Have so many posts and subjects that pops up in my mind that I think of writing about here but priority has lately been to find my position in this new hometown. It still feels better for each day and I have this very strong feeling that this move was the best thing that could have happened in life right now. Combining work out, work, good food and plenty of sleep is pretty much what my days look like currently. I am so thankful that my good old Swedish friend Jonas introduced me/us to the idea of moving here, and it is in one of his properties in Downtown Miami that I am planning to open a little place. A place of good, healthy food, music and great vibes. Something of an extension of all what I love and believe in.

With respect to the content of my previous post, I am more convinced than ever that it is so important to cut through the nonsense and instead wholeheartedly absorb and nurture the healthy opportunities one have been given in life. Workout-wise, it means that there's no need for me to not be in the best shape that I can, when relatively speaking, it is so easy to make it happen. Hence I've again made physical activity a routine as common as eating breakfast. 

Work-wise, I am pouring all what I can from my soul, heart and mind into creating a job and life situation that is ideal for myself. My intention is to build something that I can be genuinely proud of from the bottom to the top, while also giving back and offering something of value and joy to others. Both of these goals require plenty of dedication obviously, but it is relieving somehow to know that, really, it is only my hard work and clear focus that is needed for me to achieve exactly that what I am envisioning. With all what life has taught me thus far, I feel the time is right to raise the bar a notch and work on making some of my greatest dreams come true. My first superficial goal, is to bring this ol' body into a better shape than it has ever been before. Let's do this now.

So hungover today. Not been drinking much lately, except for water, tea and healthy smoothies and juices, so I though it could be a genius idea to get properly wasted after the photo shoot, to kind of reward myself for being off the bottle and the carbs for a pretty long period of time. The ones of you who know me know that I normally carry a very extreme personality, which means I'll go all in or I do nothing, but it appears to me that this is slowly changing, at least in this certain aspect. Having spent three years with a person who drinks about two drinks annually, I have been forced to slow down. It simply isn't that fun to get drunk by yourself, you need your maddest friends for that, and being an ocean away from them, I have 50% involuntary and 50% voluntary cut down, drastically, on my alcohol intake since I first met Alex. Many times it has been hard for me. Imagine being used to going out five, six times per week, if not for a complete weekend of no sleep and non stop celebration, but at least a late dinner and a few bottles of wine with friends almost every night. 

Many times during this sailing journey I have missed that life so very much, tried to recreate the vibes over here in different ways but it just ain't happening as the scene is different, my friends are not here and yea, Alex doesn't fancy nightlife too much. It was challenging to adapt in the beginning of our journey, though I have slowly got used to it and also realized the many benefits of being cut off from my extremely sociable, wine oozing type of lifestyle. 

We've debated the good psychological as well as physical effects of being away from the normality before, also discussed the benefits of being in better peace with yourself when eating healthy and drinking less. But what I concluded today, when I woke up feeling completely smashed as a result of drinking a bottle of wine and smoking half a pack of cigarettes, is that what I initially tried to convince myself was a "reward", turned during the night into a sort of self-punishment. We all know that one get hangover from drinking wine, and we also know that sometimes it's very well worth the risk of wasting a complete day for the sake of having fun the night before. But since I have so clearly seen the positive effect of drinking less, it felt oddly stupid to wake up today with the headache of the year, finding a puffy face in the mirror, a few extra zits on my cheeks, one extra kilo of fat around my belly and realize that today would be an absolutely useless day.

Instead of my daily yoga and exercise, I would be doomed to eat burger king in bed with the laptop on my stomach, spending eight hours in front of Facebook, stalking people I never met and downloading totally nonsense series online. I am not here to tell you it is wrong to drink, you know me well enough already to know that I love to sway away from time to time, but what I'm saying is that it really makes a big difference. Everyone, including me, knows it's healthier to drink less rather than more, but it's not before now, when I have tested myself and been on the other side, that I truthfully know and feel the positive side of staying sober.

