Fitness Friday!

Smashing it! 

On Friday Bear and I booked a 60-min indoor tennis court (in Latimer Rd which is the nearest to us), and played for our first proper game. We discovered we really like it when we stayed at Kingsdown Holiday park, and now aim to make it a regular thing, so watch this space!

 

Catch me if you can!

White cliffs of Dover - stunning aren't they just?

I get by with a little help from my...

.... son! Oh they joy when Sean asked me for the first time if he could join me on my Sunday morning run. ❤︎

Our Saturday

Sofa hunting earlier today.
Kids and hubby liked this one with an electric recliner the most, but it will take 13(!) weeks to have it delivered in white leather. Sigh. Ultimately though it's down to me, but I have not decided yet. Let's see!

The iPhone app showed that I nearly hit my 10k steps daily target by lunch time  👍

We left home early this morning around 9.30am and we walked and scooted all over a gloomy and grey London town, in search for the perfect new living room sofa.

When we finally got back hours later, I had this (first meal today) delish low carb, fuller for longer-dish. 

So here's a brand spanking new year, and of course with the start of a new year comes the ‘new year, new me' palaver..

I am definitely not one for New Year's resolutions,  and statistics actually suggests that just 8 % of people achieve their New Year's goals. Hence I am committing only to the first three weeks of January (might extend it to four), LOL! I know it sounds pathetic but it's simply me being realistic.  

I've started this year with exercising every day before breakfast (either kettle bell swings or a power walk/jog) and cutting out booze and carbs completely. Watch this space!

Iphone Images of our week

Vid clip of Seany 

Oh how I wish I had French doors like Mum

Erik and John's Mini Cooper -AKA "Black Betty"

Al fresco lunch at the Waterway with Johanna and Daniel who visited from Sweden

Train Travel - heading to Grandma's 

On Tuesday we went to the high street in Amersham and had lunch at the very child friendly Cote Brasserie 

I met with Kat near her office at the beautiful Rosewood Hotel  (first time there but deffo not my last!)

Mind the (tooth) gap! ;-)

Miss Goldilocks at Zizzi's on Paddington Street

Sleeping beauty

Fitness Friday - work hard play hard!

Go Daddy!

Just got back from cheering on Bear and his team, as they did the annual Citywire 10k charity run (raising money for a  a wonderful organisation that is a children's hospice). We were proud to say the least, and we celebrated their sporting achievements over snacks and drinks in Regents Park.

No filter

Pictures from my morning run today at 6.30am 

Regents Park - such an exquisite urban space! #Grateful

Run for your life

This is how beautiful Regents Park looked at 6am this morning

I think I just did this year's best 5k run yay! After very little sleep, and no fuel what so ever. I don't know how I did it, but I'm feeling so energised and revitalised now. I did however swallow a fly (not the first time either!) - Got to remember to stop singing along to the music when I run!

Bank Holiday Weekend

Picture: Regents Park Baker Street entrance, taken on this morning's run 
  Text: extract from the book "Reasons to stay alive"


Upcoming plans for the Bank Holiday weekend:

Sean's friend Nick coming for sleep-over
Take away dinner Friday night
Book Sean's Sweden flights & Mum's London flight
Collect my watch in town 
Boots flagship store for stocking up on baby food and formula milk
Coil - follow up appointment in clinic
Hair appointment at Selfridges Sat morning
5k run Sunday morning
Family lunch at Chiltern Firehouse 

Cape casual & Rock My Run

     Connaught Village Tuesday morning

And so I went for another 5k run prior to the school run, this time using "Rock My Run" - A free app with great DJ mixes made exclusively for runners, where the music matches your steps, and plays to the beat of your heart. Highly recommended!

According to me, it's simply the best way to start the day, and get the metabolism going. A protein only breakfast to follow. My new sleeveless cape has come in so handy, as it even makes the running gear look glam :-)

Serene Sunday

A very quiet Marylebone road, with not a car in sight - very rare!

Even though the weather was glorious, this early on a Sunday morning, there is almost no one else around - bliss!

Photos taken on my iPhone at 7.30am this morning

Oh, the sheer pleasure of going for a run first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast, and before the whole city wakes up - So quiet, beautiful and serene.. 

My postpartum progress hasn't progressed as quickly as I would have hoped for, as I'm still nearly half a stone (2.5kg) heavier than before falling pregnant. It's definitely more difficult to shift the weight after your second child, although I remain 100% determined to get there! 

Sunday morning run

..and I'll be listening to this (by Swedish DJ and music producer "Otto Knows") pumping out loud in my headphones!

My 7am run

5k run completed this morning!

Serene Regents Park

Video clip from Regents Park this morning

Hard to believe it's in central London, eh?! It's beauty together with the birds chirping simply takes my breath away, and I feel so grateful to more or less have this on my door step!
There are practically no one there at 7am on a Sunday, so it pretty much feels like my own back garden LOL! I relied on this tune, with a Danish synthesizer rock-band, to pick me up and get me in the mood for a run :-)

A snippet of our weekend

We chose to have a quiet, chilled weekend, as last one was "full on", celebrating my birthday!

Sean befriending a girl in the local playground

Andrea came over with her two boys on Saturday morning, and Bear then took Sean and Andrea's 4 year old, Harry, to a local kids soft play zone called Jungle Gym!

In the meantime, Andrea and I took the young ones (Scarlett Grace and Freddie who is 15 months) for a stroll in the sunshine and rounded off the afternoon with a bite to eat at Chipotle

Sean got to dress up like his fave super hero, Captain America, and insisted on keeping it on when we went outside

New pretty quilted Spring coat that I bought in the sale from Marks and Spencer for only £7!

A selfie by the boating lake in Regent Park, after completing a 3k run 

Sharing a tender moment with Scarlett Grace (with a risk of her peeing on me LOL!)

Rounded of the weekend on Sunday with an early supper at  Zizzi -
We really like it because its 5 mins walk from us, child friendly with a separate 'Bambino menu', pram friendly with lots of space, a surprisingly good wine list and overall serves nice fresh Italian food both healthy and unhealthy :-)