Blog Archives
A Day in the Life…
In order to keep things “fresh” around here, I’m going to take a page from these fabulous ladies, and do a breakdown of my day for ya. Cause you know, it was just that exciting :P
5:50am – Alarm goes off. What is happening? What day is it? Where do I have to be right now? Did I sleep last night? Sure doesn’t feel like it…
5:52am – *Strapping on heart rate monitor* I need coffee in my system right. now.
6:03am – Grab french press out of the fridge, mix it with some almond mix and stevia, and pound it back with half a banana sloppily slathered in PB.
6:12am – Work bag? Check. Gym bag? Check. Garbage bag? Check. Third arm? I need one of those on garbage days…
6:22am – Briefly smile at the girl working the desk at the gym. She wonders if I’m a crazy person for working out everyday at such an ungodly hour. I wonder if she’s a crazy person for taking a job that has her working at such an ungodly hour.
6:29am – Favourite center-driven elliptical is occupied by the grunting man. Opt for a rear-driven one instead. Start my warm-up.
6:34am – First sprint is always a shock to the system.
6:45am – Heart rate breaks the 170 barrier for the first time this workout. Yesssss!
6:50am – Wish my iPod had one of those beep-y things that portable phones do. Then it would be with me at the gym and not in my apartment… somewhere…
7:05am – Try to row away the DOMS in my back on the rowing machine. Only works when actually rowing.
7:15am – Only 10 minutes on the stepmill. Only 10 minutes.
7:20am – Only 5 minutes left on the stepmill. Just 5 minutes.
7:22am – I’m not gonna make it.
7:25am – I am so sorry legs.
7:28am – I WANT TO LIVE IN PIGEON POSE.
7:49am – Having short hair cuts my shower time down SO much.
8:15am – I have microwave oats, but the door to the room with the microwave is locked. Sneak upstairs to use my bosses’, but I am spotted. Yes, I am cooking brown goop. So what??
8:25am – Chocolate-protein-banana-PB oats just don’t cut it anymore. Where’s my custard oats!?
8:35am – Get called to a meeting. Crap! I’m not done feeding the hunger beast!
9:00am – Start what is becoming a ritual of answering and sending e-mails that usually lasts the whole morning.
10:13am – Even though I’m not hungry, I must break up the monotony of e-mailing. Dig into my bag for a healthy-ish bar.
Caramel ReBar - 4 servings of fruit and veggies with 12g protein. Here’s an old picture of what the inside looks like, taken on my old, less fancy work desk
They kinda taste vegetable-y, but I like it. Plus, you can never go wrong with a chocolate coating ;)
11:04am – The usual lunch posse are all busy today. Anticipate finally cracking open my Google Reader for lunch.
12:10pm – Break down and dig into my lunch bag.
Tofurkey, hummus and tzatzkiki pita.
A very battered bartlett pear. I kinda like ‘em super ripe like this!
12:57pm – Run downstairs for the first of many university events today. A lecture and performance by a traditional folk singer.
1:22pm – I need more Irish folk music in my life.
2:52pm – Rush back up to my office to eat some grapes and cottage cheese while answering a co-worker’s fitness question (I’m getting so many of these now from friends and family – I love it!)
3:50pm – Rush off to lecture #2 called “What We Talk About When We Talk About Art.”
4:10pm – What I was expecting to be a boring lecture turns out to be hilarious, delivered by a witty and observant British man wearing a black turtleneck.
4:56pm – Rush off to my next event. Pause briefly at a cookie tray set up in the foyer. Keep walking.
5:28pm – Listen to novelist and Giller Prize winner David Adams Richards speak. Intense.
5:55pm – Breeze through apartment door, borderline hangry. Immediately reach for some corn cereal. Nosnackingwhat??
6:12pm – Sit down to supper.
Steamed green beans and red potatoes topped with leftover spicy yves ground round/black bean mix with tomato sauce added to it.
6:27pm – Defeat. Giant plate of food wins. I am. So. Full. How was I so hungry a mere 30 minutes ago??
