I think I have mentioned that I have an absolute weakness for fried, yummy food... And I am very aware of the effects on me after. It is no wonder that there isn't much change in the inches or me getting more toned! This isn't helping with the holistic feeling healthier thing that I am trying to achieve! I have no discipline!!!!! I have to do better...
So this is it. No more fried food! I have to do this! This time I think I can especially since I am writing about it and if I am with any of you that is reading this and we are out for food - make sure I don't do the fried food!!!
Also I need to eat more fruit... My mom said that to me - "You need to eat more fruit!" There was a time where I was doing it - but I do need to do more of it.
So... well no time like to present to start! I am on my way tomorrow to Tofino with my boys and we're going on a little holiday. Great opportunity to be out, tempted by yummy fried foods and saying no to it all! If I can't say no in those situations, then there is no help! So this is my pledge to stop the fried food!
The numbers...
Exercise - we went for a bike ride around Stanley Park today on bikes. That was loads of fun. Also, Murray doesn't ride bikes slowly so it was a workout to keep up!
Food - well not the greatest... I had halibut and chips for lunch and ribs for dinner... hmmm I think we know what prompted the banning of fried foods...
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Shop, shop, shop...
Murray had a conversation with someone saying that it is best to get all your shopping done at the beginning of your break. That way you don't feel so bad about how much you spend, and you can enjoy the rest of your break because you've already done it all. Also you can feel good about all that spending because you aren't spending nearly as much throughout the year or during your break!
Well that is what we've been doing so far... shop, shop, shop. Granted, we never shop in China. Things are either too small, too expensive, or too everything we just don't like. Plus we are moving to a new climate - so we need new wardrobes... Yeah I know just justifying it all - I really do need another pair of lululemon shorts! Really I do! But so far we've been successful. We need to focus more on Mur as he will be up at the cottage for most of the month of July - I however will be able to go to the Eaton centre on a more regular basis... He's been pretty successful, but apparently there is still more to do...
Other than that it has been great weather for runs. Nice and cool with some breeze or rain. I went for an 8k run on Sunday (in the rain) - that was awesome... I tried to run at a faster pace for the last two kilometers - trying to train myself to move faster. Today I went for 5km run. I tried to do 1km intervalls, but that was tough! Maybe I was running to fast. I got to get faster... well not got to but I know that I can run faster for a longer distance - I just need to train for it. My run though today was a little interrupted - nature called... but once that was dealt with it was all good!
The numbers...
Exercise - 8k run on Sunday, 4.5k run today. Feeling pretty good.
Food - Sunday was good, not too much goo, but mom made a roast for Father's day and I drank a good bottle of wine so that was happy. Lunch was out at some restaurant that gets food from their farm and took just as long too. Today, not the greatest - I was at the mall so I had to have A&W! I love those teen burgers. However dinner will be lighter with some veg pasta, tomato and bocachinni salad. Yum...
Well that is what we've been doing so far... shop, shop, shop. Granted, we never shop in China. Things are either too small, too expensive, or too everything we just don't like. Plus we are moving to a new climate - so we need new wardrobes... Yeah I know just justifying it all - I really do need another pair of lululemon shorts! Really I do! But so far we've been successful. We need to focus more on Mur as he will be up at the cottage for most of the month of July - I however will be able to go to the Eaton centre on a more regular basis... He's been pretty successful, but apparently there is still more to do...
Other than that it has been great weather for runs. Nice and cool with some breeze or rain. I went for an 8k run on Sunday (in the rain) - that was awesome... I tried to run at a faster pace for the last two kilometers - trying to train myself to move faster. Today I went for 5km run. I tried to do 1km intervalls, but that was tough! Maybe I was running to fast. I got to get faster... well not got to but I know that I can run faster for a longer distance - I just need to train for it. My run though today was a little interrupted - nature called... but once that was dealt with it was all good!
The numbers...
Exercise - 8k run on Sunday, 4.5k run today. Feeling pretty good.
Food - Sunday was good, not too much goo, but mom made a roast for Father's day and I drank a good bottle of wine so that was happy. Lunch was out at some restaurant that gets food from their farm and took just as long too. Today, not the greatest - I was at the mall so I had to have A&W! I love those teen burgers. However dinner will be lighter with some veg pasta, tomato and bocachinni salad. Yum...
Friday, June 15, 2012
Getting Back on Track...
