Sunday, June 23, 2013

planning (and running) ahead

It's been a little while since my last post and I have two exciting races to share with you!

I have signed up for the Epic Canadian 5km run next weekend in Dartmouth, NS. The race takes place around Lake Banook which is beautiful! There is a nice path around most of the lake and I've always wanted to run along it! There is a 10k option; however it's the loop twice. BORING! I hate doing the same loop again, so I opted for the 5k. I'm running it along with my sister Nikki, and her husband is running the 10k. The race starts at 8am which is fairly early, but I feel it's necessary at this time of the year. This morning it was sunny and hot by 10am, so it's nice to finish early in the day. They have contests for people wearing Canadian themed costumes. Not sure if I'll dress up but I'll definitely add some Canadian flare to my outfit!

The other race I've signed up for recently is the Run or Dye color run on Sept. 28th. I've seen pictures of other runners taking part in a color run and I'm super excited to check it out! It's a 5km run that isn't timed, and takes place at Ski Martock. Although I usually like to monitor my times and progress, it will be a nice change to relax and take in the event. A few of my friends have signed up so it should be a fun time!

I learned about another 5k taking place on Sept. 28th called Zombie Trail Run AND it sounds awesome! You are given three "health" flags at the beginning of the race which you wear on a belt. As you run there are different areas where zombies and creatures will try to 'attack' you and steal your flags. On the website it says that most of the them are slow moving but some are quicker or will just stand in your way to make you go around them. There are also a few obstacles on the course like a hay maze or tire ladder to step through.

I was hoping I'd be able to participate in both runs as Run or Dye  is at 9am and the Zombie Trail Run is at 11am but I think they are too far away from each other to comfortably do both. Too bad!

Would you choose a color run or a zombie run?!




Sunday, June 9, 2013

Beresford 10km road race



Weather on route to the start
 
It was a wet, raining, grey Saturday morning. I woke up, dragged myself out of bed and headed to the kitchen. I was surprised at the amount of sleep I was able to get the night before. 'Am I really running another 10km today?' I think to myself as I weigh out the options for breakfast. I could be brave like my sister and opt for pancakes, or stick with something I am more familiar with. In my normal fashion, I play it safe and end up eating an English muffin with peanut butter.

Unpredictable weather meant lots of consideration on what to wear. Ended up with capris, long sleeve, hat and a headband. I felt good, ready to go. Driving to the start point was filled with fun music and an anticipation for what was ahead. The race started later than most, at 11am. Thankfully the clouds covered the sun and prevented it from getting too hot.

Gathered with the other 280 runners (of the 400 or so that were registered) under a white tent, trying to avoid the rain for as long as possible. Eventually the crowd started moving forward towards the road, it was time. And just like that we were off. I decided to move to the middle of the pack for fear of being the very last person. I was running ahead of my sister Nikki, her friend Miranda and my dad. After about one song, I see a race marker in the distance. Is this 2km? 3km? Wow that flew by!! As I approach the sign I am disappointed. 1 kilometre. How is this possible? I must have gone farther than that by now. Regardless, I push on. 2 kilometres, 3 kilometres, 4...  I feel like my running partners are right behind me but don't want to turn around to check. Must keep going forward. Rain is pounding down on me but I am warm. Rain on my face is actually a relief and I try to catch a few precious drops in my mouth as I saunter along. I jump over and around puddles. I feel like a trooper. 'I'm sure no one else has ever run in the rain like this before! I am a pioneer. A real go getter.' I run out of music around 8km. I sigh and stop as I frantically try to remove my iPod from my makeshift rain proof plastic flyer bag protection. Press play. And then I'm off again. Pick it up with 500 metres left. Turn one corner, turn another. See the finish line. Hear people cheering. Run, run, run. And it's over. Another race is over. I watch others cross the finish line and cheer them on. Back at home, I peel off layers and have a long hot bath, and think about the next one.

Miranda (pushing baby Sahen!) and Nikki finishing
Time: 1:08:11


Dad finishing
Time: 1:09:01
 
Me after the race with my favorite post race drink, chocolate milk
Time: 1:05:03
 

Thursday, May 30, 2013

sick, again

I'm sick again. I've been in bed for the last three days feeling pretty horrible. I think today might be the last day though as I've finally managed to force myself to eat something! Also starting to feel like I'm getting some energy back.

