movingout

Still Posting

2011-02-17T09:28:00.001-05:00

I'm still posting ...

just over here.

My 17 remaining followers, I'm talking to you.

Moving Out ... of this blog

2009-11-04T10:50:00.004-05:00

hahaha do you like the title of this post?

I am moving to wordpress:

check me out here

please update your google readers

oh - and leave me a comment on my new blog if you want to be added to my new blogroll ... excitement!

oh ... hello

2009-10-30T14:59:00.004-04:00

happy halloween!

i know i haven't posted in a while. i'm not going to lie to you or give you lame excuses as to why. the truth shall be revealed to you below:

1. i couldn't really be bothered to post.

2. i'm setting up a new blog (more publique) in wordpress and damn, gina! that place is confusing. i made a custom header and OF COURSE it only works with one theme. i just don't find the themes very customizable the way they are in blogger. so far it's wasted a lot of my time and mental sanity. my custom header is very cute thought ... worth the wait (yep!).

3. i've been sick. pretty darn sick. i went swimming on friday and was feeling a bit under the weather. i went to a tea party on saturday and came home full blown sick. i took monday off of work. i feel much better now but my coughs would still scare children and old people. i can't even describe the sounds i'm making.

4. i didn't exercise from last friday until last night, so i didn't really have much to talk about.

/end list

last night i went to pick up part of my halloween costume from my mom at her office in my hometown. she asked me to walk over and get her something from starbucks and on the way i passed a running store that was liquidating everything at 50% off ... WHOA!

i got some craft brand running pants regular $100
and a zoom cold weather running jacket regular $200
and a fleece headband regular $24.99

want to know what i paid?

$111 all together!

i love getting a bargain - it really is one of the greatest thrills in life. and running clothes are SO expensive - unfortunately they are necessary for high-quality sweat wicking bla bla bla etc. unfortunately they didn't have my shoes but i still left extremely satisfied.

so satisfied i went for a 3-mile run last night in my new pants that have some reflective strips on them. whee!

high intensity interval training

2009-10-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

last night i tried some HIIT (high intensity interval training) and it kicked my butt.

it was a "short" workout but a tough one. i have a hard time doing shorter workouts. i need to get over that "what's the point?" mentality.

here's what i did:

5 minutes warm-up walking
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
1 minute running speed 8 mph
2 minutes jogging speed 5.5 mph
5 minutes walking cool down
TOTAL: 30 minutes

by the end sweat was dripping off my face and at one point i thought i might be sick. i realized this morning i really am sick! dammit! my throat feels scratchy and no amount of water can quench my thirst. i thought that maybe feeling under the weather would decrease my appetite but so far that is not the case. double dammit!

I am pretty pooped this week. on tuesday i had a publicity event for work and then my bf and i went to see metric and the stills at massey hall. our seats were TERRIBLE. why am i always in the third balcony way at the side? we couldn't even see the stage! i'm going to think long and hard before i ever buy tickets to a show that venue ever again.

i am looking forward to the weekend. one of my girlfriends is having her birthday an afternoon ladies high tea party at the kind edward downtown. words cannot express how much i love high tea!

not much to say and night sweats

2009-10-16T12:43:00.003-04:00

i don't really have too much to say lately.

on wednesday my bf and i went to this charity event hosted by george snuffalufagus - it was just down the road from me (which was our incentive for going). some other "celebs" were there as well. one of the servers was a contestant from canada's top model. sad that i recognize faces from season 2 (or whatever season that was!) there was lots of yummy food being served and my downfall - the open bar.

needless to say i didn't feel too great yesterday. i was supposed to run but decided to have a walk on the treadmill and read some magazines instead. on wednesday morning i did level one of jillian michael's 30-day shred and my thighs are still killing me. every time i get up from my chair i feel like an old man!

here is something i wanted to talk about: sweating during the night. lately, and for months now, i wake up in the night drenched in sweat. so much that i have to change my shirt. i've tried wearing different things, nothing at all, just a sheet as a blanket, light fleece blankets, a down duvet blanket, opening the door, closing the door (balcony door with fresh air), turning on the fan, turning it off. it doesn't matter what i do! what could this be? does anyone have any experience with night sweating? it's gross but a problem. i better not be going through premature menopause or something like that ... knock on wood!

happy thanksgiving

2009-10-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

this past weekend was canadian thanksgiving. i only had one dinner to attend (my bf's family's dinner) because my own family is visiting relatives in winterpeg, manitoba. so i did have a big dinner one night (with two slices of cake - not pie - for dessert) but it's over and a) i have no leftovers and b) i don't feel like my pants are any tighter than they were on friday, haha. i am actually kind of sad that i don't have leftovers. normally when my mom makes thanksgiving dinner, i am sent home with a giant bag of white turkey meat, green beans, leftover mashed turnip, etc. yummmmmmmm. i usually peel the turnips so i feel like i deserve them! ;) the idea to buy a turkey myself and cook it actually crossed my mind. of course i am not going to do that. i don't even have the proper kitchen equipment to make a turkey (a big pan) and i really don't need all of that meat considering i hardly ever eat meat when i'm alone. (no reason, just cuz.)

i had a couple of good runs on the weekend - one on saturday and one yesterday (monday). both were four miles. i LOVE running on days when i don't have to work. it really is so enjoyable to wake up, eat a little something and hit the pavement. and i LOVE running in this cooler weather. i think this winter i might try running outdoors. i will have to buy a few things to stay warm, but it's probably worth it. does anyone have any tips (layering, brands to buy, how to keep your mp3 player from freezing) for me?

this is also my last week of half-marathon recovery from my online training plan. here is the plan:

monday: 40 minutes running (complete!)
tuesday: 40 minutes cross-training
wednesday: rest
thursday: 40 minutes running
friday: 30 minutes cross-training
saturday: 5 miles running
sunday: rest

do-able? i think so. i might switch tonight's cross-training (probably swimming) and my rest day tomorrow, since tonight i have book club. i also want to start doing weight training but i feel like i have to go into the gym with a plan instead of flopping from machine to machine.

AND finally - i have some very exciting news to share with everyone - but it has to remain under wraps for now. it's more professional than personal, but it's something i've wanted to start doing for a long time. stay tuned!

friday funny

2009-10-09T12:10:00.003-04:00

it's okay if you are jealous that i have this vanilla non-fat chobani greek yogurt for lunch.

i know the picture is the wrong way - i took it on my laptop haha. andrea told me where to buy this in toronto. NOT CHEAP people, but worth it ... once and a while.

bing bang bong

2009-10-06T12:28:00.000-04:00

i started this post yesterday and never finished ... here is what i wrote on monday:

how is it october 5 already? life is really rushing by.

i had a nice weekend. friday a friend's husband's birthday party SURPRISE! saturday a short run followed by a trip to a l'oreal canada make up sale (i can't believe someone is trying to sell that ticket on craigslist ... my mom gave me mine) with my bff, saturday night another birthday party, sunday a blogger meet-up (organized by angela at oh she glows that you can read about here (more about this later). can you see me in any pictures? i was staying at my bf's and forgot my camera at home. and THEN band practice.

oh yeah i forgot to mention I JOINED A BAND!

obviously i am veronica lodge, hahaha. we don't have a name yet but we do rehearse in a proper studio and we have a gig scheduled for sometime in november. i do some singing, some keyboard playing and lots of tambourining. fun times!

in other news i am going on a business trip this week - i leave tomorrow night and come back thursday. where am i going? peterborough!

and now back to real time, tuesday:

yes, so tonight a business trip. i am accompanying one of my authors for some publicity. we are filming some tv news segments tomorrow morning and in the evening, she is speaking at a women's business meeting. i think it will be fun. i am bringing my laptop and episodes 1 to 4 of veronica mars (never seen it ... but want to!) that i recently got from zip.ca - so i won't be lonely at night. i'm just kidding, i won't be lonely!

this week's training plan is:

monday: run 30 minutes
tuesday: cross-train 30 minutes
wednesday: rest
thursday: run 40 minutes
friday: rest
saturday: run 4 miles
sunday: rest

i ran 30 minutes last night and my right knee is bothering me. this only started after the half-marathon. it's even stiff now after i've been sitting in my office chair all morning. i was supposed to swim this morning but i felt too lazy, so i'll either do it tonight before i leave or make my rest day today and swim/workout tomorrow in my hotel. i want to follow this recovery plan but i want my knee to feel better. i keep telling myself to take some advil before my runs but i never remember.

do any of you take painkillers before your run? does it help? for some reason i feel like that's cheating - i hate popping pills if i don't have to ... but, maybe i do!

a week of firsts

2009-09-30T13:52:00.005-04:00

i think i've finally recovered from my race on sunday. except for the extreme laziness that is lingering over me! i have a training plan (part of the online plan i got when i registered for the race) and it continues for three weeks post race, to help your body get back to a regular work out schedule.

here is what this week looks like:

monday: rest
tuesday: 20 minute cross-training (i swam)
wednesday: rest
thursday: 30 minutes running
friday: rest
saturday: 3 miles running
sunday: rest

i think i can handle it. on monday i was SO STIFF i could hardly move. i wasn't in pain when i was sitting, but getting up after an extended period of sitting, or going up and down stairs (why am i on the second floor of my office, dammit!?) was brutal. i bought some epson salts and took a bath. i felt a bit better.

yesterday (on tuesday) i was feeling less stiff, but i went for a massage after work. my benefits have massage coverage (my boss reminded me) so i thought why the hell not?! i have never had a massage before because i don't like strangers touching me but it was quite heavenly and my masseuse was really nice. i booked it at the same place i went for chiropractic treatments in the summer of 2008 when i had extreme bum pain. very professional and nice smelling too. when i left my contacts were stuck to my eyeballs like i just had a nap, haha!

tonight is date night and i am taking my bf on a surprise date. he doesn't read my blog so i can tell you. we are going to see jerry springer the opera. it's supposed to be hilarious - this review told me. it's being put on by the university of toronto so i bought student tickets for $10 each instead of the regular $25 adult ones. i still look young and my student card doesn't have a date ... mwa ha ha. hey, i'm on a budge here! i hate watching jerry springer on tv (what a waste of time!) but i love musicals and parodies too.

in other news, work is still crazy busy. insane! but good insane. i am going on a business trip next week. for one night. to peterborough, ha! are you jealous?

and finally, i am on a mission to declutter my apartment. i have so much crap - there isn't enough space for everything. i am going through it room by room and deciding what must go! well, first i'm cleaning room by room, then decluttering. i can't declutter a mess ... that's gross. so on monday i did the kitchen and last night the bathroom and vacuuming. the bedroom will be the biggest project because i hoard clothes like they were precious jewels. stuff that's ugly and doesn't even fit. i don't even want to sell this stuff - i will give some to my sister and the rest can go to goodwill. the end. have a nice day.

look at this cat hoarding his toys! hahaha mine all mine. stop looking at me!

contest giveaway

2009-09-30T13:19:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to enter Ashley's awesome tea giveaway!

contest giveaway

2009-09-30T09:32:00.001-04:00

Don't forget to enter Angie's Amazing Grass Giveaway!

scotiabank toronto waterfront half-marathon recap

2009-09-27T18:40:00.013-04:00

first of all - I DID IT! WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!

next up - i beat my goal time! WOOOOOOOHOOOOO!

official stats:

start time: 7:34:22 am
10k time: 58:30
gun time: 2:10:02
chip time: 2:05:41 (my goal was to make it under 2:15)
category place: 252 of 823 (women 25 to 29)
gender place: 1320 out of 4529 total women

i went to bed at 11 pm last night and fell asleep pretty quickly. i put out my running clothes and made sure that my zune and garmin were charged. i also made an awesome 90s-inspired running mix. my boyfriend had a 90s-themed birthday party last week so we bought so many second-hand "big shiny tunes" and "now" compilation CDs to play at the party.

here is my playlist (i put in on shuffle while i ran):

you might need to click on the playlist to actually read what the songs are - ha! it was a good mix. i wanted to put a lot of songs i haven't heard in a while. that way each one would be new and interesting to run to.

i set my alarm for 5:45 am. i made coffee (even though i shouldn't have because i got my teeth professionally whitened yesterday ... but coffee is part of my pre-long run routine hehe), an English muffin with peanut butter and a banana. i stuffed half a package of clif blocks and a package of sharkies into the tiny pouch of my fuel belt.

i went to the race alone (let my bf sleep in). i called a cab around 6:30 am and it came within 10 minutes. speedy! i wore a giant yellow poncho because it was raining ... thankfully the rain stopped as soon as i got out of the cab! there were runners everywhere! i was feeling a bit nervous so i tried to go to the bathroom ... tried being the operative word. i put on my fuel belt, garmin, zune (i wear these on the belt - i HATE wearing the giant wristwatch!) and running hat and headed for the colour corrals.

it was a madhouse. there were so many runners trying to get to the corrals and it was hard to move. i made it to my corral (green) in time and spent a few minutes jumping around, looking for people i knew, looking for the pace bunnies, etc.

the gun went off and it was a few minutes before i crossed the start line (i think it was at minute 7:30 when i finally crossed). i was feeling pretty good. it was very strange for me to be running with all of those other people! i was running pretty fast and knew i should slow down but everyone was passing me and i felt like i should be keeping up. my brain took over and i began running about a 9-minute/mile pace.

i ran for the first 4 miles without stopping and then took a one-minute walking break. i would run for 10 minutes (exactly) then walk for one minute. i did this until the end of the race and it worked really well for me. it's really comforting to know that you only have to go less than ten minutes until it's "break time."

at the beginning of mile six i ate three clif shot blocks. they had water and gatorade stations every 2.5 kms, so i alternated water and gatorade at each one. so many cups on the ground! i tried to throw my cups into the garbage cans. i feel sorry for whoever had to clean up that slop!

the race went by really fast for me. it began to get difficult around the 11th mile - my knees were hurting and it was hard to psyche myself up for running 10 minutes at a time. but i did it. i was telling myself motivating things the whole time like, "you are a machine" and "you can beat your goal time - you are better than the goal dammit!". it worked. i also told myself a little pain never hurt anyone - and it's not like i was going to be running forever and ever. as soon as i finished i could stop!

they had signs for the last 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m and 100m. i looked around for my boyfriend but couldn't see him anywhere. luckily he saw me!

after the race i got a medal and a shiny metal thing. i wasn't cold so i didn't wear it. they removed our race chips and i passed on through to the food station. i ate a banana and a pumpernickel bagel. they also had apples and cookies. mmmmm cookies - my mouth wanted one but my body was not in the mood. here i am taking off my gadgets while holding on to giant shiny. everyone looks so pooped!

we took a cab home and i had the most wonderful hot shower of my life. we ate a big more and then walked over to the clothing show. my legs were so tired so i didn't want to stay long. i won free tickets so i felt like i really should take advantage of it. i did buy a cute sweater so it was worth it, hehe.

i am really proud of myself. i set a goal for myself, worked really hard for months and completed that goal. and i have an awesome medal to show for it!

it's funny - i found myself getting very emo throughout the race. everything made me cry - from seeing little kids holding a "go mom!" sign, to experiencing the community support coming from people who came to cheer everyone on, to getting a better understanding about what being a runner really means. there were runners of all shapes, sizes and ages. i saw a blind runner being led by another who could see. i saw a female runner with no arms! i saw a woman wearing a wedding veil. i saw runners stopping to help those with injuries. i saw runners from kenya ZOOMING along at the speed of light with the longest strides i've ever seen.

when i was about 500m away from the finish line, i knew that as soon as i crossed the tears would start to flow. when my boyfriend called my name (and i knew he was there for my finish) i started to blubber like a whale! (i know whales don't blubber.) he asked me what was wrong and i could only whisper, "emo." hahaha! what a wonderful experience - i am so proud of myself.

now, more food!

booyah!

2009-09-25T08:02:00.002-04:00

i am under a lot of pressure at work, which is why my posting is a little ... um ... sparse. it's good pressure though. nothing i can't handle - just lots (tons) of work to do. and i love it, of course, because everything i do is health-fitness-food related. here's what's happening lately!

1. yesterday was my bf's birthday. i got him some awesome presents and the best one is laser teeth whitening - wahhooo! i am getting it done too. we are going on saturday. my teeth are pretty white but my goal is to blind people with my flashy smile. i want that cartoon sparkle to appear on my teeth - like guy smiley from sesame street.

2. i have decided to start a new blog, but not yet. i am too busy right now and of course i have to think of a name and "theme" and whatnot. i like the word whatnot, don't you?

3. last night i ran three miles in the dark. it wasn't that late but it was around 7:45-8:30. there are a lot of shadies in my neighborhood. i don't feel threatened by them but that saying is true - the weirdos really do come out at night hehe.

4. i have one run left before the really big shoe. it's saturday and two miles long. it's actually "20 minutes" but i basically run a 10-minute mile, on average. i also have to pick up my race kit. i can do it today after work or tomorrow during the day. i was going to do it today after work but i think i'm going to choose a nap instead.

5. today is my mom's birthday. i don't know how old she is. for some reason i can never remember the ages of my parents. i bought her a nice shirt and will bring it to her at lunch. i am on a mission to get her wearing more "snazzy" clothes. for christmas last year i got her this awesome jacket and she was the talk of all of her friends. awesome!

happy weekend. tune in for a race-recap next week!

contest time!

2009-09-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

Eat Clean Live Green is giving away coconut oil. Don't miss your change to scoop it up.

this is the big week!

