30 Day Challenge: Week One Update

Hello all!

The 30 Day Challenge is going great so far! We're on Day 5, and I've practiced every day! Most days, Ed and I have been practicing at SIX THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!! Today there is no early class, so I'm taking Ed's 3pm instead (yay boyfriend instructor!).

This week was insanely hot outside. As you'll recall, Tuesday and Wednesday peaked at somewhere around, oh, a billion degrees or so. The first day (Tuesday) we went to an evening class at 6:30pm. Now, hot yoga is hot anyway, obviously. But when it's a million degrees outside, it's three million degrees inside. It was so hot, I was nauseous (and I've been practicing for years!). I became so nauseous that I almost puked. So, lesson learned --- practice in the early morning! It isn't as hot out that early in the morning (it's still been like 20 degrees each day...) and the studio isn't as busy, so the humidity doesn't build up as high as it could. Besides, in teacher training we will be practicing twice a day every day, including practices at 6:30am, so I might as well get used to this whole waking-up-at-5-to-practice-yoga thing.

The studio director extended a related challenge to the participants as well - a Media Challenge. The idea is to reduce or eliminate your excess media usage (e.g. stop mindlessly surfing the net, or turn off the TV for a few hours). Most people were like "No way!!!". I liked it. I've mentioned before about TV and how I tend to get lazy when it's on. Now that most of my favourite shows have entered re-run mode anyway, I decided to take part in the Media Challenge. I'm not only turning my TV off - I SOLD IT!!! My home is now TV free for the month until Ed's TV gets moved in at the end of June! WHOOOAAAAA!!!!! I sold it on Wednesday, and since then I still walk by the TV stand thinking that I can turn it on for background noise. Nope!!! lol... This has really made me realize how much TV I actually did watch, or at least how often it was on without my watching (e.g. washing dishes, but TV was background noise). Ed still has a TV, so I'll still have a little bit of TV watching available to me a couple times a week, but I still count this towards the Media Challenge as it's a drastic reduction in the amount of TV in my home!

Next week will begin Week 2 of the challenge, in which I will start eliminating things. Starting tomorrow, alcohol consumption will be ZERO for the remainder of the challenge, and I will reduce my caffeine down to 3c of coffee or less this week. Wish me luck!

30 Day Challenge begins!

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new challenge that I've been teasing for a few days now. Here's the scoop!!!

A few times a year, Moksha yoga studios hold 30 Day Challenges. My studio's summer challenge starts tomorrow and runs to the end of June. The idea is that participants sign up and will practice yoga every day for 30 days. Classes can be done at the home studio, other Moksha or other yoga studios, or even home practices (so long as at least 1/2 the classes are done at the home studio).

This will be my 5th time participating in a 30 Day Challenge. These challenges are incredible, both physically and mentally - it's not just about physical postures! Some students become very emotional or discover new things about themselves during a Challenge.

I have written journals during my previous challenges every day so that I could look back at the end and see my progress (actually, the journal also helped my physiotherapist to diagnose my plantar fasciitis and figure out how long I'd been suffering with it :P!). I will not be blogging every single day during the Challenge, but I will provide updates at least once per week to let you know how I'm doing!

I will also be adding extra challenge to my 30 Day this time around. Because teacher training is coming only a week after this challenge ends (I know... I'm doing a 30 Day challenge followed by teacher training - which includes 2 practices daily for a month!), I have decided to incorporate some of the challenges that I will incur in the training into the Challenge. Might as well start getting accustomed to it sooner rather than later! In teacher training, participants are required to stay alcohol and drug free (including caffeine!!!!), and are strongly encouraged to try to reduce or eliminate meat from their diet (i.e. go vegetarian). I attempt to make vegetarian dishes at least a couple of times a week, but I would like to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my life. I smell more recipes coming!!! And FYI, I plan to still consume milk and milk products and eggs in my vegetarian diet.

So here's the schedule of extra challenges:

Week 1 (May 25 - 29): all yoga all the time, no eliminations yet. Just getting accustomed to the yoga practices for now.
Week 2 (May 30 - June 5): eliminate alcohol and reduce caffeine to only 3c of coffee this week or fewer
Week 3 (June 6 - 12): Keep eliminated alcohol, eliminate caffeine entirely, and eat a full day of vegetarian meals at least 3 times per week.
Week 4 (June 13 - 19): Keep Week 2 eliminations, and increase vegetarian days to at least 5 times per week.
Week 5 (June 20-23): Keep Week 2 eliminations, and eat only vegetarian meals this week.

Can it be done? Stay tuned and find out :D!!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 13

Holy crap! The last day already???

Monday's Food:

• Breakfast was 2 waffles with 1tbsp of syrup. Later had a big smoothie with 1/2c almond milk, 1/2c fat free yogurt, and 1c of mango and strawberries. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Lunch was 1/2c of pad thai Used 4 Points
  
• Dinner was at my parent's BBQ! I had a cup of fruit chunks, a turkey burger on a bun with about a 1/2c worth of veggies piled on top (tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc), plus a 1/2c of whole wheat pasta salad (made with whole wheat twisty pasta, chopped veggies, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and olive oil with lemon juice vinaigrette). Also had a beer, and my dad made iced lattes. Used 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Dairy, 1 Whole Grain, 1 Oil, 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana and a cup of chopped zucchini and peppers. Used 2 Points, got 3 Fruit/Veggies

I apologize that my GHGs aren't coloured. I'm using my boyfriend's itsy bitsy Netbook to write this, and it's just way too irritating to try to colour it all in O_o...

