Brrrrrr!

Its a frigid one here in Ottawa today, especially since yesterday was +6!!

I went out on a date last night with my friend Charlene. We went for thai, then to the movies. It wasn't a distrastrous evening on the points-o-meter. I went spinning before to earn a few extra and kept the thai to just veggies and meat. We stopped to get a coffee and I had a timbit to go along with my coffee (1/2 milk, 1 splenda) We saw He's Just Not That Into you, and I can say I just wasn't into the movie! It had a fantastic cast, so the expectations were high. The end result was disappointment, and a wee bit of depression. I was sure to come home and reaffirm my love for my husband... I'm very lucky that he is into me! :)

On the topic of spinning, last evening was AWESOME. Confession: I only attend the classes taught by Mr. Hardbody. Last night, there was a sub. She totally rocked the class, but using a lot of visuals. For example: "In this track, your goal is to pass 5 riders. There he is, pick up the speed, increase your tension... etc etc etc" It got me totally into it! Mr. Hardcody has a different style of teaching, plus he's easy on the eyes!

I was up bright and early this morning, despite a late night. I finally had time to install the Garmin software on my computer. I'm sooo excited about all the new features! My rookie question: Can you have 10:1's running at the same time as course that you uploaded from www.mapmyrun.com?

Following my geeky moments/software installation, I headed to Goodlife for an early AM workout. I've been noticing that Body Pump isn't really working for me of late. I'm rarely sore, even after increasing my weights quite significantly. That being said, an effort is being made to incorporate other types of weight training. Today was the day of the 20 Min Fit Fix Circuit. I did the circuit 3 times, going relatively easy on the legs as tomorrow is LSD day. Following the circuit was good old Body Attack. There were some minor wardrobe malfunctions in the form of my pants which falling down, but other then that it was a GREAT workout.

Breakfast this morning consisted of: 1 navel orange, 1 Blue Menu Bagel toasted with PB. I'm still feeling a wee bit hungry though, so I may have a piece of cheese avec une pomme!

We're heading to my hometown today to pick up Andrew's car which has been at the garage for the last 2 weeks. We have a reliable (read: cheaper) mechanic there, so we prefer to go make the trek out there to save some $$$. His final bill was $900... I cannot imagine what it would have cost if it were at a Nissan dealership in the city!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Pampered Chef, I love thee!

My boss had a Pampered Chef party, so I put in an order. I ordered an Olive Oil Infuser, some Rosemary rub, and the highlight being Sweet Caramel Sprinkle.

Last night I made a chicken breast topped with the Rosemary rub in my steamer. It was moist and delicious. The rosemary flavour goes so nicely with chicken. YUM. I had some roasted asparagus and quinoa topped with almonds along with it.
For desert I sliced up some mango and banana and topped it with the caramel sprinkles. Best part: Its only 15 cals per tsp. Its sooo good. I can see this becoming a staple in my diet. Especially with the lack of chocolate for the next 40 days.

Tonight I made honey mustard salmon, shrimp, roasted sweet taters and a side of mixed veggies. I topped the sweet taters with the caramel sprinkles also which totally enhanced the flavour!

I had a great workout this evening after work. I did 15 mins upper body, 15 mins abs on the bosu and then Body Attack class.

I'm feeling pretty frustrated of late. I know I deserved to gain this week, but frig, what gives? Can I not enjoy a weekend without the scale jumping up HUGE amounts? I'm over it. Its incentive to stay completely on track this weekend. No excuses.

Have a great evening. I'm going to watch some Dexter. I always have the weirdest dreams ever after watching it... same type of dreams after watching 24. Mmmm. Jack Bauer. Thats one show I will never tire of!

I think

... I'm done with Lost.

Its actually causing me pain to sit and watch. Going to bed early instead.

I'm alive!

First of all, thank you all for your concern. I am alive!

This is what a hungover runner looks like. I survived my LSD, but it probably ranked up there with one of my worst runs ever. It snowed in our faces pretty much the entire time. Horrible. I did have to sport my Habs touque though after they destroyed the Sens on Saturday!

I ended up procuring a new Garmin 205. I used it for running tonight and last night, both 4k routes. I'm excited to upload the software and start playing with it. I've been sooo busy of late I haven't had much time to myself.

I have to announce a few things.

1) I gained 3 lbs this week. Understandable since I likely drank 10lbs in wine this weekend, so 3 lbs isn' that bad really.

