Year in Review (Part III)

Goal Setting:

I’m a huge believer in goal setting, and I’m one of those people who feels 1000% better about my life when I cross things off my ‘to-do’ list. Some might say I’m an organizational/planning freakazoid. Anyways, here are my goals for 2010 – based on the areas I want to improve in from Part II of the year in review.

Savings:

• Put $200 a month into a joint savings account, once I get a job, up this to $500.
• Shop for sales, use foods creatively, and only get groceries once a week.
• Before buying items for the new place, check kijiji/etsy etc for better prices and reconsider whether you really “need” it.

Fitness:

• Workout at least 3-4 times a week.
• Find an affordable gym in Calgary and try some new group classes.
• Run a 10K race by the middle of 2010.
• Build endurance up to half marathon mileage by end of 2010.

Managing My Stress:

• Have at least one “me day” a month where I do something to pamper myself (ie. Haircut, nails, massage etc).
• Read a book for at least 3 hours a week
• Have a date night with the boy at least once a week

Eating Properly:

• Try new healthy recipes (at least one a week)
• Eat vegetarian or pescatarian a minimum of 3 days a week.
• Always eat breakfast
• Limit sweets, pop, junk food to small portions.
• Eat healthier snacks.

Keeping in Touch:

• At least once a month, send a surprise letter/gift/card to one of my friends back home.
• Make an effort to consistently reply to Facebook/Twitter/texts from friends.
• Send out joint Christmas Cards in 2010.

Giving Back:

• Volunteer at least once a month with an organization that you believe in.

Career

• Join a professional organization (IABC/CPRS) and attend networking events regularly.
• Join Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills.
• Make an effort to get involved and volunteer on committees at work.

So that's it for now, wish me luck in achieving all these goals in 2010. I may get online periodically with some updates, but until the 29th - I'll probably be mostly MIA. See ya'll in the new year. Happy Holidays!

Year in Review (Part II)

Welcome to the 2nd installment of my year in review :)

What needs work:


Savings: Now that the boy has a fancy new job, and I’m facing the reality of being unemployed for at least the first little while out West, we are really going to need to get into a better pattern for saving. If there is one thing living on my own for the past two months has shown me, it’s that we can live on less (less food, less stuff, less everything). I’m sure I will get a job eventually, and then we’ll be in good shape – it’ll just be important to continue saving at that point for things like a house and travelling that we would like to do down the road.

Fitness: I find it hard to stick with exercise plans when other ‘life-stressors’ (ie. Moving and the Holidays, most recently) come up. This just makes me discouraged and I am going to focus on making it a priority in 2010.

Managing My Stress: Ask anyone who knows me; I am notoriously bad at managing stress. I cry, I get angry, and I take it out on the people who are trying to help me. It’s not good. I need to find a better way of recognizing situations that will stress me out, and doing things to avoid/manage them better than I have.

Eating Properly: I started this in 2009 but I would like to improve on it. I have considered going vegetarian or pescatarian, but I never actually follow through with it. I’d like to at least try and head a little more in that direction in 2009.

Keeping in Touch: In the past I haven’t been SUPER great at keeping in touch with friends from high school/university when I left. I really will need to make an effort this year to do so, since we will be so far away. Besides, I’d like to have people want to come and visit every now and then :)

Giving Back: In the past few years I haven’t spent that much time volunteering and I would really like to get back into it. I have always enjoyed it and have met wonderful people through it.

That’s it for today, stay tuned for Part III – The 2010 Goals - tomorrow.

Year in Review (Part I)

So since I figure I probably will not be posting very much over the next two weeks between the move and Christmas, I figured I should do this while I still had some free time. I’ve noticed some other bloggers doing something similar to this, and I think the end of the year is a great time to reflect on what you have done right and wrong – and where you can improve. So without further ado, here is my goods and bads of 2009 and my goals for the new year.

What I’m Most Proud Of:

- Finishing School(for now, I think): In April I graduated from the local college with a diploma in PR/Communications. Getting this diploma, in addition to my B.A., has made me feel like I will have an extra edge when applying for jobs in this area, and has provided me with some great skills.

- Getting a Job That I Love: As part of my PR program, we had to do an internship – and that is how I found myself back on my university stomping grounds helping out with a major event they host each year. Following this, they asked me to stay on as an employee and cover a mat leave. I was thrilled, I have never had a job that has been so rewarding, treated me so well, and given me the right balance of responsibility and direction – I’m going to be pretty sad to leave next week.

- Realizing What a True Friend Is: This year has shown me the difference between an acquaintance and a true friend. A true friend is someone who can make you laugh through your tears, it’s about someone who will help you (and recruit friends) when you’re in a bind, and it’s someone who will share in and suggest crazy ideas to support your passions. I have a few wonderful friends in London and Toronto who I will miss terribly once I leave. They will be lifelong friends I’m sure.

