How to survive the after-BLAST

MO:

After 2 days filled with sweat, adrenaline and LOVE from delegates, team colleagues, friends and aquaintances, it is always a challenge to survive the Monday after.

I was incredibly pleased with the weekend.

Having 3 sessions is fun and great, but also a big energy spender, as both JO and I can vouch for.

The "Power, Grace & Glory"-ride turned out really well. Despite some technical problems before the class and my pedal falling off during the warm up (yes, it´s true), the rest of the ride was smooth, but also very strong. Yum!

The MOJO Yoga session, which was placed last on the schedule on Saturday, still drew almost a full room. Lovely!

Sunday held the session which I had prepared for the most - ("Starting your own business within the health and fitness field") - in running clothes, on the yoga mat, driving my car, etc, etc, I had gone over the content of my lecture over and over again.

I felt inspired and positively nervous before, which is always a good sign.

Also here there were technology issues before we could start, but luckily it never really threw me, since the PPT-presentation was extremely simple and not that important.

Thanks to Jessica, who except from being a fab friend also turned out to be an excellent tech support! :)

For a kick ass BLAST, I especially want to thank:

* My NIKE Team colleagues

* NIKE my sponsor

* All my fantastic participants!!! Wow, I´m humbled every time.

* The Incycle-crew. Jessica, Magnus & Linda, what can I say? Even when you call me mum and take pictures of me sleeping with my mouth open, I love you guys. And that says a lot.

* JO. Beautiful, talented and a fab girl.

Almost forgot the answer to the headline!

Here goes:

- sleep

- more sleep

- water

- silence

- sleep

- GOOD food

- cuddles

- hugs

- sleep

- kisses

- training

Now: getting charged for BLASTing OSLO!

Saturday morning at the MOJO booth

Actually, when I see those tights like this, maybe it wasn´t such a great idea after all?

Photograph borrowed from superwoman Sofie at Fitness Magazine.

PB Clean´n´jerk - YES!

MO:

YIIIHAAAA!

PB in clean´n´jerk today at 40kg!

Also on the menue: a rockin´, hot smokin´first ride of Power, Grace and Glory.

I´m not sure WHERE I can take my Sisjön Spinning Students next. They are incredible.

3 days to go to The BLAST! :)

Photograph borrowed from Jess.

Romania

MO:

...the two most gorgeous girls were these hotties!!! Åsa & Beckis from Gotham City gracing a huge wall in the spinning studio (!) with their beauty!

More history...

The Legend: Tonkins Anderson.

Richmond & Dimitri

Parts of the crew with Julio & Salvatore

Veronica - gorgeous girl, gorgeous personality.

PER "Have you heard THIS song?!"Markussen, dear friend and NIKE colleague

Travel companion, longstanding friend and fab PT, Matthew Griffiths and Andrea.

Romanian food - yum!

More Romanian food!

WHEN will we see this at a Swedish Convention??? A fresh juice bar!!!

- Blinged from my iPhone

Inspired

MO:
On my way home from a rainy Lund.
Thanks to an awesome bunch of gals from 24Seven Fitness+ Lund.
They worked incredibly hard and showed a never ending enthusiasm for both the theoretical and practical work over the 2 days.
Also, thank you Jess for being You. Knowledge, charisma, dedication and friendship rolled into one.
I'm a lucky girl.

The gang minus Emel who had to catch her train.

Jess & I

Chaotic order

MO:

A day of chaos.

Good chaos in the morning - less good chaos in the afternoon.

Did PR in squats this morning and pushed 72.5kg on the bar. With more to give. YES!

Consistent work for 11 months is starting to pay off - and that´s on ONE good quality session a week! Imagine what could be done if I could squeeze only one more good lifting session into my schedule...?

The afternoon caused havoc in my work department. One of my projects seems to live a life of its own-and not in a good way. It will take some thinking through tonight to make some kind of decision to either hold on or to let go. Should I cut my losses now and loose what I have already put in, or should I stay and hopefully at least get my (financial) investment back?

Difficult decision.

In the evening, I decided to dedicate the energy of tonight´s spinning class to B. It happened quite spontaneously and wasn´t planned.

