good news and bad news

the bad news is that i didn't go swimming last night.

the good news is that i went to ikea, bought a new desk (more like a computer workstation), set it up while speeding through last week's biggest loser, set up my computer on the new desk (sort of difficult... many wires and plugs) and organized my office space. i also took my old GIANT metal desk that was the size of half my den (not joking) and brought it down to the main floor of my building to the recycling room. all by myself. yes, i am very strong. i rolled it... on the side, on the back, on the side... etc.

the bad news is that i didn't have the best sleep last night. the wheels in my brain were really turning.

the good news is that i went swimming this morning and it was glorious. and now that i'm reminded of how much i love exercising in every way (during and after), i'll be much more motivated to do it. before this morning, i didn't do any workouts since thursday which is very unlike me. i did a lot of walking, but i don't consider that to be anything above the norm.

the bad news is that this morning, after making a giant thermos of boston creme pie coffee, i knocked it over while making breakfast and it went everywhere - all over my stove, counter, down the cabinets, into the cabinets, on the floor, all over everything on the counter.

the good news is that me in the past decided to shell out for the expensive bounty paper towels instead of the cheap crappy brand i normally buy and it was easy to clean.

i can't think of any more bad news, unless you count the weather, but that's boring and a stretch. this morning before my swim i tried a *new* fiber one granola bar - oats and caramel (US product) for 2 ww points. it was yumtastic. after my swim i made an egg white scramble with 200g egg whites (2 ww points), chopped onion, red pepper, zucchini, cremini mushrooms, and mrs. dash sun-dried tomato seasoning (0 points) on a flat-out wrap (1 points). i could only fit 1/2 of the scramble inside the wrap and the rest had to be eaten al fresco. i know what al fresco means!

last night late into the evening i was feeling hungry. too hungry to just go to bed, so i made a smoothie. i used frozen raspberries, a splash of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, a splash of low-cal cranberry juice (pc blue menu), and a splash of diet sour apple soda (US product... and so delicious). then i got the bright idea to add some spinach leaves. i think i added too many because then it tasted like spinach and i was a little grossed out. i added more frozen raspberries and it was fine. PHEWF. what a thrilling story.

squishy

the title of this post is how i'm feeling today... wow! i had a great long weekend but there were far too many indulgences. i pretty much did (and ate... and drank) whatever i wanted and now all i want to do is detox, de-bloat, de-booze, re-hydrate, re-exercise and catch up on my zzz's. this morning my cat, oliver, woke me up with wet-nosed headbutts because he was out of food. obviously it's not rocket science, but i still think it's so cute how little animals associate their owners with the food, instead of going straight to the source.

my weekend away to niagara falls was really nice. we played glow in the dark mini-golf, went to the tropical bird museum giant aviary, walked by the falls, went on a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride by the falls, went out to eat, sat in the giant jacuzzi tub... definitely an amazing time. here is a picture of me with "duke," the horse who led our carriage around the falls.


he was a nice guy. on sunday, after checking out of the hotel, we drove across the border for my favourite united states activity, grocery shopping! first we stopped at dunkin donuts because i wanted to try the coffee there. it was pretty good - sort of like a tim horton's, but better and with more non-coffee/donut options.

i really went to town in the grocery store and came home with TONS of stuff: luna sunrise and clif kid z bars, cheddar turkey sausages, turkey breakfast sausages, turkey burgers (do you sense a theme?), light hamburger buns, light english muffins, flat out wraps, pureed sweet potato in a can, different kinds of oatmeal, fiber one bars (in new flavours), yoplait yogurts, fat free greek yogurts (fage and oikos), 40-spice hummus, 100-calorie quaker granola bars, swiss miss 25-calorie hot chocolate packets.... heaven.

the best part is that my boyfriend had an amazing time too. i love a man that loves to grocery shop. i bought him some fiber one pop tarts, ha! he also got a packet of slim jims (no comment!). we also went to target, naturally.

we were home on sunday night, and then yesterday (monday) was the family day holiday. hoorah! i took care of some personal business at home (that sounds shady but it's not) and got ready for the week. i wanted to watch the biggest loser from LAST WEEK that i taped, but i didn't have time. and now it's on again tonight. having four hours of taped biggest loser to watch is kind of obscene. i can do it... i won't let you down, biggest loser!

