posting in advance

biOnic has inspired me to write a few posts in advance. (i hope it works, by the way.)

today have gone to winnipeg with my mom and sister. just the girls. all the boys have to stay at home... well, my dad and cat anyway. i wonder how oliver is adjusting to living with my dad. i'm sure he's having an easier time than my dad - oliver likes to cuddle NOT on the lap, but curled up into your neck like a baby while you support his bum with your arms. and then he head butts so hard. that is how he shows love. here he is wearing a hat.

doesn't he look dapper? anyhoo, my exercise plan this week is to do yoga, possibly some swimming. i am bringing my mp3 player and my yoga mat - that should be all i need. i really like hatha #2 and power yoga #3 so i'll probably stick to those two. i am familiar enough with the poses and routines that i don't need to bring the pdf guides.

f f f friiiidaaayyyyy

bonjour - it's friday! i have today off as well - lucky i know. first things first, head on over to diary of a real girl to see my guest post on her fashion friday segment. thanks again for asking me - i had fun writing it!

this morning i got up, did 20 minutes of hatha yoga (very relaxing), ate breakfast and then went downstairs for a 40-minute swim. lately when i swim and do front crawl, or freestyle as some people like to call it, i've been trying to breathe on every third stroke, instead of every second. this means that i have to do it on my left side too, which is a little awkward. i'm hoping that with practice it will become more natural. i want my movements to be as even as possible since i'm doing them so much.

i am meeting a girlfriend for lunch at an indian/nepalese restaurant. i can't wait. it's right near my boyfriend's apartment so i am going to walk there, and then just go over to his place after. i love indian/thai/spicy/ethnic food but not many of my friends do so i never get to go and it's very sad.

here are two recipes that i'm really digging lately. they can be eaten any time of day.

1) open-faced spicy avocado egg toast.

ingredients:
1 slice whole-wheat bread, toasted
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/4 big avocado or 1/3 smaller one
hot sauce

directions: toast the bread. measure out the egg whites and microwave in a small ice cream bowl for 48 seconds. that is how long it takes on my microwave to make a nice patty that isn't dried out. while this is happening, mash the avocado. spread it on the toast. scoop the egg white patty out of the bowl and place on the avocado toast. sprinkle with hot sauce - mine is chili lime flavoured. delicious!

2) vanilla yogurt grapes

ingredients:
0% plain yogurt - as much as you want - i usually go for 1/2 cup
sweetener - like splenda or whatever
vanilla - about 1 teaspoon
grapes
milk - skim or almond or soy, whatever, maybe 1/2 cup or less if you want a thick yogurt

directions: get out a big mug. it's more fun to eat this from a mug. plop in the yogurt, milk, vanilla, sweetener to taste. stir until it becomes a liquid. drop in as many grapes as you want. i like to fill it up so all the grapes are covered in the yogurt liquid. enjoy the yogurty grapes with a spoon. this tastes like a dessert but is very nutritious.

happy weekend!

yoga

a few of you have left me questions in the comments about the yoga i'm doing. all the yoga i do is from yogadownload.com. you can pay for longer classes, but a lot of the 20-minute sessions are free, and that's what i'm doing right now until i can build up to longer sessions.

when you download a class, you get an audio version for your mp3 player, as well as a PDF with all of the poses that you can print out and refer to during your yoga time. i keep my printouts right beside my mat.

these downloads are really great. i think i came into them with an advantage because i've taken a real yoga class before, and have a good idea about the poses. i was lucky because no one else signed up for the class, so i had private yoga sessions for eight weeks. sometimes it's hard to see exactly what's happening in a pose - like where you should put your shoulders and hips in relation to your arms and legs. i would probably suggest taking one beginner drop-in yoga class in your area just to get a feel for it, and then go nuts. you don't want to hurt yourself by doing something crazy that your body isn't meant to do.

