Christmas is close!...

Well, it's  been a long long time since I logged in last and posted an update. Almost two months. Wow. Time flies.

I had a lot of things going on and now wanted to post about many different and perhaps not very related things. Because I am leaving tomorrow and most probably won't have access to Internet for nearly three weeks. Three more weeks is not so much compared to the 7 I have been absent from the blogosphere, but still. :)

TA. Well, I am still holding in. But barely. And it is not about the lack of motivation really. Simply my PhD is taking my life in its own hands and I really can't find enough time. But I did finish level 4 and 5. Now that I am away, I will try to keep active, but I'm afraid I won't be able to work out well and often. When I get back in mid-January, I will start on level 6 of Continuity. Slowly but right ahead.

I had a very sad November. My grandpa died and I couldn't go to the funeral. But at least I managed to say bye to him and see him in October. It took me a little back on my PhD and workouts as well. But I am happy to be travelling to see my family very soon.

I bought a new camera and enjoyed taking it everywhere with me. I took some nice pictures which are more like learning for me. I started out with learning photography from Photography Concentrate. Their "Extremely Essential Camera Skills" is really good and easy for the very beginners! It just gets you going from scratch!

These are some photos I took at my University (Jacobs University Bremen) when it was beautifully snowy for the first time this winter!

Now I read a lot of tips and advice, and really hope I can apply them in practice now on my trip.... We are heading out in a couple - yes - minutes!!!! Have to order a taxi and go! I will be crossing the equator for the first time in my life and will spend a wonderful week with my sweetheart in Seychelles! Can't wait! Christmas with the sand, palms, fruits, sea and lots and lots of sun!

To whoever celebrates what: 

Merry Christmas everyone! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah!

Day 85 of Meta and the sunrise to remember...

Today is day 85. I feel like dragging it all. I really do. Because I don't want Meta to finish. And no, I am not doing it on purpose, it happens, but I do have the feeling that I want to stop time for a while and hang in there - in that last level. Is it because I am not completely satisfied with the results? I might have been eating a bit too much, I can't check my weight as there are no scales. I have been having problems sticking to the workouts every day, because there is always so so so much to do.

But anyway. Enough of self pity :) The good news - I did day 85 today! 5 more days folks! Just 5 more days! It has been a great wonderful time! Today I did the workout in the evening, but it is still kicking my ass. Some of the MS exercises I can repeat after Tracy, some I really have to stop every 5-10 reps and rest for some seconds. It is tough!!!

But today was a great day. It actually felt too long and may be even as if it were two days. In the morning (well, at night) we woke up at 3:30 and went to see the sunrise on top of the mountain. Well guess what? If it is 15 degrees C here during the day, it was 0 up on the top. But boy was it so worth it!!! We went with 3 (!!!) ski lifts to the very top (where the skiers are even not normally allowed) of Mont Fort. We even saw the Mont Blanc - the highest peak in Western Europe (we don't count the Russian Elbrus, which is higher hohoho... :D) But all in all, guys, judge for yourself - it was even more beautiful in real life!!!

Most of these pictures - simply no comments... We were too frozen to really appreciate it all right there. But after doing this great trip, having these pictures.... We definitely will remember this for a lifetime. 

Do you know what it is like to go from about 15 degrees to 0? This is what it is like... And a hoody doesn't help! There was snow! In the middle of July. Boy was I freezing! 

There is Mont Blanc behind me...  Yeah!

A leisurely ride on a ski lift is nice when the sun is already out and the air is getting warmer. :) 

How big is the difference when you go down... and note - not all the way down! 

All in all, great day! We had a small breakfast after the sunrise and crashed for a nap. Then Liuba did a lot of "window-shopping" online, tried to work and workout. Well, the day was good anyway. :)

Enjoy your surroundings people!

Hiking...

I did day 84 yesterday - I think, but today we went off for a hike... 

I mean we ARE in one of the most beautiful places in the world, with countless opportunities for outdoor activities, like hiking, cycling, picnicking, etc. etc. So, we decided to take advantage of that. And we did NOT regret it! But to leave some energy for me to work afterwards, we decided to do an easy-ish hike - mostly flat-ish and downhill. So we took a ski-lift to the top and then hiked across the mountain-picks for 1.5 hours, and then started the descend,  which took us another 1.5 hours. It was absolutely and totally beautiful!!! And folks, this time I was all prepared, and even though we both were tired by the end, it was doable and I didn't complain once! :) 

We didn't regret our decision to hike. Not for a second. The views were magnificent, the weather - warm, and I managed not to burn. I loved the exercise, and truly after 3 hours of hiking, we both were exhausted, but in a good way. I did want to do the MS in the evening, but then I got too tired. So, we are off to the mountains tomorrow again - to see the sunrise!!! And I will try to continue the MS. It is indeed hard to do, when you are travelling and are not in a consistent routine. Sigh. :)

Just some views on our way :) 

Just a view... You get used to the beauty of nature so fast... It was at 2400 meters, my head was spinning a bit,a nd it was getting hard to breath. But magnificent still!