Used 26 Points (+3 Weekly Points)

I also drank 1L of water and a cup of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 2/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 1/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Darn it, those oils continue to escape me!!!!

Monday's Activity

Before going to the BBQ, Ed and I went to a hot yoga class. And let me tell you, it was a HOT yoga class!!! It was like, a million degrees outside, therefore a million and one degrees in the studio plus incredible humidity. It was sweaty enough that I'm pretty sure that my neighbour's sweat somehow ended up on my mat. But, it was a great class!!!

In conclusion:

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got GHGs: Almost
• Got moving: Yes!

So um, motivation challenge may not have been the most motivating thing in the world. I didn't achieve all of the goals that I set out (meeting all GHGs each day, moving as often as I would have liked including running). But the good news is that by forcing myself to blog it every single day, even when I wanted to lie about it to make me look better (but didn't), I can see the areas where I need improvement. I've also started to make changes to help me get in those GHGs in a creative way and incorporating new foods (e.g. making smoothies to help me get in dairy and oil, including new kinds of protein like chickpeas, and grains like quinoa and couscous). I hope to keep these lessons going and start to learn about new foods and new ways to get all the nutrients that I need, especially with my upcoming yoga teacher training and dietetic school!!!

I'll start a new post to talk about tomorrow's challenge!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 12

Still the long weekend :D!!!

Sunday's Food:

• Breakfast was a cup of Kashi Go Lean and a 1/2c of skim milk. Used 4 Points, got 1/2 Dairy GHG.
• Lunch was 1/2c of cottage cheese with strawberries and blueberries on top, and the World's Biggest Salad. The WBS consisted of 2 cups of salad greens and a full cup of other veggies (mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions), topped with a hard boiled egg, 2 tsp of olive oil and 2tsp of balsamic vinegar. WOW!!! This enormous salad kept me full for 5 hours!!!!! Used 6 Points, got 1/2 Dairy, 3 Fruit/Veggies, 2 Oil and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was a crazy quinoa pilaf-type of thing. I made a cup of quinoa with a full cup of veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, onions, tomatoes), about 2Tbsp cilantro mixed in, and a 1/2c of chickpeas. Mostly because I couldn't remember if quinoa counts as both a whole grain AND protein or just a grain. Also had a lovely glass of wine on the balcony watching my neighbour's fireworks. Used 6 Points, got 1 Whole Grain, 1 Fruit/Veggie, and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Snacks were a latte, 1/2 banana, and a mini cheddar-rosemary scone. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 24 Points (+1 Weekly Point)

I also drank 1.5L of water and 1c of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 7/6
• Oils: 2/2
• Dairy: 2/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Sunday Activity:

Unfortunatly I don't have much to report here. Unless I get to count 4 straight hours of cleaning as activity (I suppose I could...). I worked at the yoga studio this afternoon picking out hairy drains and mopping sweaty puddles. As fun as that was, I was exhausted by the time my shift ended. I came home, made dinner, and promptly fell asleep for 20 minutes almost the second that my spoon hit the table for the last time.

In Summary:

• Tracked Food: Yes!
• Got GHGs: YES!!!
• Got Moving: If housework counts, then yes! If not, then no.

Holy crap, Motivation Challenge ends tomorrow!!!!! Info on the 30 Day Challenge will come after tomorrow's update :D

Motivation Challenge Day 11

Happy loooong weekend!!!!

Saturday's Food

• Breakfast was a 1/3c of Egg Beaters with 1c of chopped zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, served with 2 slices of Cobs Country Harvest bread. Used 3 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Lunch was out at a neighbourhood burger place, where I had a turkey burger topped with a grilled portobello mushroom and blue cheese. The cheese was overwhelming after a while, so I only managed to eat about 1/2 of the cheese, and was stuffed after about 3/4 of the burger. Boyfriend was kind enough to finish it off :P. Also had a salad on the side. Used estimated 8 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHGs
• Dinner was turkey meatballs dipped in tomato sauce, served as sort of 'sliders' on the new PC Mini Slider buns. We also made guacamole (avocado, lime juice, chopped onions and peppers, and some olive oil) to dip some tortilla chips. I had 3 Sliders and about 2tbsp of guac with about 10 chips, and a glass of wine. Used 9 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil, and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were 1/2 a Cobs apple scroll (shared with my Mom!), baby carrots, and a glass of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Dairy GHG

Used 25 Points (+2 weekly points)

I also drank 1.5L of water and a cup of coffee.

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 3/2
• Whole Grains: 1/1

So close :( Darn you, oils and dairy!!!!!

Saturday's Activity

Yet another busy day - I worked at my WW meeting all morning, came home to find my dad constructing a closet organizer for me (yay!), so I had to clean up his sawdusty/plastic wrap/cardboard box mess. Then I did 3 loads of laundry, vaccuumed everywhere, cleaned the kitchen, tidied all over, and holy crap! It was already 7pm by the time I finally sat down!

Despite being exhausted from housecleaning all afternoon, I was determined to have good news for the blog. I'm tired of writing "no" in my "Got Moving?" summary! So. I went RUNNING!!!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!! I did this in spite of the fact that my Nike chip is STILL not connected up with my shoe. I just did a short run, about 25 minutes, just to get myself back in the shoes and on the road. And um, I realized that I really need to run more frequently if I hope to keep this up. It was pretty awful O_o!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got GHGs?: Darn oils and dairy....
• Got moving?: Yes!!!
  

Motivation Challenge Day 10

Happy Friday!!!