also, when you are browsing the site, it's smart and really necessary to be aware of the level of the class. some are for beginners and others are for more intermediate/advanced students. the more advanced classes are quite difficult and if you do them right away, you will be in serious pain the next day. with more practice, little things like balancing and being able to shift from pose to pose with more ease and grace becomes much easier.

finally, i leave you with one of my favourite clips from the OC. i had such a university crush on seth cohen. so nerdy and cute. this scene always made me laugh.

hair day

i am not working today. what a beautiful day, even though it's raining. later this afternoon, i am getting my hair "did". now that i have short blond hair i have to get it done about every 1.3 months. every time i'm feeling a little rough looking i check my outbox to see when the last time i scheduled a hair appointment was, and lo and behold, it's always between 1.3 and 1.5 months. i am trying to grow it but it's hard. two hairdos ago it kept breaking, so last time i had highlites and lolites, and this time... who knows? it's expensive too. i just don't know what to do. do i go back dark or keep it light? i love the way it looks both ways, just when i go dark again i know i will keep it that way for a long time.

here is my exercise update:

yesterday afternoon i tried the 25 minute power yoga #3, from yogadownload.com. it was powerful! after doing sun salutations, then warrior 1, warrior 2 and reverse warrior, my legs were shaking like mad, especially during my last downward dog. i was sweating!

last night i decided to head down to the condo gym and pump a little iron. when i got there i saw that some nice girl had dropped off all her celebrity magazines from february (what!?) and so i took a few onto the treadmill for some juicy reading and a 3-mile walk. i just couldn't resist. i can't justify spending money on those magazines when there is so much awesome celeb gossip online for free, so it was a treat. i like to spend my money on things that can give me pleasure over and over again, like shoes and clothes. after my walk i used some free weights. i read somewhere that one of the exercises jessica biel does to get those ripped arms is holding free weights, and lifting her arms straight in front of her, moving up and down with a series of five circles. five circles up, five circles down.

this morning i did a relaxing 20-minute yoga download, hatha #1. i think this is my favourite one for just relaxing. i like jackie's voice the best, especially when she says, "let go of your day, let go of your agenda." she really draws out the words and i feel so dreamy. i also went for a swim this morning, but i was feeling a bit shaky by the end, so i stopped after 100 lengths, instead of doing my usual 120.

today i'm just going to clean things and go for my hair appointment. happy weekend.

sunny day

today is bright and sunny and i'm loving it. it's still frigid BUT if you notice on the side of my page, on the exercise sidebar, that the end of this week is no longer february. it's MARCH - yippee! february was pretty quick and painless. i love spring and summer. i used to like autumn the best but not anymore... more on that another time.

today is also my sister's 23rd birthday. isn't that nice? oh, to be young and carefree and jubilant again. actually i am still young and jubilant, so there. i bought her some books yesterday at chapters, and i also picked up this awesome gaiam wisdom aluminum water bottle. all of the gaiam products were 20% off. i still have some of those deadly nalgenes and i have been using them much less but it's time to cut them out completely. and the new bottle is fun to drink out of. and blue... like the ocean.

last night i went for a nice 40-minute swim. at the end of it i was feeling a little shaky. i am getting over a cold so that's probably why. i feel fine today. anyway, i was feeling a bit shaky so i decided to sit in the steam room after my swim. i really prefer saunas to steam rooms but there isn't a sauna in my building... woe is me. i like being in the hot steam because it feels like i've just stepped off a plane and into a tropical jungle. the heat is overpowering and it feels good to just sit there and surrender to it. the only thing that really bothers me about steam rooms is the giant water drops that fall off the ceiling and hit you everywhere. giant steam drops = ick.

i had an amazing sleep last night - eight hours and ten minutes, including two ten minute snoozes. i love sleeping but always put it off. being awake isn't so great. i should repeat that mantra every evening.

i was going to work out this morning, but decided not to because my bum muscles are aching from yesterday's "yoga for runners" session. i will wait until after work when i'm more loosey goosey and then hit the gym. i downloaded three new 20-25 minute free yoga sessions from yogadownload.com and i am excited to try them. i am not against paying for longer classes, but i don't want to bite off more than i can chew. right now i don't want to do yoga for longer than 25 minutes at a time.

