This Week in Workouts: Travels

Well, as you may know, I we finally arrived home late last week. What you may have also realized is that the Sunday post did not get out... This is mostly because I was just savoring being at home and being with our cats again. But now, it is back to work and back to slightly fewer cat cuddles.

The road home ended up being super fantastic and filled with more than one adventure. Everything started out at our good friends' wedding reception in Wisconsin. There will be much more on that as well since these friends also have an organic coffee farm in Colombia that is getting ready to start sales of their first roast. It was wonderful to see them and incredible to be with all our friends and family together again! Then, we were able to camp in the Smokey Mountains and climb a mountain. My goal (albeit silly) was also accomplished and I was able to eat Trail Mix on the Appalachian Trail. Epic. 

The mountain climb and trail hike did leave my muscles surprisingly achy... Especially the downhill run from a giant rattle snake- for real. Needless to say, the following two days were followed with relaxation and plenty of yoga. Turns out downward facing dog is the best thing ever for sore calf muscles.

Then, came two days at Disney World and a recuperative stay at the Swan and Dolphin where we had, possibly, the best view ever. I have always been partial to the Swan Hotel at Disney World, but after this stay, I may have been converted. We stayed at the Dolphin Hotel for my first time ever and had Hudgens, the  most incredible check-in assistant ever. He upgraded us to the nicest view I have ever had at a Disney resort where we opted to stay in and watch two fireworks displays from the comfort of our room. And yes, the picture above was taken from our wall-length window :)

The next morning the second part of my travel goal was completed and I jogged around the Swan and Dolphin Hotels along with a bit around the Yacht and Beach Club. Granted, my calf muscles were still the most sore things ever, so the run was only a mile long.

My legs were completely soothed by Friday with a welcome home hot yoga class to round out the week. This week's goals include at least two more hot yoga classes and a couple more short runs. Nothing too crazy, but some things that I have been missing incredibly!

Happy Monday, I hope your week is simply wonderful!

Fun Things to Check Out at Disney World This Summer

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Gaahh!! I knew that looking at Disney things over the summer would be bad. My obsessive personality and inability to understand anything but [nearly] instant gratification is not a good combination when we are away from things I love/want/do not know how to live without. Yes, Disney World would be one of those things and, yes, I am ready to hop on a plane for a quick trip and Disney fix. Really, we could be back in two days and in the scheme of things what is two days?! Thankfully, I have not looked at any of the info for the Harry Potter expansion at Universal Studios. That could lead to some very impulsive buying and some pretty guild ridden buyer's remorse. 

Ok, get it together Jenni. We can go more than two months without visiting Disney or Universal Studios. For any of you who are able to visit Disney World over summer vacations, these are some little extras that I would not pass up doing

Fast Pass+ for Anna and Elsa 

If you have children YOU MUST DO THIS. Anna and Elsa are a pretty big deal right now and lines to meet them range from 2-4 hours at both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Fast Passes for this means that you will be able to meet them with only waiting 20 minutes. Then, you meet them, your children talk with them, pictures are taken, and you may even cry with happiness at seeing how in awe your kiddos are of these characters. Don't laugh, it has happen many a time before.

If, you are not able to log on to your Disney experience and get Fast Pass+ for this event (they sell out like months in advance), my best advice would either be to not tell your kids they could meet these characters, or, bring an iPad with some movies and games pre-loaded. Perhaps Frozen for some pre-meet and greet fun! 

Downtown Disney Co-Op

Go here, go here, go here. This new Downtown Disney store is one of the first stores to open under the new Disney Springs reconstruction. I have not yet been here, but from everything I have been hearing, we will be going when we get back, for sure. 

The store is separated into multiple mini stores that change depending on what is popular at that time. Right now there is a tech area with self customized phone covers called D-tech (I need this), accessories at Cherry Tree Lane, (I need this), a clothing area focusing on cute clothing for teen girls called Zoe and Pickles, Beautiful Disney with exclusive Disney make-up, sports memorabilia at The Trophy Room, and theme park themed kitchenware in the center. A family could easily spend all night here or just long enough for your table to be ready at a nearby restaurant. 