B is a true regular of mine. I´ve seen him for 2h every week for the last 4 years or so.

I know what he works with, I know his wife, I´ve followed the career of his kids, I´ve heard about their holidays, and I´ve seen him push and work and grow and sweat and passionately GIVE and exert himself week after week, month after month, year after year.

Hell, you know some of your clients for a lot longer than the life expectancy of the average marriage and you see them more often and more regularly than you hook up with most of your friends and even some of your family members!

No wonder you get shaken when something bad happens to one of them.

On Sunday, B passed out - at home in his garden - and was rushed to hospital.

Turns out he carries a very unwanted, horrible visitor. A malignant brain tumour that needs immediate removal.

I spoke to him on the phone earlier today to wish him well before his surgery.

B - my thoughts go out to you and your family. Come back soon.

Your bike and your bell will be waiting for you.

It was a long time ago...

It was a looooong time ago that my heart was a mess.

But for those of you who are there right now, this one´s for you.

I want to thank my regular coffee place, Doppio, for introducing me to this amazing song.

Had a fabulous "Jelly Legs-ride" tonight - Love my students!

Day 3 in Siberia

MO:
Weird, but not necessarily bad facts about Russia:

1. About half of the cars here have the steering wheel to the right.
But you also drive on the right.
Why? It is cheaper to import cars from Japan than from Europe.

Anton explained the Russian mentality like this: "After Russia made the change from being a communist country to a capitalist one in almost no time at all, there was a vacuum in this country´s laws to what was legal or not... For Russians it works like this: as long as something is not prohibited - you can keep on doing it until it´s forbidden."
Hence the import on foreign cars going a bit haywire...

2. They have tight security everywhere (parking lots, buildings, airports, hotels). Not always very time efficient - like when you want to go for lunch on the 3rd floor and need to pick up a special pass at the security center to be able to enter and leave the elevator.
Oh, did I mention that the security center is placed 8 meters away from and overlooking the elevators?

It does make you wonder if it´s just for show, or if it really is needed.

3. Russian TV sports its very own Dance channel!
I´ve watched it for 40minutes now, and it´s like having your very own fitness dance-DVD constantly rolling in the background.
First there was hip hop for children for about half an hour and right now they´re doing belly dancing.
(Let me just point out that the instructor changed in between...).

4. My hotel must sport a kick ass pastry cook. It´s true!
This must be the only business hotel in the world to sell top notch cakes?
Wait until you see the photograph further down on this page if you don´t believe me.

5. Russian women wear more fur and higher high heels than all Italian women added together.

I know, I can´t help it. I love pictures of food, since I think it says a lot about a country... Breakfast.

...and lunch. Better than yesterday I thought at first.
Until I found out that the coleslaw had SUGAR in it.

Thank you Grand Arena for these 2 days! I can really recommend this fitness club if you´re about to visit Novosibirsk. Open 24/7!

The Russians REALLY love dance. If you can read what this photograph is saying, you can tell exactly HOW many different styles only Grand Arena offers.

Group work...

Working hard...

...and they did soooo well!

...having some fun with it too..

This is a skill that I will demand from all my future instructors come 2011...
Magnus G, I hope you take notice... :)

Saying bye bye to some of my lovely students!

The view outside the very protected building that contained the fitness club,
offices and rooms for different functions, such as weddings, conferences etc.

Here they are: The Cakes. Now, what do you say?

The view from my hotel room.

Day 2 in Novosibirsk

MO:
Gothenburg was colder than Siberia this morning. How funny is that?
-3 beats 0 degrees.
1-0 Gothenburg.

Here´s my day in pictures:

Novosibirsk is not afraid of colour here and there...

Lunch.
This was the best food choice out of several bad ones.
Yes, that is a processed "fish" with white rice, some very scared tomatoes/cucumber and black tea.

Lots of lifting bars = like. Although the flooring leaves a lot to be required.
Spot the squash court in the background.

The fitness club has it´s own boxing area. I´d spend some time here if I was a member.

Do you know what this is? These are heavily photo-shop:ed photographs of the training staff...
There were 12-14 more pictures like these around the gym. I had to ask:
"Ehhrm...are these your trainers?"
It was.