Friday's Food

• Breakfast was 1/4c of steel cut oats cooked up, and topped with a 1/2 banana and 1/2c of strawberries. Used 3 Points, got 1 Whole Grain and 1.5 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Lunch was leftovers from last night's amazing Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes. I also had a 1/2c of brown rice on the side which I stirred in 1tsp of olive oil. Used 7 Points, got 0.5 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was held at my coworker's Hindu wedding. I have to estimate some point values and measurements here.... I had a samosa, 1/3c of chickpea salad, 1/3c of pumpkin, 1/3c of eggplant, a piece of naan, and 1/2c of steamed rice. Used estimated 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were 1/2c of 1% cottage cheese with 1/4c strawberries, 1c of skim milk, and a slice of Cobs Country Harvest bread with peanut butter. Used 6 Points, got 1.5 Dairy GHG

Used 30 Points (+7 Weekly Points)

Given that I had a wedding today and had little control over the food that was coming, I'm pretty OK with this! I also drank 1.5L of water, 1c of coffee and 1c of chai tea

GHGs!

• Liquids: 8/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 4.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1.5/1

So, not an entirely successful day for GHGs :( Darn you, oils and dairy!

Friday's Activity

Was non-existant. For real. I worked at my full-time job till 2:30, travelled home till 3:15, tidied up the apartment for about 45 minutes, wrapped my saree for a half hour (yes, it really did take me that long to figure it out :( lol), and then had to leave again to go to the wedding. We didn't get home till 11pm, and I had to work the next morning at my WW meeting.

To make up for the lack of activity, enjoy this pic of me and Ed at the wedding!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got GHGs?: no :(
• Got moving?: no :(!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 9

I apologize in advance. This is the longest post in the world. But you get two recipes out of it!!!
(and FYI, (ff) indicates a filling food in a recipe)

Thursday's Food

Breakfast was 1/4c of Egg Beaters and 1/2 a Blue Menu mini oatmeal bagel. It was going to be the whole bagel, but unfortunately it was stale and tasted like crap :( (Used 2 Points, got 1 Lean Protein).

Knowing that there was no way I'd be satisfied with that breakfast all morning, I whipped up a SMOOTHIE!!!

Michelle's Amazing Smoothie

1c vanilla almond milk (or you could use skim milk for equal awesomeness, but I'm still experimenting with almond milk)
1/2 c frozen mango chunks (ff)
1 banana (ff)
a few strawberries (ff)
1 tsp olive oil (or other healthy oil)
a handfull of ice cubes

Blender it up, and WHAM! Filling smoothie with 1 serving of dairy, 2.5 servings of fruit AND 1 serving of oil! OMG! I thought I'd try this out as a new way to fit in both a dairy serving and an oil, and you know what? TOTALLY worked!!! Used 6 Points

• Lunch was 2 slices of leftover homemade pizza from Tuesday night and a side salad. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a tall iced skinny vanilla latte, and 1c of popcorn Used 3 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Whole Grain GHG
• Dinner was at my place, and whaddya know??? ANOTHER RECIPE?!??!??!

Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes

6 tomatoes (hothouse or other large tomatoes) (ff)
1tbsp ginger root, shredded
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1c diced carrots (ff)
1/2c chopped celery (ff)
1/2c chopped red onions (ff)
2c shelled mini shrimps (I buy them pre-cooked and frozen) (ff)
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Slice off the top 1/3 or so of your tomatoes, and scoop out the innards. Season the insides with a little bit of salt if you like. Turn your tomatoes over and place them on paper towels to drain out.

Put your ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar (if using) in a blender or food processer, and blend until it's well mixed. Put it into a small bowl and set aside for now.

Chop up the carrot, celery and onion and blanch (I had no idea what blanching meant till I looked up this recipe :P) by placing them in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, strain, and put into ice water to refresh. Strain again and squeeze out excess water. Place them on a paper towel and keep chilled till you're ready to use them.

Mix your veggies, shrimp (I thawed mine), cilantro and vinaigrette together in a bowl. Fill your tomatoes, and serve with the tops placed back on top.

(I forgot to take a picture of the veggies and shrimp before filling the tomatoes, so here's the after-shot :P)

I calculated this out to be 5 Points per serving! Also gets you 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil, and 2 Fruit/Veggies!

Used 23 Points

I also drank 2L of water and 1c of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 9/6
• Oils: 2/2!!!
• Dairy: 2/2!!!
• Fruit/Veggies: 5.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!! All GHGs in!

Thursday Activity

I work at my home WW meeting on Thursday nights, which means that today was weigh-in day! Today's weight: 141.2lbs

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to get much activity today with my meeting after full-time work, I knew that my activity would be scarce today. So I tried to squeeze it in where I could!

• Offered to take the mail out, and picked up my latte in the afternoon, earning me a 10 minute walk. Also took the stairs back up! It's only 4 floor, but these stairs are hella STEEP!
• My WW meeting has a ghetto slow elevator in the building, and we have to go down every 15 minutes or so before the meeting starts to see if anyone needs a ride up. We also use it to take our A-frame sign downstairs. We had a fill-in leader today, so I offered to take the elevator shift. Walked downstairs, and when no one was there, walked back up. I walked up those stairs 4 times!
• After my WW meeting, I had to go grocery shopping to pick up some little bits to make the Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes and a few other things. I walked home from the grocery store, giving me about a 10 minute walk home with heavy groceries.

By the time I got home, cooked, ate, cleaned up and was ready to move, it was already almost 9pm. So, the sun was long gone, I was exhausted (especially since I didn't sleep very well last night) and just wanted to rest for a night. Plus the season finale of Grey's Anatomy was on :D!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got my GHGs?: Yes! EVEN OIL!!!!
• Got moving: Yes! Despite being broken up, I did squeeze in activity today wherever I could find a chance, so I'm counting this one as a success :)

All in all, a successful day!

