No More Pasta!

Today I had a lemon butter cream sauce with capers and smoked salmon fettuccine... yum yum yum... I knew it was an indulgence but hmmmm pasta... I try not to eat pasta too much - but today I just wanted some... but oh boy did it not agree with me later... when am I going to learn? I just can't eat the yummy, creamy, food that appeals to me... Oh well... it's not that I am just giving in, but it is just an attitude adjustment on many levels... 

1. My metabolism just can't do it any more... Sure I could train it... but there are some things that just change over time.
2. The foods that you love sometimes can be more harm than good. According to Ayuveda Medicine I am a Kapha - I like the warm, comfort food, full of flavor, warmth and of course a lot of butter. To be more balanced I need to eat less fried, more fresh  foods - like cucumber, lettuce. And to be honest it feels good after I do eat food like that - more light, more energized - but sometimes... hmm the call of the rich indulgent food...
3. On that note... I have to change what I think is yummy and indulgent. It is not that I don't like salads. My favorite salad is roasting mushrooms and other vegetables and putting over a nice crisp bed of greens... nice light olive oil dressing and some balsamic vinegar... hmmm - that might need to be dinner tomorrow...

So in the end it really just needs some time... and a little more effort on my part - part of the reason I had pasta today was because I was out and I ordered it... I rarely eat it at home because I just don't make it... but the salad yummmmmmm

No exercise today but needless today this day was all about food... nice cool weather came through tonight but I hope it was enough to clear out the air... would love to go for a run in the morning...

On another note - living room purged - that is a good feeling...it doesn't look like it is purged but it is... it is all that stuff that hides and you don't know that it is there - got rid of it! yay! now it is time to attack the toys... 13 more days to go...

Saying Goodbye - part 1

I was going to write my post about the runner's nod... that acknowledgement you give to people you cross when going for a run... Everyone was out this morning for a run... it was quite possibly the most beautiful day in Beijing that I have ever seen in the 6 years that I lived here. The air was cool and clear and it remained clear and clean all day... It is so nice to give a nod or a wave to some complete stranger when you meet them going in the opposite direction when going for a run... there is than kinship you feel and you are saying to them "Yeah, I feel what you are feeling and it is great to be finally out for a run..."


Today was also a crazy day for me as I was fielding a lot of concerns of parents about the placement of their child for the following school year in math. It's a process and I am quite happy to meet with parents who have concerns... the fact that they are taking the time out of their day to meet with a teacher to discuss their child's future is great. Regardless of their reasons, it is just nice to know that they are in their child's corner. But it does take a lot of effort out of you.


The day ended off with our grade level end of the year farewell dinner. There are 5 of us leaving from this team. 3 of us that are core teachers, two mentoring teachers. One that has been for 17+ years and the rest of us around 6 or so years. This was a great group of people to work with. There may have been ups and downs but at the end of the day we all enjoyed working with each other. I've had my teaching partner Iain for 6 years. He's been great. Elaine (who is also leaving) she's been with Murray for 6 years and she's also one of my best friends. I'm also leaving behind another two best friends, Nats and Jackie... it was just so great to be hanging out on Nats bed and just chatting as if we were all teenagers, but yet all mature women... I am going to miss those girls... Just the amount of fun that we have, the closeness we feel. Its like we're trying to cram in as much time together as possible together just so that we can keep alive the great times that we have together that we know we'll find the time in the future but it won't be quite the same because we aren't all living in the same city/country anymore... Tonight I cried just when I was saying thank you to my colleagues just because I felt that as I looked at all of them I found friends - friends enough that if and when I see them in the future I would be quite happy to know how they are doing...


So to my fellow Grade 6 Team colleagues at ISB - thank you for a great 6 years.


Exercise today - 30:16 (521 cal) Same loop as Monday, better time. Felt great and loved the pace I was running at... Was strong for the first 10 minutes then tapered off... But the weather was so great how could you not love running in the morning - especially a morning like this in Beijing - one in a million...


Food: totally irrelevant because it was a dinner and there was lots of booze... I was so wired up at the end of the day that it took half a bottle of champagne to calm me down... then there was more wine... But it was all had with great company so totally worth it.

The Last Massage...

I have a massage guy. Living in China it's not hard to have one... but this guy is special. He's also a friend. The cool thing about him is that a) he practices Traditional Chinese Medicine, b) he's Canadian, and c) he's just a good person... The first time I went to him was to do some rehab on my much inflicted left knee after tearing the ACL for the second time in my life... I saw him off and on for the last 6 years, the most recent block was while I was training for the half-marathon. Not only were the massages/treatments meant to heal the body his ability to make one at ease while in his presence helps heal the soul. So thanks to my massage guy Shane - couldn't have completed the half without you and gotten through some of the crazier parts of my life in Beijing... You are much appreciated and valued... Good luck in future endeavors... 


Exercise today: 30/30 workout plus a 10 minute run at a 10kph pace. Felt really good, still feeling strong.


