rocking it

i'm rocking it this week. i feel back in "the zone." now, if only the zone would produce some results. last night i went swimming and then to book club, where, get this, i consumed only a diet coke and no wine or food, even though there were nachos on the table up for grabs. and it wasn't even hard to resist.

today after work i wanted to do nothing. instead i put on my lululemon pants and my hideous fleece vest with my university logo on it and hit the road for a 3-mile (or 5k if you will) run. this is what my vest looks like. i just think fleece is so dorky. it does serve the purpose of warmth. maybe if i camped or hiked or did more outdoorsy things i'd be into fleece. thankfully i'm past the point where i want to be fashionable while i run. ok, i still do a little bit. but i don't want to be cold!

i was so hungry all day today. i think it's because i had raspberries, a banana and a vitatop for breakfast instead of my usual oats. what is it about oatmeal that is so filling? yesterday i made oatmeal with a scoop of chocolate protein powder ... not so into that. it gave it a weird taste. i'll try half a scoop and report back because i'm sure you all are so interested. tomorrow on the evening news! half a scoop of chocolate protein ... what does it taste like? what DOES it TASTE like!?

right now i am making sweet potato fries with cinnamon and splenda. i know i shouldn't use sweeteners but i am not ready to stop yet. besides, the testing they have done on the animals is a little skewed. they really pump those rats full of aspartame - way more than the biggest diet coke addict would consume in one day. and i rarely even drink pop. i just use an equal in my morning coffee and occasionally afternoon or evening tea. and only those "dessert" teas mmmmmmm i get excited just thinking about them.


so i have to do a spring cleaning in my kitchen. there are crumbs in places there shouldn't be and that isn't acceptable. the fridge is due for a cleaning too. just what i feel like doing on a tuesday night ... NOT!

monday madness

a few things:

1) i bought a garmin forerunner 305! i bought it last night. i can't wait to use it because i live very close to lake ontario and now i can go for runs by the lake without being scared i'll run too far and collapse in heap and die from thirst and tiredness. (i couldn't track the trails correctly on mapmyrun). i don't have it yet though... being shipped.

2) i guess i'll sell my cute cherry ladies polar f4 on ebay ... unless anyone here wants to make me an offer. nudge nudge wink wink.

3) vitalicious.ca is having amazing incentives. if you buy $100 worth of products before April 30, and you live in ontario, shipping is free AND you get a skipping rope with a jump counter and calorie counter (regular $20) thrown in for free. i think the skipping rope is free no matter where you live, but i think the free shipping is limited to ontario and quebec. sorry, rest of cananda. i got a 24 pack of triple chocolate vitatops, a 24 pack of blueberry bran and a 24 pack of multibran. yes the chocolate ones are good, but i prefer to eat the bran-ier ones in before a morning workout, or as a mid-morning snack. they feel really hearty and delicious.

4) i am going swimming in the next ten minutes. i have book club later tonight so i've got to boot it!

5) i am going to cancel my weightwatchers online subscription before May 8 (when my month runs out). i like it but i'm just not using it and i could be using that money for other things. i can count points without the online tracker, it just takes a bit more effort.

6) i bought tempeh to try today. should i make a tempeh and pb sandwich a la kath?

pre-scheduled post

i love pre-scheduled posts. this week has turned from sour to sweeeeeeet! i think it was my crazy woman hormones making me looney tunes. it's tough being a woman - men just don't understand.

work is busy - on wednesday (and until today) i was sent to help with a food photo shoot for an upcoming cookbook. (if you didn't know i work in publishing). food styling and food photography is SUCH an interesting process, and i feel SO LUCKY that i get to experience it. there is a photographer, her assistants, graphic designers and a food stylist, who does all of the cooking and prepping. there are so many decisions to make - how to make the food look appealing, what bowl or plate to use, utensils, linens, tabletops, background glasses, etc. so much goes into making the shot PERFECT. so interesting. and being around food all day is awesome as well. unfortunately most of the time you can't eat the finished product - because it's been touched and prodded and moved around. but sometimes you can (or so i've heard).