Needless to say I'm not feeling very prepared for the 10k I have to do in about a week. It's supposed to be a flat, easy course which is reassuring. My plan is to update my playlist and just go for it. I wanted to have more of a goal in mind for finishing time but after being sick this week I'm just going to do it and hope for the best!


How do you recover after being sick?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

I asked...

and he said yes!! My boyfriend Jamie agreed to go running with my tonight! Miracle! I have asked him to go running with me a lot lately. Most of the time it isn't a serious request as I know the answer will be 'no'. So, I usually ask in a half-joking way, hoping to be surprised. And today I was!

We ended up running 4.5km which went by pretty quickly. I am super happy he decided to come along with me because I was doing the after work running dance... I keep saying to myself how much I want to go for a run, but I know inside I would much rather put on my pj pants and laze around. Without Jamie by my side I definitely would have settled for the latter.

Jamie and I with our post run glow on 

It was pretty chilly out so I wore my winter running capris, long sleeved shirt and tshirt (dry fit), and my race buff from the Valley Harvest Marathon. I often get what I call ear headaches when I run when it's windy so I had to make sure to cover up my ears! I also wore gloves that I ended up taking off half way through. As a side the Valley Harvest Marathon is giving out running jackets inside of shirts this year! Can't wait!! Definitely signing up again this year. It's awesome to run a race the morning before Thanksgiving dinner with your family. 

My post race meal tonight consisted of half a chicken breast and quinoa over baby spinach. I also put a few pieces of harvarti cheese on top. I love spinach but have been thinking that I should expand my greens and maybe try kale. Do you eat kale? How do you prepare it? I usually just eat spinach raw because I'm not a fan of it cooked.



As I mentioned in a post a little while ago I thought I would give coconut water a try due to it's recent popularity. And I just have to say... yuck. I took one sip and honestly thought it had gone bad, which I'm not even sure is possible. So I tried a few more sips and ended up pouring it out. Maybe I chose the wrong kind? Maybe it really had gone bad? Or maybe it's just not for me. Regardless I prefer regular (free) water and won't be spending $2 on coconut water again!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Bluenose 10k review

Well, I did it! I completed the 10km race in the Bluenose for the first time!

Surprisingly, I fell asleep pretty easily on Saturday night. I don't really have much of a pre-race routine. Just tried to drink some water and go to bed at a decent time. Laid out what I needed in the morning as I didn't want to have to wake up super early. I then woke up at 2:45am (probably because of the water I drank...) and then was up for about 45 minutes with pre-race jitters. Annoying, but not really unexpected.

I woke up at 6:45am, as my sister was picking me up around 7:15am. Her mother in law and sister in law were walking the 5k, so we needed to be there for their 8:10am start time. As a pre-race breakfast I had an english muffin with peanut butter. Managed to eat the whole thing! We dropped them off at the start and then went to warm up. My parents ended up staying at Cambridge Inn which was basically AT the start line. It was perfect! I was able to dump my warm clothes there, warm up inside, use the bathroom (crucial) and relax for a bit before our 9am start time. I was running with my sister Nikki, her husband Ray and my dad. Nikki and I had planned before hand to stick together, whereas the guys went their own pace.

The race was definitely worth any pre race anxiety I felt. It's just amazing to see thousands of runners and walkers. Everyone was having fun and there was so much energy. I think my favorite part of the race was going along Agricola St. It was at the beginning of the race, I was starting to warm up and feeling really good, lots of people out to watch us go by. It really made me feel like a superstar!

I felt good during most of the race. I was a little unsure of what to wear because of the weather, but decided on shorts with my knee high socks, the race tshirt with a long sleeve over it. I had cheapo gloves that I lost after the first 2km or so as my hands were warm enough. I managed to run up all of the hills and only had a few short walk breaks just to stretch out my quads and to readjust my hair (note to self: buy new hair elastics that have some elastic left in them!). The first half of the race was definitely faster than the second, as I felt myself slowing down upon going back over the bridge to Halifax. I think what did it was the incline on the bridge followed by the incline up North to Gottingen, brutal! But I managed to hang on. Unfortunately I did get a side stitch during the last km of the race which is the worst!! I was kind of bummed about that because I can usually pick up my pace at the end and finish strong but I didn't feel up to it during this race.