- My Relationship with My Sister: My sister and I haven’t always been close; in fact, in highschool we basically irritated each other 24/7. But I have to say how happy I am that we have grown closer this year. I think we understand each other a lot better, and have grown from things like my trip to Paris to visit her (where she was basically stuck with me for 10 days) so I suppose she had to learn to like me, and when she came down to visit me on the weekend in London once the boy left, so I wouldn’t be lonely.

- Learning To Focus on My Health & Wellness: I suppose this is an important one, since it is the focus of the blog. I have really learned to value and appreciate my health this year, and have taken some simple steps to improve it. I am eating better (ie. Rarely drinking sodapop anymore – HUGE DEAL), and I’m trying to step up my workouts to the point that I don’t have to think about them its just a routine – its still a work in progress though.

- Taking a Risk & Moving out West: I would probably say this is my biggest accomplishment of the year (even though its not completely finished yet), I’m generally kind of resistant to change but something about this move – just felt right. I think it was a combination of the ability for the boy and I to have an adventure in a new place, and take the next step in our relationship – and the fact that we’re both getting a bit tired of London.

- Not Letting the Boy Get Away: So this happened prior to when I started the blog, but the boy and I split briefly for about 2 weeks back in May of this year. We were just frustrated with each other and were taking each other for granted. As you might say, we were in a “funk” and weren’t sure if we were right for each other. Trying to live without each other around for a few weeks showed us what we would be giving up – and in the end this break made us stronger. And now… I’m moving across the country to be with him – big steps folks.

Alright, well that’s it for installment one. I’ll post Part II and III in the next couple of days!

Christmas = Best Time to be at Work

So I’m down to my last two weeks of my contract at work right now, and I gotta say – finishing around Christmas might be the best thing ever. Everyone is cheery and happy, and no one is in too big of a rush to get things done, so its been a bit more relaxing than usual. Also, with Christmas – comes Christmas parties! I swear I won’t need to bring lunch much more between now and when I finish because there are so many events happening around the campus.

On Wednesday, the staff in my department and our board members went out to dinner at Michael’s on the Thames in London. I’ve heard LOADS of great things about this place, but also that it was pricy… so I’d never gotten there. Thanks to work – two weeks before I leave town – I made it. Now I’m really mad I never went before actually, because the food was freaking phenomenal. One of the best meals I've ever had, hands down. The boy has never tried it, but I figure it’ll just give us an excuse to come back for Homecoming sometime down the road. It was such a nice dinner, and great atmosphere. The maitre’d is amazing, he was passing out jingle bells to the whole group and we all sang Christmas Carols – I think everyone had a great time.

Today, we have a group lunch planned for noon at another place I’ve never gotten too downtown, Blue Ginger. Seems like an Asian fusion type of restaurant and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been told there will be martini’s!

This is why I love my job; I’m going to be so sad to leave next week. I don’t know, its just hard for me to imagine finding another job that is as awesome as this one. My coworkers are fantastic, my boss is super nice, and approachable – gah, okay I’ll stop my whining, I’m moving on with my life – I should be excited right? …well, I am excited, I’m just going to miss my job.

Haha, in other news, I went and bought -40 Sorel Boots last night (see picture) – and aside from having flashbacks to my childhood ski boots - they are pretty warm. I hope they will do the trick out West.

Calgary!

Sorry for the delay, I have been meaning to post this for awhile! So as some of you may know, I spent last weekend in Calgary (AKA my future place of residence). My parents kindly donated some air miles my way so I could take a first round of summer clothes (among other things) out ahead of time, and so I could see the boy for the first time in about a month. See… aren’t they awesome people?!? Love the parents.

Anywho, got up bright and early at 5 am on Friday to make sure I’d be able to catch my 7:20 flight in time. Fortunately, because I’m traveling from London – the airport is Tiiiny … so I was checked in like about 5 minutes. Flight over was good – I was on WestJet (love them… you’ll see why later). The funniest part was when we were landing and we got through the clouds all you could see was white – London has gotten maybe an inch of snow so far this year – CLEARLY Calgary was a different story. I found it amusing to look around at everyone’s shocked/concerned faces on the plane as they realized we were clearly heading into a big blizzard. Then the WestJet steward came on and was like “in case you haven’t noticed already it’s a TAD colder in Calgary than in Ontario… but that is okay – because we’re from Calgary, and we love Calgary --- *woooo*" – it was super cute and distracted everyone from looking out the window for awhile. Once we landed, the baggage arrived pretty quick and I caught a shuttle bus downtown. It was only me and a really nice Australian girl who was headed to Banff on the shuttle, so we got to talking with the driver. I think they both found it pretty awesome that my first impression of my future home is a crazy blizzard.
Way to be Calgary, way to be.
Well at least now I can say I’ve seen the worst of it, right? Dear god, I hope that’s the worst of it.

