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New Job, New Obstacles
Okay, am I the only non-American who’s been oddly craving turkey and stuffing all day? :P Well, holiday or not, I hope everyone had a fabulous Thursday :D
Mine started off a little too early for my liking, so I went for a little comfort in a big bowl of oat bran.
With almond butter and marshmallow fluff. Mature, yet immature all at the same time ;)
I triple-checked the gym schedule and made it to the right BodyPump class this week (after going to the wrong gym last week). I was really looking forward to it for a nice change in my routine.
But I have to say, this was my third BodyPump class, and I’m still not entirely sure if I like it! I want to like it. But I just don’t like doing the same moves for 3-4 minutes at a time. According to the Les Mills website a typical class is broken down to target one area for each song played.
- Warmup – a mix of all the moves using light weight
- Legs/Squats – barbell squats
- Chest – barbell presses laying on a step
- Back – deadlifts, rows, clean&press
- Triceps – skull crushers, tricep extension
- Biceps – curls
- Lunges – couple varieties, today we did it off a step
- Shoulders – various rotations with small plates and barbell presses
- Abdominals – crunches
- Cooldown – typical stretches
So each bullet point is the length of one song, and we only do the moves listed for the duration of the song. That’s right, I did bicep curls for 4 minutes straight. Choosing weight is really difficult too. I choose light weights so I can maintain the movement for such a long period. But it means the first couple minutes are always too easy, then all of a sudden it gets really hard and I can’t finish. I dunno, it’s just a set-up that isn’t for me.
Our instructor also said the typical calorie burn for the 60 minute class is 460 and I burned 220. I was hurtin’ too. Maybe if I was stronger and could push higher weights I would get a better burn. OR she’s full of BS :P
Aaaanyways, I did 18 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical after and called it a day. I will at least say my muscles got a good workout and will be appropriately sore tomorrow :)
Came home and got some protein in me asap. Starting with some protein juice, aka PVL peach flavoured whey cooler.
And by “asap” I mean I started drinking it before I even took the picture :P It’d been a long time since breakfast!
Accompanied by a bagel with Yves cajun chicken slices, tomato and swiss cheese.
NOM. Everything becomes instantly better the second you melt cheese on top.
I used up the last of my leftover roast chicken for dinner (*sob*) and opted for something other than a sandwich.
Chicken omelette! I used one whole egg and a whack of egg whites, and a delicious filling of chicken, spinach and laughing cow cheese. I dusted the top with paprika, so it’s not as burnt as looks ;)
Then it was off to Starbucks for my first training shift!! This is the third time I’ve done the training in five years. Ugh! It’s because this is the first time I’ve ever worked for a corporate Starbucks, the other ones were licensed concepts.
Now, I’m not going to lie here, I’m a little apprehensive about how being back at Starbucks will change my current lifestyle. Let me explain.
The last time I worked at Starbucks was Summer 2008. I was 30 lbs heavier. I would go into work and drink a giant latte and have a cinnamon roll for breakfast. Then the guys from New York fries would come over and bring us free poutines for lunch (in exchange for free frappuccinos, of course). A snack would usually consist of my own frappuccino or another latte, and then nibbles of whatever brownie or cookie we were sampling that afternoon.
Oh, and we’re allowed to bring the old pastries home at night. So I would come home to a freezer full of frozen muffins and scones that I’d been bringing home from work.
Obviously, that last stint at Starbucks was a little over-the-top, even for “Old Susan.” It’s what brought me to my all-time highest weight. I know there’s no way I’ll ever eat like that again. I’ve learned sooooo much about nutrition since then. I don’t think I ever want to put a cinnamon roll in my body for breakfast again, (hello! fat? protein? fibre?).
There’s also the fact that I’m going from a job where I spend 30% of the day on my feet, to a job where I spend 100% of the day on my feet. I remember what’s it’s like to work on your feet all day, it sucks. Your feet hurt, your back hurt, and you go home at the end of the day just exhausted. I have concerns that I may have trouble keeping up my current level of exercise when I’m running around a cafe all day.
With that said, I’m determined to make it work. Black coffee and tea are my new best friends :) I will bring in a slew of healthy snacks with me, so I can grab my own bag of homemade trail mix instead of snacking on the Starbucks packaged variety.
I’m going to work really hard at working out before my shifts, when I still have energy. I have a feeling I won’t be up for running on the treadmill after eight hours of churning out lattes at the mall on a Saturday afternoon. But maybe a stellar sweat sesh before my shift will give me the energy and stamina I need to get through it.