I managed to finish with a time of 1:06:25. Not my fastest 10k, but I'm happy with the time considering the amount of training I did.

I thought the volunteers and organizers of the event did a fabulous job. I really can't comprehend how they pull off something of this magnitude. I think they will have to consider changing things next year if they expect this many participants again. Trying to get food and something to drink was almost impossible due to the sheer amount of people. Maybe different waves of start times to avoid a huge rush following the race?

Anyway, a few pictures of the event (click to enlarge):

Nikki and I coming up to the finish

Dad, me, Nikki, Ray, his mom and his sister

Dad & daughters

Silly posing to celebrate our accomplishment!

Next up for me is another 10k in Beresford, NB on June 8th. Only two weeks away! ACK!





Monday, May 13, 2013

less than a week!

Well it's less than a week until I run 10km in the Bluenose Marathon here in Halifax. Looking forward to it!! It's definitely one of the best runs I participated in last year. Just so much energy and so many people! This evening I ran this route with my running team; my sister Nikki and my brother in law Ray. If you are familiar with Halifax then you know this run incorporated A LOT of hills. Although my legs were feeling pretty heavy near the end it made me feel confident about next weekend! And it gave me the chance to try out my new running sneakers!



The model is Saucony Kinvara 4s and I love them!! I purchased them in Maine while there for my graduation ceremony. They are very light weight but it still feels like you're wearing a sneaker. I'm not a fan of the shoes that are so light weight that you can't even tell your sneakers are there... I think if I purchased those I'd end up leaving the house without any shoes on at all and not even realize! Speaking of which, Nikki and Ray saw a man running COMPLETELY barefoot earlier today. In my eyes that is INSANE but hey, whatever you want to do!

I'm super excited to wear my new shoes next weekend at the Bluenose along with my new Reebok running socks:


Needless to say it will be a colorful event! I also managed to get some cute new exercise capris! Love the ruching on the sides!


I picked up a few other treats at the grocery store:


Let me tell you, this peanut butter is DEADLY!! It basically tastes like a peanut butter cup. It is going to take all of my will power not to eat the entire jar this week. No promises that I won't! So good. I'm not really sure what to eat it with... so far I have opted for directly out of the jar and into my mouth. Any other suggestions? I purchased some coconut water as it's been pretty popular lately and I haven't tried it yet. I'm interested to see how it tastes and if I like it. I'll keep you posted on what I think!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

still here

I'm hanging in there! Last week I was on my butt with a pretty bad cold AND the bursitis in my elbow. It wasn't a good combo! Feeling much better now. Ran on Sunday. Had some IT band pain following the 8km hilly run, but it went away the next day after I iced it. Really looking forward to getting some new sneakers this weekend when I go to Maine for my graduation ceremony.


Monday, April 29, 2013

injury

SO I have the stupidest injury ever. I don't even think it's related to exercising. I believe I have something called a Bursitis on my elbow (self diagnosis, thanks google). Basically it's an inflammation of my elbow. Originally I thought that I had somehow hurt my elbow yesterday during Body Pump but everything I did felt fine. Upon further investigation it seems like they sometimes call it 'student's elbow' as students get it from leaning on desks. I am in a cubicle at a desk at my job, and I definitely lean on my elbows all the time! This has resulted in my elbow being swollen, red and painful. I'm doing RICE (rest ice compression elevation) today in hopes that it will go down.

I managed to make it to Zumba tonight but it was difficult to get into it as I couldn't move my arm as much as I'd like. I should be able to run without any issues but it's just a PAIN (literally!). I'm thinking that I will need to change my schedule that I had outlined before. I really don't feel as if I'm running enough. That being said, in addition to my elbow injury I'm also feeling like I'm on the cusp of getting sick. So I think I will take tomorrow off to rest (unless I wake up feeling better) and then run 10km on Wednesday.

Hope everyone's training is going well! 10 days until my graduation ceremony in Maine and 17 days until I run 10km in the Bluenose!


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

yoga wednesday!

I was thankful that I had scheduled for today to be a yoga day. After yesterday's run my calves were super tight and uncomfortable. And it was difficult (mentally) to get out of bed this morning. Once I did, I looked outside and it was like this:


Gotta love the east coast! Needless to say I was very happy to stay put and work out inside. I ended up finding this yoga video on youtube. The 50 min class is lead by Tara Stiles. I chose it because of the appearance (I don't usually trust workout videos from someone done in their living room). I also did a quick viewing of it last night and I was familiar with most of the poses. 