2009-09-22T13:30:00.000-04:00

am i ready for it? we shall see!

here is this week's training schedule of fun:

monday: 30 minutes running (complete)
tuesday: 30 minutes cross-training (complete - i did this before work today)
wednesday: rest
thursday: 30 minutes running
friday: rest
saturday: 20 minutes running
sunday: scotiabank toronto waterfront half marathon GULP.

i'm actually not that scared anymore. i've done the training. i've pounded the pavement. i've tried different drinks and food-energy sources during my runs, etc. i'm good to go. however, i am nervous about race-day and waking up on time, getting there, running in a pack, etc. i have never run in any race before at all. not even a 5k. so this experience is something completely new for me.

last night it was raining and i was sooooo tired (crazy weekend) so i decided to run on the treadmill. it was pretty boring until i did some HIIT for the last ten minutes. i did 20 minutes running at 6 mph, then did 1 minute 7 mph and 1 minute 5 mph for the remaining minutes.

in other news, i am thinking about starting a new blog. i've had this one for so long but i feel that my past entries are really a reflection of my diet/fitness lifestyle now. i am not trying to lose weight anymore and i haven't been for years. i am trying to maintain my weight, get rid of bad habits (yes, i have them hah!) and incorporate more good habits into my life. the only thing preventing me from switching is a) giving up my past entries and b) what if i lost readers in the process? what do you think? would you follow me?

finally, taper time

2009-09-14T13:54:00.005-04:00

i am so happy this week because ... it's tapering time. on saturday i ran 8 miles and with the exception of the race, i'll never have to run that far again. i'll keep running of course, but for "fun" not for sport. this training is taking over my life and i'm ready to take on my other hobbies again.

here is my training schedule this week:

monday: 4 miles running
tuesday: 30-35 minutes swimming
wednesday: rest (woohoo)
thursday: 4 miles running
friday: 30-35 minutes swimming
saturday: 5 miles running
sunday: rest

and then next week is:

monday: 3 miles running
tuesday: 30-35 minutes swimming
wednesday: rest
thursday: 3 miles running
friday: rest
saturday: 2 miles running
sunday: 13.1 miles running AKA the 1/2 marathon.

today after work i have to go to my parents house. i brought my running gear so i could get it out of the way ASAP. i am not an evening runner. i wake up too early to go before work, and if i wait until past 7 pm i am just too tired. 4-5 pm is not my ideal time, but it's the only time that fits into my schedule. i am really feeling the monday today so i'm hoping my run won't be as tortuous as last thursdays. i was cursing under my breath it was so bad. and my hat blew off ... hate that.

training and weight gain

2009-09-11T13:30:00.000-04:00

i don't really weigh myself anymore but i was feeling a little ... what's the word ... oh yes, phat, last weekend while trying on some things in my closet, so i decided on a whim to step on the scale this morning. it wasn't as bad as i was expecting, but i am not in my maintenance range anymore. i thought that i would lose weight with all of this marathon training but i was obviously mistaken.

i really have a love/hate relationship with the scale. i decided not to weigh myself anymore because it was causing too many highs and lows which is unhealthy. going up or down five pounds on any given week means nothing, so long as it's not five pounds up and then five more pounds up, etc. so i wasn't weighing myself. this was a relief in some ways, although in other ways it caused more stress. i think it made me imagine gains and loses that didn't exist and gave me a false perception of what i actually look like and how i feel. it's hard to explain. on one hand it's important to keep your weight in check but on the other hand, becoming obsessed is obviously not the mentality anyone should want or have.

so this brings me back to marathon training and weight gain. i looked online and this weight gain is very common.

here are some reasons why people gain weight while training:

1. you are building muscle, which is denser than fat: this is always a good thing. i love muscle.

2. your body is learning to store carbohydrates as fuel (glycogen) for your long runs. those glycogen stores will add more weight. your body also requires additional water to break down and store the glycogen, so that will also add extra weight: i didn't know that but it's interesting. although - i'm not doing that many long runs, and my long runs aren't THAT long since i'm only doing the 1/2 marathon and not the whole shabang.

3. you are maybe increasing your calorie intake without knowing it: this is possible. i'm pretty damn hungry on running days and especially the day after.

4. you may be drinking too many calories through sports drinks: um, not me. i've only had one gatorade in my whole life and it was "G2" only 30 calories per cup.

so i guess i'm just eating too much. oy vey. i did remark to my boyfriend that although i feel like i've gained weight, i also feel like i am the most "fit" i've ever been. that being said, i'll be happy when it's over and i can get back to my normal life.

what do you do? how often do you weigh yourself to keep your weight in check? every day? once per week? once per month? NEVER?

my 10-mile run

2009-09-09T12:22:00.006-04:00

so last friday (i can't believe it's already wednesday) i ran 10 miles. yes, it's true. i did it.

it took me a bit less than two hours, but i did walk a little, work out some knee pain, stop in a starbucks to get more water, ring my boyfriend's doorbell (he wasn't home), etc.

oh, and i am ashamed to say this but i had a bit too much to drink the night before (self-sabotage anyone?) and was running on 5-6 hours of sleep. not the best way to go about things but now at least i know that if i can run 10 miles under these conditions, i certainly can run 13.1 miles under optimal ones. also, i can't say no to sangria. it's just that wonderful! mmmm sangria ...

but i digress. here we go.

mile 1: things are going well. i started listening to my favorite running CD: black eyed peas - the end. it's awesome - every tune is a catchy dance tune. it's very easy to run to.

mile 2: i decided to run in the city instead of down by the water. the water is pretty but it can be boring when you are just running and running and not doing anything else. i am a city girl. i like to look at people and at things in window shop! i drink some water. 4 oz from my fuel belt.

mile 3: i decided to run from king street (bottom of city) up yonge street to bloor (top of city) which was a mistake because it's on an incline. i am not too out of shape for this but i have concluded that running up inclines or hills is what makes my knees hurt.

mile 4: my knees start to hurt. i tell them to shut up. i drink some G2 grape gatorade. 4 oz from my fuel belt.

mile 5: i run the loop around queen's park twice. it's pretty nice. my knees are really hurting here but i tell them to shut up. they surprisingly listen. i'm starting to feel pooped.

mile 6: i eat 3 clif shots. yum yum yum. it feels very strange to be eating this weird candy-like stuff during a run but i go with it. i pretend that everyone looking at me must think i'm really hardcore to need to refuel during my run. yah! i also drink another 4 oz. of water from my fuel belt. now the water is gone! i do feel like i have more energy.

mile 7: i run over to my boyfriend's apartment but he is not home. when you run 10 miles downtown you really can go everywhere. it felt like i went all over the city and that's because ... i did.

mile 8: i stop in starbucks to refill my water. i drink the remaining 4 oz of gatorade in my fuel belt and filled both bottles up with water.

mile 9: this mile was relatively painless - i think because i was heading in the direction of my own home which is always a nice feeling. better than 5 miles away by foot, that's for sure.

mile 10: the final mile was difficult. my knees were really hurting. i think not drinking the night before a run may also help with this problem. i am also going to take some pain killers before the race. i thought about buying knee sleeves or something but chances are i will never run this far again so that would be a waste of moolah. i had to walk a few times during mile 10 and take an extra loop around my neighbourhood to finish up the mile which was extra torturous. i was thrilled when it was over but happy with a calm sense of completion and accomplishment.

after my run i had a shower and proceeded to sleep all afternoon. for some reason the power went off in my building (scheduled) from noon to 5 pm so i couldn't really do anything anyway! the air show at the ex was also going on, luckily the noise did not keep me from zoning out like a zzzombie!

so that's my longest practice race. i ran 5 miles on monday, i have to do 4 miles tomorrow on thursday and then 8 miles on saturday. it's all tapering down nicely. :)

answers :)

2009-09-07T14:46:00.002-04:00

i got this email from the 1/2 marathon training online program i signed up for. how relevant!

Tip 17 by Jenny Hadfield.

How can I do this? How is my body going to go the distance if we don't go that far in training? How do I get rid of that little voice that whispers in my ear - stop, you can't do this, just hang up your shoes and go to Starbucks, you're doomed - Are these some of your thoughts during training?

Although it may seem that physical training is the key to a successful race, it is the mental fitness that is the foundation that supports everything you do. As with the physical, mental fitness grows through experience and time.

Your mind is the control room for your body. If the guys in the tower and transmitting negative signals, guess what will happen to your race? If however, you have an intervention with the guys in the tower and tell them there is a paradigm shift and we need to send out positive signals, you will run or walk and smile and your efforts will be much easier.

If you have a run-in with a negative thought during your training or in the race worry about finishing - simple take a deep breath, and focus on all the good things that you've done this far.

Relax - If you are having a rough day, slow your pace and mentally focus on taking it one step at a time. If you are having a great day, take notes on what your thoughts are during the workout.

Every run can be joyful if you quiet the voices and tune in to what is going on around you and how far you've come.

Now, how the heck are you going to reach that finish line if you haven't gone the distance in training? Your body will be well rested and well trained for the race. Your mental fitness will take over when your body starts to fade (if it starts to fade).

A good adventure racing friend of mine once told me - you can't eat an elephant in one bite, but if you eat it one bite at a time it is do-able.

I use that in every event I race. If you stand at the starting line thinking - "Okay, only 13.1 to go, that can be a daunting and intimidating thought. It will seem like a VERY long way. But if you chop it up into smaller, more digestible pieces, then it becomes a series of finish lines.

You can break it in half, in quarters or one kilometer at a time. You can even break the race into geographical locations along the route. The key is to surrender to the fact you will be out there for a few hours and then develop a mental plan with shorter goals.

If you are a run-walker you already have a plan. Focus on the next 4 or 5 minutes and soon you'll be half-way done.

Take care of yourself nutritionally. If you get low on blood sugar your mind is the first to fade. That is an invitation to negatives thoughts. Drink your sports drink along the route 6-8 ounces (one cup) every 15- 20 minutes. Take a few jolly ranchers with you or walkers who will be out there longer take a few snack size Snickers. All of these will bring your mind back into the race.

If things get tough for you - use this trick. Think about how you want to feel after the race is over. Do you want to feel proud and excited about what you've just accomplished or sad about the outcome of the race.

When things get tough for me in races, I think about how things could be worse than they are. I could be running "up" a mountain, or in sand, or not feeling well, or I could have just sat on a cactus while trying to go to the bathroom. It can always be worse.

Have faith in your preparation and believe you can do it. Surrender to the unknown and enjoy every step you take. The training is your journey, the race is simply the celebration!

am i boring you?

2009-09-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

thank you for your comments and encouragement on my last post. i have been stretching after each run but it looks like i need to do MORE STRETCHING. stretching is my favorite part of any workout so i welcome it. anything that involves relaxing moves that feel good instead of sweating profusely and being out of breath works for me!

here are some stretches i think will work for me.

numero uno: the IT band standing stretch.

numero dos: the IT band stretch for flexibility and knee pain. i actually already do this one. dammit! just kidding - it means i know a little something something and should do it more often.

number three (my spanish is basic): the lying piriformis stretch. i already do this one too. my bum pain is a direct result of my piriformis aka big butt muscle.

it seems like i already have a good idea of how to stretch - maybe i need to do it for longer or more often. every day seems like a daunting task!

on friday (i have the day off) i have a 10 mile run planned. i know a lot of people like racing and training for races, but so far, i don't. i have made a point of living as laid-back and stress-free as possible about most things in my life, and training is just creating a lot of worry and stress for me. can i finish this run? will i hurt myself? will my knees hurt? do i time to fit in all of my training runs? yada yada yada! i think i will like the feeling of accomplishing a race and proudly displaying a medal, but i'll be happy to go back to running for enjoyment. right now it feels like a chore and that is not a good thing! i just want to do three or four runs a week and only three to five (or maybe six if i'm feeling crrrazy that day) miles a run. also, all i write about lately is running which may be boring for readers. is it? boring? am i boring you?

anyway i have bought a bottle of G2 grape flavored gatorade, and jelly belly sports beans AND clif shots. "they" say you have to try everything you may have on race day before the race, so i am going to try the clif shots on friday and the beans next week on my 8-mile run.

one final question for runners: my longest training run is 10 miles and the race is 13 point something miles. how does that work!?!?!?! how can i spontaneously run three more miles than my longest training run? HUH?

RUNNING HELP!

2009-08-31T11:19:00.003-04:00

runners ... i need you.

sometimes when i run more than 5 miles my knees start hurting. sometimes not - but i don't want to take any more chances since this saturday is my 10-mile long run. i have never run double digits before and i'm scurrrrrreddd.

should i get those knee things? like rubber with the hole for the knee? any suggestions?

i tried googling this issue but came up kind of short. HELP ME.

thank you.

no more shredding

2009-08-26T16:20:00.001-04:00

what a busy week this has been. working, other activities at night, 1/2 marathon training ... life is exhausting. i could go to bed earlier but i just hate going to bed early. once a week i'll crash around 9:30 or so but usually i try to be in bed at 10:30 and sleeping by 11 or 11:30 at the very latest (i read at night) but it's still not enough. anyhoo...

last night i was going to run 4 miles but decided to stop after 3. why? it was so hot outside and my legs felt like lead. running was brutal! i thought about why this might be happening. hmmmmm. deep thinking time. 1. the heat obviously is a factor although i was wearing my fuel belt and i have run in hotter temps before with no problems. 2. lack of sleep - this does affect one's ability to work out. 3. jillian michael's 30 day shred. bingo! i did this on monday after work and my legs (especially my inner thighs and bottom) were still sore. good for working muscles - not good for running. i remembered that earlier this week angela from oh she glowsmentioned she was doing the shred and running at the same time and that is what caused her injury - overtraining!

i decided NO MORE SHREDDING until the 1/2 marathon is over. it's on september 27 so i think i'm going to make october the month of the shred and push it hardcore! maybe i'll take measurements and photographs. actually photographs are unlikely LOL.

here is some more random stuffs:

1) i should go swimming tonight but i'm a lazy bumhoolio. my goggles broke on the weekend and i got a new pair yesterday so i have no excuses. i am also going to THE EX tonight which should be F-U-N. i can walk there in 5 minutes too so it's extra cool.

2) on friday i have the day off from work because i am going to a wedding. in the day. on a friday. i think that's strange but i'm not an expert on wedding days or anything. the wedding is early afternoon and the reception is at dinnertime in different cities. i thought it was all at night because it's on a friday so i was mistaken. i was going to do my "long run" on friday morning but now maybe i should push it to saturday ... i'll make the decision based on what time i naturally wake up on friday.

3) i feel kind of bad because my bf's b-day is in september and he was all set to announce his party unless i did some head-math and realized it would be the day before my 1/2 marathon. i cannot attend a party on that day ... that would be utter madness. and he can't have a party without me ... RIGHT!?

4) i ordered a vegan for "singles" cookbook from amazon. i don't like cooking from cookbooks because i hate having a thousand portions of one dish - i'll let you know what i think of it when it arrives and i start the fun.

5) bread doesn't go stale in the freezer, right? let's say i bought some bread products that were 50% off because they were going to expire in the next few days. and then i put them in my freezer right away - that's fine right? my mom said, "i didn't think you were that poor that you had to purchase stale bread." it's not stale ... right? dammit! i just love getting a deal!

6) today i bought some jelly belly sport beans and clif shots for my over an hour long runs. i think 8 miles and up i'll be taking these. i have one 10 mile run (GULP) and one 8 mile run before the race. does anyone have experience with these?

active weekend

2009-08-24T16:15:00.000-04:00

i had a really active weekend! on friday morning i ran 8 miles (as i mentioned before) and then rode my bike to the convention centre. WOW did my legs and butt hurt ALL DAY and not from bum pain - just from random, pushing-yourself hard, muscle soreness. i made the mistake of wearing flat sandals with no support. my feet were killing me AND they were freezing. i have a tendency to get *too cold* anywhere that there is air conditioning - like work, the movies, the dairy section in the supermarket. and my feet turn in to giant blocks of ice. there is no other way to describe it. i was at the show until about 7, then rode home.

the next day (and yes, i did go out on friday night ... maybe not the best idea but a fun idea) i went swimming before riding back to the show for 12. i was there until 7pm and it was a MADHOUSE of crazy fitness people. our main author was there talking and signing books which contributed to the madness. it was nice to see people relating to her - she really is an inspirational person. i did wear better shoes so it wasn't as bad as friday but it was twice as busy and i didn't stop moving or talking to people the whole time.

the next day ... i convinced my bf to go running with me. he wants to get in shape (he is already thin but wants to be healthier) too and last week he went running twice on this high-school track by his apartment. he did 5 laps each time (1.25 miles) which i think is out of control for a beginner. when i started i could barely run for a minute! anyHOO, he did 6 laps (1.5 miles) then went home and i went off track (i think the track is BORING) to complete 4 miles. my legs were pretty stiff but they felt a bit loser than before so i think running was smart.

i am supposed to run today but since i don't run two days in a row anymore AND since i did activity on thursday, friday, saturday and sunday (phew!) i am going to take a rest day and by rest i mean do the jillian michaels 30-day shred video. i actually just ordered it today off amazon (along with book 8 and 9 (pre-order) of the sookie stackhouse books) hehe. i think it's a great workout (in general) and especially when you are short on time but want to do something.

that's all i have to say today. peace to the out.

hip hip

2009-08-21T11:33:00.005-04:00

my legs are pretty sore? want to know why? because i ran 8 miles this morning! with eminem! could you imagine? stop rapping and let me run in piece! woooohooooo go me. i have this morning off from work because i am working all afternoon and into the evening at the can-fit-pro trade and consumer show. and tomorrow. luckily only in the afternoon. sleep in = happy. wake up earlier than i have/want to on the weekend = very disturbed. luckily it's at the convention centre and i can bike there from my apartment. JOY! what a great day.

usually i run on thursdays, but yesterday i was SO TIRED. wednesday night was date night (as usual) and my boyfriend surprised me with tickets to the blue jays game. it was a hoot but we were out late and drinking giant overpriced beers. needless to say, i was tired on thursday and was sleeping by 9:30 pm. just like a little baby, LOL.

i decided to swim yesterday and run today, because i would get enough sleep and feel really rested and ready to go. so yesterday i swam - and did level 1 of jillian michael's 30-day shred that i took out from the library (it finally came in, i was waiting for over six months ... gee whiz). it's only 20 minutes but by the end of it i was spent. my hair was soaked with sweat and beads of sweat were dripping off my face. attractive and good for my floors. i wanted to see if it was a worthwhile video to purchase and i think it is. in the US it's only $9.99 or something and in canada almost $20 on amazon which does rub me the wrong way but it's not much so i'll get over it.

so my run today was good. it felt like i was running FOREVER. i ran from my apartment to high park (at the bottom) , ran all the way to the top (at bloor street), then all the way back down, then down to the waterfront and passed the dragonboaters and the chichi boulevard club members and ontario pace and the ex and finally back home. my legs are pretty stiff but at least i finished. i didn't run the whole way, i took some walking breaks but that's normal (i think).

i also noticed that after an hour of running (the whole thing took 1.5 hours) i started to get really hungry even though i ate a kashi pumpkin pie granola bar and 1/2 pita with real peanut butter before i left. i think i could have used some sort of re-energizing drink or food at that point. now i'm pretty much caught up to where i should be in my training schedule. i still think running 13 miles seems ridiculous at this point but i'll just keep moving forward and do the best i can.

i'm happy you all liked my attitude about not finishing the race if i can't. i'm going to try my hardest and walk the end if i have to of course, but if i have bum pain it will be impossible (even to walk) and i'll just stop. seriously, who cares? me a little but no one else. no one is going to be disappointed in me or scoff - everyone i know is already pretty impressed with my dedication to fitness as it is.

happy weekend!

coocoo for coconuts!

