Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Quick Update . . .

This is just a speedy update (hopefully) because I am so tired and I can't think of anything!!  So the highlights:

Grandma & Grandpa when we picked them up in the
Vancouver airport.  So damn cute!!!


1.  Had a great time in San Francisco!  Missed seeing a few things I wanted to see but saw a lot and had fun.  Also managed a few days at the end of the trip to see my family in Vancouver.  My Dad and Grandparents (90 & 92 years old) made the move from Ontario to BC.  They all arrived happy & healthy and I"m so happy I managed to fit that in there.  The timing was perfect.








Me, the first time I ran the half-marathon distance.

2.  I want to run again.  I'm dreading it and excited for it.  Mostly because I know it will be so hard and so worth it.  I miss the way I used to run.  I signed up for Brad Gansberg's online running group.  Check it out and email him if you're interested.  A group started yesterday and I just joined yesterday so I'm a bit late to start and will likely just be a week behind but I"m okay with that.  It's not like I'm physically running with the group.  The picture to the right is the first time I ran 21.1 km's, the half-marathon distance.  I was about 165 - 170 lbs there.  Sadly, this was just two years ago.  I don't even want to report my weight right now.  I will, just not today.






3.  I'm reading a book called This is Why You're Fat by Jackie Warner and I'm realizing for real how bad refined sugar is and how much of it is in EVERYTHING.  I know it will be a slow transition and I know I've heard how bad it all is a million times before but it's really sinking in now.  I want to eliminate those items as much as possible.  It's not lost on me that North America is the fattest it's ever been in history and all this "low-fat", "artificially sweetened" stuff didn't exist 40 years ago.  Today's sugar is the devil.

4.  I absolutely must get into the habit of having everything ready the night before.  Coffee maker, breakfast, lunch packed, clothes picked.  I'm assuming it's crappity crap crap diet and lack of exercise that's making me so tired.  But I am tired.  Every day all day, I'm tired.  I come home and lose an hour on the couch.  I wake up multiple times during the night.  I'm late for work more often than I'm on time.  I hate that!!!   So in that theme, right now I'm making some chili and some taco soup, both new recipes to me.  If they work and taste great I will link to them.  One of my favorite things about Fall coming in, is the soup, stews, and chowders.  There are so many to make that are hearty and good for you!  Yum!

That's it for now!

UPDATE!!  CHILI IS DONE AND TASTY!!  16.5 cups of nutritious goodness are ready for my freezer and my tummy.  Here's the recipe I used.  I cut the recipe in half and then just used all the seasonings to taste.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Hardest Part . . .

The hardest part is getting out there.  I'm not one who loves exercise.  I'm not one who likes exercise.  I swear it takes me an hour to convince myself to exercise.  Once I've finally convinced myself to do it, it takes me half an hour to get ready to exercise.  So it takes me twice as long as the workout to just get to the workout.  Why is it so hard to just get out there and do it?  This morning I did just that.  Then I got outside and rode my bike and it was great.  I decided where I would go and then when I was done I decided to do more so I did another loop.  I mapped it when I got home and it was just over 12 kms.  So it's always been great when I get out there, I never regret exercising, and it's good for you and you feel good after . . . so why is it so fricking hard to just do it??



My motivation to get out this morning is that it's likely to pour rain this afternoon.  We had thundershowers all last night so it was great I got those fenders on!!  I biked far enough down the bike path where there a new road going in.  Because it's the weekend, no construction workers were out so I head on down the new road and it was like my very own traffic free, people free, kid free, dog free bike path!  I'm not quite as confident on a bike yet to take pictures of myself like Bitchcakes but one day!!  I took this shot with my phone of my solo bike path and and cloudy doom.  Hahaha!  That so does not look like a nice place to be biking but hey, the path was empty, perfectly smooth and the air was fresh and cool. :)