Finally, I need new work clothes! I looked like I was swimming in my old black pants and collared shirt tonight. I felt like a bum :P
Oh, and I just gobbled up this delicious snack:
Kashi peanut peanut butter bar with an extra slathering of PB on top. Take that tempting Starbucks peanut butter bar, this was delicious ;)
Question of the day: How do you stay healthy with you current job? Working as a reporter wasn’t easy either. Since I didn’t spend much time in the office, I always made sure I had a bag of healthy goodies on my person that I could dig into while running around. A lot of meals were eaten in the car, and snacks shoved down while rushing from one assignment to the next. My weekend shifts really tuckered me out for exercise. It’s hard to find the motivation to work out after an 8-hour day that started at 4:30 am. But we’ve got to find a way to make it work! :)
Speaking of which, I’m getting up for a 6am spin class before my reporting shift tomorrow. My bed is beckoning, lator gators!
The Most Important Meal of the Day
No, you’re not on the wrong day. This is my Friday blog post, I just had the exact same thing for breakfast this morning. It was that good.
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 scoop vanilla whey powder
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2 chopped dates
- unsweetened shredded coconut
And since I have to be in bed by 9pm tonight, my usual giant-sized coffee was just medium-sized.
With a little almond milk and stevia because I was feeling like a treat :) After five years of working at Starbucks, I have a ridiculous mug and tumbler collection. Many are chipped or scratched in some way and were brought home for free. If I return, I am not allowed to acquire any more mugs. At least, that’s the plan.
I had full intentions on going to a 9:30 Hatha yoga class this morning, but my body was having none of that. I typically take a day off exercise every 3-4 days, but this week I did a full 6. My workouts were all pretty low-ish intensity (no crazy 10 mile runs this week) and I felt good when I woke up every day, so I just went with it. Well today, I took my hobbling as a sign that even a few gentle warriors were not going to fly.
So I stayed in bed. All morning. It was fab :D
I felt like I needed a breakfast numero deux seeing as I didn’t get out of bed and showered till lunchtime ;)
I never feel guilty eating my protein waffles as a meal, because they are pretty well balanced with the oats, egg whites, cottage cheese and flax. I threw in some blueberries for a little fruit ;)
Divine. I think there is a Belgian inside of me just bursting to get out :P
I braved the madness that is the grocery store on a Friday afternoon, and saw something that made my month. I started bouncing and squealing in the aisle, and could not contain my excitement. Behold:
Eeeee!!!!! First, KIND bars!!!!! Second, PB&J and Coconut Cream Larabars!!!!! Thirdly, some tasty looking Canadian bar I’ve never heard of! :P
They had more flavours of these bars too, but this was all my wallet could take. And I can always go back and get more :) I’ll be sure to feature the bars as I go through them, especially the Canadian “Taste of Nature” ones.
I really enjoy grocery shopping by myself, I find it very therapeutic. But sometimes I wish there was someone with me when I start freaking out about food finds :P
Once unpacked, I assembled what could almost pass as a breakfast #3.
Smoked salmon, capers, spinach, cream cheese on a bagel. And then some carrots, mushrooms and red pepper with red pepper hummus.
Solid meal. Good day of eats all around (including unpictured snacks).
Finally, I just have to say this week has been a very emotional week for me. I of course don’t moan on about every little detail of my life on the blog, and there are some things I don’t get into because other people are involved and it’s not fair. This week did not start good for me, but I got a lot sorted out and today feel content for the first time in a long time.
I’ve also made a somewhat solid decision about what I want to do work-wise. I’ve sent out at least a dozen resumes for communications jobs and I haven’t heard back from one person. To be honest, my heart isn’t in it, I’m just doing it because it’s what fits my current skill set. Maybe I could be happy in that type of position if I worked for a company I loved. But right now it’s not working for me, and I have a feeling I’m sending that negative energy out there with my cover letters and resumes.
So I will be working “service” jobs for the next little bit and while pursuing something completely different. Not sure if it’s what I see myself doing 20 years from now, but it’s what I feel is right right now. And there will be a lot of room for me to grow. My heart is in it 100% and that’s what truly matters. I will get back to you guys with the details once I get them hammered out!
Question of the day: What’s your favourite breakfast food? Mine is actually eggs! I know I don’t eat them much for breakfast, but runny eggs on toast is one of my favourite morning comfort foods. Oatmeal is just more filling for me, so it’s typically my go-to.
And with that, I’m off to start watching Crazy Sexy Cancer before my crazy early bedtime. See ya tomorrow!
Old Soul
Can I just start off this post by saying I have the awesome-est readers ever? Yup. Even those of you that don’t comment, but keep coming back every day. You’re all awesome. I continuously spill my guts on a regular basis, and I continuously get great feedback. On top of that I get feedback that makes me think and challenges my established set of opinions and attitudes. Totally awesome :D
Guess what!? I woke up with the sun again today! Evening shifts will do that to ya. Except now that my body is used to being up later, I’ve got to go back to the middle of the night early morning shifts this weekend.