2009-08-18T13:45:00.005-04:00

good afternoon friends.

i have been feeling really nervous lately about my half-marathon race because sometimes i can run and sometimes my bum pain makes it impossible. the bum pain isn't here at the moment but could reoccur at anytime!

last week i opted out of my run in favour of the elliptical machine on tuesday, and did a 45-minute treadmill run with varying inclines on thursday. thursday's run took the life out of me - i guess it was all of the varying speeds and inclines. there is this one part where you run at about 5 mph but at 8% incline for 3 minutes. i could do it but after i thought i was having some sort of asthma attack ... really couldn't breathe! i took a 10-minute walk break and then finished up the run. scary! on saturday i went running outside despite the heat and it was great. i wet my hair before going, put on sunscreen, a hat and my fuel belt and hit the road for about 4 miles.

i am worried because i'm behind in my training. i should have completed a 7 and an 8-mile long run by now and i haven't. i am nowhere close to that! actually that's a lie - i have run 6 miles once or twice this season but i'm hardly working up to that. i find that when i have bum pain i have to ease back into running and not push it too hard. does anyone have any advice for getting back up to my training level without risking injury?

on the other hand, if i can't finish the half-marathon, who really cares? i would have a pretty good reason for stopping (quitting ... bah) if i'm in pain. i mean, it's not like i wouldn't finish because i'm a lazy bum! i guess all i can do is keep trying and do my best. and my best is good enough. and people like me. yes!

work has been REALLY busy! busy is good but too busy can be overwhelming. this weekend is the can fit pro conference downtown so i'll be working there. i don't mind working on the weekend when i get to attend what i assume will be an interesting trade and consumer show. maybe i'll learn the latest underground fitness crazes ... and share them all with you of course. ;)

in other news, i have been using coconut oil lately. my boyfriend and i went on an outback safari tour in the dominican. if you click on the link it's the exact tour and you can read about all the neat stuff we did. one of the high selling points for me was a visit to a real dominican home where they grow and process coconuts! i learned all about chopping a coconut, mincing the coconut meat, and pressing it to make oil.

i bought my coconut oil fresh from the coconut oil farm/place in dominican republic. straight from the coconut into a bottle and sold to me for $10 US ... it can't get any fresher than that. coconut oil is used for cooking, added to many drinks like pina coladas, as a relief for constipation and it aids in weight loss (apparently ... maybe because of the last reason lol). our tour guide said taking 3 TBSP of oil relieves constipation, taking 1 TBSP with salt has the opposite effect, and drinking a drop in the morning and at night helps you lose weight. he also said that they put it in some of the blended drinks at the resort so don't drink more than a couple pina coladas at a time. i wish i knew that before i went on safari!

coconut oil is a VERY healthy oil and has a high heating point so it's great for cooking. did you know that coconut oil and coconut butter are the same thing? it's true - just the butter is in solidified form - so should be stored in the fridge. in the new cookbooks at work we are all about the coconut oil so it's definitely something you want to implement in your diet. i think i'll stick to cooking with it for now. the smell is amazing too. mmmmmmm.

here is me on tour, holding a coconut with a big pile of coconuts in the background. it was so hot so they kept feeding us bottled pop ... i love bottles! for some reason holding the glass makes me feel classy.

i'm baaaaaaaack!

2009-08-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

oh, hello. i'm back! actually i was back last week but i needed some time to recover and get over the idea that i wasn't on vacation anymore and probably wouldn't be for a long time and had to go to work and every day it was raining like crazy. what's up, summer?

my vacation was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! i had the best time ever and did not want to leave. i could have stayed another week, easily! i will post more about it another day.

now i'm back and since i gained a little weight on vacation (obviously ... buffet style eating and pounding back sangrias) i'm counting points for a little while until my clothes fit the way they used to. if you can believe it i actually did not weigh myself when i got home. what's the point? i'm already sad because my vaycay is over and it rains every day and i have to go back to work at 7:30 am on monday (yes, i am working this week), i don't want to feel any worse! anyway i didn't weigh myself before my vacation so i wouldn't know how much i gained anyway!

my new theory is that if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, the scale is a good tool for you. but if you are working to maintain your weight, you can go by how your clothes fit and how you feel. what do you think of this theory? my clothes still fit, but my jeans are a little tighter than normal.

and now, a running update! guess how many times i ran on vacation? if you guessed ZERO you would be correct. why? 1) bum pain 2) so hot outside - not gonna happen! 3) could have used the resort gym but i am NOT staying inside when i could be enjoying myself outside. that being said, every morning on vacation i did two sets of the following exercises:

20 lunges (10 on each side)
15 squats
15 plie squats
10 pushups
20 regular sit ups
20 bicycle sit ups
20 reverse sit ups
20 ab twists
and repeat.

so that's better than nothing. i did some swimming too of course but only recreationally. last weekend on saturday after i got back i planned on doing a 3-mile run but had to go home after 2 miles due to bum pain. i think traveling stresses my body out and makes the pain worse. this is just my experience from this year and last summer. maybe it's something to do with plane sitting and air pressure? i am not bill nye so i'll never know what's what.

i am a bit worried about my 1/2 marathon training. i decided this week that i have to wait until my bum is totally healed before i begin training again, otherwise my chances of completing this race aren't very good. last saturday i was supposed to run 7 miles and this week is 4. maybe if i'm better i can crank out six or so. here is my week so far:

monday: 35 minutes swimming
tuesday: 30 minute elliptical, one set of the routine above
wednesday: 35 minutes swimming
thursday: today ...

today i am feeling pretty normal bum-wise, so i am going to attempt a 45-minute treadmill workout. i have a plan i downloaded a few years ago and it varies the speeds and inclines for 45 minutes. i remember doing this and really enjoying the variety. not getting bored is important on the treadmill. i am not going outside yet because i always run on concrete and it's pretty demanding on the body.

tomorrow i have the day off (yippee!) so i am going to go for a swim in the morning and then finally tackle my closet. it's overflowing with clothes that i never wear. and i have a walk-in closet. i have a problem giving up clothes because a) i bought them and b) what if i want to wear them someday? well no more! i need to cut out the clutter! if i have not worn you in one year you are going in a bag and being donated somewhere!

last post

2009-07-30T23:06:00.004-04:00

it's my last post until i come back from vacation. we leave tomorrow at 4pm, which means we have to be at the airport at 2pm, and we are driving to my boyfriend's parent's house and having lunch there before his mom drives us to the airport, which means i have to leave my house at noon, which doesn't leave too much time for running around like a chicken with my head off, i mean packing.

time for a list!

1) today after work i had a manicure and a pedicure - not full ones (no cuticle work as they say in the biz) but still nice. red toes and french fingers.

2) it took me SO LONG to drive home after work. i didn't realize that the opening caribana festival was happening right down my street!

3) i have not run since my bum-debilitating run on monday. however, i did go swimming on tuesday, wednesday and thursday - just a few minutes ago. it's getting boring but i might try to get in another swim tomorrow morning.

4) i just ate some pickles. and 65g of egg whites with a fat free cheese slice on top, microwaved for 50 seconds and topped with chili lime sauce. yum but now i'll probably have nightmares.

5) did you know that if you eat spicy foods right before bed, you have nightmares? ay carbumba! maybe it's just me.

6) i am so excited to go on vacation. especially to a resort where we can just chillax. last year we drove down the coast of california and it was an adventure vacation. now i really need a nothing but beaches and buffets vacation.

7) today on my long drive home i was starving and then remembered i had a coconut cream pie larabar in my purse. i took a bite and it was DISGUSTING! what gives? i have had this flava flav before and it was my favourite. i just bought it last week or maybe this week - yes - i think it was monday! or tuesday ... anyway, do larabars go bad? bad experience! i want to try that pb and j one that's being tested in the US blogosphere.

8) i am bringing my garmin on vacation. i haven't decided if i'll run or not. depends on bum pain and general laziness. i'm not really a lazy person though - i like to join in the group aerobics, etc. we'll see!

9) you can "madmen" yourself here. here i am:

10) time for the bed. bye bye!

mood swing molly

2009-07-29T13:30:00.001-04:00

yesterday, this was me:

yes, it's a sad cat hehe. but today, this is me:

happy cat! things are looking up.

1) the pool has re-opened! i used it last night and while it was too busy for my liking, it felt great to get a workout in. i think i will go back tonight.

2) 1.5 more work days until my vacation! i'm going to the dominican republic ... le sigh.

3) i think i was holding in some anticipatory anxiety about an appointment i had last night. the things women do for beauty! when i got home i felt a wave of relaxation and release!

4) on monday lunch i met my mom at costco because i wanted more intuition razors for my trip (the speedy kind with the shave gel on the razor ... love it). i also bought the biggest containers of blueberries and strawberries i have ever seen and now i am forced to eat blueberries and raspberries for every meal and snack. i wish i were joking! no i don't - they are so delicious. and i feel rich! it's like having a wad of cash but i have a giant container filled up with blueberries! i'm rich!

5) right now i am picking up $100 in US bills at the bank. i had to pre-order them yesterday. good thing i'm thinking ahead.

6) how many spray containers do you think i'll need on my seven day vacation. keep in mind a) i'm sharing with my bf and b) i'm ghostly pale. so far i have 4 - do you think i should bring more?

that's all for now,
happcat.

exercise woes

2009-07-28T13:30:00.001-04:00

last thursday night i went swimming. it was late for me - i went around 9:30 pm. the first thing i noticed when i got into the pool was how cloudy it was. i couldn't even see a foot in front of me. gross. but i was already in and wet with my rubber cap on so i decided to stick it out. my swim was pretty good ... except ... when i was almost done the security guard came and told me i couldn't be there. what in the world? he then immediately took it back and said i could be there. what was he talking about? well, he explained later than he thought i was underage because i looked like a little girl in the monitor. i don't know if i should be flattered or weirded out. a little girl? true - i do use a baby blue kickboard with a grimacing shark on it ... but what the hell would a child be doing pumping out laps at 10PM on a thursday night? riddle me that!?

the next time i tried to swim was on saturday morning. i was going to run but wasn't feeling too hot AND it was raining. i went down to the pool area, got changed, wet my hair, put on my rubber cap but when i went to open the final door to the pool, it was locked. what in the world? i went in my bathing attire to the front desk to inquire and they said something was wrong with the pool and that's why it was closed. couldn't they have posted a sign or something?

anyway. i ended up running 2.5 miles to my boyfriend's apartment later that day. i made him carry all my stuff on the transit LOL but i was really itching for activity.

last night i went for a run but it was terrible. it was 5 miles but i started to experience some serious bum pain (sciatic nerve) about 1/2 way through. i kept going because i still was halfway from home and by mile 3.5 i was wincing, had to stop and stretch, walk for a long period and was in serious pain. when i arrived home i stretched a lot and took a hot bath but i was still hobbling around and in serious pain. obviously i am really upset about this. i haven't been pushing it too much, i haven't been running on consecutive days so what gives? why does my bum hate me? WHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

so the pool is closed and i can't run.

the good news is that i'm leaving on friday for vacation. can anyone recommend some exercises that don't involve running and swimming (that's what i do) or anything else that would aggravate my bum pain? ones that make my stomach look flat and toned are key ;)

shoot

2009-07-23T12:40:00.004-04:00

two words for you today:

if you guessed BUM PAIN you would be correct. i had a little yesterday as well, so obviously it was my tuesday night incline treadmill walk that did this to me. maybe my problem is not so much running, but walking fast on an incline. i probably won't be running tonight. it's raining anyway ... maybe i'll try the treadmill and see how i feel but i am definitely not going to push it. i'll do nothing if i have to! hear that? NOTHING!

i really never imagined the day when i'd be pissed about not being able to fit in my workout. ha! i have to put my health before my training though.

i really can't push it because there is NO WAY i'm going to be a gimping gus on vacation like i was last year at this exact time in california. no way hose!

this week the plan

2009-07-22T13:30:00.000-04:00

i know it's "humpday" but here is my weekly plan.

according to my marathon training schedule (say shed yule) i should be doing this:

monday: run 40 minutes
tuesday: cross train 40 minutes
wednesday: rest
thursday: run 40 minutes
friday: cross train 40 minutes
saturday: 3-mile run
sunday: rest

since i never listen to what i'm supposed to do (rebellious by nature?) here is my plan:

monday: 5-mile run (about 50 or so minutes), sit-ups and stretches
tuesday: 35-minute swim, 1-hour treadmill walk, sit-ups and stretches
wednesday: 35-minute swim
thursday: 5-mile run, sit-ups and stretches
friday: rest
saturday: 5- or 6-mile run, sit-ups and stretches.

yesterday i swam before work and then did the incline treadmill walk after work. i had nothing else to do! (other than cleaning, etc.) also, i need friday to be a rest day because i am going to see my fav band: depeche mode! woooooooooooopeeeeeeeeee! should be a gay ol' time as the flintstone's theme song used to say. did anyone else watch that everyday at lunch? i always did!

this morning for breakfast i made SPINACH OATS.

do not be alarmed by the following pictures:

i pushed the bloobs over in the second pic so you can truly appreciate the green. here are the ingredients:

1 cup spinach water (made by blending 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup skim milk and 3 cups of baby spinach)
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup all bran original
1 T flaxseed
1/2 cup blueberries
1 small container fat free vanilla yogurt
1/2 t vanilla
1 T chopped walnuts
dash cinnamon
small spoonful of natural pb

it's not pretty because it's in my to-go office plastic ware, but it works. it tasted a little weird but i think my walnuts have gone bad or something. i don't even really like walnuts that much. i got them for a baking project and really should throw them down the chute. i am also having a spinach salad for lunch today. it's not easy being green!

WOW

2009-07-20T19:37:00.004-04:00

i need a vacation to recover from my vacation. this morning at work i had to buy coffee from the coffee truck. i needed it real bad. there is this truck that drives up to my building several times a day and sells goodies ... don't ask me why!

anyhoo, the weekend away was pretty good. i was a bit crabby on the drive up because my mouth hurt and it was traffic city. the two hour drive took 3 and a half hours! we even drove through this crazy rainstorm ... i thought the sky was falling. we got there eventually and everything was dandy. what fun! i had a great time - although i had way too many bud light limes and wine and other drinks as well.

on saturday i roped another guy there to go for a run with me and so i strapped on the garmin and we went 2.5 miles one way and 2.5 miles back. on the first half we saw a baby fox. it was so cute. we also saw a dead squirrel on the road but it wasn't squished. it looked as if it wandered into the middle of the road and just decided it had enough of life. on the way back it was actually squished but i didn't look. gross. :(

at night it was freezing. here i am wearing long pants, boots, a long-shirt, two zip up hoodies, a leather coat and a hat. yes, chilly willy nilly.

on sunday my bf and i played some "catch" with this velco game i bought at walmart. it's fun - like catch for dummies. you just have to put your catching hand in the general vicinity of the ball and it's easy.

if you can't see the ball (it's above my head and orange) i have no chance of catching it haha.

monday = back on track. i ate way too many things this weekend. hamburgers, cheese wieners, potato chips, sugary coolers, BEER. we did pack carrots and hummus, and whole wheat buns. oh yeah, we packed these delicious looking angus burgers but our cooler was on the patio and raccoons came and opened it in the night and ate them all ... just the burgers! those sneaky buggers. luckily (luckily...) there was lots of food.

what was i saying? oh right, monday = back on track. i just went for a 5-mile run and it was pretty good. i hate running on mondays but it's nice to be active. i've started to start each day with 500 ml of water (even before coffee or tea) and i'm really liking the way it feels. for breakfast i ate 1/3 cup oatmeal with 1/4 cup all bran, blueberries and some vanilla yogurt.

lunch was a spinach salad with a chopped vine tomato, 1/2 chopped red pepper, some sliced white mushrooms, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup black beans, and two leftover slices of deli chicken with low fat balsamic dressing.

for a snack i had a multigrain vitatop and some unsalted roasted soybeans. they sell them at the walmart supercentre and they are SO CHEAP and so good for you. they are only made with soybeans and canola oil. 1/2 cup has 120 calories, 10g fibre and 22g protein.

for dinner i had a green smoothie made with frozen banana, tons of spinach, a few blueberries, a scoop of chocolate protein, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water. alright i'm sick of blabbing and i need a shower big time!

what a life

2009-07-17T10:07:00.003-04:00

well, it's friday morning and i have the day off from work (yay!). that's the good news. the bad news is that i went to the dentist this morning and CRIED. dammit! what a baby! i had a chipped tooth and the chip (that they fixed last time) fell out so they had to replace it. anyhoo, they froze half my mouth and then went to town, and then i could feel the drill on my tooth nerve (!!!) and so i jumped back (well, my head moved) and water from the spray hose went everywhere, and little tears started dripping down my face, and they had to use MORE freezing and now half my face is a frozen blob. the good news is that it's over.

