rough weekend :(

oy. this was a really really bad weekend.

friday: we went for all-you-can-eat sushi for ivan's birthday. i went a little bit overboard and ate even once i was full. to make up for it, i hit the gym after gabe went to bed but it only made me feel worse...i went straight to bed afterwards.

saturday: breakfast was fine. i had a light lunch since i knew there would be snacks at aly's birthday. i tried to restrain myself at the party, but sandra made a delicious avocado/salsa dip and once i started, i was addicted! that night we had the staff dinner for the shop, with a full-on 10 course chinese dinner. dinner was a bit long, and i was exhausted so i ended up caving in and had a glass of coke.

sunday: GREAT zumba class...i'm finally getting all the moves down and i LOVE the music the instructor plays. we hit granville island for a beautiful sunday outing, and i smartly chose fish & chips for lunch :P then as we were wandering around trying to figure out our dinner plans, chris found a canada prime steak with beautiful marbling :( all i can say was at least we showed some restraint and shared one steak.

and now a new week begins...time to get back on track. i`m sure i`ve just re-gained the 5 pounds that i lost earlier this month :(

wrong wednesday

so wednesday was wrong for a couple reasons:

• instead of running errands (i.e., grocery shopping), i took gabe to the aquarium. yah for gabe! not so good for me...as i was prepping dinner i realized why i needed to go shopping. we were out of brown rice AND i had no cereal for breakfast the next morning.
  
• i've been raving to everyone about my sunday zumba class because it is SO MUCH FUN! i went off in search of other zumba classes, and found one at renfew community centre. sadly it is NOT the same as at bonsor, it was more aerobics moving to a latin beat with a few cha-cha steps thrown in for good measure. the instructor was also sort of random, running around the class like she was a rock-star trying to pump up the arena. to irritate me further, i was so gung-ho about the class potential that i bought a 10 class pass. so now i'm stuck with it, all because i could save $3 over the drop-in rate. stupid stupid stupid.
  
• after being irritated about wrong wednesday, i messed up further, and binged after 8 p.m. i ate 2 cups of hickory sticks (ok, 1 cup was eaten for afternoon snack), then i had 3 (styrofoam) rice cakes with salsa. i only felt slightly guilty about it afterwards...

however, despite all the bads, i did have a great session with ryoko in the morning. after wrong wednesday, i'm back on track and ready to make up for it. looking forward to a great friday workout!

salba: the 3 day challenge

what is salba?


"Salba® is the richest whole food source of Omega 3 fatty acids and fibre found in nature. Every serving (12 grams or approximately 2 flat tablespoons) of Salba® provides over 2,400 mg of Omega 3s, over 4,500 mg of dietary fibre, with less than 0.5 net carbohydrates per serving. Gram for gram, Salba® provides six times more calcium than whole milk, three times more iron than spinach, and fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli. Salba® is all-natural, has no trans-fats, is gluten free, has almost no carbohydrates, and is certified Non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)"


as part of the samples from my nutrition tour at choices, included was "take the salba 3 day challenge".


day 1: add 12 g (approx. 1.5 tbsp) of salba to your cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothie, or simply wash it down with water or juice. you will feel the exhilaration of having completed your task for day 1, and the joy that comes from giving your body such incredible nutrition. after breakfast you will feel full for a longer period of time without experiencing any bloating or distension in your stomach.


day 1 was on sunday, so i added salba to my yogurt and still had my bowl of cereal too. then i went off to zumba class, and then we ran some errands. it was a busy morning, so i was pre-occupied and therefore my focus wasn't on my next food source, and i truly wasn't hungry. day 1 was a success!


day 2: add salba to any breakfast food or continue to eat it on its own. if you are usually hungry by 11:00 and cranky by lunch, you will be amazed you are still not hungry by 12:30! by adding salba you have slowed your digestion and maximized the energy your body utilizes from the food you eat.


