holiday bootcamp breakdown

i briefly mentioned bootcamp in my last post but i wanted to dedicate one whole post to this challenging experience. i was probably in a bit of a rut a couple of months ago. nothing too serious but i was more settled into life here and working from home left me with a lot of time to myself and not a real "set" schedule. i was still working out pretty much daily including runs with Lila or a yoga class. by a lot of people's standards, i was still a crazy workout lady but i could tell i wasn't bringing my "A" game by my own standards.

as you know, i have practiced yoga at Corepower for a couple of years now and have been familiar with their bootcamp program especially when i took 6am classes, i would see the bootcampers in their sneakers and not the usual yoga attire sweating out during circuit training. i never really thought much about participating in the program until a couple of months ago when one of my favorite instructors mentioned it after a Yoga Scuplt class. there was a free class to give you an idea of the bootcamps so i joined and quickly signed up afterwards. i knew this is just what i needed to jumpstart my energy and get myself back into a better routine.

the camp started the Sunday after Tgiving. yes right after a weekend of stuffing myself full of food and drink. i mounted up and prepped myself to start the camp with plenty of good for you foods and the right mindset. camp officially start on monday and i set off on my three week journey. on monday, wednesday, friday, and saturday, we had scheduled workouts and then were supposed to do a second workout to keep ourselves moving and from getting sore. on tuesdays and thursdays we were supposed to also do a workout which for me was usually a strong powerful yoga class. my second workout of the day was typically a run/walk on the beach or sun salutations and meditation in the morning. we were also supposed to keep a food journal which i was good at in the beginning using my fitness pal but towards the end when work got busy, i wasn't as good at food journaling but i still watched what i ate. there were lots of green smoothies! sundays were a day of rest although that was somewhat thrown off with outdoor hikes but did include a therapeutic massage from a kundalini yoga instructor and foam rolling.

i stuck to the program although i could have probably pushed it a little harder on my some of my second workouts. work has been crazy busy and while i can't use this as an excuse, i should realize that despite work being insanely busy, i still found time to work out twice daily! i always feel a low after the end of a training and wonder where will i go from here? i know that this has truly jumpstarted me back on a healthier lifestyle. after a strict workout regimen, i realize that when i workout and eat right, i have much more energy and things start to flow. i was in tears the morning before my last workout since i had re-read my blogs from christmas last year. i am in such a better place. i am in such a healthier place. and while this holiday season has been stressful and sad at times, i committed to myself and found a the best way to deal.

feeling like wonderwoman on a friday superhero bootcamp party

merry christmas to me! foam roller from santa!

namaste

melissa

bah (half the bah humbug this year)

 i am about halfway through my second holiday season and well it's been rough but cheerful at the same time. it has been more of a sneaky rough. a i will get in the christmas spirit and decide to decorate only to cry in middle of the target aisle filled with cheap stockings and no tree stands. i will wake up the next day and hunt the greater san diego area for those box full of tangled ornament hooks only to get frustrated with a haggard christmas store worker to elation after speaking to real life elf telling me about his life partner. yep all in the day of the life of a 30 something widowed grinch.

no but really i have found some of my christmas spirit this year and it has been a blessing. life is so different out here that to even get in the christmas spirit you have to manufacture it. at least for a midwest girl, these 70 degree temps tell me i won't be waiting for a white christmas.

but i forged ahead and even put up my first real christmas tree this year! i had the room and pulling out the fake christmas tree that Matt and i put up for a few years just didn't seem enticing. i am finding new SoCal Xmas traditions including admiring christmas trees on piers above the pacific and driving to the mountains to see snow... how cute!

i also signed up for a bootcamp through Corepower. yep the same studio chain that i went to in chicago. bootcamp is a three week four day a week bootcamp training. it is circuit training with no yoga but the strength moves that target muscle groups you use in yoga. and while it's been a HUGE time commitment, i am so happy i made this commitment to myself and dealt with the the stress of the season a more healthy way. and while i have certainly been a basket case a time or two in the past couple of weeks, i am absolutely feelin in the flow.

my real live christmas tree basking in the san diego sun

namaste

Cindy Lou

who knew it was freezing in the desert?

I signed myself up for another cali getaway this weekend and headed to the famous Joshua Tree National park. I had heard amazing things about the park and was excited when my hiking group planned a trip there. I invited a friend to come along as well. We chatted earlier in the week to discuss supplies and he tried to warn me that it would be really cold. I assured him I would be fine and that it would be chillier at night and then warmer during the day. Boy was  I wrong.

