Why I Ride

Ruth and I after a Friday classes; yes I do have a pink fluffy thing in my hair

I started doing RPM regularly at Les Mills Britomart back in April 2013 and have pretty much attended a minimum of 2 classes a week since then. It has actually grown to about 5-6 classes per week now. The only time I reduce is when I attend a MotivateMe NZ Shake Up on a Tuesday and Thursday for 6 weeks and then I cut down to 4 rides.

I can honestly say that I am addicted to RPM. I am addicted to the rush and addicted to the music and the instructors; Tony, Tommi, Brett, Nats, Donna and Hayley. I love the music! Seriously, it really is like aerobics on a bike! Also, I love the gals that I go with…Caroline and Ruth you rock!

I like the way RPM makes me feel. I think I am getting stronger. I do try and push myself harder even when it is difficult and I can barely breathe or push the peddles. This morning on the way to work I discovered a muscle in my arm that has obviously come from doing RPM and Pump regularly. Exciting!

For me RPM is like Bikram is for Megan. It is a clearing of the mind and a strengthening of my body and my will-power.

Tonight I am riding with others over a 24-hour block for charity, because we can. So think of me when I start my first 1-hour block at midnight tonight.

Bikram Yoga, RPM and Ludus

So today marks the 7^th day that I have exercised in a row; I am hanging out for Saturday 13^th July when I can have a break and a sleep in.

Years ago I wrote a list of 100 things to do in a year; suffice to say that I did not manage to cross that many off. However, on Saturday I did manage to cross doing a Bikram Yoga class off my list.

A few months ago I brought a $20 voucher for 3 Bikram classes at Britomart (13 Commerce Street) and I had put off going until the voucher had nearly expired. My friend Penny said “okay, let’s go this weekend” and I said “sure”. As the day got closer I got a bit scared, however I have friends that do Bikram a lot who were really supportive.

So we go there and talked to the instructor who was lovely and explained some things i.e. you cannot leave the room and if you need a break just knee down. She also said to think of it as being on beautiful Tropical Island and doing stretches; can I say…it is NOT like that at all!

We walked in the room to get set up and it was like a full on heat wave and I thought “I cannot do this”. We sat outside until we were ready to begin.

One of my twitter/Facebook friends told me to clear my mind and focus on what I can do and relax…this did not really happen…sorry Megan!

Honestly, at about the third posture in I thought I was going to die or melt. I really thought the heat would do me in. I remember at one point looking down at my toes and thinking “wow they are actually sweating”.

I had to take a lot of breaks either lying down or sitting. However, I stayed in the room! At the end the instructor told me that I still did better than a lot of a people on their first time.

Once we had finished I actually felt pretty good and thought “I could do that again”.

What I will say is that I have so much more respect for the blogger who writes ‘My battle with becoming Bendy & Beautiful’. You are AMAZING. You are strong both physically and mentally and having gotten to know you a bit over the last little while I will bow down to your fantastic Bikram commitment! You rock. #Respect

So yes, I will do Bikram again!

Things that I reckon you should know:

• All Bikram classes follow the same format and are 90 minutes
• 26 postures done twice (not 1-26 and then another 1-26 like I thought)
• The instructors talk you through rather than demonstrate so seriously Google Bikram postures and get accustomed to how they are done and watch others in the class
• Rest if you need it
• Be prepared for the heat and wear as little as possible
• Hydrate beforehand and do not eat
• If I can do it...so can you!

Then on Sunday I did an RPM class which was nice and then went to another session of Ludus Magnus…I think that people thought I was crazy.

Honestly, I cannot do Burpees…I do not know if it is a mind thing or crappy core strength! I need to practice as I really want to be able to nail them! Also, planking…I need to practice that!  I have red knees as “for fun” we did team work and crawled under human arches. Seriously…..crawling! Also, Jan (from MMNZ) loved it and I said to her "you better not tell Delane about this".

My nutrition is still not great so Delane suggested 3 days clean and then 1 day more relaxed. So I am starting that this morning and will limit myself to 1 coffee and then have my lemon, honey, ginger, cider vinegar, coconut oil cold busting drink. Also, water and green tea! Have some snacks prepared and we are back on the Fit Me in Meals.

Now I need to start training for the half marathon that I want to do in April next year. It means training smarter to be able to run at least most of it. Last night I had a dream about running the Sculpt 6K…seriously if I am not exercising I am dreaming about it!!

Delane, Shake Up and the Gals

I have just signed up to my third Shake Up through MotivateMe NZ; it is called the Winter Wake Up and it DEFINITELY will be. I am hoping that now that we are past the Winter Solstice (shortest day) that getting up will get a bit easier as the mornings eventually become lighter.

There are three main things that I love about Shake Up’s.

They are group exercise sessions twice a week with like-minded women of all different shapes, sizes and fitness levels. At the beginning these women were strangers and we came together with a common goal; to get fitter, stronger and ultimately healthier. They are a gorgeous supportive bunch and I love them to bits.