on day 2, i added it to my cereal (no yogurt today). work is really busy, so my mind was pre-occupied, BUT i was hungry by 10 a.m.! luckily i found a cherry & dark chocolate kashi bar in my desk to munch on :)


day 3: today is the last day of the challenge! energize your body by adding salba to your morning meal. today you will experience what a highly efficient 8:1 insoluble to soluble fibre can do for you: comfortable bowel cleanse and reduced food craving. all of this in only 3 days through a simple, natural and nutrient dense whole food!


on day 3, again i was hungry by mid-morning! this time i managed to tough it out and not snack on anything. i switched back to green tea, as opposed to the herbal teas (free samples at burrard stn!) i had last week, and i made it to lunchtime.


bottom line, the health benefits of salba are impressive. however, i just felt hungrier by mid-morning. soooo, i'll check out the other salba products at the grocery store and perhaps try them out. in the meantime, i've got my 7 grain kashi bars to keep me going! yum :P

withdrawal?

it finally hit me today...the withdrawal of all things bad. it started shortly after lunch and went downhill rapidly. in the hopes of feeling better, i hit timmies and got a small single/single. unfortunately it had the opposite effect and by the time i got home, i wanted to vomit :( so i had to bail on gabe's gymtime tonight...i just couldn't fathom a gym full of running screaming kids.

i popped some excedrin and sat in the dark while chris attempted to take gabe to the gym. unfortunately rush-hour traffic had them turning around as they wouldn't make it before the drop-in session filled up. so chris then tried to take gabe to our common room to kick a ball around, but gabe kept asking for me, so they came back up. so much for my rest!

fortunately the drugs are kicking in, and i've now had a bite to eat and am feeling so much better! just in time for me to go to the gym tonight :P good thing, otherwise this could have been the start of me "falling off the wagon" :)

nutrition, nutrition!

so i've been going to the gym for 3 weeks, i've had my first personal training session, and now i've met with a nutritionist and dietician at choices market. i really feel like january is setting the tone for a really healthy year and i'm coming out of the gate full force!


today's 2 hour 1:1 nutrition tour was really good. it started with a reuseable choices bag with a variety of samples and nutrition handouts, and the choices newsletter. when i first contacted christine about the nutrition tour she asked about any specific concerns i had. once we really get on track, i might go back again to get more inspiration for other food choices. today's goal was to get ideas to replace all the "bad" choices from our diet.


we went through the entire store, talking about serving portions, organic vs. non-organic, alternative meat choices (i.e. ground bison vs. ground beef), low-fat/fat-free options without the aspartame/artificial sweeteners, and how to read labels and make healthier decisions. it was a lot of information to take in, but i've already determined some areas we can experiment, starting with couscous and quinoa. i've also got some great ideas to jazz up plain yogurt, including dried (powdered) organic blueberries.


while shopping at choices regularly isn't in our budget, i will have to find the right balance for us. superstore has started carrying more "natural" products, and things like almonds (for my snack) or kashi cereals and bars can be purchased anywhere. brown rice and other grains and the "dirty dozen" produce i might be a bit more picky about and buy at choices or whole foods.


so much to think about and work on!

oh the pain!

wednesday's are my day off work, and what do i decide to do? meet with my personal trainer, ryoko, for a 6 a.m. workout! we didn't go too hard core, but she definitely pushed me...8-9 on a scale of 10. we focused on strength training as it helps burn fat. i worked my triceps, biceps, abs, quads...it was a good session. all i could think about was the pain i would feel the next day...i was convinced i'd have jelly legs. i was wrong. my arms and legs are totally fine...but my ABS are killing me! every time i laughed, i would end up clutching my stomach because of the pain :P


my goal is to do 2 strength-training sessions (3 would be ideal, including the session with ryoko), plus additional days of fat-burning cardio. i thought that increasing the intensity and speed of the elliptical machine and treadmill would burn fat faster, but it doesn't. i need to travel at a slower pace, but still get my heart-rate up using additional resistence.