Do you have creative ways to sneak in activity throughout the day?

Motivation Challenge Day 8

Wednesday's Food

• Breakfast was 1c of multigrain Cheerios with a handful of fresh strawberries and a sprinkle of dried cranberries, with 1c of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 1 Dairy GHG. While the Cheerios do contain whole grains in their first few ingredients, they also have sugar in the first few ingredients. So I'm going to avoid counting them as a whole grain and get this GHG in a different way.
• Lunch was 1c of brown rice and stir fried veggies with edamame and black beans. I topped the mixture off with 1tsp of olive oil. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, 1 Oil, 1 Lean Protein, and 1 Whole Grain GHG
• Dinner was out at a restaurant (*gasp*)! Ed's parents were in town, so we went out to our friendly neighbourhood Thai restaurant. I ordered ginger shrimp (mmmmm) which comes with about 1c of stir-fried veggies, and I only got through about 3/4 of my steamed rice. Used 8 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana, and 1/2c of cottage cheese with 1/2c of berries. Used 4 Points, got 2.5 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Dairy GHG

Used 24 Points (+1 Weekly Point)

I also drank 2 L of water and 2 cups of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 10/6
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Oils: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 4.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Wednesday's Activity

After work today, I met up with my sister for a coffee, and also finally got my 10K medal engraved!!!!

I got home at 6pm, and Ed's parents were due to arrive sometime between 6:30-7. Because I didn't know the exact time I'd have available to exercise and shower before they came, I opted not to go for a run. BUT, I squeezed in a 20 minute session with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred instead! I've had this DVD since like, November, and let me tell you - she STILL kicks my ass every time! I only just graduated to Level 2 like, a month ago, and half the time I'm following the low-impact girl because I feel like I'm going to die. I also got in a 15 minute walk from walking from work to the subway station, so I got in 35 minutes of activity today and earned 1AP!

In summary:

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got all my GHGs: No :( somehow missed 0.5 F/V, still not completely meeting oils and dairy...
• Got moving: Yes!

I also have a lesson of the day today :D

Today's lesson: Food Pushers

My boyfriend and his mom are lovely people. Really they are. But they are extreme food pushers!!! We went out to the restaurant, and I was determined to be good and stay within my points for the day. I had skimmed around on the wine list and said I'd think about it, but when it came time to ordering, I didn't get any. Boyfriend was confused. "I thought you wanted wine? Don't you want some wine? You said you were going to order some". No thanks, I'm good. "You sure? Really? Huh?" No really. I'm good. We ordered some appetizers for the table (spring rolls and an order of pad thai for the 4 of us to share). I opted out of partaking. Mostly because I wasn't super hungry yet, and didn't want to spoil the dinner that was on it's way out. I got food-pushed to the extreme. "Have some!" No thanks, I'm waiting for dinner, don't want to spoil it, etc. "Oh please, one isn't going to kill you". I'm trying to be good with my food, and I don't want any right now, thanks. "Wtf are you talking about? Look how skinny you are!".

The worst was dessert. Everyone ordered ice cream, and Ed got the honey-fried banana as well to share (they are delicious, but soooo deep fried). I ordered a ginger tea instead of ice cream. His mom was determined to make me eat ice cream, near to the point of shoving it down my throat herself. On top of this, boyfriend was shoving honey-fried bananas at me. I finally looked them both straight in the eye and said "Stop food pushing. I am fine. I can order my own food and decide what I want to eat. I don't want any of that today. Let it go." They were dumbfounded for a second, but they did indeed let it go. We all enjoyed our desserts (and tea!) and had a lovely remainder to our night.

All it takes is standing up for yourself and showing some courage to get food pushers to back down! When I was losing with WW, I worked in an office with OUTRAGEOUS food pushers. They couldn't seem to understand that the more cake and pastries I refused, the slimmer I got. They never got the correlation with their own waistlines.

Have you ever encountered a food pusher? What strategies do you use to get them to back off?

Motivation Challenge Day 7

Tuesday's Food

• Breakfast was 2 waffles loaded with blueberries, 1tbsp of maple syrup, and 1c of skim milk. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy GHG
• Lunch was a roasted veggie sandwich (containing roasted red peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) on a whole wheat flatbread with some melted swiss cheese, and a salad on the side. Used 7 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was homemade pizza, loaded with mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, zucchini and 1 turkey sausage, and a sprinkle of mozzerella cheese. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Snacks were a banana, 1/2c of 1% cottage cheese with 1/2c of berries, and a WW fruitty nutty bar. Used 5 Points, got 2.5 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Dairy GHGs

Used 25 Points (+2 weekly points)

I also drank 2L of water and 1.5 cups of coffee.

GHGs:

• Liquids: 9/6
• Oils: 0/2 (oops)
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5.5/5
• Lean Protein: 1/2
• Whole Grain: 0/1 (oops)

Tuesday Activity

In my search for lunch (didn't have leftovers, had to hunt and gather from a nearby coffee shop), I got a good 20 minute walk into my day. Why did it take 20 minutes? First I walked to a sushi place, but it was closed. So I went across the street to a sandwich shop that didn't accept debit (the only form of payment I had with me at the time). Went back across the street to a burrito place (in sheer desperation) which ALSO did not accept debit. Gave up and went to the coffee shop. Sigh :(

On Tuesdays, I sometimes fill in for a Weight Watchers meeting downtown, so that's what I did today! I didn't get home until about 8:45pm, so the sun was long gone and my motivation dwindled as my hunger for a hearty dinner roared. No run tonight :(

Wow, Motivation Challenge has reached the end of it's first week! There are only 6 days left! PS: New challenge starts on May 25th. More details to come! Spoiler --- it's a 30 Day Challenge and involves a lot of yoga :D

So let's review my progress so far...