2) I'm giving up chocolate for lent. Yep. You heard it. This will be a hell of a challenge.

3) I'm a quasi red head. Got my hair done last night. I'm liking it!


I have lots more to say... but I must eat now.I'm starving. I may post a pic of my meal later, because its gonna be a good one!

A la prochaine!

Post Birthday Celebrations

Its currently 7:38am. I drank 2 bottles of red wine last night. I'm due at the Running Room for 8:30 for a LSD.

We all know the consequences of too much red wine. Me = not in a good state.

If I survive, I'll report back later.

28

Is how old I am today. That almost sounds grown up eh?

Not as old as 31, and thats what hubby turned yesterday! :)

Started my 28th year out right by hitting the gym bright and early for Step and Pump. What a sweaty combination. Out of all the classes I do, I sweat the most at step for some odd reason. In terms of volume, think buckets. Its quite gross, but it feels good!

I have to procure a new Garmin today. Mine has sadly come to the end of its life. It freezes at 48 seconds... normally I would likely just rely on a watch, but because I'm a stupid group leader others rely on my pace. The group that I'm leading is slower then I'm used to, to I rely on Mr. Garmin to keep the troops at the right pace. (Side note: Green Eyes by Coldplay just come on my play list... love this song, haven't heard it in forever!) The new version of the Garmin seems a little too frilly for my needs. I think I've settled on the Garmin 205. Runners, any feedback?

Tonight, we're going to Casa Grecque for supper with a bunch of friends. I'm actually quite excited. I've never been before, but you can bring your own wine. How bad can it be? :)

Here's to a great 28th year! I have a feeling it won't be so bad.

Lazy

What a crazy day in Ottawa! With the arrival of Mr. Obama the whole city was buzzing. Most of the streets in the downtown were closed, there were snipers on roofs, and traffic was absolutely crazy! I couldn't go to my gym of choice, because then police were blocking EVERY entrance to the mall where Goodlife is. I ended up going to a different location, and having a great workout anyways... but I walked like 10 kilometres just trying to get to the gym!

I must say though, it was a great day to live in our Nations Capital. The Parliament buildings were lit up beautifully tonight... makes me a little nostalgic!

Andrew is gone to the hockey game tonight, so I'm hanging out solo. I had to go to the grocery store to pick up some essentials, and bought a pre-cooked chicken. I whipped up a huge bowl of my latest salad obsession, and cooked some quinoa.

I ate the chicken first, and decided to add the warm quinoa to the salad. The warm/cold combo was delicious as it made the goat cheese melt a little and marry everything together. Sooo tasty!

I have a challenging weekend ahead of me. Andrew's birthday is tomorrow, and mine is Saturday. I sense cake and bad eating ahead of me.

Must..... stay........ strong!

Seriously

...I have a food addiction.

Why do I sabotage myself?

I had a good week, I lost a little, I ran for an hour, had a good healthy supper.

Then I ate: A piece of a toblerone, like 10 marshmellows, a 100 calorie bar and 2 effing diet pepsis.

I do eeeevil things when I'm home alone.

WI

Down 0.2 lbs. I'll take it!

I had a hard time getting out of the office today to make run club. I ran for an hour when I got home with Jersey. My friggin' Garmin is dead, so I timed my run with my playlist. Lame, but it worked!

In my element

I had my running clinic tonight... which is located very close to my office. Rather then going home afterward, I killed time by going spinning. Had a great, yet sweaty, workout.

Fast forward to my running clinic. My super fit spinning instructor is a member of the clinic I'm leading... and she's in my pace group. I was somewhat intimidated when I saw that she was in my group.. thinking why is that super fit skinny mini in MY group? I later found out its her first half clinic. She actually struggled throughout the entire 4k.

Its interesting to think that an hour prior she was kicking my ass at spinning. I was the one totally struggling and sweating my butt of quite literally.

Just goes to show how everyone has 'their element' when it comes to fitness!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy!!

My supper tonight consisted of: Pickerel fillet breaded with saltines, mashed taters, mixed veggies and a EVOO/Balsamic salad. Salad ingredients: Tomato, cucs, red onion, chick peas and goat cheese, basil and oregano. AMAZING flavour. The longer it sits, the better it tastes!

I slept funny last night, and as a result I have a pretty sore back/neck. Because of crappy Family Day there were no classes at the gym today, so I decided to take the day off. I did take an hour long walk with Jersey though.