i am at my bf's apartment. he lives in my old neighbourhood and really close to my dentist. he is still sleeping because he is a teacher and that's what they do in the summatime! we are leaving today to go to a friend's cottage all weekend - yeeha! these cottage parties are out of control - like a house party from american teen movies. right on a nice lake too and not crazy far away (less than two hours).

i have been eating well and exercising all week. i completed my weekly plan except i took a rest day on wednesday. i cleaned my apartment all night and did all my laundry. yesterday i ran/walked four miles on the treadmill in my gym. i just wasn't feeling the outside. it was tough but i made it through. i am finally back in my maintenance weight zone too. now, the hard part, to keep it that way for two weeks until we leave for paradise. can i do it? during the week - of course, but weekends are my downfall. and cottage weekends? i've already got cans of bud light lime waiting for me in my car hehe. i have tried it before and it's sooooooo good and refreshing! my LCBO was sold out of bottles so i had to purchase cans, which i have never tried but what the hey - it's like beer pop.

i am bringing my running gear to the cottage. my half-marathon training plan says i have to run five miles on saturday. i will have to bring my garmin (love it) to keep track of my distance. hopefully the satellites will co-operate! that's all for now - have a lovely weekend!

signed,
crybaby

a letter to my shoes

2009-07-15T20:32:00.006-04:00

dear mizuno wave inspire 4's,

you were good to me. we ran a lot of miles together. and you waited for me and put up with my long walks while i had bum pain.

but i'm afraid you are old news. i'll still hold on to you, in case i have to run in the mud or something (sorry, but it's true), but i've found someone new ... a very very pretty someone.

mizuno wave inspire 4's ... meet mizuno wave inspire 5.

love,

ps. this means i'm throwing out my backup mizuno wave inspire 3'a.
pps. i got a great deal at the running warehouse, even though they came from the states and i had to pay shipping AND duty - they were still significantly cheaper than the canadian running room store price.

this week the plan

2009-07-13T22:07:00.002-04:00

monday: 3-mile run, stretches, sit-ups

(i had planned a longer run but the back of my thighs is very tight and sore for some reason. i went running on saturday, and biking and swimming on sunday, so maybe that's it?)

tuesday: 40-minute swim, stretches, sit-ups

wednesday: pilates workout video (cardio plus actual pilates), stretches, sit-ups

thursday: 3- to 5-mile run, stretches, sit-ups

friday: 40-minute swim

(i have friday off of work and i am going to a cottage for the weekend, but i can still squeeze in a workout before we leave, and after i go back to the dentist ... i have a chipped tooth that re-chipped.)

saturday: 5-mile run

(i will be away but i'll just bring my garmin and hit the pavement.)

sunday: rest

i'm happy you all liked my post on motivation. those little things really do add up. this week i'm setting a goal for myself. i have this bad habit of having to eat something every time i come back from something. for example, i go to work, eat breakfast at my desk. i take my lunch hour and come back and eat at my desk. i come home from work and immediately open the fridge to snack. i need think about whether i'm actually hungry at these times. obviously at meal times i will be, but usually i don't need a snack after work and before dinner. that's crazy. i've also noticed that now that i work really early in the morning and go to bed by 10:30 or 11, i don't feel the need to snack after dinner. maybe i was just staying up too late before ;)

contest time!

2009-07-13T11:32:00.002-04:00

check out this awesome giveaway at SGBC.

how to stay motivated

2009-07-10T07:00:00.003-04:00

sheryl asked me the following question in the comments:

"One more thing: How do you stay so consistent?! I am totally off track and even WW online didn't get me going. I really like your attitude; so, what would you tell yourself if you had 45 pounds to lose? I'd love to hear some inspirational words. Thanks!"

all right. i guess i have been pretty consistent with working out and eating well (for the most part) for a couple of years, so here are my tips for getting (and staying) motivated.

1) set goals. look at the big picture (for example, how much weight you want to lose total), write it down and then turn the page. you really want to focus on monthly, weekly, even daily goals. when you set small goals for yourself, it's easy to accomplish them. then you feel good about yourself and want to keep going. if you set the bar too high, you will probably fail and feel like crap, and it's a vicious cycle.

so, for example, your monthly goal could be to lose 5 to 10 pounds. attainable? yes. but that won't just happen. make your weekly goal to exercise four to five (or more) times each week. don't just say that's your goal, really make it your goal. get out your calendar and mark what you are going to do on each day of the week. i do this every week. i think of my schedule and then plot out workout times based on my free time. if i have a special event on a thursday night (when i would normally run), i make sure to wake up early and run before work. that way i can feel good about myself all day. and working out on the day of an event gives you a little more wiggle room for foods and drinks, too. your daily goal could be to drink two to three litres of water, or to follow an eating plan, something like that. it's only one little day. if you are tempted by something, tell yourself that if you really want it, you can have it tomorrow. for example, whenever i see a chocolate chip muffin, i want it real bad. especially from tim hortons or another coffee shop. they are just sooooo good. but i always tell myself, not today but if you want it that bad, you can come back tomorrow and get it. and i never do, so it works out.

2) delay the gratification. this sort of ties in with my muffin story (i can have one tomorrow, i can have one tomorrow) but i like to really focus most of the time and then let loose on occasion. i'd much rather eat well all week, make all my meals at home (saves money too), and then not worry too much about it on the weekend. i don't mean go entirely crazy. i still make healthy choices on the weekend but i have a few drinks and indulge a little more. i have a weekend rule and it's called "if you aren't hungry, don't eat it" - that means no mindless eating. when you are at home or out on the weekend it's easy to eat all day long. i usually have a big brunch-lunch on saturday (made by my bf at home, so it's fairly healthy - he uses 3 eggs and then some whites from a carton and we split that, and chicken bacon) and then a dinner later. i know that you are supposed to eat three or more times a day but it's not going to kill anyone on the weekend to just follow their natural hunger cues. and, if you have a big brunch and a dinner, you can have a little something-something post going out at 3 am on sunday morning - when it's really hard to say no!

3) give yourself a reason to stay focused and remind yourself of it. why are you trying to lose weight and get fit? for your kids? for your health? to prevent cancer? just to look hot? whatever your reason (and whatever it is, it doesn't matter so long as it's your own reason), keep that in your mind. you can even put post-its on your fridge and bathroom mirror if you like. i've put notes on my fridge before haha. they say things like, "are you really hungry or just bored?" maybe you have a special event coming up and want to look your best at it. mark it on your calendar and remind yourself of this event when you are tempted by food or laziness. when i'm really struggling in a run, i think about why i'm doing it. i do enjoy running some of the time, but not all of the time. sometimes it really hurts and sucks the big one. other times it's great. on those bad times, i think of my goals and reasons.

4) be an information vacuum. when i started losing weight, i joined ww online. i read the message boards. i started reading other people's blogs. i went to the library and borrowed every past issue of every fitness magazine i could find (and read them on the treadmill), i signed up for nutrition newsletters, i visited organic and health food stores, etc. make fitness and losing weight your #1 hobby. dedicate a lot of time to it. when you know exactly what to do to lose the weight and stay fit, you have a harder time making excuses for yourself.

5) don't put off anything good. i mean, don't tell yourself you aren't going to buy any new clothes or get your hair done or go on vacation or whatever until after you lose weight. if you do that, you are treating yourself like crap. if you are skinny or chubby, you are still a good-looking person who deserves nice things. and having nice things is very motivating. whenever i get a new workout outfit, i can guarantee my first few workouts in that outfit will be spectacular. having nice things and feeling good about yourself just makes your mood improve and your energy go up. besides, your life keeps going. it won't start or get better after the weight is gone, so enjoy yourself throughout the process of losing weight.

6) loosen up. don't be too strict or too hard on yourself. if you mess up, forget about it and move on right away. don't think that because you ate one bad meal your whole day is ruined. it's not. pick yourself up right away and make your next meal a healthy one. also, don't deny yourself your favourite things all the time. if you love wine or chocolate, have it on one day of the week. that being said, if you are a crazy beast around a certain type of food then you should not keep it in your house or anywhere around you. personally, i can't control myself around ice cream. i become a monster who has to eat the whole carton and nothing can stand in my way. nothing! noootttthhhiiiiing! so i can't have it at home. occasionally i will get a cone or something but i try to limit it, knowing that it will just fuel my craving for more.

7) make friends with exercise. nobody really wants to work out. wouldn't everyone just rather sit on the couch? but after you do it, it feels SO GOOD. and it makes you look really good too. and it's good for your body. so really, the only thing working against you is your mind. if you tell yourself that exercise is your lifelong friend it becomes a little easier. why put off doing it when you have to do it for the rest of your life! besides, the more you do it, the fitter you become, and the easier it is. and you can become strong and scare people! i'm kidding, but as a fit, strong woman i feel a lot safer walking alone at night, knowing that i am capable of punching someone hard and running away fast - and keeping it up without being out of breath for a long time. don't you want to be an action movie star too?

the easiest way to get started with exercise and stick with it is to a) work out with a "buddy" or b) set some sort of goal and plan into motion (this is what i did because i'm kind of a loner and none of my friends work out). for example, you can do the couch-to-5k program (you can google it) and start running. if you think you can't run, you are deluding yourself. everyone can! well most people, unless you have joint or leg issues. when i started i couldn't even run for a minute without panting manically. i'm not joking - it was really REALLY tough. but if you stick with the program, you can do it too. and running is amazing exercise - nothing has toned my body like running has. a friend once told me that after you can run for 30 minutes without stopping it gets much easier and it's so true! once you cross that barrier you're golden!

also mix up your exercise so you don't get bored. i go through phases. i try to stick to running, but i like to mix in swimming, yoga, workout videos, etc. depending on my mood and the time of year. right now i'm doing mostly swimming and running.

8) read up on food. when i was doing ww online i would eat anything as long as it was low in calories and points. after doing a lot of personal research, i don't do that anymore. for the most part, everything i put inside my body gives it nutrition. i read every nutrition label and look especially at the protein content, fat content (for saturated and trans fats), the fiber content and the sodium content. obviously i'm not perfect and i do eat crap too but i'd say 80-90% of the time i eat really well. when you know what happens inside your body after eating crap, you'll be less likely to eat it too. also, bad food makes me feel bad. most of the time when i eat a greasy pub meal, my body literally rejects it and i am in the bathroom for a long time. gross? yeah ... i guess my body thought it was gross too. look for foods that are nutritious AND filling. eat more vegetarian protein options - like seeds, beans, lentils, edamame, whatever. i never really ate beans (except for wieners and beans!) until a couple of years ago and they are sooooo good.

9) i guess my last tip would be that everything you do is really mind over matter. nothing is stopping you from reaching your goals but you. no one is holding you down, preventing you from working out or shoving cookies in your mouth. hmmmm. of course that's easy to say and hard to do. but everyone has a choice, right? yes the cake looks delicious but is it worth it based on your current goals? what will feel better - eating the cake now or accomplishing your goals a little later? the taste of food is fleeting but feeling good about yourself can't be beat. i actually got this tip from that books series, don't sweat the small stuff. i read that being angry or upset at someone is your choice. for instance, when you are experiencing some rampant road rage, pull yourself back. choose not to feel anger. it's possible. being angry at another driver accomplishes nothing but makes smoke come out of your ears - and it's dangerous as well. put yourself in the other driver's shoes. maybe they got fired from work that day, or perhaps they found out one of their parents has cancer. you have no idea - you can't assume they are just a dick for no reason. so what's the point of being angry? there isn't one. ha! my point is, you can choose to overcome your temptations and work out when you don't feel like it. over time, as these things become part of your regular routine, it becomes more about habit and less about willpower.

10) i just wanted to have a #10 to round out the list. actually i just thought of a #10. realize that anything (weight loss or fitness) does not happen overnight. when you accept that it will happen gradually over time, the chances of it happening are greater. besides, you can put pressure on yourself to meet unrealistic goals but what the point? you will just feel bummed when you don't meet your goals. but if you stick with them, and stick to working out and a healthy diet, in a year or two or maybe just months, you'll be a success, instead of wondering why you are back where you started, frustrated and bummed.

phantom fat

2009-07-09T11:46:00.002-04:00

you must click here and read this article on "phantom fat". it's EXACTLY what i've been talking about the past few days!

body image

2009-07-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

angie made a comment on my last post that said: It saddens me when I know that beautiful people no matter what their size feel this way about their body :-(

i wanted to address this because it saddens me too. i mean, i lost 40 pounds, i'm at a "happy weight," so why WHY DAMMIT can't i just be satisfied? and it got me thinking ...

some random thoughts:

1) i think it's rare for a women to be completely 100% satisfied with the way they look ... naked. i am 99% great with how i look ... in clothes. naked is another story.

2) i think a common misconception is when people think that after losing however many pounds they want to lose, they will feel great about their body. it's like when people blame problems in their lives on being overweight. if anyone thinks that they will a) make new friends or get a boyfriend b) get a better job c) be happy all of the time after losing weight, they are deluding themselves. the problem is not the weight it's the mindset which holds people back.

3) i am completely a product of the society i was raised in. think about it - diet companies everywhere, diet programs everywhere, girls in magazines and tv all looking perfect all of the time, being made fun of by my siblings and kids at school for being chubby, drinking diet coke as a child because my mom did, even going on ridiculous diets that my mom suggested when i was a teenager. i have changed a lot but everything i grew up with will never leave the back of my mind. now i exercise regularly and eat (mostly) healthy foods but that's all self-taught. the best i can do is make sure my kids don't have to deal with all of the CRAP and make sure i never say anything negative about myself around them.

4) i put a lot of value into what my body can do, especially after my butt pain injury last summer, which left me hobbling around with a gimp leg for months and months. i need to find some sort of happy medium between body doing and body looking.

check out these two vintage ads i recently came across. they obviously did nothing to help the body image crisis. make sure you click on them to blow them up to readability size:

i had planned a completely different post but wanted to blab a little about body image and how sad it is that it affects so many people out there - it is really sad. :( boo hoo hoo. i'm not really crying. how could i cry when i'm going to punta cana in 23 days! ;) and yes, my bf is so nifty and i'll take your boobs, lainey, hehehe. thanks for the resort tip, points princess! yabba dabba!

forget about the weekend

2009-07-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

that story is over.

first, sheryl asked me to share some motivating tips to stay focused and i will do that ... in tomorrow's post. oh boy, something to look forward to.

so, if you recall my birthday was in june. my boyfriend got me a special something that i didn't want to share until it was confirmed. now it is so i can spill the beans. at the end of july, we are going here:

i am so excited, words cannot even describe it. in terms of tropical getaways i've only been to cuba once, with my girlfriends. it was fun but the food was lackluster, there were cockaroaches in the bathroom and ants invaded my suitcase and everything in it and i spent SIX HOURS picking them all off everything i owned (including inside my umbrella) while they tried to bite me. they wouldn't just fall off either because they were pinchy pinchy. i shudder to remember it.

last night i tried on my sports swimming bikini, and a bikini i've never worn, that my bf bought for me last summer in laguna beach. then i took photos of myself. at first i was blinded by my white skin and then, after my eyesight came back, i decided i need to try a little harder in the food and exercise departments. it's time to really step it up in the gym and cut out processed or junky foods as much as i can.

we are also going for a cottage weekend with TONS of friends not this weekend but the next. one of my friends recently said that she didn't care who saw her in a bathing suit at a resort because it was just a bunch of strangers, but in front of friends it's a different story because they are all judging her more. i sort of see her point, but for me, i kind of group the resort and the cottage weekend in the same way. people (friends or strangers) can judge me all i want, but really it's not their opinions that make any difference. if i think that i don't look my best, i'm not going to feel my best. if i do feel like i look my best, then i am going to have confidence, and really, people who judge other people are intimidated by people with confidence, because they just don't care what they think, taking away all of the judger's power. deep thoughts with yours truly.

there are things about my body i really like and things i don't (obviously).

like: toned arms, slim legs, general appearance (face, smile, etc.), i actually like my pale skin too
dislike: small breasts, cellulite butt, thick waist (compared to my hips), flabby tummy (side handles and back handles) - no handling allowed!

there really was no point whining about it so i went right down to the gym for a double workout.

i walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes, speed of 3.5, for 15 minutes (not all at once) i walked with an incline of 10%. i was sweating SO MUCH i couldn't believe it. it was so intense - way more intense than running for 5-miles (sweat-wise). i also did some sit-ups and push ups before hitting the pool for a 35 minute swim. refreshing.

today i have a run planned after work. i have enough time to tone up before my vacation so i am going to make use of that time! there is no point not to other than laziness and that's a pretty dumb reason!

working hard, not hardly working

2009-07-06T16:20:00.000-04:00

i love summer but it's a bit crazy!

last week i followed my half-marathon training plan to a T.

this week we have:

monday: swimming 35 minutes (i'm switching this with running - i just can't run on mondays ... too tired!)
tuesday: running 4 to 5 miles
wednesday: rest
thursday: running 4 to 5 miles
friday: swimming 35 minutes
saturday: running 4 to 5 miles
sunday: rest

my weekend was good. i had friday off in lieu of working wednesday, canada day. on thursday night i met one of my girlfriends at fresh, and it was absolutely phenomenal. i ordered the "energy" bowl which was marinated tofu cubes, rich coconut curry sauce, chick pea & vegetable stew, cucumber, tomato, red onion, sunflower sprouts & tahini sauce on brown basmati rice. i asked for no cucumbers and got beets or carrot instead - the bowl was a bit messy so i couldn't tell.

i also ordered the hot lung lover drink which was made from pineapple, apple, ginger, lemon, cayenne and a respiratonic. i have been on the brink of having a lung/cough/sore throat for about a week now. i am killing it with tons of vitamin C and cold fx. i think i may have beaten it because now i just have a dry cough and that's it.

anyway, it was one of the greatest meals i've ever had. everything is vegetarian and healthy - perhaps not low in calories but that's ok. i wish i was there right now.

friday i went swimming in the morning, worked (at home - i am very busy with work) all day, then went to the dentist in the afternoon. DAMMIT they sure did probe my gums! my whole mouth killed for hours afterward. i have no cavities but the chip fell out of a previously chipped tooth so i have to go back and get that fixed. on friday night i went to a bbq - our host made sweet potato fries, bbq'd asparagus, chicken kabobs and burgers. i had everything but no bun with the burger - delish. i also enjoyed samuel adams summer wheat ale which had a hint of lemon. enjoyed it.

saturday, worked all day again, went for a 4-mile run in the early afternoon. i am finding the 5-milers to be too much for me right now. i think it's the throat cough wearing me down. in the evening i went to see poison and def leppard with some friends. no i'm not joking haha. it was a lot of fun. this post is getting too long! more tomorrow :)

new pop alert

2009-06-30T16:30:00.003-04:00

i am still crazy busy with work. tomorrow is july 1 canada day! happy birthday (in advance) country. i love being canadian. except for cold winters, canada is the bomb-diggety. anyhoo - tomorrow i have to work because my company decided to make friday our holiday instead. hello long weekend instead of weird mid-week day off! great success.

in other news, last saturday i was walking around with my bf in his hood. we wanted some diet pop to mix our drinks with and the store we usually frequent was already closed. there was a funny little fruit market type of place across the street so we went there. inside i found a diet raspberry ginger ale. i mixed it with white wine and it was DIVINITY. i thought it was a ridiculous brand from far away called "weight watchen" but in fact it is called waist watcher and is made by weight watchers AND is sugar free, aspartame free, caffeine free and sodium free. it does contain splenda which a lot of people badmouth. i like diet pop dammit. i like it and i'm going to continue to drink it. check out the flavors in the link. they only had a couple in store and nothing crazy like chocolate or vanilla cream, but still. i have a feeling these bottles being in canada was a giant fluke but only time will tell!