7:35pm – Rush back to campus to meet coworkers for the Oedipus Rex play. Why am I always rushing? Leaving to go somewhere at a normal speed must be possible…
8:11pm – What on God’s green earth are they saying??
8:33pm – Dude. No. She’s your mom.
9:30pm – Well, that was a cheery way to end the evening.
9:43pm – Get a massive nose bleed for the first time in years. Freak out and Google “Am I dying of cancer?”
10:01pm – Bleeding starts to subside, the fullness of supper long gone. A protein cake sounds like the perfect bedtime snack.
10:16pm – Realize that I have to admit I wrote the majority of this post around 6:45 and am only updating it now.
10:20pm – Hit publish
10:22pm – Obsessively proof read post for spelling and grammatical errors
1024pm – Breakfast, snacks and lunch for tomorrow
10:45pm – Pass out on my pillow, dreaming of Friday morning’s Jillian Michaels workout and another Friday night spent in my peejays reading blogs and watching MTV…
Question of the Day: What are your Friday night plans? Gonna paint the town red or join me in your fuzzy slippers? :P
Survivor
Love that so many of you plan on doing races! I will say though, I do agree that training for one can add unneeded stress and pressure. That’s the main reason why I don’t plan on doing another triathlon this year. I’m happy I did one, but I spent way to much physical and mental energy stressing about it. The goal for this year is to participate in a few events and have fun doing it :D
Onward!
Hit up the gym before work today Had an excellent weight lifting sesh, totally making up for the lacklustre one I had on my birthday. Can’t win ‘em all I guess! Here’s what I did:
Treadmill
| Minutes | Speed – MPH | Incline |
| 0-5 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| 5-6 | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| 6-7 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| 7-8 | 6.5 | 0.0 |
| 8-9 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| 9-10 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| 10-11 | 6.0 | 0.5 |
| 11-12 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| 12-13 | 7.0 | 0.5 |
| 13-14 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| 14-15 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
| 15-16 | 6.5 | 1.0 |
| 16-17 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
| 17-18 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| 18-19 | 6.0 | 1.5 |
| 19-20 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| 20-21 | 7.0 | 1.5 |
| 21-22 | 5.5 | 2.0 |
| 22-23 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
| 23-24 | 6.5 | 2.0 |
| 24-25 | 7.0 | 2.0 |
| Exercise | Weight | Reps | Sets |
| Front squat push-press | 30 lbs | 12 | 3 |
| Wide-grip lat pulldown | 55 lbs | 8 | 3 |
| Exercise | Weight | Reps | Sets |
| Step-up | 50 lbs | 10 | 3 |
| Seated cable row | 55 lbs | 8 | 3 |
| Exercise | Weight | Reps | Sets |
| Lying medicine ball throw | 13 lbs | 15 | 3 |
| Russian twist | 13 lbs | 30 | 3 |
| Exercise | Weight | Reps | Sets |
| Medicine ball pullover with stability ball | 13 lbs | 15 | 3 |
| Swiss ball crunch | 13 lbs | 15 | 3 |
Elliptical
| Minutes | Level | Effort |
| 0-1 | 8 | 2/10 |
| 1-3 | 10 | 5/10 |
| 3-4 | 19 | 9/10 |
| 4-6 | 10 | 5/10 |
| 6-7 | 19 | 9/10 |
| 7-9 | 10 | 5/10 |
| 9-10 | 19 | 9/10 |
| 10-12 | 10 | 5/10 |
| 12-13 | 19 | 9/10 |
| 13-15 | 10 | 2/10 |
Phew! My heart was pumping during this one! This was also my first time doing the lying medicine ball throw. Definitely felt it in my triceps, loved it. A fun departure from my usual dumbbells :)
Went straight to work after and dug into my packed breakfast.
Overnight oats!
- 2/3 cup yogurt
- 40g package of instant oats
- 1/2 scoop vanilla whey powder
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- raisins
Holy moly this was thick.
