My Trip to London and the Enlgish Countryside

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I AM BACK!!
DID YOU MISS ME?



I enjoyed London like a proper lady, the accents, the food, the sights, the sounds, the pubs, the people, the culture, the history, there was so much to take in.

The time change really threw me off which is why I haven’t been blogging for the last few days. I’ve missed all of you, and I hope you missed me too. While away I decided to change a few things about my blog. 

I will be posting in the afternoon instead of the mornings. I am starting a new business venture that gets me out of the house before 5am, I'll tell you all about it later. 

I am adding a workout journal to this site, you will be able to see what I’m doing on a daily bases. A few people have emailed me with questions about my exercise routine, and I’m always happy to share.

Lets talk London Fitness Classes

If you have been following my blog then you know how crazy I am about fitness. As soon as I discovered we were going to London I started looking for different gyms to visit. Sadly I was only able to check out Mayfair Virgin Heath Club. Gym box was 45 minutes outside of the city, and I just didn’t have the time to make it there.

As soon as I walked in I felt at home… sort of. As you enter the building you immediately climb 3 flights of stairs, which is guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Finally, when your legs start to warm-up, you are greeted by 2 beautiful receptionists, and a public transit looking gate.

Many patrons whisked by me, swiping their cards through a special card reader which, if valid, allows you access into the gym, by unlocking the childproof gate. It was hard not to notice how slim the gate entry way was, the average American would not be able to fit through, but UK residences didn’t seem to skip a beat.

“Um excuse me, I’m from San Francisco California, and I wanted to purchase a day pass to utilize your facility.” I blurted out in my best English accent.

“Please wait here Ma’am, and fill out this card.” The receptionist replied.

So far, so good, I said to myself, as I proceeded to fill in a series of check boxes inquiring about my height, weight, exercise level, and other standard gym questions.

Within 2 minutes a handsome young man, with red hair named Ben, greeted me with a firm handshake.  

“What brings you into our club today?”

I explained that I am a blogger, personal trainer, and motivational coach on vacation in the UK, and that my readers were dying to see a proper London health club.

Sorry ma’am we do not allow patrons to pop-in for a visit. You have to join the gym for a month to workout here.

As soon as I heard this, my heart dropped. I wasn’t too sad that I couldn’t get into the club; I was a lot more worried about disappointing my readers. The young man offered to take me around the facility so I could at least check it out. I happily accepted, at this point anything was better then nothing.

Ben then walked me around a massive club with a rotating rock wall, over 50 pieces of the latest high tech cardio equipment I’ve ever seen, a crazy neon-light illuminated spin studio, 3 different fitness studios, and the nicest pool area I’ve ever seen. After a quick look at the modernly designed locker rooms, Ben walked me back up to the front desk. I started to say my goodbyes and thanked him for taking his valuable time to show me around, when he asked me what I was planning on doing to the club. I told him I wanted to check out some classes, there was one that started in 10 minutes. Surprisingly Ben gave me the “go ahead” that filled my heart with so much joy I had to stop myself form jumping right into his arms.

I hurried down the stairs, locked my things in a locker and went straight to the Anti-Gravity yoga class that was starting in exactly 60 seconds. Even though I wasn’t early the instructor took the time to set up my harness and give me a quick warning to only try things I felt comfortable with. She also guaranteed I would be hanging upside down by the time the class was over…WHAT??? HUH??? UPSIDE DOWN??? What did I just get myself into? It took everything I had not to freak out and run out of the room.

The class was pretty awesome. The instructor checked everyone’s harness to make sure we were all safely strapped in properly. The first thing she taught us was how to safely jump into your sheet and wrap it around yourself like a cocoon.



I had no problem jumping, shifting and maneuvering, it’s a lot easier then it looks. Then she walked us through a full body stretch, cardio, lower body exercises, and we even learned how to use the sheets as a swing. The class was closed-out by wrapping yourself back in a cocoon for a 5 minute guided meditation.




After class an older woman came up to me and chatted me up, asking where I was from and what made me come to London, she then suggested I stay for the next class, which was beam Pilates. I figured I should get the full experience and decided to stay.

The Pilates class was like nothing I’ve ever seen. We stretched, pulled, pushed, and mediated on a small beam. It was uncomfortable and challenging, pulse the teacher was a riot.



I enjoy the experience and realized the US has a different outlook on exercise. We believe no pain no gain, while others like to connect with their bodies and perform slow and controlled movements. Since I’m used to holding positions until my body shakes with pain and joy I was positive that I wasn’t going to be sore the next day. Well, I was wrong, my abdominals, legs, arms, and butt were all pretty sore.

I also found out that Anti Gravity Yoga and Beam Pilates both started in California. SAY WHAT?? I plan on looking from some classes near me soon. 

The rest of my trip was filled with sightseeing, eating food, and hanging out in pubs.

Enjoy the pictures. 

My boyfriend planed this part of the trip. Our goal was to get off of the tourist path, and check out the real England, the English Countryside.




 Avebury (/ˈeɪvbri/) is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance.

I loved Avebury because you can actually touch the stones, you can't do that at Stonehenge. It was also in a cute little English town. I felt like I was traveling back in time. 




Silbury Hill is the tallest prehistoric human-made mound in Europe and one of the largest in the world; it is similar in size to some of the smaller Egyptian pyramids of the Giza Necropolis.[3] Its original purpose is still highly debated. 

Sillbury Hill was creepy and intriguing. About 10 cows blocked the gate leading to the hill, we had to wait for someone else to come help us shoo them away. The man made hill was impressive and small tombs were eerie.




 Here are a few selfies, I love when the sun makes me look like I'm a Angel. Happy Happy Girl. 




Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amesbury and 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. 

Stonehenge was a sight to see. I never thought I would get here. It felt surreal. The only downside was that to you couldn't touch the stones. 

 We stopped for lunch at an Classic English pub and enjoyed Fish and chips, bangers and mash, and steak pie. 

 Glastonbury at night.
 They take Halloween very seriously here. There is a Zombie walk on  Friday, this is the local bar decorated in hair-raising Halloween decor.




 I walked all the way up the tor (hill) with my zipper down!
 Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury has been described as a New Age community which attracts people with New Age and Neopagan beliefs, and is notable for myths and legends often related to Glastonbury Tor, concerning Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail and King Arthur. In some Arthurian literature Glastonbury is identified with the legendary island of Avalon. Joseph is said to have arrived in Glastonbury and stuck his staff into the ground, when it flowered miraculously into the Glastonbury Thorn.

Glastonbury was my favorite stop on the trip. It felt like a real Medieval town. Most residence walked around in dress you only see at Renaissance festivals.

 We took the train back to London to avoid Friday Traffic. **You can drink on the trains in Europe.

Just hanging out in London


That's All  Folks
Blessings my friends,
Mary





References: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbury_Hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge






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About Post Author

Hi! My name is Mary. I'm a Northern California chick who lost over 100 pounds about 7 years ago. I feature weekly challenges, healthy recipes, fun DIY crafts and much much more. Thanks for stopping by...Lets evolve together.

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My name is Mary! I was obese for most of my life, around 7 years ago I decided to take control of my life and successfully lost over 150 pounds. But that's just the beginning of my journey. Join me as I evolve into the person I was born to become. I love to cook, craft, read, and make people smile. I'm happy you've stumbled on by. Let’s Evolve Together.

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