Currents: 27 September 2011

listening: Breathe Carolina "Hell is What you make it"

eating: Bagel with Cream cheese (Complete indulgence item from my supermarket shop on Sunday! YUM!)

drinking: Water (and trying to drink more of it)

wearing: Work clothes - pants, button up top, vest.

feeling: a little tired after my 5.30am wakeup this morning to drive to work.

weather: overcast and blustery.

wanting: to go on a shopping spree for spring/summer clothes!

needing: to buy presents for family birthdays, pay off bills and save, save, save!

thinking: about the above items - budgeting is not fun!

enjoying: spending more time running lately! Finally my ankle is injury (and pain) free!

wondering: about what 2012 may hold and where it may take me.

Q What are you up to at the moment?

Healthy snacks (for work)

 

What do you eat when you're snacking at work, at home or at university? 

Generally if my day is super busy, I tend not to snack at my desk. But if I'm doing lots of writing, planning or research and I'm not moving around much I tend to get the munchies.

In the morning my bowl of muesli or oats tends to keep me full until around 10.30am/11ish. I'll try and drink a peppermint or green tea to tide my hunger over until lunchtime which is around 12.30/1pm.

For snacks before lunch I'll either have a few crackers with hummus, celery & carrot sticks or low fat/low sugar yoghurt.

Around 3pm to sugar fairy strikes, sometimes I'll chop up an apple (pink lady) and eat it with almond or almond/brazil/cashew butter. Lately I've also been reaching for the above 'Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Babies' from Chocolate Covered Katie. They're perfect for a bit of natural sugar in the afternoon!

Oh and of course I indulge a little every now and then, maybe some lollie/chocolate bag from the work fundraising box!!

Q So what do you snack on? An healthy treats you think are awesome?

my first vege garden...

 

 My boyfriend and I have been amazed over the past 7 or so months at our native garden’s rapid growth, stunning floral display and fervor. Our Kangaroo Paw, little gum tree and several other native plants have been growing so well we thought it was about time we set up a little vegie garden. Broccoli was the first to go in. We pretty much eat in every night in something – steamed, roasted, stirfried – yum! Watching these seedlings grow over the past few weeks has been pretty amazing. I can’t wait till we can eat our OWN broccoli.

Oh I also planted a single Kale seedling after the snails got to one poor little broccoli plant. Massaged Kale salad and Kale chips here I come!

16km (9.94miles) - the longest ever!

Last Sunday I blogged about my new gym program and workout plan for the week.

Here's what I aimed to do:

MON: 7.30pm TABATA class 

TUES: Weights (Body)

WED: AM 6am Body Pump Class, PM Run 7.5km

THURS: AM 6am Spin class, PM Weights (Arms & Core)

FRI: AM 6am Body Attack Class

SAT: Weights (Body), Run 5km interval run

SUN: AM 9.30am Body Pump, Long Run 12km

Here's what I completed:

MON: 7.30pm TABATA class 4.99km Run (29.11mins) 5.50/km

TUES: Weights (Body)

WED: AM 6am Body Pump Class, PM Run 7.5km 5.66km (33.32mins) 5.55/km

THURS: AM 6am Spin class, PM Weights (Arms & Core)

FRI: AM 6am Body Attack Class

SAT: Weights (Body), Run 5km interval run

SUN: AM 9.30am Body Pump, Long Run 12km 16km (1.33.17) 5.50/km

I had a great week this week. I felt strong during my weights sessions and felt I mixed cardio and strength sessions evenly. And yesterday my friend Jayne (who's training for her first 1/2 Marathon) and I went for a long 16km run(9.94miles). I'm planning on doing the 10km fun run while she's doing the 1/2 but I thought, why not?

I'd only EVER run 14.38km before, and during that I had breaky before, ate GU Chomps and had several water stops during the run.

Yesterday was a gorgeous 24 degrees, not too hot or cold - just right. We set off (I'd eaten a banana) and we ran 10km in my PB (56mins 12seconds)! But after that I really backed off my pace and Jayne kept having to slow down/run back to me for me to catch up. Around 12-13km my hips WERE KILLING! My legs felt so so heavy, but I pushed through and we made it. I'd run 16km - my longest ever and I felt so proud! :)

It wasn't till I'd got in the car that I realised I had brown hair dye on my neck (I got my hair done the day before!) I looked like I had dirt ALL over my neck! HAHA!

After a massive cordial and two homemade pancakes with banana and maple syrup and some mega stretching I felt better! :)

Q What did you get up to last week?

wishing away time

 +source+

The other day I was reading Elise's blog post on her 2011 'One Little Word' - "Magic". She blogged about how she felt she hadn't really 'focused' on it as such, and had already started planning ahead for her 2012 word... And how she's completely written off the next three month's of the year in one fell swoop.

This year the word I chose was 'opportunity'. At the start of the year I blogged about all my goals, and aspirations of taking up every opportunity given to me. Over the course of the year I have been trying to tick goals off my list, and towards the start of the year I set myself mini monthly goals. Over the last few months I've slipped a little and fallen into the trap of what I seem to do - look forward to something in the future and put my life on hold.

At the moment I'm living in two houses, spending half my week in Melbourne while I'm working and spending the rest of my week (weekends pretty much) in Geelong. I was talking to my boyfriend about this the other day and we both agreed our relationship is stronger than ever right now and better off because we are spending more time together. However we both agreed that we seem to be living in limbo, our lives are in a time warp - just waiting.

