Trinny in Dubai

Ran out of steam a little last week, as was feeling fluey, or perhaps it was just the last of the quitting smoking side effects. But I was back at bikram on Saturday, Sunday, and last night. One of the amazing things about yoga is that it never feels 90 minutes long. I don´t know how long it *does* feel though: at the risk of sounding flakey, it´s not about time…

Talking of time, the healthy challenge has run a full 31 days. I don´t think I did particularly well at the eating healthily and being teetotal part. That said, I still haven´t had a cigarette; haven´t put on any weight, despite kissing the cigs goodbye; and have averaged three yoga classes a week. Not quite in TC´s league, but still an achievement for me.

And I think I´ll continue with the yoga, even though my mission is officially completed. Tonight though, it´s off for sunshine drinks. I *won´t* be succumbing to smoky temptation, but please continue sharing your encouragement to keep me on the straight and narrow!

Yoga phrase of the (yester)day: “Sink into your towel.”
Achievement of the day: One month of not smoking!
Event of the day: Sunshine drinks.

Managed to make the six o´clock yoga class this evening, which I much prefer to the eight o´clock one, as gives me more time to faff around at home before going to bed.

Had a new instructor – he´s filling in for someone on leave. I thought Brian´s classes were tough, but this dude is on another level. Sounds like he´s commentating on a horse race the way he puts us through our paces! 

Yoga phrase of the day: Learn to feel comfortable in an uncomfortable position.
Song of the day: Why does it always rain on me? Yip, the weather still hasn´t let up yet! 
Reminder of the day: Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 31) is the last day you can vote in the SA Blog Awards 2009. Make sure your voice is counted before it´s too late…

Weekend was so-so healthy living wise. Went to bikram yoga (Friday) and swimming (Saturday). Did drink a couple of beers at the Coldplay concert but managed to refrain from smoking, even though it was *really* tempting.

Now that my flat has emptied out from being a hippie commune* I am very grateful to have my bed back. Even though I have been sleeping a lot better since I started yoga and stopped smoking, the couch in my lounge is far from comfortable.

Yoga today again, where Brian suggested I participate in the 30 day challenge, which starts April 1. The crazy thing is, instead of thinking that Brian is crazy, I am seriously considering the idea, although Cyprus does get in the way somewhat. 

*A sad goodbye to Shennie Pie and Mister Moose, but a happy hello to their “replacements”, who will be named when I think up suitably cool monikers for them. 

Yoga phrase of the day: Namaste. 
Yoga inspiration of the day: Matt´s endless bender.  
Weather of the day: Rain, again. I didn´t sign up for this!

So, ja, although I´ve skipped posting for a few days, I haven´t skimped on my resolve, and am on day 14 of not smoking. Turns out my stomach cramps were totally from quitting, but am feeling loads better now. Previously, I was toying with the idea of giving up for a month, and then reverting to my original plan (that is, smoke as much as I possibly can before I turn 30, and then give up again). However, there is *no way* I am going through all the pain again, so going to try push through with giving up the smokes for good… 

And otherwise? Well, Tom & Jerry and I went for “one drink” after work Thursday, which turned into many more, so not doing quite as well on the temperance programme as I´d like. That said, I didn´t smoke while I was drinking, which is something…

And back at pilates/yoga again after my absence last week. The former yesterday and the latter today. Although I have a very lovely pilates instructor, I am finding that I much prefer yoga. For some bizarre reason, I keep wanting to fall asleep during pilates! Off to bed now then, and will keep you updated tomorrow…

Yoga phrase of the day: This is really good for your reproductive organs. 
Serendipity of the day: Making a new friend at yoga. 
Achievement of the day: Back on the wagon.

Feeling a little better today; made it through work, although I did arrive rather late and leave slightly early. Discovered when I got home that Shennie Pie has also been sick, so maybe my mystery illness is nothing to do with bikram yoga, quitting smoking, dehydration, or my mind playing tricks on me.

Shouldn´t  complain too much, I suppose, since I´ve been in Dubai for 10 weeks, and this is the first time I´ve been ill. In Vaduz I had a perpetual cold, it really was too dreadful… One of the many reasons why I´m enjoying this part of the world a lot more than my last overseas experience.

Also, there´s not a single bikram yoga studio in the whole of Liechtenstein. I reckon I´ll be well enough to go to yoga tomorrow, which I´m happy about: I don´t want to skip class for too long, because then it just becomes too easy never to return. 

Food of the day: Magnum (ice cream) – you´re allowed to indulge when you´re sick!
Temptation of the day:  EM inviting me to the Irish Village to celebrate St Paddy´s Day. But wasn´t that difficult to say no, considering I´m still not feeling great. 
Encouragement of the day:  My friend Susan telling me her list of symptoms when she stopped smoking. I reckon I´m having an easy time of it!

So much for being healthy – spent most of today in bed, after lasting only a couple of hours at work. My stomach was really sore: it felt like incredibly bad period pain. And I felt faint and a little nauseous. 

I suspect this state of affairs has much to do with my over-enthusiastic adoption of bikram yoga. It could be unrelated, but I doubt it. I think that my body is just in shock: so much exercise in so little time after years of inertia. Although the stomach pain does feel more like just having a sore stomach than anything muscular, so I may be wrong.

