Days 25-38

Whoa! I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post.  New York was AMAZING.  It was everything I had imagined and more.  I can't believe how densely populated that city is and so much to see and do.  We lucked out with the weather and I was able to walk for hours each day going from tourist destination to tourist destination. I was curious how much walking I was doing and so I took the pedometer out with me one day and tracked 24,000 steps which equates to almost 20km! Incredible to think you can walk that much and not see the same thing twice.

While we were there Matt and I managed to get a few workouts in....not as many as we would have liked but you know how it is :)  One of the top things on my list was to run through Central Park and we enjoyed getting lost in the park for 5 miles.  We also visited the NYC Black Box Crossfit gym.  If you can believe it, it's the only Crossfit gym in Manhattan.  They have over 350 members and service over 100 classes per week.  The gym is located on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex. It's old and falling apart. You aren't even allowed to drop your weights because the people below complain! ha.  But we enjoyed working out with the people there and it was great to see what this legendary gym was all about.

Speaking of Crossfit...Matt and I decided to sign up for the Crossfit Games Open. This is an event that is put together to find The Fittest On Earth.  While I know that I am not in that category I thought it would be something fun to try.  The Open is 5 weeks long and there is a workout posted each week that you must complete.  You can either do these workouts at a Crossfit gym OR if you aren't able to get to a gym then you can video tape the workout and post it for submission. It's done this way so that the Open is available to everyone in the world. Matt and I had to opt for the video submission while in NY and it was hilarious trying to find an area where we could film ourselves.  The Week 1 workout was 7 minutes of Burpees. There was a gym at our hotel so we decided that it would be best to do it there.  We didn't expect that there would be a lot of people in the gym (which was 400 sq ft) at 8am on a Sunday but we were wrong.  When we got down there the place was packed and we were very limited to the space we could use to try and set up our camera, timer and area for burpees.  Thankfully there were some wicker hamper baskets in the room that we set up on top of each other so the camera could sit on top of it.  People in the gym were looking at us like what the heck are you two doing?  My budget video is available for you to see right here.  You can see Matt's as well on the right hand side of the screen when you click that link.  I was able to complete 84 burpees in the allotted time. This places me 9770th out of 20,020 women in the world.  The number 1 woman was able to complete 143 burpees! She must be a machine.

Day 24

Using this for motivation.....

Day 23

This is a must try dessert! And one that you don't have to feel guilty about.  It was Matt approved last night.  The base of the dessert was a Sweet Potato and Hazelnut Cake , having a food processor is a bonus because it makes blending these items a lot easier.  I then topped the cake with mixed berries and coconut whipped cream.  Due to my lactose intolerance I have to get creative when a recipe calls for something that includes dairy.  The coconut whipping cream was better than the real thing. All you have to do is put a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight.  When you open up the can you'll have a layer of coconut at the top, you want to scoop that out into a mixing bowl and leave the water at the bottom of the can.  Do not put the water into the mixing bowl. Turn your hand beaters on to high and mix for 3-4 minutes. You can then add some some sugar and/or vanilla to taste and mix again.

Happy Valentines Day!

Days 18-22

22 days in and feeling good! This past weekend was jam packed.  Friday night we went out with friends for dinner and then 10 pin bowling.  I don't know about you but the last time I went bowling was years ago.  My wrist and hands were actually tired by the end of our 4 games.  Saturday morning Matt and I started the day off with a great workout called the Filthy Fifty.  I will list that workout at the end of the post.  We were then treated to a day at the spa thanks to my sister and her boyfriend, Ben.  They purchased us a gift certificate for Christmas and we decided to redeem it this weekend.  Nothing like a 15 minute foot and leg massage while sipping some champagne followed by a 90 minute couples massage.  Matt and I stepped out of there looking like we were still asleep.  We had both never had relaxing massages before only RMT massages so this was a nice treat.  

On Sunday I ran in a 12k Valentines Run along the Portland South Waterfront with about 400 others.  The morning was perfect, no rain and about 7 degrees.  It's funny when you run those races because even though you aren't really racing (it's supposed to be for charity) you tend to pick out a few people that you keep seeing throughout the run and internally you are saying to yourself, "there is no way this person can beat me".  The person that I had picked was this curly haired girl who was running in what looked like hiking boots.  She started off the race ahead of me and about 2 miles in I passed her, only to be passed by her a few miles later, I thought to myself "no way this girl is running faster than me in those clunky shoes", and so I passed her again a few minutes later.  Well she must have realized the race within the race that we were having and she just took off! She literally bolted and ended up kicking my butt. ha.  I swear you can never judge runners by how they look, the minute you do they ended up running right by you.  I was happy with my results though.  That girl pushed me to run faster than I usually do and I ended up averaging an 8 minute mile and finishing 12k in 1 hour 3 minutes.  