Little mountain river... Beautiful and refreshing... :)

Yes, cows. Just like that. We are in Switzerland after all... There were lots of them!

The water of this mountain lake was really cold!!!! :)))

All in all, we saw everything one should see in Swiss Alps (in the summer at least): mountains, snow, lake, mountain rivers and small waterfalls, pastures and cows, forests... Great day!!!

Day 76 of Metamorphosis

Aaaand I am back on the wagon again – and back online too! I will post later where I have been in the past two weeks (it was FUUUN!!!), but right now just a little update.

Today is day 76 of Meta for me and I can’t wait to finish level 8. Honestly. It’s been too long already.

Yesterday we finally reached our little hide-out in Switzerland – yes in the Swiss Alps… (told you, the story will be interesting, and with lots of pics :) ) It’s breathtaking! Really!

The Swiss Alps! On the way to the town Nendaz

We have a little chalet in a little village in Nendaz with an extremely picturesque view towards the villages resting on the mountain sides and the high picks with still some snow. Beautiful. But as villages go, there isn’t much to do: there is one restaurant about half an hour walk from here, and a café. We don’t have internet (I am writing this in an “off-line mode” and will publish it when I do have access to Internet), we have to stack our fridge with yummy and healthy things, we have had some arguments about it too. I can’t imagine how those of you who live with husbands and kids manage to diet! Living on your own means you just have to fight your own vices, with people around it means you also have to jungle the family food and not get tempted to eat more than strictly necessary. And to be honest, I can’t even imagine following the TA dynamic eating plan when you have a family!!! Respect to you all!

The chalet we have is pretty small (just a kitchen-living room downstairs, bedroom, bathroom and a tiny extra room upstairs – and I mean everything is really small, so don’t snort when you hear about all those rooms), so there isn’t much space for me to work out. MS might be possible to fit somewhere when some furniture is moved out of the way, but DC? Forget it! So what do you think I did? :) I worked out outside!!! Yes, I am dependent on the weather and if it rains I’m kinda screwed. But how often do you have a chance to work out in the fresh mountain air, have a breathtaking inspiring view – and so simple, you just need to walk out of the back door. I am totally enjoying it! But weather is indeed a factor: I started my workout around 10am, and it was already sunny and warm. And believe it or not, after 5 minutes of DC I was sweating and breathless, hot and sticky. I don’t know if that is because of the break I had in DC (perhaps, partially), but I think it is mostly because of the sun. The workout gets extremely challenging in the sun!!! I managed to do 20 minutes DC, and then moved the MS to the shadow of a little bush. :) But I did it!

I felt great! Finally getting back to the daily workouts is great. I love it. I woke up with a smile and was sooooo looking forward to the workout. May be some breaks are sometimes necessary for us to start feeling better about the workouts? :)

Coming soon: our wonderful holiday in Italy and the different type of workout you can get there, lots and lots of pics, and soon soon soon some new results! (I have my measuring tape, my camera and new bikini – wohoo!) Stay tuned!

"Long time no see"...

I am still alive. :)

It’s just life has been too fast and too busy in the past weeks. I have been working hard on my PhD, travelling to Stockholm for a meeting, and now my mum (along with boyfriend!!!) is visiting me – so I am doing a lot of touristy things, walking around and to be honest, discovering the city from a completely new angle. There is soooo much to do in Bremen and around. I am actually pleasantly surprised. Will write a post on that later - hopefully!

With mum on board of a ship from Bremen to Bremerhaven.

So, a little update about my workout. I have not been able to workout while my mum is here or I was travelling myself. So, while I did do good with level 8 – went till day 6-7, I never managed to finish it. Now I haven’t had a workout for a week!!! I am upset about it, and will try to squeeze at least cardio in today while my mum is sightseeing on her own. But there is nothing else I can do – will just have to jump back into it after my mum leaves. And get going again with level 8. Level 9 is so close and Continuity is not far away either. I am trying to motivate myself and in the meantime – eat healthy and stay away from scales... :) That can only bring frustration. Can’t wait to continue my workouts.

Stay tuned!