Food:
Breakfast - a little bit of indulgence: egg, sausage, bacon and a small hash brown... but yummy
Lunch - tuna sandwich wrap with cheese and cucumber... good go to meal... the salad looked to plain
Dinner - chicken vindaloo curry with sweet potatoes and zucchini on couscous. I am trying to use up some of the canned food that is in my cupboard and only buy what I need because I only have two weeks to go...


More about leaving later... not ready to deal with that one yet...

Indulgence....

I took the week off... I was so impressed with myself that I got that half marathon done I just didn't work out... well I tried a couple of days of it but then I just needed to rest and if I am going to rest I am going to rest hard!

Three days of pure eating, drinking and just plain fun was needed I guess... but I am feeling the effects. By the end of the week I was saying to myself I need to get back in an exercise groove... so I went for a run and what a run that was!

I started off my run at what I thought was a nice leisurely pace, but when I looked at my time and the checks it seems that I was running faster and stronger than I ever had! AWESOME! I beat my regular time by 2 minutes and ran a little longer. It was great and such a great feeling to feel strong...

So yes indulgence is good, but not too much... I really do want to discipline myself with my eating habits and limiting the amount of carbs that I am eating... either not having them for a couple of days or just having them in the morning. Another trick is having carbs and veg together or veg and protein together at meals but never carbs and meat together... that helps too. So I'll try to stick to one of those...

Workout plan... the run was great but now it is getting back in that general groove. It's going to be tough with only 2 more weeks to go in China... but it's got to be that way... I can't just let it all go for two weeks... I think the important thing is to get up early and do something... If I can't run, then spin, or do yoga or hit the gym with Nats... as long as I am active 6 days of the week... that should help...

So I guess  now it is time to indulge back in health and feeling healthy - do all the things that make me feel great. :)
 

Let's Get Together for Dinner

I love how food brings people together... You use going for drinks or dinner as an excuse to get together and visit with each other, spend time with people and of course eat.

Last night I had a fabulous dinner with Lulu. She used to live here in Beijing and comes every year for the ANZAC dinner at the Great Wall. She is so much fun to hang out and just a great friend. I may not stay in constant contact with her but when I see her all is good (that seems to be a theme with many of my good friends out there...). We had a great time despite the fact that those two mojitos that I had before dinner didn't agree with the half bottle of wine that went with dinner... But dinner was fab! Ceviche, scallops,risotto with fois gras and lobster TWICE - it was delish and at my favorite restaurant in Beijing. The company was great and so was the food...

Tonight is my final bookclub meeting. Every month 8 of us get together to discuss a book of our choice and have dinner. Dinner is always good and full of fun conversation. This will be the last one for this group of girls because half of us a leaving to new adventures. So it will be sad but fun to get together to just enjoy each others company...

So it is a little bittersweet couple of days, seeing old friends and saying goodbye to others... Good food, good company, and good wine always go hand in hand...

Yeah I skipped the workouts today...

Recovery...

So I didn't really know that I was supposed to lay off the running for a little big... but I thought that a nice easy run would be what I needed to loosen up my thighs... NOT. I practically fell off the treadmill. Yes, yes, for those of you who live in Beijing - it was a gorgeous day outside, but I am glad that I was inside... it was easier to adjust my pace and just run for 10 minutes instead of 30. But it was not fun. Who knew that you were supposed to wait two weeks before regular training should begin? Who knew that you should probably lay off any kind of running for a day or two? I don't want to rest! I want to run! I miss it! I want the exercise! I need to work off the one dish that Eurest makes that is yummy - oh yeah there is that...


I am not a fan of our cafeteria food. I walk to the salad bar and am bored, even though there is lots of goodness there, but none of it appeals to me. The rest of the food is just covered in grease, or is just plain bland. But there is one thing that Eurest (the company that makes the food at the school) does well - it's the Korean-Kimchee rice goodness. First there is the rice (which I always ask them to give me half the amount), then the fried egg with the sauteed mushrooms and shredded carrots and some bacons. Then there are the sides, the kimchee (which I never get), the spinach (yummy), and bean spouts (okay addition). Then to top it all off is this wonderful thick spicy red sauce that just makes everything taste oh-so-good! I am sure that it is not healthy for me - but I tell myself (in the last two weeks of me living in China) that I will get it when it is there! And it was good...


See I have this thing with food... same thing happened with dinner... Murray is out of town on our annual China Link trip to Shanghai - so that means I tend to sneak in all the lovely food that I don't usually eat like fried jaozi. But because I indulged for lunch I would have the left over salad and chicken from dinner last night. But the jaozi called to me... so instead of frying them I boiled them - they were delish! But I clearly ate too much food... What is this need to always eat what I desire, the need to eat the savory? I always find the excuse to eat the fried, juicy, saucy food that I want when it is in front of me... Why can't I resist? Because I love it! But I feel it not always agreeing with me with the health of my body... I feel a little ill, bloated, and I wonder why  - this is why! I must moderate! There is no way I can cut it out... but I definitely moderate... it needs to happen if I want to see results and keep the engine running efficiently...


