Have a heart

Spin and sculpt this morning. Hard but good...I pushed myself. I am sad to learn our instructor is done school in May and won't be teaching anymore after that since her job will start too early. Pity...I liked her. She made it fun without doing the yelling a lot of instructors do. Hopefully they find someone cool to replace her.

I wish I could say I got a lot done last night, but only an hour all told, with lots of procrastinating. Made the mistake of watching TV while eating supper (J worked all night) and then couldn't really get started at anything. I kept seeing things I had to look after around the house and instead of ignoring them I actually tried to tackle a few of them. I did some proofing and a bit of work, but less than I planned. Oh well. It will come. I'll do some more tonight. My goal is to start a new section this weekend...

I have some heart shaped pepperoni to make a pizza with tonight. He hee. I'm not one for Valentine's day...it tends to be pizza and wine and snuggle day for us (which is a lot like other days!). I was talking with a guy who is always on the morning bus and he was saying he thought he'd be sweet this year and surprise his wife with flowers and chocolates...over $150 for Valentines delivery. Yeesh - that's sweet but too much... I'll settle for a heart shaped pizza :)

what was that all about

Well. This weekend I got a LOT done on my thesis. I also had a complete freakout meltdown due to stress on saturday, as well as a large tortellini cheese fest on sunday with a bottle of wine and a good movie (King's Speech). Up. Down. Up. Down. Yup. It's like that...

So, trying to get back on level track today. I came in to workout...not sure what to do so I wandered into the spin class and let the lady kick my ass for 45 minutes. Then I did a few ab things and called it a morning. Hot shower and some granola and I'm in on the scene for work.

I have a few days to proof the first 2 sections of my thesis before I hand them in. I also have a lot of things to work on at my new job. Things to change in how and what I do so that I am feeling better about me and what I'm doing. It's terrifying and exciting at the same time that I have the job I do...I just want to be worthy of it...while writing a thesis...*sigh*. Just have to keep at it. Bit by bit. A good friend's Dad just died and I've been trying to be there for her...it's a lot like when my Mum died so we can talk and she feels like I understand it more. It's been a bit tough for me, but I know it helps her having someone to talk to. She goes back to the UK soon. Shame. I wish she were closer...she's one of those friends I've had forever...it's been nice having her closer...awful reason for it tho. She's doing OK. I'm glad.

Must be off to my new job. Much to do. Coffee to drink. Diseases to cure. You know....same old :)

Have a great day everyone. I'll try to...

Up and at them

This morning I was up and at them like McBain (he hee) and came in for a workout. I did ZWOW #2...I enjoyed it. The manmakers made me feel all grrr and strong :). After that it was an abfest and whatever time was left (~15 minutes) on the bike before a long hot shower. Brilliant. I can haz muscle tone? he hee.

Today I have another awesome day at my new job. This weekend is another few days of attacking my thesis in the hopes of getting the first 2 sections done for my supervisor to proof. Crossing my fingers and toes that it will all go together well. It will be nice to have parts of it completed.

Meep.

Have a great weekend everyone. :)

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Beer and balance

I've been thinking the last few days. I'm trying to get myself back into healthy living and away from holiday munchy slackery of the past bit. Oh I didn't go crazy, but I definitely was indulging more than I should have seeing as I couldn't work out for a chunk of it. I lost some muscle and gained a few, but it was a wakeup call for me to give my head a shake and be more diligent...to choose my indulgences. I need to find balance.

Case in point: I like beer. I really do. I won't have more than one, but I do like a beer or wine with meals if I can swing it...and lately I've swung it a bit more. Last semester I just didn't drink much at all, so it wasn't a problem, but I do love a good ale, and holiday times are prime for me and ale and martinis. (There is a reason I do not have a martini shaker in my house). In meeting with my counsellor I talked about balance and not depriving myself of too much...so I'm trying to figure out how I can have a beer here and there and not screw up my dietary plans too much: and I think, for now, the solution is a beer I saw on Suzi Storms web page - Canadian 67 (I really like her. Normal person who lost weight and lives healthily and still drinks beer. My kinda gal.). I'm not much for light beers (I'm picky) but this is a light beer that tastes nice AND a bottle is 67 calories. That's it. Less than a granola bar. So, I can have a cold one every once in a while and not feel guilty about it. I usually can't have a little of something, so for me this is a compromise. And if I want a nice rich aley beer? Well, I can plan for it and enjoy it. At first I felt silly selecting a beer for it's calories, but I'm beginning to see why a friend of mine who pays great attention to his health only drinks light beer or wine as a rule. Balance. To me, beer is like pie. A treat. And I can't go just having pie 3 or 4 times a week and expect it to not have a caloric effect on me. This is all a part of me trying to settle my life into a "daily" thing...a healthy living and not a diet.

