not in the mood - 10 randoms

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.

fantastic friday TEN

good morning everyone... here is a friday list.

1) friday... dreaded weigh-in day. 119.0 wahoo! that's 1.8 less than last week. and i'm sure i was more than 120.8 on tuesday morning. there is something to be said for taking care of business right away. now i am back in my maintenance range. PHEWF. hard work (exercising hardcore and counting calories) pays off.

2) it's so interesting to hear where people gain weight first. i would love to gain weight in my boobs! ;o) unfortunately that is not the case.

3) my groin pain is pretty much gone. thank the good lord above. my bum pain is very minimal. i didn't need to take a bath or use a heating pad last night and this morning i was a loose goose.

4) speaking of geese, i got this chinese proverb in my email from sparkpeople today: "Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but follow no one absolutely." ooooohhhh kaaayyyyyy. i get it, but it doesn't really relate to healthy living. some opinions should not be plucked off the goose!

5) this morning i went to the gym and did a 5 mile run, using the 45-min running interval workout i posted earlier this week. after 40 mins (before the cool down), i ran for an extra 15 minutes to get to 5 miles. hard. core.

6) i am drinking a coffee from second cup (hazelnut) instead of office coffee today. normally i don't do this to save money, but sometimes office coffee is totally nast. and my office stopped buying milk so my options are a) black or b) coffeemate, both which appeal to me on a rare occasion but not today. yummmmm coffee.

7) i have a busy weekend lined up. tonight is my boyfriend's music and art event. his band is not playing, but some good ones are, and the artists he booked are really rad. there is one that draws "unflattering portraits." click on the link and check it out... it's really cool and i am going to have one done. then on saturday my boyfriend and i have dance class, and it's a friends birthday bbq at night. on sunday i am going to my cousin's wedding shower in dundas, ontario... that's far :o(... at least i only have to drive to my parent's house, and my mom will drive the rest of the way.

8) i got a free sample in the mail. it came with a powerbar and a little liquid packet of "gel" or something gross in strawberry banana flavour. all it is is 25g of sugar! i am never going to use this.... ever! the thought of it really grosses me out. i might try the powerbar but since it is 200 calories, i can't imagine eating more than 1/2 at one time.

9) this gets me thinking about fueling before a workout. some people really consume way more then they need to. before AND after a workout. you don't want to negate the effects of the workout by eating more than you burned! i'm talking regular workouts, not training for a marathon or anything crazy. i guess it's different for everyone. personally, when i workout in the morning i don't need to eat anything beforehand. if my stomach is growling before i go, then i'll eat something, but if it's not, i don't bother. if i get hungry 1/2 way through i just suck it up... food will come soon, it's not the end of the world. i usually plan my workouts to be before a meal, so i don't need to replenish anything with a snack... i just eat regularly. what do you do?

10) my boyfriend said he got me a present related to my "fitness hobby." i wonder what it could be. he went to a few different nutrition stores and most didn't carry this specific product. i am so intrigued... what could it be? he says that i don't know that this exists but i'm going to love it. hmmmmm.

anyway that's all. oh, here is today's menu:

2 cherries
coffee
more coffee

apple cinnamon oatmeal with
1 T flax
1/3 cup all bran
2 T pumpkin
small scoop of trail mix
fat free vanilla pear yogurt

2 fat free blueberry yogurts
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup raspberries

high fibre pita with
PB2 peanut butter
a banana :)

dinner... eating out with girlfriends before the really big shoe.

getting back on track tips

the home improvement project continues. last night i painted two coats of varnish on the newly black tv unit, painted one wall in the den pink (one coat so far), and painted a frame black. i also took lots of empty boxes down to my storage locker. some of you might remember that i bought the debbie travis paintable wallpaper for the one pink wall in the den... i've decided it's a no go. i did the measurements last night and i would need to buy another roll and truthfully, i can't be bothered to hang it up and make sure the patterns match and stuff. it's too much work. so the wall will have to be pink on its own with no texture and hopefully that will be interesting enough. (it is... it's vividly pink.)

i didn't mention this before but i have this thursday, friday, and monday off of work. i have vacation days from 2007 that i have to use up before the end of march or else they vanish into thin air. poof! i only get 2 weeks of paid vacation a year so of course i greedily hold onto those days in case something comes up and i need to lickity split. of course nothing comes up haha. but i am going to use those days for painting. *finishing* painting so i never have to talk about it again.

i just read this article which had some pretty good tips for getting back on track if you've fallen off the wagon. so here are a few (that aren't plugging the website...)

1. Try a short workout. Even five minutes is better than nothing.

2. Try a new recipe. Cooking healthy foods can be fun and it never has to be bland.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Your morning meal sets the stage for the rest of your day, so start if off right! Get lots of breakfast ideas here.

4. Drink your water. Try to aim for 8 cups each day and you’ll feel the difference!

5. Read success stories online.

6. Track your food today. No matter how it adds up, you’ll learn from it.

7. Share your goals.

8. Exercise for 10 minutes. Jump rope, march in place, or do some crunches. Small amounts do add up to something big!

9. Find a buddy. Get support from friends, whether you need someone to listen or a mentor to give you ideas and encouragement.

10. Take a walk. Don’t worry about how long or far you go—just get out there!

11. Go shopping for some healthy foods.

12. Check the nutrition facts before you go out to eat. That way, you can make an informed choice.

13. Ride your bike. Even a leisurely ride has benefits for your body and mind.

14. Work in the yard. Gardening and yard work is a great way to add activity to your day.

15. Take the stairs. Even if this is the only thing you do all day, you’ll feel stronger for it.

16. Listen to an inspirational song. Better yet, make a playlist of them so you can turn to it whenever you need a boost.

17. Measure your portions. It’s a simple way to learn how much you’re eating.

18. Eat a piece of fruit. Even if 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables sounds impossible to you, one is doable.

19. Slow down during meals. You’ll be less likely to overeat and more likely to enjoy your meal.

20. Play! What kids call “play,” we often call “exercise.” Play a sport, a game, or use the playground equipment to bring the fun back into fitness.

21. Learn something new. Sometimes simply taking a quiz or reading an article about nutrition, fitness, or health can change your mindset and get you back on track.

personally, i love shopping for healthy foods, and reading success stories online - but sometimes i forget about these things.
i'm very busy at work so i'll post workout and menu for today... tomorrow!