today for lunch i have a tuna sandwich. i really like eating tuna, but i don't like eating the whole can at one time unless i am just dumping it on a salad. so i have to eat it two days in a row. yesterday i had a tuna and hummus wrap and today, finishing the can, a tuna sandwich. a whole can of tuna in one sandwich is overboard. instead of mixing my tuna with mayo, i used non-fat greek yogurt and it worked just as well with health benefits too. i wrote to stoneyfield farms and asked them to please start selling their organic oikos non-fat greek yogurts in canada, and they said they would pass on the message to their sales team. i like the fage brand too but have actually seen the stoneyfield brand in canada so i figure it's a better shot. i also have a cup of healthy valley lentil soup. yum yum.

a monday list

1) first of all, check out this awesome shout out i got on friday from shirls. you rock too and together, we will grab all the bulls balls.

2) this morning, i did a 20 minute yoga podcast: intermediate yoga for runners. this one is tough. i can already feel the muscles in my bum asking me why i did this to them. the podcast is actually 26 minutes. the poses are difficult, especially the half moon pose. my hamstrings are so tight and my legs are a lot longer than my arms, and i can't touch the ground with my legs straight. i'm working on it! it was good to try something more difficult - lately i've just been doing the gentle hatha which is very gentle and restorative.

3) i might need a new car. can i afford a new car? of course not but i wouldn't buy a new new car, just a newer old car. and i could pay it in monthly installments. my old car is feeling more and more beat down every day. what do you think of the yaris? isn't it cute?

4) check out this amazing link. it's got side-by-side comparison photos of fast food products - how they look in advertisements (yummy) and how they actually look when you buy them in the restaurant (yucky). definite food for thought.

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.

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.

fantastic friday

i am having a really great friday. i have an interview next week. i have a delicious bowl of steel cut oatmeal in the fridge. i found a dime on the street. can't be beat! and my boyfriend and i are going out for dinner tonight to milestones. it's just a chain but a nice one and we have a gift certificate. we usually eat at home so going out is special.

last night i saw the movie "bride wars" with a few girlfriends and it was really cute. a little cheesy, but i liked it a lot. i am the biggest movie critic and never like anything so that's saying a lot. great fashions! jen, i never would have noticed that purse if you hadn't mentioned it in your blog. i loved the outfit emma was wearing while she had that bag.

my week of proteining it up is OVER (thank god - i don't normally eat that much meat) and i am down 4.8 pounds. can you believe it? i can't. that really works for me. actually it's probably protein 40% no salt 60%. it's so hard for me not to use salt. i used so much mrs. dash it isn't funny. so now i'm back in the middle of my maintenance zone and pretty happy about it. last night i made a batch (4 servings) of steel cut oatmeal. it takes 30 minutes to cook on the stove so making just one serving at a time wouldn't be very time efficient. i'm having a serving for lunch with pumpkin mixed in, sweetened coconut and toasted almonds sprinkled on top, and a scoop of PB2 chocolate. it's a dream come true.

this morning i tried the 20-minute hatha yoga #2 download. it was pretty good. a few different poses, some sort of challenging due to my lack of flexibility. i have trouble arching my back. when i was a kid i practiced every day until i could finally do a standing back arch. now? i would probably wind myself falling flat on my back trying. i love yoga because it really focuses on stretching hamstrings.

fun weekend coming up. dinner tonight, tomorrow possibly some dancing (my favourite thing), and sunday... oh boy... getting together with some girlfriends for a GONE WITH THE WIND movie watching party! hoooooray! we are going to watch half, break for dinner (potluck style) and then keep on watching until our eyes fall out. today is such a great day. oh, and after work i'm going to loblaws to shop for a few things. it's my favourite grocery store and i never get to go there since there is a metro literally a 2-minute walk from my building. loblaws has a great natural foods section, and it's all together unlike metro which puts everything with the like products. for example, organic ketchup with the regular ketchup. organic soups with the regular soup. i want it all together in an organic wonder aisle! not spread out! the end. have a nice weekend.