I’ve dabbled in overnight oats a few times, and I must say, I still don’t care for it. I’m not the biggest fan of cold breakfasts to begin with, and this is just always unsatisfying for me. If I’m eating oatmeal cold, I want it in cookie form please :)
I also had to dig into my snack a little early…
Granny smith and two squares of cheddah. Apples and cheese, almost as good as apples n’ PB ;)
Then for lunch, my co-workers took me out for a belated b-day meal!! We had planned on going to a local Greek spot, but it was closed due to “equipment failure.” So we instead went to a place called Yoo China Curry House, which I’ve been to once before. I got some chicken thing with a side of some cauliflower and potato thing. And some basmati rice. It was tasty treat, and a nice change from our regular lunch routine :)
I had to work again tonight, so I came home for a quick meal in-between.
Leftover turkey mini meatloaf! I always like to save a few servings of everything I make and put it in the freezer. Perfect for weeks like this one where I don’t have the time to do a lot of cooking.
My veggie side was butternut squash fries. I had this exact same combo the other day, it was so good I had to have it again. This was a particularly good batch of b-nut squash fries. My oven must have been in a good mood today :)
For my evening snack I decided to mix two things I love: protein powder + applesauce.
With the addition of cinnamon + peanut butter of course. Surprisingly, this was just alright! But I’m not crazy about the vanilla protein powder I have right now. I bought Whey Gourmet vanilla sweetened with stevia, and it tastes “off.” Stevia has the tendency to do that…
So, much of my job is writing content for the university’s website. This includes going to campus events and doing postings on them. Tonight I went to a lecture featuring a Holocaust survivor. My. God. It was inspirational, heart wrenching, moving, almost inexplicable.
This man was taken to a death camp with his family when he was 12 years old. The very same day he arrived, his parents and twin sister were killed. He somehow lucked out and was taken to a work camp instead.
For the four years that followed, he escaped death time and time again. Made friends with the right people, then lost friends at the same time. The man subsisted on almost nothing for food, including a few days where he drank nothing but water and sugar.
It got me thinking about how humans are built to survive more than we can even fathom. I constantly cross paths with people who go through seemingly impossible ordeals, and still come out alive. I’ve watched best friends and family members go through hardships, who to this day still can’t explain how they got through to the other side. They just “survived.”
This Holocaust survivor saw and lived things I will never understand. But at the same time, it gives me hope that no matter what life throws at me, I can get through it, and I will live to tell the tale. We may not think we can get through something, but we absolutely can. Because we are so much stronger than we think.
So no question of the day today my friends. Just a few thoughts for the day :) See ya tomorrow!
Time to Get Serious
Thanks again for all the bee-day wishes! I had a wonderful day yesterday. Now I’m just preparing myself for a very busy week ahead at work!! I have a few more 10+ hour work days ahead of me :\
I did at least continue the celebration for breakfast.
- 1 packet multi grain instant oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 sliced banana
- 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter (it’s national PB day after all!)
- mini marshmallows
- sprinkles!! Just for you Deb ;)
And then I had a piece of beet cake as my pre-workout snack. Totally powdered me through a tough one!
Treadmill
| Minutes | MPH | Incline |
| 0-5 | 3.5 | 0 |
| 5-6 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| 6-7 | 6.0 | 0.5 |
| 7-8 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| 8-9 | 7.0 | 0.5 |
| 9-10 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| 10-11 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
| 11-12 | 6.5 | 1.0 |
| 12-13 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
| 13-14 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| 14-15 | 6.0 | 1.5 |
| 15-16 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| 16-17 | 7.0 | 1.5 |
| 17-18 | 5.5 | 2.0 |
| 18-19 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
| 19-20 | 6.5 | 2.0 |
| 20-21 | 7.0 | 2.0 |
This particular treadmill workout is getting easier!! Yay!! Improvement! :D
Elliptical
| Minutes | Level | Intensity |
| 0-2 | 10 | low |
| 2-3 | 14 | high |
| 3-5 | 11 | medium |
| 5-6 | 15 | high |
| 6-8 | 12 | medium |
| 8-9 | 16 | high |
| 9-11 | 13 | medium |
| 11-12 | 17 | high |
| 12-14 | 13 | medium |
| 14-15 | 16 | high |
| 15-17 | 12 | medium |
| 17-18 | 15 | high |
| 18-20 | 11 | low |
Rowing Machine
| Minutes | Grip |
| 0-2 | overhand |
| 2-4 | underhand |
| 4-6 | overhand |
| 6-8 | underhand |
| 8-10 | overhand |
Stair Machine
| Minutes | Level |
| 0-1 | 8 |
| 1-2 | 9 |
| 2-3 | 10 |
| 3-4 | 11 |
| 4-5 | 12 |
| 5-6 | 9 |
| 6-7 | 10 |
| 7-8 | 11 |
| 8-9 | 12 |
| 9-10 | 13 |
L-O-V-E-D this. Will definitely be added to my new Fitness Page (which is still a major work in progress – lots of updates to come!).