Have a look at how my body used to look, on this image from 2008:

On a weekly basis, I get emails and comments from women who wish to learn my secret to be as fit as I am, and this is the simple truth. I drink oceans less than what I used to. I know that some of you, maybe even most of you, think that "what the fuck, a glass or two of wine or even a bottle every now and then is fine" and of course it is, but do not expect to have perfectly flat abs with that type of mentality. As much as I love to treat myself to a proper drunkenness or at least the indulgence of devouring a couple glasses of red from time to time, it somehow doesn't appeal to me as much as it used to. There simply are too many disadvantages. Would probably be ok if I'd only get headache, or only got a bit bloated for a few days. But I cannot persuade myself to think that it is alright with all the side affects at once. Tired, puffy, headache, another day wasted, chubbier, bad mood, bad skin, disconnection to the spirit, prone to make bad decisions, feelings of guilt and so forth.

What I think I'm trying to say to myself here is probably that I finally have learnt the tricky art of moderation. Not completely I must admit as we can judge from last night, but it's under progress. And any morning that I can wake up full of energy and with a fresh, clear mind rather than a soggy one, is one more day to spend on all those important and fun projects that we have in life. Be it relationships with ourselves or with others, a new work assignment or an important essay, a creative project, a better body or whatever it might be that is important to you. How I love getting older, it seems as simple things that we simply couldn't comprehend when we were younger, suddenly appears as the most common things of all. And who knew ones body could be double as beautiful and fit at 30 compared to when 25? It's all connected, of course.

Amongst spinnaker poles, turqoise water and a slowly rising sun I keep my abs in shape. Can tell you it's a well needed form of exercise after these past weeks of gluttony........ Click here for previous training related posts.

And as for Alex you ask? He doesn't need anything but natural physical work to keep himself in good shape. He has that sexy toned muscular street fighter kind of look on his body no matter what he does or eats. Very annoying.

After questions about our camera equipment, training and fitness seem to be the most frequent subject of emails and inquiries we receive from you dear readers. Mostly it is other women who ask me: "how can you stay fit when living aboard a small sailboat?" or "please tell me your daily fitness routines?"

So to give you some hints on what works for me, I've listed the top five most important things that has been implemented into my everyday life. It might not be the right way to go for you, but it is no secret that my body is in its best shape ever, because of these following factors:

1. I don't drink much alcohol. Or at least far from how much I use to consume in my previous life. The life before Alex and the sea that is. It took me around one year to fully appreciate the fact that I had met a man who doesn't drink alcohol. Or let's say, a man who drinks alcohol only on very rare occasions, once per month at the max. I definitely thought it was quite boring in the beginning, who would I now go wild and crazy with? But after a while I realized how extremely good it was for me. Not only for my body, but also for my mind and my soul. Instead of waking up with a hang over 2-3 times per week, I am now able to use that energy for other, much more important things in life. And I guess you all know it, but you do definitely get a greater appetite for life in general, food, sex and basically everything when your body is feeling good and doesn't have to fight to burn toxins out of your system. My skin too, has gotten much better by decreasing my alcohol intake and my skin is a very tricky and sensitive chapter let me tell you. I used to drink 2-3 bottles of wine per week. Nowadays I drink only 2-3 glasses during the same time and this is the greatest reason why my body is responding so well to my minimal exercise efforts. 

2. I am genuinely happy. I have much love in my life. And I try to surround myself only with what will bring joy into my life. This is such a cliché, but that is the truth. When you have cut off the things in life which bothers you, stresses you, makes your life only one step heavier than it is meant to be and you focus only on what really matters - your body will react in the same harmonic way that your mind. I can't enough talk about the importance of making yourself the happy and fulfilled person you want to become and I know that most people know what would or could make them happy, but few has the guts, the strength or the tools to fully apply it. Don't lie to me now, but I am absolutely convinced that you have a couple of things in life that really bothers and stresses you, right? Busy and stressful work, some annoying colleagues, an old friend that is in your life because it just is like that but you can barely stand him/her, annoying neighbors, narrow-minded people in your town etc etc. God knows how many fake, jealous, destructive and energy sucking people I have kicked out of my life in my past, just because I believe that is ones own duty to make sure that you stay happy and that you can put all of your energy on the things and the people who really deserves your time. People who makes you happy, who understands who you are and shows you the respect that you fully deserve = these are the only ones who should be able to get into your private sphere in life.