We arrived in Joshua Tree in the early evening but unfortunately at this time of year, that means it's already dark. We set up our tent in the dark and quickly huddled by the fire which the other campers had got going before our arrival. We also layered up since we had arrived in SD attire and weren't prepared for the brisk weather. We did the usual camping thing and drank some beers staring into the fire. I was bit toasty by the time I went to bed but was still scared out of my wits. The wind was brutal. You could hear it whipping around the tent and it also blew a good amount of sand in. I laid in fear hoping to fall asleep and just slumber through the terror. Luckily I finally drifted off before waking up to the light around 6am. I scurried to the bathrooms before jumping back into the tent for more rest. I woke again around 8am and stepped out before realizing it was much warmer in that sleeping bag. I slept for a couple more hours before we got up to venture off the grounds for a hike.

We did take a beautiful hike through the park. We saw lots of Joshua Trees, a little frozen creek, and lots of rock formations. Of course I inverted for the obligatory headstand picture. We did about six miles and as we headed back snow and wind met us in the wind tunnel. We made it to our cars and headed back to camp. We got back to a cold campsite and not a lot of motivation. My friend and I decided to head home before the rest of the group decided the same.

Sometimes, you have to know when to pack up the supplies and call it a day. We didn't have anything to prove, we could handle it but what's the point? Our homes were only a couple of hours away and really with so little free time in the week, why suffer? I am glad I went and it was an experience but I look forward to heading back in warmer weather to fully enjoy.

With all these expeditions and my extremely new adventurous spirit, I only wish that Matt could be around to see the woman I have become. He would be so proud of me. I wonder why his passing had to happen for me to become the person he probably always wanted me to be; a little less worried about the non-important stuff. I was happy that I could take his backpack with me and imagine this won't be it's first or last trip with me. I have to think that he's with me on all these trips in some capacity.

My fingers were frozen so I didn't take a lot of pics but here are a few...

namaste

Melissa 

thankful this thanksgiving

The 2nd holiday season is upon me and being completely in love with warm weather I decided not to head back to the Midwest for either. Being away from my normal holiday traditions helps me get through it. While this may seem like I am avoiding thinking about it I really don't think I am. I think I am truly grateful for the new opportunities and experiences in my life such as this...

I am thankful that I am in a city that has a lot of transplants (people moving to SD) and not everyone goes home for the holidays so I received a few invitations for Thanksgiving feasts!

I am thankful for making a trip to Big Bear with new friends to enjoy a few days away from the normal hustle and bustle of life. I joined a hiking group about a month or so ago because I wanted to get out and explore and needed people to do this with! I had a great time on a couple of hikes with them before signing up for a trip to Big Bear for some winter time fun. About a week before I got a little nervous that I was spending a holiday with a new group of people so far from home. I also knew I didn't want to just sit around my apartment over the long holiday weekend. So I reminded myself that I have traveled the world by lonesome and trusted my instincts then packed up for an escape. Big Bear is a cozy mountain town with tons to do and plenty to see. We stayed in a cozy log cabin with a snuggly fire place. There wasn't much skiing since it was opening weekend but we were able to do a seven mile hike and there was lots of snow at the top. Living in San Diego, Lila has really grown to hate precipitation and was not pleased. Most of the time we spent chilling by the fire with glass of red wine. It was perfection. The group I went with were amazing and I am so glad to have found a new group of friends to adventure with!

As always, I am thankful to Matt for all the life experiences his passing has given me. I start each day with meditation and close with those things that I am thankful for and always always thank my love. It feels a little odd to type that I am thankful for his passing giving me something but it's true. And if you can't find the good in the bad, what's the point to all this.

I am so so thankful for this year of healing and learning. I am thankful for a new chapter and new friends. I am thankful for old friends and family that supported me. I am thankful for my dog that lets me drag her around everywhere and she is happy as can be. I am thankful for a healthy body that allows me to do all these things. I am thankful to myself for having the energy to try something new.

in gratitude,

Melissa

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail... the Rim of the World 

My little Turkey... notice the Pack shirt!

Big Bear Lake for a morning walk before Tgiving feasting

Skiing and the desert... oh my! 

obligatory headstand in front of the desert!

what is this snow?