Kayaking, MORE Fireworks, and My Workouts of the Week

It's been a challenge for me to want to get to the gym this week - or even out to do too terribly much of anything - because I've been stricken with an excruciating muscle pain within my left shoulder blade that makes me want to do little more than sob in a corner. It's a rather relentless pain that only lets up when I'm lying flat on my back, so general discomfort has been a big part of this entire past week for me. 

This exact shoulder issue happens to me about once a year, can last for weeks, and is most likely brought on by falling into poor posture while working long hours on a computer. It's the best (albeit the most painful) reminder for me to maintain good posture while I'm working and to keep my core and upper back muscles strong with specific exercises to target those muscles. Having actually gone to physical therapy for this shoulder blade pain in the past, I've thankfully learned some good exercises for just that purpose - some of which I did just yesterday afternoon (see below for 8/2 arm workout).

After the gym yesterday, Dave and I went kayaking down in the English Bay. We rented kayaks from the same beach-side kiosk that we got those paddleboards from a few weeks ago. Paddleboarding had been a tentative part of our plan for Friday evening, but the water was a bit choppier than I would have liked (especially considering my weakened left arm) so we passed and went for a long walk into the city instead. Kayaking was a great alternative for us for yesterday:

 

.  hey look, that's me  .

Last night was the final night of the Celebration of Lights fireworks competition in Vancouver, with Team Japan putting on a pretty good display of pyrotechnics. 

That'll probably be the last you see any fireworks on my blog for quite awhile; I've got no more random celebratory fireworks displays in my near future.

And on that sad and low note, here are my workouts from the past week:

7/27 (mostly upper body)

6.75-mile walk into the city

5 mins elliptical

3x:  12 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 overhead press, 10 lbs each hand

3x:  12 rear fly, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 bent over rows, holding 20 lbs

3x:  12 deltoid raises, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 tricep extensions on exercise ball, 7.5 lbs each hand

12 seated leg press, 40 lbs

12 seated leg press, 50 lbs

12 seated leg press, 60 lbs

7/28 (lower body)

5 mins elliptical

3x:  13 sumo squats, holding 30 lbs

3x:  40 diamond clamshells each leg

3x:  40 jump squats, alternating wide and close stance

3x:  40 calf raises, 25 lbs each hand

3x:  40 bridges

7/29 (core)

2x:  30 weighted v-sit twists, holding 15 lbs

2x:  30 cobras

2x:  30 Russian get ups, holding 5 lbs

2x:  30 Brazilian crunches

2x:  30 alternating weighted side bends, 20 lbs each hand

2x:  30 leg raises + reverse crunch

2x:  30 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 5 lbs

2x:  30 plank knee to elbow

7/31 (cardio)

16 mins biking

15 lat pulldowns, 30 lbs

15 lat pulldowns, 40 lbs

15 lat pulldowns, 50 lbs

8/2 (upper body)

30 alternating shoulder raises on exercise ball, 5 lbs each hand

3x, prone on exercise ball:

   - 15 M, 5 lbs each hand (prone row)

   - 15 Y, 5 lbs each hand (wide front raise)

3x:

   - 15 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

   - 15 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x: 

   - 30 alternating chest flys, 5 lbs each hand

   - 15 overhead tricep extensions, 5 lbs each hand

I slept in later today than is typical for me - I didn't get up till 10:15! Normally I'm up an hour or two earlier than that on the weekends. Hopefully it's not setting a lazy precedent for my entire day. The sun is shining and I should probably be outside! Actually this weekend kicks off Pride Week here in Vancouver, which draws hundreds of thousands of people to the city each year. The Pride Parade is this afternoon downtown, so if we can make it down there in time to catch some of it, we will!

I hope you've been having a great weekend! What are you up to today?

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Rose Gold Glitter Nails

Sooo it was about 6pm last night when I realized that I hadn't yet written a nail polish post for this week! WHAT. Apparently my brain has been elsewhere this week. So these nails were sort of thrown together last minute. Hope you don't think they suck!

I used two new-to-me polishes from Maybelline's Color Show line - a neutral called Neutral Statement and a glittery rose gold called Gilded Rose.

This was one coat of Neutral Statement on each nail, topped with 3 coats of Gilded Rose.

Neutral Statement is a super milky nude with the most subtle of iridescent shimmers to it. Its formula is a bit wet, #IFYEWASKME. I probably should have used two coats of it for more opacity.

