not meeting goals

ack, one week down and already i am not meeting my goals.

1) i am trying to ease up on myself but it's difficult. last night i was suffering through a bought of poor self-esteem. i wanted to go to the gym but was just too tired from all of the weekend festivities, and then time ticked on and on and it was too late. i am going to get my hair "did" this week and then i'll feel better. i noticed that my roots are out of control and that is probably 75% of my issue!

2) since i didn't work out yesterday as planned, i only completed three out of four 40 minute cardio sessions. i did do two yoga/pilates videos, so all is not lost. i was thinking if i did five cardio sessions this week i could call myself even and move forward. sometimes four is a lot, especially during the the first week back from holiday!

that's that. i already feel better. writing things down really does help. and, even though it's january (the most depressing month), i have a lot to look forward to.

a) the prospect of a new job. nothing is happening yet, but positive thinking will work for me. and of course i keep applying for more jobs!

b) getting my hair done. so worth the money!

c) gossip girl tonight. and last night i finally watched that "being erica" show (new on the cbc) and it's pretty cute!

d) my boyfriend booked us a valentine's weekend getaway to niagara falls. &hearts &hearts &hearts, complete with king bed and jacuzzi tub. swoon! this will be our third valentine's weekend in niagara falls.

e) tonight i am going to get physical. swimming, or a video, or maybe just treadmill walking. something and it's gonna be amazing!

f) the tuna/hummus wrap i have for lunch. 1/2 can tuna (1.5 points), 30g sabra classic hummus (2 points - and if you haven't tried this brand you are missing out, it's seriously AMAZING), on a flat out wrap (1 point), with a side of steamed edamame (2.5 points).

in other news:

1) i have decided to avoid running until the weather is warm. not because i hate the cold (i do), or am lazy (i am not... hmmmm), but because i am still experiencing some bum pain from time to time and i think the only way to make it disappear forever is to refrain from doing any activity that aggravates it until it has been gone for a long time. right now sometimes i can run and sometimes i can't, but it's not enjoyable because i'm out of running shape and each run is such an enormous effort. not worth it. i will revisit this topic later!

2) on the weekend a group of my friends and i went to check out (oh, by the way, this is not for the faint of heart or the easily tempted!) a new quebec-style poutine shop that opened recently. smoke's poutinerie uses real cheese curds from quebec and there is a large variety of types and toppings. i got the mama's poutine, which is traditional poutine with slow roasted chicken chunks and green peas. delicious although afterwards my stomach was sending me a few signals suggesting this poutine should be a rare occurrence. the boys got crazy poutines with italian sausages, bacon, sweet onions... too much! a picture of smoke's poutine can be found here.

ouchy ouchy

my legs are so sore (still!) from doing lunges with weights on tuesday night. seriously, i can hardly move. can anyone say “out of shape?” i was going to do the elliptical this morning but decided to take a rest day since i am moving at such a slow pace. i have book club tonight and if i feel like working out after that (not likely) then i will. tomorrow is weigh in day and i was hoping to get an extra workout in but it’s not the end of the world.

last night we ate low fat fries with swiss chalet gravy, and low fat chicken and cheese meatballs from sobeys. and baby tomatoes. it was very delicious. going to bed i was a bit hungry and while making his lunch for tomorrow, my boyfriend tried to throw some cheese at me, but i resisted and ate a clementine instead.

in other news, my boyfriend’s sister is putting on this fashion show for charity in november, and asked me to be a model in it. i have never been in a fashion show so it’s pretty exciting. there is a fitting on tuesday! maybe this will inspire me to think healthy thoughts this weekend.

lately instead of eating bigger meals like the three usuals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, i’ve been snacking all day long or dividing my meals into a few different parts. during the week and especially when i’m eating alone i like this a lot better. for example, for breakfast i used to have oatmeal and yogurt, or oatmeal and cottage cheese, but now, i have the oatmeal as usual and save the dairy for a morning snack, or eat it around noon. it’s great. i’m never too full and hardly ever hungry.

tonight is book club and the book we read this month is “the watchmen” by david gibbons and alan moore. it’s a graphic novel. i enjoyed it, although i don’t really care for the topic of superheroes in general so it could have been better. apparently there is a movie coming out soon? i don’t know. it won a HUGO award and was voted one of time magazine’s top 100 novels, so that has to stand for something. :)

another big change :)

i have some good news and some bad news. no ugly news, thankfully!