I want to stop waiting and start doing. No more excuses. I've still got a few goals to tick of my list before 2011 is over. The main ones I've listed below.

- Run in 10km Fun Run (Coffee Club 10km): October 9, 2001

- Finish my Thailand mini album 

- Go camping

- Paint a new painting for the house

- Donate blood

- Put my USA photos (3 x holidays) into an album (just a normal photo album with notes).

- Scrapbook more

Q What are you goals for the rest of 2011?

R U OK?

Today makes me think of all the times I've spoken to friends, work colleagues and family about 'stuff'. You know, whatever might have been troubling them at the time. Whether that's something little, or something a little more life crippling - sometimes all it takes is someone you care about to ask you "Are you Ok?"

Today I think back to a recent chat I had with a friend. We were out for drinks, a girls night out. I could tell right from the get go she wasn't in the right frame of mind to be out (even though I hadn't seen her for a few weeks).

We ended up talking at the bar about some issues that were troubling her and then she left for the night. I don't know if it made her feel any better, but I know from being on her end of the conversion previously that she just may have.

In the past I've dealt with anxiety and depression and really all it takes sometimes is to talk about what is troubling you with someone.

The hardest part sometimes if finding that reason to say something, to speak up and talk about how you are feeling. More often than not, all it takes is a little questions like "Are you OK?" from a loved one to open up that discussion.

So today, please chat to someone you might think is having a tough time and ask them, "Are you OK?"

Today is R U OK?Day. It’s a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.

We want everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to ask family, friends and colleagues: "Are you OK?".

Italian Pork Ragu with Rag Pasta

For the last three consecutive Sunday's I've made the above dish for dinner. It is SO yummy! It's basically Italian pork&fennel sausages cooked out of their casings (so they turn out like little meatballs) with fresh lasagna sheets torn into strips, tomato sauce, basil and anchovies. It is quite quick and makes 4 meals - enough for Brad and I for dinner and 2 meals for him for work lunches!

Pick up the September issue of Super Food Ideas for the recipe.

Health and Fitness Update

Instagram photo by me.

Over the last few weeks I've been training with a new program. I had a personal trainer write me up a weights and running program. He came back to me with a split program (all body one day and arms/core another). I am to do the body program twice a week and arms/core 1-2 times a week.

Outside of those I add in classes like spin, body pump or attack (i'm yet to, but next week I'm going to a class). I also add in running (mainly outside, I loathe treadmills).

It's been going well, and despite Fenix Fitness (my gym) offering a good variety of classes, their staff are crap! In the three or so month's I've been there, it was only this week that I had one of the personal trainers comment on my squat technique (which luckily was good). 

I've been training with my Garmin 610 (which the boy gave my for my birthday back in May) and I love that I can track my heart rate and calories burnt to see how hard i've worked out. Love it!

As for my running, my initial GOAL this year was to run a 1/2 marathon. But a slight stress fracture in my right ankle put a stop to that in May. I love that with my garmin I can keep track of my km's i'm tracking. And this last month, I increased a little too quickly (from July 22.45km to August 63.84km).

I've got my first fun run since my injury coming up on the 9th October - it's the Coffee Club 10km Fun Run (a part of the Bank of Melbourne Marathon Fun Run). My mate is doing the 1/2 marathon (her first!) and I'm really upset I can't, but I know I'd just be risking injury if I did! And I'll be super excited for her to be running her first official 1/2 marathon fun run!

So I'm focusing on training for the 10km, not running too much or too hard, too fast. Just last Sunday I ran my first 10km since my injury. I ran with my friend Jayne (the one running the 1/2 marathon) and I was surprised that I ran it in 56mins 52seconds (just a few seconds shy of my PB I set at the Barwon Banks 10km in February of 56.44!) WAHOO!

Lately while I've been trying to mix in weights and cardio, I'm finding it hard to get up in the morning to do some of the classes I want to do - I'm just not disciplined enough to get up!

So... I'm writing on here my workout PLAN for next week, so I'm accountable to others.

MON: 7.30pm TABATA class 

TUES: Weights (Body)

WED: AM 6am Body Pump Class, PM Run 7.5km

THURS: AM 6am Spin class, PM Weights (Arms & Core)

FRI: AM 6am Body Attack Class

SAT: Weights (Body), Run 5km interval run

SUN: AM 9.30am Body Pump, Long Run 12km

Qu. What are your workout goals at the moment? What do you find motivates you or keeps you disciplined?

She & He: August

She & He: August

They both visited his family in Darwin for his cousin's 21st and loved the sunshine.

He received some promising and exciting news about his work.

She ran a total of 63.84km (upon reflection, a little too much too quickly after my injury!)

She went out for a girls night out in Geelong and had a great night dancing!

She looked to the stars, and fell...

She had a new gym program written up and started it and a new healthy eating program.

They both went to an awesome house party (complete with a band).

They both celebrated a friend's changing jobs with drinks at Lagerfield and dinner at Lucky Chan.

She continued to run with her good friend, and even got back to her PB 10km pace! :)

She continued to love spin class, but also fell in love with pump! :)

back on the blog train

 ...so it seem's i've taken a little blogging break...

Well I'm back! :)

It wasn't intentional I promise! I've been super busy these past couple of weeks with work, travelling between two houses, going to the gym pretty much every day and catching up with friends. It really doesn't leave much time.

I've got lots to share with you all! 

Is there anything that you love reading about on Shades of Grey - I'd love to know! :) 

xx