Running around with vegbles

6.30 am... I swear... doing this for a minute x 5, wakes you up

Everyone that knows me, knows that I really hate running, jogging, moving my body in any direction that doesn't include skating... ok, FINE, I do really like walking... BUT I have always been baffled by all those crazypants that tell me how WONDERFUL running is. Like really! I have always looked at them and thought to myself "you poor human beeing, who had lobotomized you". Well, maybe not that harsh,,, but surley something like that...

And now I have to confess... I have been running... and I sort of like it... I don't know why this is, maybe because it is out in the woods on really fun forest trails and I get to go to the sauna afterwards? Maybe b3ecause it is fall, and the temperature is just right. But yeah, I like running, and I like the sauna afterwards, and the naked skin in the fall air when we go outside to jump in the lake that slowly is going towards winter.

I love those aspects of Stockholm, that I can be in the middle of the nature just using my buspass. I love watching the season change and I can't wait for winter to be here... and as always, I keep on working out at Good To Go. It really is great, I've really gained a lot of core and upperbody strength. This morning I went to the 06.30 am session... I am seriously a zoombie whrn I get there... and then I leave as an almost functional person. It's very nice. For me, Functional Fitness works really well, I probably should spend an additional day at the gym... but I guess I have to lay down boundaries.

Oh, and then there was that little thing about being a vegetarian... It has been over a week, and I am not really missing eating meat, but I got myself some protein powder to consume after training sessions, I suspect that I will need that, I had vegan sushi the other day, and I must say I really did miss the real deal...

Ups and downs in life

Sometimes life feels really unfair, I just had a lot of things falling in place the last year. I felt stronger and more confident. I did a lot of soulsearching and found what I wanted to do. I applied for a masters degre and got accepted. I was figuring things out with the person my heart had been cirkeling around for a long time and I was feeling like I was at a really good spot in rollerderby.

I went home to Sweden and applied for my student visa, since I have a BA from a University in US,  a masters from a US University makes more sense. And I got a NO.

I seriously felt like I was going to throw up, my entire lifeplan sort of got turned over and I called my best friend and cried. I wanted this education really bad, and I wanted to end the season with the team that I had worked really hard with all season. It was heartbreaking in all sorts of ways. I miss my friends and I miss the freedom of doing what I wantto do, the freedom of follow my own heart and choices.

I am figuring things out, and of course I know that it's a first world problem. I am not starving and I have a job. I signed up for classes in Stockholm and been walking in the woods and loving the nature. I have been working out lot's and I am probably more fit than I've ever been. I have even started to run... and that my friends, is crazytalk in my world.

At Good To Go with Loony, Dominå, Calla and Smashed

I have amazing friends here and I have no right to complain, still, it is not a great spot to be in. This is not what I wanted, this is not what I planned for. I broke down the weekend Gotham played at playoffs, I wanted to be there so bad. I miss the team so much! I am also really sad I am missing ManChamps this weekend with Shock. I would have loved to be on the bench supporting my guys!

Things just don't work out the way you expect them to all the time, and I guess you can only do your best. Smile when you cry on the inside and pick up another book on the subject you want to study. In the end it is only you who limit yourself, your thoughts on what you can do... but also... I can't manipulate the thoughts of immigration... so my limits acctually are there...

The best part has been all the nature... Fresh air and woods... 

OFF SKATE WORK OUT - because you are worth it

We are all worth it, our bodies are worth it!

We play a FULL CONTACT sport, that means that we are throwing our bodies into each other. It's gonna hurt, and sometimes you might even break, It happens... its not sometign we want to happen, so that's where the off-skate work out comes in. NOT so you can eat as much icecream as you want (even if it is a nice side-effect) but for your body to be able to take it.
For your body to be ready to take 172 pound Swedish wrecking ball... well, I am not that much of a wrecking ball, but off-skate has healped me become a better skater.

I am strong, so I can stay low, I am strong so I can take a hit, I am strong and my muscles weigh a whole bunch and makes me stable. I become a trustworthy skater on the track. I am fit, so my team knows I will last an entire game. Also my fitness makes me able to recover faster, and I am alwys ready to go, go... GO... and sometimes I rest, because that is also important!

My strenght and fitness comes from working out at places like Good To Go when I am in Stockholm and with Gotham and the amazing off-skate programs that Violet Knockout puts together for the Gotham Allstars. It also comes from my determination to become a better and stronger athlethe...

So my message to all of you out there, don't skip the off-skate, it might be what saves you from injuries in the end. AND it also gives you a body you can be proud of, a functional body that will make you able to excel in the sport you love!

Can't wait for the 2015 travel team season to really start... 

Good to Go - again

So this year I took a real off-season, in that way that I didn't skate, I did continue to work out, but not as much, more maintaining than really building. I needed that, I took some mental "me" time, I took care of some things that was long overdue.

I made the Gotham Allstar 2015 squad, but January was a HARD month on me. Really hard! Even if it had amazing highlights, I have amazing roomies, I have an amazing brother that made my birthday fantastic and a whole bunch of supportive friends. AND me and Krissy Krash finalised our plans on blockerseekingjammer.com 

Now it feels like I can see the light in the end of the tunnel, I guess you have to hit the low points to be able to appreciate the high parts. And I'm currently working on getting my body and mind completely ready for the 2015 season. 

Practicing with Gotham Allstars is one of the most amazing experiances ever, but it is also super hard, and you are always expected to push yourself. 

Currently I'm in Sweden for a two weeks to work, and since I've come home I've already been at Good to Go twice and had amazing work outs and my body is SORE! I was also invited by BSTRDs to come and join their practice. It was superduperfun to see a bunch of familiar faces from Stockholm Roller Derby.