So far so good on this search for balance schtick.

What do you think? Sound sane?

oh my giddy arms

Today I crawled out of bed for spin and sculpt class. Again with the pushups. Owie. I am indeed the amazon.

My knee is just fine this morning, so thankfully my zealous attempt at office bootcamp yesterday did no real harm.

Hate to cut it short, but I must dash. Long day ahead...

Have a fantastic day!

what to do with wednesdays

In my attempt to get more sleep and ease back into the workouts so as not to injure myself, I'm trying ot make wednesday a bit less of a workout day, where I sleep in a bit and go for a brisk walk at lunch. This AM I also popped out of bed a bit early (but still getting 45 minutes more sleep) and did my old but trusty exercise ball DVD and my abfest after, taking just over 20 minutes total. I still plan on a walk at lunch, but this was a nice way to start the day at home. The ball DVD is simple, but a good basic workout, one minute intervals of the following:

-warmup

-squats, with back on the ball

-situps on the ball

-squats, with back on the ball

-situps on the ball

-pushups with feet up on the ball

-back extensions on theball

-pushups pushups with feet up on the ball

-bird dogs extensions with stomach on the ball

-lower ab curls with ball between the knees

-hamstring/butt raises with feet on ball and should

ers/arms on floor

-lower ab curls with ball between the knees

-hamstring/butt raises with feet on ball and shoulders/arms on floor

-thigh squeeze inwards with ball between knees paired with crunches

-chest squeeze in with ball between forearms paired with crunches

-thigh squeeze inwards with ball between knees paired with crunches

-chest squeeze in with ball between forearms paired with crunches

-cooldown

This is the DVD I started doing when I first began my whole fitness thing. Back then I couldn't get through it. This morning...it seemed too easy. Strange how things change :) I wanted to do Josie's home workout at Yum Yucky, but there are a lot of squat jumps on it and I don't know how my knee would like it just yet. I'll try it next week after I give my knees a bit more time to adjust to all this exercise business. I think I will be hunting for new workout DVDs too. It was so nice to workout, then get r

eady at home and cook up a hot bowl of Red River cereal for breakfast. It's supposed to sit after you cook it to soften up, so I poured it straight from the pot into a container and by the time I got to work I added a bit of cream, maple syrup and banana and WOW. So tasty. A friend of mine gave me the Red River cereal (he bought too many) and I thought I'd try it out given my rampant love of oatmeal. My mum used to make cream of wheat for us or Red River for my Dad as an alternative to oatmeal some days when I was little and I don't remember if I liked it or not, but now I sure do! It has a nutty almost crunchy texture to it. My Dad always preferred it to oatmeal, which he felt was too mushy. It's definitely on my list of healthy breakfasts now. High fiber, very tasty and filling. I've been told you know you're getting old when

...:)

I am feeling very good. Yesterday After a meeting I got to go on a tour of the new lab building and see it all. I saw my new office. with a window looking out over the atrium....eeeee! The new lab area is nothing short of amazing too - state of the art. I still pinch myself that I get to work there. Meep!!

Must go. Must be all sciency wiency.

Later taters...

LATER: I did end up doing Josie's workout at lunch...just modified for my damn knee. I've been doing data entry all day and I needed to wake up. It's a bit too cold outside for my asthma, so I did this inside in my current office with the door shut.

4 rounds of:

10 pushups

5 squat jumps + 10 squat kicks (each side)

16 reverse lunges (no extra weight)

then 5X (45 sec of skipping -high knee running hurt my knee right off the bat, so I switched) + 15 sec marching)

Whew - got me breathing hard and then off to lunch in under 15 minutes feeling great! I think I will leave the squat jumps to 5 or less. My knee isn't complaining...yet. I'll know in an hour or so just how it liked it...I'm liking this lunch activity on wednesdays...