LeFou's Brew

Let's face it, Orlando gets H-O-T over the summer, it also has torrential downpours that can last anywhere for 2-minutes to 45+. If you are stuck at Magic Kingdom during this time and are either too hot to bear it or ducking from rain drops as big as your fist, stop by Gaston's Tavern in New Fantasyland. LeFou's brew can be found here and is, pretty much, an iced apple cider with mango frosting on the top. I am not personally a fan of the mango bit, but the iced cider is fantastic! 

The tavern is also a great place to sit and relax, cool down, and enjoy some off time before hitting the parks all over again. 

EPCOT Late Nights

Why EPCOT did not think of this sooner, I simply do not know. Now, instead of heading home promptly at 9:00 PM when the park closes, you can pay a little extra and stay in the parks visiting the different restaurants in the World Showcase. There will be four lounges open in the World Showcase for this Late Night Wind Down. The cost is $35 per person and can be reserved in advance by calling the Disney reservations line.

If you are wanting to go to this, I would highly recommend getting reservations ahead. This EPCOT addition is not super popular yet, but chances are that it will start selling out quite soon. Those who are not crazy interested in alcoholic beverages would probably not get too much out of the extra price since most lounges are catered around drinks. That being said, having the kiddos along would not be super advisable either. 

Festival of The Lion King

The Festival of The Lion King show was recently closed down so it could move from the Camp Minnie Mickey location to it's new spot in Animal Kingdom's Africa. Although the show is the same, the theater is different and the setting seems much more fitting. This is also a free show that is ridiculously fun for every age range. Really, what those acrobats do will leave more than your two-year-old awe struck. Be sure to watch the monkeys a bit extra during this show, they are my favorite! 

This Week in Workouts

This week was normal and great except for the whole we are going to Disney thing- ahhhh, I cannot wait! The hubs has my whole birthday trip planned out and I am seriously excited. Here are a few of the things that have turned me into an sugared-up four year-old this past week.

1. The weather: It is perfect right now and the best thing to do in this sunny, 72-degree beauty is spend time outside. Specifically, outside with Disney characters around.
2. The new Festival of Fantasy Parade is up and running and I CANNOT wait to see it.
3. We will be staying at one of my favorite Disney hotels.
4. Raglan Road and EPCOT UK pavilion will be AWESOME on St. Patrick's Day. Along with all the other great things Disney will be doing in all the parks for this super fun holiday.
5. Silly, but I have this new pair of Tom's shoes that are ridiculously comfy and I will be able to wear them, possibly, without icing those toesies at night.
6. Looking at the almost completed Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It. Looks. Awesome.
7. The annual funnel cake I allow myself to eat without sharing. Birthday traditions are the best!
8. Cronuts. EPCOT has cronuts.
9. Refer to number eight. Cronuts.
10. For the first time in 2014, neither the hubs or I are sick. That is enough reason to party for me!

My hope is to have a nice little sum-up after we get back with lots of pictures of foods, parades, festivities, and maybe a yoga shot or two. We will see how things roll. I will also be instagraming pictures (side note, is intagraming a word?) while we are there, so if you are not following me on instagram yet, be sure to start. Click here to follow. And now, to the workouts!

Since I had the mental capacity of a four-year-old on ecstasy this week, not a whole lot got done other than our corporate taxes (happy that is over and I will not think about it for a year), business goods, writing, writing, and more writing, and a couple of workouts mixed in. Actually, this week was quite productive, maybe I should get crazy excited more often?

Sunday: Lots of handstand practicing that left me feeling like my niece in her gymnastic classes. Then, this yoga flow and this one. Look, I am talking like her now too.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 2-mile interval run followed by core work and a great post-run yoga flow. I will share it one day, promise.

Wednesday: 10-minute ballet fusion arm workout that will be up soon. Then, this yoga flow. I also did this inversion flow with more handstand practice.

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: 2.5-mile jog followed by that infamous post-run yoga flow.

Saturday: A day exactly like last Sunday :) I know, this week was the epitome of workout creativity. What can I say, I have Disney (and taxes-boo) on the mind.