1/2-marathon training update

2009-06-29T18:58:00.002-04:00

swam friday morning, ran saturday morning - twas SO HOT but i did it :) except at the end of my run i thought it would be fun to do some walking lunges and now my inner thighs are killing me.

because of thigh pain, i had to revise this week's training AGAIN.

here goes:

monday: 35 minutes swimming
tuesday: 5-mile run (hopefully)
wednesday: rest
thursday: 5-mile run
friday: 35 minutes swimming
saturday: 5-mile run
sunday: rest

i am not feeling that great at the "mo" so tomorrow's run is up in the air. i have a lot of work to do and i am working on it at work AND at home. wah wah wee wah! must be productive now, bye bye.

lunchtime

2009-06-25T16:10:00.001-04:00

i scheduled yesterday's post to come out of the blog vault at 1:40 pm, and it didn't work. i wondered why no one was commenting! dammit! and now this one didn't post either.

yesterday i went swimming. it was pretty good. my bf came over for date night and he brought some food his mom had given to him so we had a mishmash for dinner. some lasagna and some sausages with peas and potatoes. i added beans to the mix. it was all right. i really appreciated it more when i realized i only had our dinner plates as dishes to wash. and by wash i mean put in the dishwasher. and by that i mean i'll do that tonight.

today i am scheduled for a run, but it's supposed to rain. options: a) go running in the rain - hardcore! b) run on the treadmill inside. i think i'd rather go outside and get soaked. i LOATHE running on the treadmill. it makes me so hot and bothered and i mean sweaty and actually bothered as in "this is the worst" - not to mention it's boring and there is nothing to look at except once in a while the condo maintenance guy comes and throws something in the outdoor trash. boring! sorry condo man, but you are a dullard.

i am excited because tomorrow i am meeting a friend for lunch - guess where?

wow, i'm jealous of myself. did you know they have these in ontario now? well, two or three of them - but one is close enough to my work. i have seen lots of US bloggers visiting panera bread and receiving gift cards and enjoying sandwiches and soups and i longed for that to be me. alas, my dreams are finally coming true! what shall i order? i will have to peruse the online menu tomorrow morning. ooooh i can't wait.

drowning in a sea

2009-06-24T13:40:00.001-04:00

a sea of business.

sorry for lack of updates. well, who can blame me? sunday was father's day so i went to the burbs to visit my daddio. it was good - we shared this amazing cake (birthday and father's day). i went back to the city on a time schedule because i had to pick up a prescription (now that i have benefits). i thought the drug mart closed at 8 pm but it closed at 6 pm - dammit! the shoppers drug mart by my house is the WORST. only open 8 until 8 and 6 on sundays. some are 24 hours or at least open until midnight. gee whiz.

monday was the photo shoot. LONG DAY. i left my house at 7 am to be there by 8. outside all day, doing manual labor in the hot sun. it was fun though and of course a valuable learning experience. it was still going when i left at 6:30 pm, but i had to make sure that i'd be back in the city by 8 pm - when the drug store closed!

i realized on the weekend that i forgot to renew my license plates. man, it's one thing after another, isn't it? i would have just mailed in the form when it came, but every two years you have to get your emissions tested before you can renew, and it was my time. so i did that tuesday at lunch, and today i'm going to actually renew the plates. yabba dabba!

yesterday was my first day of half-marathon training. it should have been monday but i was too exhausted after being outside all day to go running. it's supposed to look like this this week:

monday: running 30 minutes
tuesday: 30 minutes another activity
wednesday: rest
thursday: running 30 minutes
friday: 30 minutes another activity
saturday: 2-mile run
sunday: rest

i think the training is beneath my level at the moment so i'm going to stick to my current length and then increase my distance on the schedule later.

my week will look like this:

monday: rest
tuesday: 5-mile (50ish minutes) running
wednesday: 30 minutes swimming
thursday: 5-miles running
friday: 30 minutes swimming
saturday: 5-miles running
sunday: rest

am i going to screw myself up? yesterday i ran right after work and it was HOT. dayum. i wore my fuel belt so it was ok.
that's that. my birthday party on the weekend was a smashtacular success but i'll post about that tomorrow.

and my other special bf gift which i have not revealed yet. i will say, however, that it's already motivating me not to mindlessly snack at nighttime. yippee skippy!

toronto meetup keg mansion photos

2009-06-21T22:51:00.005-04:00

tomorrow (monday) i am at a food photo shoot all day (hooray!) so i won't have time (or access) to post. so here are my photos from the blog meet-up at keg mansion. there are only three:

first:
the lovely jen, amy and angie

next: a group shot
it's angie, amy, marie, meredith, cat, jen, marie-helene (bottom) and jamie (top) and me. sorry to top and bottom you girls, there was no other way.

and finally, the same shot without the smoke breezing in front:

no post yesterday

2009-06-19T08:37:00.006-04:00

yesterday was sort of productive. it was my three month workaversary so i now i have benefits - good ones too! at lunch i went to "no frills" to purchase food for my birthday party on saturday ... $105 later! what did i get?

pop bottles (diet coke, club soda, diet grapefruit, diet ginger ale)
water bottles (for drunkards)
chips (regular ruffles, ketchup, roasted chicken, smoky bbq, honey mustard party mix)
crackers (three different kinds)
cheese (cheddar and marble)
hummus dip
roasted red pepper dip
asiago cheese and artichoke dip
carrots
celery (bleh)
baby tomatoes
cucumber
cauliflower
white bread for sandwiches
summer sausage meat
lean deli chicken
marble cheese sandwich slices
miracle whip light
eggs
green onions (for egg salad sandwiches)
pc memories of kobe meatballs
reisen chocolate caramels

that is a lot of party food, considering i already have a lot of candy at home. i also bought:

strawberries for me
blueberries for me
chipotle chicken burgers (only 120 calories - pc blue menu) for me
toilet paper (i guess that's for everyone)

it certainly adds up! when i got home from work i brought all that food upstairs and set out on a run. i was feeling kind of porky and i had lots of energy so i ran for 6 miles, all around the town. it's so easy to run downtown because there are so many people and stores to look at. the first part of my run is a little ghetto, then it's all good. i ran past the citytv building where workers were busy setting up the stages for the muchmusic awards this sunday. i'm glad i don't live in that area - it would be a madhouse of screaming jonas brothers fans.

after my run, i boiled fifteen eggs and eighteen mini potatoes. the potatoes and nine of the eggs are for the potato salad i'm bringing to my boyfriend's staff party tonight (i am remaking the clean eating potato salad from the upcoming cookbook that i made a few weeks ago for the work potluck) and the rest of the eggs are for egg salad sandwiches for the party. last year they were the first sandwiches to get eaten which surprised me. i put a bit of curry in the mix so they are special. actually my sister has mentioned them to me about fifty times over the last year so i think she ate them all. this year i am making more so there is enough for all.

after cooking, i cleaned my den. it's kind of a den/storage room, but that doesn't work for party time. i have giant items from costco in there just hanging around - like twenty rolls of bounty paper towels and a value pack of feminine products. yah ... let's hide those items!

today is also busy. at lunch i am going to my mom's office to pick up her famous chocolate chip cookies for the party. isn't she nice to make them for me. she thinks i tell everyone i made them and take all the credit but i swear i don't. i don't want people begging me to make cookies! that happens to my mom ... the neighbours come over and ask. really people! i also have to hit up the LCBO - i don't want to look at that receipt! i'll just read the brail on the interac pinpad and shut my eyes.

after work i have to rush home, quickly put together the potato salad, and jump on the bus to my bf's house. the party starts "right after school." tomorrow will be a day of baking cake, mad cleaning, chopping, assembling, distributing, blowing (balloons people!) decorating, etc. my actual birthday was pretty awesome. my boyfriend gave me roses, wine, made me pad thai (my favorite), gave me ice cream cone cake that his mom made, and gave me a beautiful shirt and an awesome necklace. (see photo below.) he also got me one more awesome gift but i'll tell you about it next week because it deserves it's own post. suspense! anyway, time for work. i am writing this post in advance and the clock is tick tocking! thanks for your birthday wishes everyone. the birthday week continues bwa ha ha.

happy birthday to me

2009-06-17T13:40:00.001-04:00

man, i feel like an old goat today. what do goats say? braaayyyy brraayyyy! oops that's a donkey. now i am in my "late" twenties. JOY! it's okay ... except i actually feel older. i don't feel older than yesterday, but in general. now when i stay out late or party too hard my body reacts in a very negative way. like today for example - i really could have used a couple more hours of sleep.

last night was the no doubt concert and it was amazing! when i got home from work i went for a quick swim. i made dinner for my boyfriend and best buddy - the chicken meatballs and whole wheat macaronis. my friend brought over fresh greens from her community garden and they were very tasty and delightful. we didn't go to the show until 9pm because we did not care to see any of the opening acts (paramore or bedouin soundclash - i went to university with the second group and have had my fill). the show was great! i love no doubt and gwen stefani so much. i am such a die hard fan that i knew every word to every song.

i gave my boyfriend his picture and he really liked it. this is it below - a little warped from the way i was holding it up to the computer screen. and you can see the reflection of the screen and the picture in the screen and the screen in the reflection and so on and so on. they told two friends and they told two friends and they told ... ha ha wayne's world, party time, excellent. the second picture makes the girl's face a bit better, but her bottom is cut off.

and now today. i can't really be bothered to make special foods for myself but i am going to eat exactly what i like the most - carby carb carbs.

for breakfast i packed a ziplock bag of cereal. some multigrain cheerios, some krispix and some fiber one worms. yippee. my mid-morning snack is a triple chocolate vitatop. i have some pb2 in my desk so maybe i will put some on but probably not. for lunch i have a peanut butter and jam sandwich on that amazing cape seed bread. and an apple. see? not exciting. but peanut butter is delicious. talking about food is making me hungry.

my boyfriend is coming over later to celebrate. i think we are just hanging out and ordering in since we are both pooped from last night and he is feeling sick. we can watch top model too. i think i am going to go to ikea on the way home from work. i need some new hand towels for my bathroom since the ones i have are white and looking old and dirty. how embarrassing! no exercise today. i was thinking about swimming but am feeling lazy. if you can't be lazy on your birthday, when can you be!?

busy

2009-06-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

my stomach is wonky today - blame being a woman!

last night i cleaned the kitchen - under the sink, the sinks themselves, under the stove and fridge, in the fridge, in the microwave, the counter tops and cabinet doors, etc. i didn't get to the bathroom because i couldn't be bothered. i went for a 5-mile run along the lake. it was good but i put my zune in the back pocket of my tighty spandex shorts and then one of the earphones kept cutting out after the 3.5 mile mark. i have a feeling it's because the zune was getting damp due to sweat. sick i know - i won't make that mistake again. hopefully it just dried and will work again.

last night i also worked on a picture i drew for my boyfriend for our 30 monthaversary. it's a pinup. i just took a picture with my laptop but i can't post it until i give it to him. it's not my best work - really i could have put more effort into it, but things are getting crazy and i'm happy i did anything at all.

the good news is that tomorrow's book photo shoot is postponed due to rain. good because i have lots of work to do in the office and i can have a regular schedule and celebrate my birthday on time. ;)

tonight is the no doubt concert. i am going with my bf and my bff who is coming after work. since i get off at 4 i might have time for a swim before she arrives, although i have to tidy the bathroom as well. messiness = personal embarrassment. ok i'm definitely swimming. i also have to pick up milk for breakfast on the way home. i have to make dinner for the three of us. my bff is bringing greens from some garden thing she grows out of (community something or other?) and i am making lean chicken cheese meatballs from sobeys (YES) and whole wheat pasta with tomato paste. i am all about using the paste as sauce. i hate when things are too saucy and by things i just mean pasta. i like a saucy pizza. SAUCY.

this week i have been trying to eat breakfast before i leave for work. it's rushed so cereal and milk, but i find it's holding my hunger off until my midmorning vitatop snack perfectly. i used to have a vitatop in the car, then breakfast at work, but i'd rather eat the bigger part first. that way you start the day feeling pleasantly full and that's better than being sort of moderately hungry - wouldn't you agree?

anyway, that's that! booyah. i still haven't uploaded my pictures from saturday but others have and they are exactly the same. ha.

HOORAY

2009-06-15T13:40:00.000-04:00

i had such a fun time at the blogger saturday dinner meet-up last weekend! it was "so fab" to meet you all - i have to say, everyone was so good looking in person (more so than pictures i mean) ... such awesome clothes, shiny hair, nice jewelry, smiling faces, etc. i have a pic or two to post but haven't uploaded anything yet ... busy weekend!

on friday night i made a terrible-for-your-health, excellent-for-your-taste buds hockey dinner. lackluster chicken wings from a frozen pack (which were too spicy even though they were medium - i am over chicken wings ... bleh ... would not purchase at home again), veggies and pc blue menu pretzel waffles with fat free sour cream french onion dip (made from a powder pack plus 1 cup of the sour cream), and the star of the show, steak quesadillas. i seasoned some flat steak-like beef with a bit of italian seasoning and salt/pepper, quickly pan fried it (no oil, just PAM), then cut it up into little strips. meanwhile i chopped some red onion and grated some monterey jack cheese. i used big tomato basil flavoured tortilla shells, brushed one side with olive oil (oil side down), layered cheese, onions, steak, a bit more cheese and then another tortilla on top (with more brushed oil). i let my bf brush the oil on so he could feel "helpful" ha! i made two and they were SO GOOD - better than any quesadilla i've had in a restaurant. i ate too much but the penguins won so it's all good. the best thing about the whole experience is that now i can spell quesadilla without doing a google search.

on saturday i went for a 6-mile run, and then my bf and i rode our bikes to his house, stopping in a park to play catch with this velcro ball game i have. instead of a baseball glove you have this velcro circle attached to your hand. easy catching! it was so beautiful outside and there was a big street/rummage sale in the park. so much fun!

on sunday there was a street festival right outside my bf's apartment so we walked up and down the street a few times. i didn't buy anything from the vendors but there was the usual corn on the cob, yams, bbq'd meat, ice creams,etc. i did, however, go to cobs bread bakery to buy a fresh loaf of bread. i got the cape seed bread which according to the salesgirl (who was so nice, helpful and informative) is their healthiest loaf. it is made with: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Sesame Seeds, Whole Flaxseed, Sunflower Seeds, Poppy Seed, Country Grain Mix: [Sesame Seed, Sunflower Seed, Oat Flakes, Flax Seed, Millet, Barley Flakes, Rye Flakes], Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Malt Flour, Wheat Flour, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Enzymes (Amylase), Calcium Carbonate, L-cysteine. some of those things at the end sound questionable but what can you do - better than a kick in the pants. the bread has seeds on the inside and out, is high fibre and low GI, and is made with NO OIL and NO SUGAR. score. it's so good too. yummy yum yum

this week is going to be CRAZY! here is my schedule:

monday: 2.5 year a versary (not doing anything though because it's monday and we both need time to take care of our own business)
tuesday: no doubt concert
wednesday: photo shoot all day, my actual birthday
thursday: nothing
friday: bf's end of year staff party (have to bring a food dish)
saturday: birthday party
sunday: father's day

now, i tend to get stressed about planning. everything must be perfect. perfect dammit! today i am going to dollarama (party supplies) and i will clean/declutter my abode after work. i want to go for a run as well.

thursday

2009-06-11T13:40:00.001-04:00

i love thursdays because it's a day when i get everything ready for the weekend. i think tonight i will go running, even though i did it yesterday. i feel like i didn't because i did it so early in the morning it might as well have been the day before.

last night before my bf came over i did some vacuuming and cleaning. i washed the kitchen floor because it was getting out of control ... one too many spills that were hastily wiped up. and then of course last night making dinner i was dropping everything in sight. we had one of those lean cuisine pasta dishes for two, some garlic bread made on whole wheat mini ciabatta buns (drool) and salads. i taped canada's next top model and i thought i taped so you want to be a supermodel but really i taped that show about that horrible new york woman finding love ... again. i fast forwarded in hopes that my mistake was an illusion and pushed play right at a part where new york's mother was interviewing a "little person" who wanted to date her daughter. come on people. i had to look up the term "little person" to make sure it was the politically correct way of saying it. anyway ... who in their right mind watches this show? i would rather lick a toilet. my bf thought it was so funny and kept saying i taped in on purpose to watch later. not true!

this post is losing focus. running tonight ... i think.

tomorrow is game 7 of hockey and i'm watching it ... oh yes. sidney crosby don't let me down. we are having chicken wings and bud light lime beer. i need some things to serve with the wings. i am thinking carrots, zucchini and baby tomatoes, and little whole wheat pita wedges, both served with hummus and fat-free sour cream dip. that should be enough ... there are only two of us.

i'm also looking forward to saturday because i am meeting all of the toronto-bound blog girls for dinner. FUN TIMES oh yah!

toronto, running, swimming, i found money

2009-06-10T12:51:00.005-04:00

wow i'm losing followers. i felt a little pang of sadness but it's over now.

another quick list:

1) my potato salad recipe for the potluck turned out pretty well. everyone enjoyed it thoroughly! it was more work than i thought because i had to boil eggs and potatoes first and cool them before even starting. it's fun to separate the yolk from the white in cooled hard boiled eggs. the yolks look so funny. like little shiny orange fun balls. there was so much yummy food at the potluck ... it can all be yours in the fall for the low low price of ... um ... i don't know yet!