They take place all over NZ and weather permitting they are held outside which is great. Also, compared to most boot camps they are really, REALLY good value for money.

Delane our trainer. He is truly one of the most amazing, inspiring, selfless people I have ever met. For him, people’s health and well being comes first and foremost. He would run the Shake Up’s if he had 2 people or 200 people. Delane is warm, friendly, motivating and will push you hard without you even realise that he’s doing it. I remember he said to me “do not ever apologise for coming last, because the longer you are on the stairs the longer everyone else is and that is going to improve their fitness even more”. His success with helping people achieve their goals is indisputable.

 

In my mind, he is a force to be reckoned with. Delane is pretty softly spoken and that hides a massive amount of strength and enthusiasm. This is one exercise group where there is no yelling, only consistent support. His final training with the girls in autumn was taking them out to Bethells to train as it is physically hard and a very spiritual place. Oh and he also dressed up on the last day in fluorescent colours with the girls! Seriously, what a guy!

For me Delane and these women helped me get through some of the toughest months of my life when my dad was entering the final stages of terminal cancer. I got up, I trained and I focused on my physical well-being when my emotional and mental state was really fragile.

You can see more of Delane here:

Disabled Get Fit

Lifestyle Change Takes Weight Off

Iron Maori Man Unstoppable

So if you are looking to get back into exercise, or even add to your exercise regime then you should totally join us!! The feeling of being part of a team with an amazing trainer is fantastic. It is definitely worth it and if you book and pay by Friday 12^th July you get 10% off!! Bargain! What you will get out of it is worth so much more. 

Just do it; you will not regret it!

Food in Korea Part II

Okay, I did not really think that I would need to do another post about food in Korea…boy was I wrong! After the first week of eating different styles of food i.e. Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean I realised that traditional Korean can get so much better!

In the hotel I read a booklet on an introduction to Korean food for visitors and foods were graded as Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced and Veteran. I am happy to say that I have tried something from every section! There is some information on the Official Site of Korean Tourism.

I have also really made an effort to try everything that has been offered during the meal with the exception of dishes containing red meat, lamb or pork.

On Monday we went to a small buffet style Korean restaurant which was really lovely and had rice, crumbed fish with an amazing sauce, vegetables, radish etc. You could have a second helping and I was so tempted (photo on its own).

Wednesday brought us to a lovely traditional Korean restaurant for a course (not set) menu…there was so much food!

I tried the following

• Sesame and rice soup; which is possibly a type of sesame juk (1)
• Warm rice noodles with mushroom; Japchae – glass noodles with sautéed vegetables (2)
• Salad with root and orange and tomato (3)
• Another cold dish with different noodles (4)
• Sushi with spring onion and chilli (5)
• Cold chicken and chili; yum! (6)
• Water kimchi; cold
• Mixed vegetable dishes including sesame leaves and gourd (9/10), Korean cabbage with bean sauce which tasted like Miso soup (7); Namul
• Traditional Korean Bean Pancake; Jeon Bindaetteok/pajeon (8)
• Aged/picked vegetables onion, pepper and Korean garlic root (Jangajji – pickled vegetables)
• Aged Soya bean soup (11); Doenjang jjigae – Soybean paste stew. Apparently many Korean people who emigrate really miss this however do not cook it because of the smell and people potentially complaining
• A very sweet ginger and rice drink; icy (12)

After lunch I tried two ice blocks…melon flavoured and another that was icy with sweet red bean paste in the centre (13)

On Thursday we went to a little restaurant just behind the office; actually I had seen a cute little ginger cat outside there in the morning.

We had mixed sides

Kimchi cabbage, sesame leaf, traditional Korean pancake, mushroom and the most amazing side of acorn jelly! The jelly was the best thing ever…I could not stop eating it (14)

Then the main was the most incredible, traditional Korean chicken stew with chilli, potatoes and onion…be jealous…I have the recipe to try making it in New Zealand (15)

 

On Thursday night we went out for a celebratory dinner and started with Italian food and NZ Wine and I took photos of the beautiful cakes that I never ended up trying (16) and then we finished up at a Japanese restaurant with Japanese beer, chicken and mussels.

My final day (Friday) saw me finally trying a dish that I had read about in my little food guide

Samgyetang which is traditional ginseng chicken soup; amazing! (18). It is believed that in summer that this meal is good at helping restore people’s energy. You can read about it here.

Again, we had an amazing selection of sides to try including chilli, garlic, fresh Kimchi Cabbage, soya bean paste (AMAZING) and aged squid (17). I tried the aged squid and it was quite chewy and not bad until the after taste…never again!

I feel quite sad about being back in New Zealand as I really miss the people and the food in Korea. Today I had Japanese and it was amazing...kind of made me feel like I was back there. So I will learn to cook Korean food and we will frequent some of the beautiful Korean restaurants here in NZ.