Phat

I mean FAT. I'm going to sit around and do nothing but eat, drink tea, and try to study. Where has all my motivation gone?! Must be all those boogies in my nose have clogged up my braaaain. :(

TMI. On to better news!

My new blogging corner and desk!! At least I hope it'll be a blogging corner. As of right now, it's looking more like a study corner.

A pink chair to boot!! Does T know me or what.

Pink makes me happy.

Pasta for lunch

Leftovers from the other night

My french book is next to me but I can't seem to pick it up and do any actual studying. Perhaps some Mn'M's for motivation?

So I forgot to talk about my workout session yesterday. In addition to me being a mock teacher, I was also the student. My partner led me through a series of Fartlek intervals. For anyone who is not familiar with Fartlek, here it is:

http://running.about.com/od/trainingessentials/f/fartleks.htm
I found it slightly painful yet funny that even though I was sick, he still proceeded to lead me through a sweat inducing, high intensity CV workout. My average running speed is usually 10-11 km/h. He pushed me to 12.5 km/h for 2 minute intervals  **with one minute fast walking/jogging in between** and then had me running at 13 km/h for a few minutes towards the end. He recommended incorporating Fartlek into my running routine at least three times a week in order to boost my PB (personal best) for my 5k run. We'll see if I actually take him up on this advice since I'm sort of a lazy leisurely runner :P.

For the teaching aspect of the morning, I was given some good advice.

Things I need to work on

• Being more confident in myself (the YMCA assessor assured me that I seemed to know my stuff so I must come across that way to my client)
• Memorizing the muscles/joints and knowing which machine/weight works what part of the body
• Observing the client from all different angles
• Explaining the exercise in a clear and efficient manner so you can minimize the time in between demonstrating and actually having the client perform the exercise himself.

Afternoon agenda: More tea
and fingers crossed* hopefully going out for korean bbq and karaoke (pending sick status)

Eat thai

Breakfast yesterday: Mix of bran flakes and chocolate wheetabix w. banana slices

I added a tablespoon of flaxseeds on top for extra Omega-3 action

TGIF.. Now I really know how it feels to look forward to Friday.

Pad kwetio with chicken, prawn and basil- The noodles were like ramen noodles and it was very spicy- right up my alley!

Garlic pepper ostrich- ostrich is like a cross between beef and chicken. The texture is pretty tender but slightly chewy. The vegetables were nice and sweet.

Chili prawn fried rice

Thai roti- perfect for dipping

Mussaman duck curry

Lots of tender duck

T took me to a member's only club that he recently joined: Milk & Honey

http://www.mlkhny.com/

Holy legs!! Avert your eyes.

http://www.mlkhny.com/

M&H has an amazing cocktail list and premium service. No waiting in line or fighting the crowds for a drink. The bar also has a 20's style feel to it w. dim lighting and light music playing in the background; a great environment for catching up w. friends. 

bar snacks- shoestring fries w. jalapeno relish and cheese fritters

A warm cheesy bite.

So I'm still sick this morning but I'm grateful I still have my tastebuds. Worst fear for a foodie: not being able to taste!!

Breakfast this morning:

Smoothie:

• half a frozen banana
• frozen berries
• milk
• yogurt
• orange juice
• tablespoon of peanut butter
• agave nectar 

Today's agenda: Rest/relaxation and a French lesson in the afternoon. I'm desperately behind in my studies- both in my PT and language studies!

Green eggs and ham

Waking up this morning was a pain in the woo hoo. Still wasn't feeling the greatest (p.s. I feel even worse now!)
Made a smoothie to use the rest of my spinach that was about to die on me.

Ingredients: Milk, yogurt, spinach, and berries. It was quite thin but tasty nonetheless. Check out that awesome green color.
 Dinner: Indian night

Chicken tikka masala.

Seabass

Aubergines

Mixed vegetables

Pilau rice

Lamb biriyani

Yes. I'm proud to say I cleaned off my plate. I can tell my taste buds are going because the food wasn't as vibrant tasting as it normally is.

Garlic naan the size of my belly. Seriously. I can't even pretend to suck it in. But then again, I'm alone in bed so I'll just let it hang in all its indian food glory.

