It Was Bound To Happen...

I injured myself at Zumba! 

Now don't ask me what I did exactly, cause it felt just fine while I was shaking my thang, but by the time I went to bed, it was aching.  Woke up yesterday morning, and I can barely bend my knee - it doesn't seem swollen, but there is a shooting pain through the middle.  Anyways, skipped the gym yesterday, and will stick to doing hand weights at home until it's 100% again.  You don't want to mess with knee pain!

In other Zumba related news, the gym has added two more classes a week, which means I can get my groove on 4 to 5 times a week.  Is that insane?  Am I addicted?  Perhaps.  But cardio is cardio!

Someone at work has started a 'Spring Into Action' weight loss challenge, which starts next Tuesday.  It's $50 to enter, and the final weigh in is July 25th.  I'm joining as this could be the motivation I need to stay on track with my eating.  I don't have any problems going to the gym (minus the injury thing), but it's REALLLLY hard to say no to chocolate cream cheese on a bagel (why did I even buy that??  I could eat it with a spoon, straight from the container!)  This week, I'm going to work on a menu plan that hits around 1500 calories a day.  Of course, I will put in some wiggle room for things like vacations (I have 2 coming up before the final weigh in) and parties (um, yup, there's a few of those... hello gin and tonics!)

So far, this blog has been all weight-loss related.  I didn't plan that, it's just what's forefront in my brain these days.  For a change of pace, here's some news about my weekend!

On Friday, my son Ben is coming for spring break.  He lives with his dad about 5 hours away - we share custody, and Ben asked to try living with his dad for a while - so it's not very often that I get to see him.  I'm super excited to have a whole 10 days with him!

Friday night, my friends are having a Hawaiian themed dinner party, which required dressing up.  I don't have anything particularly Hawaiian, but I do have some summer clothes I can pull out.  As long as I wear some bright colours and shorts or a skort, I should be good - oooo, I should put a flower in my hair!  Done.

Saturday is RIHANNA!  Four of my friends are coming from out of town, plus my husband, son and some local friends, so there's a total of 10 of us.  After the concert, we're going out dancing for my friend's birthday (I haven't been to a club in Calgary for, umm... years?), then we're getting a limo home.  I love that it's the same price for an 8 person limo as it is to take 2 cabs back to my place!

Easter Sunday means I MUST. NOT. EAT. ALL. THE. CHOCOLATE.  Maybe just one, but that's it.  Mmmm, Reese's peanut butter egg...

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Ugh.

What a crazy weekend.  I'm exhausted.  I shall return with a real post shortly.

Ahoy!

Nope, still terrible at titles.

*drumroll*  Now it's time for.... results from last week!

Last week's fitness goals - RESULTS:

• Zumba tonight!! *dance dance* Also, Saturday morning. - CHECK!
• Complete my trainer's strength workout twice. - Sad face - only did it once.
• Add at least 20 minutes of cardio to the strength training days. - CHECK!  Did 30 minutes of the "heart intervals" setting on the treadmill.

This week's fitness goals:

Follow this schedule:

• Monday - Zumba
• Tuesday - Rest day
• Wednesday - workout with my trainer
• Thursday - Butts and Gutts (keep repeating the mantra "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger")
• Friday - Zumba

 Last week's food goals - RESULTS:

• Stick to my meal plan - CHECK!!  Although any benefits gained were negated by my vodka intake on Saturday night, and the subsequent post-drinking greasy egg and bacon bagel on Sunday morning.
• Protein shakes for breakfast, while being aware of the amount of fruit in them (sugar) - CHECK!  This was actually a lot easier than I thought, so I'm keeping up with it.
• Create a menu for next week - CHECK!
• Complete all food prep on Sunday - I did some prep on Monday, since we were at a hockey game on Sunday night.  I'll call it a pass.

This week's food goals:

• As always, stick to my meal plan!
• Week 2 of protein shakes for breakfast.
• Create a menu for next week.
• Complete all food prep on Sunday.
• Start planning weekend food as well as work days.

 Click to embiggen!

 

 

Notes:  Monday has already passed, so I updated it to show what I actually ate.  I had a crazy morning at work, plus I didn't plan well the night before, so I skipped breakfast and had a bunch of random stuff for lunch.  The purpose of the 4 PM snack is to fuel me for the gym, so if I'm not doing that, I don't have a snack (especially before sushi, nom!)  Friday is my day off, and I'm going out of town, so I don't know what I'll be having for lunch or dinner yet.

What I like best about having a blog that no one really reads is that I don't have to worry about a posting schedule - I just do what I want.  It's nice for me to see everything laid out "on paper" so I can tell where I need to work harder.

Since this was a long post, I'm going to wait until next time to tell you about the rest of my week.  Pins and needles, amiright?

Post Title Goes Here

I am terrible at blog post titles.

Zumba last night was AWESOME - we did a Brazilian Booty Battle.  My ab muscles were toast at the end of class.  I'm having issues with my calf muscles cramping, and I don't know what to do besides stretching.

I stuck to my meal plan 100% yesterday... YAY ME!

Checking In

My menu plan for the week:

Click to embiggen!

Last week's fitness goals - RESULTS:

•  Go to the gym after work at least three times. - I made it two times: once for a regular strength workout, and once for a Butts and Guts class (which nearly killed me!)
• Complete my trainer's strength workout twice (and try not to overdo the squats this time, I like being able to walk). - Did the workout once, and I could walk after.