Anyways, the boy met me at the drop-off point for the shuttle and we walked a block or two to our new apartment. It’s smaller than our one in London, but its right downtown which is handy. It will be fine for the first little while. I also don’t have a job lined up out there yet – so we didn’t want to go overboard with living expenses since we’ll only have one income – at least initially. Anyways, we quickly grabbed some lunch and then he had to head back to work for the afternoon – and I toured around 17th Avenue in the blizzard (not to worry, I stopped for Starbucks and a cupcake – so it wasn’t awful). Once the boy got home from work, we went to a cute little Italian place nearby for dinner called Gnocchi’s. It was delish, and not very busy due to the weather. The MIML took me by some of the grocery stores/liquor stores on the way home. I bought some wine and he bought some beer and we headed back and watched Christmas Vacation on TV. That was it for Friday.

Saturday we got up and went for breakfast at a diner down the road… gotta say, breakfast prices = slightly unreasonable. I feel like I will be making breakfast at home from now on. I just thought it was strange because my dinner entrée the night before was around $17 and fairly reasonable, and then I got eggs benny (I splurged) at this diner and it was like $13.50 and wasn’t even that great. After breakfast, the boy took me by where his new office is and then we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks – because it was still pretty frigid outside. Then we decided to hit Chinook Mall, we took the C-Train (its like an outdoor monorail – but I suspect I’ll always call it the subway because I’m wired to think like a Torontonian). It was enjoyable and pretty speedy as well. I saw like FOUR people wearing cowboy hats in DECEMBER, which I think is just awesome (although I bet their ears were freezing). People in my neck of the woods wear cowboy hats ONLY on Halloween or to the bar, so I find it so crazy that people wear them just because out West. Love it. The mall was good, lots of stuff to see. We found the boy some winter boots and I got some stuff from Bath and Body Works (obviously). Then we went to a nearby sushi place for dinner. The boy also bought the Planet Earth DVD set when we were out so we went home afterward and watched that on his fancy new TV, it was pretty awesome (both the TV and the DVD’s).

Sunday, I had to catch my flight back at around 2:30, so I grabbed a shuttle by about noon. Didn’t give me a lot of time in the morning, so we just ate a quick breakfast at home and said our goodbyes :( So sad! Oh well – only a few more weeks. I booked my ‘official’ moving flight – I’ll be a resident of Alberta by December 29th, woo exciting!

Guess that’s about it – that was an EPIC update. I’ll try and post more regularly so they aren’t always so long. Thanks for reading – if you’ve made it this far! As you can probably tell, getting in a workout wasn't my highest priority that weekend. I'll try to get back on the wagon shortly though. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, I realized my camera was out of battery when I arrived there - fiddlesticks. I'll be sure to take lots when I move "for real". :)

Roasted Veggie Pasta with Lemon & Garlic

Ever want an awesomely fresh recipe, super quick – well I did last night when I got home from my trip. I was famished! So on the drive home from the airport I thought up this one, took less than 20 minutes to make, and made a pretty awesome dinner for 10:00 at night. Oh and the best part, I made wayyy to much – so I am currently eating the leftovers for lunch.

Anywho, here are the deets:
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Ingredients:
2 handfuls whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, cappelini or some other long & straight variety = preferred)
1 red pepper – diced
1 yellow pepper – diced
Half an onion
2 garlic cloves, or a scoop of canned garlic
Pinch of basil
Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Green Onions
Olive Oil
Lemon
Lemon Zest
S+P

Directions:
Step 1:
1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil
2. Add pasta of your choice and cook until done, drain (do not rinse).
Step 2:
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sweat the garlic & onions until clear.
4. Add the peppers and cook through
Step 3:
5. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 350 and quarter the cherry tomatoes
6. Line up cut cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Cook cherry tomatoes for 5-7 minutes until roasted.
Step 4:
8. Combine noodles with garlic, onion and peppers
9. Add handful of chopped green onions, and pinch of basil
10. Zest one lemon over top of noodles, and squeeze in the lemon juice of one lemon.
11. Plate and top with Parmesan cheese.
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Don’t worry – details of the Calgary trip coming later – there is only so much you can get accomplished on a lunch break :)

10 on Tuesday

Thanks to Roots and Rings for the questions!

1. What was the last concert you’ve been to?
Keith Urban & Lady Antebellum in October…2nd time seeing Keith, and he was amazing as always. Had never heard Lady Antebellum before and was SUPER impressed.
2. Is it easy to make you cry?
Incredibly, ridiculously easy. I usually cry over pointless stuff though, and then it takes awhile for “big deal” stuff to hit me.
3. Do you ever feel like people underestimate you?
Sometimes, but its probably largely my fault. I’m a bit of a “yes-man” and can be fairly agreeable on the outside even if something really irritates me on the inside.
4. Name 7 completely random things that you like:
Starbucks, Cupcakes, Spa Days, New Haircuts, Getting Off Work Early, Seeing Family, MIML
5. What’s your favorite reality TV show and why?
Oh…. Such a tough one, probably Biggest Loser – I adore that show.
6. What is your favorite hair care product?
I recently purchased a styling product from Aveda called the Glossing Straightener from their Smooth Infusions line – its amazing, smells like Strawberry and makes my hair sparkle.
7. What’s your favorite song at the moment?
Umm… slightly embarrassing but probably ‘Bigger’ by The Backstreet Boys – I still haven’t gotten over my Grade 7 Crush.
8. What’s the number one thing on your Christmas wishlist?
Probably some kind of fitness equipment or a trainer, but realistically, I’ll be happy to just be finally moved out West.
9. Have you ever lost your cell phone?
Yes, I lost my old cellphone under my family’s couch in the basement and didn’t find it for like 6 months – by then I had bought another. :)
10. Did you attack the hordes of shoppers for Black Friday?
I live in Canada, so a lot of them didn’t apply to me, but I online browsed hardcore – there were some pretty awesome deals.

