rocking it

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

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

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

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


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

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.

where the sky meets the sea

 

i haven't really sorted through the photos yet, but here is a nice one. it's somewhere on the road between san francisco and santa cruz. it doesn't look like a real photo because the ocean and beach shouldn't connect like that... i'm actually standing on the edge of a giant cliff (scary). it was so windy but beautiful. this is the just after we drove away from the san francisco fog and gloom. it was so weird how the division between fog and sun was so drastic and obvious. i got these purple pants in san francisco... love them!

yesterday i tried swimming but my leg was really hurting so i had to stop. my mom wants me to visit a chiropractor and i am seriously considering it. my boyfriend and i cleaned his apartment pretty much all afternoon - until about 7. i did the whole bathroom and under the stove elements. we might go back today... i'd rather just get it over with. he is so excited about it and so am i because it's in my old neighbourhood which i miss a lot. it's a bustling area... people are always out doing things on the street.

so i have the choice to see two movies. 1) mama mia and 2) the dark knight. what should i choose?

even with no exercise, my weight is going back down. thank you fibre :) i hate not being able to do hard core exercise. maybe this injury is my body's way of saying it was too much. when i feel better again i will definitely ease into something. being hardcore was fun while it lasted.

i also wanted to mention that the egg on oatmeal was totally delicious. people eat eggs on toast - toast is a grain like oatmeal... what's the difference? it wasn't flavoured or instant oatmeal people - i am not crazy! ;o)

finally the day has arrived

what day is that? the day i am going to see sex and the city with my girlyfriends, that's what. i wanted to avoid the crowds in the theatres on opening weekend because i can be easily bothered at the movies. and in life. people doing things like talking too loudly or hitting the back of my seat really puts me into a rage. food noises don't really bother me (at the movies haha).

i brought my dinner to work (to avoid eating a giant popcorn) and then i'm going to walk to the theatre. the show starts at 6:50, which is good because we are going to my friend's house to have a few drinks after, and i heard that the movie is 2 and a half hours long. that's long! but good... almost like 5 episodes of the show. :)

i got new running shoes in the mail yesterday. yahoo! the bad part is i had to pay $25 duty tax on them... crap! but still, even with the duty they are less than $50 than what i would have paid in store. i got the mizuno wave inspire 4's.

aren't they pretty? they are just like my mizuno wave inspire 3's, but the blue is less teal-like, and more of a dim aqua. at first i was put off by this but then i realized i was put off by the colour of my old shoes when i first got them. i love my running shoes and i have grown to think they are pretty, but really, i think running shoes in general are ugly. they are so big and bulky and not fashion. if i could give anyone fashion tips i would say (to start) the following two things: 1) unless you are doing physical activities (for example, running, any sports, even walking to work...) there is no need to wear your big, bulky, running shoes. i know they are comfortable but still, come on. what would stacey and clinton say? i know what they would say... she would be appalled and he would be horrified. and please don't wear them with jeans... oh, the horror! (it's like every dad's style... along with the jean tuxedo) and 2) no khaki pants. if i went on a date with a man who was wearing khaki pants, it would be a deal breaker. harsh? maybe.

now that i have that out of my system... this morning i went on a 4-mile run around town. it wasn't hot out but it must have been humid because when i came back i was a sweaty betty. i then turn on the tap to take a shower and realize that there is NO HOT WATER... ahhhhhhhh! this is very rare since i live in a condo and there is always hot water. i could be running the dishwasher, the laundry machine, and taking a bath and there would still be hot water. not that i wash my clothes in hot... just saying. i stuck my head under the tub tap to wash my hair... brrrr.... talk about brain freeze. i wash my hair everyday anyway, so the thought of not washing it after it's soaked with sweat isn't that appealing to me. then i did a wash-cloth wipe down everywhere else. i hope the hot water comes back soon...! although it is supposed to be 30°C tomorrow and all this weekend so maybe i need some cool refreshing showers.

yesterday i bought peanut butter and co. natural peanut butter. i've never bought natural peanut butter before. it's amazing. the only ingredients are peanuts, and salt. it's all oily at the top so it has to be stirred. for the past year or two i was using PB2 because it is only 50 calories for 2 T and regular peanut butter is 200 cals for 2 T... big difference. but i think now that i am at a pretty stable weight i can "live it up" with regular peanut butter. also i'm trying to incorporate more healthy fats into my diet. filling fats... so that i can eat less but feel more satisfied overall. and isn't the jar so cute? those kraft bears have nothing on this jar!


enough blabbing! today's menu is:

1/2 small banana with 1t natural pb

1/4 cup cheerios with 1/2 small banana and 1/4 cup unsweetened almond breeze

1/2 cup cherries

quaker weight control cinnamon oatmeal
with 1 T ground flax
1/2 pack regular oatmeal
1/4 cup wheatberries

1/2 cup plain 2% yogurt
1 t no sugar added raspberry jam
1/4 cup wheatberries

3/4 cup quinoa
1 serving red lentil curry with spinach and tomatoes
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato/cauliflower mix

and i'm bringing a rebar to the movies just in case. a rebar is " a blend of 20 different fruits and vegetables with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives - each bar is made with 2 cups organic fruit and 2 cups organic vegetables to make for the most nutritious pocket-sized snack available." and 160 calories, 6 g fibre, 2 g protein. i have never tried this before... but it sounds great!