My oats were happy basking in the sunlight this morning.
- 1/2cup oat bran
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- cinnamon
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2 chopped dates
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- unsweetened shredded coconut
Yummmm. A big ole’ bowl of oat bran is one of my favourite comforts :)
I was all excited for Body Pump class this morning. I’m trying to get more weight training days in my week, and I think including a weight class at the gym is a good way to switch up my usual routine (and keep those muscles guessing!). Anyways, I arrived at the gym to find they were halfway through the class! May-jah confusion on my part. Until I realized the 10:15 class I was looking for was at the other gym across town. Boo. So I wandered out to the machines and weight area and just sort of made it up as I went along:
- 20 minutes of intervals on the elliptical
- 3 sets front squat push press
- 3 alternating sets single-leg romanian deadlift and bent-over dumbbell row
- 3 alternating sets of curtsy lunges, incline push ups and tricep dips
- 3 alternating sets cable horizontal woodchops and back extension
- 3 sets hanging leg raises
- 15 minutes HIIT on the treadmill
T’was a good time! I wish I could go on the rowing machine again, but the last time I used it, my hips hurt for days. Now I’m kinda iffy about getting back on, and I loved it so!
After my gym sesh, Chris and I went out for lunch again. We both agreed anything downtown was out because eating down there at lunch time is a pain. Somehow we ended up across the river at my second favourite 50’s diner
(Steve’s 50’s Diner in my hometown will always be number one). You may recall I ate here on the day of my triathlon, when I had a very well-deserved slice of recovery pie for dinner. However today I looked past the dessert menu and ordered an actual meal.
The roast chicken special. C’mon, say roast chicken and you know I’m there. I may also be an old lady. It happens.
Chris was all over it too.
These were HUGE pieces of chicken breast! Holy moly. I ate most of mine because it was delicious, but didn’t make much of a dent in the sides as a result. Digesting 1/4 of a chicken is hard work, but it was worth it :)
Plus, it’s real food!
I’ll be back for that chocolate pie on the top right. Perhaps after my half marathon next time ;)
As a result of my giant lunch, I wasn’t very hungry for dinner. I tried to put together something small, but I was still stuffed to the brim with carrot sticks when I was finished (isn’t that always the story?).
The pita is just a can of smoked herring mixed with a little laughing cow cheese and capers. Simple, and absolutely delicious. I love smoked fish. See? Old.
Today also wrapped up one full week of calorie counting. I promised I would share my thoughts on doing it again. At first, I was really into it. I was again fascinated by my stats and numbers. I get a real kick by seeing how much sodium I had, or how much sugar I consumed on fruit alone. The graphs are fun to peruse through, and it makes me feel very much in control.
Three days into it, i was so over it. Firstly, logging every bit of food I eat into a website takes a long ass time. Livestrong is a great site, but it takes a while to load. I had to do a lot of calculating to figure out I ate .424 of a serving, and weighed even my dates.
The worst part, for me, was the calorie “limit.” I felt like I had to reach it every day, even if it meant eating slightly less, or slightly more. I would see that I had “x” amount of calories “left” and think, hey! I can have a big piece of chocolate! when I wasn’t craving it. I was just eating because I could. On the opposite side, if I was calorie heavy in the morning, I found myself eating lighter in the day to make up for it, even though I was still hungry!
I think this part of it goes very much against the way I’ve been trying to eat. Ever since giving up calorie counting last spring, I’ve been working really hard at listening to my body and eating intuitively. Throw numbers and stats into the mix, and all that goes out the window.
With that said, stepping back and taking a look at what I’ve been eating for a week has been really helpful. It gave me the little kick in the butt I needed to clean up my eating, and get rid of the little bits of food here and there that were beginning to add up. I also realized that I’ve been eating too little fat and that I could use to cut back on my added sugars, and even natural sugars.
I will not be logging my food religiously after today. But, I will continue to use calorie counting in the future as a means to “check-in” once in a while. Make sure I’m listening to my body properly, and not getting too complacent with my food choices.
So there you have it! I’m definitely coming off this “experiment” feeling much better than when I went in :)
Oh! And I got an interview at Starbucks! Monday at 2pm :D It’s the location that’s managed by an old co-worker, who apparently no longer holds a grudge that I once took the store manager title from him. I’m hoping the interview is just a formality and I’m as good as hired. I was clear with him that I’m looking for a seasonal job to get me through till I find a more permanent position (whatever the hell that may be). Did you know Starbucks employees get a free pound of coffee a week? That’s worth it alone!
Question of the day: What’s your “inner age?” I’ve always been mature for my age, my family has always called me an “old soul.” I’d say I’m a solid 75 on the inside. Give me my knitting, fuzzy slippers, 9pm bedtime and candy dish and I’m good to go ;)
