May 2, 2011

Step and Flow

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First things first. I just got back from the gym and my bangs are not a total disaster; in fact, I really didn’t notice them at all during my workout. Not only that, but my hair is still just long enough to pull into a tiny pony tail. Double win!

I did the newest Body Step release this morning (somehow, in all of my release week zeal, I totally forgot about Body Step). The only track I don’t like in this release is Track 4. It’s supposed to be a cardio peak but the music (a version of Adam Lambert’s “If I Had You”) just isn’t motivating enough.

My favourite track in this release is the “party” track (yes, that’s what it’s called… Body Step is pretty lame in certain parts but it’s a fun workout if you can get over yourself). There’s a new front and back mambo move and it’s set to a Kesha song. I kind of fell in love with Kesha when I read that she once broke into Prince’s house to slip him a demo tape. How can you not respect that?

After Step, I stayed for Body Flow. I haven’t done Body Flow in ages but I was craving a really nice stretch. The problem is, I sometimes forget that there’s more to Body Flow than just stretching. Like there are parts where you actually have to work; the ab track in this release is particularly challenging. Oh well, I did get a really nice hip flexor stretch.

Plans for the rest of the day – catch up on my TV shows (30 Rock, 90210 and maybe Gossip Girl), write an article about designer watches that I’ve been putting off for the past two weeks (I am a master procrastinator FYI), cook dinner (new recipe tonight!), tutoring and maybe visit my sister.  Oh, and I have to VOTE! How could I forget to add this to my to do list?

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Apr 14, 2011

Hurry up Friday!

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The good news is, it’s Thursday and since I don’t work Fridays, my weekend officially begins tomorrow. The bad news is, it’s Thursday, aka my least favourite day of the week. I have a twelve hour work day to get through before I can start celebrating the weekend. Here are the little things that get me through it:

1. Starting the day off right – I hate rushing, so I always wake up early enough to have a big breakfast, surf the Internet for a bit and even get some reading done before I start getting ready for work. I’m usually the only one awake this early, making it the most relaxing and enjoyable part of my day.

2. Music – I spend at least three hours in traffic on Thursdays; when traffic is slow, I keep myself entertained by channel surfing until I find the cheesiest song from the 80s or 90s – stuff like Ace of Base and Milli Vanilli never fails to put a smile on my face.

3. Food – for lunch, I’m having leftover beef stir fry with rice and vegetables, one of my all time favourite meals (and I remembered to refrigerate it this time! Win!) and for dinner, I’ll be hitting up Extreme Pita. I know they say “eat to live, don’t live to eat,” but eff it, on days like this, good food is a huge pick me up.

4. Planning my weekend - if I have some spare time after lunch, I’ll surf the Internet to see what’s happening in my area, what new movies are out, what restaurants I want to try. Having something to look forward to always makes the day go by faster.

5. Bookstore browsing - I usually have time to kill between my first job and my second job, so after I’ve eaten, I sometimes go to Chapters and browse around. I love books; just being around them makes me happy. And the great thing about Chapters is that it’s so big, nobody cares whether you buy anything or not. You can wander around for as long as you like – heck, you can even grab a book, curl up in a chair and read for a bit – and then leave without feeling any pressure to buy anything (although I usually do).

Because my Thursdays are so busy, I make them my official rest day from the gym. Here’s what I’ve been up to in the gym the rest of the week:

Monday – the plan was to do Body Step followed by Body Flow but by the time I finished my step class, I was pooped and wanted to go home. I told myself I’d go to a later Body Flow class with my sister, but we ended up going for an evening walk instead. I’ve been really bad about doing Body Flow regularly. I know yoga has many benefits (flexibility, balance, relaxation, etc), but it’s my least favourite class at the gym; I just can’t get into it so I always end up choosing another form of exercise instead.

Tuesday – went to my usual Tuesday night RPM class. In terms of my schedule, this is the hardest night for me to get to the gym and I often have to talk myself out of skipping it. I always feel great when I’m done though!

Wednesday – did Body Pump with the same weights as Sunday. Everything was going great until I started to get a migraine in the middle of the lunge track. My migraines are always preceded by an aura of light (migraine sufferers will know what I’m talking about) so I was able to make it to the end of the class before the actual pain set in. Not a pleasant afternoon.

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Mar 30, 2011

Milk Calendar Awesomeness

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Lately, I’ve been cooking a lot of recipes from the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s annual Milk calendars. Recipes from all of their past editions are available online dating as far back as the 1970s. My parents used to cook recipes from these calendars all the time, so it’s cool that I can look up my favourite recipes from my childhood and try to recreate them.

All of the recipes I’ve tried so far have been mouthwateringly good. So good, in fact, that I almost forgive the Dairy Farmers of Canada for bombarding Canadian moviegoers with those obnoxious Get a Load of Milk commercials during the pre-show entertainment.

On Monday night, I cooked this Quick Cashew Curry. Warning: your house, clothing and hair will reek of curry after you cook this. I also felt pretty bad heating up my leftovers at work yesterday, as they stunk up half the office. But it was honestly worth any potential social fall out.  To make:

1. Cut up 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic.

2. Cut 1.5 pounds of pork (or chicken if pork’s not your thing) into cubes.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter on a non-stick pan. Sautee onions and garlic. Add meat and cook for 10 minutes.

4. While the meat is cooking, cut up 2 medium tomatoes and ½ a cup of cashews and start preparing rice according to package directions.  

5. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1.5 teaspoons of curry powder to pan. Pour in 1.5 cups of 2% milk and whisk until smooth. Add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

6. Add tomatoes and cashews. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Serve over a bed of rice and enjoy!

At 577 calories per serving, this meal isn’t exactly diet food (I classify this one as more of a ‘maintenance’ recipe) but you get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck. One serving has 49 grams of protein and is a great source of calcium, selenium, thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

I’ve been writing a lot about food lately and not so much about exercise. I kicked the week off with a Monday morning Body Step class at 8:30. I’m going through a phase where I’m not so into my step class. My gym is pretty much dead at 8:30 in the morning, probably because it’s too late for people who work and too early for people who don’t. There are usually only a handful of people in the class and none of them like loud music, so the instructor keeps the volume really low. It’s kind of a bummer, but it’s the only Body Step class that works with my schedule at the moment.

Last night, I fit in a 50 minute RPM class, despite my hectic schedule. I didn’t work as hard as I did last Tuesday, but I still got my heart rate up and had fun, which is the most important thing.

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