Wicked Games

Almost every time I attempted to get in shape I got injured within the first few weeks leading to months of doing nothing while recovering. I tend to get really excited and overly motivated to the point where I far overestimate the things my joints can handle. My family has some genetic problems which leads to joint and pain problems and although I don't have this too much it is present and one of these symptoms for me is that I get injured relatively easy.

Last year, around the same time of the year, I got a hip injury after I started running again after a long summer holiday post-high school, pre-university. Within two weeks I went from running 3km to running 5km to 8km and at least 3 times a week. I got way too excited and didn't listen to people telling me to be careful.

 I love running, I love the feeling of strength it gives me, the sense that I can clear my mind and can feel myself moving forward, being outside in the fresh air, rain or shine. Of course I don't love the times when it doesn't go well and when I can't keep my breath under control. Those are the times I get super frustrated, running gives me a strange sense of control while letting go. It's quite strange to put my thoughts about running in writing but it is also letting me reflect on the past few weeks of getting in shape again.

When this semester started I was not in the mindset of exercising and eating healthy, I was just eating what I wanted, studying, hanging out with friends but I had lost the excitement of feeling fit. During the summer I biked 20 km a day when I went to work and then walked around all day at work so I got fitter and more toned without consciously trying. Then the cartilage below my kneecap got inflamed and I could barely walk for weeks (overenthusiastic moving once again...). So when the semester started and I didn't move anymore I gained 10 kg (not even joking). After losing 5 kilo's without wanting to last semester due to insane amounts of personal and academic stress it isn't crazy that when this stress stopped bothering me I gained the lost weight.

A month and half ago I started running again. I was terrified that it wouldn't go well so decided to not even bring my phone with running app just in case my hips would hurt again. I did a slow program with a friend, running for a few minutes then walking etc. And my hips didn't hurt. So slowly I began running more frequently in combination with the yoga class I have been following for most of this semester and it went well. A friend of mine then told me about Kayla Itsines 12 week Bikini Body Guide which she had started, so after getting the guide I began also! I am now at the end of week 2 and I feel great! In the past 8 days I had 8 workouts. This might sound excessive but all the workouts are building muscles and the workouts are created so that you can actually do them without getting injured. With running I am not going crazy and running short distances. After one month of running I was able to get from barely being able to run for 3 minutes straight to running 3,5 km straight and no hip pain. I therefore am being careful about going longer distances and for now will keep running this distance, 3-3,5 km (sometimes a little shorter distance if I am running faster).

The BBG program is running 3 times a week and 3 workouts from the guide and it's been amazing! I have gotten rid of my weighing scale (dropped it off at a friend's place for safe keeping) and am only thinking about how my body feels and what the progress pictures show me rather than what the scale tells me. I took before pictures at the beginning of week 1 and today at the end of week 2. I can really already see that I am getting slightly more toned around my legs and stomach!  I am a bit nervous to show these pictures but I am thinking about making an instagram account dedicated to my fitness and progress to help motivate myself and follow other people who are also working out and can help motivate me. For now though, here is a picture of me during week 2's ab and arm workout this past Wednesday while I felt like I was slowly dying...

Lips Are Movin

Every time I start writing on this blog again I promise myself that I will keep it up. But then the semester starts again or I get busy with other things and I forget about it completely for a while, then feel guilty towards myself for not continuing the blog and then postpone it because I think it has been way too long since I posted anything anyway.

It is now almost the end of my third semester of university and so much has happened that I don't even know where to begin. So rather than complete throwbacks I will simply start with something recent and throughout new blogposts I will tell things that happened previously related to more "current events".

Speaking of how fast time flies, my 20th birthday was last week Sunday! Instead of a birthday the celebration turned into a birthweek practically, starting Friday evening until Thursday's lunchbreak. Friday I had a party with friends from university. Saturday I celebrated with my dad who was in Holland for two weeks. We went to dinner at this amazing restaurant called Spicebrush de Proeferij in Apeldoorn after which we went to see Mockingjay part 1. Sunday I was woken up by my dad accompanied by my mom and sister on skype who sang happy birthday to me to wake me up. It was really wonderful and made me feel as if I was home with all of them. We had breakfast in bed and went for a run together which we hadn't done in about 5 years. In the evening he had to go back to Singapore and I went back to Middelburg where I spent the evening with three wonderful friends. Monday morning, while I was at work, there was a flower delivery service and my dad had arranged for 20 red roses to be delivered. This is a tradition that my dad always gives us the number of red roses equal to our new age. I had forgotten about it during the weekend but it was the best surprise while at work! In the evening two other friends made me sushi and a chocolate cheesecake and we had a lovely evening. And then this past Thursday I had a birthday lunch with my sorority (yep I joint a sorority and I don't think I posted about that yet so more about that soon) and they gave me absolutely deliciously smelling (is that proper English?) perfume!

