Feb Review

Ok so I know it's March but I thought I would post my results from the last month! So at least Mel is only kinda talking to herself.

Gym:

I worked out 20/28 days in February. Not too shabby! And one of those days (Saturday) I worked out twice so I'm pretty much tied with Meliss! I started off the month being able to do 4 girly pushups without wanting to die, and last night I did 30 real pushups before quitting. I feel stronger and I definitely think I look different compared to where I started.

Food:
I've tried to be good with this and I think I've really gotten into a routine of being healthy. I hope to be able to keep it up indefinitely - within reason of course.

Weight:
I've stopped weighing myself completely since the scale messes with my head, but my clothes are fitting differently and I feel like I look better. I'm happy overall.

I loved this challenge ladies even if we didn't keep up the intensity, it was a great month for me! Yay us! Love you all!

FYI

I just refreshed the page to see if anyone had written..

Feb 28

So sad..I guess I've been abandoned on this last day of Feb fit challenge!!

Went to the gym & did my own lame version of bootcamp instead of spinning (so I could get home earlier and pack). Got super sweaty but wasn't nearly as angry as real bootcamp makes me. At least I did about 600 skips, some weights, some spinning, some abs, 30 push ups. Much better than nothing but man, do I need more guidance/practice when it comes to an actual plan.

Overall, VERY happy about this month! 21 days of working out, and I ate much better.

Hope you all had a wonderful challenge. Thanks Melissa, I did! What about you? Yes, it was fantastic! What about YOU? I had lots of fun, did you? Well, now that you ask....*soft sob*..

Feb 27

Spinning 9-10am. Then on my own, 10-10:30am: 500 quick skips w/the skipping rope, 50 man push-ups, some ab work.

I've worked out 20/28 days so far, tomorrow will make it 21 if I can suck it up and do spinning again!

Feb 26

I wonder if anyone else will post before the month is over..

Bootcamp cardio kickboxing fundraiser! So much fun, so much pain. Last time I go to the studio unless I sign up. Only time will tell...hopefully I can work out as hard on my own!

Feb 25

Thank GAWD this week is over!!

Last official bootcamp :( Bootcamp circuit survival, it was fine. Not the same teacher so not as challenging. Also was almost caught in a bangcamp with one of the trainers, eeEEee, awwwk-ward.

Tomorrow is the cardio kickboxing fundraiser, really looking forward to it!

Is anyone else here? Is it just me, or is there an echo...echooo...echooooooooo...

Feb 24

Bootcamp back to basic. Amazing, as usual. TONS of skipping (100 double unders in 5 mins, new personal record...not that I've ever tried to do that on my own), squats, kettlebell, more skipping, some abs. Also got the owner to donate an hour of her time this summer - she's going to teach a class to fundraise money for me, so I hope I can get you girls to come (to the class, that is)!

Caught in a pickle, desperately want to join but am not rich...hopefully my vacation will clear my head.

TGIF 4hrs early!!!!!

feb 22

Went for a run today - 7k!

Feb 22

Bootcamp cardio combat. Last one, unless I bite the bullet (how old am I?) and join. Great workout. Tis all I have to say...

feb 20

Did my run I've been training for! And ended up doing better then I tjought. It was minus 23 with the windchill!!! Soooo despite freezing temperatures things were good!! Made me excited for running season again!!

Feb 20

Bootcamp athletic training - finally made it! Not a mindblowing workout, but better than not going. Bootcamp is much more challenging/effective with Adonna, the owner. Oh well, I'm just proud that we went! Helps that I went to bed at about 11:45 last night :)

Tomorrow will probably be another day off. Must run errands. Sorry I don't post recipes or anything more useful, but I'm too lazy!!

Enjoy the sunny day.. :)

Feb 17 & 19

Thursday's bootcamp might have been the hardest class yet! After a whole class of squats, dead lifts, jumping over mini hurdles, 2398502 burpees, abs and of course, skipping, she had us do 100 pushups. I was VERY angry during the class but felt great afterwards.

Yesterday isn't noteworthy, although I got my hair did :)

Tried H-Om yoga studio in Hudson this morning by my lonesome for a class called Abs & Buns bootcamp. The studio participates in Passport to Prana, which I bought again this year. The first class is free for everyone though, so I decided to do that. Good workout but not AMAZING. Don't know if I'd go back, maybe to do yoga or something.

