beach | Kai Chronicles

September 17, 2014
by Jennifer Morton 2 Comments

A running start

always wear proper gear

I’m back baby!

Since returning from my wellness holiday in Bali, I have re-committed to daily fitness.

Each day I get up by 630am and start moving.

I’m back to doing my Tracy Anderson videos – 6 days a week until Sept 30th. I think this will give me a great kick-start to my bikini body. Let’s face it, it’s all about looking good on the beach!!

Of course, that’s not entirely true. I want to feel the best I’ve ever felt too. And so far, I feel amazing.

I’m back running too.

My first day back was hard!

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December 16, 2012
by Jennifer Morton 1 Comment

A tropical holiday remembered

Mission Beach

Sand. Palm trees. Humidity. Sun. Salt air. Sail. Beer. Yoga. Coffee. Friends. Family. Massage. Pedicure. Manicure. Sun tan. Good food. Coconut rum. A barefoot wedding. Hope.

These words sum up my recent holiday to Mission Beach, Far North Queensland. I’m a sucker for a tropical vacation, so any place where there is sun, sand, hot weather, sea and cocktails are my idea of a good time.

Even though I lived in Mission Beach for over 4 years, I still consider this to be a prime beach holiday spot. It’s the perfect place to kick back, relax and do nothing. Although my holiday wasn’t exactly to do nothing, it was great to be back in the tropics. I miss the palm trees. Nothing says tropical holidays more than coconut palms.

North Mission

That’s what I love about Mission Beach. I love palms and they are everywhere, even in the middle of town. Palms and humidity…..that’s tropical Queensland!

Far north Queensland is humid and hot all summer long. It’s that stickiness that you never quite get used to….always feeling like you need a shower. Thank goodness most people have a swimming pool. The sea is off limits in the summer because of box jellyfish and irukandji. They are deadly and although there are stinger nets at North & South Mission, most locals do not enter the shallow waters between October and May.

Dunk Island from BIG MAMA during a sunset cruise

There were many highlights during this trip but one I really want to mention here is the sunset cruise I took with a group of girls! We boarded Big Mama, an 18 metre yacht and sailed the length of Mission Beach and back. It was a chartered trip and acted like my new sister-in-law’s hen night…without the drunken crazy antics. There were no highs to the evening but that feeling of being on a boat with no agenda but to have a few drinks and some nibbles really projected me into holiday mode. The sun was setting as we glided across the calm waters near South Mission and on the way back to North Mission, we saw the full moon. Damn, it’s hard to get decent photos of the full moon from a boat!!! Don’t expect to see any here. I applaud Lisa, Stu and 8-year-old Fletcher for opening their home to locals and visitors to explore the beauty by sea. Well done!

Mission Beach is slowly recovering from Yasi, the category 5 cyclone that devastated the area in February 2011. Things are not the same as before and it may be a long time before the place flourishes again but there is still hope. The residents of Mission Beach are strong, self-reliant people who love their town. Even though I do not live there anymore, I still love it. Mr M and I took our townhouse off the market while we were there. We also have hope.

November 7, 2012
by Jennifer Morton 2 Comments

WWW – What’s Working for me Wednesday

Ahhh, Wednesday again. Things are settling down a bit for me, maybe too much, but I’m very busy with Nanawrimo! I’ve written over 10,000 words so far and I’m on target. It’s great but I feel I’ve really slowed down on the paid work side of things. I did send a pitch off today, my first in 10 days or so. Even though my writing is working for me, I am going to tell you all about something else that is working for me, that always works for me every Wednesday: YOGA.

I’ve been doing yoga for many years but I cannot say that I’m an accomplished yogi. I remember well my very first ever yoga class.

It was 1997 and I was new to living in Vancouver. I joined a women’s only gym in the trendy neighbourhood of Kitsalano and I would go and fumble through “work-outs”. When I saw the class roster included yoga, I was keen to try it. So I did. Once. All classes were held in the middle of the gym so all the girls on the equipment could watch. I often found these general classes not suited to me as I always felt silly if I didn’t know how to do something. And this was a city gym so there was easily 25 people in each class. And the instructor didn’t help. Well, she did try to help but not in a loving way. She “adjusted” me several times throughout the class and now I can appreciate that she was trying to help me but it was obvious that I frustrated her at the time. I mean, I couldn’t even stand in tadasana properly!!! I never took the class again.

Moving ahead to 2005, I resumed yoga during my pregnancy with Master T and a love was born. Six weeks after his arrival, I was back to it. From there I have been practicing regularly though not daily. I sometimes go months without, especially if we’ve shifted towns, states or countries!!! Now, in a new town I have found Iyengar yoga. Some will say this is the only yoga.

I knew all the poses that Lara Favelle was teaching but I had no idea that I was not working through them as I could have been. Maybe that’s why I am still very inflexible after 7 years of yoga! Iyengar yoga is based on the ancient teachings: the roots of the asanas (poses) if you like. The poses are performed with the aid of props such as bolsters, blocks, blankets, chairs, belts and pads.

Since committing to Lara’s Wednesday class and really working my body in each pose, I have noticed a difference. It’s not huge, but it’s there. She often reminds us that it may take years to achieve a certain pose in its entirety and that the learning never stops. She’s tough too but in a good way; she has a sense of humour at least!!! I’m so glad that I’ve matured enough that I can take her saying, ‘Jennifer, are you working that thigh?’ or ‘Jennifer, I’ve seen your legs straighter than that before’. I usually snap a hasty reply, which she says she doesn’t mind. She keeps me focused that’s for sure.

Today was a good yoga day as well because Mr M was home and we played yoga photo shoot at the beach.