since 80% of weight loss is what i eat, i'm also making reasonable changes to my diet. i try to stop eating after 8 p.m., but if i do get peckish, i have an apple or orange...something that i like but is also good for me (as opposed to the crap i would eat before). the white/brown rice combo's been working really well for the 3 of us. priscilla and i went out for lunch yesterday and my usual fare would be something like a burger and fries with a coke...instead gabe and i shared a turkey sandwich with dill potato salad and i had a glass of water. i'd say that's a step in the right direction :-)


i've also been eating breakfast at home...currently it's oatmeal crisp w/raisins...and because i'm not hungry when i get to work, i've stopped my trips to starbucks and tim hortons. i have kashi granola bars in my desk for a mid-morning snack, and i also pack along some fruit for the afternoon. to replace my coffee fixation, i now drink green tea throughout the day.

i will also pat myself on the back because i said no to several treats this week...timbits, candy, chocolate, pop...oh so many temptations. i will admit that i had a cupcake this morning, but after consultation with another "dieter", we found out the baker made them specifically "reduced fat"...less butter and sugar than a regular cupcake :-)

all-in-all, an excellent week! i'm looking forward to my friday night workout!

zumba!

"Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin and international rhythms with easy to follow moves to create a dynamic workout system that will blow you away. The class format combines fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body in an aerobic/fitness fashion to achieve a unique blended balance of cardio and muscle-toning benefits. Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, burn fat and tone your body. A variety of styles are used in its routines, including Cumbia, Soca, Merengue, Salsa, African, Reggaeton, Flamenco, Funk and Bellydance. Zumba is a 'feel happy' workout that is great for the body and the mind."

i went to my first zumba class this morning...i couldn't believe how many ppl showed up for it! women, men, seniors, 30's, 40's, big/small, it was a class for everyone! definitely a good workout...i'm still feeling the burn! i was really clumsy at first with no rhythm, but once i started following the girl in front of me, i was doing a lot better. while it does interfere with "family" day, i hope to continue this as often as possible. there are other locations, but for $5.35 drop-in at bonsor, the price can't be beat (especially since i'm paying for fitcity also) :P

my other "first" this week will be my wednesday session with ryoko. all of our work together will focus on weight/strength training and i'm responsible for my own cardio. she's made me promise to exercise at least 3 times a week...otherwise, we're just wasting my money and both of our time. so far i'm off to a good start :)

the other area i need to work on is food nutrition. i'm trying to be more aware of portion size, but yesterday after cutting down, i ended up with a wicked headache and let gabe watch 1.5 hours of tv :( i've done ok today, but i notice that all i do is think about food...when is a good time for a snack, when's my next meal, i wonder what's in the fridge? i think the next month is going to be a real challenge as i try to set healthier goals for myself :(

to help me along, i have an appointment on saturday at choices with the nutrionist and dietician...i'm really looking forward to it!

fit city

so i joined fit city in basically for 2 reasons: first, it's a women-only facility, and two, it's close to home (my plan for the summer is to actually walk there and back PLUS a workout). gold's gym is across the street from us, but i've seen enough people coming and going to know it's a pretty intense place...i don't think any of those ppl have an ounce of fat on them!

i thought once the new year rolled around, fit city would be really busy and there'd be time limits on the cardio machines. but i was wrong. this is week 2 and i've always gotten a cardio machine i want and BONUS there's always a tv that i can choose my programming :-) it probably helps that i go after 8:30 p.m....not ideal for workouts, but that's what works for me.

i got really ambitious at my last workout and tried RUNNING on the treadmill. ok, so it was more like a really slow 1 minute JOG that i interspersed between 8 minutes of walking. i actually felt pretty good and thought i'd try doing it again today. so NOT happening...i'm just not cut out for it and i should probably consult with my doctor and/or a trainer before i even think of doing that again. in the meantime, i don't mind the eliptical machine :)

only 2 workouts this week...i didn't want to drive in the snow last night. i might try and work out after my personal trainer appt on friday...we'll see.

no new recipes to report...nothing overly healthy on the menu this week. stews, ribs, blah blah.

what a weekend!

ok, so the entire weekend was a write-off for healthy eating. sunday we had our annual dim sum with our friends, and yes, i enjoyed all the deep-fried goodness they served :-) for dinner i made tuna casserole with catelli smart macaroni. i really didn't know the difference between the whole wheat pasta vs. the smart pasta. which leads me to my next discovery.


