Tag Archives: 30-day bear crawl challenge

July 8, 2014 · 6:45 am

She Said What?! Only 3 Weeks Left Till Ottawa Spartan Beast

Hey y’all! I’ve missed you!

I know, it’s been only 3 days, but so many things have happened. I also promised you an extraordinary weekend… and I kind of lied… because it was EPIC!

On Saturday afternoon, Justin and I found ourselves at a very beautiful location, the national park of Mont Saint Bruno, not too far from where we live. This occasion on its own was magical. However, what if I told you it was even more perfect than that?! Yup, it’s possible indeed!

We were on a mission… wait… let me correct myself… We were on a SECRET mission!

One of my best friends was getting proposed to!!! Imagine, how hard it was for me to know it and keep my mouth shut! It was definitely a challenge… Ah, imagine yourself not being able tell your bff about something like this!

When we got to the park, we met up with some other friends who were involved in the plot. We were all so excited and nervous for everything to go according to plans because there were a few misunderstandings as to when we have to come up from our hiding location.

Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and I witnessed my friend’s emotions going from very confused to overwhelmed and then to very VERY excited!

She said YES!!! I am so honored to have been there with her. Oh, and I AM A BRIDESMAID! For the first time EVER!!! How cool and precious is that?!

Sunday was also very special. My hubby and I had his family over for lunch and then we headed to a photo shoot. Initially, it was supposed to be ‘Revive the Dress’ photo session last fall that didn’t happen due to bad weather. This time around, I didn’t feel like wearing my wedding dress again because I wanted to keep the memory of my wedding day more special, so I opted for a casual shoot. Not surprisingly, it took place at yet another park. *I love nature!*

Here are some shots.

As you can see, we still love each other on occasion after almost a year of being married. *Haha!*

Ummm… Have I mentioned lots of PDA? No?! #sorrynotsorry

I really can’t wait to see the rest of the pictures. We even included Bella in some of the photos since she is a BIG part of our life!

On to more serious stuff…

Last week wasn’t as productive as I hoped to training-wise. I think my body needed some rest and I granted its wish. I mean, I still had pretty tough workouts but not much running happened in this part of the woods. That being said, I have less than 3 weeks left before the Spartan Beast in Ottawa.

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My plan is to clean up my diet to get my body into the beast mode and push through some tougher workouts.

The workout today is as follows:

Strength + Cardio:   Diamonds are Forever!
Abs:   Ab 500
Challenge:      30-day bear crawl Spartan challenge

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Have you ever witnessed a proposal? What changes do you make to your diets in the weeks leading up to a big race?

xoxo
Olena

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Filed under Fitness, Health

Tagged as 30-day bear crawl challenge, 30-day challenge, abs, cardio, Engagement, fitness, health, Proposal, running, Spartan Race, Strength training, weight loss

July 3, 2014 · 6:45 am

Yoga During Lunch Break? Yes, Please!

Good morning, beauties!

Today’s post will be rather short and sweet. And here is my motivation:

Here is a back story.

Even though it was super hot and humid yesterday, I decided to go outside for my lunch break and read a book. I just love being outdoors and I’ll take heat over staying indoors from 8.30 am till 5 pm.

What you may not know is that I work in a very beautiful part of Montreal, Old Port. Needless to say, every walk is really a treat on its own. However, I didn’t have to walk far to see a large group of people doing yoga with an instructor, just like that. How awesome is this?!?! I was literally freaking out from jealousy. All I wanted to do is strip off my corporate outfit and dive into yoga with them. It’s be so awesome to go for a lunch break and do… YOGA! Outside! This is on my to do list now. I MUST FIND OUT! I mean, sign me up right this moment, HELLO?!?!

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Since today is my rest day, I decided to have a nice yoga workout… preferably outside. Hehe!

The following 20-minute Yoga flow for detox and digestion seems to be fitting as to what my body really needs and CRAVES right now.

And, of course, don’t forget the bear crawl challenge!!! *wink, wink*

Do you have possibility to take a fitness class or squeeze in a workout during your lunch break? How do you work around it?

xoxo
Olena

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Tagged as 30-day bear crawl challenge, 30-day challenge, Active Rest Day, fitness, Flexibility, health, running, Spartan Race, weight loss, Work, Yoga

July 2, 2014 · 6:45 am

Trip Recap: Paris Is Always A Good Idea (Part 2) + ElectroDash Promo Code

Good morning, lovies!