Catch-Up

Hey,

Well it’s been awhile since I blogged, I really need to get myself on some sort of schedule. Anyways, I unfortunately don’t have a whole lot to report this week. I’ve been majorly slacking with the gym. Last Wednesday, I went for a run in the cardio room in my apartment, because it was pouring rain and I didn’t want to go outside. It’s convenient for that reason, but the machines are kind of old and for some reason it’s always really hot in there… I much prefer the fancy treadmills with built in fans at the gym! I’m so spoiled. Anyways, wasn’t my best showing, largely due to the heat factor. Nike+ Stats were: 3 miles/32:43/10:53 min/mile with 330 Calories Burned. I was happy I just made it there at all.

One observation about the Nike+ though – the calories portion is always ridiculously off of what the treadmill will say. For example, that workout last week had the treadmill reading over 400 calories burned, whereas the Nike+ was only 330 – I don’t get it. Has that happened to any of you? Which one is right? I’m not a big calorie counter or anything; it just kind of irritates me.

Other than that, my only other workout last week was a quick round of the 30 Day Shred on Saturday afternoon followed by a one hour Pilates DVD. I suck – I know. I was actually home in Toronto for the weekend, and I always find it harder to stick to a routine when the scenery changes. Oh well. I’ll have to get back on the wagon this week.

My weekend was a much needed break from moving though! Friday night I had dinner and a drink at Moxie’s with my college roommate, and it was so nice to see her and catch up. On Saturday, I met some of my high-school friends downtown and we went out for drinks at a pub. It was so nice to let loose a little – haven’t had that kind of fun in awhile.

Anyways, I’ve just got to truck it through work this week (4 Day Week – woot woot), because on Friday I head to Calgary for the weekend. I’m SOO excited. I haven’t seen the boy in close to a month, and I can’t wait to see where we’re going to be living and tour around the city At least I feel like the hardest part of the break is over, phew.

That’s all my news for today, I’ll update more often, I promise. 

'Twas A Good Day

Hey Hey

So I had a great Sunday this weekend, I went to the gym and pounded out 4 miles (my longest yet) in 39:27 - at 9:51 min/mile pace and burned around 500 calories according to the Nike+. It was an amazing workout, not gonna lie. When I was thinking about my training plan the day before I told myself I'd be happy with somewhere in the 40-45 minute range, but I did even better than that, on my first one. LOVE IT. I have no clue what it was that made it so awesome, only things I can think of were that I had 2 weak runs on Wed/Fri - so maybe I was due for a good one; or because it was the weekend I had time to make self a decent breakfast before I left - that might have kept my energy up better. Either way, there were times I was running and I had to say to myself "I can't believe this doesn't hurt more right now" - anyways, I felt like a million bucks after that one.

After the gym on Sunday, I tried my very first CLIF bar! I've been hearing so much about them all over the blogosphere, but they are kind of hard to come by up in Canada from what I've seen. I actually surprisingly found a few varieties at a Shoppers Drug Mart near where I live, its one of the BIG ones though - so maybe that was why. Either way - it was VERRRY exciting. I tried a Maple Nut one, and it was delicious/very filling. I'll have to pick some up again the next time I'm around there. After my snack, I headed to the mall to discuss cell phone options for me and the boy, once we move out west. We're hoping to get some kind of couples plan, but I just got my blackberry last February so its only like 8 months old - so I'll have to see if it'll cost me boatloads more to change the contract. They gave me some good ideas to think on - we'll probably figure it out once we get out there.

Haha, in other news, the boy told me Saturday night that he went furniture shopping out west and got us a coffee table/end tables... oh yah, and bought a 50" TV from FutureShop... :P What are we gonna do with a TV that size, sheesh? It'll be nice for watching sports (cuz I watch soooo many of those) and stuff like the Olympics I guess - but its definitely gonna be more his baby than mine. So that was an interesting development.

Other than that, I did a quick 35 minute XT on the bike at the gym yesterday, which was actually relaxing because I read a magazine. Also, my boss at work is travelling today and tomorrow - so it'll probably be a little more relaxing here :) JOY!

Anyways, strange thing happened last night - I was home from work for about an hour and my right foot starting hurting - like RIDICULOUSLY badly - it was hard to walk. So Weird! It was still hurting at 11:30 when I went to bed, so I decided to skip the gym this morning and take it easy - but I'm supposed to have a run tomorrow and I really really don't want to miss it.
Has that ever happened to you? What are your strategies for a strain/injury - do you run through it or rest for awhile?
I need all the advice I can get!