Saying good-bye is hard... all the food, wine, hugs, tears, just the thought that it might be last time to see someone... it's not easy... bye to the woman who took care of your house and your child for the past 5 years... hard... the girls that you hang out with on a daily basis... hard... the house that you started your family... maybe not so hard... the country you lived in... not hard at all... Some people, some things, some places, I will miss... Riding my bike through Tian'amen Square and the Forbidden city, hiking on the Great Wall, sitting around a candle lit table with all my friends are all things I will definitely miss. I won't miss running around the compounds for my regular run - that is for sure...
And that just puts everything in perspective. I am now at my mom's place in Richmond, BC and she lives right by the River, close to the airport... Actually we flew over her place when we landed and George yelled out "Poh poh house is over there!" But there is a path along the dyke that goes from around her place all the way to the Richmond Olympic Oval and beyond. It's a 5km loop there and back and it is spectacular. I love running that path - you see nothing but open river and ocean ahead of you one way, and the coastal mountains when you come back. It is fabulous. But why do people look so grumpy when they are running? They have no idea how good they have it. If they only knew... in Vancouver you can run any time of the day any day of the year - the weather is good. I loved it! I truly experienced it all since I had no tunes to listen to on my run, so it was just me and my head and it did my head some good!
I also love my new Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch! It tracks my pace, my distance, total time and even my heart rate! I love it... totally noticed that on my first run that I was running fast! I couldn't keep it up on the return trip - but it does help. I am horrible at judging my pace when I am running. I love that thing!
I also love my new iPhone that I also got... yes more toys - but I love being connected but not too connected. I made the decision that after this summer I am going to drop my number so that it won't cost me so much money maintaining it... I'll just get a new sim card when I come back for the next summer... simple as that... but as I should hopefully be mostly in one place for the summer - I won't need a ton of numbers...
Third thing that I have done lately is sign up for a 10K run. I saw it when I was going somewhere with my sister. So when I went for my run I looked at the sign for it more closely and signed up. I didn't know what it was for or who was hosting - I just wanted to sign up for a run to keep me motivated. I later found out that it is for raising funds for SOS Children's Village BC. It is an organization that provides services and programs to kids who are in foster homes. It's awesome... it's to help support the child who are not going to grow up with their biological parents. So if you can please help donate. You don't have to donate much - but I believe in it... If I could I would foster children - everyone deserves a home and a happy one too.
To donate please click here. The run is Saturday, July 30th and I did get the okay from the sister who is having her wedding reception that day... she was the one who suggested I do it... Thanks May!
The numbers...
Exercise
Ran last night - 5km in 29 minutes... it was awesome. Ran again this morning... 4.57k in 27 minutes or so... all on runkeeper all recorded on my awesome GPS watch... love it.
Food
Well, it's been much better... despite the fact that Mom had bought BBQ duck to snack on as well as made a roast chicken for dinner the other night... Lunch at the Cactus club was a trio of butternut squash ravioli with prawns in a truffle beurre blanc sauce (so yum and that was the small portion) and I had a White Spot Legendary burger. The food overall is healthier but the two lunch options weren't the smartest... I didn't feel the greatest after the burger... but it was oh so good... But it is so much easier to eat well here. Mom made a yummy chicken salad from all the left overs - so good and so light... and I am trying not to snack too much on all the food that is around the house... but it is good...
And that just puts everything in perspective. I am now at my mom's place in Richmond, BC and she lives right by the River, close to the airport... Actually we flew over her place when we landed and George yelled out "Poh poh house is over there!" But there is a path along the dyke that goes from around her place all the way to the Richmond Olympic Oval and beyond. It's a 5km loop there and back and it is spectacular. I love running that path - you see nothing but open river and ocean ahead of you one way, and the coastal mountains when you come back. It is fabulous. But why do people look so grumpy when they are running? They have no idea how good they have it. If they only knew... in Vancouver you can run any time of the day any day of the year - the weather is good. I loved it! I truly experienced it all since I had no tunes to listen to on my run, so it was just me and my head and it did my head some good!
I also love my new Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch! It tracks my pace, my distance, total time and even my heart rate! I love it... totally noticed that on my first run that I was running fast! I couldn't keep it up on the return trip - but it does help. I am horrible at judging my pace when I am running. I love that thing!
I also love my new iPhone that I also got... yes more toys - but I love being connected but not too connected. I made the decision that after this summer I am going to drop my number so that it won't cost me so much money maintaining it... I'll just get a new sim card when I come back for the next summer... simple as that... but as I should hopefully be mostly in one place for the summer - I won't need a ton of numbers...