I had to cut the class a little short because, as I said, it was tough to get out of bed so I was a bit behind schedule. I ended up not doing a few split downward dogs but I still felt like I got a good stretch and a good workout in. My only complaint about this video is that Tara says the phrase "awesome guys" A LOT. Like, as a method of encouraging the girls in the video. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I was in a class with her, but in a recording it was VERY obvious.

While looking for a yoga video last night I was surprised at how many exercise videos there are on youtube. It's insane! I will definitely be checking out more in the future and posting some here. Do you use youtube videos as a way to work out at home? What are some of your favorites?

Afterwards I made an awesome breakfast that consisted of red potatoes, smoked salmon, two eggs and some greens. I used Jen's method (from peanut butter runner) of creating the perfect eggs  and they were EGGMAZING! Excited to try it again.


Looking forward to a 5km run tomorrow. Hoping to include some hills in my run to work on those leg muscles!

Monday, April 22, 2013

makeshift 10km training

As I mentioned in my post yesterday I have decided to do the 10km in the Bluenose Marathon this year. I ran two 10ks last year and want to get some more under my belt. I haven't given myself much time to prepare. I told myself I would run ALL winter. NO matter what the weather. Well... that definitely didn't happen.

So I've decided to do a condensed version of a 10km training. The last month I have been running 5ks so I really need to up my distance. I also remember last year that the only time a 5k run felt easy was after I started training for 10!


Monday
Tuesday
Wed.
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Week 1
Off
7km run
Yoga
5km run
Body Combat
Off
Body Pump
Week 2
Zumba
10km run
Yoga
6km run
Body Combat
Off
Body Pump
Week 3
Zumba
8km run
Yoga
7km run
Off
Off
Yoga
Week 4
Zumba
5km run
Yoga
3km run
Walk
Off
10km RACE

This training program is designed around my likes and my schedule. I'm going to Maine at the beginning of May for my graduation ceremony which is why I took a Friday and Saturday off in a row. I'm really hoping to keep up my strength training while running this summer. The program I followed last year when training for my 10k was one I found online that did not have any scheduled time for strength or cross training, and I really regret not sticking with it!


Do you make up your own training schedule or stick to a plan you got somewhere else?


Sunday, April 21, 2013

game of life run!

I participated in my first 5km race of the year! My sister Nikki and I ran the Game of Life race this morning at the beautiful point pleasant park. The event supported Commonwealth Games Canada's grassroots sports programs in Africa and the Caribbean.  This program uses sports as a means for social development of people in these countries. When I was younger I played basketball and soccer in city leagues and in school, and also coached a basketball team of boys aged 9-10. I believe that participating in sports gives children confidence and team work skills that can extend to multiple areas of their lives. SO of course I thought this was an awesome cause!


I love that the event was held at Point Pleasant Park. The route followed the perimeter of the park which is a wide trail with great views of the ocean. Thankfully it was bright out (cloudy) and not too windy. A breeze off the ocean can be mighty cold, so I was glad it wasn't too bad today! They had tons of volunteers that were helpful in guiding the way. It was a simple out and back, with the first half being up hill. This made the second half of the race a treat! Knowing the last half was downhill was definitely something I looked forward to.

A few negatives were that the 10km race was an out and back, TWICE. Maybe some people don't care as much as I do, but I think that would be extremely boring. I think they could have taken advantage of all the trails in the park and made it a loop or something. This would have meant more volunteers though, which maybe wasn't possible. My only other negative were the other people at the park. Since the race was small (I would estimate 100 participants in the 5 and 10 combined) they did not close the park. The park is notorious for people bringing their dogs, and some areas are off-leash. I believe these people had every right to be in the park; however I wish some people had shown a little more consideration and tried to move their dogs out of the way of the runners. Nothing that could have been controlled by the race coordinators though!

Overall it was a great start to run season, and I'm happy with the result. Nikki and I ran together (except for the final sprint). The clock time when running through the finish said 31:47, yet my chip time was 31:55 or something. This doesn't really make since to me as usually the chip time is lower? Either way I'm happy with that time!