• Tracked food every day: Yes, however reluctantly!
• Got GHGs every day: No, but came close. Oils and dairy remain a challenge.
• Got activity 3 days per week, at least one yoga practice and at least one run: I did get moving 3 days, and I did get 2 yoga practices. Sadly, no running due to my pathetic excuses.

Hmm. I've also used 23 Weekly Points so far. While this is totally fine, since I have 35 of them to use in a week, it indicates to me that I might need to reign it in a little bit. Reviewing my food log shows that I've been using those weekly points mostly on a lack of planning (Fruit and Cheese plate at Starbucks, not reading the NI on my pasta or measuring it before cooking, not planning lunches and ending up with takeout...). Mind you, I have not been counting the Activity Points earned against it. Then again, I haven't been earning many APs anyway...

After reviewing my progress (?) this week, I've identified where I need to make changes. In the last 7 days of the challenge, I will make those changes!

Let the last week of Motivation Challenge begin!

Motivation Challenge Day 6

Hello again!

Monday's Food

• Breakfast was 3/4c of low-fat granola cereal with strawberries, and a 1/2c of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 0.5 Dairy GHG.
• Lunch was 1c of salad greens with other veggies cut in (mushrooms, bell peppers), with 1/4c edamame and 1/4 avocado. Also had a mini multigrain bagel with 1tbsp of peanut butter. Used 8 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was 1/2 cup of homemade butter chicken loaded with cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and peppers, 1/2 cup of rice, and a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt for dessert. Used 9 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain, and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana, a cup of strawberries, and a tall skinny latte. Used 5 Points, got 3 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Dairy GHGs

Used 27 Points (used +4 Weekly Points)

I also drank 1.5L of water and a cup of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 0/2
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Monday's Activity

After work, I had to go down to Little India to buy a saree, as I'm going to be attending a Hindu wedding later this week (photos will come after Friday!) As a result, I didn't get home till it was pretty late. Here's a fun story about my lack of exercise today - after I got home, I figured that I had enough time between then and when the sun would set (I don't go running after dark. Despite living in a relatively safe neighbourhood, the street lighting isn't great, and the park has almost no lighting on trails). Now, as you'll recall, I lost my Nike Plus chip after the 10K, so I had to go buy a new one. As I went to put it on my shoe clip, it just WOULD NOT fit. I tried everything to make that chip fit! It took me like, 20 minutes to finally realize that the reason I'd lost my chip in the first place is that the little clear plastic cover had also fallen off. Therefore, I need to buy an entirely new clip as well :( By the time I figured this out, the sun was on it's way down. Aargh!!!!!

I know. It's a pathetic excuse for not exercising. I could easily have done an exercise DVD after the sun set, or gone running without the chip. Sigh :(

Long story short, Monday's activity was ZERO. And as a result, I felt like a super blob of lard afterward (not a fatty blob of lard, just a blobby blob. You know what I mean :P

The Results

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got all my GHGs: Once again, almost, except for oils and a 1/2 dairy...
• Got moving: Sadly no.

I hate that I keep having to write down anything in red in that "results" section during Motivation Challenge. This needs to change!!!!! I don't want to feel blobby anymore!

Do you have lame excuses to not exercise? How do you get over them?

Motivation Challenge Day 5

Sunday's Food

• Breakfast was Kashi Go Lean cereal with a 1/2 cup of skim milk, and a pile of strawberries and blueberries. Used 4 Points, got 0.5 Dairy GHG
• Lunch was leftovers from previous dinners: 1/2 cup of dal, 1 cup of aloo gobi, 1/2 cup of basmati rice, cellophane noodles with steamed bok choy and other veggies, and a spring roll Used 16 Points, got 1 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein, and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was 1 taco (that's right - only ONE taco, since I had only 3 daily points left!) and a gigantic salad containing tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. Used 3 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• My snacks were 1/4 of my boyfriend's Starbucks cupcake, and a baggie of baby carrots and red bell pepper slices Used 2 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 25 Points (used +2 Weekly Points)

I also got 2L of water, a cup of coffee, and a tall unsweetened iced tea.
GHGs:

• Liquids: 10/6
• Oils: 0/2 (maybe 1 if I count the oil that is assumed to be in the leftover Filipino/Indian foods)
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Dairy: 1/2
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

I'm noticing a trend with my GHGs... I'm really awful at getting in the healthy oils. I tend to only get them in through sauteeing my veggies, and occasionally as salad dressing. I'm going to need to find some new creative ways to get them in!

Sunday Activity
After dinner, Ed and I went for an enormous walk through the park (about an hour). It was great! We stopped at Starbucks first, where I got my tall unsweetened iced tea, and he a latte and cupcake. We walked around the pond, where we saw tons of ducks, swans, and even a beaver :D! Had a great time and earned myself 1AP on top of it.

So, let's recap:

• Tracked all my food: Yes!
• Got in my GHGs: :( Darn oils...
• Got moving: Yes!

So here's my next steps... I need to get my oils in and dairy in a creative way (because clearly, my less creative ways aren't working out for me :P), and I need to get in my first run of the Motivation Challenge! It's gonna happen people, I'm officially promising right here and now that it will HAPPEN!

Motivation Challenge Day 4

Happy weekend!!!!!

