Good afternoon Beautiful,
Guess what? My workouts have been sucking. Well... actually, they can’t “suck” because they are non-existent so far this week. Yep. Juuuuust great. I haven’t broken a sweat since Friday. I thought I might as well just admit to that now and not hold it inside any longer. However, I had full intentions of working out both yesterday and today, however sometimes, as it turns out, you have to do the job you’re getting paid to do instead of working out.
Our system at work has been extremely wonky, I use the word “down” because I couldn’t do friggen anything on it for the past two days. Which means I have/had two days of work that I couldn’t do just hanging out in my inbox and on my computer. However, today about half way through the day it was back up and running and I got ALL CAUGHT UP because I didn’t take a break. Work has been absolutely insane lately, and in an attempt to work on my work/life balance in 2013, I haven’t been working after hours. This is probably not great news for Mr. Employer, however it’s just something I needed to do for myself. So that means I need to get all of my work done in the actual work day, which sometimes means I can’t workout. Le sigh... I think you get it.
I need to actually get a few runs in this week because on Saturday Michelle and I are running our first race of #13in2013. I also really hope that the weather gets nicer. It was a snowy and very slow drive to work today. We’ve driven to work in 13 minutes before and today it took us an hour. There was no accident, just people driving 20km/hour the entire way to work, on the major highway. People in the city don’t know how to drive in the snow. Sorry city people - even though half-ditching my car once has now scarred me for life and I now hate driving in the snow, I know HOW to drive in the snow... Carlton is from Ottawa so he for sure knows how to drive in the snow. Maybe the reason I’m so nervous is because the car is his baby (we have a 2012 Acura TL) and I would cry if I ever did anything to it. Been there - not going there again... AND there is no need for that story. It just brings up bad memories.
ANYWAYS - thank god the race is only 5km long so even if it is freezing, I will just double up on the socks, the layers and then get back to Michelle’s and have some wine to warm up my insides. I can’t wait - I’m so excited!!
Because I haven’t worked out I don’t have much to update you on! I’m going for a more “knowledgable” type post tonight because of it! Lately (this week) I’ve been uncontrollably hungry. Like... I eat, I have a snack, I eat, I have a snack, my stomach is grumbling and I feel completely empty inside. Empty like I haven’t ate anything all damn day. I know that this happens to me when I’m going through PMS (sorry guys - maybe skip this paragraph?)... which got me thinking - what the heck is my body doing right now that’s STARVING me???
Turns out PMS hunger is more common than I had anticipated. I can’t find much about WHY we get so hungry (I assume because our lady bodies are “preparing” for the M in PMS, it raises it’s metabolism... I think I heard this somewhere before but I don’t know if it’s true - leave me a comment and tell me what you think?), however there are A LOT of message boards about women who feel like their in starvation during PMS too. I will have to do more research on this... however if you have any advice on how to kick the stomach grumbling that would be much appreciated. My weight and my wallet can’t handle much more of me eating everything I see.
This morning when I was getting my food ready, I decided to be a photographer and snap some photos of my delicious, dairy-free, gluten-free, deliciously fresh yogurt parfait.
Then I realized I should share more photos of my food, because I’m a geek and because I think food can be beautiful! Check it out :)....
... See! Food can be pretty :). Fresh veggies and fresh, ripe strawberries - wicked awesome! Today I realized, while I was eating my parfait, that I really enjoy the pecans that I put on my parfait. They’re crushed and I originally bought them for part of a Christmas gift, however they weren’t all used so I’m trying to use them up... turns out I enjoy them! And now is the time where I share all the fun/amazing health benefits of pecans.....! I found all of these benefits on ilovepecans.org. Yes, there is an organization dedicated to pecans. I’m not judging..
- Eating a handful of pecans each day can help protect our nervous system. They may help in delaying the progression of age-related motor neuron degeneration (like ALS). The vitamin E (antioxidants) found in pecans is the key element in neurological protection since they help protect good cells, and help get rid of bad cells.
- The same antioxidants in pecans also help in protection of the heart, and help promote a healthy heart and disease prevention. Pecans contain different kinds of vitamin E which are known as tocopherols, plus multiple phenolic substances and many of them have antioxidant abilities. A study they researched found that adding a handful of pecans to your diet each day may help inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipids which helps to prevent coronary heart disease - SCORE!
- Pecans contain plant sterols which are known for their cholesterol-lowering abilities.
- Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins and zinc. 1oz of pecans provides 10% of the recommended Daily Value of fiber! They are a high-quality source of protein that contain very few carbohydrates and no cholesterol. They are also naturally sodium-free making them a great choice for people with high blood pressure or people on a low-sodium diet.
So BOOM - why aren’t you eating pecans right now?
And one last piece of fun news is I finished my first blog designing project today!! Check it..
Head on over to http://fitgirlsrock.blogspot.ca to check out my full design! I had so much fun helping Melissa redesign her blog and I’m so glad she’s so happy with the final (sparkly) product! I’ll be starting another one tomorrow as well.... I’m slowly growing my portfolio! If you want a blog re-design or just a fresh look, check out my “designs” tab and shoot me an email if you’re interested! I’d love to help you out :).