Now I just need to get my butt in gear as I decided I'll be doing the 10km in the Bluenose! IN ONE MONTH! Ack. Stay tuned for my procrastinator training plan.



p.s. I returned the sneakers I posted about earlier. Still on the hunt for ones I like...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

a tragedy

I am overcome with sadness at the news that has come out of Boston. To think that an event that is usually so filled with joy and happiness has now been forever soiled by such a horrific act. I can't even begin to fathom why or how someone can do something so heartless and cruel.

Of course, out of tragedy comes beautiful stories of people coming together and helping each other in such horrible times. It is always inspiring to hear strangers helping strangers and that there is still compassion among most of us.

Try to keep Boston and all of the people affected in your head and in your hearts as you run this week.

#runforboston

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

update: homemade granola bars

Last night I posted about homemade granola bars. And let me tell you, they are delicious.  A little TOO delicious. So today I decided to count the calories and grams of fat per bar. The recipe I made yielded 6 bars. Per bar:

calories: 357
fat: 17g
fiber: 5g

SO that explains why they are so delicious! phew. Homemade? yes. Healthy? yes. High calories? OOOh yeah.

I'm going to try to modify the recipe I used to lower the calories per bar. The recipe already suggests an apple sauce substitute. And I could lower the amount of almonds I used. Any other suggestions?

Here is the original recipe, from peanutbutterrunner:

Peanut Butter, Coconut and Fruit Granola Bars
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used a mixture of golden raisins and dried cranberries)
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (or use all agave or honey)
1/4 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons chia seeds or flax seeds
Directions: 
Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until mixture is well-combined. Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with wax paper or foil and firmly press oat mixture into the bottom of the pan. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until ready to cut. Cut into 6 bars and individually wrap and store in freezer.
Yield: 6 bars


Let me know if you have any suggestions!
 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

new sneakers!

I decided that it was time to invest in a new pair of sneakers. I bought my previous sneakers last June and decided it was time for something new. One thing I have to say about my sneakers is that because they were grey they really haven't shown much wear, even though I have worn them in all types of weather. Something to keep in mind!

I purchased these Nikes:

 I'm hoping the black will maintain as well as the grey did. I bought them for $59.99 at Winners. One con I have about them is that the tongue is attached to the inside of the shoe. I guess this would prevent it from moving around while running; however it makes it really hard to pull the shoe on. One major pro is the insole is something called 'Comfort Footbed'. It's basically like memory foam for your foot:





I actually haven't worn them running yet. I have a hard time committing  to a new shoe!! I went for a run today (miracle!) and wore my old sneakers. Do you have a hard time deciding on a new shoe?


Following on my homemade vs pre-made trend I ended up making granola bar this evening. I used this recipe from Peanut Butter Runner (one of my favorite blogs). I left out the coconut because I'm not really a fan. For dried fruit I used raisins and also added in some dry roasted almonds. Prior  to putting it in the freezer it smelled AMAZING:


I actually ended up licking the remnants out of the bowl. Can't wait to try them!




Monday, March 18, 2013

an adventure in hummus making

As I mentioned in my last post I decided to try to make my own hummus. This was partly due to the fact that it's insanely overpriced, and also because I'm trying to choose cleaner foods with less processing.

I decided to use dry chick peas rather than canned (again to decrease preservatives) so it was difficult to find an exact recipe. Most recipes called for one can of chickpeas, or a specific amount of ounces. And being Canadian I was like 'ounces?!? what!??' so I ended up looking at a bunch of recipes and just kind of winging it. Will it taste good, will it be bad... who knows!!

For my recipe I used dry chick peas, tahini, juice from a lemon, fresh garlic, salt, cumin, olive oil and water.

Nuts to You Nut Butter - made in Canada! cost, aprox $6.50 for  500g

I started by soaking 1 cup of dry chick peas over night. I then cooked the chick peas on the stove, by boiling  chick peas in water, then letting them simmer for an hour, then letting them cool. Some recipes said that by removing the skins of the chickpeas will lead to a smoother end product. I thought this would decrease the amount of fiber and who really wants to peel chick peas?!


I then used a magic bullet blender to mash the chick peas. I had originally thought I'd be able to mash them with a fork... definitely not. It would have been really difficult and would have taken forever. Most recipes call for a food processor but some type of blender would definitely work!