Dinner at the hotel.
Better than lunch.

I miss these 2 guys so much my heart bleeds.

Live preparations for SIBERIA...

MO:
Live preparations for Siberia here.

Being unfaithful

MO:
I wrote in my Twitter today:

"I´m so in LOVE with strength training right now,
that even doing yoga make me feel unfaithful..."

Strange, since yoga was my first love out of the two.

I desperately needed this morning´s session with power cleans, military presses, deadlifts and pull-ups. After a crazy four days of spinning galore in Trondheim and a week of work + "only" group training classes in Djerba, my body was craving some heavy weights.
That´s addiction for you.

I topped the day off with a 6-peak-intervall class at 17.30.
Wonderful crowd and more or less all my regulars were present.

I´ll miss them next week, when, instead of sitting on my bike, I´ll be on my 17h+ journey going to SIBERIA for 6 days. Somebody do something... I MUST be mad.

Thank you Trondheim

MO:
Last evening in Trondheim.
Time has passed incredibly fast!

Had 3 kickin´classes today with supadupa energy in the spinning classes and an absolutely packed yoga session.

You can watch a short clip from today here.
I need to get better at filming my own sessions, somehow...

Please note that the only reason why I´m pulling my pants down at the end of the dance clip, is to prove that I did the WHOLE class wearing cycling shorts (3/4 length!) underneath my baggy pants!
Not to be recommended - far too hot...

Sleep tight MOJOs!

Oh. I feel old.

MO:
I am actually dead tired right now.
After a 4h spinning workshop yesterday (Great crowd - wonderful energy) and another 3 classes today (OH.YES. Motivated members - I like!) , I have to admit: I´m spent.

3T is Trondheim´s largest fitness chain and their clubs are fabulous.
Master Mania is a yearly event for the members. We (the presenters) tour the clubs and teach classes in various disciplines.
The sessions are booked out and we are very well taken care of by super-professional staff.

I´m having an early night tonight.
3 more classes tomorrow and then back to Gbg Sunday morning.

Hope you´re having a fruitful weekend, MOJOs!

The Price of Beauty

MO:
I mean REALLY: 2h and 40min for a facial?!
Good GOD, I was stressed out in the end. Also, the new apparatus sending short electrical impulses deep into the skin scared the living daylights out of me, although I have to admit - it worked.
You can watch the result here.

Anyway, I´m struggling to get everything ready for take off tomorrow. Leaving for Trondheim, where I´m working with 3T for 4 days. Back late Sunday afternoon.
Really looking forward to this gig, I´ve worked with this chain a couple of times before and they´re very professional and lots of fun!
Teaching a 4h cycling workshop on Thursday and then I´m off into the sunset teaching 6 classes (yoga, MOJO Yoga & spinning) in 2 days. You might laugh, but last time I was there, I did 11 (or was it 12?) classes in 3 days...

Looking forward to get a chance to hang out with Mango, haven´t seen each other in far too long.
Maybe in between our zillion classes we get to catch up... ;)

Spread the LOVE

MO:
I love my colleagues at Gymnasium Sisjön!
Thanks to Madeleine & Stina who joined my classes tonight, spreading heaps of energy and power around themselves!

Then when I got back to the changing room after class number 3, I find the following in my high heel:

I mean, what can you say? From one toddler mum to another:
Thank you for your love, Malin!

The last, but not least THANK you goes out to the crew from Filborna Arena, who hired a minibus to travel all the way from Helsingborg to join the awesome triple: Spinning, Kettlebell, Hot MOJO.

Love you, guys!

How to do Eskilstuna in 11h30min

MO:
On the train going home from Eskilstuna.

I´ve taught a 3h workshop for Forever Träning & Hälsa, which means I've spent more than half the day on different trains... Lucky the crew at Forever were lovely and...so far so good SJ!

Cannot even begin to tell you how good it will be: landing at the dinner table at home with gorgeous P and a fab glass of red (after I have kissed little one to mush, of course)!

Have a sweet one MOJOs!

No magazines this time, but a great read instead!

Watch Canada get MOJO:ed

MO:

Canada gets MOJO:ed!
Watch part 1 & part 2...