Third thing that I have done lately is sign up for a 10K run. I saw it when I was going somewhere with my sister. So when I went for my run I looked at the sign for it more closely and signed up. I didn't know what it was for or who was hosting - I just wanted to sign up for a run to keep me motivated. I later found out that it is for raising funds for SOS Children's Village BC. It is an organization that provides services and programs to kids who are in foster homes. It's awesome... it's to help support the child who are not going to grow up with their biological parents. So if you can please help donate. You don't have to donate much - but I believe in it... If I could I would foster children - everyone deserves a home and a happy one too.
To donate please click here. The run is Saturday, July 30th and I did get the okay from the sister who is having her wedding reception that day... she was the one who suggested I do it... Thanks May!
The numbers...
Exercise
Ran last night - 5km in 29 minutes... it was awesome. Ran again this morning... 4.57k in 27 minutes or so... all on runkeeper all recorded on my awesome GPS watch... love it.
Food
Well, it's been much better... despite the fact that Mom had bought BBQ duck to snack on as well as made a roast chicken for dinner the other night... Lunch at the Cactus club was a trio of butternut squash ravioli with prawns in a truffle beurre blanc sauce (so yum and that was the small portion) and I had a White Spot Legendary burger. The food overall is healthier but the two lunch options weren't the smartest... I didn't feel the greatest after the burger... but it was oh so good... But it is so much easier to eat well here. Mom made a yummy chicken salad from all the left overs - so good and so light... and I am trying not to snack too much on all the food that is around the house... but it is good...
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saying Goodbye - Part 2
My house is empty... 99 boxes of stuff - clothes, books, furniture, toys... stuff is on route to Bangkok. Hopefully all will get there no problem but it is weird to be in the house without all our things that made it our home... But it is nice to physically see it all gone - another milestone of moving/leaving... Something tangible that says - yup you're on your way out.
Yesterday was also the last brunch for a bunch of us... tons of fun and we weren't too rowdy, but it was nice just to get together one last time with some very awesome people. It's just been one thing after another of getting together but honestly it is a good thing... Or else I'd be just sitting around in my empty house killing time. I would much rather be home in Canada hanging out...
With less than 24 hours of work to go and 36 in the country - the goodbyes are coming fast and furious and it's not a good thing, nor a bad thing, because it is just a let's move on and I'll see you again soon thing.
Yesterday was also the last brunch for a bunch of us... tons of fun and we weren't too rowdy, but it was nice just to get together one last time with some very awesome people. It's just been one thing after another of getting together but honestly it is a good thing... Or else I'd be just sitting around in my empty house killing time. I would much rather be home in Canada hanging out...
With less than 24 hours of work to go and 36 in the country - the goodbyes are coming fast and furious and it's not a good thing, nor a bad thing, because it is just a let's move on and I'll see you again soon thing.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Totally Off Track!
This week is/was my last week in Beijing and it is madness!!! You try and keep a schedule, workout routine, but it just goes out the toilet when you're about to pick up and move country. This is my third time doing it. It's never been easy, but it has never been hard. There is just a lot of stuff that needs to be done... All week I have been wanting to pack for the summer and haven't been able to - it has to be done today because the packers come on Saturday. Then I have to figure out what we are going to need to survive for the next couple days without all our stuff...because EVERYTHING is going to go! Pots, pans, plates, etc... but lucky for us we have friends who are going to feed us... If it weren't for them, it wouldn't be as "easy."
But back to my original thought for this post... Sometimes life happens and you totally get off track... food, wine, exercise... all the things that you are supposed to moderate just gets right off track. I haven't had a good workout since Monday, food has been on (trying to at least have a salad a day and there is a banana on my desk...) and wine... too much wine to "drown" my sorrows of leaving some very good friends and help with the overwhelming feeling of all the tasks that need to be accomplished. But still it is not an excuse to let these things totally make you go off track. That is the whole problem isn't it... that if you really want to look for it there is always an excuse to have that next glass of wine, that egg mcmuffin or not go for that run... and that gets into a bad habit. I do know that this time round, I will find the time to go for a run, I know that this pattern won't last and I know that at the end of the tunnel there is that nice waterfront run where the air is clean (even if the skies are grey) because I'll be back home in Canada... So yes, I have totally gone off track in the past week, but I feel the need to run, exercise and that this is just a temporary setback - I am determined this time to stay on track!
