Six years of adventure

Six years ago today I got on a plane in Halifax, Nova Scotia and flew to Victoria, British Columbia to start my new life with Warren. I met Warren at a bar in a way that would give the movie Serendipity a run for it’s money. We had a whirlwind romance in the winter of ’08 that led me to making one of the biggest but ultimately amazing, life changing and BEST decisions of my life.

So, what have I learned about me over the last six years? A lot actually and I am still learning.

Warren asked me last night, as I scrolled through my followers on my Instagram feed, if I always looked at food like I do now? He asked that because I was drooling over some of the yummy pictures of food that people posted and I wanted to be eating it. But to answer his question I said “No, I wasn’t always a foodie. I am a foodie now because I exercise and I am always thinking of food.”

For those of you who follow my blog regularly, you know that I am an active person but I wasn’t always as active as I am now. I used to go to the gym maybe once or twice a week and do a bit of cardio on the machines or run outside. I also played Ringette once a week. But I account my love of food now to my very active lifestyle. I look at food differently. I look for food that is healthy and going to fuel my body and that also tastes good. I have never been a fan of eating out even as a kid and have always enjoyed home cooked meals. I enjoy sweets and candies but try to eat them in moderation. My weakness though is ice cream and peanut butter. If something has peanut butter or ice cream in it I am done for and would struggle to resist it. 

Another thing I realized is that I am a morning person. I used to stay up late and would be tired the next day. I found though that I don’t focus well in the evenings and at the end of a day I feel heavy from all the food I have eaten so I don’t enjoy working out. Even writing this post I am struggling to concentrate.

I am a morning person now because of Warren’s early morning routine and I have discovered my love of sunrises and the stillness that surrounds me in the morning. My sense of smell has been heightened from running on those dark winter mornings and I can now smell if someone is around me before I can see them. Sounds strange but if they are smoking or have lots of cologne/perfume I know someone is there. 

Other things about Victoria that I love are that I can be active outside all year round. We don’t get a lot of snow in the winter and since I am not made of sugar, rain only gets my clothes wet. I love that I can walk or run out my front door and climb a mountain not too far from our house. There are many trails and roads for me to run on and explore and I am still finding new areas. The options are never ending.

I have started my journey to be a personal trainer and that is something I never thought I would do. Being around others who love to be active and who want to improve their current lifestyle have inspired me to help in anyway that I can. I enjoy helping others by using encouragement, motivation and being a person with suggestions when asked for advice.

Other things I have learned are that exercise helps to clear my head. If I am cranky and it isn’t because I am hungry then a run or ride will help me to feel better. Getting outside in the fresh air, my sneakers hitting the pavement and my tunes being played make me calm. It is my happy place.

I now have a better understanding of myself and when I am hungry. I would sometimes get cranky or would be snappy with people but I have realized that by having some food it helps to curb that crankiness. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t always eat when I am cranky but I have learned when I need to eat and when to truly argue.

This morning to celebrate my six years in Victoria I started them with a stair workout with Warren. Typically he doesn’t workout in the morning but he did today and it was nice to have him with me. I completed 20 sets of the stairs and I am not sure how many Warren completed before he went off to work. I love that we could do that together and that we have a love for a lot of the same things.

Happy Couple

 

I look forward to what the next year will hold for Warren and I. I am certain there will be many more adventures, more mountains climbed, more stairs and trails ran and who knows what else. I am ready and willing to embrace it all.

Did moving to a new place open your eyes to new possibilities, adventure, romance or culture?