Zumba bat tat tat ta ta da Zumba

Yay! I finished my first week of school, AND I managed to arrive to most of my classes on time. That was quite a challenge but I'm feeling slightly better about being able to navigate around. I just have to make sure I actually catch the bus on time or take the tube instead. My commute is only 30 minutes door to door so I feel pretty lucky.

Today was my Numeracy for Biological Sciences where we covered simple math topics like Order of Operations, and Directed Numbers. Does everyone remember the acronym Bodmas for Brackets, Of, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction? lol.. Needless to say, I breezed through this week's Math lab and left an hour early to go home and make lunch!

leftover soup and salad

yummy! it's even better the second time around :-)

beetroot salad with light ranch dressing

open faced mayo, siracha, havarti cheese, turkey sandwich

Today was  my last day teaching Zumba on Friday's since the venue was cancelled due to increase in venue hire. In honor of the end: Enjoy!
www.guardian.co.uk/trebor-sweet-success/video/alex-worrall-taste-of-sweet-success-zumba-video
www.guardian.co.uk/trebor-sweet-success

First day of class

leftovers for lunch

teach Zumba then pizza for dinner

 

the veggie pizza from Basilico pizza was delicious- it was topped with red onions, zuchinni, and aubergine. YUMM-O!

banana oats before my first day of Chemistry class and Bio/Chem lab!!

• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oats
• dash of cinnamon
• whole banana smooshed
• spoonful of creamy, all natural peanut butter

I had my first Chemistry lecture this morning from 9-11, went back home to eat this Pret a Manger lunch, got in a quick 40 minute nap, then headed back for lab.

sweet chili and coriander chicken sandwich with sea salt and apple cider vinegar chips

nom, nom, nom, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......................

Dinner was some hanguk umshik, and now its time to study and go to bed. Horray for busy days, but no bueno for not getting a workout in today!! I'm hoping tomorrow's short day allows me to go to the gym afterwards. Finger's crossed!

Song of the day: "Ahora Quien"- Marc Anthony

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

Today was my course introduction at London Met, and if I learned one thing, it’s that it’s going to be a very long year.

I seriously would be more excited about it if I didn't miss 1/2 of my introduction. I thought my intro started at 11. That was what my welcome print out told me!  Apparently, that time can change from the day you print it out to the day you have to show up! Can someone please tell me how that happens without any sort of notification?? I was not a happy camper! The building is very complicated to navigate through and if it hadn't have been for the one (the first one told me to follow the wrong group that was leaving the building!!) helpful London Met guide, I would be travelling in circles fo sho!

I'm trying to stay positive here but it's sort of hard with no friends, and being surrounded by kids much much younger than I am!! Patience Hanna. PATIENCE! 

Well at least my morning started off on a good note with a lovely bowl of blueberry oats. For anyone that has a hard time getting in their 5 a day of fruits and veggies, I recommend sneaking in fruit whenever possible- for me, it has always been in smoothies and oats!

His and Her's oats. I topped mine with almond butter and topped his with speculoos crunchy!

I needed the extra protein in mine to get through my workout and to hussle straight afterwards to my course meeting.

in the mix:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup water
• frozen blueberries (dethawed while cooking on stove)
• maple syrup
• dash of salt

In the gym: 3 sets, 8-10 reps, 3 minute quick warm up on treadmill

• lat pulldown (25kg)
• hammer curls (5kg)
• seated row (20 kg)
• bicep dumbbell curls (5kg)
• barbell row (15kg)
• barbell bicep curl (10kg)
• Stretch

I was starving by the time I got home from the meeting and it was only 12:30! I quickly made another Tiger Tiger noodle lunch.

veggies- red peppers, red onions, spinach, garlic

all combined in schezuan sauce and a squeeze of siracha

a delicious vegetarian AND GF lunch :)

Last night was a better representation of a good day. I got to see Crazy, Stupid, Love **Ryan Gosling- heart SWOON!!!** and play catch up with some lovely ladies. It's nice to be social every once and a while ;). The movie was super cute but dinner was L-A-M-E. We went to the Banana Tree that serves pan Asian cuisine. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda known a restaurant that’s trying to do too many things wouldn't be that great! I got the Pho and with the exception of me being super hungry, it was pretty lackluster in taste and quality. At least we tried!

Agenda: Hmm.. I got nothin!

I'm going back to school ma!

Lunch yesterday was seabass filets seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, and siracha

sauteed mushrooms and courgettes

the garlic powder gave the seabass a nice crust- yum!!

In the gym: I focused on bi's, tri's and abs since that was the only part of my body that wasn't sore from Wednesdays workout.. Ouch.. I did 3 sets of 8-10 reps

• close grip bench press (T)
• barbell curl (B)
• lying barbell tricep extensions (T)
• hammer curl (B)
• tricep pressdowns (T)
• Incline dumbbell curl (B)

Gym gripe: As most lifters are familiar with, the bench is extremely useful for a variety of exercises. It definitely helps to have the right set of dumbbells within arms reach when doing supersets. A recent gripe of mine is that my gym removed the lighter dumbbells from the main guys weights room and into the gymfloor. I understand this was probably due to not many people using the lighter weights (yes macho men, I know you don’t use 3kg weights for your dumbbell flys like me!!) but it honestly puts people like me (mostly women that don’t lift very heavy) at a disadvantage. I have to take extra time to plan my exercises and make sure I have the right set of dumbbells prior to starting my workout. This wouldn’t be a problem if my supersets didn’t call for multiple weights! I.e.: I like to use 3kg for my flyes, 4-5kg for my bicep curls, 6kg for my close grip tricep presses, etc!! I may sound lazy but who honestly wants to disrupt their workout by lugging weights around the gym after every exercise!? and why return the weights you ask? Do you really think I want to be that crazy person that hogs all the light dumbbells at her bench station?

My night was spent eating and sitting in front of the telly because the hubs is busy at work this week.

I had another buffalo burger for dinner with some roasted broccoli and kalamata olives (random!!) on the side.

I kept the burger open faced and doused it with ketchup, dijon mustard, and siracha

It was a satisfying dinner :)

Breakfast then it's off to the gym -- I have a sexy date with the treadmill, ow ow!

Holy cannoli I'm going back to school!!! Starting in October, I'll be doing a Sciences Extended degree in Biology/Chemistry at London Metropolitan University. If all goes well and I pass all my courses, I'll apply for the Human Nutrition and Dietetics program next year. I'm a ball of emotions from excited, happy, and extremely nervous!!