book talk with yours truly

since i am still reading gone with the wind (it's epic), i don't have too much to say in terms of books. EXCEPT, that gone with the wind is amazing. i think on sunday some of the girls from my book club are getting together to watch the movie. also amazing!

i've been listening to a few good audiobooks lately. the first, which i finished either yesterday or on friday (who can remember these things?), is the third angel, by alice hoffman. this is a story with three separate parts, focusing on different characters who relate to each other in very interesting and unique ways. i didn't really enjoy the first part too much. there was too much, "so and so didn't believe in love" which i think is ridiculous. who are these hard-hearted characters? i don't like them. the second and third parts were so awesome - the author really redeemed herself.

the book i started listening to on friday or yesterday is freakonomics by steven d. levitt and stephen j. dubner. it's very interesting! not your traditional economics book. it's actually about subjects that appeal to your average joette (me), and not just about numbers and money.

last night i rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes, and did some situps. this morning i went for a 40-minute swim and tonight i plan on doing a 20-minute yogadownload, maybe hatha #2, or maybe #1, the same as last time. i have got to mention how sore my muscles are from this yoga. i am loving it! especially the muscles in my back. i love to know that i am working these muscles.

my eating at set times, high-protein diet is going alright. i'm sticking to it at least until friday morning. it's only hard because a) i am a carboholic who eats oatmeal for breakfast AND dinner several times per week and b) i am also a saltaholic and have cut it out cold turkey. just for this week. i can do it. maybe some of food's natural flavour will return to me.

time to get it together

whoops, i forgot to post on friday. i was having lunch with a friend, that must be why i forgot. we went to a restaurant/pub and i ordered a cheeseburger and fries. wooooooo let me tell you how sick i felt ALL afternoon. i mean not good. i used to get this feeling quite regularly - the feeling like you need a bathroom NOW so there better be one in the immediate vicinity feeling - but not for a couple of years since i changed my eating habits. i think it's all of the greasy trans fats. oh trans fats, you taste so good but are bad in every way.

my weekend was good. on friday night it was my boyfriend's bi-monthly music and art showcase. this time can.adian ido.l finalist moo.kie mor.ris was performing and it was really really packed. it was a good night and we went out for last night chinese food with friends after the show. i didn't get to bed until almost 5, and slept in until 1:30... can you believe it? needless to say saturday went by way too fast.

i was feeling a bit chubb all weekend. when my new jeans were a bit tight last week, i knew something was up so i bit the bullet and got on the scale this morning. after the weekend and everything. i was repeating in my head, "please not more than 5 pounds about maintenance, please not more than that" and it wasn't that bad. only about a pound over. but still. in december i was happy at the low end of my range and i can feel the difference in the fit of my clothes and my body confidence.

i have decided to use the same plan of attack that i used at the beginning of december. eating on a schedule (8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm) and sticking to higher-protein options so that i won't feel hungry. this really was effective last time. whatever works! i'm also going to keep exercising and drink more water.

workouts have been pretty awesome. on friday morning and saturday afternoon, i went for 40 minute swims, and then yesterday i did a 20 minute "yoga for runners" download from yogadownload.com. it was really hard and i didn't like it. afterwards i realized that it was an intermediate program, level 3, and since i'm a beginning i should be sticking to level 1s only. i downloaded a few of those and this morning i did the 20 minute gentle hatha #1 download. a lot of the 20 minute downloads are free. i am going to try them out and if i like them, i'll purchase longer versions. one of my main goals is to increase my flexibility, especially hamstrings.

tonight my plans are doing some exercise probably (either biking, swimming, or walking), and watching gossip girl. and reading gone with the wind of course. 800 pages down, 224 to go! ;)

baloney man

last night i went to costco to pick up a few things. a big container of woolite which i haven't been able to find in regular stores lately, a combo pack of larabars, a big box of 100-calorie packs of ritz and cheese nibs, and a box of 12 individual microwave packs of edamame.

