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

Gratitude Friday

Inspired by Artsy Crafty Babe, I decided I would do my own 'Gratitude Friday'...even if I am a day late :)

Spending the weekend soaking in the views of Dubai Creek




Reading my new book




Wandering beautiful gardens










My first coffee for 3 weeks ... even if it was a decaf!



Feeling fabulous thanks to my yoga!



Also:
- for being healthy and able to enjoy life!
- having a goofy husband!
- for REST after a crazy, stressful week of school inspections!
- getting through this post and surviving the photo uploading ... my longest ever!

I am so thankful to be able to enjoy my life and live it to the full! And it feels oh so good to focus on the little things that make my life so wonderful and enjoyable!! Hope you also have many things to be grateful for.

Yup...pretty much sums up my weekend

After reading this book a few years ago and viewing the movie just recently, I felt inspired by Liz's journey. Therefore, I decided it was time for a re-read! Needless to say, it has pretty much consumed my whole weekend!

Pomgranate heaven

I had never eaten these little suckers before Friday and now I am a convert! Talk about jazzing up any meal! Breakfast this morning was museli, shredded coconut, natural yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. All washed down with the obligatory cup of hot water.

And yes folks, it is actually cool enough to sit outside for breakfast. Yay!

Let the good times roll!

Yoga bliss once again ... meditation, breathing and some excellent joint stretches for arthritis ... would love for Matt to try these.
Loving my yummy food - the concoction above is mung beans, avo, carrot, toms, coriander and lemon. Oh boy!

The new black

So as it goes a cup of hot water is the new latte. No more cups of frothy caffeinated goodness for me. At home it's hot water with fresh ginger and lemon. At cafes, I put all embarrassment aside and ask for a cup of hot water. Refreshing. Healthy. And free :)

Dream day today:
- Slept in till the ripe ole hour of 7
- Did my sun salutations and breathing excercises
- Had a fab brekkie of museli, pomegranate seeds, natural yoghurt and nuts (with a yummy cup of goodness pictured above)
- Spoke to my sister on Skype and saw / spoke with my 2 gorgeous nieces!!! Erin not so chatty today!
- Met a friend for coffee (aka hot water)
- Hung out by the pool
- Read my book and napped
- Ran 4 ks
- Yummy Dahl and Palek Paneer for dinner.
- Will shortly head off to yoga for more fun!

7 hour yoga wrap up

Oh baby! A 5.45am start and a 12.45pm finish makes for a whole lot of goodness in one chunk o time! After having approx 5 hours sleep, we headed out into the pitch black at 5.25am. Destination - yoga centre.

The 7 hours consisted of beach games, breathing, meditation, breakfast, sun salutations, deep meditation, a little lecture and lunch.

The meditation is a whole new experience for me and I am loving it. The food was also fab :)

I am marvelling at the difference in how I am feeling, mentally and physically, compared to this time last week. Long may it continue.