Tomorrow I REALLY want to try to go to bootcamp athletic training. Can't believe this will be my last week :( I'm considering joining for 6 months, although that might be financial suicide. Why can't I be rich???!

Happy Saturday!!

Spinach Salad

Another basic recipe that sounds delish:

spinach strawberry salad
spinach
strawberries
cucumbers
red onions
candied almonds

dressing (makes more than you'll need):
juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Just saw this recipe this morning and it's actually decently healthy - even more if you sub the chocolate chips for raisins! I'm going to make them this weekend I think.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk (any kind will do)
1 cup chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Add oats to a bowl and add 1/2 cup of milk. Let soak for 5-10 minutes, while you prepare the first few steps of the muffins.
• In a large bowl, combine egg and brown sugar and whisk until smooth and caramel in color. Add in vanilla and butter, whisking well. Try to smooth the batter as much as possible – there still may be some small butter chunks. Add flour, oat mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix. Add remaining milk and combine until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
• Line a muffin tin with lines and pour about 1/4 cup batter into each line. Sprinkle the tops with raw turbinado sugar.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with butter!
  

Feb 16

Bootcamp today! I also have worked out 12/16 days, and not easy workouts either. So I'm pretty proud of that.

Bootcamp tomorrow! Have a good sleep everyone.. :)

Feb 16th

Hi girls!

Sorry I've been MIA - I definitely want us to keep updating ! I love hearing what you guys do and it keeps me motivated to get out there and eat healthy.

Gym - I've now worked out for 12/16 days in February. Not bad right? I'm pretty proud of myself. Not sure if I'm seeing results but I feel better and have more energy.

Food - I've been bad with this. To get through my paper I just ate a ton of candy, because it kept me writing as a reward...bad I know, but I'm done now, and trying to step it back up. I'm just so hungry all the time with the gym stuff, I don't know what I should be eating/how much!! Eeek!

Progress - Back to my original weight but I'm hoping it's muscle. I'm really loving bootcamp and will be sad when it is done :( wish I was rich! I may join a gym though, depending on my new job situation...and I'll be running more when the winter eventually stops.

Love you guys!

sunday-tuesday

Sunday- snowshoed for 1.5 hours.
Monday- nada
Tuesday- 5k run..

Progress: back down to 117 which is my forever weight...sooo that's good! This blog issss dying!!! I need jillian and bob screaming at me to get to work!! Have my race on sunday..hoping to get under 30 mins...and for nice weather!

Feb 15/16

I think this blog is dying a slow, painful death..

Yesterday nothing. Walked a bit to meet you girls for dinner, but not enough to count for anything. Food - ate a LOT & it was delicious! Best points I ever lost.

Today was bootcamp cardio combat, kicking Teenie for 50mins is really therapeutic.

In case I don't blog tomorrow, plan is to go to bootcamp again.

PEACE OUUUUTTTT

Feb 13

No bootcamp, Teenie bailed and I was relieved that she did. Went to spinning instead & then leisurely walked on the treadmill whilst watching the last half hour of 4 Brothers in the cardio theatre - me lovey Mark Wahlberg..

Have a good end of the weekend lovebugs!

Feb 11/12

Kalina, where's the soup recipe?! Mama wants!

So last night's bootcamp circuit survival wasn't nearly as bad as previously anticipated. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't really anything new. Glider, heavy balls (mmm), squats, spinning, pushups, weights, this really cool Jacob's ladder thing! Great workout.

This morning I dragged my butt out of bed for hot yoga with Teen at 8am. It wasn't fun to wake up at 6:30, but I'm glad I did. I haven't done yoga in a while but loved it. Moksha is heaven compared to bikram and I can see myself getting into it more! Afterwards we rewarded ourselves w/breakfast - mushroom & swiss omelette, fruit cup & 1/2 of a whole wheat bagel with a cafe au lait :) Delicious!!!

Date w/Jen tonight, so probably a lot of food..but we're trying to be good :)

Tomorrow will be my 7th consecutive day of working out and I'm not dead! Huzzah! Bootcamp athletic training at 9:30am. I'll report back tomorrow.

Have a great Saturday, don't forget to poop! xoxo

Happy friday

Haha Tennie I read "Join post!" instead of "Joint post" and I thought that Post was some new site that I was super excited to join....

I think you owe me a site.