LATER LATER: hmm..a definite piss off from the knee. heh. Note to self - no matter how strong you THINK you are, don't do squat jumps or high knee runs. Hopefully I haven't done anything too detrimental...oops

early night

Last night I was ever so cool and went to bed at 915 after dying my hair. Yes...it's a real exciting life here! I loved it, I must say. I so seldom get an evening to just do a few things for myself and sleep in. Just took some time to relax, snuggle with my J and read a bit and fall asleep blissfully early. It was lovely. I feel completely rested (and I look great) :)

This morning I came in for spin and sculpt class. It was a lot of fun. New routine for february, with lots of squats and pushups (60...ergh...I admit I did some on my knees) and planks. I feel very good. I can tell how much strength I've lost taking all that time off in Dec and Jan, but I'll build it back. Right now I'm making up for what I don't have in strength with stubbornness :)

I am very excited - I'm wearing my spanking new work boots today - I get to go on site and see the new labs this afternoon. My labs! Meep. They'll be done in a few months...I'm very excited.

Gratefulness in Motion

Had a nice weekend. I got a lot of work done on my thesis. Well, OK, all I really did this weekend was work on my thesis, but I really feel like I'm sinking my teeth into it and getting somewhere...slowly but surely. We had a family meal last night where I totally indulged on chicken balls and trifle (My mum in law makes the best trifle on earth), but it was a good healthy weekend otherwise. I even discovered a new healthy awesome breakfast we tried out sunday morning - shakshuka -an Isreali dish of peppery tomato sauce with eggs poached in it. I cut back the oil a bit but other than that it was quite authentic...and it was awesome. I'm determined to make two new healthy recipes a month. So far I'm two for two with tasty ones. :)

Today I came in to workout. It was a bit slack and unplanned, but I got it done...step ups, deadlifts, walking lunges, bent rows and t arm raises with my abfest and some HIIT biking. Woke me up and got me ready for today. I'm just glad to be able to do all these things. I've been quite grateful for what I can do now: I spent some time talking with a friend yesterday whose Dad just died after a long battle with cancer and my Uncle Larry is recovering very slowly from some horrible injuries due to a head on collision accident. I don't want to take my health for granted. It's not so much about competing with myself anymore...I feel obligated almost to move and do for those who can't. Life is too short :)

Have a wonderful day everyone.

ZWOD 1

I feel like a zillion pesos.

This morning I dragged my tired butt out of bed to come in to workout.

I was determined to make it good. I did ZWOD 1 and pushed myself:

10 divebomber pushups

5 burpees

squats with side leg lifts (20 each side)

5 burpees

side plank lifts (10 each side)

5 burpees

pistol squats/bulgarian squats (10 each leg)

5 burpees.

Repeat 2 more times

I forgot to time myself, but it took roughly 25 minutes. I didn't think it would be so hard, but it was. I really couldn't have done anymore strenuous stuff afterwards...

The workout had pistol squat sits in them and I couldn't do as many reps as called for (I tried, supported by a bench) because I'm just not strong enough but I tried as many as I could (my best number was 5 per side) and then made up for a lack of them by doing 10 one legged bulgarian squats after in each set instead. I have found a new challenge for myself: to be able to do 10 pistol squats unassisted by the end of the year. Not unreasonable I don't think.

After that I rode the bike for 20 minutes to cool down and burn off a bit of steam, did a few ab things and headed to the showers. Some overnight chia oats and I'm here at work ready to go.

I find it odd that my knee is just back to normal. I'm keeping an eye on my form and trying my best, but it seems to be OK now. I'm trying to work out how to have exercise in my life in a practical way...I am really thinking to make wednesday an active rest day with a long brisk walk in it like I did yesterday. As tired as I get working out in the AM, there really is no better time for it for me. It's interesting trying to vary things up tho. I know this AM was interesting trying something new. It was fun :)

And I am totally blown away and very proud that I could do divebomber pushups - 30 of them! I think they are really cool looking and a year ago I tried one and couldn't even do ONE. Now? I can do 30!

THAT is all kinds of awesome :)

In the middle of the night...

Last night after J got home form work we stayed up and talked for an hour or so. It was really nice. Sometimes we have our best conversations at 2 AM :). Usually I don't wake up when he gets home so late, but last night I think I just needed to talk. So, needless to say I didn't get up at 5:15 to workout. I think I'll go for a nice brisk walk on my lunch or do a ZWOD today. The step and core class has left me with new interesting aches to replace the ones I had yesterday. I may even make it an active rest day. I feel good...

We'll see. :)

LATER: changed and went for a 30 minute power walk at lunch. It was what I needed.

It's so nice out right now. Think I'll have to do this at least once a week.

Feel much better...more alert.

Well...I should get back to work.

Later taters...