Its Been Awhile

Hey,

I've been slacking this week - I just realized I hadn't posted since Monday. :S Ooops

Its been a pretty busy week at work, so I haven't gotten much of a chance to catch up on my Google Reader either... that'll be on my to-do list this weekend! Other than that I don't have much planned for the next few days... probably a couple of trips to the gym, and another girls night with my old roommate tonight. It seems to be becoming a bit of a Friday ritual. Hopefully, I'll have some time this weekend to update this blog - there are so many things I want to add to it - I need to make a date with myself to GET'R Done lol :P

Workout wise, I've been pretty good this week - I did a 2.5 mile run on Wednesday morning - it was a bit rough, I have a difficult time pushing myself. I set mini-goals in my head (ie. run a mile), and once I get there, I stop and walk for 30 seconds or so - but I think I'm gonna have to stop that if I want to build up my endurance. I ran again this morning did a quick two miles in about 19:30 - so maybe I shouldn't get discouraged, I am improving my time bit by bit - its just a slower process than I thought I guess.

How do you stop yourself from getting discouraged??
Do you have any tricks to push through the "ahh I need to stop" moments of your run?

Thats all for now, have a great night all.

Blogs Make Me Smarter...

Hey

So my last update was Saturday (i think)- so what have I done since then - not a whole lot, lol :P I spent Saturday afternoon doing the 30 Day Shred/Yoga, cleaning and getting some groceries. I decided to indulge in an "I'm home by myself" dinner and had asparagus and mushroom risotto using a recipe that the MIML found me off the Food Network. It was delish, but involved a sizable amount of BUTTER :P eee... oh well. Nice to pretend like you don't care every now and then. Saturday night I was supposed to go out with some people, but I bailed, because I totally fell asleep on my couch for 2 hours at 7:00 - and figured I was too tired. Bah - I'm no fun I guess. Or maybe I'm just getting OLD!

Anyways, yesterday I hit the gym fairly early. Pre-gym I had breakfast that consisted of rye toast with cashew butter, which I found while shopping on Saturday night. It is FAB-U-LOUS... I'd put it on par with almond butter - so that was very exciting. At the gym I ran 3.5 miles as per my 10K training plan - it was a bit rough around the middle, but I finished pretty strong and was happy with my time. Nike+ stats were: 3.5 miles/36:49 min/10:30 min per mile/385 Calories burned. The Nike+ thing almost made me laugh out loud when I finished because Lance Armstrong came on and congratulated me - haha, SOOO random. That made me smile. In the afternoon I took some old clothes to goodwill (*yay* for giving back), grabbed a Starbucks, did some laundry, and hunted for jobs in Calgary. I hate job hunting, its depressing - especially in this economy. I'm terrified of not finding something once I get out there. :S

Couldn't decide on what to make for dinner last night, so I made lemon chicken and ate some leftover risotto with it. It was tasty, and I have extra's for lunch today. While I was making dinner I discovered that my mother THREW OUT my $11 package of QUINOA while she was packing on Friday, because "I already had alot of rice" - its NOT THE SAME... lol :P - silly lady.

Anyways, so I've decided that the tips I find in blogs - make me way smarter about eating healthy. Exhibit A: I decided to try Overnight Oats which I've been hearing lots about in the blogosphere. They turned out great, I was so impressed. They are definitely going to be a staple in my breakfast routine. THANKS KATH. I added some almond butter and strawberry rhubarb jam and it was the perfect treat before my strength training.

So, do any of you have any favorite goodies you add to your oats? As I mentioned, I feel like they'll be making a regular appearance, and I would love to try some new varieties :)

Packing Up My Life

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind. I've been working during the day and then trying to fit in work-outs and packing during other times. Thursday night I managed to pack enough to make a dent in things during Grey's and CSI - two of my fav shows.

Yesterday, my family drove into town from about 2 hours away, to help pack and move furniture while I was at work. I felt bad that I couldn't help them out more - but it was sure nice to come home to a bunch of packed boxes and with not a whole lot left. They did an amazing job! Now I feel like I can actually breathe, so I might get to relax some this weekend, without the stress of moving hanging over me. One of my friends had a few of us over last night for a girls night - we watch 'My Life in Ruins' with Nia Vardolas - which got awful reviews but we all thought was really cute, and then played a board game. I was out until 2 - haven't done that in awhile :P.


As far as workouts - I had a great 2 mile run at the gym yesterday. Fastest one yet - I was impressed with myself. The Nike+ Stats were: 2.00 miles, 19:52 time, 9.54 min/mile, 220 calories. I really love the 2 mile runs, I feel completely strong at that distance, and I like knowing I don't have to run for a super long time. Its a mind over matter thing to get through the long runs.

Anyways, today is a cross-train day, and I'm not really feeling hitting the gym, so I think I might do an eppy of the 30 Day Shred, followed my a 20 minute yoga podcast. All from the comfort of home :) Gotta love it.