i wanted to try the woolite because my clothes are constantly fading and it's driving me crazy. and i kept seeing those television ads with stacy from what not to wear. marketing works on me obviously.

normally i am against 100-cal packs because usually they are grossly overpriced and have no nutrition value whatsoever, but the ritz and cheese nibs called to me. so salty and delicious and sometimes cheesy. how many people do you know that can stop at the suggested serving size of delicious salty ritz? how many crackers is that anyway? three? not enough.

the edamame is such a great idea and very useful. i can bring these packs to work and not worry about having to pre-cook them at home. the only bizarre (and annoying) thing is that each "bowl" is 1.5 servings, and the nutritional information on the box is for 1 serving. outrageous! it's irritating when companies do this. are they just not thinking, or are they trying to make their products seem healthier than they are? like those breakfast cookies at second cup - two servings per cookie. no one eats 1/2 a cookie. also outrageous!

in other news, i recently stumbled across this new funny blog the grandly spectacular and fantastically phenomenal fad diet experiment. this guy is going to spend the next 18 weeks trying 14 different fad diets for one week at a time, with a day off between each diet. it kind of annoys me that he's listed weight watchers as a "fad," but other than that it's very amusing to me and i'm pretty interested to see what happens to him. i'm not too concerned about the danger of this experiment - he's a grown man and can do what he wants!

and finally, this morning i tried the yoga booty ballet series dvd that i took out from the library. this dvd had two discs: goddess booty (25 minutes) and yoga core (30 minutes). the goddess booty workout was tough! my bum was really aching and i had to stop several times. does anyone have an extra pillow for me to sit on? at the beginning of this workout i was not into it, but by the end i came around. the yoga core workout wasn't really for me. i'd say these moves would be very difficult, if not impossible for beginners, and i've had much better core workouts from windsor pilates, and from the carmen electra fit to strip dvd. a few times during this video i felt dizzy and lightheaded... not good. the women in the video are alright, although they are VERY into the meditation-we-are-all-one-with-the-universe mumbo jumbo. sometimes i like it and sometimes it seems like a baloney sandwich.

ahoy matey

i am in a much better mood today. last night i went back to the sewing studio and got caught up. i finished putting in the zipper, and sewed the tops of the shoulders and the sides of the dress together. now i just have to add the sleeves and do the trim (i think). then i cleaned my entire apartment. bathroom, kitchen, dishes, den, living room, vacuuming, laundry, bedroom, on and on and on. i like going into the weekend feeling ready to relax. weekends are for relaxing not cleaning.

i was going to go running again today, because i can't go for my usual saturday long run tomorrow because of the everlasting wedding, but then i remembered yesterday's run and how it wasn't fun (rhyme) and my right shin has been bothering me (maybe a splint) so i thought a couple of days off would be the best medicine. there is no point exercising if you don't enjoy it.

yesterday at the library i was getting the new book club book (valley of the dolls), and i saw a yoga/pilates dvd, so i got that too.


it is power yoga plus by denise austin. i did it this morning and it was alright, except denise austin is kind of annoying. but who isn't at 7am, really. she kept saying weird things like, "show me that happy face and smile"... don't you think that's weird? 1) who is smiling? 2) the lady in the TV can't see me! at least i hope not.

it was 20 minutes of yoga and 20 of pilates. my problem with this type of exercise is that i am not that flexible. i never have been. i can remember being in dance class as a young girl and practicing the splits every day for years before i could actually do them. i can't touch my toes... maybe my legs are long. denise austin's legs looked kind of stubby to me. anyway. it was alright. the pilates was more vigorous than the yoga. some of the balancing yoga moves were difficult but not impossible. denise austin's voice is kind of baby-talky though, and i kept thinking of rude things and grossing myself out. if you know what i mean. i hope you don't.

oh, and happy 4th of july to my american friends. i am going to celebrate by eating a twinkie. just kidding! relax.