choices market offers free nutrition store tours! i don't know all the details, but just the description alone is intriguing. while i was surfing the site, i also discovered new year, new you individual nutrition consultations. i might try that one out, too...we'll see what i can schedule in first.

no exercise on the weekend, but i did do a 40 minute cardio workout on monday night.

personal trainer?

to further assist in my quest to become fitter and healthier, i am consulting with a personal trainer this week. i really need help to figure out what exercises are best for me to focus on full body weight loss and core conditioning. i'd rather not just randomly do cardio for the sake of burning calories...i want to maximize everything i do. hopefully after the consultation we'll be able to start scheduling workouts over the next couple months. after that, we'll see what happens.

i sort of slipped on friday...after my healthy breakfast, i was hungry by 10 a.m. so i ended up eating my veggies & guac early. so i was left snackless in the afternoon...hence, i ended up at big orange for a bubble tea :P obviously there were healthier alternatives, but after my bean salad lunch, i said screw it! and girls night was definitely a food bust...duck carpaccio, fried chicken & gravy, burrata & prosciutto platter, chocolate stuffed fritters w/creme anglais! it was an evening of eating bliss :-)

today wasn`t exactly a stellar day either...i had a piece of (leftover) teriyaki chicken for breakfast, lobster ravioli for lunch, (more) bean salad for snack, and then chinese dinner with chris`parents. i did cut down on the rice at dinner and ate more of the lettuce, fish and tofu. but still, i ate too much again :(

there you have it...all the gory details of my food indulgence. and there`s more eats again tomorrow at yum yum dim sum!

week 1

it's only january 6, and i can't remember what i did 3 days ago. this is why i'll need to work on this blog on a daily basis. it'll validate everything i've been doing and prove to myself i'm on the right track :)

january 3: i don't remember what we ate, but i did go to the gym - 20 minutes eliptical, 2o minutes treadmill. on my drive home, i threw up in my mouth. not exactly motivating for a return trip to the gym :(

january 4: my last indulgence for the holidays - my free birthday eggnog latte from starbucks...yum yum! lunch was chicken noodle soup & thai noodle salad. i had a smaller serving at dinner (chicken udon)...trying to work on portion control (and hopefully NOT throw up after exercise). 40 minutes of keiser express weights. i still need to figure out the right resistence for all the machines. i didn't throw up this time, but i sure thought i might :P

january 5: AMAZING DAY! yogurt and fruit for breakfast; lobster ravioli w/tomato cream sauce for lunch; the BEST dinner - salmon (seasoned with lemon, sea salt, pepper), oven roasted kale, 1/2 brown rice and 1/2 white rice. it was a successful dinner for the 3 of us...i didn't cook the kale properly but it actually turned out BETTER! it was crispy like a chip and gabe was loving it :)

40 minutes on the treadmill, i even managed to jog for a few minutes. it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. felt fine after workout :)

january 6: horrible night...gabe woke up at 4:30 to go potty, then he screamed in bed till 5:30. missed my alarm but still got to work on time. started the day with a tall coffee misto (gonna have to break the coffee habit) and (gabe's leftover) macaroni salad. lunch was my delicious leftovers from the night before. my snack was tuesday's leftover lunch of thai noodle salad. dinner - white/brown rice, teriyaki chicken, corn. 1/2 apple, 2 wasa crackers w/guac for snack.

january 7: lunch will be leftover teriyaki chicken, plus a delicious black bean salad i've made to accompany chris' dinner. i've even packed grape tomatoes and red peppers for afternoon snack with guac. it's girls night, so all bets are off :P

no gym till january 10...will have to figure something else to do.

new year, new us!

so, what's this all about? this will be our family journal...a place for me to document our road towards healthier eating, consistent exercise, and a well-balanced life. i'm hoping this blog will make me accountable to the cyberworld to keep up with this new lifestyle. i have no doubt that we will have lots of successes, challenges and setbacks, but my goal is to keep track of (almost) everything we do! wish us luck :-)