It was an absolutely wonderful birthday and I am very grateful and happy that I got spend the time with family and friends. So to everyone that made this birthday celebration happen, you know who you are, thank you!

Birthday girls!

Running with papa!

Lovely birthday evening with these girls <3

Surprise roses!

Moved to my new room!

Together with my friend Savannah, I painted my (new) bookcase! It was a light brown color before we began and after two layers I had a white bookcase which I am so so happy with, it fits perfectly in my new room!

My mom and sister were here in Zeeland for a week which was really nice as we can hang out a lot now before they leave for Singapore. After they left I decided to travel to Apeldoorn next week so I can see them a bit more as the next time I see them after they leave on Thursday is Christmas. Unexpectedly I went today already so I am now back with my family!

And I officially moved into my new room!! Within the same building... BUT in the past few days, my uncle and cousins husband came to help me move the furniture and together with my mom and sister I spent some time putting the smaller things in place. I spent my first two nights here and I slept so wonderfully probably because I was exhausted but it was also just quieter here than it was on the ground floor and it was wonderful.

Summer

This summer holiday is pretty good so far! I was working a lot and spent a few more days at the beach and am getting a bit more tan so that was all really nice.

Unfortunately I started getting a bit of pain in my knee at the beginning of this week and Wednesday evening it started to hurt a lot. I recognised the pain from a few years ago but was hoping it would go away. It did not however go away and when I tried to get out of bed I could barely stand on my left leg. I called my work to let them know I was going to a physical therapist ASAP to find out what was wrong and an hour and a half later I had an appointment with my physical therapist. Turns out the cartilage under my kneecap is inflamed. I now need to rest and go back to the physical therapist next week but of course this also means that I cannot work so I am now with my mom and sister and am waiting to see if the pain will get less. The beautiful tape on my knee is to give my kneecap some support and has a gorgeous color and I am looking forward to seeing the beautiful tan lines these will cause haha!

I still have an ice cream addiction...

Who's Gonna Save Us

I had my first driving lesson!! It was so exciting and nerve wracking but I am so happy that it finally happened! The goal behind me getting a job this summer, beside just having something to do with 3 months off from school, is to pay for my driver's license. So the first step for that was getting a job, then actually working there, and now I am beginning my lessons! I had so much fun and am really looking forward to the next lessons and also already looking forward to actually getting my driver's license! 

These past few months there were just too many occasions when it would have been really convenient if I had been able to drive, driving to hospitals or picking people up from airports, so I really look forward to having my driver's license! But first I am off to work now to earn more money so I can actually pay for my lessons! ;)

Won't be on this side of the car for much longer!!

Oh yeah this is happening now! :)

Hideaway

One of the best parts of studying in Zeeland is that the beach is less than a 30 minute bike ride away. And so if we want we can be at the beach and back within an hour. Most of my days off from work are unfortunately rainy but I have had three beautiful days at the beach so far this summer which makes me remember just how wonderful it is to live here for a while!

The first time I had a day off that was also a sunny day was almost two weeks ago now. While still in bed I sent a text to a friend, who then replied that she would be picking me up in 5 minutes... And yes exactly 5 minutes later there she was and together with two more of our friends we went to the beach! 

Then yesterday and the day before that, both myself and Tisha had two days off and the weather was absolutely beautiful so we spent two days tanning, reading and swimming at the beach in Vlissingen, soaking up some vitamin D and mentally preparing to go back to work again today!  

Home

Home is a concept that can have different meanings to everyone. To me, my "home", is in multiple locations. At the moment that includes Beijing, Apeldoorn and Middelburg. Middelburg is my current home where I live most of the time and have most of my friends. Apeldoorn is an old home but also present as my mom and sister live there and China is my home because I spent the best three years of my high school life there and because my dad still lives there. I'm writing about this topic because my family is now moving to Singapore together starting a new home. And for the first time I am not moving with them, of course I moved out last year but when you go on an adventure yourself it is a lot easier than when your family or those close to you are the ones to begin the adventure.

So many things are changing next semester, friends are joining sororities and fraternities, my relationship ended, my family is moving far away, I am moving to a new room and 200 new students are joining our school. This is all a mix of excitement and nerves and of positive and less positive events. Nonetheless it is going to happen so I just have to let it all take place and see where the future takes us. Things always change but this is the first time I am experiencing so much change at the same time, I guess this is what they call growing up.

In the book I am currently reading there is a quote that fits my situation that I would like to share:

"Growing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change."

And yes I am quoting a young adult book... deal with it.