After this was definitely a bit of a guessing game. In the end I ended up adding approx 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp of cumin, 1/8-1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice from one lemon, three cloves of garlic and 1 tsp of salt. I ended up putting it back in the magic bullet with the liquids added in order to get it as smooth as possible.



It tastes great but... different. I am just so used to the taste of canned chick peas that even the plain, cooked chick peas tasted pretty different to me. I will definitely make it again... especially since I have an entire bag of chick peas left haha. AND 1 cup of dried peas made about 3 cups of hummus! WAY cheaper than the store made version.  So cheaper and healthy gets two thumbs up from me.

Have you ever tried to make anything from scratch that you usually purchase?

Thursday, March 14, 2013

hello again!

I have not disappeared! I promise! I have still been here, thinking about updating. MEANING to update, but then it just didn't happen. Until now!

I have been maintaining my gym routine; however have become more relaxed than I have been in the past. I've been attending Zumba, Body Combat and Body Pump on a regular basis. AND I even went running this week... MIRACLE! It has been quite awhile. I was definitely sore the next day but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, which I was very thankful about. I went at the KC Irving Center in Bathurst, which I have posted about previously. And for extra motivation it was a gorgeous day here in Halifax. Hoping that this continues so I can start to feel comfortable running outside again.

I wanted to update all of you with some food I've been eating lately. I recently did some experimenting with a sweet potato burrito:

I boiled and mashed a large sweet potato, adding to it both cumin and cinnamon. I put it in a tortilla wrap, topped with black beans, salsa and spinach. And it was FANTASTIC!! It was super filling and delicious. You definitely need salsa with this wrap, as the beans and sweet potato can be a little dry together. Sassy salsa is a locally made salsa that I discovered at the local market, and I am in love. Going to pick up more this weekend. It has a spicy sweet flavor that it just perfect.


I will be updating more soon with more recipes, food I've been eating, and upcoming races! And stay tuned, I'm going to try to make my own hummus this weekend. Should be exciting!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

fashion before function

Lately I've been thinking of updating some of my workout gear. Well, maybe adding to my ever growing collection. I love how some of the major exercise companies have started incorporating lots of patterns and bright colors into their workout gear. The only downside is that a lot of it is totally out of my post-graduating budget. $50 for a gym shirt?! Yeah right.

I have also wanted to incorporate some fashion (both gym related and every day) into my blog. So here it goes. My first fashion-gym fusion post!


This outfit would be great for hanging out then heading to the gym. OR wearing it to the gym then heading downtown (if you're one of those lucky people who hardly sweats).

Sources: tank, leggings, cardigan, sneakers


I love the pop of color in the sneakers. Would you wear it? Do you think about what you wear to exercise, or just put on an old t-shirt and shorts? Lemme know!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

4 years and recovery

Yesterday was a great day. My boyfriend Jamie and I celebrated our four year anniversary! We are proud to say that we survived our long distance relationship and are very happy to be living together again!

The celebration was fairly low-key. He surprised me with a dozen roses and chocolates. It was warm out, so we did the 10 minute walk to Ace Burger. It was my first experience there and it was fantastic! They serve only local food.

I had the lamb burger on herb foccacia with goat cheese (top). Jamie had the deluxe burger with back bacon and cheese on a kaiser. On the side we both had seriously the best fries I have ever tasted. And of course they were loaded with salt! (the best). The restaurant was very quiet and laid back which I really appreciated. I'm not always in the mood for a loud, noisy place so a Tuesday night was the best time to visit.


After our fantastic meal we did a crossword together, cuddled and watched a movie and ate some chocolates. Definitely a fantastic way to celebrate our four years together.

Although the meal was amazing, I woke up today feeling a bit sluggish. So I thought I would document how I recovered after some overeating the night before. Now, don't get me wrong... I do NOT regret what I ate!!! Even writing this post is difficult because I want to re-eat that meal right now. That being said, I find overeating is a slippery slope. Once I begin to eat junk food, I tend to throw my week out the window and give in to all of my cravings.


So to counteract this trend, I started off my day by drinking lots of this:

Good ole H20 to try to negate the salt I had last night, and to keep me refreshed. For breakfast I ate oatmeal with a cut up apple on top and some peanut butter. Definitely my favorite breakfast of the moment.