I Think I'm A 5 Day A Week Girl

Hey,

So its Thursday, and I can't believe its almost the weekend, I'm so excited. This week has been crazy stressful, with the MIML leaving on Monday, and then packing stuff, arrange for people to take my furniture, and trying to fit it time for workouts. I'm a tad overwhelmed! My mom, sister and uncle are coming to town tomorrow to pack some stuff/take furniture while I'm at work - which is super nice of them - but has made me more stressed, because I'm afraid my mom will think I've accomplished nothing. She's even more of an organizational guru than I am! *yikes* we'll see.


So yesterday was supposed to be my cross-train day, but I ended up bailing on that idea. I seriously think I'm only a Workout 5 Days a Week kind of girl, the 6th Day is just KILLER. I was also exhausted after work, and I ended up getting Wendy's for lunch - which was probably a bad idea. I hadn't had fast food in months, and I felt like garbage after. DAMN YOU WENDY'S. I attempted to make up for it by making a fabulous salad for dinner. I basically used everything i could think of: lettuce, red/green onions, cucumbers, celery, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, tomatoes, and I even put a hard boiled egg in. I was delish and SUPER filling.

This morning I felt bad about missing my workout yesterday, so I hit the gym early and did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 10 on a stationary bike and burned about 270 calories - woo! Now I feel like I'm back on track.


And because I missed it yesterday, Happy Remembrance/Veteran's Day to everyone. Lest we forget.

A Run & Vitamins

So yesterday was a rough day, had to say goodbye to the MIML early in the morning and I just hate goodbyes. So I was a bit emotionally on edge for the whole day. Its just so weird to think that he's not ever going to be back at our place in London again. Kind of sad. It also leaves me thinking about all the packing, and shipping and eating of what's left in the fridge I have to do - hopefully the latter doesn't put a damper on my healthy eating plan.

Anyways, to get my mind off things yesterday, I hit the gym right after I dropped him off. I spent 40 minutes on a seated bike, pedaling while reading the first book ('Dead Until Dark') in the Sookie Sackhouse series (AKA True Blood) series written by Charlaine Harris. I really like the book - and I've only seen the first couple episodes of True Blood, so I'm hoping it will convert me into an addict. I also did about 20 minutes of weight-training once I finished that. I was happy though because it allowed me to catch up on some of the cross-training I missed by being lazy on Saturday.

Today, I went for a tough 2.5'er before work, and I don't know why - but it was a massive struggle. I did 3 miles on the weekend, and it was easier than today for some reason. I made decent time, Nike + stats are: 2.5 miles, time: 25.59 min, pace: 10.21 min/mile, calories: 276 , but I just wasn't feeling it. Does anyone else just ever have an off day?

Anyways, I have a hair appointment scheduled for 5 today, after work. I'm really looking forward to that, because I've been feeling like my hair looks like birds nest for the last little while :P

Lastly, I've been thinking about vitamins alot lately. I say I'm practically an old man with my row of pills I take in the morning. Currently, my vitamin list consists of: B12 - prescribed by doctor, as I have naturally low levels; as well as, a calcium supplement, vitamin A&D, and an Omega 3-6 pill. So it makes me wonder what everyone else thinks on supplements? How many do you take and which ones? Do you believe supplements even make a difference? Am I'm taking too many? I'd love you know what you think.

4 Day Recap!

So its been a few days since I've blogged, I apologize for the delay - its been busy.

So Thursday was my rest day, which was nice. The day was really special though because the MIML got his MASTER'S degree. *yay!!!* so exciting. He did so awesomely too, he is an awesome public speaker - like seriously, I work in PR and I still get all jittery and put my foot in my mouth when I have to make a speech, I was really impressed. I was also really nice because I got to hang out with his parents at the campus restaurant and chat for a few hours while he defended, after which we met up with him and some of his work friends for a celebratory drink at the Grad Bar. Then after a quick dinner, we headed back to our place so the MIML could give some of his books and other keepsakes to his parents since we won't be taking them to Calgary. The poor guy, he LOVES reading, and it looked like his heart was breaking a bit as he packed all his books into boxes. So sad. I guess the plus side is now he can just buy new ones once we're out West.

Friday, I worked the whole day then met up with a friend of mine to hit the mall for a baby shower present, we had so much fun looking at all the little booties and bibs and cute baby stuff. Then I hit the gym for a quick 2 mile run, and did 20 minutes or so of weights. Stats from the Nike + were: 2.03 miles/20:30 time/10.03 min per mile/ 224 Calories. That was basically it for the night, spent most of the next few hours helping the MIML pack for Calgary.

Saturday was my bad day for the week - I had planned to go to a spin class in the morning, but I was so exhausted from packing the night before that I bailed. I was angry about it later on in the day - that'll teach me, :P I went to the baby shower in the afternoon, which was alot of fun. My friend Andrea's baby is due in early December but they think she'll go early - so it was nice to see her get all decked out with baby gifts. I think she had a great time.