Dessert:

Hummingbird's carrot cake and their house special "curly cake"

Very moist and decadant frosting as always

The cake wasn't anything special. Chocolate cake w. a really rich frosting

Time to get a crackalackin. I'm in charge of teaching one of my classmates the following workout tomorrow morning:

1.) 5 minute warm up using Cardiovascular machine #1 
2.) Stretching
3.) 20 minute CV machine #2 workout using the Fartlek method
4.) Cooldown and stretching
5.) 4 free weight exercises (must include a spotting exercise---- honestly?!?)
6.) 4 resistance machine exercises (must use NAMSET)

I'm finding it challenging translating what I know into verbal ques. I must say the exercise is so much more simpler when I'm teaching it to myself!! Must. keep. practicing. :o)

Oh shucks

I think I'm getting sick!!! Go figure. My body is not used to being pushed all day. I've been getting up at 7 to get in an hour work out before my PT program but I think I may be overdoing it. Getting sick is perhaps the worst thing to happen to my fitness routine. I'm hoping I can nurse myself back to health quickly. In the meantime, I made a smoothie tonight to get in some extra nutrients.

In the mix: Milk, Orange juice, lots of spinach, yogurt, berries,agave nectar, and muesli on top.

Some tea for my throat and runny nose:

Green mint tea w. some lemon. 

Dinner earlier was some greasy fried chicken. I'm sort of the opposite when it comes to getting sick; my appetite gets bigger. 

 w. some spicaaay wings.

and crispy chips aka french fries. The perfect I'm sick excuse of a meal. 

Lunch: Unpictured salad with tuna, mushrooms, potato salad, and a bean mixture from the YMCA cafe. I also snacked on a clif bar during one of our breaks. I haven't taken any photos yet of my lunches because I don't know if it's appropriate to bring out my camera in the classroom. Who wants to be known as the weird girl who takes photos of her food in class!?!

Breakfast this morning: The usual fried egg on top of whole wheat toast, bananer and peanut butter.

I'm learning lots o' stuff in my PT program. We've gone through a lot of material in the first three days. Some topics we've covered are the human body and all its bone's, the heart and the cardio respiratory system, muscles and the different types of contractions, and lots more. BRAIN OVERLOAD!! Thank goodness I don't have to maintain a part time job while doing this program because I don't think I could pass the course. I wonder if we'll cover a topic on decreased brain capacity as you age.. :P

My favorite topic so far is the Energy Systems and Healthy Eating that we covered today. It's good to reinforce all that I've learned on my own on the benefits of eating the right balance of foods (proper ratio of good carbs/protein/fat). We've only touched on the subject briefly but I'm definitely getting a taste for what the nutrition segment of the course will be like. If I like it, I might consider becoming a registered dietitian...but that's another chapter for a different rainy day.

Time to get my study on a lil before bed.

Useless celebrity gossip: DUDE!! Too bad. I thought they made an adorable couple.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20442938,00.html

Down the hatch

Quick blog before bed!

Breakfast: Wholewheat toast w. peanut butter and bananas

Snack before dinner!

Dinner: The Well http://www.downthewell.co.uk/

A treat to have a bread basket and olive/balsamic oil brought to the table without asking.

 Peel yourself pint-o-prawns w. mayo dip. The prawns are so sweet and delicious!

 Aubergine and goat cheese tart w. arugula. The taste was alright. Nothing special. The cheese didn't stand out and it was sort of bland.

 Mushroom risotto w. truffle. My fav!

 Crayfish ravioli w. buttered kale.

 I never order lamb shank but I'm so glad I did! The meat fell off the bone and it was perfect w. the velvety mash.

 T's dessert. Some sort of strawberry roly poly cake. It wasn't very memorable (obviously)

Mine: Bitter dark chocolate tart w. orange ice cream. The orange ice cream was the star of the dish. Good way to finish off the meal.

Can't believe it's already time to go to bed. Where has the time gone? Definitely still getting used to the 9-5er. Nighty night!

Busy busy first day!

First day as a YMCA FIT trainee!!!! Time for some breakfast.

Saffron Cake from the italian deli yesterday.

Won a 2010 Great Taste Award.. Toasted and slathered in some blackcurrant jam.

Don't forget to take your vitamins!

but I wasn't a huge fan. It was a bit too raisin-y for my taste.

My head is spinning from all the new PT material I got from my first day. There's a lot of stuff I have to learn. 

At least I came home to dinner being prepared by T. I'm a lucky gal :)

He's busy at work!

While I'm relaxing on a glass of red..  

Seared scallops w. mangos, onions

 Whole wheat pasta w. mushrooms, onions, olives, chilis, and T's special homemade tomato sauce. DELISH!

 

Freshly grated parm a must!

What a blast from the past. I used to eat this dessert many years ago w. my girlfriends . It brings back such wonderful memories. It's also a very scrumptious dessert! Vanilla ice cream with crispy chocolate layers.

With leftover apple crumble that I accidently burned. Oops!! 

I'm going to bed early so I can get in a quick workout before my class tomorrow morning. :) G'night!