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Peaceful Vacation…

Our last 10 days were spent on a whirlwind, yet relaxing and peaceful vacation: driving to Pennsylvania and Virginia; visiting family we hadn’t seen in years; showing the kids the town where their dad is from;  shopping; lunch and dinners with mom & dad; catching up with lifelong friends; cooking delicious food and enjoying fabulous wines;  spending quality time with my brothers, sister, niece and nephew; swimming and fun in the lake; and tons of laughs!! This was not our typical summer vacation at the beach; but one that boasted wonderful memories of which we will interminably treasure and wouldn’t change for the world.

This was also a time for me to deviate from my typical workout regimen of weights (Body Beast)  and intense cardio (Insanity & Turbo Fire) and give my body a true rest. I spent a small amount of time each day in meditation/reflection/prayer whenever I could find 2-5 minutes alone 🙂 In fact, I felt most at peace when I had this time alone out on the paddle-board at Lake Anna. The weather was a perfect 80-85 degrees with very little humidity, few wispy clouds in the sky as the bright sun warmed my skin, sounds of  birds chirping and water splashing against the paddle, concentrated breathing and soaking up each moment in full…….

If you have never tried stand-up paddle-boarding, I highly recommend it!  Go alone, try it with a group or even attempt yoga poses on the board for a real challenge. 

On Monday, July 28th I started  Beachbody’s new PiYo program and have already felt a shift in my body after ONE week. My core is strong, my flexibility improved and most noticeable is the diminishing pain in my left hip flexor and IT band. Giving my body a break but still getting in a great workout with increased range of motion and flexibility felt amazing over the last week.

PiYo week 2 started this morning with the SWEAT workout; 38 minutes of dynamic yoga movement and incredible stretching that left me sweating! I will continue following the PiYo program and blog about it over the next 52 days, adding it to my other workouts and watching for increased strength gains, decreased tightness and fuller range of motion.

If you are interested in the program and want to join my accountability challenge starting 8/25 – send me an email and we will get you signed up!

You can read more about PiYo here:

http://fitenvync.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/play-up-winners-love-to-see-others-win/

Have an amazing, motivating and inspiring week!!