Positive thing today - I was a happy eater and I drank water to curb a lot of my hunger. So that is a start. I do make sure that I only eat 3 meals a day and not snack throughout - I'm not a snacker... But food, my relationship with you needs to change in a positive way!


Exercise: 5 minute walk @ 6 kph then 10 minutes light running at 7.5 kph then 5 minute walk @ 6 kph. Burned a whopping 211 calories... Taking it easy is providing a great opportunity for me to incorporate other forms of exercise and get back into my yoga groove...


Food: Well I guess it's all about the food...

The Journey Begins...

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Exercise: 30/30 workout - I do an exercise for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds... I continue to do that working my way through 30 exercises; 10 upper body, 10 lower body, and 10 core exercises. I learnt how to do this during the Health and Physical Education course that I took in the summer. I lost the sheet that they gave me so I came up with my own exercises... I remember that workout being really intense, but I realized after talking to Nathalie about it that it was because I was in a room with 20+ PE teachers who are all super competitive... so that might be why I pushed it...
Time: 30 minutes  Avg HR: 110     Calories burned:  250 approx (I know I shouldn't count the calories, but I wear an HR monitor and I get a little bit of satisfaction seeing how many calories I burn during a workout... I try to aim to burn at least 500 per session... might have to adjust that mindset this week - I do feel like I could have done a little more...)


Food:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs and a sausage with a non-fat latte... not the breakfast of champions, but I was craving the salt... Coffee - I didn't have my tea with me today... but it was a nice indulgence...


Lunch: Barbacoa Beef Salad Bowl from the Avocado - I forgot to saw no sour cream... but not much was added... the salad was good - yummy!


Dinner: BBQ Chicken thighs coated with Thai Red Curry paste and a salad (zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, and left-over potatoes). I might have had too many little potatoes and was trying to go without carbs today... but they were leftovers and I didn't want them to go to waste... I also probably had one more piece of chicken that I shouldn't but I took off the skin and it was very juicy...


Treats: Beer - big Heineken... hmmm Murray went out to get some... Two chocolates that we got from lunch yesterday... they were very yummy...


So what is the philosophy with food? Well I am trying to control my portions - for me that is a big deal because if food is in front of me I just eat with no control! It's awful! So I'm trying to stick to this plan of as much fruits and veg as I want with modest serving of protein every day, carbs like pasta/potatoes/bread every third day. It's not easy but I find that I can get through breakfast and lunch without it and then when dinner comes around I don't feel like having a pasta dinner. The week before the marathon was fun though... I ate bread and rice... but on a regular basis I'm trying not to eat too much of it and so far it is working out well...


Another thing I am trying to cut down on is cheese. I love cheese too... but I find if you don't have it in the house you don't eat it! Trying to reduce these things and have them in moderation I have found that my body is adjusting and feeling better for it... all about keeping the fuel good...

So Now What?!?!?

I did it! I have just completed the Great Wall Half Marathon on Saturday, May 19th with a time of 3:15:01. I am so pleased with myself! It was the first time that I trained and completed something like this in my life. I ran at least 5 times a week,I gradually increased the weekly kilometers and have completed 3, 20km+ runs prior to the race on Saturday and lost 3kgs. I am so happy that I did it!

So now what?

I loved training for this run. It was such a tangible goal that it was easy to keep focus. The fact that it was my first half marathon was also a huge motivation factor for me. I had to train my body to run longer than an hour. Before this I could barely run for 45 minutes. But am I always going to need a race to train for to keep me in shape? I hope not, but it did make it easier for me to stay focused... I have learned a couple of things about myself during this training process...

1. I like publishing my runs/workouts/exercises - Using runkeeper was great for that. Mapping out the run, writing how I felt and having it followed by the few people that saw it on Facebook. It helped! That is why I read other people's posts when they put it up there!

2. It is all about food! Food has this power over me - I like food, I love food! I can't stop myself when I am eating something I love! But I am finding that my body cannot keep up anymore. I feel my tummy grumble after I eat something yummy and saucy and full of rich goodness... but it just does not agree with me later. I feel ten times better when I am eating fruits and vegetables - although bland at times, I can make it yummy and healthy.

3. Writing it down isn't good enough - I used to do all this writing in a journal... nice and private and the only person that really knew I was doing that was my lawfully wedded boyfriend. And even then I wouldn't really let him see it - but he knew what I was writing about. But that isn't the same... it's one thing to admit something to yourself, it is another thing to admit it aloud to other people. That one simple act make it real and makes you accountable not just to others but to yourself in a more real way.

So this is it... This is where I am going to keep it in gear - with or without a race at the end of the tunnel, because it is a life long journey. There are a lot of things that will happen along the way and hopefully you'll join me in the journey...

Just one note of thanks to Uzay - you inspired me to have the courage to start writing this all out... Thanks!

So let's get into first gear...