An Overview of Korea

In May this year (2013) I was asked if I would consider travelling to South Korea for work. My first reaction was trepidation and a bit of fear. Personally, I had made the decision a few years ago that traveling with the Asian continent was not really something I would be interested in for a variety of reasons.

Once I got over my initial ‘drama queen’ reaction I calmed down and considered the prospect of traveling to a country where the culture, language and history are so vastly different from New Zealand. I also decided that it was an amazing opportunity (despite being mostly work-related) that was unlikely to come up again in the near future.

I have always been pretty relaxed about traveling, however this marked the first time to a country where English is not the native language. I do remember thinking “how lost can someone get in South Korea?” The really great thing is that one of my work colleagues had traveled to South Korea earlier in the year and he had also been there before.  Also, the hotel I stayed at provided pretty comprehensive instructions on which ‘limo’ (bus) to get from the airport to the hotel.

When I first arrived in Seoul I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people around. I managed to get the right bus to the hotel and settle in. I think that, that night I walked around locally just to get my bearings. One thing that really surprised me was the amount of high rise style apartment blocks. I suppose when a city’s population is about four times the size of the whole of New Zealand you have to build up to accommodate the people.

Working took so much of my time especially when I was adjusting to the time difference. I would work when I woke up and then from 9am-6pm and then work again after dinner.

What I found really lovely was that the people I was working with went to lunch as an office each day and we tried all sorts of different restaurants from Vietnamese to traditional Korean. The sheer amount of different food options was just mind-boggling! My suggestion is to try some traditional Korean food before you go over there and then do not be afraid to try everything! It was a bit harder for me as I do not eat red meat/pork/lamb etc. however I managed to push myself so far outside my comfort zone when it came to trying different things from Ginseng Chicken to aged Squid.

I was there for a fortnight and on the weekend I was taken out to do some touristy things. We went to a beautiful Italian restaurant for lunch and then to Insa-Dong which is a more traditional shopping area with Korean antiques etc. Then there is Myeong-dong which is a very popular shopping spot and when I first went there earlier in the week I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in one place.

We went to the huge Buddhist temple and I didn’t realise until we saw a diagram of the layout just how bit it was. Then we checked out Shinsegae which is a massive department store/mall. It’s kind of split into two parts 1. Very high end fashion etc. and the second is more affordable and possibly a bit more popular. Tried some traditional Korean dessert/sweet treats.

There were times that I felt very alone in Seoul. It is hard going out shopping or eating alone when you are not working. Also, sometimes I just wanted a long conversation in English where I did not have to worry about colloquial language and having to explain.

When I returned home I realised there were so many things that I would have loved to have seen. You forget that when you go overseas for work that it is not really a holiday and you are normally knackered! When I thought I would be going back for work I was quite excited and began to think about all the things that I could do and see while I was there. I did not end up going back for work, however I know now that I would love it if my husband Mark and I could go back there in a few years and experience Seoul together on holiday. It is a beautiful place. The people are amazing and so friendly and welcoming. The food is incredible and we even went and had traditional Korean food for our wedding anniversary about a week after I got back to New Zealand. Korean food kind of makes New Zealand food look a little bit boring.

In retrospect I really wish I had done more research about Korea before I left New Zealand. The history and traditions of South Korea are rich, interesting and at times painful. If you are planning on going anywhere my suggestion would be to look at the Lonely Planet (or similar) books/websites for more information as it will really make your holiday/work trip much more fulfilling.

If I ever go back to South Korea these are some of the things that I would love to see/do:

• Seoul Tower
• Folk Village
• National Folk Museum of Korea
• De-militarized Zone
• Lotte World Adventure
• Changdeokgung Palace
• Gwanaksan Mountain
• Biwon (Royal Secret Garden)
• Gangnam Samgyeopsal Street

Body Attack

Jes, Jo and I

I finally plucked up the courage to go to Les Mills Body Attack on the 2^nd October 2013. I have been a member of Les Mills since I was about 19 and I had never done a Body Attack class until 2013 (I am 38 now) so you can do the math on that one.