2) this morning i woke up super early (5:20 am) and ran four miles. i have to be at work at 8 am and i commute so i have to leave at 7:20 am and i have to shower after a run (obviously ... don't want to stink) and realistically i need 20 minutes or so after waking up to get dressed and ready to run. it was hard to wake up and i really thought about going back to sleep but once i got moving it was fine AND the city was cool and empty! AND i found a loonie and a tcc token (toronto transit $2.75) my lucky day. i went to bed last night at 10 pm to prepare for this big event.

3) last night i went swimming. at first i didn't want to, even when i got into the pool. but then i thought to myself - remember when you loved swimming? where did the love go? and i realized my problem was (and is) that i'm always trying to squish a workout in, instead of enjoying myself. so i said NO RUSH, slowed it down, and really had a great swim. i hate feeling like i have to do this, got to do it right now, right now before my next pressing activity! i need to calm down. after my swim i showered and had a steam in the change room - very luxurious. i am pretty luck to have a pool and a steam room in my building!

4) tonight is date night. we are watching canada's next top model and make me a supermodel which i taped last night. i am also lucky my "main squeeze" likes watching model shows with me.

5) good places to shop in toronto:

number one: queen street west (if you start at yonge and queen - the bay at eaton centre) go west past bay and it's awesome store heaven. and you'll get to see city tv/muchmusic building which could be cool if you've never seen it. speaker's corner is also there. good shopping goes a bit past spadina road - there is an urban outfitters and american apparel and then it dies out before bathurst street.

number two: yorkville (yonge and bloor) go up yonge to bloor and walk west on bloor - the shopping here is amazing! there is holt renfrew which carries top designers, on bloor street there is a tiffanys, a louie vuitton, a chanel... etc. obviously i don't shop there but it's nice to look. go all the way to avenue (where the royal ontario museum is) and turn north because one block up on your right is ... whole foods market! yippee! there is an awesome cheap but nice restaurant called hemingways here.

number three: kensington market, this place is a world in it's own. i love it.

not in the mood - 10 randoms

2009-06-09T13:40:00.002-04:00

i'm just not in the mood for blogging ... yesterday OR today!

so here is a quick list of what's going DOWN:

1) blog meet up girls - i posted this question on FB but no one is responding - do you have any sort of itinerary for drinks/dinner on friday or saturday. i want to join you for dinner one night (probably saturday) but i need to plan ahead, if possible. no stress if you don't have a plan yet.

2) I REGISTERED FOR THE MARATHON! no backing out now. training begins the week of the 22nd. i know i can do it even though i've never run that far before - it will be my greatest physical achievement ... SO FAR!

3) i am full time back on the oats. no green monsters this week. sorry greenies but i missed oatmeal in the morning - so filling and delicious.

4) tomorrow at work we are having a potluck to test recipes for an upcoming cookbook. i am making a potato salad. i have to shop at lunch for potatoes, eggs, cucumber and avocado oil. i have never tried this avocado oil before - it better not be expensive!

5) speaking of expensive, i am now very poor due to my car repairs. but i put it on my amex with air miles so just think about how many air miles i'll be getting. silver lining on a cloud? not really.

6) last night i did an old workout in my condo gym. i used to do this all the time. it goes like this:

5 minutes walking (speed 4.0, incline 1%)
10 minutes running (speed 6.0 to 6.2 mph)
break for 5 minutes of arm weights
10 minutes running
break for 5 minutes of arm weights
10 minutes of running
5 minutes walking (speed 4.0)
a few more minutes of walking (reducing speed) until i reach a total of 4 miles
100 sit ups (different kinds)
stretches
20 push ups (girl ones)

it's a fast workout, just over an hour but effective. and since you only run for 10 minutes at a time, it's not too boring and your heart rate stays elevated for longer than just running alone.

7) if there is a sobey's supermarche near you - go there right now. go to the frozen food section and buy the sobey's brand lean chicken and cheese meatballs. they are 100 calories for 4 and the tastiest meatballs i have ever had. last night i made dinner with sauteed broccoli, baby tomatoes and roasted red peppers from a jar, and six meatballs cooked in the oven, all drizzled with garlic salt and chili lime hot sauce. yum yum. i was hungry later though, so be warned if you try it at home.

8) last night i watched benjamin button and it was good.

9) in exactly one week and let's say 7 hours i'll be watching no doubt live WOOHOO!

10) in exactly one week and ten or eleven hours i'll be 28 instead of 27. noooooooooooooo! can't i stay young 4eva? will it help if i type like a youngster? 4eva? i think step one would be not to say "youngster." ;)

and one bonus - tonight i am planning on a swim, i think. i am going to try to attempt a morning run tomorrow. i'll have to get up VERY early but i want to get in the habit of running before work since i'm going to be training in the hot summer and want to run while it's still mildly cool outside.

does this sound good to you?

2009-06-05T13:47:00.003-04:00

GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SANDWICH
With spinach, goat cheese, pomegranate molasses, red pepper, fresh basil. Crafted with our wonderful hearth baked, traditional Italian Ciabatta bread.

served with crisp greens.

it's what i had for lunch at milestones

i am going to eat the second half of my sandwich later when HUNGER STRIKES.

no monster today

2009-06-04T16:20:00.000-04:00

i had to take a break from the monster. why? WHY? i'll tell you why:

1) i had to leave my house this morning at 6:30am to take my car in to the dealership for repairs. i got an oil change and a water belt something something maintenance thingymabob and when i was backing out of parking spots and turning i could hear a grinding in my engine, so i wanted to get that looked at. they call me at 10:00 am and kindly let me know that the grinding noise means i need new break pads. that's okay because it's not that expensive. i was hoping it would be relatively cheap and it was sort of, if you consider an all-inclusive vacation cheap. anyway. they also informed me that i have a crack in my exhaust, need all new tires and an alignment. yikes. i am doing it all because i don't want to meet my untimely death driving home from work in an unsafe vehicle. yikes. not cheap. i guess it's better to be poor than dead, right?

my point is i didn't have time this morning to be blending.

2) even though my smoothies contained fiber from the spinach, they weren't ... how should i say ... regulating my system quite like my regular oatmeal breakfast. by the end of the day yesterday i was feeling really bloated and gross. my lower stomach was really protruding! yes, i said it - protruding!!!

3) my boyfriend really likes when i make salads with dinner. he thinks my salads are so special because i add carrot shreds, tomatoes and the key - red onion for a kick. i know it's pretty standard but i'm keeping that to myself. anyway, i think i'm ODing on greens since the thought of having a salad last night really made me nauseated. we had hot dogs and soup. not bad but no veggies - what's going on here?

4) i love oatmeal and missed it dearly.

i needed a break from the monster. instead i had a multibran vitatop in my car on the way to the dealership, and later at work a nice bowl of oatmeal which included an instant pc multigrain oats pack, 1/4 cup all bran, 1/2 banana, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts and 3 chopped pitted dates. YUM. so hot and delicious and filling.

anyway, that's that. for those who asked, my green monster was very large. i took that picture after i drank some. it went to the top of the bottle. and yes, i drank it all even with the gross coffee in it. i added a bit of splenda. i wasn't going to not eat anything! heaven forbid. and here is my lunch:

hahaha it's backwards - do you love it?

green monster

2009-06-03T13:32:00.000-04:00

ingredients:

4 cups spinach
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze
1 banana
1 T natural peanut butter
3/4 cup frozen mixed summer fruits
1 cup coffee
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

comments: adding coffee was really gross. the combo of spinach and coffee was really bitter. i won't be doing that again. i only added it because i made it yesterday morning and didn't have time to drink it and put it in the fridge and thought what the hell. what the hell is right! i had to put it in that massive jar because i forgot my 800 mL plastic bottle at work yesterday. man oh man oh man.

contest

2009-06-03T13:30:00.000-04:00

angela at oh she glows is giving away a Hip T here! What a great idea - it really bothers me when my shirts are too short.

yes, yes, yes

2009-06-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

so i'm going to run the half-marathon. it has been decided! now i just have to sign up. i should probably sign up soon, right, so i don't flake out. not that i'm a big flaker or anything.

last night i couldn't bring myself to go swimming. and i have a giant stack of magazines waiting to be read, so i busted out four miles at 4 miles an hour on the treadmill, alternating a 5 incline and a 0 incline every two minutes. after that i did a bit of arm work, some stretches and sit-ups. it was my book club last night too so i had to boot it upstairs to shower and eat.

my green monster yesterday was pretty filling. i'd say i was hungry for lunch around noon and i drank the monster around 8:30. i brought it to work in a bottle.

i made another one today and here is what i put in:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (i have never seen chocolate unsweetened, by the way!)
2 T chocolate PB2
1 scoop chocolate whey isolate protein powder
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
5 ice cubes
4 cups of spinach

yes, i really spinached it up today. and why not? that's the money food right there, might as well take it to the bank. for lunch i'm having a honey maple turkey sandwich on a pc mutligrain sandwich thin, with a slice of low-fat swiss, tomatoes and dill pickle slices. i have an apple, a yogurt and some fiber one but i think i'll save it for later. tonight i am going to my parents house for dinner in the burbs. i'm taking my running stuff so i can get a workout in before dinner.

everyone is so gung-ho about posting pictures of their food. maybe i will have to jump on the bandwagon.

dear everyone

2009-06-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

my green monster smoothie was yummy. i had a hard time getting over the fact that i was drinking EIGHT weight watchers points for breakfast, but everything was healthy.

it had 1 cup vanilla almond breeze (2 points)
1/2 cup frozen berries (0 points)
1 banana (2 points)
2-3 cups spinach (0 points)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder, whey isolate (2 points)
1 T natural pb (2 points)

all good stuff. i could reduce the points by using 2 T PB2 instead of natural PB, and i could use unsweetened almond breeze for 1 point instead of the regular vanilla. 6 points isn't too bad. and i could add more spinach. first i used my immersion blender because my regular blender didn't like the giant chunk of frozen berries i had, and then i switched it back to the regular blender to really blend up the spinach. this is the key - blending the spinach so there are NO spinach pieces ... they are gross.

in other news, today i can't stop thinking about ...

running the scotiabank half marathon in september. i have never run any race before. but why not? there is this online training program they give you that starts june 22 and lasts 14 weeks. it's for people who run 30 minutes three times per week. that sounds like me! what do you think? is it too much too soon, or is it a good goal? they give out neat medals and i think it would be a great accomplishment for me.

ps. june today but FREEZING! yikes.

this week the plan

2009-05-31T22:49:00.003-04:00

but first, a life update:

i don't really have any life event to update here. nothing special! sorry for teasing. i just wanted to have a little think about relaxing. do you relax? what do you do to relax? because personally, i am NEVER relaxed. i can't just come home from work and plop down on the couch and really just chill or veg out without thinking of all the things i could or should be doing. things like cleaning the apartment, working out, doing some sort of productive hobby, worrying about life's problems etc. i can remember feeling relaxed as a kid but i just can't do it anymore. the thing is, i know it's not going to get any easier. i live alone, i have a job, i don't have any kids. it must be so hard for people with families who don't get a spare moment for themselves. does it get easier or harder? does relaxing even exist?

so this week the plan.

exercise and events:

monday: swimming and book club

tuesday: running and dinner at my parent's house in the burbs

wednesday: nothing and date night

thursday: running and regular pre-weekend cleaning. maybe i'll see if one of my girlfriends wants to go to the movies. maybe!

friday: nothing and ???

saturday: running and ???

sunday: maybe nothing, maybe swimming.

it's hard to plan too far in advance, especially when i don't know what is going on next weekend.
in other news, i am going to have one of those green monster smoothies for breakfast tomorrow morning. they are everywhere in the blogosphere lately and i want to see just how rejuvenating they really are. i think my smoothie will be made from: a banana, some frozen berries, a scoop of protein powder, a T of peanut butter, vanilla almond breeze and spinach.

call me a thespian

2009-05-28T13:40:00.001-04:00

hi everybody. my acting debut last night was awesome. i remembered all my lines and threw in some funny improvs (i think) and people laughed. great success. people thought i came from an acting background which was the biggest compliment i could have received. i am not a shy person but am VERY quiet. if i don't have anything to say i just won't say it. silences do not make me feel awkward at all - i just sit through them. silence is golden. i even tell my cat "shhhhh, stop meowing, let's be quiet" HA!

fashion update: i got the shoes after all. i went back to the first location and retried on the size i thought was too big and they fit. i don't know why i thought they didn't fit. i am notorious for getting shoes that i think fit perfectly and then they are too small. i just want my feet to look cute and small in trainers - that is the problem. i am quite annoyed at myself for driving all the way to the other mall just to find them when i didn't even have to. anyway, it's in the past. all that matters now is that i have cute shoes. remind me to untie the laces EVERY time i take them off, instead of doing that step-on-the-heel-with-your-other-foot move that causes shoes to ruin.

fitness update: monday was running and tuesday i swam for about 30 minutes. i only did 100 lengths instead of 120 - whoopadeedo. this couple came into the pool and were being all smoochy-boochy and it was making me feel annoyed at them, only because i was hungry. otherwise i don't mind the love. PDAs, bring them on, i don't care. yesterday i did nothing because it was my acting debut. and today ... well, right now i am at the gym in my office running on the treadmill. well, i hopefully am if no one else is on it. there is only one. can you tell i am pre-posting today? i brought my running stuff and my shower stuff. i just want to have my evening tonight to relax. by relax i mean clean the toilet ... GROAN.

food update: not much to say here. i think i need to bring less food to work because it seems if i have it, i will eat it, regardless of whether or not i am even hungry. i can't keep emergency snacks in my desk because i want to eat them all right away. even pb2 can be dangerous. i need to work on eating more filling meals, rather than less filling meals in combination with snacks. today i am tracking points and calories, just for interests sake. by the end of the work day, if i eat everything i brought (which i will) i'll have consumed: 14.5 points and 835 calories. interesting, no?

i have a life update too, but i'll post it tomorrow. now you have to come back!

tuesday

2009-05-26T13:40:00.001-04:00

it's tuesday or, as my bf says, almost the weekend. it's a good attitude.

last night i did not go swimming as planned. i went running instead! i didn't go for 5 miles but i did 4.3 or something like that and it was awesome. i went later in the evening and it was brisk. i was a bit worried that i wouldn't be able to get to sleep right away but trust me, that wasn't a problem. i am going to swim today instead. i have less time anyway because of my rehearsal, so it makes sense.

while i was running, i noticed that many MANY people were walking along, probably home from work eating chips or cheetos out of a small bag. WTF! Is this really something that people do? maybe it's just me, but I prefer to eat in a pleasant environment where i can truly enjoy my food. sitting in front of the tv or computer for example, if i'm alone. i don't like standing and eating, or walking and eating, and eating on public transit is just gross for many reasons. eating in your car is ok, but it's kind of mindless. it just kind of struck me dumb. no matter how hungry i was, i would never NEVER buy a bag of chips from the convenient store and munch them down while i was walking home. wow. i'm talking at least ten people. enough for me to notice. a homeless woman also tried to squeegee me, but that's another story.

i saw these awesome sneakers at stylesense and i want them so bad but they aren't in my size. yesterday i trekked all over the GTA in my car to find them with no avail. i called first but store policy is not to do shoe checks over the phone. store policy is the armpits, if you ask me. they are coach shoes and normally i'm not into name brands (i just don't care about them) but they are so cute and comfortable, and not bulky in that teenage-skater-running-shoe way.

thanks to the people who have recently been coming out of the woodwork in my comments. what does that even mean anyway ... coming out of the woodwork? how does something come out of woodwork? and what woodwork? anyway, it's nice to know when people are reading. it makes me want to share more. except it makes me sad when i click on your profile and nothing is there, or your blog is private and i can't read it. i want to know you too. let me in dammit!

this week the plan

2009-05-25T07:45:00.000-04:00

my weekend was great but of course it went by way too quickly. i have another busy week this week (what a surprise!) so i have to schedule my workouts and extra curricular activities in advance.

monday: 40 minutes of swimming/extra work to do at home

tuesday: 5-mile run/acting group rehearsal

wednesday: nothing/acting group performance, yikes

thursday: 5-mile run/regularly scheduled thursday apartment cleaning

friday: probably nothing, maybe swimming ... that's a big phat maybe/relaxing with boyfriend

saturday: 5-mile run/helping a friend move/boyfriend's bro's birthday party

i think it's manageable. on saturday my boyfriend rode his bike beside me while i ran and it was so much fun (for me, he complained about going slow). for some reason i was running really slow. i don't know why! maybe to maintain a conversation. i was not going any faster than a ten-minute-mile and usually i am between 8.5 and 9.5 minute miles. we did make some stops. we went from my house to his house, and then to kensington market, and then back to my house. having a garmin is so rad. i took POMs suggestion and put a sweat wrist band under my garmin and it really made it a lot less annoying.

