Lovely hike at Meech lake

shot from the back of the laboratory, now in ruins.

 

What a wonderful way to spend a sunny Sunday with my hunny.... We went up to Meech lake and went hiking.  Went to the lake itself, came back and hiked all the way to the Mill.  What an amazing place, so tranquil and wondrous.  Met lots of hikers along the way.  My hunny even said that next time, we should garb up and take pics there... (and most likely get odd looks from other hikers LOL!)  Took my Garmin with me (which I have not used in a long time, shame on me!) and it clocked at 4.2km. 

After the hike, we perused the local boutiques, bought some yummy smelling candles at Doozy Candle Factory ( www.doozycandle.com )and headed to lunch at Café soup`herbe.  Much to my hunny`s dismay, he failed to noticed it was a vegetarian restaurant... he was like: ''there's no meat on the menu... oh wait.... *sigh*''.  He and I both had their yummy salad (soup'herbe).  Expensive, but yummy.  Again, a great way to spend a sunny Sunday.

My right knee and left ankle are a little tender right now, but nothing a hot tub won't cure!  :)  Gotta be in good shape for salsa tomorrow and bellydancing on Wednesday!  I have a few pics to share that I took with my phone, but  it really doesn`t do it justice.  It's a good hike, but so worth it!

falls at the laboratory.  So tranquil...

1-2-3, 5-6-7! It’s Salsa time!

 

 

        Many months have passed yet again and the battle of the bulge continues.  The weight I have lost has started to creep back again.  *sigh*  That’s what happens when you tend not to exercise as much & when classes aren’t running until the fall!

 Although I have not gone running in months (damn plantar fasciitis!), I have been treating it with ice and massaging to get it better for dancing (and visits to my chiropractor for foot adjustments).  I have started up my dancing lessons with my dance partner again and am now learning Salsa.  We both love it and are looking forward to learning more latin dances.  It’s kinda going away from the traditional ballroom dancing that we’ve been learning but this really makes us sweat!  Salsa is so fast and has so many spins… you have no choice but to get warm!  I believe that the next latin dance we will learn is the Bachata.  I can’t wait!!!!  I’ve also registered to bellydancing again.  I found another place nearby and it starts this week (I honestly can’t wait!)   It has been TOO LONG since I’ve moved my hips to the rhythmic beats of an Arabic drum.  Hopefully, my dancing salsa 2x a week (includes practice time with my partner at my place on Sundays), and bellydancing once a week will help me slim down again….

 

This summer’s been so full of great adventures with my hubby.  So many renaissance faires, so many walks in the forest and enjoying nature so many wonderful moments with my hunny.  Awesome summer!

buh buh buh blues....

So a couple of months have gone by without me blogging.  I've been struggling with my emotions (and physical ailments) these past couple of months.  Guilt, sadness, pain, exhaustion, resentment, feeling overwhelmed, etc... to which I will address below. The balance between life and physical fitness was getting to be overwhelming for me and had to take a break with my coach.  Leading up to that decision were many nights of exhaustion and missing my husband.  (This is where some of the guilt lays).  Spending every evening with my husband is and has always been wonderful as we enjoy spending time together (however odd it may seem!) and being away from home 4-5 times a week was getting to be too much for me  (plus with all the travel time in between). 

I've felt extremely guilty for having a "life" of my own (which I know may seem odd for others but not odd for me to say that) and guilty for taking a break from my coach.  The fear of disappointment was very strong for both and didn't help my emotions.

Shortly after taking a break with my coach, I went to the dentist to have some dental work done.  It was a long and excruciating process to which I could not seem to recover from.  I had TMJ.  The constant pain and popping of pain killers every 4 hours were really draining.  By the time I got home, I would eat quickly, rub my mouth pop pain killers and cry.  Thankfully, 2 weeks ago, I went to see my chiropractor (as I figured that ingesting Advil or any other type of pain killer - prescribed or not - every 4 hours every single day for 2 months was not right!) and he adjusted my jaw.  I am now feeling much better and have been Advil free for a week!  The pain has gone to my foot now (the one I had fractured a while back)  - I now have (for the past few weeks) plantar fasciitis.  Good gawd!  I just want to get better!!!!  Seriously! 

The lack of exercising and bad eating habits (carbs and soft mushy foods) has taken a toll on me.  I'd see my weight go up a bit, and I resented myself for it (to which would induce depression and make me want to eat more.  When I did, I'd beat myself up for it.  Viscious cycle!)

I jumped on the scale this morning and was happy to see that those extra pounds that I had gained, are slowly coming off as I can now eat healthier (thanks to my chiro!) and although having pain in my foot, have been walking.  Next week is my run.  It worries me to no end as I just want to be able to please my coach but know that she'll be disappointed in me for not training these past weeks.  I can only do my best. 

I don't want to make this blog post seem like I am making excuses or to be negative but more so explain where my mindset has been.  I may look like a strong person, but at times, am not.  This gorgeous weather has been helping my moods and the almost pain free jaw (not foot) is helping as well.  Now to get 100% better and get back on track and said goodbye to the blues!!! :)

First jog!

My new running watch!  GPS and all!

