on my total body versus just one specific area.

Gym Boot Camp Workout

What is your single most favorite strength or core training exercise? Mine is definitely side planks!

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A Day In The Life: Geneva

Back in October I shared a “commuting day day in the life” with you all and promised that in the future I would give you all a glimpse into a Geneva day. I figured that today was the perfect day to share with you all as I took plenty of pictures.

5:45am – Alarm goes off but after staying up until 11 last night watching The Good Wife was not advantageous for my morning run. That, combined with the knowledge that I can run later helps me choose to reset my alarm.

7:30am – Alarm goes off again and this time it means business as I have to hop in the shower and be out the door by 8:00am.

7:35am – I turn on my over the door heating lamp as I hop in the shower. I spend my time in the shower reviewing yesterday’s French lesson. It’s hard to balance everything and French is quickly something that gets pushed to the side if I’m not lucky. In order to keep improving my French and getting the most out of my weekly lessons I’ve decided to practice in the shower and on the morning commute.

7:35-7:55am – Shower, blow dry hair, choose outfit, make my breakfast and grab an apple and some walnuts for my desk snacks. 2014-01-18 16.33.08

8:00am – Embarrassingly carry a bag of recycling down to the recycling center knowing that it has been sitting in our laundry room since December. You can’t recycle things before 8am in Geneva as it is illegal due to the noise. Colleagues know people who have been fined hundreds of francs for breaking this rule so today is the first day where I see the bag and realize it’s after 8am.

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8:05-8:30am – This morning’s commute to the office includes a 1/2 mile walk down to the tram stop as I just miss the tram and know that walking to the connection is faster than waiting for the next one. I revel in the fact that it’s 39 degrees while my parents are having 20 degree weather in Savannah, Georgia. Geneva’s weather is quite a conundrum sometimes. No snow and warmer weather than most the US this year. 2014-01-22 08.24.35

8:35am – Grab a cappuccino and banana to enjoy with my breakfast from home. I’ve stopped eating bircher in the morning as I I tried eliminating things from my diet to pinpoint the cause of my breakouts. As soon as I stopped eating bircher the breakouts diminished so since we returned from the holidays I’ve been bringing a mix of oats, wheat germ, protein powder, and cinnamon to the office each day. It is easy to eat at my desk as it doesn’t smell and I can just get boiling water from our drink machine! Not to mention, wheat germ is a great source of iron which helps my iron deficiency!

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8:40-9am – Catch up on work emails before the day of meetings begins

9-12- 3 different meetings with 3 different groups of people about 3 different topics.

12-1pm: Enjoy lunch with a co-worker who has quickly become a friend and mentor as we work in the same space but in different business units. I learn a great deal during each of our connects though today we spend more time talking about our personal lives than work as her husband is moving to Perth for a year next week! 2014-01-22 12.13.10

1:15-2: Catch up on emails and return a few phone calls before my afternoon meetings begin.

2:00-6pm: My afternoon includes 4 different conference calls, two of which I lead. One of them includes people across five different countries which will never cease to amaze me. Luckily the calls are each productive.

6:05-7:00pm: Dash upstairs to our office gym to grab one of the four treadmills. Quickly change into workout clothes before running 4 miles on the treadmill, hopping on the erg for a speedy 1000 meter row at a 3:59 pace followed by 10 minutes of abs and arms on the bosu ball. I’m ever so thankful for the new Spotify channel I discovered, House Workout! It keeps my mind off of the miles and I feel like tonight’s workout flew!

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7-7:15pm Change back into work clothes after a quick cleanup compliments of face wipes and the blow dryer. I forgot my towel at home so showering at the gym isn’t an option tonight.

7:20-7:45 Address the last of our New Year’s cards before sorting out my inbox. Each night before logging off I go through my inbox and file any emails so I only have the actionable ones waiting for me the next day.

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7:55-9:00 End up walking halfway home with a co-worker while we talk about work and then decide to walk the rest of the way home while talking with my dad on the phone. Walking home in the evening versus taking the tram allows me the perfect amount of time to call people. The only issue is that most people aren’t free at 2pm. 2014-01-16 06.30.04

9:15 After 4 mile run and 3 mile walk home dinner can’t come fast enough! I throw together what may be the most random meal ever using everything and anything I have in the pantry and fridge. Dinner ends up being a glass of white wine paired with whole wheat pasta, sauteed spinach, sardines, pasta sauce enhanced with herbs and a tablespoon of bottled pesto. The mix ends up being delicious though I know most people would think I’m crazy for eating it.

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9:30-9:45 Write this post while chatting with a few friends on GChat and WhatsApp.

9:55 Hop in the shower before curling up in bed with an episode of Modern Family.

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