anyway. weight is stable, down a little. my happy weight is about 3-5 pounds lighter. feeling happy and relaxed though. sun is shining (at least that is the forecast!) and today is friday WAHOO! no big plans for the weekend except a party at my bf's on saturday. i bought him new patio lights - rope lights like this to wind around the fence on his deck:

they look like they can withstand weather, right? oh boy. i am planning on a morning swim today (friday) and a saturday 5k run. sunday hopefully another swim? i have book club and we read the cellist of sarajevo. it was okay but i probably wouldn't recommend it because i found the plot to be a little repetitive. i kind of feel like a jerk because the subject matter of the book is quite intense. sorry - that's my opinion and i'm sticking to it.

have a great weekend :)

psssst

i am feeling really overwhelmed right now.

1) work is VERY busy. so busy that i'll be working at home tonight and probably another night (if i can find one!) this week.

2) diet and exercise ... ah, i don't know. there was an incident with reeces eggs on the weekend. this week (starting yesterday) i am one with the protein and trying my best to avoid carbohydrates. i know it's not that balanced but it's only for a few days and it works for my body. i went for a 5k run on saturday ... no bum pain!

3) i joined this group outside of work and my normal friends, in order to meet new people and step outside my own comfort box. i'm sort of regretting it because i HATE it when i don't have any personal time. i don't like having to be somewhere after work (other than home). thankfully there is only about a month left. the people are nice and it's fun, but too much, especially now that i have real work to do at home.

4) once again, my apartment is a mess. i'll try to do a speed clean tonight between working. why can't i just be a lady of leisure and have lots of money too? then i could pay people to do things for me.

5) i am trying so hard not to snack. well, not trying not to, i'm just not doing it. my snacking lately has been out of control and i'm sure that's why i was putting on weight. stressed at work? eat something. home from work? eat something. any other situation? eat something. it doesn't matter that i choose healthy options like fat free yogurt and berries. too much eating that wasn't part of a regularly scheduled meal. it's really tough. i'm hoping my stomach is shrinking from the lack of snacking!

6) the end. sorry i'm grumpy. i'm just stressed (and it's t.o.m.) yelch!

i'm baaaacccckkkkk

not that i was gone for very long. oh, my sickness was TORTUROUS! it really wiped me out in a major way. let's recap:

saturday: felt a little weird, stayed home at night and rented movies with my main squeeze.

sunday: felt kind of queasy. had to go to dinner at my parent's house for easter. was pretty crabby by the end of the night. head cloudy.

monday: wanted to curl up and hide. unfortunately had to work 8-4. i'm on 3-month probation because i'm new so i didn't want to take time off. i was taking cold fx but i believe it's a placebo. maybe it was helping my sickness leave but it wasn't curing any symptoms! thankfully i brought my own box of "puffs" tissues to work. i'm sure everyone in the adjoining cubicles was revolted by my constant blowing. took a two hour nap after work, ate soup, back to sleep.

tuesday: another work day. ex-roommate's birthday party dinner at a restaurant downtown. i thought i would have to miss it but then i'd seem like a jerk ... a sick jerk. when i got home from work i took off my shoes and flopped in the bed for an hour. then had a bath and was able to make the dinner. i stayed for one hour and was the first to leave but my presence was appreciated :)

wednesday: still sickish but more in my head, less body. general weak feeling. date night ... didn't do much - just watched top model and supersize vs superskinny :) love those shows!

today i'm feeling better. i still need my puffs tissues but i feel like i can think and be productive without feeling totally overwhelmed. at lunch i went for a walk since the weather was nice and sunny. i freaked a little because i thought i had mapped out a three mile walk but it seemed like i was so far away from my office. i didn't want to be late getting back. it wasn't a problem but my concern made my walk much less enjoyable than the casual stroll i had planned. after work today i seemed to have more energy than ever so i went swimming. it was pretty great!

hopefully tomorrow i'll be back to 85% or 90%. tomorrow is my weigh-in and i'm not too excited about it - i haven't exercised all week except today and definitely have not lost anything. for some reason when i'm sick the thought of eating vegetables disgusts me. it's carbs all the way. i haven't been overeating but my body seems to hate me lately. i show love and it shows hate ... no fair.

