A snowy day

But not enough to build a good fort outside. Yesterday, Friday, was a great day! I did a pilates DVD workout before my Friday night pizza and garlic bread feast. My abs were still a little sore from Wednesday's workout. Thursday I walked 4000 steps downtown to run some errands and kept up a good pace.

Friday I cleaned out my dresser and closet. A nice pile of dresses, skirts and shirts to donate - all in great condition but they either don't fit well anymore (which is a good thing) or they just aren't me. I filled a garbage bags with other clothes that were stained, shrunk or stretched out. I even tried on 5 items that once were tight and now they fit! Hooray! Well, of course at one point they fit back then too.

I applied for 3 advertised jobs too. Feeling positive!

Saturday morning weights and cardio workout is around the corner. After that, some mommy and son time and then on to counting and compiling receipts to prep for tax time. I want it all completed tomorrow and ready to send. I need to get better organized in the receipt area.

Keeping track of drinking lots of water and eating well today.

Breakfast: whole wheat toast (1 slice) with peanut butter, banana and large glass of water. Multivitamin.

Post-workout will be a blueberry protein smoothie.

Thursday cardio day

I can't remember when I posted last - Monday? I had 3 salads that day. Tuesday I had light veggies beef soup for 240 cal for a big can. Yesterday was super healthy eating at less than 1200 calories. At the gym, I tried the Hammer Strength ab extension machine. You have to pull down, the seat moves to a crunch position. Kinda scary to be truthful. I did low weight and 2 sets of 12 reps to try it. My abs hurt today. Maybe that's because I also did the ab crunch for 3 sets of 20 reps at a slightly higher weight. I walked to the gym that day.

Today is Thursday. It's cardio day! Rather than doing a specific work out, I opted to walk downtown about 1 km or maybe more to do some errands. Kept up a good pace and walked over 4000 steps, burning 151 calories according to my pedometer on the iPod.

Breakfast was a breakfast burrito from the freezer and 6 oz of milk. Not high in calories but not as healthy as it could have been I suppose but with the cold and walking, I think my body was craving more substance. Water when I returned.

For wellness: went to a business meeting Tuesday night. One presentation was on personal image and branding. Great spiel about wardrobe, body type and accessorizing. I am inspired to finally clear out my closet once and for all from the items that are too big, too tight from way back before I had kids and there is no way my shape will ever change that much to be truthful, too shapeless, too blah or just old that I never choose to wear. Must go through my jewellery too.

For me: finished sewing 7 crests on a camp blanket last night at work #3 and read more of my Happiness Project book. It was a good night at work. Work #4 of the day - delivered an order, received payment for another order and had a small inventory order placed. Also had a ref. letter dropped off for me. Yay! Productive!

Job hunt? Sent 21 resumes since Jan. 27. I have to send more. Need inspiration.

Lots to do. I don't see how anyone could be bored at home. I think I am my hardest boss. I don't give myself many breaks, keep a to do list with deadlines for myself to follow, just so much to do in day. One day I would like my house organized, no piles everywhere, no emails to catch up on and some hours in a day to do fun stuff.

Tonight - volunteering!

Back on the horse - again

After a hiatus, stuff happening, new job search which is not that easy I might add, I am back!

About 20 resumes sent out so far in a week or so. Not bad, not bad, considering I don't have all day to send them. Feeling discouraged in this health journey. Seems I make progress, go off track and indulge a little but still keep the exercise up and the scale jumps back up. Yeah, yeah muscle weighs more than fat but seriously, I think I need help. Weekend indulgence should have been offset by Friday night ice skating, Sat. 1 1/2 hr. weights and cardio, Sun. house cleaning and Wii tennis and bowling but it was not offset. Sigh ... HELP!

Health today:

6:15am treadmill at home for 25 mins. Sweating away! Whoo!

7:30am Breakfast - smoothie made with 1/2 scoop protein powder, pineapple, canteloupe, honeydew melon and 1/2 little yogurt single serving cup of Silhoutte 35 cal. yogurt.

8:35am Power walked to the gym

8:50am Weight lifting.

Today I challenged myself with the Back Extension machine. Only 50 lbs and 2 sets of I think 12 reps but that thing freaks me out. I never know if I'm doing it correctly and I feel like I will fly over the balcony there. Adductor, abductor, ab twist machine, ab crunch machine - 3 sets of 20 reps each, leg curl, leg press, chest press with dumbbells on the stability ball, squats with 10 lb weights in each hand, shoulder shrugs with the same weights, curls x 2 sets and more curls with heavier weights x 2 sets. I skipped the tricep extension machine. I used it again on Saturday and am still a little sore from it.

10:00am Salad - tuna, lettuce, celery, broccoli and tbsp or so of ranch dressing, plus spices

Little bit of artichoke dip and pita chips for my daily fat intake :)

1:30pm Salad - lettuce, broccoli, celery and vinaigrette dressing - and a homemade mince tart. Should not have had it but no one else will eat it and I forgot to serve it yesterday for dessert.

Happiness today: Applied for 1 job so far, played 3 games with Jr. after school, had fresh air, house is reasonably clean, paperwork for volunteering tonight done, but of my other job done too. No chill out time really except maybe now.

Feeling overwhelmed by the job sit. though. It will happen. Stay positive.

Yesterday's meals

Okay, yesterday's meals ...

Lunch was leftover beef stir fry with 1/4 cup of rice. Brown rice would have been better but it takes longer to cook and no one in the house will eat it except for me. Water to drink.