Gilded Rose is a crazy polish to describe. Allow me to attempt:

This glitter polish has a nearly-clear-but-slightly-rosy base, with (from what I can discern) four different types of glitter inside it:  1) ultra microscopic purple glitter, 2) ever-so-slightly larger gold holographic glitter, 3) small rose gold/copper round glitter, and 4) larger rose gold hex glitter. All together, the effect is... pretty good. And shiny.

While Gilded Rose, too, was a bit wet, it actually had better coverage than I expected it to. Each brush stroke seemed to deliver a nice mix of all the different types of glitter.

Does anyone else own any of these Color Show polishes? I'd be curious to hear which ones you guys have tried and how you liked them! Perhaps you recall that I showed off another polish from this line last week (Clearly Spotted).

Dave and I might go paddleboarding again this afternoon, if the water is calm enough. I'm hoping to be way better at it my second time around, but I probably shouldn't speak too soon. Tomorrow night is the third and final night of Vancouver's Celebration of Light fireworks competition, so that should be awesome. I've been loving watching these displays. The second night was this past Wednesday, with Team France putting in a pretty good show. Not as good as Team USA from last weekend, but I might be biased ;)  You can actually check out the Team USA display in this YouTube video (all 25 awesome minutes of it), if you're interested. You can watch Team France's display here, too.

What are you rocking on your nails today?
Any outdoor aquatic activities in your near future?

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A Few Good Things, My Workouts of the Week, and Fireworks

A couple of weeks ago there was a Sunset Beach Social going on along Sunset Beach. We walked across the Burrard Bridge to check it out. Here's the view of the party tents from the bridge above:

After walking around the social for awhile, we putzed around downtown for a bit until it was nearly sunset, then made our way back over the Burrard Bridge as the sun set behind the mountains:

 

It was the night preceding the July 12th Super Moon, so even though it wasn't quite super, the moon was still pretty big that night:

By the way, that photo above was taken at sunset - so at about 9:15 at night. That's how bright the sky still is at 9:15 at night around here during the summer. Isn't that nuts?

Moving along, here are all my workouts from this past week. My calves have been sooooo sore from the Thursday lower body workout I did (see below). I guess upgrading to holding 25-pounds in each hand (versus 15-pounds) really makes a difference to my muscles!

7/21 (upper body)

5 mins elliptical

3x:  15 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 rear flys, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 overhead press, 10 lbs each hand

3x:  12 deltoid flys, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 bent over rows each arm, 20 lbs

3x:  12 deltoid raises, 7.5 lbs each hand

3x:  15 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

3x:  12 tricep extensions on exercise ball, 7.5 lbs each hand

7/22 (cardio and core)

20 mins biking

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raises + reverse crunch

40 Russian get ups, holding 8 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

40 weighted v-sit twists holding 15 lbs

80 side-to-side oblique crunch

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 8 lbs

40 plank knee to elbow

40 alternating weighted side bends, 15 lbs each hand

40 cobras

7/24 (lower body)

5 mins elliptical

3x:  12 squats, holding 30 lbs

3x:  40 diamond clamshells each leg

3x:  40 jump squats, alternating wide and close stance

3x:  40 calf raises, 25 lbs each hand

3x:  40 bridges

7/25 (core)

40 alternating weighted side bends, 20 lbs each hand

40 alternating bird dogs

40 Russian get ups, holding 8 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raises + reverse crunch

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 8 lbs

80 side-to-side oblique crunch

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 20 lbs
40 plank knee to elbow

The weather finally turned nice again this weekend, after a grey week. On Friday night after my core workout, I walked downtown to try to stretch out my sore calf muscles. While down there, I ended up grabbing dinner at a restaurant on Robson St. called Abode. Sitting out on their sidewalk patio and sipping on a sugar-rimmed cocktail called Summer Sandals...

.  summer sandals  .
.  vodka, grand marnier, raspberry liqueur, sparkling wine  .

... was a nice way to unwind after the work week. Unfortunately, the instant my pulled BBQ chicken sandwich was set down before me, an intrusive honey bee began dive-bombing my plate and my table till I was forced to say "uncle" while waving my white napkin and running inside to the dining room. No matter - they found me a nice booth inside their dining room next to a window, so my view was nearly identical anyway.

.  pulled chicken & slaw sandwich  .
.  slow roasted chicken, super slaw, fresh spinach on ciabatta  .