Saturday's Food

• Breakfast was Peanut Butter and Banana Oats! Mmmmmmmmm delicious and filling :) Used 6 Points, got 1 Whole Grain and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Lunch was 6 pieces of nigiri sushi, a cup of miso soup, and a seaweed salad! Used 6 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Dinner was 1 cup of whole wheat pasta with 1/2c of Ed's mom's delicious meat sauce and a few meatballs, and a spinach salad on the side. Also had a beer. I'll explain below :P Used 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Snacks were a tall skinny latte and 1 cup of fruit. Used 3 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 29 Points (used +6 Weekly Points)

Also drank 1L of water and had 2 cups of coffee and 1 cup of green tea.

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 0/2 :(
• Dairy: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 6/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 2/1

Missed out on the oils, though I'm sure that there was probably some in the pasta sauce. Ah well. I give myself a B- on this effort.

So I kinda derailed a little this afternoon. Everything was going great, until I had a work training session this afternoon. Ummmm... let's just say that I really, REALLY needed a stiff drink following this one. It was INTENSE and incredibly draining. I also neglected (stupid me) to check out the nutritional info on my box of pasta prior to cooking it. I figured that it was probably like the whole wheat pasta that is written in my WW Pocket Guide, 1c for 4 points. Um, no. Apparently this one is 1c for SEVEN points. Awesome.

BUT!

Instead of feeling miserable after the training and just sitting on the couch, beer in hand and watching TV all night, I got a little bit of activity instead! I practiced yoga for 45 minutes in my living room after dinner to help calm me down! I decided that if I still wanted that beer after yoga, then dammit, you really wanted a beer. And, well, I did. But at least I didn't feel so guilty about wanting it :)

And, lovely readers, I have a confession. I saw that I was going to go far over my Points again today and I thought very seriously about lying about it in this log. I was like, "Who am I to be writing a blog about healthy living and stuff when I went over my Points two days in a row? That's not what people want to read, therefore - LIE about it!" I kicked that little voice out of my head. Because this blog IS about healthy living and healthy balance. And this motivation challenge is about being accountable to myself and to the ENTIRE INTERNET about my eating and activity habits. There's no way that I'm going to be a perfect little Weight Watcher every single day, because I'm human! And, Weight Watchers gives me an extra 35 points per week to work with if I need them or go over with things like surprisingly-7-Point-whole-wheat-pasta.

So I decided in the end to be honest and open about everything. There are no secrets in the Motivation Challenge. There is no hiding food and no lying in my tracking and accountability. What's the point in writing it down if it's not true? It wouldn't be helping me, or you, to do so.

So! How did the Motivation Challenge go today?

• Tracked all food: YES! Even though it was a struggle.
• Got all my GHGs: Almost. Missed the oils and a dairy again.
• Got active: Yes!!!

Do you get "food guilt" or accountability guilt? How do you deal with it?

Motivation Challenge Day 3

Friday's Food:

• Breakfast was kind of pathetic, as I hadn't been grocery shopping. Still tasty though! It ended up being a McGuiver of a cereal bowl with about 2/3c All Bran flakes, 1/3c Kashi Honey puffed rice, and a small sprinkling of vanilla granola on top. Added the last few blackberries in my fridge and 1/2 a banana, and 1c of vanilla almond milk. Used 5 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Dairy GHG. [Note: I'm counting my almond milk as a Dairy, as the nutritional info on my carton is the exact same as that of my skim milk (calcium, Vit D, etc)]
• Lunch was a huge salad, again, because I hadn't been grocery shopping. 2c of mixed greens with 1/2 a chopped up bell pepper, 1tbsp of crumbled feta cheese, and 1/4c of steamed edamame, topped with about 1tbsp of olive oil/parmesan dressing. I also had a WW 1 Point Fruitty Nutty bar! Used 3 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was INDIAN FOOD!!!! Ed and I ordered in from our favourite neighbourhood Indian restaurant. I got to do the ordering, so I tried to pick the most points-friendly-yet-delicious options, and had smaller portions of everything rather than stuff myself full unnecessarily. Despite this, I was STILL crazy full! I ordered dal, aloo gobi, lamb palak, basmati rice, naan, and a mango lassi. Used 15 Points, got 1 Dairy (in the lassi), 1 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were 1 packet of 2 Point WW pretzels with 2 Laughing Cow wedges, and a baggie full of veggies (about 2c worth) with 1tbsp white bean and garlic dip. Later in the evening, I got some low-fat frozen yogurt with berries. Used 7 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 30 Points Soooo, I went a little bit over my Points allowance. But hey, that's what the weeklies are for! So long as I keep tracking everything honestly, I'd say that I was still successful! (Used +7 Weekly Points)

I also drank 1.5L of water and 1c of coffee.

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Oils: 0/2, unless I get to count what was in the Indian food...
• Lean Protein: 1.5/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Friday's Activity

Immediately after work, I went out to the grocery store because damn, I was desperate for some real groceries. I walked to the store and back since it was SO NICE OUTSIDE (20 degrees :D!). That was about 30 minutes of walking, uphill one way and heavily laden with groceries the other way! My boyfriend and I also went for a huuuuuge walk after Indianfoodpalooza, I guess in a vain attempt to aid in digestion of the delicious rock in our stomachs. That was another hour of walking! I would have loved to go running today in the sunshine, but unfortunately, my muscles still aren't happy with me today. Errgh... maybe tomorrow I can get out for a run!

In summary,

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got in my GHGs: missed oils and half dairy and lean protein
• Got moving: Yes!