vacation

2009-05-22T13:45:00.000-04:00

i'm sorry i can't write a large post today because i'm living it up in paris. see?

this should be a good weekend. tonight is my bf's event at the rivoli - it's an indie music + art series so if you live in toronto you should stop by and check it out. all the proceeds go to camh, the centre for addiction and mental health, so it's for a good cause too.

in other news, i am within a pound (which means nothing, remember) of my zone weight. phewf. i will have to watch it next week though. i need to get off the damn see-saw. i promised by boyfriend we could go out for chinese after the party tonight. i love it but it's so bad for you. i've been putting it off for months. i could get healthier options but really, what's the point? i want chicken balls and chow mein, not steamed broccoli. i could make broccoli at home!

have a good weekend :)

i stink

2009-05-21T20:30:00.004-04:00

wow. i stink for real. i am sitting here typing and can hardly stand the smell of myself. i just went running and my hair is really wet. i bought new running clothes. they are ugly but they wick away the sweat and supposedly keep me cool. today was hot and i felt okay so maybe just maybe they work.

so yoga jeans - come on people, i posted about them here. i am definitely getting another pair. now they have them in high rise too, sweeeeet. need not want, need not want. they are so comfortable it is ridiculous. and they are nice and dark. and you can put them in the dryer and they will always fit you because they stretch and mold to your body without feeling tight or like they are digging into your muffin top. i hate that feeling.

i have been really good this week. for some reason my body responds really well to laying off starchy carbs. did you know that fitness competitors go off carbs completely to reduce their body fat before a competition? trust me, it's true. i am already about five pounds lighter than i was on tuesday morning. i know, it's wacky. and i'm aware it's water weight but the bloat is gone. i am still above my comfort zone but by tomorrow morning i might be less than a pound away and as we all know, less than a pound really means zero.

my mom said i shouldn't worry so much about what i weigh ... that is a far cry from what she used to tell me when i was chubbier in high school and university. you know, the "do you think you should be eating that?" looks. i thought you ate six hours ago! what are you doing back in the kitchen!!!? just kidding ... or am i?

i think i have to be focused on the scale because if i don't check in, i eat too much (what i think is normalish) and it gets out of control and then i feel bad about myself because 1/2 my pants don't fit (thank you yoga jeans for always fitting). i am just not one of those girls who can put the scale away. the scale is my buddy. actually we are more like frenemies haha but i'm not ready to say goodbye yet.

is the scale your friend? and i'm not talking about numbers here. do you need it? without checking in, will you unknowingly gain and face a horrible shock when you finally do step on? duh duh duhhhhhhhhh!

i hope this post isn't too crazy. i am all out of it from a)running and b) my horrid smell. pee-you.

yikes

2009-05-19T21:43:00.003-04:00

i did the weigh-in and it's not good. more than i expected. yikes. it was a bad time to do it (that time of month, after a long weekend where i ate many salty things and drank many types of booze, including wine, wine spritzers, beer, that fruity creme liquor from south africa. amarula or something ... boy is it ever tasty. also mixed drinks, maybe a shot. i was at a wedding, so that explains some of it.

anyway not good. bad news. yikes. the surprising thing it that i was feeling pretty - oh chicago just scored - thin so i thought it would be a good time to do it. wow. obviously my perception of myself is a little off. and i was not even trying on some of my pants. i was wearing skirts and my yoga jeans.

i'm motivated though. i'm not going to count points but i'm going to measure portions and go lighter on the carbohydrates. for some reason protein keeps me really satisfied. not full, but not hungry. not hungry = i'll take it! i'm also going to drink lots of water and try not to overdo the sodium. that's really hard for me because i love love love salt.

today after work i went for a run. a FIVE MILE run! wooooooooohooooooo! that's my longest run since my bum injury last july. i am SO HAPPY that i can run again. SO HAPPY. not being able to do something physical that you actually enjoy because of an injury is devastating. because after you've spent twenty years or however long being a lazy bum all you want to do is move.

back it up

2009-05-18T17:50:00.003-04:00

let me set the record straight here: the cleanse i'm doing IS PERFECTLY SAFE. you go about your exercise and healthy eating as usual, but take 2 cleansing pills each morning and 2 each evening for 15 days. this is the exact one i'm doing. it's all herbal and there are no laxative-like properties. it's so gentle that i don't really notice much of a difference because i consume a fair amount of fibre and things like flax seed which are known to flush out the system anyway. so really - it's more for fun than anything else. i do feel less bloated ... sort of. it's hard to tell.

i haven't weighed myself in a while so i don't have anything to report on that front. perhaps i will weigh myself on friday. i don't want to know but it won't be that bad i'm sure. i know i probably am above my happy maintenance zone but it's definitely not by more than 1 to 5 pounds.

the good news is that i have been running again and consistently. i go three or four times per week (not on consecutive days) and have run 3 or 4 miles each time. sometimes i have to stop and walk and sometimes not. i'll regain that endurance if i keep it up. last week i ran monday, wednesday, friday and yesterday (sunday). i went swimming on tuesday and today (monday). i think if i keep up with the running and throw in some cross training activities AND watch my diet on weekdays i'll be able to get down to wear i feel the best.

tomorrow at work we are having a potluck for an upcoming cookbook we are putting out. if you remember last month i spent some days at a food photo shoot. so now we are all testing recipes and recording things like prep time, taste, ease, etc... just to make sure. i made these oatmeal banana bars with walnuts and crazy flours like brown rice flour, barley flour, spelt flour and kamut flour. it's very tasty and my mission tonight is to AVOID EATING ANY MORE so i have some to offer tomorrow.

my other mission for this week is to think about my hunger after exercising. i am in the mindset where i eat after every workout, regardless of whether or not i'm hungry. i think this affected me less in the past because i always worked out before a meal, but now that i work crazier hours it's harder to do that. maybe i should just try to work out before a meal ... thoughts?

do you eat something after every workout? you are supposed to eat protein after a weight training workout, but what about cardio?

i have a confession

2009-05-15T16:15:00.000-04:00

today at lunchtime i ran 4 miles. and then i had a shower at work. it was divine. yes, my work has a shower. two actually. let's not dwell on it. the reason i haven't been commenting on any of your blogs this week is because ... i have not read them yet. i'm going to! i swear. i just couldn't watch the biggest loser finale on tuesday night and taped it and didn't want anyone to spoil it with their big yappity yaps. and so i avoided blog reading. surprisingly it was easy because a) i had NO time this week and b) there really wasn't any mention of the biggest loser in regular media sources - news, newspaper, the office water cooler, etc.

if i read on someone's blog who won it would be my own fault for reading it. people can post what they want and should be able to write about relevant tv shows in a timely fashion. anyway i watched last night and spent about 99% of the time fast-forwarding. i do not need to see recaps, thank you. who has the time for that? boring! and then i realized i didn't care about the winner. i didn't really care who won at all. i was happy that mike got so thin - he is only 18 and now can start over at a point in life when most people just start. i feel sorry for his brother though, because you know he's comparing himself to mike every second of the day. mike is the superhuman son who lost over 200 pounds and he is still overweight.

i went running on monday, wednesday and today. i am attending a wedding tomorrow so i switched around my running days. i feel really good about it. i went swimming on tuesday but did not enjoy it. i think i didn't wait long enough before swimming and felt like my stomach was in my neck the whole time.

one more thing ... what did i want to say ... oh right. i am doing a "cleanse." don't get all wacky, it's not like a fast or weird drink. it's just 2 pills in the morning and 2 at night. www.renewlife.ca. i am doing the 15-day first cleanse to prepare myself for the 30-day one, which i will do eventually, but i'm not sure when. random people in my real life kept recommending this cleanse to me - different groups of friends, too. one of my friend's friend's aunt is a holistic nutritionist and swears by these products. they are all natural so it can't hurt. so far (i am on day 2) i have not noticed any difference in ... anything ... but i do consume a lot of fibre anyway. probably more fibre than your average person. fibre is my friend. so fibrous and fibrey. have a good long weekend. i know i will. HA. i'm going to celebrate with a beer.

monday list

2009-05-11T13:32:00.003-04:00

1) it's lunchtime munch time. i just ate a full-fat fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt that expired on May 5. IT WAS STILL GOOD. i brought two yogurts just in case. i hardly ever eat full-fat yogurt. actually the tub says 2.5% milk fat which is hardly full fat. still, it was very creamy and delicious. fruit-on-the-bottom is bad for you because it's loaded with sugar but what do i care? i don't.

2) i've thought about it and decided that raspberries are my favourite fruit. they are just so damn good. i like them fresh, frozen, thawed, hot, cold, sour, sweet - gimme gimme gimme. i even like them at the bottom of my full-fat fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt.

3) on saturday i took my new garmin out for a spin and it was the GREATEST THING EVER! except it's very large on my wrist - my only complaint. i had already set up the hrm part but didn't load the satellites until saturday. load the satellites? i never thought i'd be typing those words... what a geek. anyway - i had a great run. some of it was rainy but i was so into tracking my speed and pace and distance that it didn't matter. my bf leant me this super old megadeth hat so the drops wouldn't hit my face. i bet i looked really hardcore - running in the rain (hardcore) AND wearing a megadeth hat (extra hardcore).
4) i am going to run tonight after work by the lake unless i am exhausted. i got 5.5 hours of sleep last night and waking up this morning was BRUTAL.

5) i have to get to sleep early tonight because tomorrow night i am going to a bachelorette party. i don't think it will go too late and i don't think there will be much drinking involved HOWEVER i need stamina.

6) eating was NOT good this weekend. candy, a burger, fries TWICE, late night pizza ... ugh.

7) long weekend coming up - HOORAY!

8) thank you all for the nice comments on my hair. i am really digging it :)

ding dang dong

2009-05-08T13:45:00.001-04:00

one more thing - for anyone who watches america's next top model. did anyone notice that celia was eating peanut butter right out of the jar? holy moly. even my boyfriend said WTF - that's so fatty haha.

le sigh

2009-05-07T19:40:00.004-04:00

i am now a brunette again. hooray! i feel like a completely new person even though i've only been blond since last september. my bf doesn't know i changed it up. he will be so surprised (evil laugh). and so will my co-workers who have only known me as a blond. the haircut is very catherine zeta jones in chicago.

WHAT IS UP WITH THE ANONYMOUS COMMENT IN MY LAST POST???

seriously? i shouldn't be wearing short shorts at age 27? number one, that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. number two, jealousy is a very unattractive quality. zing! number three, anonymous comments are so lame. insults without real people to back them up are meaningless and number four, even stacey and clinton say you can wear miniskirts until age 35, and the only difference between a miniskirt and a pair of short shorts is a little flap of material. AND number five, i never felt comfortable wearing short shorts until i was about 25 years old so you better believe i'm going to work it as long as i can. so there. i think i've made my point.

to the rest of you with nice questions and comments, here are my answers:

1) no, i didn't have to keep moistening the strap. it just worked all day (and night!) i did wear an old sort of loosey sports bra to bed, just to make sure it didn't slip out of place.

2) my daily burn is less than the average woman's (i think) for a few reasons. number one, i just don't think my metabolism is that fast. ever since puberty i've had a problem with weight gain. (this runs in my family as well.) if i even look at or smell a chocolate chip muffin i seem to be heavier. not joking. also, it seems like some of my friends can eat a lot more than me and put on weight slower. these are really good friends that i know well (and know their eating habits well), not those people who eat a lot in public and then are very diligent about watching their food in private. also, number two, i am quite light (now that i've lost weight) so obviously in my natural day-to-day movements i don't need as much energy to move around and that means less calories and less food.

3) trying out a hrm for a whole day is AWESOME! i have come to peace with the numbers - they really aren't THAT bad, especially when i compare the calories of my daily points to what i'm apparently burning.

4) i also prefer writing my points down in a book. my book is so little and cute too - fits in my purse and sits on my desk at work without looking conspicuous.

5) everyone's metabolism rate is different based on genetics (inherited metabolism), age, sex, weight, height, activity level... blah blah blah. that's why in weight watchers, the heavier you are, the more points you get. and then when you are me and want to drop a few pounds that you gained, you are stuck with 18 points a day which is inhuman and impossible if you are working out or doing any activity other than sitting all day.

6) i wonder if i have a thyroid problem. since right now i am able to control my weight (somewhat) i won't get it checked, but that's something to think about in the future.

now i have a VERY interesting question. maybe someone knows the answer. apparently, the average resting heart rate for a woman is about 70 beats per minute. mine is 58 - that's very slow. now apparently, the more athletic you are (the more you've worked out especially with cardio), the slower your heart rate is. now, slow is good because it means your heart does not have to work as hard to keep your blood pumping HOWEVER a fast heart rate burns more calories. so as someone with an athletic heart rate, does that mean i am burning fewer calories because my heart beats slower than your average bear? riddle me that! AND i know that having more muscle speeds up your metabolism because a pound of muscle burns 50 times more calories than a pound of fat, but does having more muscle affect your heart rate at all? how would my heart rate monitor detect muscle mass? i don't think it can, but it definitely is raising some questions that make my brain hurt!

now i have to vacuum my apartment. JOY!

HRM stats

2009-05-06T16:30:00.001-04:00

bonjour. i have some info for "y'all." yesterday i wore my heart rate monitor from 7am until 6:30am - that's 23.5 hours, almost a whole day. i couldn't leave it on for 24 because i had to shower before work. you know how it is. anyway. i recorded my calorie burn almost every hour on the hour. here are the gory details:

total calorie burn: 1930

average calorie burn while awake: 72 per hour

average calorie burn while asleep: 58 per hour

calories burned during my 3-mile/32:24 minute (in the heart rate zone) run: 300

**** more stats ****

at the end of my awake day (7am to 11pm) including running, i burned 1494 calories.

on lazy days where i do nothing, sleep for 7 hours and am awake for 17 hours, i burn 1630 calories.

on days that i run 3-miles, i burn 1930 calories.

if i run three times per week, i have to eat an average of 1762 calories per day to maintain my weight.

now, of course i really should wear it for more days to have a more accurate average. and i will, but i needed a break from that chest strap. throughout the day, i didn't do too much. i sat on my bum at work and after dinner went out for dinner and then to the movies, which involved more sitting, which is somewhat atypical for most of my evenings (usually i am cleaning or doing something around my apartment).

**** to conclude ****

i was a bit maddened to find out that i only burned 1500 calories on a day that i burned 300 calories running, but i didn't think to add in the calories burned in sleep. i always knew that i didn't burn 2000-2500 calories a day, like the average woman (apparently, according to tv). i feel like my eyes are more opened. obviously i can't change the way my body works but now i can eat with the knowledge of when to ABSOLUTELY STOP. i could work out more or every day but that's unrealistic as well.

i am feeling pretty motivated. i am counting points in a little notebook (online subscription cancelled - do not need it), running three times a week and now i am more aware about what's going on in my own body. i am really inspired by my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, who recently lost about 40 or 50 pounds by counting ww points herself, without the help of meetings or online resources. she said she was up about six pounds so is tracking again to get back down and avoiding alcohol. it's very inspiring - i can do that too. i really don't need to be drinking any of my calories on the weekend while i'm trying to reach my summer weight. if i just stay strict for a couple of weeks, i'll be there and then i can enjoy the summer and fit into my short shorts again. one of my friend's mottos is: tomorrow is a new day. that used to be my motto too until i got too comfortable with things. when the calories (or points or whatever) are eaten, it's time to stop even if you are still a bit hungry. a little bit of hunger isn't the end of the world and tomorrow is a new day to start again - preferably with delicious oatmeal.