How did your Canada Day go? I’ve heard many of you had some great plans and workouts to celebrate. I wanna know every single little detail! *HA!*

Before I carry on with the recap of my trip to Paris (see Part 1 here), I’d like to save a few bucks for my fellow Canadians. Last night I finally registered for ElectroDash, the 5 km dance party, on August 29. I’ve been obsessed with this race ever since I saw it on last season of Bachelor. That night my hubby and I solemnly swore to each other that if ever we get a chance we’ll participate in it. *So dramatic, eh?*

Since yesterday was Canada Day, organizers decided to throw in a promotion to celebrate the occasion. If you register before midnight on July 2 and enter a promo code CANADADAY1867, you’ll save 18.67%. *To those who wonder why the number is so strange, Confederation occurred in 1867. Now it all makes sense, doesn’t it? Haha!* Honestly, I CAN’T WAIT!!!

On a side note, a portion of the proceeds from ElectroDash Montreal benefits Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I know quite a few people who, unfortunately, were affected by this terrible decease, and I’m glad that my participation can make a difference, no matter how small it is.

Back to Paris…

As you may remember, I frooooooooze on the first day there. So when the second day came around, I didn’t care about fashion: I put my running shoes with a big smile on. All I cared about is being warm!

*How cute?! Or maybe a fashion disaster? Haha!*

Louvre was first on our to-do list. However, once we got there, we saw a huge line up. We decided to instead explore the city since we had until 3 pm before having to head back to the airport to fly to Ukraine. Nevertheless, Louvre was beautiful on the outside too! *Haha!*

My brother had a chance to go back there when I had to return to Canada. This is, hands down, the best picture someone ever took next to Mona Lisa!!!

*He is GENIUS! Haha!*

Then, we headed to Notre Dame de Paris. On our way there, we enjoyed views of the Seine river and multiple bridges stretched over it.

When we came to the cathedral, I was BLOWN AWAY! Notre-Dame was so much more than I’d ever imagined! Every single statue and detail of the exterior is different. It is indeed a spectacular masterpiece with a long history!

As my brother and I started getting away from historical landmarks, we dove in into little streets to get a real feel of Paris.

I was amazed how many pink chestnut trees were there! *I mean, I was born in the chestnut tree capital of the world, Kyiv, but they all bloom white there.*

However, the more I enjoyed Parisian living, the more self conscious I became of my white running shoes… and then my stylish self rebelled, and I went and bought myself a better matching pair of shoes!!! *Hey! They were only 15 euros, it was a steal! Haha!*

*YES! It was that bad! I didn’t care to go in a shady ally just to change them! HAHA!*

Afterwards, I was a happy trooper!

Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction when you traveled? How did the first day of Spartan bear crawl challenge go?

xoxo
Olena

31 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health, Travel

Tagged as 30-day bear crawl challenge, 30-day challenge, ElectroDash, fitness, France, health, Paris, running, Spartan Race, Travel, weight loss

June 27, 2014 · 6:45 am

Strengthen Your Core: Spartan 30-Day Bear Crawl Challenge

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY ONE AND ONLY HUBBY!!!

Justin is my best friend. He is my everything. It’s kind of scary to think what my life would be like if a friend in common didn’t introduce us. Let me tell you this. It all started from me receiving a text message from her almost 5 years ago saying something across these lines, ‘Hey, are you single? I work with this guy and I think he’s a perfect match for you!’ How crazy, eh?!

The picture above was taken during our honeymoon last September at Sandals resort in Antigua. It was magical… Here is the view from our room.

*Can you tell I’m nostalgic?!*

There is sooo many things I’d like to discuss today! But I think I’ll have to break it down in few posts in order not to overwhelm you.

So first on the agenda today, the Spartan Sprint is only 2 days away!!!! I CANNOT WAIT! Unlike the Spartan Super I ran about a month ago, this race is shorter: 3+ miles instead of 8+, also the number of obstacles is 15 instead of 21.

Yesterday, I was reading a post written by one of my fellow bloggers from Girl Runs Wild. She was doing a review of her recent adventure: Billy Bland Challenge, which involved climbing numerous peaks starting and finishing at the Moot Hall in Keswick. Her pictures were so beautiful that I couldn’t help but get even more anxious to run my race. The time can’t seem to go by fast enough. SERIOUSLY!

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Speaking of the Spartan Race… June is almost over and it means… DRUM ROLL… the new 30-day Spartan challenge is about to begin: to be more precise, in 4 days!!! *Woop woop!!!*

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And the July’s challenge is the ‘BEAR CRAWL’!!!

Start day: July 1
Challenge: Bear Crawls for 30 days

Have you even heard of Bear Crawls before?! *Haha!* Well, I haven’t. And it seems like I’ve been missing out!

Since you are on all fours and moving around, this exercise benefits ‘every muscle in your arms, shoulders, traps, neck, core, thighs, hamstrings, calves, wrists, hands, feet not to mention the anaerobic benefits’, according to WildmanTraining.com. Bear Crawls can be done anywhere, all you need is a little room to move around. *Perfect!*

Here’s how the Bear Crawl done properly: