Happy first Monday of November! I really can’t believe it’s November and now that Halloween has passed, the stores are getting ready for Christmas and I’m already thinking about my Christmas wish list and creative ideas for other people for gifts. But lets not forget Thanksgiving and enjoying the Fall weather for one more month maybe before all the cold?
This weekend was definitely fall weather over here. Though mid week last week it felt like spring between the rain, humidity and 70 degree temps. Mother nature decided that by Halloween it should be cold again. At least I didn’t have to worry about wearing a costume and being cold, but it actually was not as cold as I thought it was going to be as I did get a walk outside in.
Friday evening I thought about going for a swim, but I knew that in the evening hours, I never get my best swim in, so instead, I tried to run, running for maybe a half mile and then walking around my apartment complex for another loop. At work we had a baby shower for our co worker which involved cake and cookies so I had some energy to burn off before settling down for the evening. After running, I decided to make some paleo protein pancakes (1 banana, 1 egg and a scoop of protein powder). This was perfect and filling for the evening as I wasn’t too hungry due to all the sweets I ate earlier in the day.
I then settled down and watched a couple Halloween movies while coloring.
I’d say it was a perfect Friday night and I really do feel more relaxed when I get some coloring time.
Saturday morning I didn’t have my alarm set and I woke up to the sun shining around 7:30. It was so wonderful to sleep in, as I normally get up at 4:45 or 5:45am during the week. I really needed that sleep.
After breakfast I ran some errands for groceries, then I had a snack and headed to the gym to swim. After swimming 2 miles successfully 2 weeks ago, I decided to go for it again. I still split it up into sets, but I did 60/40/40 for laps for a total of 140 laps (2 miles) and there was also a quick set of kicking of 4 laps and 6 laps in between the sets. 60 laps is the most I have done consecutively, as I usually only get to 50 before switching but I have noticed the difference just swimming once a week to build up my endurance. I think my trying to run, the amount of walking I do daily and my other exercising has helped as well and it is so exciting to feel like I can push just a little farther each time.
Speaking of improvements, even though this is not actually from the weekend but a couple days before, in the yoga challenge I was doing on Instagram, I had to do eight angle pose. I learned this pose sometime before my yoga teacher training last year, through a previous yoga challenge on Instagram. Last year I was really working on my arm balances and practicing them daily, but I kind of stopped/lost motivation after teacher training ended. I still practice yoga on my own, once or twice a week though, just haven’t done arm balances in a while. Then I do this on Thursday night, and I felt the most steady I have ever felt in this pose. I really attribute it to my weight lifting and it shows that my arms really are gaining muscle.
Anyway, back to Saturday, after finishing my swim, I came home and got this book in the mail!! I spent the afternoon beginning to read it.
In the evening I went for a walk, expecting to see kids running around trick or treating but due to the fact I am in a big apartment complex, it seems everyone drove to other neighborhoods and I was left with the candy I bought and will bring to work today. I didn’t go overboard with eating the candy, in fact, I hardly touched it for the week I had it sitting around, but the M&Ms I bought later and ate maybe 4 or 6 bags of…
Sunday was very laid back. After breakfast, I gave my stomach some time for the food to settle, then I followed the Blogilates calendar and did 4 core workout videos. That was tough! I know I need to add more core exercises to my routine and it’s nice to have Cassey’s enthusiasm to follow along with. The weather was beautiful for a Fall day as well and I enjoyed a walk outside wearing flip flops and a sweater (I must be getting used to the temperature dropping since 60 degrees is feeling warm now). I did some meal prep, making some chicken fried rice for a few dinners this week.
I spent most of the afternoon on the couch reading Breaking Vegan and then watching a movie. Later in the afternoon, I headed out back to my old neighborhood (kind of weird to say that) and stopped at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, which were crazy busy on a Sunday evening, but I got my items. Then I headed to a yoga class and fundraiser event. I must say it was so wonderful being back in the studio. Last May when I walked into that studio for the first time, it was warm and welcoming. I definitely get back into my yoga zen in that studio and it’s sooo different to practice yoga on a wooden floor compared to my carpeted apartment. The class was a mellow flow and really made me realize how tight my hips have gotten, though they were always tight, I think they are tighter and I definitely need to work on that.
After the wonderful yoga class, I stayed for the tea party fundraiser that the teacher was hosting to raise money to build a school in Haiti. We had many teas to choose from and ate mini scones, which were delicious! The scones were my dinner. We each bought raffle tickets and with the number of people and number of prizes available, odds of winning were pretty good. Out of the 5 items I put tickets into, I won 2, which might be some Christmas gifts for a couple people. The one item that everyone wanted was this fuzzy, amazing, hand made blanket. The guy who won that put 10 tickets into that item, so his odds of winning were pretty good and he is gifting it to his new grandchild so we know it will be well loved.
By the time I got home, it was nearly 9 and time to get everything put away and get ready for the work week.
Sharing is Caring:
What a marvelous weekend! I kicked it up in MKE this past weekend; it’s not like we get trick or treaters in my ‘hood of Chicago anyway.:)
<3 SNICKERS <3