I was inspired by my friend Alex to try and make a Nicoise salad last night.  She had made it for us a few weeks ago and it took me back to our trip to France last year where I tried that salad for the first time in Nice.  There is a bit of prep involved with boiling the eggs and potatoes and blanching the green beans but it is all worth it.

Next week is going to be a true test for the diet and exercise regime.  Matt and I are heading to New York for 8 days.  Traveling is always the hardest time to stick to any plan so it will be a new challenge to find healthy options while we are away.  I'm looking forward to a few runs in the famous Central Park.

Here is that Filthy Fifty workout that Matt and I did on Saturday to earn our spa day.....

For time:
50 Box jump, 20 or 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings
50 Walking Lunges, 20lb dumbells or 30lb
50 Mountain Climbers
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 14lb or 20lb ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders or 150 single skips

Day 16 and 17

These past 2 days I have been feeling extra energized.  I had been in a bit of a funk when I found out that a job I had got fell through.  I was really banking on that job to help me find my way in Portland, meet new people and add $$ to the house hold income!  But as they say everything happens for a reason and this time to myself has given me a chance to reflect about what I really want to do.  My true passion in life is training and trying to live the most active lifestyle that I can and I love motivating others to do the same.  The ideal situation would be to mix what I love to do into my career and so I have decided to get certified as a personal trainer.  I will continue to look for a sales position while I am studying but I'm hoping to turn the training thing into a full time gig eventually :)  I have to thank Matt for not only believing in me but helping push me to do it.  What he doesn't know yet is that he'll have to be my guinea pig as I work out the kinks when putting some programs together.  With this new focus I am feeling back on top of things and excited for my new adventure!

I decided to try Kelly's Egg White Muffin recipe yesterday and they turned out absolutely delicious.  If you are looking for the recipe it's under Day 4 comments.  Keep'm coming people.

Days 13 thru 15

Weekends are the toughest time to stay on your diet plan especially when you throw some traveling in there.  I made sure to pack the car with lots of healthy snacks for the trip up to Vancouver.  America isn't exactly well known for their nutrient rich foods and when gas stations are your only option your odds get even worse.  I will take dried mangoes over Blazin Buffalo & Ranch flavored Doritos any day. During the trip I was lucky enough to join a few friends for lunch and that's where I learned of a couple new recipes that I wanted to share here.

First off, Michelle Collens, told me about a cauliflower dish that is both simple and delicious! Tried and tested tonight.  All you have to do is break up the cauliflower into florets, spread them out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle some olive oil and season with salt, pepper and paprika.  Bake at 400 for 25 minutes and voila.

Secondly, Kelly Trerise, shared one of her favourite snacks.  Same idea as the cauliflower but instead you substitute with kale.  Break up the kale into bite size pieces, toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and they turn out crispy like potato chips.  I purchased some kale today to try this snack tomorrow.

These recipes are probably nothing new to most of you but I had never tried them.  I love how simple they are.  If it's easy to remember I will likely make it more often.  Let me know if you enjoy them as much as I do.

Day 11 & 12

Trying to figure out new running routes in a new city can have some trial and error to it.  Luckily my run yesterday was 95% hassle free.  When you live in the suburbs you don't exactly have the most scenic views while working the pavement. It's mostly road, traffic light, more road, another traffic light and let's throw a train stop in there too.  There is nothing worse than having to stop a million times during your run because guess what....you may not start up again!  The feeling of stopping can be too good to pass up sometimes.  Yesterday, however, for the most part my run was wonderful.  I was able to find a 10k loop that only involved 2 traffic lights and one train.  Not bad.

This weekend I get to run at the place I love best.  Stanley Park.  I personally love running this path first thing in the morning, breathing in the fresh sea air and looking out to the mountains.  You will also notice a kind of runners code where every runner that goes by either waves, gives a nod or says "good morning". This positive energy always puts a little extra hop in my step.  So far I haven't found a place that can match the Stanley Park route and I miss living close to it.

Enjoy the Superbowl weekend everybody! Chat with you early next week.

Day 10

For those of you looking for a little refresher on the basics of nutrition....here is a great 20 minute video put on by the team at Innovative Fitness.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkYmFV5adcs&feature=share