Snack: homemade granola bar featuring Harvest Crunch cereal, oats, peanut butter, min marshmallows, cho. chips and some other stuff. Mostly healthy and 150 cal. per bar.

Dinner: fish (coated but that's what we had), salad with green pepper and celery, low cal. dressing, potato nest - 150 cal. for one.

Lemongrass tea at 9:00pm.

Not bad for meals. Housework and family time after dinner. We played a new board game!

Today is Wednesday: 6:30am and a I had a banana, multivitamin and water. Going to do some yoga and cardio before my clients arrive. I have to hurry!

Back on track

So I was discouraged about my journey after a weekend of pop, pizza, chips, birthday cake, pecan pie flavoured ice cream and lack of exercise for a few days ... felt like all my hard work was gone and that's ridiculous! How could it be? If T.O's Rob Ford can lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks or less why does it take me months? Maybe it's because there's not that much to lose. Maybe it's because my body has a comfort zone and sometimes you can only do so much but I will not be defeated!

Today I had a multivitamin, water, 3 large strawberries in 1/2 cup of Harvest Crunch cereal and yogurt.

Workout:

2 sets of 15 reps 12.5 lb curls

2 x 12 reps 10 lb alternating curls

2 x 20 reps 10 lb squats

2 x 15 reps 8 lb shoulder shrugs

2 x 20 reps 115 lb seated leg press

2 x 15 reps 40 lbs leg curls

2 x 15 reps 45 lb leg extensions

2 x 20 reps 75 lb adductor (inner thigh so is it abductor?)

2 x 20 reps 60 lbs abductor (outter thigh so reversed?)

2 x 12 reps 30 lb tricep extensions

30 reverse crunches

20 alternating oblique crunches

stretching!

Cardio: 22 mins. at 5.0 incline, a bit of jogging on treadmill. Average heart rate 142, high was 167.

The gym was very strange today ... I felt almost exposed because they had removed a lot of equipment and were bringing in new stuff. Where did all those people come from? It was busy in there at 9:00am!

After the gym, I had 1/2 scoop of whey protein, 3 strawberries and milk blended. It was great!

Wish me luck.

Thursday already?

So I have been slacking in the writing department. I have still being doing well. Tuesday I went to the gym and jogged/power walked on the treadmill, 45 mins. of weight lifting, reps of 20 mostly and 2 sets of each exercise using machines, free weights, medicine ball and stability ball. It was great! Been eating well too.

Wednesday was a crazy busy day for work for me. 15 hour day at least and sadly didn't give much time to two of my kids but I did manage to squeeze in 31 minutes on the treadmill at home at 6:15am, burning 175 calories according to the meter. Certainly broke more than a sweat!

Dinner was some ham, 6 pieces of rigatoni (yes, only 6 squiggly pasta bits) and celery with a touch of Guk for dipping. Maybe a tsp of it. No food after 6:00pm and I went to bed at 12:45am. Got some sewing caught up and read part of my Happiness Project book too.

Today is Thursday. Haven't done a Wii scale check yet. I will tomorrow. It's been a full day of working 3 jobs so far and it's 1:20pm, and I have volunteering tonight.

Breakfast: omelet made with 1 egg and some poured egg whites, topped with a little marble cheese and diced tomatoes, 2 strips of bacon, 3/4 slice of whole wheat toast with margarine (I was full and gave the other 1/4 of toast to one of the kids) and 5 oz of 2% milk. All four food groups.

Snack: 2 stalks of celery with a little cream cheese, water - 11:15am

Lunch: Not hungry. I should eat something soon.

Work-out: Hopefully at 8:00pm tonight when I get home. It was supposed to be my gym day but sometimes life gets in the way of plans. Cardio and stretching will do nicely. I've had 32 oz of water at least so far today. Had my fresh air for 40 mins. outside too.

Tonight's dinner is nachos and tortilla soup. I think I will load mine up with green pepper instead of chips underneath. I feel really good about this low-carb diet so far. Low-carb meaning less grains, rice, pasta, cereal, etc. It's been nearly 3 weeks!

Funeral today

I am attending my grandfather's funeral today. It will be a solemn day. I am to do the first reading at mass. I hope I don't stumble. I am honoured that I was asked. Last night was the viewing. Not as difficult as I thought and nice to have almost the entire family together. It's a rarity.

Okay ... I can't sleep so I am online. Yesterday I did manage to get in a half hour of exercise in the morning. It was cardio combined with crunches, bridges, calf raises, leg lifts, torso twists and a few other stretches. Proud that I could fit that in.

So food yesterday ...

Breakfast: banana, water, vitamin

Lunch: garden salad with sliced turkey on top, low cal Caesar dressing, 1/3 potato made into home fries, water

Snack at 3pm: granola bar (150 calories), water

Dinner at 9:00pm: Diet Coke (0 calories), southwest salad at Montana's - greens, black beans, corn, few tortilla strips, jalepeno and red peppers, topped with steak. Ancho ranch dressing on the side and I used 1/4 of the cup of dressing provided. Didn't finish the salad. Very proud of my healthy choice. A full salad is over 500 calories. I didn't need much dressing at all!

My Grandmother said I looked thinner. I saw her 2 weeks ago just before New Year's. The compliment was nice.

Today ... no breakfast yet. Maybe I should try to get some more sleep. I've been up for an hour at it's 6:40am.