tips for the weekend

i bet you are all wondering what i did last night, ha! did i meet bob harper? did i go home and vacuum? my sister called me and said she was coming downtown to see a musical called "a very gay little musical." truthfully i wasn't that into it because it got a bad review in the paper and occasionally, when i'm feeling sensitive, it bothers me when people play up on stereotypes for comedy. but i didn't want her to have to go alone, so i said i'd go. luckily (for me) one of my parent's neighbours agreed to go with her.

so then i thought, do i want to meet bob harper? and as it turns out, i do not. sorry, bob. i decided to ride my bike (from work) to my old neighbourhood, the annex. i lived there (in a few different places) for almost four years, ever since i moved back to toronto after university. i really like my condo and my new location, and up until last night i was surprised that i didn't really miss my old hood. well, as it turns out, going there was a real catalyst for missing it! now i miss it soooooo much. i went to a health food store to find nutritional yeast (could not find it), a few book stores, and my favourite coffee shop, future bakery. oh, so sad. it was weird... i felt like i recognized everyone... every face looked familiar. maybe it's for the best that i did move! my new book club book is lullabies for little criminals and so far it's AMAZING. go get it right now! (it takes place in montreal too.)

so i read for awhile and then rode home, made a tuna/mustard combo and kale chips, and watched grey's anatomy. it was actually pretty good, but i think that can be attributed to the sausage links falling out of some guys stomach more than the actual plot. then i cleaned, did laundry, and vacuumed. now my apartment looks great for the weekend. (i hate starting the weekend with a messy apartment.)

today, friday is weigh-in and i am down 1.4 pounds to 118.6. sounds good to me. this morning i went for a four mile run around the city. it's supposed to rain today so a) i'm glad it's out of the way and b) i had to take the streetcar to work this morning instead of biking. booooooo! but at least i got to read that fab new book!

this week in my email i got a "weekend survival guide" or tips for staying on track during the weekend. i'll post them since so many of us seem to act like wild monkey-children on the weekends. can you follow these tips?

1) plan family activities like bike rides or outdoor games. this helps you spend time with your family and burn calories all at once! no excuse not to now that the weather is warm. finally!

2) carry a water bottle with you to your weekend activities. this will help you get your water for the day and resist the temptation to reach for a soda or other caffeinated beverage. i guess this is a good tip... if you are drinking water you can't be eating...

3) set some "weekend specific" goals for yourself based on the realities of what you’ll be doing. they may look very different than your weekday goals, and that’s okay. agreed... go easy on yourself. you can't be hardcore ALL the time.

4) if you are going to be out all day, pack some healthy snacks in case you get hungry. there is nothing worse than being hungry at the mall, and the only food options are ice cream or pizza. very good idea. i hate being out somewhere and starving. cinnabon anyone?

5) set Monday as your weigh-in day. you are more likely to resist temptation if you have to face the scale first thing Monday morning. nah, that's just depressing. i'll stick to friday thanks.

6) plan ahead!! if you are going out to eat, find the restaurant's menu (and any available nutritional information) online. you’ll have plenty of time to make a healthy choice before you get there. i always try and do this, not just on the weekend, although occasionally it's nice to be at a restaurant and choose off the menu for tastiness, not just healthiness.

7) don't save all of your splurging for the weekends. allowing yourself a few treats throughout the week will help you avoid the mindset that the weekend is an excuse to go bonkers. and by spacing your treats evenly, you're less likely to get sudden, irresistible cravings. bonkers? say what?

today on the menu:

1/4 all bran bar (pre run)
1/4 all bran bar (post run)
handful of vanilla shreddies shoved in my mouth (also post run)

coffee
water
source yogurt and unsweetened almond joy
strawberries
3/4 cup organic puffed kamut cereal

regular quaker instant oatmeal
with 1T ground flax and
1/3 cup crushed vanilla shreddies mixed in

tea or something from starbucks since i'm going there at lunch to read

2 slices sprouted grains bread
tuna/mustard/sun-dried tomatoes mix
sugar snap peas and baby tomatoes

3/4 cup grapes
source yogurt

dinner: another mystery. :)