Trip #2 Summer 2013

I've been meaning to write a blog post for ages, but I just haven't managed to sit myself down at my desk and get it done. I think being on holiday from work and not having any articles to research or write has made me want to avoid my computer as much as possible! I've really missed blogging though and hope to get back into a more regular reading/commenting plus writing schedule.

I got back from my second London trip last Tuesday. The trip was really good. I got to meet up with a lot of my friends and enjoyed endless hours of walking around different parts of England. The highlight of my trip was reuniting with one of my very, very close friends from college. We hadn't seen each other for 15 years. It was fantastic to just sit down and start talking as if the past decade and half had never existed!

Another highlight was meeting up with 2 bloggers - Rebecca from Weight Wars and Mary from Stationery NOT Stationary. It was so wonderful putting faces (and proper personalities, voices, and laughs) with the blog posts that I've been following. We had a great afternoon together in Covent Garden. I was so moved that Rebecca took a 3-hour train trip (one-way) to come up to see me ... it was awesome :) Once again, it felt great to just sit down and start chatting as if we've known each other for years!

I'll post a few pictures of my trip, but first I want to recap my food and fitness aspect.

Before leaving for my trip I weighed and measured myself. I'll be traveling a lot this summer, so my basic goal (as always) is to just make sure I don't gain. I don't want my holiday to end with the regret of a weight gain.

I'm happy to say that I lost 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs) while I was away.
I would say that I stayed 85% on track in terms of eating clean. There were definitely a few meals that I would not include in my normal eating rotation. However, I ate only what I wanted to and only how much I needed to. There was only one instance of some chocolate that I ate because I was bored and it was there. That was the only 'mindless' eating that I did. Other than that, I think I did a pretty good job.

In terms of exercise. I was hoping to get a bit more focused exercise in, but not every part of my trip went according to plan. I didn't get as much alone time as I would have liked; plus, it was a LOT colder than I had expected. It made for being outdoors a bit uncomfortable mainly because I didn't have the clothes for it (no sweatshirt, just light t-shirts and capris). Anyway. As I said, I did what I could.

- I went on 2 outdoor power walks/jogs/runs.
- I used my exercise cards to do mini-crossfit WODs 2 times
- I hit the gym 1 time for a great weights workout
- I managed 1 day of Jiujitsu practice while D was still in town, though it was a very short session

My friend got me a guest pass to her gym - I was so happy to see weights I almost cried lol. My workout left me sore for 3 days and it felt GOOD (though not the most comfortable when the next day I walked around London for 6 hours!) Still - had a big smile on my face :) 

Other than that, I'd say I walked an average of 3 hours a day, which is a huge increase from the sedentary lifestyle that I normally lead in Kuwait.

I'll write separate posts on what I did and what my upcoming strategies are to keep up with my food and fitness over the next few weeks because I've got a HUGE trip coming up and I definitely don't want to go off track during that time at all!

So here are a few photo highlights of my visit to England this summer (ahem, winter- damn it was cold!):

had a FAB night at Asia de Cuba in St. Martins Lane Hotel 

took a road trip to the Cotswolds - it was so beautiful; just wish the weather had been better. 

a few glimpses of London

messin' around on the tube

went to Oxford for the first time - great scenery and architecture

lots of smiles in London 

aaahhh United Nude - my favorite shoe shop ... and yes, I did go home with a couple of pairs ;)

I never thought I'd feel comfortable and confident in a horizontal striped dress -- but I did! 

(Just wish I wasn't squinting in this pic)