Fitness Friday - North Vancouver Walking Tour

It is great to have visitors come to town because that is an excuse to show them around.  That is when I learned that walking and sightseeing is good exercise.  Of course I also love taking photos of nature and the scenery.  

Here's the North Vancouver Walking Tour that I did on Family Day.

Meet at Waterfront Skytrain Station and take the Seabus to North Vancouver.  On a sunny day the view from the seabus is scenic especially if you get a front row seat.  It is a fun experience for those who have never been on a sea bus.  

The first stop is Lonsdale Quay which is right at the seabus terminal.  Walk up the stairs to the very top of the Quay sign for amazing views.  I had to fight my fear of heights to get to the very top.  Luckily they had good railing and it is still less scary that Capilano Suspension Bridge.  

After seeing the view we ventured inside Lonsdale Quay to look at the shops that are inside and grabbed a warm drink.  This was before the start of the walk to Waterfront Park and along Spirit trail which is along the marina with views of North Vancouver house boats.

When you are finished walking along this side, then it is time to retrace your steps and return to Lonsdale Quay.  From there you can walk along the docks at the Shipyards on the other side.  There is a long dock that you can walk along to give you beautiful views of Vancouver.  We were lucky to walk along at sunset and witnessed gorgeous skylines.  It was picture perfect for visitors from out of town.  

Fitness doesn't always have to fast, sometimes, it is good to take a moment to be present, walk around and see the scenery that surrounds us.  

Fitness Friday: Yoga with Adriene #YogaRevolution

It is 2017 and I truly want to lose weight and keep fit.  Even though you can't see it, it doesn't mean fat is not there and I have felt a bit overweight for years.  With Fitness Friday I hope to keep exploring and traveling on my health and wellness journey as I find it is not getting easier the older I get.  

My "sister" from London was telling me about her daily routine and it included daily YouTube yoga practice.  I would have never though about doing yoga at home but with the cold weather it is a great idea to still be able to practice in the comfort and warmth of your own home.    

So I got my mat out and saw that Yoga with Adriene had a 30 Day Revolution Challenge in January.  It's a 31 day journey of daily yoga practice.  Even though January had already started, I loved the idea of a challenge and figured it is better to start late than never.  

So the yoga revolution began.  I loved her #YogaRevolution Day 1 practice so much that I did Day 1 & 2 in the same day.  One in the morning and one in the evening.  WOW!  Yoga is back in my life!  I felt calm and at peace after each yoga session.  I've already shouted on Twitter, told my friends, and am practicing everyday.  The best part about YouTube Yoga with Adriene is that it is free and easily accessible.  

Let's see if this can become a daily habit of yoga practice everyday.  After all itis the #yogarevolution.  It is great for yogis of all levels.  The sessions are around 30 minutes each so it is easy to squeeze in the yoga practice but in reality one I felt how it made me feel, I wanted to keep doing more.  Instead of watching TV, I calm my mind with the #yogarevolution and Yoga with Adriene.  Ease into Day 1.  

Fitness Friday: Keep Fit Without Committing

New Year's is around the corner and it is the time for everyone to make New Year's resolutions and promises for a fresh start!  Along with this comes the promise to workout and get fit.  This is the busiest season for fitness centres and gyms.  The memberships boost and then will fall dramatically before the summer and as the days get longer.  

So this year instead of being committed to a gym or yoga membership, there is a way to keep fit without committing.  GROUPON has coupons for all different types of fitness and is great for those who don't like to do the same thing all of the time.  It's best to keep fit and save money at the same time.  Here are some of the groupons for fitness that I've found for those in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

1.  Oxygen Yoga - This is a hot yoga studio that has unlimited one month long memberships for new members for only $49.  Keep in mind that sometimes groupon will have extra savings so watch out for those promotional codes.  Just type in Oxygen Yoga as the search function to see which one is closest.

2.  HIIT Fitness - High intensity interval training is good for your metabolism and they have a 10 punch card at their downtown location for $39.