This week's fitness goals:

• Zumba tonight!!  *dance dance*  Also, Saturday morning.
• Complete my trainer's strength workout twice.
• Add at least 20 minutes of cardio to the strength training days.

Last week's food goals - RESULTS:

• Oatmeal for breakfast, not bagels! (I already failed this one today, but it doesn't mean I can't do it the rest of the week). - Massive FAIL.  I didn't eat oatmeal once.
• NO FAST FOOD. - Also a massive FAIL.  I ended up at McDonald's twice in one day (only partially my fault), and I had breakfast at Tim Horton's.  Oh, and pizza at work.  Dammit.
• Healthy, balanced meals. - The ones I made at home were.  =(
• Stick to my meal plan, and create one for next week. - Did not stick to last week's meal plan, but I did create one for this week!  (See above).
• Complete food prep for next week on Sunday afternoon (I've totally slacked on this in the last month). - I DID IT!  =D  I have little baggies of cucumber slices and grape tomatoes to add to my lunch salads, plus I chopped up bananas for the freezer.

This week's food goals:

• Stick to my meal plan (menu at the top of the page).
• Protein shakes for breakfast, while being aware of the amount of fruit in them (sugar).
• Create a menu for next week.
• Complete all food prep on Sunday.

Other goals for the week - RESULTS:

• Saturday Crafternoon: Complete my peacock-themed wreath for the front door. - DONE!
• Plan at least two more days of my trip to San Francisco with my mom (three months to go!) - DONE!

 Other goals for the week:

•  Buy Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z concert tickets.  *squeee!*  I'm flying to Vancouver to see them - with the added bonus of visiting my friends, since I'm from there.

Results

Made it to the gym yesterday, just as planned!

I didn't sleep well the night before, so I had a hard time staying focused on what I was doing (both at work and at the gym).  Fortunately, I managed to get in a good arm workout, and did just enough squats and step ups to feel the burn, but not injure myself.  A little slow going up the stairs this morning, but it's good to know that I got it done.  Man, those guys at the gym who are lifting massive weights and grunting and screaming really make me laugh - it was hard keeping a straight face while I did my little 5 lb. bicep curls.

Stopped to pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home - dang, those things are awesome.  Served with some mashed red taters (also from the deli) and a quick salad of baby romaine, cucumber and grape tomatoes.  I've been using Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Dressings, which have only 35-45 calories per two tablespoons.  My favourite flavours right now are the Ranch, and the Honey Mustard.  Last week, I used the Honey Mustard to top a salad of romaine, grape tomatoes, cucumber, mango, avocado and grilled chicken breast - amazing!

After a decent night's sleep, I feel so much better than yesterday, so I guess that means I'd better get some work done and earn my wage!

Breaking the Habit

This week's fitness goals: 

• Go to the gym after work at least three times.
• Complete my trainer's strength workout twice (and try not to overdo the squats this time, I like being able to walk).
• Again, I have made out-of-town plans for the weekend that mean I will miss Saturday Zumba.  I really hope the gym adds the Wednesday night class they were talking about, I get restless when I don't go!

This week's food goals: 

• Oatmeal for breakfast, not bagels!  (I already failed this one today, but it doesn't mean I can't do it the rest of the week).
• NO FAST FOOD.
• Healthy, balanced meals.
• Stick to my meal plan, and create one for next week.
• Complete food prep for next week on Sunday afternoon (I've totally slacked on this in the last month).

Other goals for the week:

• Saturday Crafternoon: Complete my peacock-themed wreath for the front door.
• Plan at least two more days of my trip to San Francisco with my mom (three months to go!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

My husband works in the oilfield, with a 15 day on, 6 day off schedule, and he went back on shift yesterday so he's not home tonight.  We said our valentine's over text this morning when he came off of night shift - I know, very romantic.

Instead, I'm going to watch TV in my pajamas, and I believe tonight's dinner menu consists of grilled cheese and soup.  That's my Valentine's present to myself.

I miss you, husband.

Welcome!

I believe this is my third attempt at starting a blog.  Same name, same design, different concepts.

The first time, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to write about, and I was really forcing myself to do it.  This resulted in a lot of fake-sounding posts with no direction - the enthusiasm just wasn't there.

The second time, I started by recording my progress in a weight loss program, thinking that it would help keep me accountable and perhaps others would be interested in my journey.  After two weeks of daily blogging, I realized I was too scared to be honest about my food intake in a public forum - even if no one else was reading it!

Many years ago (*cough* 8-10?), I successfully created a Microsoft "Space", which my friends read regularly.  It was full of crazy, there was lots of interaction in the comments section, and it was FUN!  Thinking back on it, I realize that it was so easy because it was real - I didn't think too hard about what I was posting, just kind of let whatever was on my mind flow out through the keyboard.  Of course, since I'm strange, the end result was unpredictable, with subject matter ranging from relationships and dating, to food, music, movies, books, things that made me laugh, my social life and friends, and the occasional post about nothing.

So... here we go again.  I'm going to post what I feel like posting, when I feel like posting it.  If no one reads it, so be it, but it'll sure be nice to have somewhere I can rant and swear and talk about my life.