About a month ago (though it seems like much longer), I got the chance to meet up with Lululemon PR exec Nathalie Balfour.  Here, she shares with me what the brand is all about (besides making your butt look good).

Grouse Grind is a 2800 foot climb over roughly 2 miles (a little less, even)–which basically means it is straight up. And up, and up. Still, I was pretty blase about the grind, especially when I saw the number of Japanese tourists, tiny tots, and generally unathletic seeming folk who were milling about at the base of the climb.

I was in Seattle for a wedding last weekend (congratulations Craig and Christina!) and got in a little bit of filming amid all the eating and sight-seeing. My family was fairly nice about letting me video them (and I think Annie Chen has a bright future as a somewhat sarcastic TV personality). Check out the results – there’s even a shot of Mama and Papa Chen!

Some outtakes from my recent trip to Seattle. My sister Annie and I met up with another Annie (a long long longtime friend from Miami) to catch up over some fantastic drinks. No biking, just hipsters and speakeasies.

My first attempts at videography did not go very well (I ended up muting myself because of the number of “ers” and “ums” and “that’s all for now!”), but I patched together some clips from the day I biked to Grouse Mountain, hiked Grouse Grind, zip-lined for two hours, and then biked back to Spokes.  My friend Nick was a reluctant camera subject, but he did okay in his Bikes and Biscuits debut.

It’s as if the zen gods are testing me. Yesterday was my last day at Canyon Ranch and my most laid-back one yet. In an effort to be as un-me as possible I opted for the sunrise beach walk (luckily I found a fellow New Yorker who was happy to power walk with me) instead of spinning and spent some quality time with the Sunday Times on an oceanside lounger. Then one last gentle yoga class, a relaxing lunch that ended up vegan chocolate sorbet (not bad – really!), and a final session with the “life management coach.” Easy-going Brad was very nice and gently explained that sometimes the way to solve problems is not to push harder or do more (which had always been my strategy). “Like Chinese finger traps?” I said. Yes, he responded. Exactly.

With that still in mind I checked out of Canyon Ranch and headed to my next destination: Fort Lauderdale. The minute we hit A1A it was the exact antithesis of the gentle, cossetting bubble I had just left: neon muscle tees, paunchy redneck Riviera types, and a whole lot of thumping pop music spilling out of every  bar and hotel. Oh my. But – in my new oh-so-centered state I had surprisingly good dinner at the Steak 954, Stephen Starr’s latest outpost, and my first glass of wine in a week. I don’t even remember what kind of Savignon Blanc it was but it tasted damn good – especially with the balmy breeze and view of the ocean offshore.

It looks like Ms. Chen is not the only one who’s prone to accidents.  Yesterday, after a morning of kayaking in False Creek, lunch at Maenam (excellent pad thai and Siam Sun Ray cocktail, made with lime, chili and ginger-infused toasted coconut juice, vodka, and soda), and a Lululemon fitting in Kitsilano, I was making my way (carefully, oh so carefully) to my next activity–yoga at Semperviva–when my bag full of new gear got caught in my front wheel.  The front wheel came to a sudden halt and up and over went Geraldine.  I’m not entirely sure exactly how I fell–at least a little bit sideways, and it helped that I wasn’t moving very fast–but I was significantly rattled enough to pass on yoga and head straight to the bike store to make sure everything was a-okay.  A trued wheel, few bangs of the hammer to get things straightened out, and a new backpack later, I was back on the road.  Let’s hope Mollie and I are getting all of our accidents out of the way before the trip.

Canyon Ranch - not too shabby

I’ll admit, G’s Vancouver itinerary sounds daunting. But consider this: I began my day with a one-on-one meditation with Sadhu, a wiry surfer-type who has spent the last seventeen years studying the art of stillness. After that, it was off to get my blood drawn and my heart rate monitored (stress levels TBD), then to rock climbing with a genial body builder. Then to a fitness assessment followed by a short weight circuit. All this and no snacks! By one p.m. I was craving juice – something that almost never appeals to me – so I grabbed a V-7, a green tonic made from kale, parsley, ginger, and many other healthful things. I barely had an hour’s worth of beach before eating a quick lunch (bountiful Cobb salad with veal bacon and juicy salmon – spa food at its best) and sprinting to an “Energy Healing” session, during which we determined that I hold fear in my belly and that I need to think less (less?). That has been the theme so far: stop focusing on the big stuff and start paying attention to smaller sections of the body (ankles, wrists, hands, forearms) and smaller movements (more breathing, less running). I’ve been prescribed more meditation and slow yoga, less sweaty cardio. “Being present” is a big motif.

After a heroic deep-tissue massage, which was agony at points, I dragged myself back to my room to change for dinner. All this on no coffee! And the closest I’ll have to a cocktail is their fresh fruit puree mixed with a little club soda. I’m like a whole new person – and who knows what life-changing discoveries I’ll have tomorrow?

I’m actually considering this 30+ mile ride from downtown Vancouver, through Stanley Park, over Lion’s Gate bridge, and up Cypress Mountain via a switchbacking road called Cypress Bowl. Check it out here on MapMyRide.com.