Friday 10 December 2010

Run Forrest

I decided to run this morning. I ain't gonna lie. It was painful and the longest 53 minutes I've experienced in a while. Not sure if it was the cold or the fact that I haven't been running that much lately but it was TOUGH!
Not bad though for someone who wanted to quit after the first 10 minutes. Sometimes you just have to run through the lack of motivation and annoyance.
Running through Regent's Park is fun. Not only do I get some pretty views, but there are plenty of people and cute dogs around.
Plus birds w. ginormous weird looking feet.
I think they thought I was going to feed them.
I get distracted by the silliest things..
Post workout stretch: Stretching is my favorite part of the workout process. I usually do my stretches standing up first. I take extra time while lying on the floor; breathing in deeply and exhaling as I go deeper into my stretches. It's quite relaxing and a great way to finish a rather tough session.
Not the most flattering position but I don't care because it felt so good.
My legs were feeling abnormally tight this morning. Nothing like a good stretch to help them feel betta.

Lunch:
T said something tragic this morning. "maybe you're breaking out because of spinach" GASP!!!! I couldn't possibly be allergic to spinach....riiiiiiiiiiight? He only suggested this because I've become a little crazy trying to figure out why I'm having such awful skin problems. I've gone from thinking it was my make up, my cleansers, fish oil tablets, too much coffee, soya products, and not enough water. It's quite frustrating. I'll be seeing a doctor in the next few weeks so I'm hoping for some answers.
I love my veggies almost as much as I love dessert. Especially onions. I drool over carmelized onions. Totally normal right?
EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and balsamic vinegar
Cheesy goodness melts my heart!
Generous portions of spinach

Mid-afternoon snack: Apple tea and Sugar cookies w. pineapple and mango jam. The jam had real chunks of fruit in it. YUM!
Back to studying! I have my practical assessment this upcoming Monday. EEEP!!!

Dance Fever

My back and chest are sosososososo sore from yesterday's workout! My program has taught me that in order to gain muscle strength, I have to lift heavier weights. I've definitely made a lot of progress from when I first started lifting but I want to see more defintition. Yesterday's morning workout consisted of:

3-4 sets of 8-10 reps with lots of grunting, huffing and puffing involved

Close grip pull down
Dumbbell Chest press
One-arm bent over row
Push Ups

Rest

Bent over dumbbell row
Upright row
Military Press
Wide grip pull down

Protein smoothie afterwards to aid in my muscle recovery.
 Into the vitamix:
  • handful of spinach
  • handfuls of both frozen blueberries and blackberries
  • scoop of chocolate whey powder
  • milk
  • yogurt
  • banana
Cold, frothy, and delicious!
Sonoma break: Man. What a life!

Lunch:
Courgettes and mushrooms sauteed w. EVOO and salt n. peppa
With a generous pour of siracha on top.
My chicken developed a nice crust to it. Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper,
Went on a quick shopping excursion yesterday and bought 2 new dresses, a top, and some winter gloves. Some days a girls just gotta shop!

Reading material: It's been a loong time since I've perused a fitness magazine other than my YMCA materials
Yea so what if I like to read men's materials (and its not to stare at the ripped men, although not a bad perk). I'm assuming my future client base will be women AND men.

Dinner last night: 54 Pinang http://www.54farringdon.com/
Starting the night off right w. a glass of house white.
Seriously, these prawn crackers should be illegal. They fried them on the spot so they came out crispy and slightly warm. Once you pop you can't stop! So addicting..
Fried shrimp balls with a layer of sweet potato and coconut.
Roti, a type of flatbread. Soft and chewy with some warm bean mixture (dal) on top
These shrimp appetizers were my favorite. Who knew coconut and sweet potato could gel together.
Yumminess all around.
Jasmine rice
Egg fried rice
White fish in a curry sauce. The fish absorbed the sauce nicely and was pretty tasty.
Lamb shank. It was tender but the flavor wasn't as pronounced as most malaysian dishes I've had. Overall, the food was decent. I wouldn't necessary go back but if I was in the area and craving Malaysian, I would hit it up!

Dance all night: My salsa company had its Christmas party last night.
It involved lots of dancing and posing.
Beautiful people with beautiful smiles :)
My salsa teachers.

Dancing can be a form of exercise.
What a great way to burn some calories without even trying!
"one more time, music's got me feeling so free"

Breakfast this morning:
Yogurt parfait:
  • vanilla yogurt
  • goji berries
  • almonds
  • blueberries
  • raisins
  • muesli
With a green monster muffin for some extra carbs.

Song of the day- Juanes: "Y Es Por Ti "

To run or not to run. That is the question this morning .