Did you know that San Francisco is getting rainbow sidewalks? You can read about it here.

Dale Partridge also wrote a pretty neat-o article for anyone wanting to switch life up. Read about it here.

5 Great New Things at Disney World

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We will be taking a trip to Disney World in the next few days for the next few days and I simply cannot wait. A lot has happened since our last trip to Disney World, but what is more exciting, is all the things that have started and will be opening this year! Every year the hubs and I wonder whether we should renew our Disney Annual Passes or not, and every year Disney entices us with tons of new things that we can simply not say "no" to. 2014 is a bit different since there is not one new thing, but several. 

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Man am I excited about the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride opening at Disney World in Magic Kingdom this spring! This mine train ride is the last project in New Fantasyland and is going to be massive. Work for the mine carts has recently started, which means we are getting close! So far, the ride looks to be as thrilling as Space and Thunder Mountains with a bonus fantasy aspect along with some incredible scenery. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is located between Fantasyland, New Fantasyland, and the Dumbo ride.

My Magic+

If someone at Disney does not send me the My Magic+ wrist band soon, I think I may explode. My Magic+ is Disney World Resort's new way of dealing with rides, tickets, meals, and even purchases. The My Magic+ bands will be linked to guest rooms and can be used for opening your room and paying for park/hotel services through the card attached to your account. These wrist bands also count as your ticket into the parks along with your PhotoPass and will link to the new Fast Pass+ system.

The My Magic+ system has an app and personalized online account for making reservations for dining along with Fast Pass+ planning. Wristbands come in multiple colors and sizes and are able to be customized much like Disney pins customize lanyards. This is going to be a massive industry for Disney World and will also give a better understanding of crowd flow and park statistics.

Fast Pass+

With Fast Pass+, guests no longer need to run from ride to ride getting Fast Passes after their current pass runs out. Instead, you can use the kiosks located throughout the parks, your My Magic+ page at Disney.com, or the mobile app attached to the My Magic+ system to schedule all fast passes up to 180 days in advance. Fast Pass times can also be changed depending on changes in your day at the park. But, one of the most exciting aspects of this is that every park guest can only have three fast passes per day.

When Fast Pass was debuted over a decade ago most of the complaints were about increased wait times in the stand-by lines since so many Fast Passers were slowing things down. Now, Fast Passes will be much more limited, allowing for wait times to come back down to a normal level. Disney World's goal in this is to make visiting the parks a more enjoyable and easier experience for all guests.

Festival of Fantasy Parade

The Festival of Fantasy Parade in Disney's Magic Kingdom will be replacing the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade that had it's last run a few weeks ago. This new parade looks to be an epic addition to the Magic Kingdom park and will be released in mid-March with lots of new floats celebrating some of Disney's newest movie additions. This parade will have a focus around the movies "Sleeping Beauty", "Tangled", "Cinderella", "Pinocchio", "Peter Pan", and "Dumbo".

Although most of the floats have not been debuted yet, there have been a few that we get sneeking glimpses of. The float that I am most excited about would definitely have to be the steampunk Malificent dragon float. This float looks quite incredible and is pretty well timed with the new Malificent movie starring Angelina Jolie. Other floats that we know of so far include a Tangled float and Cinderella float.

Avatar Land

Avatar Land has been a years in the making project associated with the James Cameron movie and the Animal Kingdom Park. Up until a few months ago, many believed that it would not happen; then, Disney moved Camp Minnie Mickey to it's new location in Animal Kingdom Africa. Now, ground has been broken for Avatar Land and the project is well on it's way. Although the actual area will not be open until 2015, there are some exciting aspects that Disney will be releasing throughout 2014.

In a recent press release, Disney executives acknowledged fact that Animal Kingdom is not seen as a one-day park, but a park you visit for a few hours during your trip and wants to change this. The new Avatar Land will have a big part in that change with at least two new rides and aspects that can only be seen at night. As we get closer to the opening of this new land, Disney will be adding new shows and longer park hours that keep Animal Kingdom open after dark.