So I'm back a bit... I've cut my calories back more than what was told to eat in order to make my goal but that's because I still haven't made it back to yoga. I sprained my knee a little while ago and yesterday it popped while I was at work... sitting. Henri had to come get me and bring me a cane. Anyways thankfully I was okay when I woke up this morning so I did some stretching and used my resistance bands a bit.

My joints have always been a sore spot for me.. I think you've all heard my knees, wrists, ankles crack at some point in time so I'm going to look into meeting a naturopath - anyone know a good one??

God I sound so lame!! Getting old is not fun - I went from going to the gym at 6 am every morning to hobbling around researching different ways to make recipes healthier. I'm almost finished my anti-inflammatory meds so looking forward to being back on track!

I made a great broccoli soup for dinner for my sister and I the other night.. you have to try it!

Sorry I just saw the time, I have to get ready to go out for soup again.. love soup... so I'll send the recipe later!!

Feb 10/11

Joint post! I'm getting out of the groove of blogging regularly (did I just say groove??) so I'm doubling up here today.

Gym:
Today will be my 3rd day of bootcamp in a row, my muscles are sore but I'm surviving it better than I had thought. Tonight's class is circuit survival sooooo clearly could be hard. I'm glad I'm going to have 6/7 days of activity this week though.

Food:
I've been super hungry lately so I'm eating more, but generally healthy stuff.

Progress:
I've given up on the scale and just going for it at the gym. I'm just going to see how that goes and judge progress by how I look. Can't wait until the summer when we can actually show off all our hard work!

friday

Great day!!!! Yay fridays!!!! I had a ped day today too!


Food: smoothie sandwhich curry pizza slice (thin crust) chips and vino

Workout: yayyy me- went on a run, was forced into a zumba class at work, and went dog walking. Excellent

Progress:
Back down to my normal weight when I woke up today! Hope to cook a lot this weekend so ill have healthy dinners in the freezer so I won't pick at stuff when I walk in. I realize that this challenge is a great idea, however it really has not changed my daily routine. Still good to see what evreryone is up to!!

Feb 10?

I guess I don't get the concept of blogging because I keep blogging about the day before.

Last night was bootcamp back to basic. Great workout, not as fun as some of the previous classes. Actually made it through relatively smoothly and somehow, I feel better than I did yesterday even though I'm now further along my week of death.

Tonight we're supposed to be doing bootcamp circuit survival. Keep us in your thoughts.

Oh, btw, one of the main things I need to work on is how much sleep I get. I've been doing a lot better though, reading in bed pretty early instead of watching tv...I rarely watch tv anymore, which has been a good thing. Then again, Survivor is starting soon. Ah well. It was good while it lasted.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

feb 9

Food: smoothie coffee (then I had a great poop!)
Quinoa salad banana curry couscous

Exercise: dogwalked for 30mins...this dog rivals maggie in badness

Progress: no comment

Recipe: no.

Feb 9

Today = Bootcamp Slide, Glide & Ride. Not as sexy as it sounds. It was pre-tty crazy and I didn't even get to kick Teenie in the face. Lots of gliding/goddamn mountain climbing on the reebok glider, lots of squats, skipping using a freaking heavy rope, lifting weights, throwing a 15lb ball around, stepwork, some spinning. Oh yeah, burpees and pushups as usual. Psycho ab work at the end. Day 3 of my 5-consecutive-day workout is done and I'm still alive...tomorrow's bootcamp isn't looking so good, but I'll do the best I can.

Bootcamp planned for Friday, potential for yoga Sat morning, bootcamp on Sunday. Don't worry, if my body protests then I'll listen attentively! Oh yeah, had a crappy walk to the studio from metro De La Savane, too.

I HAVE NO LEGS

Points - I am alive, that is all that counts.

Feb 8&9

So I guess we are all having bad days, yesterday I TRIED to get to bootcamp but just ended up circling Decarie for an hour trying to get to the studio. Accidents and idiots everywhere! So In the end I just went home. I'm sure I worked off some calories screaming at my GPS but not nearly as much as combat. Hoping tonight will be better when I head to bootcamp again.

Food: I was good yesterday, lots of protein, and a delicious turkey wrap for lunch. I'm sad that I had a boost for dinner instead of real food (since I thought I was doing bootcamp) but still it was a good balance so I'm happy about that.