For lunch I had tofu with veggies topped with Thai sweet chili sauce. Seriously the easiest meal ever:



In order to get my exercise in I went on a 10km run with my sister Nikki and brother in law Ray. It was tough. I haven't been running as much as I'd like and I definitely felt it today. It was wonderful to get outside though and spend time Nikki and Ray. I was cold the entire run! I thought I would maybe get away with not buying thermal running pants this winter but today changed my mind! Brrr!!


The upside was that I got to try out my new lulu lemon hat:

featuring post run sweat!


If you're interested in this hat you can find it here. I got this hat for Christmas and it's very soft and comfortable. However as you can see from the picture it doesn't cover my ears! So a little disappointed about that.

And finally for the end of my recovery day I had a delicious smoothie. I forgot to take a picture of it because I was hungry and it just looked so good! I used the same recipe as I did for this Breakfast Smoothie I posted awhile ago, so you can check out a picture on that post.

Overall I think it was a successful recovery to a Tuesday-night indulgence and I can continue my week on track!



Monday, January 7, 2013

gym time!


As I mentioned in my last post I signed up for the GoodLife gym. On Thursday and Friday it was difficult for me to find motivation. But thankfully the last few days I have found motivation with my sister, Nikki!

On Saturday we hit up the Women's only gym. It was quiet and perfect. Hardly anyone there which was surprising given the time of year but I guess not many people want to go to the gym Saturday afternoons!

I spent 20 minutes on the elliptical and then performed the following circuit:



I did each exercise for 30 seconds, took about a 1-2 minute break, and repeated for 3x total. I used a 20lb barbell for the squats and deadlifts, and 7.5lb dumbbells for the rest. I took it a little easy since I hadn't done any weights in about 3 weeks. It was unnecessary! I really should have worked harder (high weight, more time on each exercise) but as they say... shoulda coulda woulda. I finished my sets before Nikki was finished so I went on the treadmill for 10 minutes of running. And I have to say it was BRUTAL!! After running outside for the past 6 months I don't think I can go back to running on the treadmill. It was torture. I was literally watching the seconds go by. So boring!

Due to my displeasure of machine based cardio, Nikki and I hit up Zumba on Sunday and it was much more enjoyable! Zumba always brings a smile to my face and really lifts my spirits. The class we went to was really full, and I was happy to hear lots of WOOO's going on throughout the class.

Today we went to Body Pump. I had gone to this class when I was signed up at this gym prior to moving to Maine. I remember it being pretty intense and tonight was no different! There was a great energy in the class and I'm already feeling it a bit. I'm happy to get the initial class over with as I now have a better idea of what weights I can use for each exercise.  I'll definitely be going back.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be milder (as opposed to the -20C with the windchill today) so I'm hoping to get outside for a run. Well, as long as my muscles can handle it after tonight's workout! Please wish me luck in hopes that I never have to run on a treadmill ever again!!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

happy new year!!

Happy New Year to all my readers! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season spent with family and friends. For New Years I went to a party at a friends place. It involved eating and dancing, which are two of my favorite things, so the night was definitely a success.

And today I signed up for the gym! It made me a little sad because every gym will now be compared to the UMaine Campus Recreation Center... and most gyms come up a little short. That being said, I have signed up at GoodLife Fitness for the year. There are a ton of these gyms in my area, which is great because I can usually find at least one fitness class occurring at a time that fits my (currently non-existent) schedule.  I'm happy that they offer Les Mills classes which include step, body pump, and something similar to kickboxing. The major flaw that I've noticed is that they don't offer a kettlebell class (well, they do, but you have to pay an extra $300 for 3 months... no thanks). I'll keep you updated on how I'm adjusting to the new gym.

With the new year comes the new years resolutions. I really haven't thought about it too much. Last year I believe mine was that I would continue to stay active throughout the year. I really think I achieved that goal. I'm wondering if I should set something more specific, or stay with something vague.

That being said, my sister Nikki wanted to set a specific goal for the month of January. I like the idea of something more short term, rather than thinking of the LOOONG year ahead. Her goal is to run 10km at least once a week and do these arm exercises 3x/week. My month long goal is to log my eating on loseit.com every day, run 10km at least once a week, and do the famous 8 minute ab video 3x a week.

What are your new years resolutions? Did you meet yours from last year?