a week of firsts

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!

hip hip

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!

back it up

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?

physical or mental pain

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.

midweek already

i really didn’t want to wake up this morning. i mean really! i set my alarm for 6:45am, so i could get up and swim with lots of time to get ready, but i didn’t get out of bed until 7:15. i still went swimming, i was just later getting to the office (where my mom works... so not a huge deal).

i stayed up a bit too late a) watching the election results (no real surprise!) and b) finishing this bad danielle steel book that i got from the library. does anyone else feel the urge to finish every book they start, even when they are crap? this one was called “amazing grace” and about an earthquake in san francisco. too bad really. one of my favourite books is “jewels” by danielle steel, so i know it’s the specific book and not the author. there is just too much describing of feelings and thoughts, and not enough dialogue or scenic descriptions. that’s my big criticism.

yesterday i tried something new. instead of counting points (and eating the most food possible for my amount of points), i decided to just eat when i was hungry, but choose relatively healthy things. it’s only one day. i really ate a significant amount less than i usually do, and i didn’t feel out-of-control-hungry or anything. the only time i was really hungry was 5:30-7:00, but i was driving home, stopping at the grocery store, voting, etc. so there just wasn’t time to eat.

today is a good day. why? because my PB2 peanut butter is coming in the mail. i love UPS. the tracking is always so right on and updated frequently. i know a lot of people are sceptical about powdered peanut butter but it’s really very delicious. i like it anyway. if you are attached to skippy or another super creamy brand then maybe it won’t work for you.

i’m not sure when i’ll hear about the job. hopefully this week! i would really like it because it’s a good one. the location is not the best but beggers (who don’t have jobs and have to work pity jobs with their moms in the burbs) can’t be choosers. ;) i was a bit flustered over a few questions because i let my mouth talk faster than my brain could think, and then my brain would say, “don’t say that idiot!” and i’d get a bit jumbled. bah – interview questions are never fun.

tonight is date night and i am not going to eat any liquorice rainbow twizzers (i didn’t last weekend either – i drank out of one but didn’t eat it). it’s already midweek... woohoo!

oh, one more thing. this morning my body fat was between 16 and 17% and i did definitely NOT see anything resembling an ab. =D

another busy day

today is another busy one! so, here is a list:

1) my interview yesterday was alright, nothing special. the position is a maternity leave 1 year contract with no benefits, and i'd rather have something more permanent if i can help it.

2) i finished my finance article, but not without having to completely revise my topic after interviewing a mortgage broker.

3) i had a great, long swim of 2250 metres.

4) for dinner i made this salad concoction of stuff i had in my fridge. and then in the night i wasn't feeling so hot and i threw up. the salad was kind of gross but i ate it anyway... i tried to make my own dressing, that was the problem. i probably won't be eating tuna, or raw spinach for awhile... :o(

5) today i am going back to the burbs to work at my mom's office.

6) it is also her birthday - hooray! so i'm going to pick up flowers on the way.

7) book club tonight. i didn't finish the book and won't have time to. :(

8) but today my boyfriend comes home - he was away at a camp all week. :)

9) this morning i ran day one week two of the couch to 5k since i knew i wouldn't have time to later.

10) this morning i made the MOST DELICIOUS oatmeal ever. i brewed a cup of gingerbread spice (a christmas tea) and then used that in the regular oats instead of water. it was unreal. and i added some sweetener, 1/4 cup all bran, and 1/3 cup 1% cottage cheese for a giant delicious bowl. and only 3 points!

mondayayayayaya

this will have to be a shorty post, because i am heading off to another job interview - this one i am on the "shortlist" for. cross your fingers for me.

the weekend was pretty good. fake prom was fun, although we didn't get enough sleep and saturday (at the wedding) dragged and dragged. and we were with my parents (and rest of family) so i didn't want to drink that much.

my hair looks amazing! i will post a photo tomorrow. not today because i want a few more people (who maybe read the blog... who knows?) to see it before i reveal it to the world. it is taking some getting used to for sure but already the time i'm saving (styling and vacuuming the bathroom) is outrageous.

