Workout for a frazzled soul

Yet again I treated myself to a workout trip to Mallorca. It came at a time when I needed it the most - this bureaucrat is in the midst of the preparations for the Swedish Presidency of the EU. I haven't worked out at all for.. well.. a year? Noticing that my days at work kept getting longer and longer, I realized I have to treat myself to this, or I'll collapse. So I begged a friend to come along with me, and she did. We went to Cala Bona, Mallorca, this time (last time, it was Alcúdia), for a week of lovely sunshine, lots of good conversation, new friends and most of all: working out. Most of my days began with a fast-paced morning walk for an hour beginning at 7.30am. Walking along the shore in the morning sunshine, the smell of the sea all around me and the moisture in the air making my skin soft despite the sunburn from the previous day, was truly a treat.

After the walk, we would sit down and have a delicious breakfast by the hotel pool. We were all amazed by the amount of colours we ate every morning: bright orange carrot juice, juicy red watermelon, bright green peppers, ripe and sweet red tomatoes. While we were munching away, the others were doing Qi Gong on the beach, a wonderful way to waken your senses in the morning, but unfortunately at the wrong time for me, feeling hungry at the point of starvation after the morning walk. After breakfast, we had just enough time to digest our food and get changed before our favorite workout - Core! A whole 45 minutes of sit-ups and other six-pack-related exercises. After that, it was a short walk to our next activity - water aerobics. After 45 minutes of Core, it was a real blessing to get into the cool water for another 45 minutes of workout.

Usually after water aerobics, we'd shower and get changed, and then it was off to the beach to enjoy the wonderful weather and some gossip. Sometimes in the afternoon, we'd cut our time at the beach short in order to go to yoga or step-up, but most of the time we'd just stay in the sun until we absolutely HAD to go back to get changed before dinner.

Coming home, I felt strong and absurdly awake. I had a tan (it's true!). I felt gorgeous. Back into the swirl of Presidency preparations, I have of course not worked out since. But every day the thought lurks in the back of my mind - I know I'm strong enough to do 22 workout sessions in one week while I'm in Mallorca, surely I can do at least 7 a week at home?

In August, I'm going back to my beloved Mallorca, this time further south on the same coast. Cala d'Or with its beautiful nature will be my next stop. I can't wait!