A month has gone by since my last post... I've been away on a trip and was sick for 2 weeks.  My workouts were non-existent while sick, but still managed to sneak a few workouts in at the hotels we were staying at and walk for hours during our trip.  Also happy to report that I have lost 14lbs so far.  Yay! 

So last night was my first jog outside.  Adorned with my new Garmin 405CX, I went for a 2.3km jog with my coach, doing intervals of 1 minute running, 1 minute walking.  Took us forever to try and figure out this nifty watch I have, but alas, couldn't make it work.... so it was just an expensive watch.  Boo.  Was able to make it work this morning while playing around with it, so it'll be ready for tomorrow's run! 

My hubby and I are now members of Vibraforme.  It's similar to T-Zone vibrations.  This machine causes the muscles to contract at extremely rapid speeds which causes an increase in muscle mass and thus reduce the excess fat in the body.  A 10 minute workout makes you sweat like crazy but burns mega calories.  They say up to 500 calories but counted it as less, just in case.  I was nauseous afterwards but the trainer said that it was because I really pushed myself and overdid it.  We'll see next time (which is on Friday!)  It's not going to replace my workouts, not at all, but is a nice compliment to what I'm already doing.  Hubby's doing this with me too!  So proud of him for wanting to join me!  My convincing phrase? "Dude, it's only 10 minutes" to which the trainer said: "did you just call him dude?"  LOL!  Now to work on his desserts..... ;)

Ottawa run

Well folks, another exciting moment on my journey!  I've just registered for my 2nd 5k event!  This time, I plan on running it!  On May 26th at 5pm, I will be running with my coach at the Ottawa Run!  I will require many months of training but know I can do this.  I've shown last night at my bi-weekly training that I can push myself to the max and dig deep for that inner strength to give even more.  I am so excited, you can't even imagine… Who would have thought that I would like this so much?! This will be my trial 5k for my ultimate goal, the army run!  Ever since I heard of the Army run event last year from friends and my coach, I've wanted to join the masses in this fun activity.  I am looking forward to sweating, pushing myself, and getting that rush when crossing that finishing line!  Let's hope that I beat my last 5k record of 53:11! 

Perseverance

This week has been great week!  I had to forgo dance class this past Monday due to weather conditions but did my first fitness evaluation with my coach and my cousin, who I convinced to join my coach and I on Tuesday.  I pushed myself as much as I could and kept a smile on my face.  I was proud of myself!  Those damn planks got the best of me though, so it's something to attain as a near future goal!  :)

Wednesday was my first stretch class.  Fearing I'd feel the same way as I first did when I went to this establishment, I went with more positive attitude, in hopes to vanquish my fears.  It somewhat helped.  It was a small class, which was great.  I'm unsure if it's my positive attitude that is going to push me to go to the next class or the $150 I paid 2 weeks ago, but I'll see this course to the end.  LOL!  The class was difficult and myfitnesspal doesn't add up burnt calories for this type of stretch workout properly I entered it as Hatha Yoga stretching! (which isn't far from the truth really).  This class was strenuous and hard!... my arms were shaking!  (probably one of the reasons why they've been so sore this week!)  I'm going to keep at it!  Perseverance is key! 

Epic Failure

Two weeks ago, I took a pole dancing class.  In 5 words: it was an epic failure.  Never in my life have I felt the way I did that day.  I felt embarrassed, frustrated and angry with myself.  Embarrassed of my weight, frustrated at my lack of ability to "work the pole" and angry with myself for being such a perfectionist and being so hard on myself.   My weight has never stopped me from doing things like this before but as I stood at the pole in the back of the class, apart from everyone, I couldn't help myself to look at the other beginners that were there that evening.  They were all slim and had no issues with doing the "martini" move (pic above) or any other basic spins on the pole.  I, on the other hand, could not seem to do ANY of them.  I was able to take my feet off the floor ONCE and was thrilled but even though the teacher encouraged me, I knew she was only patronising me.  *sigh*  I felt a lump in my throat and wanted to flee within the first 10 minutes.  Despite my emotions, I stuck it out for the remainder of the class (it was a good workout, however frustrating).  It obviously isn't for me (hubby is relieved!) but I did, however, register for their stretch class.  I figured it would be a great workout to loosen up my hips and help me become more nimble.

New Year, new goals.

Many months have gone by since I've last posted.  The sprained ankle ended up being 2 fractures and an achiles splint, and due to the pain in my ankle, I've slowed down on my exercises and training for my 5k marathon.  It didn't, however, stop me from doing it!  I walked the majority of the time, at a medium to fast pace, but did manage to run the last little bit at the end, making me proud to say (however brief) that I ran!  LOL. 

This year will be amazing, I just know it.  I need to find my skinny self (she's in there, I know it) and get acquainted with her.   This is not a new year's resolution as resolutions tend to be broken, but a promiss to myself to eat better, feel better and to exercise more. 

Dancing has kept me somewhat limber and is a great cardio (especially dancing for almost 2 hours doing the cha cha and the triple swing!) so am hoping that my ankle will feel good while training to run. 

Thanks coach for being there for me and encouraging me for my first marathon.  It may not seem much to folks, but it means a lot to me.

My coach and I!

Onto a great year and to new goals.  Let's make what seems impossible, possible! :)