that's all party people. yesterday i did the fat-burning 50 minute pilates video, and today i think i will go for a swim in the afternoon. i am meeting some girlfriends for dinner and want to get in some activity so i can eat more. :)

sad or what?

i came to work today even though i had planned to take a vacation day. why? nothing to do. is that sad or what? my boyfriend went home yesterday and is coming back to the city tonight and i could have spent the day at home, hanging around, but it's not really that nice outside (not sunny) and i hate sitting around all day watching tv. that is so boring. now having tomorrow off will feel like a special treat. i am going to a canada day bbq... mmmm... bbqs. that reminds me i will have to pick up food and booze and stuff tonight.

speaking of booze, yesterday i made beer bread. it is soooo easy. here is the recipe:

3 cups flour
3 t sugar
3 t baking powder
1 t basil
12 oz warm beer

i used 2 cups white flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. i was going to make it all with splenda and whole wheat flour, but i didn't want it to taste gross. not that it necessarily would have, but you know. i used zywiec beer, because my boyfriend is polish and i liked the people dancing on the bottle.


anyway it's so easy to make. you just mix the dry ingredients, then incorporate the beer until just mixed. then you plop it into a prepared bread pan and bake for 50 minutes at 350°F. prepared bread pan means that you grease it/spray it with cooking spray, and then sprinkle it with rough cornmeal (i used whole wheat flour and it was fine) to avoid the sticking. see? easy! the bread it more cake-like than the bread you would purchase in the supermarket.

on saturday it was raining so i went down to the condo gym for a quick workout. i did 20 minutes running, arm weights, 10 minutes running, then decided that was enough for me thank you very much. yesterday i took a rest day. this morning i went back to the gym and did 15 minutes running, arm weights, 15 minutes biking, more arm weights, 10 more minutes running, and situps. the biking was so hard. i was really pushing it for 1 minute (trying to get a rpm of 100 on level 10) and then slowing a bit for 2 minutes (rpm of 85 at level 10). when i got off the bike my legs were like jello.

in other news, i've been really into making spicy hummus wraps lately. i use a whole grain tortilla (about 170 calories), 2 T spicy hummus, cut up about 1/4 yellow pepper, sprinkle some shredded carrots, peel a string cheese, and add baby spinch - then wrap it up and enjoy. it's filling and healthy and sooooooo spicy! it is still substantial because of the tortilla and the hummus, but feels light because of the veggies.

in more other news, i got this book at the bookstore yesterday:

lonely planet coastal california... *sigh of happiness*

hello monday

well - it's monday and i feel pretty good today. but only because i forced myself to get into bed at midnight, and slept until 7:45am, skipping morning exercise. i am going to workout later.

i am at home right now. i was at work for a bit. on friday at about 3pm the roof in the hallway collapsed from the rain, and big pieces of black mold and ceiling and the lighting fixtures and wires all crashed down to the ground. i work in an old building... really old. it used to be a shipping dock when the waters of lake ontario came further up the shore. part of my building is an historic site that can't be destroyed, but part of it (my part) can. they are trying to sell it to build condos, but somebody along the lines is having trouble with permits... anyway, they refuse to do any maintenance on the building because they want to sell it and tear it down. so our hallway has been flooding and small pieces of the roof has come down and finally it really came down.

so we sent some "samples" of the mold to a mold detection company, so see if it's safe or whatever, and until we know, we are working from home. i couriered myself a bunch of stuff so i'll actually be working. but it's good because now i feel like a lady of leisure.

summer challenge:
i finished up 15 miles for week one. it wasn't easy. 15 miles is a lot. it's three, five mile runs, or four shorter runs. but i prefer not to run on consecutive days so something has got to give. i think i'll aim for three longer runs, but if it's not possible, then i'll just do more.

my week one new veggie is a total cop out. i looked in the grocery store but all the new veggies looked so weird to me... i would have no idea how to prepare any of them. i'm going to have to pre-plan this stuff and come up with a recipe beforehand. so my week one veggie is BOK CHOY. i had it in a beef chow mein dish in a chinese food restaurant in china town. it was wilty and gross. i'm sure if i prepared it myself it would be better. that is why it's a cop out haha.