i have some goals for this week - i'd like to try to avoid junk and de-bloat. cut down on the salt, up the water intake, get in some activity every day. tonight after work i will probably go for a swim, or walk/slow-jog on the treadmill. i can't wait to catch up on all the posts i missed this weekend!

artificial me

i tried the pc blue menu frozen steel cut oatmeal that i bought. it is $2.99 and comes in a box with two bowls. i only got the blueberry flavour but it also comes in vanilla almond. it's about 150 calories per bowl, with 4 or 5g of fibre and 4 or 5g of protein - only 2 ww points. not bad at all. unfortunately i found the flavour to be really bland. i don't know what i was expecting but i thought it would be instantly tasty without adding any sugar.

without thinking i ripped open a package of equal sweetener and dumped it on, and then was a little disgusted with myself. i think my use of artificial sweetener is getting out of control. i use it in oatmeal, in coffee, in tea, on my grapefruits... and why? because i have a giant box of it from costco? i don't even own a bag of regular sugar. isn't that sick? it's pretty strange. a lot of people who want to stop eating artificial sweetener have to ween themselves off of diet pop. i don't really drink diet pop... i just head straight to the hard stuff. i need some sort of plan. maybe if i take it slow i can eventually drink my coffee black. ah, the sweet dark bitterness... in theory that sounds delicious.

this morning for breakfast (in the car), i tried a mint chocolate clif bar. 250 calories, 3g fibre, 10g protein, 5 ww points. the verdict: WAY better than the carrot cake flavour. still a little artificial tasting, but not bad. kind of like a protein-y girl guide cookie. i don't know if i'd buy it again. i still want to try the chocolate chip flavour.

today it's incredibly windy outside. it's shaking the building! my cat is terrified of the wind. he's meowing and running around like a chicken with no head. up on the couch, down, into the bedroom, on the bed, down, into the bathroom, into the tub. what a strange little man.

shshshshopping

last night i went to homesense to do a little shopping. i am going to a girlfriend's birthday dinner tonight and don't want to show up empty handed. everyone always says "no gifts, no gifts" when no one is going to refuse (and not love) a little something. i like homesense because it is the same company as winners. i can go in, find the perfect gift, and not be distracted by the clothes!

i ended up buying more for myself than for my friend... of course. i absolutely LOVE flavoured coffees and i found two amazing ones from a company called "pie in the sky" and distributed by figueroa brothers, inc. although i can't find anything about the coffee on the website. the coffee flavours i got... are you ready for this?... coconut creme pie and boston creme pie. mmmmmmm. of course i haven't tried them yet but am confident they will be sinlessly delicious.

i also bought two bottle koozies. what is a koozie? yeah... that was my question too. it's a little zip up jacket for your bottle. i bought them with the intention of using them for alcoholic drinks. for example, if a person wanted to enjoy a pomtini on toronto island without arising suspicion. but then it occurred to me that they are probably for water bottles. one is bright orange with white polka dots and the other is bright green with white polka dots. each one has a cute little mitten zipper tag. i'm assuming they are being marketed towards women, which is why i never thought they were for beer. but they could be for beer. if you like beer. in a bottle. like a corona... alright i feel better now. they were on super discount for $0.70 each. in these hard economic times i can justify this goofy purchase.

i bought my friend a pretty amazing present, if i do say so myself. it is a Liquid Solutions Tea-zer Tea Brewing Tumbler with Infuser Basket in blue. basically a loose leaf tea thermos. what a great idea not to mention adorable. not everyone likes coffee (did i just say that?) but most people like tea. AND loose leaf teas are becoming more of a mainstream rage. or maybe, when you get to a certain age more people can afford and drink loose leaf teas.

afterward, i went to loblaws to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. i love loblaws AND their organic section is pretty similar to whole foods market. last night i spotted almost everything i buy at whole foods for cheaper prices. i bought grapefruits, blood oranges, bananas, and this. i know it's overpriced for oats but i have to try it! review to come later.