This morning, I got up and headed to the gym by 9:30a.m. for my 3 miler (long run of the week) - it was tiring but I still managed to give'r for the last 2 minutes and finish strong. The Nike+ Stats were: 3.01 miles/ 31.53 time/10.34 min per mile/332 Calories. I'm hoping I can improve my time over the next few weeks. After the gym, the MIML did some last minute running around, dropping off furniture, picking up packing supplies, and giving some of his clothes to goodwill. I can't believe he leaves tomorrow - the place looks so empty without his half of our stuff... :(

Hopefully the gym/packing will keep me busy while he's away, and my parents offered me some of their air miles to fly out to Calgary at the end of November and bring the 1st round of my stuff/see our new place. So thats exciting - I love my parents for being so awesome.

Guess thats about it, I've been meaning to give some shout-out's to my favorite running/health blogs - so that will come later this week. Stay tuned.

Advanced Yoga = A Bit Scary

Hey,



So I did an evening workout tonight, which was fun - and I had an absurd amount of energy when I got home, like it was a little ridiculous, I was bopping around to my iPod for like the first 10 minutes I was home. Anywho, I did a quick 20 minute cross-train on the elliptical tonight and burned a little over 200 calories woo! Then I went to a yoga class, I've never been to the Wednesday night class - but it's listed as just a general yoga class. Problem was, I'm 98% sure it was some type of crazy advanced yoga, cuz it was nowhere near as do-able as some of the other classes I've been too. Huge challenge, on the plus side, I had a great time laughing at all my awkwardness.

Today eating has been pretty good, I had some cottage cheese and a granola bar for breakfast; and then I grabbed a veggie sub from Subway over lunch, and had the 2nd half as a late afternoon dinner before the gym. I also went to Wal-Mart over lunch and got some of those Space Bag things for when we move. I really hope they work, and don't like explode in the suitcase, has anyone ever tried them before?

Not sure if I'll get a chance to blog tomorrow, the MIML is defending his Masters thesis - so its a pretty big deal. I'm taking a half-day at work so I can go watch him present. The in-laws are coming into town to see it as well, so we'll probably do dinner/family stuff - should be good, I know he'll do awesome.

Guess thats about it for today!

P.S. I'm in love with the new BSB song "Bigger" I've probably played it like 10 times today - go download it.

Learning to Breathe

Do you ever just forget to breathe? I did that repeatedly this morning. Today was my first run as part of my 10K training plan. It went pretty decently, I guess, I've done better before - but I think the delay was largely due to the weather. It was only like 2 degrees this morning, so it was a tad chilly. The Nike+ stats are:
Distance: 2.51 miles
Time: 29:30
Pace: 11:42 min/mile
Calories: 277

So it wasn't a super quick run. I did stop 2-3 times at traffic lights for short walk breaks and water... so that may have made it longer. Either way I'm happy I stuck it out and finished. Could be alot worse. I didn't even realize how chilly it was outside until I got back home, and couldn't breathe properly for like 5 minutes while readjusting to "regular" temperatures. Has that ever happened to anyone else? I think I'll have to try and re-train myself to breathe better in colder weather. That was the most challenging part I think.

I've also decided I need to devote some time to my iTunes Workout playlist - considering its basically non-existent at the moment. I find that a good song will really motivate me to move my arse, so that's definitely on the top of my running to-do list. Any recommendations would be awesome!


Anywho, I'm looking forward to the rest of my day. Started it off with a Liberte Strawberry Yogurt and a tea for breakfast. Then I'm meeting my friend at Starbucks for a coffee over lunch - (*WOO* Red Cups start Today!!). Later I think me and the MIML are going to finally pick out furniture and order it so it can be delivered to him when he gets to Calgary next week. Then, one of my bestest friends and my old roomate, Ange, is making us a going away dinner. How awesome is that? And she's Italian - so its guaranteed to be AMAZING! Such a sweetheart.

Anyways, that's my plans for today - tomorrow, I'm gonna do a yoga class in the evening and maybe 30-40 minutes on the elliptical beforehand. So it'll be an evening blog tomorrow, just for a change of pace.

Day 1 = Success

So today was Day 1 of my 10K training plan, and it was a big success. Feels good already. Day 1 is just strength training, so I did a combination of arms, legs, and ab work - but focused primarily on legs (for running purposes, afterall). Probably about 50% legs, 40% arms, 10% abs. I was surprised that it didn't take me that long to get through everything either, only about 45 minutes. And thanks to 'falling back' this weekend, it was actually sunny when I left my place at 7:15 this morning, that was a nice change.

I just got into work and I've started the day with a Timmie Ho's (Tim Horton's for all the USA readers) tea, and two Kashi granola bars (Honey Almond Flax & Peanut Peanut Butter) - cuz I was starving, but wanted something healthy.

Last night for dinner, the boy and I had a quinoa salad with lots of veggies in it (peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes etc) and it was delicious. I was super impressed with how quinoa tastes and isn't super time-consuming to make. Now we have leftovers for a week!