today's menu is:

1/2 cup mixed berries (0.5)
1 serving special k satisfaction cereal (3)
1 cup light silk soy milk (1)
coffee (0)
(4.5)

1/2 piece rye bread (0.5)
source yogurt with pumpkin and fibre sprinkles (2)
(7)

pita (2)
lean chicken (1)
cheese (1)
avocado (1)
honey mustard (0.5)
lettuce (0)
tomato (0)
(12.5)

source yogurt (1)
oatmeal (2)
(15.5)

big salad with lettuce (0)
poppyseed dressing (2)
peas (1)
veggie burger (2)
almonds (2)
(22.5)

thursday madness

today there was a bit of trouble getting to work because of the wind yesterday. apparently it blew the C of of the CIBC building (a bank tower) and some of it was dangling and had to be removed. anyway my king streetcar was diverted off of it's normal route so it took longer to get to work today. i guess it's better than someone being crushed by falling debris... i guess... ;o)

yesterday i bought some awesome pants. better than the shiny pants? it's debatable. they are turquoise high-waisted bell bottoms, by jordache. remember that brand from the 80s? i look like i'm out of that dazed and confused movie. i have to get them hemmed though, because they are too long.

i didn't do any closet cleaning yet, but perhaps i'll have some time tonight after going to the gym. i *have to get to bed early tonight because i am going dancing on friday and saturday of this weekend.

last night for dinner my boyfriend and i made this recipe from the kraft "what's cooking" magazine. it wasn't terribly healthy but it was interesting. here is what we did:

brown 1 lb of extra lean ground beef (we added onions too) and drain. add 2 cups water, 1 cup salsa, and the noodles from 1 package of kraft mac and cheese. bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. then add 2 cups frozen corn, the powdered cheese from the kraft mac and cheese box, some chopped tomatoes, and cook for 2 more minutes. top with chopped green onions and cheddar cheese (we didn't add this cheese) and voila. apparently this makes 4 servings. we each had a huge portion and i'm pretty sure more than 1/2 is leftover.

here is today's menu:

coffee
pc blue menu multigrain oatmeal with 1/2 banana
all bran bar and 1/2 banana
lean cuisine ravioli
reheated green and yellow beans
2 clementines

dinner - i'll worry about that later.

*never happens

coworkers

i work in an office with all women. i get along with everyone. partly because i've only been working here for a year and a half and partly because i'm really laid back and would never dream of causing trouble with anyone. do your work and let it go. after all, i consider work to be just work. yes i come here monday to friday and enjoy the work i do (as much as anyone can) but my main life, the more important part, is all about home and family and friends.

anyway. on monday i brought in some of those dark chocolate cookie mounds that i made on sunday. delicious right. and then one of my coworkers says, "you must not eat any of your baking" and i said, "actually i had two today and about six yesterday, and she just looked at me like she didn't believe me and said, "okaaayyyyyyyyy." long and drawn out okay? not okay!

there is this other woman in my office who is doing a "medically supervised" weight loss plan, basically atkins. great time of year to be doing that. anyway, people are bringing in treats and stuff and she is whining on and on about how "hard" we are making it for her. we are going out for lunch on friday and she wanted to change the restaurant to accommodate her ridiculous diet. doing a "diet" like atkins is a choice. it isn't hard. do you want to know what is hard: eating well and making the right choices AND pumping it out in the gym 3-5 or more times per week. it's hard putting in the effort all/most of the time and waiting to see results. it makes me laugh when people think they can sustain weight loss without activity. you fools!



anyway, i probably sound bitter but i don't care that much. last night i went to the gym as planned and did 4 miles (3 running) on the treadmill, some weights, squats, situps, and then 4 miles on the stationary bike. two more days of work including today and then HOLIDAYS!

today i'm eating:

1 lemon social tea cookie
2 almonds
coffee
oatmeal with blueberries, chocolate chips, and almonds
a tv dinner (homestyle meatloaf with mashed potatoes) - not healthy but not too high in points, and in my freezer and i want it to stop looking at me every day.
dinner is a mystery.