in other news, i am really looking forward to tomorrow. not only is it FRIDAY, but it's going to be sunny and 19 degrees celsius and i'm going to see jerry seinfeld live in concert. is a comedy routine still called "in concert"? i don't know. hopefully by tomorrow night i'll feel like drinking again - everything is much more funny with a glass of wine or two. :)

achoo

i think...

posting might be sporadic this week. i am soooooo sick (sore throat, head stuffiness, sneezing every five minutes) but still going through the motions - work, birthday (not my own of course) dinner tomorrow, group meetings, etc.

i hid away my Easter candy but it is calling my name. maybe i will kill two birds with one stone and just go to bed - it battles sickness AND takes away the temptation of Eggies.

holiday

it's friday morning and i am sitting in my den. hooray! no work today! i woke up initially at 7:15 am, and went back to sleep until after 9. that's more than nine hours of sleep ... heaven. i made a coffee and drank it on my balcony, which was so sunny and warm. i didn't even need a jacket.

i had a great swim in the pool and it's only 11 am - that means i have the rest of the day to do whatever i want. i am going to rearrange my bedroom furniture. it's the one room of my apartment that is always so messy. hopefully a new set up will inspire me to keep it a little cleaner.

today is friday weigh in and i gained again! dammit. i gained 0.6 pounds since last week. combine that with the 0.4 i gained last week and i am up a whole pound. obviously i am doing something wrong ... but what? i wanted to lose 10 pounds and i've got 8.2 to go ... yip eee.

yesterday at the gym i just did strength training on my legs and abs. i did walking lunges (and could do three sets of 10 because i did them first), squats, deadlifts, leg press, and four kinds of crunches. i think i am going to stick with these exercises. my arms get a good enough workout through swimming and when i workout my whole body, i really get the shakes and feel like vomiting. that's not good.

tonight i am going to the keg mansion for some friend's birthdays. if you love the keg, you will really love the keg mansion. it's the same menu but in the restaurant is a beautiful old haunted house - really nice. this (the picture) is really how it looks. have a great easter weekend!

making it snappy

i've got to make it snappy because i'm posting in real time today, before work! i got up at 5:30 am to go to the bathroom and couldn't get back to sleep ... where the time went? i do not know. it's so early! technically shirls, i am up before you because of the time difference. so there hehe. i could not imagine waking up at 5 am everyday. madness!

last night before my homedate i went swimming in the pool. it was alright. yesterday at canadian tire i bought a kickboard with a grimacing shark on it, so i switched up my routine a little and that did make it better. i also bought a pool noodle to lay on and a tennis ball to sit on. i think all that stuff did more initial harm than good because i had a bit of trouble walking last night. today i'm fine. and i have pool crap all over my apartment - wah wah wee wah.

today i'm going to the work gym at lunch. randi, i don't have coverage for anything until 3-months into my job - then i will know if i can see the sports physio man. i would assume so, but you never know. i am just going to do strength training on my abs, back, and legs. my arms are buff enough - thank you. and doing strength training on my arms was giving me a bit of soreness while swimming - my arms felt like socks. i mean rocks. typing error.

tonight is the weekend - ya ya ya! i am meeting an old friend after work for a drink, and then he is taking me to his brand new house in milton that he doesn't even live in yet. empty new houses are so creepy, i love it. better get a move on now! until tomorrow ...

let's talk about the bum

i'm going to start today's post by talking about the bum. yesterday's strength training workout was great. i was still a little sore going into it, but not too bad, and i felt good during and after. here's what i did:

1) 5 minute treadmill warm up

2) deadlifts, 10 reps with 20 pounds, 3 sets

3) overhead press with 8 pound dumbbells, 15 reps, 3 sets

4) squats with 8 pound dumbbells, 10 reps, 3 sets

5) crunches on the stability ball, 15 reps, 3 sets

6) lunges with 8 pound dumbbells, 10 reps, 2 sets (this is still KILLER for me)

7) dumbbell curls with 10 pound weights, 10 reps, 3 sets

8) crunches on the dip machine, 10 reps, 3 sets ... the machine looks like this sort of without the fancy arm pads - i have to keep my arms straight and support my whole body with my wrists (surprisingly easy)