Motivation Challenge Day 2

Thursday's Food

• Breakfast was served at my place, where I have more control over the food. So, we had Egg Beaters Cheese and Chive scrambled in olive oil with yellow and green bell peppers, served with 1/2 a Pita Break breakfast pita each (because I only had one left and no other bread :P) Used 3 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, 1 Oil and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Lunch was leftovers from Wednesday's scrumptious seafood stir fry (same amount of rice, but there was less seafood left over). Used 4 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, 1 Oil, 1 Whole Grain, and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was kind of non-existant... I had a tall non-fat dark cherry mocha and a Fruit and Cheese plate at Starbucks. The fruit/cheese plate cost me a surprising NINE POINTS for 1/2 an apple, a few flatbread crackers, and four itsy bitsy slices of cheese. What the hell!?!? Used 13 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Dairy GHG
• Snacks were 1/2 cup of fat free strawberry yogurt with blackberries and 2tbsp of vanilla granola, an apple, 1c of frozen grapes and a WW 1 Point Fruitty Nutty Bar. Used 6 Points, got 0.5 Dairy and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Points Used: 25 (Used + 2 Weekly)

I also drank 1.5 L of water and 1 cups of coffee.

GHGs Earned:

• Liquids: 7/6
• Oils: 2/2
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit and Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Thursday nights I work at my Weight Watchers meeting, which just happens to be my home meeting as well! So I count my scale-testing at this meeting to be my weekly weigh in (and I get it written officially once per month as a Lifetime member). Today's weight was 142.0 I'll count this as my first weigh-in of the Motivation Challenge and see how it goes. Like I said earlier, I'm not terribly concerned about weight loss during the Challenge, as I'm still in a happy place weight-wise. My WW goal is 143, but my body seems to be happiest between 138-143ish.

After my meeting, I met up with one of my bestest friends in the world for coffee. We've been friends pretty much since birth! We were born on the same day, in the same hospital, and her grandparents live down the street from my parent's house. We went to the same public school, high school, AND university (different programs)! Now that we've moved away from home and all that, we don't see each other as often. But we still usually we meet up about once a month or so to catch up and gossip and all that girly-best-friend stuff :) So, even though that teeny little cheese plate cost me an INSANE amount of points for such a small amount of food and nutritional value, it was still fully worth it :)

Thursday's Activity:

I didn't get in any formal exercise today, but for good reason. My muscles are still pretty tender from Wednesday's intense yoga class. I decided to give my body off to recover. Plus, since I was working today from 8:30am-7:15pm, and didn't get home till 9pm after my coffee date, I was really not in the mood to start exercising by the time I walked back in the door! I did, however, walk to the subway station instead of taking the streetcar (about a 15 minute walk --- but hey, it was raining and blowing and cold. So that's definitely worth something!)

In summary...

• Tracked food intake: Yes!
• Stayed on plan (points, GHGs): Mostly, again missing 0.5 Dairy
• Got active: Sort of - took a break, but still walked.

What keeps you motivated?

Motivation Challenge Day 1

Day 1 was a success :) Here's how it went down:

Wednesday's Food

• Breakfast was 2 slices of bread from Cobs toasted up with a tablespoon of dulce de leche spread and strawberries piled high. Used 4 Points (Cobs bread is ridiculously high in fibre!), got 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Lunch was leftover homemade pizza from dinner the night before. I know, PIZZA? On Day 1 of the Motivation Challenge??? But seriously, we make our pizzas with an INSANE amount of veggies, and the cheese isn't mountainous on top or anything. I estimated 7 points for 2 slices (because there was some turkey sausage sliced up in it too, which I didn't have the nutritional info for :( boo) Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, 0.5 Dairy and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Snacks were a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with about 1/4 cup of sliced strawberries, and an apple. Used 3 Points, got 0.5 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was a seafood stir fry! I cooked up about 2 cups of frozen mixed seafood (divided into 3 servings) with garlic, ginger, onions, yellow and red peppers, broccoli and cilantro. I dressed it up with a tablespoon of Kikkoman stir fry sauce. All piled on 3/4c of brown rice! Sooooo yummy and filling. And I have leftovers for lunch today! Used 7 Points, got 1 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein, 2 Oils, and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs


• Then I split a dish of frozen yogurt with my boyfriend for dessert :) Used 2 Points

Total Points Used: 23 of my daily 23 Points

Hooray! I also drank 2L of water throughout the day (not including water consumed during my activity below!) and a cup of coffee

GHGs Earned:

• Liquids: 9/6
• Dairy: 1/2
• Fruits and Veggies: 5/5
• Oil: 2/2
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grains: 1/1

Wednesday's Activity

Ed convinced me to go with him to Moksha Yoga Mississauga, even though it's pretty far out of my way. The class that we did was a 90 minute Hatha flow class instead of a regular Moksha class that we usually take, but it was still in the heated room. It was incredible! Ingrid was an amazing teacher :D We spent the first 1/2 hour or so doing a sort of mini-workshop about the pose Chaturanga (4-Limbed Staff Pose).

For YEARS I have been doing this pose, knowing full well that I was doing it incorrectly, but I had no idea what it was that I was doing wrong in order to fix it. Now, mind you, normally yoga instructors will tell students that there's no "wrong" way to do a pose, because everybody's body moves differently and some poses might just not be accessible to you that day. However, if you are doing the pose in a way that causes you pain, then it is wrong. Yoga should not hurt. Discomfort, yes, but not pain. I have been feeling all out pain in this pose before, especially in my shoulders, with no idea what to do about it. I figured it was just because my shoulders weren't strong enough to support my weight, and no instructor had corrected me before. Until now --- now my chaturanga is AMAZING!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe what a difference it made!!! Just by learning how to engage core muscles and lift the pelvis higher than I thought it needed to go, suddenly the pain was GONE. Not even discomfort. Just AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

So, that yoga class earned me 90 minutes of activity and 3 Activity Points!