Health is the state of complete harmony and balance between your mind, your body and your spirit, and when your mind is constantly working against something that stresses you or something which doesn't make you genuinely happy, your body will automatically begin to defend this mood first. It is your body that carries the burden of your mind in the end, and if you are not in balance mentally, it is hard to achieve miracles with your body. One of my greatest advice both when it comes to exercise of your body and life in general, is that you really should try to do the best you can to make yourself a happy person. It is your human right to be a fulfilled, content and happy human being. You don't have to deal with people that disturbs you, sucks all of your energy, who are fake and abusive, or people who doesn't show you the respect you wish, there are other partners and friends to make. You don't have to let your body and mind suffer from a stressful and destructive career, there are other ways to go. You don't have to live in a society/city/community where people are narrow-minded, boring, selfish or whatever it might be that disturbs you, you do have a choice. It is when you get rid of mental distractions that your soul fully opens, and when that happens, you will be able to move mountains, please believe me on this one. 

3. I drink a lot of water. Well another cliche, but a true one as well. We have all learnt since we practically were babies, that water is the key to health. It will make our skin glow, it will help to burn toxins out of our system and it is vital for the overall performance of your body. Here in the tropics it is easy to always have a bottle of water on hand as you desperately need it, but don't wait till you're thirsty to grab a glass of H2O. Try making it a natural routine to always have a bottle of fresh water close at hand. Water is life in so many senses, and it takes such a small effort from your side to refresh yourself with it. 

4. I cook and eat healthy food. Well most of the times. Here in the tropics there are always easy ways to get a hold on fresh fruits and vegetables. I make sure to concoct our meals with as much vitamins and proteins as we possibly can get into a meal. And this ain't no boring food, mind you. It's very old fashioned to believe that healthy food is boring food, as there are so many variations and options out there. I have also decreased my consumption of chocolate, unhealthy snacks and candy, because I have understood that every time I eat something or every time I'm about to put something into my mouth, I have a direct choice in going towards the right direction of getting to my dream body, or working against it. I most of the times elect to go towards what will make my body happy. 

5. Natural exercise. When living on a boat and traveling by the sea, it's very far between proper gyms'. In the beginning it might have been frustrating to find out that there aren't any spinning bikes to get a hold on on most of our destinations across the world, but I have instead developed my own type of exercise that works good for me. Swimming is one, can't tell you enough how good it is for you. Your body will be happy with it when all of your muscles are working in great symbiosis. Your mind will feel good about it, because again, you are in connection to water, and water is life as far as I know of it. It is in water that I feel harmony, where I relax my mind and my soul and to be in touch with water gives me some kind of mystical strength and a greater appreciation for life. Added to my water training, I do sit-ups every second day to keep my abs in shape, I also make sure to give my ass some good training with classical donkey kicks and lunges, every second day or so. We are also out on excursions in the nature quite often, and walking and climbing are some of the best natural ways to keep your muscles in shape. 

Like earlier mentioned, these are only my own guidelines which are normal in my world, they might work for you or they might not, but perhaps it can give you some ideas of how to begin thinking when it comes to training and how your body reflects the state of your mind. Everyone of us can make at least some smaller improvements in their everyday routines of life, and almost every single one of us are the masters of our own mind, body and soul - remember that. Take advantage of that. And make the best out of what you have in your hands. We don't have to be extremely fit all of us, but at least we can make the best in making ourselves healthy and happy human beings.