Eat, play and yoga

I don’t know about you, but for me the weekend is “me” time. It is those precious couple of days at the end of the week when you don’t have to place the office as a priority, but instead spend in working on all the other areas of your life you have ignored all week. That could be running errands for the family, trying out amazing food at pop-up restaurants or you could use that time to stop, drop and Yoga.

I have recently re-discovered a most awesome trifecta of weekend goodness and that is: finding good food, playing like a child and getting some exercise in. Honestly the average human is actually a little dog-like when you think about it: feed, walk and exercise regularly for best results.

Pop-up restaurants seem to be the new thing in Lagos and it is a trend I will happily get behind. With the current growth of food-culture in Nigeria, several of the country’s bright stars have taken to creating delicious meals and creating a full sensory experience for the clients visiting. And of course there’s the added excitement from knowing that what you are about to experience will soon not be available at all.

Most recently I attended the closing dinner for an Art exhibition titled ‘Low Life’ with Chef Alex Oke. It was a small-scale exhibition with intriguing bits of work where I got to meet and mingle with the artists, and meet even more Chefs (Imoteda, Benedict, Niyi, Ramone and Michael) and secure free food for a good portion of the year. J It was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable atmosphere that was created at this pop up restaurant, and the meal was delicious (I did battle with my pork skin a little but ended up the victor) so it is an experience I will happily be repeating and I recommend you try one weekend. It is a nice change from regular dinners out in Lagos especially if you are looking to switch things up. Pop-up restaurants also work if you would like to keep things casual, like the XO Boutique Bakery, which has popped up in VI.

When it comes to tapping into your full weekend potential however, you have not made full use of your time if you do not indulge in at least one childlike activity over the weekend. Something that touches the child in you causing you to laugh, shout, run, jump and maybe even fall. Something that helps you tap into moments of pure joy which can only be found through reckless abandon. For me that activity is going to the beach. In Lagos, getting to a beach is the easiest thing in the world and it’s just a matter of choosing which beach you want to visit. As Lagos is a costal city bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Lagoon on another and a few lakes in between; it has a plethora of beaches to choose from. Tarkwa Bay, Ogogoro Beach, Illase and Eko Beach are some pleasant ones to visit. Tarkwa Bay and Ogogoro beach can be reached by a small speed boat or ferry taken from Victoria Island or Ikoyi for approximately 10-15 mins.

Getting to Illase beach, which is on a separate and more distant island, takes about 45 minutes by speed boat and requires a bit more complex planning. Eko Beach on the other hand is a 30-minute (or more) drive from Lekki Phase 1 towards Epe and there are many beaches all the way along the coast in between. Having a fun day at the beach only takes a little planning and a small group of fun-lover. It is also the perfect place to get a way and simply relax (It’s hard to think of nicer things than falling asleep in the shade by the ocean with the breeze caressing your warm sun-kissed skin) with a book or going to sleep.

The third arm to our triangle of weekend fun is actually a bit of exercise, and I will be so bold as to tell you to start with Yoga. Immediately what comes to my mind are images of mostly very skinny girls with colourful leggings in bendy shapes. In my mind Yoga was synonymous with light stretching so when I was offered free Yoga classes while on holiday recently, I accepted eagerly. Yoga is not mild stretching. I REPEAT: YOGA IS NOT MILD STRETCHING. But I tell you one thing, the experience is worth it.