Halmstad Part 2

MO:
After an amazing Saturday we returned to Halmstad at 20.45.
Chilled in our hotel room, quite knackered but happy.
I was SO looking forward to a goodnight´s sleep and hadn´t really budgeted for the noise that followed.
Halmstad Kulturnatt - you suck.
A live stage right outside our bedroom window, with one act worse than the other. Our windows were shaking from the bass and the awful guitar playing.
At 1am we´ve had enough.
Up - packed - and changed rooms.
Oh, well.

Felt curiously good in the morning.
With 4 classes down and 2 to go, I was flying!
I actually knew many of the participants from before and they really shone!
Thanks guys for joining and sharing such great energy!

I even got to exchange more than 2 words with my lovely NIKE colleagues Anna & Maria. Wonderful! (Sometimes we don´t even get the time to say hello between classes/trains/and flights... :))

Lovely Anna with her hubby Mitcho

Halmstad Part 1

MO:
With amazing Linda J in Halmstad getting ready for The Academy event Part 1.
I am SOOOO grateful to have fab company all the way through this busy weekend!

I had a crazily busy day today. Really. More than usual.
After 2 nights of hardly no sleep (Robin has a cold), I drove little one out to grandma´s and grandpa´s. JUST avoided being caught speeding. The nice policeman decided to stop the car next to me. Taught a semi-private for a group of Norweigan physiotherapists. Had an initial meeting with a new (and very exciting) PT-client, followed by a stand-up coffee meeting with Magnus. Almost threw my computer out of the window, when pdf-client refused to work.
Had to drive to printers to manually hand over the material (soooo 90s). Rushed home to not have my clean laundry thrown out of the machines. Answered supadupa important e-mail. Checked out a daycare facility. Checked out an office space. Packed my suitcase. Pulled up at Linda´s only 5 minutes late. Phew!

Starting off with MOJO Yoga at 9.30am tomorrow morning, followed by B.A.D-ride no.1 on the bike - driving down to Denmark immediately after class to teach at NIKE Denmark in Hilleröd - B.A.D-ride no.2 and Kettlebell Challenge...

We should be back in Halmstad around 20.00... Getting ready to do the first 2 classes all over again... :)

Good luck to "our own" Magnus Gårdmark, who is teaching Millennium Exclusive-Periodisera Mera tomorrow together with talented Mattias Reck.

Linda and I chillin´in our room

Mad as a hatter

MO:
I´m looking for an office space.
From January 2010 I will definitely have grown out of my home office and if I find something great before then, I´ll take it.
I´m looking forward to getting out of the house and actually having to go to work.

It´s been more than convenient. During the last 14 months I could not have worked anywhere else with a baby at home, but I think it´s fair for Robin to start having his own room very soon. (Not to mention his toys).
The office should be located either in the area where I live or maximum a 10min bike ride away.
Close to P´s clinic would also be convenient, since it would simplify our life once Robin starts daycare.

With my schedule this autumn, I´m not even sure WHEN I´ll find the time to scout an office, let alone move into new premises.

Take this weekend for example:
Friday: leaving for Halmstad.
Saturday: teaching the 2 first classes (MOJO Yoga & Spinning) at The Academy´s event in the morning - then driving to Denmark, for 2 classes (Spinning & Kettlebells) at NIKE Denmark - and then driving back to Sweden and Halmstad to sleep, because on
Sunday: I´m teaching the 2 first classes (MOJO Yoga & Spinning) at the Academy´s event - again. :)

Mad as a hatter - that´s me...lucky I´m young (hahahahaha!) and energetic, eh?

Live from The Academy Sthlm

MO:
After a rockin´ MOJO Yoga and 2 HOT spinning classes, I could leave the Academy Event day with a big smile on my face.
Thanks to all who joined, and an extra big thank you to some of my dear friends who popped by to say hello. I don´t see you often enough, but when I do, it´s always a pleasure!

If you think this photograph is blurry, you had too much wine last nite...

GORGEOUS girls: Anna, Jessica & Helena, right b4 my last class of the day.

NIKE collegue and friend, Maria Olofsson

At the start of Maria´s Core class