Training habits in Stockholm

More than once I have heard or read that people in Stockholm go exercising on an average 4-5 times a week. If I think of my gang of friends the average is much lower than that and it is Erika, myself and maybe two of my male friends bringing up the numbers. 

I try do to varied training 5 times a week and I think Erika is doing more than that but it seems like the rest struggles to go to the gym even twice a week which made me doubting the high average number they say we have here in Stockholm. But then today, I really wanted to go to the gym. It is the 25th December, in Sweden we all celebrate Christmas the 24th and the 25th is one of those boring days when we do nothing else than eat. I tried to sign up to a group training session at the gym but was surprised when I didn't get a place. It was a queue of more than 150 people before me to get a place. That is crazy. It means that there a lot of training-mad people like me out there in Stockholm. Even if I got disappointed not getting a place in any of the classes today I am proud of my city :-)

xoxo

Christmas yoga

Great start of the Christmas at the gym with an hour of yoga. You might think I was the only crazy one at sats odenplan this morning but I can tell you the gym was more full than never :-)

xoxo

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas sharing my absolute favorite Christmas carol. 

Helene Sjöholm - Vinterhamn

xoxo

Christmas shopping with daddy

Go shopping the day before Christmas has become a terrible tradition for my dad and myself. The 23rd December every year we meet and spend hours running in and out in the overly packed store in Stockholm, and today wasn't anything different. We might have bought less things than we normally do but still we could hardly carry home all the things we got. 

The photos above were taken at our very quick lunch break at Taco Bar.

My legs are aching but I will anyway now go for a 90 min class of yoga and then... my Christmas starts as I move into my mums place for a coupe of days of celebrating. 

xoxo

Moda - Non è mai abbastanza

Moda - Non è mai abbastanza

Great song and an equally lovely and romantic music video. 

You can complain about Italy's politics and bad sense of organization but it it by far the most romantic country in the world.

xoxo

Skybar Stockholm

Stockholm has got what I know 3 or 4 different "sky bars", ie bars situated on the top floor in high buildings with city skyline view.

Yesterday I went with Danne to The Skybar on the 9th floor in SAS Radisson hotel close to the central station. I really liked the bar; it was elegant, trendy and cosy at the same time and the view over Stockholm full of Christmas decorations was very cool. 

xoxo

4th Sunday of Advent

I have been talking to go to church since the first Sunday of Advent but I haven´t managed a single time, until today.

I had to put the alarm on but it was worth it. I went to the big cathedral, Storkyrkan (the great church) in the old town for the holy communion at 11am. I don't go often to church, actually I might go 3-4 times a year but I always go at least once of twice around Christmas.

So that was my peaceful start of the day. The day then went on a bit less peaceful though... I went Christmas shopping with Ioannis. Two days left until Christmas and half Stockholm might had been out searching for presents. I survived for three hours but then I sneaked away to go to the gym and my adorable Sunday-Body-Balance class. 

xoxo

Love actually and X-factor UK final 2013

Love Actually is one of my favorite movies and The movie I just have to watch every year around Christmas. It is such sweet and romantic movie that gives the ultimate Christmas spirit.

Yesterday Cicci and I decided to have a cosy night in so we first watched Love actually and then went on to see the X Factor UK final 2013. I have "kind of" been following the X Factor UK the whole season having my same two favorites from day 1; Tamara Foster and Nicholas Mcdonald - two pure singers. The Swedish Idol didn't have a single voice even close to theirs...

However Tamara was voted out a couple of weeks ago while Nicholas ended up on the second place and sang the amazing "flying without wings" together with Shane from Westlife in the final. (see the second video below).

The winner of the X Factor UK was Sam Bailey who I can admit got an adorable voice but I am not convinced about her star factor. In Sweden a charming star without voice won the Idol while in UK an amazing voice but with less charm won :-)

The winner song!

xoxo

A Christmas lunch

A good thing about Christmas is that families gets together much more than during the rest of the year. Cosy lunches, dinners or kind of afternoon tea/coffee breaks just to... get together. I really like that. Candles, Christmas carols, good food and cakes and happy people. 

A bad thing about Christmas is that most of us eat too much, or at least I do. And its not only that I eat too much food but it is more about that I eat "bad" food and far far far too much sweet things.

This afternoon my mum, Bosse, Stella and I went for late Christmas lunch and fika at Bosse's daughters place in beautiful Henriksdal in Stockholm. It was a very nice afternoon but I feel that I have eaten too much, and soon I gonna have dinner with Cicci. Sigh. 

But hey, its only Christmas once a year! After Christmas I gonna start eating much better, I promise that to myself.

xoxo 

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Hurray! Hurray! I passed the auditing exam that I was 99% sure I would fail. It means that I have passed all the exams I have done this semester. I kind of feel proud of myself!

Yesterday was one of those kind of lazy days. Or maybe I shouldn't say it was lazy as I started it off by going to the gym doing one hour of "shape" group training which is the hardest class I attend. It is a high intensive mix of pumping and burning and people walk out of there close to dead.

A part from that my day was lazy. After the gym I had a long lunch while reading a book. Then I met up with Erika for a looong coffee break at Espresso house. My sweetheart Erika is today leaving for her long and amazing honeymoon trip and I won't see her for very long. Sigh. But I do wish her and Jens a fun and relaxing trip. 

I spent the evening with my mum. We went to town to by a fake (plastic) Christmas tree, carried it home, put it all together and decorated it. A long and a bit annoying job that had to be done but at least the result was good. 

The picture below was our participation in the nation wide #kramaenkompis campaign. Sweet heh? :-) 

xoxo