Throwing some "Aqua Zumba" into the mix

SO yesterday I accompanied Lecia to her second aqua zumba class.I didnt really set any expectations in my mind and having seen Zumba advertised all over I knew its bound to be fun. Firstly when we arrived there it was interesting for me to see that the location is at a "ladies club" which houses a spa,art and creativity centre,gym studios,two swimming pools,a cafe and a strip of beach for ladies only. To my surprise the class was in an outdoors pool. I guess I have become used to everything being indoors so as soon as I saw that I was extra excited. There was a decent turnout versus their last class where Lecia was one of three participants and this is due to the fact that all the kids have gone back to school after a 3 month holiday so all the housewives are able to resume back to their usual mornings at the ladies club.Our instructor "Jess" of course fitted the profile of what my mind perceives to be a Zumba instructor. Tanned,Brazilian looking toned figure wearing a bright outfit of sorts and bubbling over with smiles and energy. She really was a fun character and got the group going. The participants seemed to be having a grand time and with so many people in the water when we were instructed to change direction in the water the resistance was that much more tricky! Jess of course was moving at top speed on land and we had to keep up in the water. I had no doubt that she herself is aware that we cant exactly keep up at her pace and she re-assured her that she does ;) Eventually I guess we will beable to build up to a faster pace.
The Brazilian style music,moves and a mix of other cultural music and moves sure added that much more fun to the class and I felt in my element. What more could I ask for....I was in the pool....had Jess there keeping us going...I was kind of dancing and each time I had to turn around in the water I had the view of the ocean.Need I say more! I kept thinking of my friend Joanne back in Jhb who is religously doing her Zumba workouts everyday and wow I have just seen a recent picture of her. She is looking gorgeous. Joanne you def have me inspired to add some Zumba to my mix of exercising. Yay to new experiences in Dubai....

Thought for the morning....

Radio quirks

Do DJs not get tired of being asked "and how are you?" from each caller live on air who call for competitions and "shout-outs"(said in the Cpt accent)? They dont have the time to tell each caller how they really doing and so they get into the routine of saying "I am fine thanks" or look for the shortest response to imply that they fine and in a single round of callers repeats the same thing about 10 times in a row! Radio stations would have a hard time with me I rekon as if I was a DJ and you asked how I am doing "I am going to probably give you the full deal" and the caller within the next minute will get my response of"I still feel the same as my response to the caller before." I do this at work infact....its hilarious.As I walk into the office the agents are all sitting almost on top of each other so when I greet the one the person next to them is often listening and they hear me saying "I am well thanks" and then when I move onto the next person they fall into the usual robotic trap of "Hello.How are you"(said as if its all rolled into one word...Hellohowareyou) and I respond "I am still well" and they give me an uncomfortable laugh. Your view might be that its polite however through my world it shows that one is robotic and thats where your creativity with the art of listening and engaging conversation can kick in.
The other radio quirk I find is that adverts for certain events go on past the event date! Yes I get that a company pays for X amount of advertising however I find it silly to have adverts still running for an event that has come and gone.
Anyhoo thats my blab for the morning....

Be kind and be truthful....

That magical ocean

So to be honest with you I was feeling out of sorts this morning and I had a yearning for a connection with my mum. Mum and I often spent time at the ocean either on our own in the different cities that we were in or when we were together we would go together. I guess we always felt a strong connection to my Dad when at the ocean due to his ashes being scattered in the ocean in Durban however which ever city we found ourselves in with an ocean we felt he was there with us. Even though my mum was not cremated I have an association of the ocean with my mum too so I had this urge to go to the beach today and spend some time there taking in the peace and tranquility. I had been meaning to do this last week infact but never got around to it and today I knew this was just what I needed. I timed it so that I would catch the sunset. I caught the 16h20 work bus to the hotel closest to the beach and took a short stroll from there. There were tons of people out enjoying the sun and the ocean. There were two kids in little duck outfits and their chuckles each time they had a wave splash on them was so delightful. Eventually the chuckles faded and I started to concentrate on my breathing and be one with the ocean. It was magical.It was really beautiful and just sitting there watching the beauty of the ocean made me feel closer to mum and dad. I then couldnt resist and took a great dip and then came out and watched the sun display a magical show of different colours and while this happened I saw rowers go by with the gorgeous silhoutte of the sun behind them and an aeroplane flew by as well. It all added to the beauty of the frame I was concentrating on.Eventually the sun had set and everyone was catching it on their mobiles and cameras. As it dissapeared I felt fulfilled and much better than I felt when I first got there:) The ocean never dissapoints me...it really has such magical powers.Seeing that the weather is cooling down I think I might start catching the sunset more regularly over my days off. Only in Dubai does one look forward to going to the ocean in "winter..."LOL!

You are you

Exercising that WILLPOWER

"Alot of people say that they dont have willpower.If you think you have no willpower you undermining your own success.Everyone has willpower.The first step is to accept its existence.The second step is to develop it and imagine willpower is like a muscle in your arm and it is YOURS to develop.Youre in charge of making it strong or letting it become weak.

Willpower is not strengthened by random external circumstances. Willpower is an inside game. Make a promise to yourself to be clear and truthful about your own willpower. It is always there."

The above was taken from an audiobook I often listen to called"100 ways to motivate yourself"Anon.

Well on that note after a skype chat with Aroon last night which entailed chit chat about his and Heidis' cycling progress and seeing his smile and glow while talking about it just ignited me wanting to wake up my willpower just that much more. I had intended to change my existing routine of exercising in the evenings to the mornings now as its a tad cooler.Not only is it cooler but those early hours of the morning are filled with magic and absolute power!They have always been my absolute best!I have been toying with making that switch as I keep thinking of my sensitive sleeeping patterns however despite a lack of sleep last night the willpower was so strong that my bodyclock got up before the alarm went off and I got to the gym twenty minutes earlier than planned!Woohoo! I had a cracker of a workout and pushed through my run at new heights. I had a flashback to a most memorable morning when Aroon and I went running together on one of my visits to Durban and this morning I closed my eyes and pictured him running along side me. I felt so inspired and motivated to push on and I felt stronger as I took my strides.

On this high note its time to finish off this post! Wishing you the ability to wake up that dormant willpower(for some) or that willpower that performing at a percentage of its ability. You can do it!