The Struggle is Real

Goal Day!!

I successfully made it to the gym 6 times in the past two weeks! My reward... SHOPPING!!!

I may have went a little nuts, considering my 'goal' was fairly mediocre and people go to the gym in the morning every day. But... I'm an equally huge fan of positive reinforcement and 'feeling good=looking good'. Therefore, I shop.

For the last day of my challenge I completed this work out (so generously thought out by the staff at my gym!)

Work out

8 minute run at 6.1

10 squats

15 walking lunges (each leg)

10 sit ups

10 lat pulldowns

8 minute run at 7.0

Repeat twice, or three times, or four times....

Today I bought some basic black capris from ONETOOTH ... my other ones were too big and giving me saggy butt...

Word on the street is that ONETOOTH is a less expensive, but similar quality to Lululemon. At first glance they appear to be very similar to Lulu's WunderUnder Crops. The main differences I have noticed so far is that they are shorter, falling just below the knee, whereas Lulu's crops hit mid calf. ONETOOTH doesn't have that little, waist pocket that is found in most Lulu bottoms... the one that I've never used. The fabric is comparable, yet slightly different. I prefer the feel of luon, and Lulu's seem to breath a little bit better. ONETOOTH has made a good effort at creating a similar product to Lulu's WunderUnder crops, however for the mere difference of less than $10 (Lulu = $72, Onetooth = $65) I think I will continue to rave over Lulu's stuff. 

I also bought some classic TYR black swim suit bottoms. I will be surfing during my upcoming vacation and I cannot stress enough the value in a tight fitting pair of bikini bottoms.

Lastly I bought some much needed black spandex... My wardrobe is becoming a spandex/luon market!! 

As I was fashion showing my newly purchased items for my boyfriend, as I got to these shorts, he said, "Ah... you're one of those cool girls now!". So, there you have it ladies, Underarmour spandex are now considered, CoolGirl Shorts. 

Can't wait until I complete my next goal... so I can go shopping again!!

Next Goal: Complete 12, 1 hr, morning Gym sessions in January. 

Run - 3.8km

This pretty much sums up my workout today... #nuffsaid

Christmas in December

Of course, Christmas is always in December, however, for some reason my friend just said this out of the blue and it made me chuckle. (I have a strange and simple sense of humor...). 

Christmas in December was a lovely chance for two of my friends and I to get together and have a dinner party sleepover... (You're never too old for sleepovers). 

We had a fairly healthy dinner compared to the traditional turkey, gravy, and potatoes spread I'm sure a lot of you will be having this winter. Our dinner was light, and refreshing. Of course, we had to throw in a little bit of indulgence... ;)

Menu

Cranberry Hazelnut Baked Brie 

Citrusy Herbed Baked Salmon

Steamed Broccolini

Fresh Spinach Salad

Baked Butternut Squash

Olives

Dana's famous Buns

Berry Cheesecake

A 'Healthy' Christmas in December

Stunning Berry Cheesecake

The highly recommended Piat d'or Merlot... must buy 1.5L. 

A nice little note...

I ordered some vitamins online the other day and when I received them the box had this beautiful message printed on the side.

It reads, "Happiness is something that we decide ourselves. There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy but we choose to be happy because it makes us feel alive. "

Love it!

Run - 5.1km

4/5 days this week I've made it to the gym! Before I started this whole 'go to the gym in the morning' thing, I made a goal for myself that if I went to the gym for 6 morning over two weeks, I will buy myself some luon! I've got my eye on some yoga shorts, capri tights, and a new bra. Can't wait!!

Swim - 1.5km

I didn't make it to the gym this morning. My body was TIRED!

I went for a 1.5 km swim last night and it was such a wonderful end to the day. The contentment and empowerment I get from being in a pool all by myself is second to none. Knowing that all the ripples in the pool are because of me and the fact that I could swim in a zig zag pattern and hit NO ONE is a cool feeling.

Another, not so cool feeling, is this weird mystery hair I get on my face after I take off my swim cap and get out of the pool. It feels like I have one strand of hair stuck on my face about mid cheek. Every time I try to grab it or wipe it off it never goes away. I even looked in the mirror right after I got out of the pool and couldn't see any hair... but I could still feel it. I probably had this happen to me 9 out of the last 10 times I've been swimming.

Could it be a nervy thing? Anyways, it's strange...

Bike - 5km

I did not want to run today. I barely even made it to the gym. I tried to run and only made it 1.6 km. After that I switched to the bike and finished the rest of my cardio while watching the news.

Regardless of my lack of 6am gym enthusiasm, at least I looked good. These paisley beauty's always make me feel fit! (both "fitness fit" and "British fit"). 

It's the little things... The guy working the front counter absolutely made my day today. He saved me a month worth of gym membership due to a small typo that was made at registration. Talk about a nice guy!

Bike: Training Tire

I can finally start cycling indoors!!

I know very little about cycling... but I figure there is no better way to learn about it than to just do it! A couple days ago I got online and starting looking into different types of training tires for indoor trainers and I ended up with this blue rimmed gem.

I still know very little about training tires, but at least this is a start.

Let the living room sweaty-session begin!

Let's just say shipping isn't cheap... I wish I had a cardboardy craft to work on. 

Run - 3.5 km

YAY!!! Second day I've made it to they gym at 6am!

It was a much better run than yesterday. I didn't do any floor exercises but I did spend 5 minutes walking at a 'brisk' pace.

I ran at 6.5 today as well. Slowly getting up to 7.0. I took a 1 minute walk break at 10 minutes (which is a surprisingly refreshing break.)

If you are new to running I would highly recommend the 10:1 run-walk ratio. The running room recommends this 'pace' for a lot of their training programs. However, I prefer to do a 9:1 ratio. Using a 9:1 ratio means that every time you reach a number that ends in '9' you walk, and '0' you start running again.

Run - 2.5km

First morning run of December!!

A friend and I are attempting a two week, morning exercise commitment. Basically we both want to work out in the morning, but we hardly ever do it. Most days, it makes no sense to peel ourselves out of a perfectly comfortable bed, therefore sleeping in beats going to the gym 9/10 times.

However, in an effort to end the year on a good note, we will be attempting to exercise in the morning. (Or at least for two weeks, before I leave on Vacation).

Her and I live over an hour apart so we will be supporting each other by being an additional alarm clock. We call each other each morning, and we cant' hang up until the other is dressed and ready to go to the gym.

Day 1 = success.

As for the run... I only got in 2.5km. My body felt stiff, and I was hungry. However, I was so proud of myself because I was actually at the gym at 6am.

I have been consistently running at 6.0 mph, which used to be a struggle for me. I am now feeling quite confident at this speed, so I'm thinking I'll bump it up to 6.5 mph by mid week. My tri goal pace is 7.0 mph for 10km. :)

I also did some body weight/floor exercises this morning which was a great wake me up (tomorrow I think I'll start with these). The gym I go to is great! They provide sample workouts posted on a bulletin so gym-goers don't have to think about 'what to do next'.

Basic Total Body Warmup:

50 squats w 15 lbs 

40 bicycle situps

30 push ups

Broken down into 3 sets