In summary...

• Tracked food intake: Yes!
• Stayed on plan (points, GHGs): Mostly (missed 1 Dairy GHG)
• Got active: Yes!

Day 1 - Check! How is your motivation challenge going?

Motivation to exercise

So I've been kind of naughty lately. After the 10K last week, I discovered a couple days later that I lost my Nike Plus shoe chip :( I'm so sad!!! Rather than suck it up and either a) buy a new one, or b) go running without the chip or even c) do another form of exercise instead, I have done nothing. Well, I practiced yoga a couple times, but other than that there's been nothing. Sad, I know.

I just can't seem to find the motivation. The last couple of weeks have been kinda busy at work - mind you, it's been mindless activity (stuffing 900 envelopes, highlighting invoices, etc), but still by the time I get home, I'm just exhausted!!! My brain/body just don't want to go anywhere once my butt hits the couch.

And, as if it weren't bad enough that I haven't broken a sweat in a week and a half, there were also two Mother's Day dinners last weekend to contend with! Up until then, I had at least been making good food choices and hadn't indulged too much in the sugary things that usually call my name when I fall off the motivation wagon. But then there was ice cream. And cake. And leftovers. Dang :( And did I track any of it? Ummmmmmm no. *hangs head in shame*

To top it all off, the lack of exercise has also drawn me into TV land. Normally I don't watch a lot of TV (neither Ed nor I even have cable, just rabbit ears), just news in the morning as I'm getting ready for work, and maybe 2-2.5 hours per night worth of the few shows that I actually follow regularly (e.g. Grey's, the Office, etc). Lately, that 2-2.5 hours has been turning into 3-4 hours as I've been lazing around and getting sucked into reality TV shows that I normally would have flipped right by (assuming I was watching TV at the time at all). Last night, after polishing off the remaining Mother's Day leftovers, I lazed on the couch for the entire remaining evening. I think that was about 3.5 hours worth of crap. Sadly, I even realized that it was crap, but did little to stop myself from becoming a blob.

So here's the deal.

My realization has come, luckily only 1.5 weeks after falling off the wagon. It's time to get back on track! There are only 51 days until yoga teacher training, so why not get myself back to great health and feeling awesome now? I've decided to recommit to tracking food and exercise, but not necessarily to weight loss. My weight hasn't changed (I still weigh in weekly at Weight Watchers meetings) and I'm currently at my goal weight, but I feel gross and want that to change.

The plan:

• Get back in the habit of tracking my food, even if I make a bad food choice. I'll even post my meals online to keep me extra accountable.
• Take control of my meals and plan ahead. This is a problem for me, because when I stay at Ed's apartment, he has full control of his gourmet kitchen. He's a much better cook than I am, but unfortunately, his meals tend to be full-fat, full-flavour, large-portioned masterpieces.
• Get moving at minimum 3 times per week.
• Of that 3 times per week activity, at least one must be a yoga practice, and at least one must be running.

I'll keep this up until May 24th (about 2 weeks) --- because May 25th onward will have a new challenge added (more info to come!!!)

Have you fallen off the motivation wagon? What goals do you give yourself to get back on track?

Sporting Life 10K DONE!

Hey again everyone,

The 10K was a success!!! I was (as suspected) freaking out for no good reason :P And as you may recall from a previous post, my goal was to finish in 1:15:00. Having had limited training inthe month of April due to sickness, I honestly was expecting to be more like 1:20:00.

The result:

Holy $%**#!!! 1:12:23!?!?!?!?!??!!?

I haven't gotten my medal engraved yet and my photos aren't yet up on the race website, but when I get these things I'll post photos up here, of course :) In the meantime, here's a pic my dad took just after I crossed the line!

Wheeeeeee!!!!

Sporting Life 10K is tomorrow!

Hello everyone,

So, I've been training diligently for the last two weeks (apres-sickness) trying to gear up for the Sporting Life 10K. Aaaaand, I'm terrified. The longest I've ever run in my training was 5.5km at a time. Ten kilometres just seems so FAR!!!!!

I'd like to share my Nike Plus graph with the class to show my training so far. Mind you, I had done some training prior to getting my Nike Plus, but I don't have a pretty graph for those :P

Oh, I'd also like to insert a major plug for Nike Plus at this time. I am SO in love with it! It's just a little chip that fits on your shoe (if you have non-Nike shoes like me, you can buy a little clip to go on your shoelaces). It connects to your iPod/iPhone, and will track your distance, pace, time and even calories burned!!! Then, it makes pretty graphs so you can track your progress. It's amazing :D

Aaaaanyway.

When I first started training for this 10K back in late February/early March, I went out into High Park for a jog. There's a loop at the entrance of the park that's about 2km the whole way around (from the entrance to the restaurant, around the tennis court and pool and back out the entrance). The first time that I ran this route, it took me about 25 minutes and I had to stop to walk 3 times. And I felt like I was going to die.

This afternoon, I ran 5km without feeling like death. I was a little tired, sweaty, and getting some stiffness, but nothing too major. Until, that is, I remembered that 5km is half of 10km. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to be running that TOMORROW.

Eeeeee.....

I know I should be excited about running tomorrow. I know that I've accomplished a lot in my training and I've run further than I ever thought I would before. I know that I feel better after runs now than I did in the beginning. But I'm still terrified for tomorrow O_O

Keep your fingers crossed for me! Update to come tomorrow!!!