i'll start with the bad news. the bad news is that i couldn't run yesterday. it's like my mind psyched out my bottom and sent pains down there that had me limping all morning. i could have done it in the evening but i didn't want to. i am visiting the chiropractor again today, but before that, I'm going for a swim.

the good news is that i stayed on plan yesterday. i also went to the library and got a book about relationships that everyone was talking about a few months ago (it finally came in) called "the five love languages." i am already finished. it was an easy read but very eye opening. the author says that there are five main love languages in the world and everybody speaks one of them, and receives and gives love in different ways. for example, i think my love language is "words of affirmation." i love being told that my cooking is good, or someone appreciates my clean house, or that i'm pretty. i love it. there is still a quiz at the back of the book to confirm your "language." very interesting. i think my boyfriend's language is "physical touch" like holding hands, touching feet under the table... stuff like that. i am going to "suggest" that he takes that man quiz on our date tonight just to be sure. can i use any more quotations in this paragraph? "can i?"

more good news is that yesterday i applied for six jobs. yes, six. some of which i'd rather not have. i am still waiting to hear back from the company i interviewed with in august. i emailed them to ask if the position was already filled and they said "sorry for the delays, nope, not filled yet, you are still a candidate." more quotations! they said it more nicely than that of course.

more good or rather interesting news is that after my chiropractor appointment, i have another appointment in which i am becoming a blond. i have dark eyebrows so it will (hopefully) look like this very fashionable supermodel agyness dyen.

late post today

i didn't exercise this morning because i am all partied out. i'm going to do something tonight... probably a few 10 minute runs on the treadmill with weights and sit-ups in between. i can hear thunder out the window right now so an outside run is probably out of the question.

my party on saturday was a great success. probably the best party i've ever had. i woke up around ten thirty on saturday and cleaned up for a bit, then went on an awesome 5-mile run while my boyfriend made us breakfast. i spent the whole day cooking and cleaning and he went shopping for last-minute additions. we ran out to pick up the cake from one of my good friends who so nicely made it, and stopped at mcdonald's for dinner. i know... you are thinking... mcdonald's? seriously. i have nothing against fast food really. it's ok every once in a while if you usually avoid it. i had a hamburger with no mayo and small fries. yummy.

i made so much food for the party: crackers and cheese, chips, popcorn, cookies, egg salad sandwiches, deli chicken sandwiches, pb and j sandwiches, a veggie platter, bowls of nuts, hershey kisses, mike and ike's, m & m's, fuzzy peaches, meatballs with honey garlic sauce, jello shooters, a vodka punch, fortune cookies... the list goes on and on. surprisingly people ate 90% of all the food which makes me happy.

here is a photo of one spread:


here is a photo of the cake... the fire alarm just went off!


and here is a photo of my orange and black outfit... check the shoes :)


i think you can click on the photos to make them bigger. this morning after i left school i stopped at this cute coffee shop and tried a vegan chocolate chip cookie. i have never had vegan baking before (that i was aware of) and it was really delicious....

best present ever

thanks everybody for your nice birthday wishes yesterday. i didn't stay on plan but i'm fine with it. and i said i wasn't going to eat cake but i did anyway. it had a sparkler on top, how could i resist?

i can't believe that i actually thought my boyfriend forgot my birthday. he really is very sweet and thoughtful and it would be very unlike him. he made me dinner and we had fast fry steaks, sweetened cooked carrots, and this rice that was flavoured like chicken. then he brought out this little round cake (like the size of a baseball) with a sparkler on top. it was chocolate but had orange mousse inside... yummy. we didn't finish the whole thing but i still ate a pretty decent portion.

and he gave me the best present ever. wrapped in paper was a rice a roni box (that's when i realized we had rice a roni for dinner.) and i said, "ah, rice a roni, the san francisco treat." and then i opened the box, and inside was a card that said he is taking me...

on a roadtrip vacation...

down the coast of california...

from san francisco to LA. AMAZING! i'm soooooooo lucky!

california! the land of dreams haha. see? best present ever. we'll be at the corner of haight and ashbury soon enough!


i drank WAY too much wine last night and am feeling the effects today. but i still got up and did 30 minutes of fast running on the treadmill. why? because i am back on the plan today... and it includes exercising everyday. i didn't think it was strange to exercise on my birthday. i really love exercising, especially in the morning. it makes my body feel charged up and puts me in a great mood (most of the time anyway).

i got this email this morning about why exercising in the morning is tops. here are the reasons:

1) Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you'll be burning more calories all day long--just because you exercised in the morning.

2) Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day--not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you've done something disciplined and good for you. (Much better than a worm!)

3) Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity--a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you're snoozing.

4) Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn't be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier--especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you'll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)

5) When you exercise at about the same time every morning--especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time--you're regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes.

and 6) Exercise Extra: More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.

so there you have it. i have my first dress sewing class tonight until 9 so i had to bring all my food to work, which is kind of annoying but alright. for breakfast i am trying something new: pumpkin carrot oatmeal. i'm mixing 1 packet of quaker regular instant oatmeal, with 1/3 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup pure pumpkin, splenda and cinnamon. hopefully this will be a good combo!

you all make me laugh

yes, it's true. you all make me laugh? in a good way of course. but why? all the reasons/excuses why my pants could have felt tight. let's see:

1) maybe i am building muscles in my thighs.

2) perhaps i left my pants in the dryer and they shrunk.

3) swollen legs.

while these could be valid excuses in the land of wishville, i know it's not possible.

1) i have been running for almost a year and can't see muscles just sprouting up this week. and since i have only done two, yes a mere two HIIT sessions, that can't be it either.

2) i would NEVER even put these tighties in the dryer for one second!

3) this actually could be an excuse but i doubt it.

today i weighed in at 121.8. that is a gain of 2.6 pounds from last week. frickity crap mofo! but it's not necessary a bad thing. yes, i am out of my range, but it's good because i need to take a good look at what i'm eating. i am totally in control exercise-wise, but eating-wise... not so much. my portions have been increasing. a packet of oatmeal becomes a packet of oatmeal with flax, with all bran, with pumpkin, with wheat berries, with milk, with a banana. and while these things are all healthy, and adding one or two of these things is a great idea, adding them all and eating a giant beheamoth vat of oatmeal is not.

it's time to trim back the portions people! i can do it. i am not even in a bad mood about gaining. it's all about perspective :o)

in other news, this morning i did a quick 4-miles around my lovely city. and i have to say, even two sessions of HIIT is increasing my regular running speed. instead of a slower jog, i found myself with faster, longer strides this morning... it felt really good. when my alarm went off at 6:45am, i was resetting it for my boyfriend, and he rolled over and mumbled, "you are a real inspiration." hahaha - that is so funny to me.

in more boyfriend news, this sunday is our 1.5 yearaversary. last year for our six-monthaversary, i drew him a picture of a pin-up girl. he invited me to go to vegas with his family. even? i think so! ;o) anyhoo, i decided to carry on the tradition and draw him another pin-up. it's a ballerina because he likes them. i finished it last night and scanned it.

i think you can click on it to make it bigger. i've since signed and framed it. i think he will like it because i spent time on it, and it's from the heart. romance!

today on the menu is:

giant iced coffee

hot coffee
cinnamon oatmeal with flax
source yogurt

ezekiel english muffin
3 slices fake spicy meat
spinach and mustard
source yogurt
1/2 cup blackberries

banana
source yogurt
1 cup popcorn

dinner - ?

r is for romance

so... what's everyone doing for valentine's day? on the actual day (thursday) my boyfriend is taking me.... nowhere! it's not a good day for romance because i have tap class and he has band rehearsal... i think. anyway we are going to swiss chalet tomorrow night instead. 

you may think... swiss chalet for valentine's? isn't that lame? no, it is not because 1) swiss chalet is tops and 2) we are going on a romantic mini-break holiday weekend to niagara falls from saturday until monday! yahoo! and we are staying here at the Brock Plaza which is one of the nicest hotels i've ever been to. did you know it was named after general brock? he's a hero, look it up. and that marilyn monroe stayed in this hotel? 

it's something to look forward to. i am feeling really unmotivated about everything. i don't want to do anything. i am forcing myself to go to the gym but only because i'm hoping this feeling will pass. winter blahs anyone? last night i ran on the treadmill and went on the stationary bike, and this morning i walked on the treadmill. tonight i am going to clean my apartment (for sure) and then "chillax" in a major way. 

there are treats in my office - a big basket of chocolate and candies was delivered from hong kong for the chinese new year. grrrrr. i could not resist the temptation yesterday but today i will. happy tuesday, and here is my menu:

pre-walk:

1/2 pc blue menu cinnamon raisin bagel

post walk:

tea

other half of bagel

breakfast at work:

grapefruit (this was insanely delicious... go out and get one immediately)

berry fiber oatmeal

lunch:

carrots with hummus

ham and swiss on whole wheat

salad 

snack: 

cup of cottage cheese with fruit

apple

dinner:

?