Yesterday I spent the morning getting some important things done around my apartment, and then headed out with a blanket and my iPod to catch some sunshine on the lawn at Kitsilano Beach for a bit. It's seriously so nice to have the sun back. It changes the vibe of the entire city.

.  mad peeps on the beach!  .

Speaking of the entire city, I got to check out the first night of the Celebration of Light fireworks last night, which was awesooooome... and it certainly seemed like the entire city was out for it. I was able to watch them right from my beach....

And there were so many people who came out for it! The fireworks were an awesome 25-minute display. Most of my pictures came out terribly, but this one was alright...

Well it's supposed to be another fabulous day today, so I hope to spend a good portion of my day outside. Have a great Sunday!!

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Two Polka Dot Accent Nails

Two polka dot accent nails, what whaaat!  But... one is a fake polka dot nail and one is a real polka dot nail. Can you tell which is which?

Well if you guessed that the green nail was the real one, you were right. The other one is just part of the Polka Dots line of Color Show polishes from Maybelline.

I could make up a story about these nails being inspired by a fashion blogger's outfit or a cool painting I saw... but in truth they were inspired by a pair of underwear that I own.

... And no, there won't be a photo of the underwear here on my blog. 

Just know that that's what's up with these nails.

On my left hand, I've got two coats of Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue on my pinky, pointer and thumb nails. On my ring finger are two coats of Sinful Colors' Snow Me White, topped with 3 coats of Maybelline's Clearly Spotted. I used two coats of Essie's Mojito Madness on my middle finger, which I finished off with some white polka dots. On my right hand, I reversed the green and blue nails (so the middle finger on my right hand is blue with white polka dots).

It's still been as gloomy and grey and rainy all week in Vancouver as I was fussing about in my blog on Monday, but today the weather is supposed to turn summery and sunny again for the weekend. I've shaved my legs in preparation. I suggest you do the same. 

Seriously though, this weekend should be decent. The first night of Vancouver's 3-day Celebration of Light is on Saturday. This huge fireworks competition is something I missed last year because I was home in Massachusetts for my friend Jenna's wedding, so there's a heightened degree of anticipation for me this year. Each night of the celebration is represented by a different country, and they compete to be named the best fireworks display. Saturday night is actually going to be Team USA, soooo.... GO 'MURICA. Wednesday July 30 will be Team France, and August 2 will be Team Japan. It's supposed to be pretty fantastic - it's the largest offshore fireworks competition in the world! 

What are you up to this weekend? 

Does your town come up with cool reasons to set off fireworks randomly?

What are you rocking on your nails today? Go link up with Jennie :)

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A Few Good Things

A couple weeks ago I went to dinner at the Cactus Club Cafe in English Bay with my friend Rose. This was our view of the Bay from our window at the restaurant...

We finished dinner just in time to head outside to watch the sunset:

July 1 was Canada Day, which means little to me other than "FIREWORKS!" Your girl loves fireworks, in case you weren't wise to that. We headed down to Kitsilano Beach to watch the 'works being set off from West Vancouver, across the Bay.

Walking along Vancouver's West End on my way home from a walk to Stanley Park, I had to stop and take a picture of this ivy-covered building:

And just for a dose of self-deprecation, here's a picture David took of me falling off my paddleboard last week:

What sorts of good things have you been capturing lately?

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My Workouts of the Week, Braids and Bubble Baths

Dudes. My legs are SO sore. From a workout I did ON THURSDAY. Your girl is out of shape!

I took a bit of a hiatus from working out for most of the month of June. It's my tendency to not exercise whenever I'm home in Massachusetts, and this past trip was no exception. #Oops. After returning to Vancouver on June 23 and taking a couple of days to decompress from my "Oy!"-inducing travels, I hit the gym again.

My first workout on 6/26 was my attempt at waking up my whole body and all of its many muscle groups. That's why I did leg, arm and core exercises that day. Here's what else I've been up to since my return to the gym at the end of June:

6/26 (full body)

5 mins elliptical

12 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

12 squats, 12.5 lbs each shoulder

30 weighted v-sit twists, holding 12.5 lbs

15 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand

60 calf raises, 12.5 lbs each hand

30 Russian get ups, 5 lbs each hand

12 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

12 deadlifts, 12.5 lbs each hand

30 leg raise + reverse crunch

15 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

60 bridges

30 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 5 lbs

6/28 (core) 