My brother leaves for LA tomorrow.... he'll be spending the next 6 months at sea teaching golf lessons on a cruise ship. I'm super envious but at the same time super worried about him. This will be good for him though. He's had a rough go of late so this is kind of a fresh start for him.

Nothing else to report really. I am le tired, gonna relax on the couch and avoid stuffing my face.

Why I felt amazing here:

I saw this post over on Andrew's blog today and loved the idea. While I'm not all about contests and such... I thought I'd post my own picture, and tell you all about why I felt so amazing.

This picture was taken a loooong time ago when Andrew and I first started dating. Prior to Andrew, I was sort of a serial dater... but I think it was mainly because I suffered from low self esteem. When things went sour, I tended to think it was because men thought I was fat... which is interesting because back then I was at my skinniest EVER.

When I met Andrew, he made me feel like a million bucks. He made me laugh, he wanted to show me off to his friends, he held my hand in public... more importantly he made me feel pretty and desired.

I remember this night pretty vividly. I remember wanting to take this picture so I could post it in my MSN profile to show him off to all my friends. Lame? Probably. But for me this is HUGE.

I suppose this is the night I realized I had met the love of my life. The man I am proud and honored to call my husband. A lot has changed since that night, but my love for him has intensified more then I could have ever imagined.

I am the luckiest girl ever. Love you baby! xoox

Photo Dump

Its a beeeeeeeeautiful sunny day in Ottawa today. I ran 8k with my crew this morning. Everyone stayed on pace and we had a great time. Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought. All the girls are super down to earth and chatty which makes the time FLY by.

Valentine's Day was a success. Best part of all, Andrew didn't buy me chocolate! Woo hoo. I was rather spoiled with a plethora of Body Shop products which I looove. I had a bath with mango bubbles after running today... and moisturized with mango cream afterwards. I smell great!

Andrew is away on a boys day today, so I'm just gonna lay low. I may head to Body Pump later on. We shall see.

I was quasi lazy this week with posting pictures this week. Here a selection:

Valentines Day chocolate fondue. Deeeelicious. Banana, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, orange and marshmellows. Fondue was melted fake toblerone thinned with a little skim milk. Chocolate oats after my run today. SOO good. This bowl cosisted of: 1/3 cup oats, 2/3 cups chocolate Almond Breeze, 1/4 cup wheat berries, 1/2 banana, blackberries, a Lindor chocolate heart on top and a scoop of PB. A little high on the points side, but whatever. It was a combo of breakfast AND lunch.

Supper from earlier this week. Turkey burgers with balsamic glaze and goat cheese, roasted asparagus and baked yams.

A picture of the Mac'n'Cheese with Cauliflower I made last week.

My sleeping beauty Jersey. We had a really great week with her. She's starting to become more of a dog rather then a crazy hyper active puppy. Seems as though all of our training is starting to pay off!

THAT was enough!

My workout today:

Body Pump
Step
40 min walk with Jersey.

Woo hoo!

Happy Hearts to all! :) *puke gag barf*

Not enough?

I have a bit of an addictive personality. Of late, I've been pretty focussed (more then usual) on healthy eating and exercise.

I didn't make it to the gym tonight. What I did was run for 20 mins, do 20 mins of Turbo Jam and Level 1 of Shred. Why do I feel like thats not enough?

WI

Down 0.8lbs this week. I'll take it! Not a huge loss, but I was down 2.0 last week so I'll hope for a big loss again next week!

I'm on training for the rest of the week. Its super dull and boring. Worst part is, it takes me verrrry far away from my gym making after work workouts non-existent. Today worked out ok though. I had run club at 6:00 which was an easy peasy 3k so I went to step class afterwards and worked up a good sweat.

In other exciting news, I finally found WHEAT BERRIES!! They were at the Bulk Barn all along disguised under the name Hard Wheat Kernels. Christy, are you reading this?!

True Story

Yesterday I go into the Running Room at lunch to buy a sports bra. (I forgot mine at home, and didn't want to miss my workout)

I left the Running Room 10 mins later with a sports bra AND a group leader status. Looks like I'll be running the half afterall.

Tonight was the first run. 4k steady. My group wanted to be speed demons. I'm kind of the mean group leader in the sense that I run at the proper pace. If you want to follow the program and the pace you run with me, if you don't, I don't really give a shit. Bad attitude? Probably, but I'm not going to jump through hoops to keep everyone happy.

I had time to kill before the run, so I hit up step class. It was great. Sweaty and disgusting. But great.

I have WI tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Workout Rant

/begin rant.