I find long cardio workouts at the gym are a lot more fun when I only have to do 10-20 minutes on each machine. Makes it fly by! I also work at a higher intensity because I keep switching to different things. Definitely helped that my mommy came with me too :D However, at the end of the elliptical session, we saw someone fall off a treadmill!! Holy scary. If you ever feel like you’re falling off a treadmill, just let yourself go. Trying to hold yourself on only worsens the situation :\
My tummy was yelling at me by the end of this workout, so I fed it right away.
Laughing cow, roast chicken, tuna, onion, tomato and romaine on a pita. They chicken/tuna combo was delicious!
Shortly afterward it was time to make the boring drive home. I kept awake by singing along to CDs at the top of my lungs. This song in particular got a few encores.
No groceries at home, luckily I had some goodies stashed in the freezer.
Ketchup with a side of turkey mini-meatloaves and butternut squash fries.
Liz – I let the fries sit with sea salt for a few minutes, then squeezed the moisture out a second time – totally worked!! Made for a much sturdier b-nut fry :D Thanks for the suggestion!!
Time to get Serious
Okay guys, I’m gonna be straight up with you. I’m still struggling to lose the few pounds I gained over Christmas. Not the end of the world. But, I’m a little bigger than my “happy weight.” My snacking has been a little off the charts. I don’t photograph everything I eat, and that includes the multiple handfuls of chocolate chips and cereal (among other things) I eat at night.
I’ve struggled a lot over these past two months to find an eating and exercise routine that worked through TWO job changes. Yes, I’m on my third job in less than two months. I’ve worked inconsistent hours at differing activity levels over the past eight weeks, it’s messed with my body and food routine immensely. On the bright side, I’ll be in a stable job for these next three months and I’ll finally be able to get into a routine with it.
So what does this mean? No, I’m not making silly self-imposed rules. I’m not doing boot camp or giving up sugar (the horror!!). But, I will be counting calories again. Maybe not every single day, and not religiously. But I like the accountability it gives me with snacking. I know there’s varying opinions on this, but I know what works for me :)
I also want to keep track of my foods so I can look at my day and see where I’m not eating whole, “clean” foods. I exercise tons, but I realize my body composition issues are diet related. I just need to polish it up a tad and I should be able to see and most importantly feel a difference.
Part of this is because my birthday is now behind me, so I have no more big “splurge” days on the horizon. The biggest part however, is that I’m going to be a personal trainer in three months, and I want to look the part. I don’t expect to have the bod of Jillian Michaels. But I’d like to lose a little body fat and actually “bulk” my upper-body (my limbs are quite scrawny). The way I see it, you wouldn’t get your hair cut by a hairstylist with bad hair, so why listen to a trainer with a pudgy tummy?
As always, I’ll keep you updated on how I’m doing with this. There will still be marshmallows, just not every day ;) I feel best when I go back to basics with my food. And I want to start experimenting more with my exercise! I want to get a little more serious with my weight lifting, and try to incorporate more plyometrics. Hopefully there will be tons of new workouts popping up over the next several weeks :)
Question of the Day: Do you or have you worked with a personal trainer? What was your experience like? I’ve actually never worked with a trainer before. Mostly because I like learning the stuff myself and choosing what I want to do. But it will be interesting to job shadow with one in the coming months!