But back to my original thought for this post... Sometimes life happens and you totally get off track... food, wine, exercise... all the things that you are supposed to moderate just gets right off track. I haven't had a good workout since Monday, food has been on (trying to at least have a salad a day and there is a banana on my desk...) and wine... too much wine to "drown" my sorrows of leaving some very good friends and help with the overwhelming feeling of all the tasks that need to be accomplished. But still it is not an excuse to let these things totally make you go off track. That is the whole problem isn't it... that if you really want to look for it there is always an excuse to have that next glass of wine, that egg mcmuffin or not go for that run... and that gets into a bad habit. I do know that this time round, I will find the time to go for a run, I know that this pattern won't last and I know that at the end of the tunnel there is that nice waterfront run where the air is clean (even if the skies are grey) because I'll be back home in Canada... So yes, I have totally gone off track in the past week, but I feel the need to run, exercise and that this is just a temporary setback - I am determined this time to stay on track!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Beginning of the End...
It's June... and for an international teacher with an end date in June it means the beginning of the end... For me, school is out on June 12th and we fly out on the 13th... I can't believe that the end of 6 years in Beijing is coming to an end... A good end, but none the less an end...
It is the beginning of the end...
Last night was probably my last night out with the girls going for dinner on the town. It was a great night... the weather was reasonable, we could sit outside and of course the company was great. We took a picture of the four of us and it reminded me of one of the last outings I had with my 3 friends at the time in Vancouver. Those girls are still friends, our lives just have changed and we have grown... This group of friends are very dear to me and will continue to be. In a way they are very unique because I don't know when we will all be living in the same city let alone the same country again... We'll always have summers at cottages and so on... but it won't be the same as living and working together...
Today was the last time I will ever have to go to IKEA in Beijing... If you don't know, IKEA in Beijing is a unique experience. Murray and I were always the 0.1% that actually enjoyed going on the weekend during the hight of the madness... People everywhere, sleeping in beds, having meals on tables etc. There is a weird fascination with IKEA here in Beijing, and it was the last time we will have to be there... well never say never, but I don't anticipate going there any time soon... But again another thing that we probably won't ever do again...
Like going to a bar in Lido for beer and pizza. This was a cool little place - the Irish Volunteer... Irish pub with Canadian roots... I remember watching all the playoff games on the weekends there when the Canucks were making their run in 2011... very few places serve Moosehead Pale Ale at 10 am in the morning...
So yes it was the beginning of the end... but doesn't mean it throws food and exercise out the window... The weather was crap today, but hopefully it will be nice enough in the morning to go for a run... This week actually is dedicated to Jackie and doing her workout routine... Hopefully I'll find the time to get that done... Food has been crap, but for the times that I can control it I should... like salads at lunch and so on... it is the beginning of the end, and I am trying not to cook too much, but I will need to so that at least my son will have healthy meals all the time...
It is the beginning of the end...
Last night was probably my last night out with the girls going for dinner on the town. It was a great night... the weather was reasonable, we could sit outside and of course the company was great. We took a picture of the four of us and it reminded me of one of the last outings I had with my 3 friends at the time in Vancouver. Those girls are still friends, our lives just have changed and we have grown... This group of friends are very dear to me and will continue to be. In a way they are very unique because I don't know when we will all be living in the same city let alone the same country again... We'll always have summers at cottages and so on... but it won't be the same as living and working together...
Today was the last time I will ever have to go to IKEA in Beijing... If you don't know, IKEA in Beijing is a unique experience. Murray and I were always the 0.1% that actually enjoyed going on the weekend during the hight of the madness... People everywhere, sleeping in beds, having meals on tables etc. There is a weird fascination with IKEA here in Beijing, and it was the last time we will have to be there... well never say never, but I don't anticipate going there any time soon... But again another thing that we probably won't ever do again...
Like going to a bar in Lido for beer and pizza. This was a cool little place - the Irish Volunteer... Irish pub with Canadian roots... I remember watching all the playoff games on the weekends there when the Canucks were making their run in 2011... very few places serve Moosehead Pale Ale at 10 am in the morning...
So yes it was the beginning of the end... but doesn't mean it throws food and exercise out the window... The weather was crap today, but hopefully it will be nice enough in the morning to go for a run... This week actually is dedicated to Jackie and doing her workout routine... Hopefully I'll find the time to get that done... Food has been crap, but for the times that I can control it I should... like salads at lunch and so on... it is the beginning of the end, and I am trying not to cook too much, but I will need to so that at least my son will have healthy meals all the time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)