All day I looked forward to my workout.

Body Pump was a good workout, but I hate this release. The instructor said this was the last week of this release, so next week should be better.

Body Attack on the other hand was PACKED. This is a class where you need to be able to move, and tonight this was not possible. Sooo irritating. The worst part are the space vultures. I was packing up my stuff from Pump, and by the time I got back to my step people were swarming in on my space. I informed said space vultures that I was staying for Attack..but they didn't seem to care.

Maybe I should stick to spinning. At least there won't be anyone in my space.

/end rant.

Recipe Review: Macoroni and Cheese with Cauliflower

I noticed this recipe on Carrots'n'Cake and I made it this weekend. Its from Real Simple.

It was good, but I think it would have been better without baking it. I tend to prefer creamy macoroni as opposed to dry and baked.

I re-heated some leftovers on the stove tonight and added some more milk, sour cream and a bit more grated old cheddar to juice it up.

Final thoughts: It was good, but I'd tweak it some more if I were to make it again
______________________________________________

Cooking with extra-sharp Cheddar lets you use less cheese without giving up flavor. Tender cauliflower adds fiber and vitamin C.

12 ounces multigrain elbow macaroni
1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
4 slices multigrain bread, torn
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and pepper 1 onion, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup 1 percent milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 400° F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time; drain.

Meanwhile, pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the parsley, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and pulse to combine; set aside.

Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, just until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Mix in the pasta, cauliflower, cheese, sour cream, milk, and mustard.Transfer to a shallow 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

its a beautiful day in the neighborhood

I asked myself the following questions this morning at 7:00am:

1) Do I go to run club at 8:30?
2) Should I just run here?
3) Can I just go back to sleep?

After reading Jeff's blog this morning, I decided to bite the bullet and run in my neighborhood. My Dad always bugs me that I drive places to go running, and sometimes I think he might have a point!

I decided to bring you all along with me today, so you could see my 'hood.

This is what the thermometer on my back door told me before I left

Odd thing is, I didn't realize until I uploaded it that it said -2.0, not -20... hence why I dress like this.
This is my humble abode.

This happens a lot when we run... she enjoys rolling in the snow a little tooooo much!

One of the main streets near my house. Lotsa snow eh?

My subdivision

Another main'ish street outside of my subdivision.

Almost home. This is the park beside my house. My house is the first one on the left. My bestest training buddy ever. She never lets me down!

My post run/sweaty shot.

What I learned today:
1) It was enjoyable to run sans a big group of people. I hate it when running has rules.
2) I missed having a group of people to distract me from the fact that I am running.
3) Put on my glasses before I look at the thermometer. I was waaaaay overdressed.
4) My dog is pretty awesome.
5) I live in rural suburbia and that my pictures do NOT do it justice. Its not as bad as it looks.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

En francais

Since joining Goodlife in November, I haven't really be frequenting my home gym very often. Goodlife is super close to my office, so I tend to go directly after work. I have 2 memberships because I have dirt cheap rates on both, so I chose to have 2!

Its the opening weekend of Winterlude, and its beautiful outside. How does this relate to my workout? Well, parking would be a nightmare if I were to go downtown. I opted to go to Nautilus Plus this morning to save myself the trouble of looking for a spot. I did a 45 min upper body workout, followed by Cardio-Kick Boxing en francais. It had been a while since I've been to a class in French, so I really had to pay attention! :) All in all, it was a good workout!

Which leads me to tomorrow.... running. I'm kinda losing my running mojo of late. With the National Captital Race Weekend rapidly approaching I need to make a decision if I'm going to run the half this year or not. This race disappoints me over and over. I always go in with high hopes, only to fail in the end. Why you ask? The effing weather. It ALLLLLWAYS seems to be the first scorching weekend of the year. It dosn't help that I know the route like the back of my hand either. I had thoughts of running Missisauga which is also around the same time... and the best part about that race? Its pretty much all downhill! I'm just torn. Lately it seems like I'm running because I feel like I HAVE to.. not because I love it.

Another thing: I'm not really loving my local Running Room these days either. There is another one relatively close where my gf is training out of... but it would mean going out of my way.

I guess I just need to buck up and make some decisions eh?

In prep mode

Dinner is currently in the works courtesy of my husband whilst I blog.

On the menu: Grilled cheese, ceasar salad and a healthified version of Campbells Sausage Gumbo Soup. I added some steamed zuchinni for extra veggies and a 1/2 cup of skim milk to get some dairy.

