Since I moved home to Norway from Denmark, I’ve wanted to have a car.
In Denmark – at least in inner city Copenhagen – a bike is usually more than enough transportation, when supplemented with a decent offering of buses, metro and local trains getting you pretty much where you need to be.
The danger of watching The Biggest Loser, in all its different forms, is that you keep expecting to drop the same insane amount of weight in a week– and unless you have the time to exercise several hours a day… it’s plain just not going to happen.
Baby steps.
But it is great for motivational purposes.
It’s so nice to be able to bike to work in the mornings. The sun is up earlier, and it’s getting warmer. Although that last part is relative; it is still Norway.
This week is winter break in the schools, which means I don’t have to worry about crashing into kids on my way to work.
Spring is (almost) here.
My work place has a lot of sports groups that we can join, if we want to do so. Most of them compete against other work places, so it kind of sounds like you have to be at a very advanced level in order to join the more specific groups. But there are a lot of them that are a bit more casual.
I joined the Yoga group this year. I could do with some more flexibility in my body, and having a scheduled work-out or two during the week, I figure, is only going to make me try harder to get to the classes themselves.
The unfortunate thing is that the Yoga classes are before work, in the morning. This means that they start at 7.30 AM. As I don’t have a car, I rely on my bike to get me to work, or I walk. In the winter-time, if it is slippery outside, the walk takes about 30 minutes. This explains why I’ve only been to Yoga once this year, despite having been a member of the group since January.
In the freezing cold, it is more tempting to stay an extra hour and half under the warm duvet than hurry to Yoga class.
I’m starting a new regime, though, which means that I should be at Yoga class this morning.
I have been trying to teach myself to jog for a while now. I frequently see people jogging outside in all kinds of weather – and while I do think they’re slightly crazy for running outside in the winter, I also admire them for working out, and being so into it that they would subject their bits and pieces to the freezing cold that is Norway in the winter season just to be able to run.
A former acquaintance of mine in Copenhagen was so into running that she forgot the time and place whilst running from the north of Amager and southwards. Before she knew it, she was at the airport, and had to run home again. The run was supposed to be a very short run, but ended up at about 13 kilometers.
My own efforts at it started taking place inside the gym. I tried following C25K. The first three weeks went great, and then I fell off the band-wagon in week four.
Then I tried running outside this summer. Ambitious, as I tend to be when starting new projects, I mapped out a four kilometer route. My shins did not approve of the hard sidewalks, and let me know. I quickly fell off the band-wagon (see the common denominator here?).
A couple of weeks ago, I decided just for kicks to try it again. I didn’t want to to a formal plan but just to do a spot of running on the one day a week I am at the gym. On my first try, I jogged and walked in 5 minute intervals, for a total of 30 minutes.
Yesterday, I had worked my way up to 45 minutes in total, where 20 minutes was jogging time. It ended up being around 5 kilometer in total – but since it was inside and on a threadmill, the legs did not object.
Hopefully, I’m going to be able to keep at it, and improve my time at the 5K first, and then see if I can go a longer distance later.
Weather is crap today. Rain, rain, rain, rain… and you get the gist. I had originally planned on heading for the gym this afternoon – I’ve picked up Jillian Michaels’s Winning by Losing, and I’ve started the training programme in the book.
I’ve been to the gym twice this week.
After a week, (I started so-so last week) I’m already seeing small results. So, even if the weather is crap – and I can’t be bothered biking to the gym (no car, and no direct buses) I’m keeping up with the exercises. I’m picking out those I can do at home, without too much equipment, or improvising when it comes to the equipment part.
Every little bit helps.
Sorry, Norway, but 60 degrees fahrenheit does not feel like summer weather.
I know a lot of people elsewhere are struggling with the heat, but here it is cold, grey and wet most of the time.
On the positive side, it usually doesn’t get that much colder for winter, here.
When I was in London last year, I picked up some seeds. Now they’re bearing fruit. The cherry tomatoes are even tasting nice.