BAD BLOGGER

2009-05-05T16:04:00.004-04:00

i am a bad blogger. take me to the garage and shoot me! my mom used to say that - i don't know why. i always thought it was really funny until just now when i thought of it literally and literally it's not funny at all. wow, emo! it's still funny if not taken literally. i can still take a joke ... i hope.

things have been really busy. last thursday i was out of the house from 7:15am (when i leave for work) until 11pm. i went to work, went running at lunch, went to the library after work, to a group meeting, then to see the dears with my boyfriend. long but pleasant day. on friday i came home after work and napped, woke up to eat and watch a bit of tv, then back to sleep at 11. i am battling this throat illness now. what is up with me contracting all of these sicknesses lately? thankfully it's not swine flu. oink oink! i can deal with the throat - it's sinus problems that are killer. head stuffed up = can't think = can't work but still have to work! look - here we are on thursday at the concert in the pouring rain - the radio station was taking pictures of people with neat umbrellas. mine is a monet - my mom gave it to me for easter ... thanks mom!

yesterday we went to see franz ferninand and i didn't get home until midnight. i had a nap before the show but still. it's concert city lately =D spring is here and so is the music.

i went for a run today at lunchtime. work is over but i'm still hanging around. i'm meeting my mom and sister at swiss chalet for dinner and then meeting some girlfriends at the movies here in the burbs. we are going to see ghosts of girlfriends past.

running is going well. today i am monitoring my calorie burn a la shirls. i am tracking it on my HRM from 7am this morning until about 11pm tonight - that's probably when i'll go to sleep. i will share the results tomorrow but can tell you right now that it pains me how low it is.

i forgot to share the big news with you all. are you ready? really? ok here it is. 1/2 scoop of protein powder in the oatmeal is tastier than one full scoop, but not as tasty as ZERO scoops, hehe. i do like protein powder mixed with fat free plain or vanilla yogurt though - yum. i had some today for lunch with raspberries mixed in.

i better get going! i am going to canadian tire to buy myself this zero-gravity chair for summer reading on my balcony. i was also going to buy this breadmaker because it's 45% off but changed my mind. i will never bake my own bread. i've used my rice cooker ONCE and my crock pot ZERO times. these are things i'm sure i'll use when i have a family, but i don't need more stuff collecting dust in my tiny condo. the end. thank you and goodnight.

rocking it

2009-04-28T18:52:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-27T16:54:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-24T11:24:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-21T14:06:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-16T18:22:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-13T21:53:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-10T11:05:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-09T07:06:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-08T07:45:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-07T07:45:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-06T07:45:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-02T21:14:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-01T07:45:00.000-04:00

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.

making food now for later

2009-03-31T07:45:00.000-04:00

this week i'm trying out something new. on friday at lunch i went to the walmart supercentre by my office. there is a lot of great shopping by my office - this could lead to problems down the road as i tend to get carried away and spend money like a drunken sailor. that's not true, but i do buy myself a lot of things.

anyhoo, at the walmart supercentre, they had boneless skinless chicken breasts, unfrozen, on 5 big ones for $9. to me that's cheap, so i bought a pack. i also bought a package of ground turkey. except it wasn't "ground" it was "minced" - which basically means that it looked like sick turkey worms in a package. i just held my breath and put it in the cart.

i decided to do some cooking in advance to see if it would make my dinners and lunches easier during the week. on saturday i used one chicken breast between my bf and i, and he still complained that there was "so much chicken!" i think he doesn't appreciate chicken as much as i do. i think he would prefer a steak. well - since i know the nutritional value of both, i prefer chicken and that's what i'm cooking. this is besides the point.

moving on, on sunday i made the remaining four "chicken boobies" as bi0nic would say. i chopped them into cubes, and just cooked them on a skillet pan on my stove. i used some of the meat in a wrap for lunch, with avocado and spinach, except i didn't get to eat it because i FORGOT MY LUNCH AT HOME. yes, i'm still bitter. i brought it today though.... relax... breathe deeply... ok. i figure they will be good in wraps, on sandwiches, or just thrown in salads.

i used the "minced" turkey to make turkey taco meat, for taco salads. i just browned the turkey, then added a low-sodium taco seasonings package et voila! dinner for four. i'm not sure i would do this again because although it's tasty, each serving is four points and not very volumous, if you know what i mean. i had it for dinner tonight but it got lost in the shuffle - i added too many different vegetables and it dwarfed the meat. live and learn. i have three more portions so i'm sure by the fourth i'll have perfected my taco salad masterpiece.

yoga jeans

2009-03-30T22:04:00.003-04:00

i have found the best jeans of all time. well, i found them based on the recommendation of my blog friend, amanda. they are called yoga jeans and the gimmick is that they are so comfortable and stretchy, you can do yoga in them. love them. they weren't cheap but you can't put a price tag on comfort.

today had its good and bad points. pretty good day at work, came home went swimming, went to my friend's house and she has a 6-week old kitten cccccuuuuuuuttttiiiieeeeppiiieeeee. the bad points are it's freezing outside, i made my lunch last night but FORGOT it in my home fridge, my apartment is pretty messy. ah, the usual.

my weekend was good but i could have tried harder to eat well. on saturday i went for a walk with my bf, and on sunday i went swimming until i was rudely interrupted by a family who didn't get that i was swimming laps along the wall and just needed them to move over by half a metre. they had to stand in my way, even though the rest of the pool was free. lunatics. i could have said something, but didn't want to start something. and they didn't speak English and that could have been awkward.

my goal this week is to use the gym at work and start a weight lifting strength training routine. i brought my stuff to do it today, but since i forgot my lunch at home (doh), i had to go and get lunch.

it wasn't completely unproductive. i went to the bulk barn where i bought whole flax seeds. i am a fool for buying the expensive pre-ground seeds from the organic section in the grocery store. 1) they were so cheap. i bought a huge bag and it didn't even cost $2. 2) i ground them coarsely in my coffee grinder (which i never use for coffee) and they taste so much better. there is no comparison. now they are totally yummy and before it was just bland tasteless nothing.

howdy doody.

short friday list

2009-03-27T18:27:00.003-04:00

1) weigh in - down 2.8 pounds woohoo! now just 7.2 to go :)

2) i am LOVING my new job. the days go by so fast... i can't believe it

3) for once i didn't eat all the food i brought to work. i couldn't believe it. i just wasn't hungry for everything. i think it's my morning (noon) cottage cheese and berries snack. so filling with carbs and protein.

4) that's it!

wah wah wee wah

2009-03-26T22:43:00.004-04:00

i gotta tell you... i am pooped. on wednesday night my boyfriend and i went to see the musical "spring awakening" - first half good, second half bad. i just listened to "animal farm" on audiobook and the sheep keep saying, "four legs good, two legs baaaaaaaaad" and i can't get it out of my head. those sheep! anyway, the musical was worth seeing but strange. i would want people to make up their own minds.

tonight was book club. i managed to get a swim in beforehand but the timing was tight. still, i wanted to stick to the plan and i did.

so far, eating this week has been pretty good. since i can't use any activity points, i'm down 5 flex which isn't much. fridays are normally pretty tame and then saturday is my tough day.

i am just so happy that tomorrow is friday! seriously, my body is CRAVING a weekend. i want it bad and i want it now. thank you and goodnight. :) ps. tomorrow is my weigh-in day. i know i only started tracking again on monday, but monday weigh-ins are depressing. fridays are were it's at.

day two thank you

2009-03-25T07:45:00.000-04:00

day two was another food and exercise success. i ate breakfast at home, had lunch plus two snacks at work, went swimming and had a delicious dinner. on monday night i did have a vitatop brownie, but it's all good. now that i am back to tracking on ww online, i realize how different the site is. i know they changed the plan to the "momentum" plan, but since my points never changed and i already ate the more "healthy" filling foods anyway i didn't really look at it too much.

the new plan gives you a daily points allotment, 35 weekly points, and activity points. BUT you must use all of your daily points AND weekly points before any of your activity points are deducted. AND you can only use your activity points on the same day you earn them. so basically, you don't really get them except for the last day unless you eat all of your weekly points early on in the week, which heaven forbid, i would never do. i think that is how it works. i'm sure somebody will correct me if i'm not. i did a google search on this and apparently people are inconvenienced and outraged by this. i don't care because it's not the end of the world, is it? what is a point anyway but a figment of my imagination? a meaningless obstacle on this road we call weight loss. i'm deep.

my dinner last night was an egg white omelet. i wanted an egg, but i didn't have one. i did have lots of leftover veggies though. i chopped and heated up some red onion, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and sun-dried tomato. then i poured 3/4 cup egg whites onto another pan and let it cook into a circle. transfer to a plate, pour the veggies on half, fold it over, sprinkle with chili lime sauce, add 2 slices of ezekiel toast, and you have a delicious, nutritious, filling 5.5 point meal.

in other news, my skin is really breaking out. what is with this mid-life acne! grrrr. i use pro-activ but it's not working. i think it's from stress and womanly business. who can be sure though? taking ground flax has eliminated most of my PMS symptoms (except the extreme snappiness and sensitivity) WHO SAID THAT!@@?@?@!! i'm sorry, come back, i love you.

mmm look at that candy. tonight is date night and i am going to see the musical "spring awakening" with my beau. i am very excited. first we are going to sears so i can buy more nylons for work, second we are going to harveys for dinner (6 point veggie burger OR grilled chicken salad) and third to the really big shoe. i am not swimming tomorrow but may do yoga in the morning. that's a big "may" since i already get up at 6:15 as it is! happy wednesday. one day at a time, right?

face the music

2009-03-24T07:45:00.002-04:00

thank you bi0nic - your tip of taking it one day at a time is really speaking to me.

so...

i weighed in yesterday. it wasn't good. it wasn't that bad either. i've got ten pounds to lose. GROAN. i don't know. i'm kind of on the fence with my feelings. on one hand, i can't believe i gained ten pounds. i should slap my own face! on the other hand, i am staying positive about it. and this may seem weird to many of you, but losing weight is sort of fun for me. now don't get me wrong, maintenance is probably more fun, but i get a real thrill from working out and eating right and watching the scale drop knowing i deserve it.

there you have it. yesterday (even though i am posting in advance and it is yesterday still) was a great day. now i really can't mess it up! i stayed within my points and went swimming even though i felt tired. i swam for 35 minutes and then called it a day. i only had 3 points left for dinner but i stuck it out: a slice of rye toast, 2/3 cup of fat free cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries. i noticed that i only had one dairy serving today - that's why i chose da cheeze. yes, i said "da cheeze" ... it's my blog, you can't stop me!

in other news, my new job is great so far, i'm learning a lot and have a new macbook to work on and bring home every night. i haven't used it at home yet though... my pc is just so convenient! my apartment is an absolute mess ... must do something about that soon. i am still getting adjusted to being up and out of the house so early (by 7:15!) so i'm cutting myself some slack. ah, today at work the secretary brought me a card, sent in the mail. how weird... i mean, who even knows my work address, let alone that i work there. it was a card from my bf telling me how proud he is of me. aw shucks, i know! the outside of the card is really funny. it's got two lady eggs walking down the street. they spot a multicoloured egg and the one egg says, "check out the dye job on her..." and then the other one says, "tramp." hehehe, funny.

out of control

2009-03-23T07:45:00.002-04:00

i am feeling out of control. again. again again again! again? seriously? i told myself at the beginning of the year that i would stop weighing myself every friday. i stopped because that weigh in could make or break the day and that's stupid. if i was within my maintenance range i was happy, and if i had gained i was angry at myself with poor self-esteem. so no more. so this year i said i would weigh myself once per month, at the beginning of each month ... so i weighed in at the beginning of february and haven't since!

and i've got to be honest here. i haven't weighed in because i don't want to see the number on the scale. my clothes still fit pretty much, although i can tell my pants are tighter. when i look at myself nude in the bathroom mirror i can see definite changes in my body shape and not good ones. flabby tummy, saggy bum, the pooch coming back, etc. i am an "apple" shape and gain weight in my midsection right away. i have narrow hips so any gain in the middle gives me an unflattering boy-shaped figure. not cool.

but i'm not going to dwell on it. boo hoo poor me. i'm going to take action and here is my plan. yes people, another plan.

1) i am going to track my food intake on wwonline again. i am still a member and was not using it out of sheer laziness. since i have to be at work early, i can fix my meals the night before and use that to track, saving anywhere from 5-10 points for dinner, depending on workouts and flexpoints, etc. here is tomorrow's plan - i am having the oatbran with flax and berries for morning snack, and the pb larabar for an afternoon snack. oh, and my lunch is tuna mixed with plan nonfat yogurt over a salad. try it instead of mayo - i like it :)

2) vegetables are my friend. see the above menu for an example.

3) plan workouts in advance. this week i'm going to swim AFTER work monday, tuesday, possibly thursday, and saturday. i'm going to do yoga on wednesday and friday morning, and i'm going to do weight training in the office at lunch on friday. maybe before that but i have to finish my book club book this week before thursday.

4) not be tempted by others. it's ok to say no, or not drink wine while others are (wah), etc. i think planning is key here.

5) i think during the week i'd like to go for small meals more times per day, and especially a small dinner. i am one of those people who would save up 1/2 her points for a bigger dinner, and be ravenous all day. i hate feeling hungry so no more.

i think that's about it for now. does anyone have any motivational tips for me?

three little things

2009-03-19T17:17:00.003-04:00

1) i did go swimming last night - holla!

2) i've recently become very motivated to increase the size of my flat bum - in a good muscle way of course. more on that later.

3) that's all i can say because i have a date with...

motivation

2009-03-18T17:12:00.003-04:00

the first day of my new job is over. it went well and i had a good time. everyone seems nice and the office is new and nice with excellent facilities, including a big gym, which is perfect for me. my condo gym has good cardio equipment and dumbbells but a terrible weight machine system. you know the kind that has every device in one... a lot of people keep them in their garages. bleh. so now i will be able to shape my muscles and get RIPPED. but not this week. everything is still new.

yesterday i went grocery shopping and bought so many fresh fruits and veggies, including an avocado. these fruits are so wonderful for keeping me full - a little goes a long way. i can eat lunch including 1/4 avocado and not be hungry again until 4pm. amazing.

tonight is date night and i still have some time before my boyfriend comes over. the responsible side of me says, "go for a swim" and the other lazy side says, "catch up on your blog reading!" what should i do? maybe a bit of both? neither? scrub the toilet instead?

last day of freedom

2009-03-17T09:35:00.005-04:00

this is a real time post! i am sitting in my own den - it's so lovely and quiet with just me and my cat and not a thousand other family members. ;) family time was very nice, but i'm happy to get back to my regular life. i still feel out of the loop so here is a list:

1) posting in advance is easy! all you have to do is type up your post as usual, and then adjust the date and time in the "post options." i can see the post options link right below the words i am typing right now.... to the left of the labels for the post. this description is only for blogger users - not sure about wordpress or typepad or the other hosting sites.

2) new job tomorrow! excitement =D

3) winnipeg trip over! winnipeg was cold at first, but warmed up by the end of the trip. my cousin's hockey team in the US won the weekend tournament - that was a lot of fun. they player's are treated like movie stars - booths and free bottle service in the dance clubs. it really blew my mind because here in toronto you really have to be a somebody to get that kind of service. something i have never experienced despite my obvious somebodyness! hmph.

4) i didn't do too much shopping if you can believe it - i only got clothes in winnipeg from rickis (they don't have that store in toronto, although they do in the GTA). i got some of the regular food staples (25 calorie hot chocolate for my commute coffee, kashi fruit bars, peanut butter cookie larabars!)...

EDIT: i saved this post this morning and now it's nighttime. i have been rushing around trying to get everything organized and ready for tomorrow. how exciting! i'll continue on.

5) food on the trip: not great but not terrible. last night after i came home my bf and i ordered pizza and NOT the healthy kind. thankfully tomorrow begins my "routine" and i already have an awesome lunch packed: hummus veggie wrap, apple and yogurt, and a kashi bar if i get hungry.

6) exercise on the trip was not great either, but not-not existent. double negative means i did yoga three or four times and went swimming once. but the swimming was in the hotel pool which wasn't big enough for laps (and freezing) so i did maybe 20-minutes of bouncing and diving around before deciding enough was enough. i did go swimming today and maybe will tomorrow before work, we shall see.

7) wish me luck. =D

coming home today

2009-03-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

today i'm flying home. i love flying. it's so much fun for me. i especially love the liftoff and the touchdown. i should probably take on more risky hobbies. a friend of mine said that if you are caught in a weird air pocket mid-flight, created by other planes passing by really fast and taking up airspace, your plane can drop out of the sky for 3-4 seconds. well, not out of the sky, but off of it's scheduled track for a moment. she said it feels like minutes even though it's just a few seconds. has that ever happened to you? i think i'd like to avoid that!

this week is pretty exciting. it's march break for my boyfriend, who is a teacher, and i start my NEW JOB on wednesday! i am really looking forward to it. i have the right combination of anticipation and nerves. i've been out of work/working part-time at the law office for so long that i forget what it's like to have a regular routine. i LOVE routines. but some things are going to have to change of course. i've already started to think about it. i start pretty early, at 8:00am, and have a 1/2 hour commute, so i can't workout in the morning anymore unless i go to bed really early which will never happen, so i'm going to have to schedule exercise for after work. i think there is a gym in my office - that would be convenient!

i'm also going to have to post a) in the evenings or b) pre-plan my posts the night before which probably won't happen. and i'm going to have to cut down on blog reading since i'll only be doing it in the evenings. i've already cut a bunch of blogs out of my google reader. not any personal blogs, mostly food blogs i found were a chore to read. the really good food blogs (kath eats, eat live run, carrots n' cake) are absolutely amazing and i can't give those up. love them!

go team go

2009-03-13T11:00:00.002-04:00

posting in advance is sort of fun. i'm much more positive about the future than regular day-to-day stuff. today is friday and i'm going to michigan! wait a minute.... i'm not going there. i'm going to north dakota! for weeks i thought i was going to michigan and now something has clicked and i realized it's north dakota. i must be losing my mind. wow! anyway, knock another state off the "to-go-to" list.

we are driving down (about two hours) because one of my cousins is a big hockey star on the n. dakota team and we are going to watch him in playoffs. unfortunately there is no trader joes in north dakota. but there is a target. and my aunt loves target too - probably not as much as me but close to it, so i'll have a partner in crime to wander the store for hours and hours with glee.

i'm bringing my bathing suit, because there is a pool at our hotel. my mom and sister have been before and i've been told - bring your swimsuit. my mom and aunt are really happy that i love swimming - this way they don't have to get in the pool with my younger cousins. i'm bringing my nerdy silicone swim cap, just in case i can get in a workout or two. happy friday!

p.s. friday the 13th!

blogger meetup

2009-03-12T11:00:00.005-04:00

good morning. it's thursday and hopefully not -22°C like the forecast predicts. i'm exaggerating - that's the low. apparently this weekend it's supposed to reach above freezing temperatures. take that people who vacation in the tropics! ha! good thing i bought that down jacket.

today is going to be a great day because tonight i'm meeting up with fellow bloggers! mandy and vanessa. i'm excited!

posting in advance

2009-03-11T11:00:00.005-04:00

biOnic has inspired me to write a few posts in advance. (i hope it works, by the way.)

today have gone to winnipeg with my mom and sister. just the girls. all the boys have to stay at home... well, my dad and cat anyway. i wonder how oliver is adjusting to living with my dad. i'm sure he's having an easier time than my dad - oliver likes to cuddle NOT on the lap, but curled up into your neck like a baby while you support his bum with your arms. and then he head butts so hard. that is how he shows love. here he is wearing a hat.

doesn't he look dapper? anyhoo, my exercise plan this week is to do yoga, possibly some swimming. i am bringing my mp3 player and my yoga mat - that should be all i need. i really like hatha #2 and power yoga #3 so i'll probably stick to those two. i am familiar enough with the poses and routines that i don't need to bring the pdf guides.