After dinner we met two friends downtown and headed to Centennial Hall for the Just For Laughs all-star tour, it was mucho funny. I've never really been to a comedy show before, but I was very impressed. I think it'll have to become a regular occurance, since it seems like one of the few things me and the boy can agree on.

Anyways, better get cracking on work - but I'm soooo looking forward to tomorrow. 2 miles here I come!

The 10K

So as I mentioned in my prior post - I was gonna give some details about my road to health and fitness. Here's what I'm thinking...

I currently can run 5K fairly easily, but I'm am by no means a regular runner. I just can kind of push through the pain and bust out a 5K without THAT much effort. So... to make sure that I push myself and get into a serious running regimen, I've set my first goal at completing a 10K. I'm sure all the runners out there in the blogosphere know of Hal Higdon, and after looking through alot of training plans, his seems like the best strategy for me to fit into my life. I don't have a particular race I'm planning for at the moment, considering that Hal Higdon's plan is only 8 weeks - and by that point it'll be around Christmas and the dead of winter up here in Canada... so not a whole ton of road races to choose from. I will likely be completing my training using a combination of outdoor running, and classes/machines at the gym as the weather gets colder.

I am planning on making a few slight modifications to Hal's plan, so I'm thinking my plan will look something like this...

Monday: Stretching & Strength Training (45 minutes)
Tuesday: Run
Wednesday: Cross-Training (Yoga Class + Cardio Machine)
Thursday: Off
Friday: Short Run + 20 minutes Strength Training
Saturday: Cross-Training (Spin Class, Walking, Kickboxing etc)
Sunday: Long Run

So only some minor variations on the plan - but I think it'll work well for me.

There are only a few challenges I foresee in this plan. #1) I'm moving at the end of December - and its not just a little move - I'm moving from Ontario to Alberta - so umm, I dunno 4000+ miles. :S #2) The reason for this move, is the man in my life (MIML) got a job out West, and my job is a contract position that ends just before xmas, so the timing for this kind of change is good in that sense. Downside is, I will be without a boyfriend to motivate me for about 6 weeks (he leaves next weekend), and I'll be stuck in Ontario packing up our life ... wooo, fun! NOT!

Hopefully, this blog and my exercise plan will be a good distraction for me while he's away. I'm also hoping that if I get out West and can find a good gym quick enough, I won't miss out on any of my training plan... (Anyone know any reasonably priced gyms in Calgary? I could really use some tips!) Assuming all goes well, I am planning on running in the Calgary Marathon next May, hopefully either a strong 10K or a half-marathon if I can really push myself.

I figure that will give me lots of time to adjust to a regular running schedule, and figure out what works best for me. I'm also planning on trying to eat natural, healthy foods from this point out and I will try and document some of that to share with you as well. I'd love to know what some of the experienced runners out there thinking of this training strategy, I'm still pretty new at this so I'd love to learn more. Nonetheless, I will keep you posted on my progress this week. Wish me luck!

Why Blog?

Hi All,

So I've decided to start two blogs, one work-related that allows me to vent my views on the PR industry, you can visit it here. This blog however, is gonna be my blog about my passion for fitness/health, and basically a long story of how I try and implement "wellness" into my everyday life.

I wasn't always as interested in health and fitness as I have been lately. I'm 24, and graduated from college 2 years ago... and let me tell you, when I was in undergrad - staying healthy was about the furthest thing from my mind. Needless to say, I paid for it when I weighed myself sometime shortly after I graduated and freaked out a TAD. I was always one of those kids that was always stick skinny, so I guess the whole idea that I would have to workout and eat right to maintain my weight never really occurred to me in the first place (don't hate me!). I think back on my high school prom pics and I was so tiny! Well, maybe not tiny physically, I'm tall (bout 5'10ish) but I was tiny weight-wise and in all honesty, that was too skinny for someone my height. I think my ideal weight would be around 130-135ish.

I remember the first time I joined a gym after college, it was a Goodlife Fitness - for all you other Canadians - and I was BEYOND overwhelmed! I got suckered into everything I probably shouldn't have, I didn't know how to barter on monthly fees, so I probably paid more than I had too and somehow I ended up signing up for 8 personal training sessions that I couldn't afford, simply because I didn't really know how to say no. I will say the personal training sessions were useful in the fact that I was shown how to properly use the weight equipment, which, for safety reasons, was probably a good thing.

After this initial gym experience, life got in the way a bit. I got a job that had me working weird hours (ie. finishing at 11:30 at night), and it was harder to keep up with the gym. But I was always interested, and always intended to go - even if at that point, it only happened like once a week.

Over the past few months I've been learning alot more about fitness through listening to podcasts, reading blogs and even following health guru's on twitter. You know how they say, knowledge is power - I believe that's true, because sometimes just reading/listening to how someone got themselves to the gym that day despite obstacles - is motivation for me.

So I hope that some of you will read, or even follow, my journey to better wellness. I'll post more details on what my plans are to achieve this in a later post, and I'll try and add useful links to articles or fellow bloggers that inspire me. Hope you enjoy.