3.  Zumba - Latin dancing that is also a workout for those who like to shake their booty.  The Zumba Latin Fitness Ztudio has a morning anytime 10 card pass for $35.  

4.  Cyklus Vancouver - Indoor spinning classes located downtown Vancouver have a 5 class pass for $70.  That is also the new client special on their website so this is a good deal on Groupon IF they have an additional promotion.

As for me, I've decided to go with Oxygen Yoga in New Westminister that is close to the skytrain station and on my way home.  That'll keep me busy for January and then I can revisit in February to see what I want to try next.  That's my style to reach new heights and keep fit without committing.

Fitness Friday: Carrot Rewards

National Blog Posting Month

Blogging everyday in November

#NaBloPoMo Day 11 - Carrot Wellness Rewards

I was first introduced to Carrot with someone running up to me and said "Do you like Scene points?  Download Carrot."  For me that wasn't enough, I needed to find out more.  Especially since when I asked "How long does it take to gain enough points for a movie?"  The answer was unknown.

Of course it is not a surprise that I caved and signed up for a free Carrot Reward membership which is supported by BC Healthy Families to help educate the public on nutrition, fitness, and more.  I have to admit that they are improving the program as time passes.  

Firstly download the app on your cell phone.  I found it difficult to enter the code to give my friend the referral code.  That seems a bit unclear but I have passed along my code to others and have received the 100 bonus points so I guess the system figures it out.  My bonus code is:  mariak6718 

It is a good thing that you are signed up now when it has paired up with Fitbit which makes life a lot easier.  Before I had it paired up with Google Fit on my phone but I would often not carry my phone everywhere with me.  So I am happy that it is now paired with my Fitbit.  

Be careful the first few weeks because they track how many steps you take to figure out how many steps will be your personal goal.  After they determine that you will need to reach your goal daily before they give you 4 points daily.  

To earn more points they also have quizzes that you can take to learn about fitness, nutrition and how to be healthy.  I find the quizzes quite fun and educational.  I'm hoping with the Fitbit to be motivatd to meet my daily fitness goal and gain more Scene points.  Find out more on the website:  https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/carrot-rewards

Fitness Friday - 30 Day Squat Challenge

As a part of National Blog Posting Month in November, I am blogging everyday.

#NaBloPoMo Day 4 - 30 Day Squat Challenge

  

Fitness Friday is fantastic alliteration and November is also the month where my work place decided to get fit before the holidays and participate in the 30 Day Squat Challenge.  

What is the 30 Day Squat Challenge?  There are many different versions and initially I was told we started with 30 squats and it would go up to 175 squats a day!  Say WHAT?!  I knew I couldn't do that.  I'm still a good sport and went along promoting the squat challenge and looking forward to taking part in it.  Luckily my words were heard and they found the 30 Day Squat Challenge that is beginner friendly.  Day 1 started with only 15 squats.  Thanks goodness!

It is Fitness Magazine's 30 Day Squat Challenge that has different squats to tighten and tone your tush.  Find out the details here:  http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/butt/exercises/30-day-squat-challenge/

Now after day 1 of the squat challenge I realized that I am out of shape.  After day 2 I realized this is more different than it looks and almost fell on top of my colleague.  And after day 3, I have the words of encouragement and technique ringing in my ears.  

"Push your butt out, Sit down, Knees are too forward, Don't fall, Don't curve your back, Don't fall.  Weight in your heels.  Getting better.  3 more.  Now the other side.  Not bad.  Yay, I'm done!"

All of this has spurring this blog post because a year ago I was going to hot yoga and then tried a gym membership and then life which stopped it all.  I know that after all of this, I need work, and I need more activity and fitness in my life.  

But I don't want to spend a lot of money.  So I'll continue with the 30 Day Squat Challenge no matter how difficult it is.  It can make me sweat which is a good thing.  Hopefully at the end of the 30 Days I'll have fitness goals and workouts to keep me going.  I'll continue with my exploration of fitness with #FitnessFriday in November.  Come back to read the about the fitness journey!