9) leg press, 90 pounds, 10 reps, 3 sets

10) chest press with 10 pound dumbbells, 10 reps, 3 sets

11) reverse crunches on the bench, 10 reps, 3 sets. the reverse crunch looks like this - start with your legs down and toes/feet touching the floor. then crunch up.

my bum felt really good, especially during the squats. when i was fully in the squat position, i could actually feel the muscles in my bum contracting, almost like making a little whimper. i am all for having a stronger bum. heave ho bum!

in other news, eating is not going so great. i just find myself so hungry and then snacking on ridiculous things like "oatmeal squares cereal" - that is so yummy. i really need to get it together. yes, it's still winter out there (let's not talk about that!) but not for long. i do not want to go into summer with extra flub. no way, not again, not happening to me.

in other other news, i think i've decided to try running again. i think my type of sciatic pain can be prevented with stretching and improved ab strength, so i am going to work on that. also, i might see a sports physiotherapist or somebody like that. i've been reading up on it online - people have overcome this in the past and if they can do it, i certainly can too.

is that enough bum talk for you? tonight is date night and top model tv night - and then tomorrow is thursday which is that last day of the work week. thank you religion!

the worst weather

wow. the weather was really bad yesterday and more of it is expected today. cold, windy, raining, SNOWING. yelch! and driving is especially terrible, especially when one lane of the onramp of my second highway is closed for the foreseeable future. i'm complaining carol, i apologize.

i've been really busy lately. so busy, in fact, that i have to schedule time for things like "ironing" and "running the dishwasher." i have a lot of creative work to do - for work and for groups i joined in my personal life. and i want to keep up with swimming and my new strength training routine and be sleeping by 11pm every night. (i have to wake up at 6:15 - that's why i have to go to bed early.)

on sunday night i managed to turn off the lights at 11:23pm. pretty good considering the sunday morning sleep in and feeling a bit more energetic. i've started sleeping with my bedroom window open - i've turned off the heat but it's still hot in my condo apartment and if i don't open the window i wake up in a hot/cold sweat. so the window is open, and suddenly i hear people talking. who is talking? is someone on my balcony? i look at the clock. it's 3:15am. three fifteen people! my very new neighbour (we share a balcony split by a glass wall) is having some sort of wacky patio party. gahhhhhhh! who has friends over until 3:15am on a sunday night?! nothing good can come of this! nothing!

anyway, enough complaining carol. yesterday after work i came home and went swimming. i really didn't want to but i pushed through. my leg/bum muscles are sore from sunday's workout, but way less so than before. i have some nice muscle soreness in the middle of my back from doing the seated cable row. the trick is to squeeze your back muscles together every time you pull back. this man is happier when his arms are straight. me too buddy, me too. i am going to the work gym today at lunch for another strength training workout.

one more thing. i'm in a cardio rut. i am so sick of swimming. i've been doing it for so many months, it's boring to me now, my arms are way too buff for their own good, it's not challenging, etc. maybe i should just start running again. maybe i'm just terrified of the bum pain but it's something that can be worked through. maybe i'm so scared of the pain that it's only in my head - the fear that it might return i mean ... i am going to think about it. i will post my decision, when i decide of course. biggest loser tonight - i haven't watched in weeks. good thing i scheduled my ironing for tonight ;)


ps. did anyone notice that balcony party picture is a "pimpz n hoz" party - free beer woohoo!

i did it again

good morning. happy monday to you all. :) i'm only saying that because it's sunday night and i'm writing this post in advance. i'm going to write it like it is monday, so when i say "yesterday" i mean sunday, today. i've started confusing myself.

my weekend was pretty good. friday was my weigh in and i gained 0.4 pounds - THE HORROR! anything under a pound and i say it's nothing. except 0.8 - that's pretty much a pounds and should not be taken lightly. i have to get serious now people. i am not in summer shape. i have now 7.8 pounds to go, or something like that. i'll re-evaluate after five.

friday wasn't the best day. it was raining ALL BLOODY DAY. seriously - we got 40 point something millimetres. the previous record was 20 point something millimetres in 1950 ... so that's a lot of rain. i was also pooped from the week. i went to the movies and saw slumdog millionaire. it was good but the hype blew up my expectations and i was disappointed. i always base my movie reviews on whether or not my bum hurts in the movie seat. if the movie is great, i'm so capivated that i don't think about sitting for too long ... but when i find my mind drifting away from the movie and to my bum, that means the movie is B O R I N G. i'm not saying slumdog was boring, it just wasn't as "amazingly revolutionary ... like nothing i've ever seen" as a friend of mine put it.