5 mins elliptical, .53 miles

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 15 lbs

40 leg raise + reverse crunch

40 alternating weighted side bends, 15 lbs each hand

40 Brazilian crunches

40 Russian get ups, holding 5 lbs

40 cobras

40 lying overhead raise + double crunch, holding 5 lbs

40 plank knee to elbow

7/1 (upper body and core)

3:10 jumping jacks

2x:  12 overhead press, 10 lbs each hand 

2x:  12 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

2x:  24 alternating chest flys with 8 lb medicine ball

2x:  12 bent over rows, 20 lbs

2x:  12 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 close grip chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs

2x:  12 upright row + tricep extension, 5 lbs each hand

2x:  12 lat pulldowns, 50 lbs

40 weighted v-sit twists, holding 12.5 lbs

40 leg raise + reverse crunch

40 Russian get ups, holding 5 lbs

40 cobras

40 crunches on exercise ball, holding 12.5 lbs

40 Brazilian crunches

7/2 (cardio)

15 mins elliptical (1.45 miles)

15 mins biking (3.5 miles)

7/3 (this is the lower body workout that I'm still sore from)

5 mins elliptical, .5 miles, 60 calories

40 alternating forward lunges, 10 lbs each hand

60 bridges

1:00 jumping jacks

20 sumo squats, holding 20 lbs

40 diamond clamshells each leg

1:00 jumping jacks

40 calf raises, 20 lbs each hand

40 crab bridges + alternating arm reach

1:00 jumping jacks

15 deadlifts, 20 lbs each hand

40 side lunges each leg + plyometric push off

1:00 jumping jacks

15 squats, holding 15 lbs

15 squats, holding 20 lbs
15 squats, holding 25 lbs

7/5 (upper body)

30 alternating shoulder raises on exercise ball, 5 lbs each hand

15 chest press on exercise ball, 12.5 lbs each hand

20 deltoid raises, 5 lbs each hand

15 bent over rows each arm, holding 20 lbs

15 tricep extensions on exercise ball, 5 lbs each hand

10 overhead press, 12.5 lbs each hand

15 deltoid flys, 5 lbs each hand
15 close grip chest press, 12.5 lbs each hand

Sidebar - here's a fun way that I did my hair before going out for errands and the gym last week:

It's a French braid down the center on top, which I secured into a ponytail at the crown. Then I braided the ponytail in a regular braid. I like how it looks like one long, continuous braid from front to end.

Did anyone else in the Pacific Northwest/Vancouver area catch the Seattle fireworks display on TV (or in person) on Friday night? I thought it was incredible! Last year the fog made their fireworks an absolute disaster, but this year was perfect. I especially enjoyed some of the bright/neon blue ones - those ones seemed particularly new-age.

Other things that happened this weekend:

• Threw the football around on the Kits Beach lawn with David
• Rented The Lego Movie - wasn't disappointed
• Enjoyed a solo late breakfast at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe
• Got a haircut (just a trim)
• Went for a 7-mile walk around False Creek in Vancouver
• Ate gourmet hotdogs, coleslaw and potato salad at home on the evening of 4th of July (bringing the America into our Canadian kitchen)
• Brought 3 bags of stuff to Salvation Army
• Indulged in Lemon Bismarck and Strawberry Rhubarb donuts from Lucky's Doughtnuts on 4th Ave
• Also indulged in an oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie from Whole Foods
• ... Also indulged in some Half Baked Ben & Jerry's ice cream

Is it still considered "indulging" if I do it all the time? Things to ponder. I also got into thisssss delightful situation last night:

It's the Christmas Eve bubble bar from Lush's last Christmas line. WHO CARES if it took me 6 months to use it?? It was just what my sore leg muscles needed.

I hope you all had a great holiday! What was your favorite part of the weekend?
Did you watch fireworks at home or on TV?
Anyone else super sore from a recent workout? (If so, get it, girl!) (If not... go get it, girl!)

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A Few Good Things

We got some passes to the Kitsilano Pool - an enormous public swimming pool right across the street from where we live. Fact: Your swimming pool's view has literally NOTHING on this view.

.  this pool is the size of one entire city block - it's awesome  .

I didn't get to watch any 4th of July fireworks live (we watched Seattle's display on TV), but I did get to watch some Canada Day fireworks right from our beach on July 1:

.  fireworks set off from west vancouver  .

David bought himself a 4-season tent last week and we took it down to the lawn by the Kitsilano Beach for him to set it up. He likes to play with his toys. :)

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