Recipe: These are made with whole wheat flour, so they are healthier, right?? Anyway we need some cheering up:
Whole Wheat Chocolate Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies

Progress: I'm avoiding the scale officially because it keeps bringing me down. Instead I'm just going to focus on how I feel and how my clothes fit. I'm hoping this will keep me on the right track! Also I'm listening to Florence & The Machines on repeat which is doing good things for my mental health.

Hope you guys are having better days today! Kalina, I'm ordering that book today too so we'll have to compare notes!! Love you guys.

Points: 19?

worst day ever....

So busy at work and so much stress.. :( I printed up the recipe for the tofu and brussel sprouts and whipped that up for dinner after I barely made it home.. I have to climb a mountain of snow - no joke it's huge and I fall at least twice every time I go home.

I ordered a book on chapters today (Valentine's gift shopping for Henri) and this book was suggested to me called 4 hour body- from the same series as '4 hour work week', sounds interesting I'll let you guys know!

No activity points today and my meals were ridiculous... I had a slice of pineapple with a small low fat yogurt for breakfast (fine) then I started my day of hell and didn't eat until dinner and felt like crap... fun!

It makes a HUGE difference to not go grocery shopping over the weekend... I'm giving myself a point for checking in :)

10 - woo hoo.

Feb 8, 2011

Steve is writing this for me as I dictate to him over the phone as I am already in bed.

Food:

Smoothie, Chicken Club, Apple and peanut butter, banana, apple muffin, spaghetti blognese, wine, 2 tea, 1 coffee

Progress:

Fattest i've ever been! Hate myself. Never been heavier than Feb 2011. Not taking the exercise seriously these days and I always have an excuse (mainly steve).

Workout:

Did a lame workout with my soccer team...not gonna count it.

Feb 8

Yesterday - spinning (so good).

Today - bootcamp cardio combat.

That's all I have to say 'bout that! Teen, you need to stop worrying about your weight. You look amazing and are obviously getting more toned, so gaining isn't an issue unless it's a HUGE difference. Also, I find that weight fluctuates so much that if it's a pound or two difference, it's pretty negligeable.

Need to control food more after this weekend! Have a great day :)

Total points - sure.

Food: smoothie, muffin, coffee, apple morrocan couscous, sushi tea chocolate
Progress: lots of guilt happening...I just got in from work now- its 945 at night sooo the gym won't be happening agggaiiin.... I hate how it magazines they say "everyone can sqweeze in 30 mins" because I can't! Most of my work days are between 10 and 14 hours longs...sooo at the end of the day I usually come home, make myself a tea..annnd hate myself for not working out...so I stress eat! Today was chocolate!! Tomorrow is a shorter day 730am-700pm...so I may go at eight! Ooor not.

Gym
No
Recipe: on bbm...no

Total: 21/28

Feb 7th

Hello ladies!

I was soooo tired this morning, but still got up and did well.

Physical Activity
Went to the gym today! Legs and abs, soooo sore. But proud of myself for going!

Food - tracked my stuff today, but I plan on eating a bag of valentines candy later so I'm not giving myself a point.

Check in: I've gained another pound! Honestly guys I'm having a hard time with getting past the scale. I was tempted to skip the gym and just keep dieting..I don't know how to accept that I'll weigh more than I think if I keep building muscle.

Total points...16?

Monday recipe for you

Thought I'd share this recipe with you girls, you may not like the tofu or the brussel sprouts but I like the combination of everything so thought I'd share :) It's from 101cookbooks.com and the picture is really appetizing. And yes.- that brings me to 9 pts.. can't wait to get some activity points ...

Caramelized Tofu Recipe

I used the Wildwood Organics baked savory tofu here, it browned up nicely and held it's shape, and as was mentoned in the comments it is non-GMO. Though any extra-firm tofu will work.

7 - 8 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive or peanut oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
3 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Cook the tofu strips in large hot skillet (or pot) with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.

Serves 2 - 3 as a main, 4 as a side

Happy monday

Is anyone else so tired it hurts?! I could NOT get out of bed this morning.. I'm really not used to going out anymore- so old...

I didn't have a chance to go do my groceries over the weekend so it's completely thrown me off- I had frozen some of my primavera sauce so I brought some for lunch with a low fat yogurt, cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

No physical activity today, my back is much much better so I'm going to start slow with the wednesday am yoga class- no activity points for me until then. This weekend was a total write off... PS the living social deal for today is actually the studio that I go to.. I know it's far for you guys but pretty good deal if you ask me- $20 for a month unlimited!