Not going to Body Attack was more about fear of the unknown and also because it is a high impact aerobics class. If you check out the promo clip on the Les Mills You Tube Channel you can see why.

Then I went with Kathryn this year :)

I had to go with friends from MotivateMe NZ firstly because I am a big chicken when it comes to trying new things and secondly because group fitness is better with friends. I went with Jes and Jo and we had some fun. Yes it was hard.

For the most part I have been going every week (other than over the Christmas break) to Brett’s Wednesdays night class at Victoria Street at 6.30pm (yes that is a shameless plug). Now I have blogged about Brett before; he is one of my favourite RPM instructors and he REALLY wanted me to go to come and try his class.

Can I say after going quite a few times that I am really starting to enjoy it. Yes it is hard. Yes I have to modify moves. Yes it pushes me out of my comfort zone both emotionally and physically however it is a really high energy class. A few weeks ago when we did track (7?) when we split into two groups on either side of the room it felt like we were doing some crazy arse choreographed dance complete with jazz or swag hands or spirit fingers. It was AMAZING.

To be fair I am probably the biggest person there and I will tell you this…if you want to try a class that is high intensity, fun and pushes you then just feel the bloody fear and do it. You can modify the moves until you can do them. Then you can even add in the arms if you are feeling particularly co-ordinated.

I live in hope that I will be able to eventually do the following:

• Tuck Jumps
• Star Jumps
• Any jumps
• Running around the room
• Skater
• Add my arms in

Oh and I sweat like a crazy person.

Bring on more Body Attack classes in 2014. Might even try and do more than one class a week even!

The Color Run

Mark and I in the Colour Mosh Pit

So the first event for 2014 was the first ever Color Run in New Zealand. To be honest when I signed Mark and I up for this I was really excited and then on the day I felt a bit “meh” about it all.

Once we found the MMNZ gals I felt heaps better as it was such a nice way to see them all. It feels like a big (colourful) family when we are altogether.

We ended up walking with a few of the gals and it was such a cool family friendly atmosphere. I even got down in the colour and rolled around in it. So much fun! We will definitely be doing it next year.

I have decided that rather than just doing as many events as I can this year that I am going to be more selective with the ones that I do. I already decided not to do the Albany Lakes Series as quite frankly walking 2 x laps of 5k is just boring. Also, we will be missing Round the Bays this year as we will not be around.

So to date we have 3 that are definite as we are already signed up:

The Color Run

O Rock

Motutapu

From there I will decide what to do. I know that we will do the Auckland Quarter Marathon and I will do Sculpt, but I need to find some more that are interesting.

I am also going to focus more on resistance training than I did last year. I have definitely go the cardio under my belt and exercising at least 5 times a week is a well-established habit now.

What events have you done or signed up for that you love?

Getting up and out the door!

Some days I just do not want to get out of bed and drag my butt to the gym. Today was one of those days.

My second day back at work and when the first alarm went off at 5am and a huge night of vivid dreams I really had to give myself a firm mental and physical push to get out of bed.

Suffice to say…we made it out the door and to the gym.

RPM classes are nowhere near their normal capacity as people slowly return to work and I cannot imagine that 6.10am is an appealing time for most people to get on a bike.

For the first 6 tracks I felt like I was riding through quicksand and I was hungry and tired. Then track 7 started and I realised that it was my current favourite RPM track and gave me a new lease on life and the ability to smash through the wall of tiredness. What I have realised is that even though I love track 3 and 5 I really save quite a bit until track 7. Sometimes the ‘right’ songs make you push yourself harder to break through your own barriers.

So tomorrow I will wake up between 5-5.20am and get out the door to do another RPM class and hopefully I am awake well before the track 7 mark.

This year I want to add more classes to my weekly workouts including Pump, CXWORX® and Grit. I also need to add stairs into my week. *sigh* Oh and probably some free weights to help firm up my wobbly triceps and strengthen my legs further.

What is your favourite workout song at the moment? Mine is: Dancing DJs vs Roxette - Fading Like A Flower.