i didn't do any yoga last night but i did do some this morning. i tried the 20-minute lunar flow. i loved the spine twists but some of the weird backward bending moves made my lower back ache and i'm sure i'll be in yoga pain tomorrow. i am heading down for a swim around noon, and tonight am walking a) to my boyfriend's apartment 2.5 miles away and b) to the restaurant, maybe another mile or so.

contest

head over to the the inner workings of a college graduate's page for an awesome giveaway. (sportsbra for runners!)

to-do lists

bonjour.

having a "to-do" list is the only way to get things done. yesterday at the end of work i made myself a list of everything i wanted to accomplish on monday night. ready? walk 3-5 miles, launder my towels, apply for jobs, pay credit card and cable/phone bills, empty the dishwasher. ALL DONE oh yeah. i love feeling productive. :)

my workout last night was pretty intense. i know i am not supposed to be running but i thought a few intervals wouldn't hurt anyone. and if they did it's my own stupid fault. i warmed up for five minutes walking, and then did a series of six 30-second sprints (8.5 mph) followed by 1-minute of really slow jogging (4.5 mph). afterward i continued to walk (3.8 mph) for the rest of the five miles, changing my incline from 1 to 5 and back to 1 every two minutes. it took a long time - almost 75 minutes BUT i got to read my latest issue of women's health from cover to cover. i finished my workout with some sit-ups, stretches and bum exercises on the mat.

this morning i went for a 40-minute swim, and sat for five minutes in the steam room after my shower. can anyone actually relax in the steam room? my lungs do not like steamy air. every deep breath i took ended up in a coughing fit. i mean two little coughs, not a fit. tonight i plan on doing some yoga. only 20 minutes though.

in other news, last night i also downloaded itunes so that i could download the jillian michael's podcasts i've been hearing so much about. at first i couldn't believe that i didn't have itunes already, but it makes sense since i used to keep songs on my work computer, and now i have a zune which doesn't "do" itunes. i have an ipod but the battery life is so terrible and it doesn't work in cold temperatures at all. lame! i downloaded all of her podcasts (since october 5, 2008) but i haven't listened to any of them yet. i'm thinking... maybe i will put them on a CD and listen in the car. but then again i have three really great audiobooks lined up. such dilemmas! what a hard life... should i listen to the podcast or the book while driving in my car? la dee da doo.

speaking of jillian michaels, who is excited about the biggest loser tonight? i wish i could say that i was, but i'm feeling so-so about it this season. usually i pay attention with one ear and one eyeball and then do other things while i watch, like clean up the apartment or read. the end... i've typed enough today.

this week: the plan

i need a plan this week. i am going out for dinner on wednesday to the college street bar for a friend's birthday, and on friday my boyfriend and i are skipping town for a romantic valentine's weekend minibreak to niagara falls. i need a plan.

goals: i want to get in 4 cardio sessions, 2 yoga/pilates videos, lose some stomach bloat, and of course, grab the bull by the balls (as usual).

here is today's meal plan so far:

carnation strawberry instant breakfast (3)
1 cup skim milk (2)

second cup breakfast cookie (4)

homemade salad with spinach, lettuce, carrot shreds, baby tomatoes, 1 TBSP toasted almonds (1), and 3 TBSP newman's own low-fat balsamic viniagrette dressing (1)

pc blue menu spinach and cheese cannelloni microwave dinner (4)

maybe some fish for dinner? yet to be determined.

exercise plan!
monday: 3-5 miles walking on treadmill (later)
tuesday: 40 minute morning swim, 20 minute evening yoga download
wednesday: 40 minute morning swim
thursday: 40 minute morning swim OR 3-5 treadmill walk, 20 minute evening yoga download
friday: not sure yet
saturday & sunday: i think i'll bring my zune to get in some yoga workouts. i love the stretch and am really trying hard to increase my flexibility.

in other news, this weekend i bought a new coat. it is from canadian spirit and is a dream come true. i am just so sick of being cold in my fashion wool coats. wool does not cut it for canadian winters. this one has: "detachable hood with removable faux fur trim, irregular box quilting, invisible zippered pockets, double welt front zipper closure, extended inner fleece cuffs." and it's black.