Hiking with Saul

I use the verb "hiking" loosely in describing the long walk we took yesterday. I still feel a little shaky after the flu, so I thought of things that could get my brother and I out of the house and into an abnormally warm and sunny day. There are several parks nearby that I have yet to visit this summer and I decided on one that was a few blocks away.

Kobayashi Park, our park of choice for the excursion, is located in University Place near Chambers Creek. It is currently open while the housing structure is under construction. From what I understand, the property used to be owned by a couple who had a small house and pool overlooking the creek. The couple tried selling the house, but instead turned it into a rental home. The rental home eventually became too much of a liability and is now under construction. Supposedly it is being turned into a gazebo for public use. 

The park has two distinct sets of trails, the easier of which we explored. It was a good outing to say the least.

Our signature "bored" look. Well, close enough.

Taking Care of Sore Muscles the Easy Way

My muscles have been feeling a little sore from yoga strengthening sessions, especially my legs. Despite all the stretching I have been doing, my legs are still fairly stiff, so I decided to try an Epsom salt soaking solution. I found the Dr. Teal's brand at my local pharmacy and decided on the Relax & Relief solution with Eucalyptus and Spearmint. 

As I ran the bath with the Epsom salt, I smelled the glorious, refreshing scent of the herbs and knew I would be soaking for a while. I grabbed a book from my currently reading pile, played the jazz mix my sister compiled for me, and settled in.

The bath left me feeling rejuvenated and my legs felt like new! I am so grateful for the soaking solution. The scent lingered in the bathroom for a few hours, but as it smelled so good it was a welcome guest. Also, there was plenty left for future baths which was nice - a great value!

Thankful Thursday Pt. 3

I've decided I want to try and make Thankful Thursday a more consistent thing, not only to remind myself to be grateful but also because I usually undervalue Thursdays. They are like the less-handsome fraternal twin of Tuesday.

Today is my great-aunt's 86th birthday! We celebrated by going out to lunch - "we" meaning my mother, great aunts, and my grandparents. I was the youngest there by at least 30 years, but it still ended up being a party.

Beforehand, I had the opportunity to go to the gym while my mom went and visited a friend. There I lifted weights, something I have not done in a while, and as a treat relaxed in the sauna for a few minutes. Afterward, my mother and I took Echo for a walk. I truly enjoyed having the company and the additional exercise (usually I either go to the gym or I go running with Echo).

By the time we got home from lunch, I had just enough time to catch up on one of my favorite YouTubers videos (Grace Helbig) before my brother's bus rolled up. We are now listening to music and are about to have a mini dance party!

Life is good.

Today Was Not a Busy Day

Let me clarify: the day itself was not busy, I made it busy by being productive. Shall I compare the list of things I wanted to do today with the list of things I had to do with the list of things I actually did today?

Want	Had To Do	Did
Dress up for Wildcat Wednesday (it's a Linfield thing)	Classes (2 of them)	ALL OF THE THINGS!!!
Go to the gym	Drop off prescription
Grocery shop	Pick up stamps
Homework not due tomorrow	Send a form to my mother
Leisure read
Organize computer files
Apply for more jobs
Look up directions to CAPS (I'll explain later)
Watch an episode of Firefly
Pick up ID sticker (again, it's a Linfield thing)

That about sums it up. I literally did all the things in that chart and more. I was a bit sleep-deprived, but I compensated by drinking coffee around the mid-afternoon. Anyway, point being that the day itself wasn't that bad to begin with - the usual classes and mini-errand-running - but what kept me busy was the fact I crammed the day with the rest of the things listed. I accomplished all that I wanted to and more! I am rather astonished at what I did with my day.

It is days like these that I have to remind myself I am an adult, I'm not playing one. That being said, I really need to pace myself... I am exhausted!

Zumba - dancing for those who can't dance?

When I was twelve, I tore my left ACL twice. I had the perfect athlete's triad - which basically means I completely destroyed my knee. It was devastating, to say the least.

Now when I try to keep active, I have a hard time balancing between doing what I want/know I'm capable of doing versus what I'm actually able to do. I've been running and doing yoga consistently (and longboarding if you consider that a form of exercise). I love dancing, so Zumba was a great choice of exercise for me.

For those of you who aren't aware of Zumba's existence and/or those of you who have heard of it but don't really know what it is, Zumba is a program in which participants follow a choreographed routine that works certain muscles. The music is a mix of Latin and hip-hop which I can't help but wiggle along to anyway. What's especially nice about Zumba is that it incorporates a warm-up and cool-down into the class which is really good when exercising. It can get hard on my knees, especially during sequences where I have to turn on one leg repeatedly, but most of the time I'm too busy enjoying myself to notice!

It sounds/looks slightly ridiculous, but it truly is a lot of fun. I couldn't really dance before I started Zumba, but it doesn't matter. All I have to do is keep an eye on the instructor and follow his or her moves. There's also Zumba Toning in which participants use hand weights during certain sequences of a routine. I would suggest anyone willing to try it start with light weights, just in case. The first time I tried the toning class I started out with some light weights my aunt brought me, but switched about half way through the class to the heavier weights my aunt was using. I couldn't imagine doing the entire class with the heavy weights - my arms were aching after just half the class!

I'm sure Zumba isn't for everyone, but I strongly encourage you to try it if you have the opportunity. If it hadn't been for a friend of mine who danced, I would've never tried it. Last year I even did it with the entire group of Resident Advisors (and Area Directors!) as part of RA training at Linfield! We dressed up in bright workout clothes (and the occasional tutu) and made an evening of it. Now that I'm back home, I've been dropping in on classes in Tacoma at Studio 6 Ballroom with my aunt. There are classes offered all over - just check the Zumba website for details.

Preparation for the Sound to Narrows 2014!

Today is day one of my preparation for - drumroll please - the Sound to Narrows.

For those of you that don’t live in the Puget Sound area, the Sound to Narrows consists of a 12k or 5k run/walk, 5k youth run, 2k Junior Shuffle, and even a 20-yard Diaper Dash for the tots. 

I would’ve never thought to attempt a race of such magnitude considering both my knees are rubbish and I run like a sea lion, but I figured it’s nothing I would’ve ever considered doing, so why not do it? If it weren’t for my aunt who asked me to join her in next year’s S2N, I wouldn’t have realized there was a walking option. I need to work on my endurance and generally get back into shape, but it’s a fantastic opportunity and challenge - and I have a year to prepare for it! Wish me luck?