My other theory is that I have a sore stomach because the character in the book I was reading last night had appendicitis. I´d say I´m a prime candidate for a psychosomatic manifestation. (Overactive imagination + not always understanding the signals my body is giving me.)

Anyway, going to give myself a bit of a break, so no yoga today, and have cancelled my second private pilates lesson tomorrow. I may go to yoga instead, but only if I´m feeling up to it… And in case anyone´s worried, I will go to the doctor tomorrow if I´m still feeling weird.

Update: Just heard from two of my friends that they became very sick after quitting smoking. So maybe that´s it? Definitely an excuse to allow myself to cut down gradually rather than go cold turkey, but 1) I´m an all or nothing kinda gal, and 2) I don´t even feel like a cigarette right now. 

Encouragement of the day: Kind words re. quitting smoking from Tony J, after I commented on his blog. 
Drink of the day: Lots of water! 
Perk of the day: Extended afternoon nap.

Today was my first non-working day of not smoking. It could´ve been more difficult, but luckily I had my second bikram yoga class to distract me. Everyone keeps asking how it is exercising in the heat (40 degrees). Obviously, you sweat a lot. But aside from that I´m generally just concentrating on how to do the postures, rather than letting the extreme temperature perturb me.

Tomorrow I have my first private pilates lesson. Yikes, I´ll have done more exercise in one week than I have in the last year, or the year before that, or the year before that… You get the picture.

Yoga phrase of the day: “Lengthen your spine.”
Temptation of the day: Letting my cleaner have a cigarette out the window, but denying myself one.
Admin of the day: Realising I´ll have to organise to have my BMI/heart rate/ flexibility measured at some place other than the yoga studio, cos they don´t offer that service.

So, I drank a g&t today. And had to gulp down my one drink of the week, because the show was about to start. I´m not really sure why I bothered to have  a drink at all… It honestly would not have been difficult to say no. I guess I was just bored. Also, finding a way to distract myself from not smoking. 

Because it was fucking difficult to say no to smoking the whole day, although I didn´t succumb to that one. In a way, perhaps, I´m exaggerating. It´s not difficult to not smoke one cigarette. Or not smoke for a day. Or even a week, I imagine – I´ll confirm that one when I´ve done it. It´s more the thought of never smoking again that is doing my head in.

Oh, the above-mentioned show: we went to see  Cirque du Soleil, which I´ll write about more another time. Suffice it to say 100 years of bikram yoga would never get me as supple as those contortionists!

Feeling of the day: stiff muscles.
Vice of the day: One g&t. At least it´s better than the 19 million beers I usually drink at the Irish Village on a Thursday evening!
Encouragement of the day: Email from my yoga teacher congratulating me on completing my first class yesterday.

A few of my friends and family had some suggestions regarding which form of exercise I should choose for the healthy challenge. Aqua aerobics (promising) and kick boxing (be honest, can you really see me kick boxing?!) both featured. That said, I don´t imaging many people could see me doing bikram yoga either… 

I was really nervous about going to class today. I mean, I know the point of yoga is like to focus and relax into yourself, but  still, I was worried about not doing it right. What if I was exhaling when everyone else was inhaling?!

It was good to have Heidi with me for encouragement. And even though she´s a natural athlete and was totally better than me, I know that´s not the point, so I´m not at all jealous (okay, well only a little bit).

So, first impressions? Well, for starters, it was fucking hot. By the end of the 90 minutes I looked like a tomato. A very sweaty tomato. But, and here´s the thing, I felt fantastic. It´s a long time since I let those exercise endorphins run riot in my body: they had fun, and so did I. I felt like I imagine Pim does when he´s had too many painkillers at the dentist. Except my buzz was what I believe is known as a “natural high”. 

I´ll write more about the actual class and different postures next time I go – for my first lesson I was too busy wiping the sweat from my brow while trying to balance on one leg to make any detailed observations…

Temptation of the day: Guy behind the counter at my friendly corner shop asking if I wanted to buy a packet of smokes. I uttered a very sore, “No, thank you.”
Yoga phrase of the day:  ”Looking, but not seeing.”
Request of the day: Just because I was making fun of the gym bunnies who commented on my first healthy challenge post, it doesn´t mean I don´t want anyone to comment. I was only teasing, honest. I´m gonna need your comments and further encouragement throughout the month, please!

No smoking, no drinking. It´s easier not to indulge in  the former when I´m not doing the latter either. And staying at home is a pretty good way to keep off the juice, especially in Dubai (although my friend Heidi did bring me a stash from duty free recently). So far I have resisted temptation, but prolly that´s only because there hasn´t been an unreasonable amount of it in my path.

So day two going well. Certainly having an easier time of it than Tom Thumb  upstairs, who – oops! – I´ll let him tell you all about it in his own words when article appears…

But my easy ride is about to come to an abrupt end, tomorrow. Yip, it´s my first bikram yoga lesson. Now, if I were still in Liechtenstein, it might be fun to take up bikram yoga purely to experience the heat. However, I´m not sure of the wisdom of practicing this kind of yoga in Dubai, of all places. Perhaps it´ll prepare me for the nine circles of summer?

Shopping of the day: Yoga clothes.
Health food of the day: Spinneys chickpea salad.
Ponder of the day:  Very lovely to receive all your support, but am slightly horrified that my readers seem so very keen to comment on my exercising endeavour, yet are comparatively silent on other topics. Are all my friends gym bunnies?!