Tonight's workout was faaaaaantastic. I've fallen in love with the spinning instuctor on Friday nights. He's intense, but fun and has a beeeeeautiful body. I was taking a glance around the room at all the hardcore spinners. They all have beeeeeeeautiful bodies too. Makes a girl think there are some definite benefits to spinning!

FYI: My definition of a 'hardcore spinner' = the ones with the clippy shoes and padded shorts.

Following spinning I zumba'ed it up a notch. Slowly but surely, I'm learning to move like a girl.

Happy Friday to all!

This post is brought to you by:

I'm currently sitting on the couch with this cutie pie gazing affectionatley in my direction. I can't seem to come up with a creative title tonight. This post is brought to you by my adorable, fun, people loving golden retriever Jersey.

Seriously, how cute us she?

Today was a pretty stellar day. Being off sick for 2 days certainly made it a busy day in procurement land. I stayed completely OP and worked my little heart out.

I didn't feel like waiting around until 5pm for step class so I ran for 45 mins on the treadmill immediately after work. Felt great to get a good sweat on again.

My brother came over for dinner today. I was planning on cooking, but after a busy day at work and a good workout I didn't feel like making anything. We ended up going out for dinner, but I kept it point friendly. I had had the equivalent of a Swiss Chalet quarter chicken dinner.

Anyhoo... I feel like I'm boring myself right now, so I can imagine how you're all feeling reading my nonsense, so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Until tomorrow bloggies!

Apparently I can't add

I've actually lost 6.8lbs.

WI: The Sick Edition

-2.0lbs!

Wooohoooo!

Thats a total of 5lbs since my most recent recommitment. :)

Question

To exercise or not to exercise?

I'm feeling better today.

But nothing is really solid yet. (catch my drift)

And my back is still kinda achey.

Should I exercise today?

Sicky McSickerton

I don't know what's happened to my body in the last 24 hours. I was feeling pretty crappy last night, so I went to bed at around 8pm. I had the chills and the sweats all night long.

I woke up today at 2:00pm and had an orange and an apple. Watched some more Dexter. Went back to sleep at around 4:00pm and just got up now. Its 7:15pm!

I'm achey. I threw up twice. And everything that has made its way out has been liquid. Too much info likely, but whatever, its my blog.

I'm going to have some gingerale and OJ and go back to bed. I feel like shit.

Random thoughts

• Superbowl was quite entertaining. Did you know that a single mozza stick is 5 friggin points? I learned that the hard way when I looked up the NI this morning. I ate 4 of them.
• I am beyond exhaustion today.
• I did a killer workout today with my new workout buddies Lisa and Sarah. We did Pump and Combat.
• I have zero appetite tonight. I think I'll have cereal for supper.
• My abs are ON FIRE from my Bosu workout yesterday. Note to self: Bosu DOES really work.
• On a side note, I made a challenge with my old roomie that by March 11th I'll lose a pound each week... thats 6 lbs. I can do it. She's on operation 'wedding dress' so a little friendly competition will never hurt anyone!! :)
• I stayed 100% OP today. I'm somewhat parched though, so I need to chug some more water.
• I'm going to watch Dexter now with my husband. I love him. I really do.

Hard and Fast

...is how I would describe my workout today in 2 words or less.

My treadmill work-out looked like this:

Part One
1 min running hard
1 min walking
2 mins running hard
1 min walking
3 mins running hard
1 min walking
4 mins running hard
1 min walking hard
5 mins runnung hard

Part Two
5 sets of 1 min SPRINTS + 1 min walking intervals

Part Three
3 sets of 1:30 walking + 30 seconds giving it my ALL

After my sweat-fest on the treadmill I decided to get intimate in the BOSU ball. I did 3 sets (15 reps each set) of each of the following: Back Extensions, V Sits, Mountain Climbers, Sit and Jump, Back/Forward Lunges, Squat and jump, and planks. It was tough, and the leg stuff really kept my heart rate HIGH! Especially what I call the "Sit and Jump" where you sit on the Bosu, stand and then JUMP! Its a great (read: BRUTAL) exercise.

Following my workout, we took Jersey to the park where she became a greedy little girl and actually quasi attacked another dog. I was shocked and appauled by her behaviour. I've never seen her act this way EVER. Needless to say, our visit to the park was cut short so Andrew dropped us off pretty far from home so we walked the 30 mins home. I don't know what got into her. Maybe dogs have bad days too?