i went to the gym on friday at work at lunch. since i couldn't walk (from working out my leg muscles on wednesday!) i just did 30 minutes on the elliptical and some arms and abs. pretty good.

on saturday i went swimming. yesterday (today ... shhh) i went to my condo gym and did a full body strength-training workout. my work gym is clothed today for a shoot so i wanted to get it in while i can. i am definitely in pain again - only time will tell if it's as bad as the first workout. it's not bad pain - it's what those fitness buffs call "sweet pain." my arms don't hurt - it's just my legs. after i'm done, i feel shaky and like vomiting. i googled that and it's normal - it just means i'm not used to working out so hard and i've got to keep it up. i will for another month and then if my symptoms persist i'll do something about it.

my new weight training routine

1) so yesterday, on wednesday, i went down to the gym at work and began my new weight training routine.

2) today i can't walk.

3) not joking.

4) my arms don't hurt at all, but that's because i swim all the time and use my arms for resistance. my legs however - i never work them at all.

5) i was going to do the routine again tomorrow, but since i'm having trouble sitting and standing, perhaps i should take it easy instead. maybe i'll go and do some cardio, and some arms, back and abs. hmmmmm.

so here's what I'm doing:

1) squats with weight (bum and quads)

2) deadlifts (quads, bum, hamstrings, lower back)

3) walking lunges with weight (upper leg, bum)

4) leg press (quads, hamstrings, bum)

5) chest press (pectoral chest muscles)

6) overhead press (shoulders)

7) cable row (back, forearms)

8) biceps curls (biceps)

9) triceps pushdown (triceps)

10) lat pulldown (back)

11) various ab exercises

That's about it - tomorrow morning is my weigh in day (which unfortunately I have to do) and I really don't feel any thinner. in fact, it might be the opposite ... even though i've been tracking and counting. actually i say that but now that i think about it i've been cutting corners ... like adding 1/4 cup of all bran to my oatmeal because it's 0 points ... that sort of thing. we'll see tomorrow.

physical or mental pain

yesterday wasn't the best day. one of my going-to-work highways was blocked so i was redirected in the morning and had to take a road with many stoplights which almost made me late for work. i wasn't phewf! right now in the car i'm listening to to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. i have got to say, it's so much better than i remember it being when i read it in high school ... or whenever that was. the actress sissy spacek is reading it and while i find her kind of irritating to look at on film, her voice is very fitting.

today i was going to venture down to the weight room at work and start my new weight lifting routine. i am a bit apprehensive ... just silliness because i don't know who is going to be there or if they have a set routine or if i'm going to get in someone's way ... that sort of ridiculousness. i'm sure it will be fine. it's like the first time doing anything - scary, but once you do it - it ain't no thang but a chicken wang.

i was all ready to go down, but about an hour before lunch i started feeling intensely queasy. throw up sick kind of feeling. not good. i really thought i might heave ho. i thought maybe i'm thirsty. nope. maybe i'm hungry. nope. maybe i need to take an "aleve" that my friend gave to me for bum pain purposes ... maybe that worked because the pain did go away, but not until lunch was almost over. i just sat at my desk. boo.

so. my plan is to go today at lunch. what's stopping me but nothing? exactly. my workout clothes are already at work - i just have to step up to the plate. i don't need to hit it out of the park, i just need to swing. do you like my baseball analogies? i do. sort of ... baseball can be dull. except of course during the seventh inning stretch when people madly rush out and sweep the plates on the field, and the team mascot shoots hotdogs into the crowd out of a giant shooter hotdog. fun. :)

yesterday after work i went straight to the pool for a swim. i was done at 5:30pm, which left me lots of time to myself. nice. tonight is date night. i have to vacuum before my boyfriend comes over. for some reason, i think i need to vacuum more than regular people. maybe it's because i have a cat, but it's not like i'm vacuuming up only hair. it's one of life's great mysteries.