A point for checking in? I can't remember my total...kgdjknvldjnb. Ok sorry. I'm at a total of - lame.

Haha so tired! that was supposed to say 8.

Feb 6th

Ok I missed yesterday, when I actually did something of value, but here I am again, going to try and get back in the groove tomorrow. Weekends are so much more difficult to stay on track!

I woke up around 10 this morning, obviously missed bootcamp, so no physical activity today. I shoveled my walk, but I doubt that counts. Nice to have a day off though! And I'm happy I made it to yoga yesterday morning.

Today was sort of a write off for me, and will probably just get worse at the superbowl later, but Monday I'm back on the wagon again!

I'm giving myself 1 point for today since I checked in, but that's it.

Total: 14! Woot!

Feb 6, Puppy Bowl

Seriously, I have to look for Puppy Bowl later. I think it's usually Animal Planet? If you can find it, watch it..

This is a post to motivate me for the rest of the month, because I feel like CRAP today! I guess going to bed at 4:15am will do that to you (oh, after puking, btw).

Woke up at 8am to see if I could attempt to go to bootcamp or spinning and it was a BIG no go. Woke up 3hrs later feeling soo groggy. No physical activity today. This bday weekend was amazing so I don't regret it, but it's definitely a setback in my progress! I will resume tomorrow with spinning.

Enjoy your day - and thanks for the amazing celebration, I love you girls!

feb 5

Meals:

Smoothie, steak sandwich, tea, swiss cheese crackers

Tonight...I will eat gnocci and calamari...and two bottles of wine.

Progress:

No real progress going on, however, running has become more of a pleasure than a chore these days.

Exercise:

9km run in 55mins nbd
Lifted Ryan and Taylor above head multiple times, which is the equivalent of bootcamp.

Recipe:

Morning Smoothie of Deliciousness!!!

1 frozen banana
1/2 cup of Activia Yogurt (keeps you regular)
1 teaspoon of crushed flax seed
400ml chocolate soy milk

enjoy!!!!!!


Total points: 19

Feb 5, Still Alive..

Andrea, I initially thought that "smoothie curry bagel steak onions mushrooms tea" was one meal...like you had blended everything into tea form (probably whilst jogging on the spot). Surprisingly, I'm still very hungry.

Don't think I blogged yesterday but whatevs, nothing interesting to report and I'm not really gonna track points anymore. I'll just keep you informed on my physical activity so that it's easier for me to track throughout the month!

This morning I did an afro-caribbean dance class at the gym. Done it before at club west island, it's actually a great workout and lots of fun! Definitely no bootcamp, but I did sweat a LOT and feel good about having forced myself out of bed at 7:15am. It was refreshing to get down to some reggae, soca & hip hop instead of doing athletic drills til I want to shoot myself in the face.

I'm excited to see you all tonight! There will be lots of wine and hopefully decent food. Tomorrow I should be forcing myself out of bed for bootcamp, so uggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Happy Saturday, see you all later! xo

What the f...
I had the woooorst day yesterday and swear on my life I did all four things incllluuding go to the gym after working from 730am-830pm...then went annnnd blogged in bed... I don't see it.. On bbm so I'm not sure if it works....but I diiiddd it!!! Can u believe me??!

Today
Food- smoothie curry bagel steak onions mushrooms tea
Progress...stress eating and feel like a fat cow these day
Recipe.... I cup cous cous, I can tomatoes. Chickpeas parsley raisins oil salt pepper
Gym- no....drove home after work...played with neice and nephew

Mum has no internet..so bbming again!

Does this work??

Feb 4th//Melina's Birfday!!

Guys, I'm tired today. This is not going to be an interesting blog but here it is!

Food:
I did a really good job staying on track today, until I started working on my paper and got so bummed I ate a whole row of double stuffed oreos. Not ideal. No points for me today.

Gym:
Back in the gym again today with Sarah but my muscles are so shot, it's crazy. I made it through the workout but was drained by the end. Proud of myself for going at all though!

Progress:
I gained back another half pound, but I still feel skinnier? Or maybe the right word is more healthy. I'm trying to step back from the scale and look at how my clothes fit/how I feel but it's definitely difficult.

Can't wait to see you ladies tomorrow night!

Points:
Today:3
Total:13? I think.

Feb 3 Part Deuce

Okay! So we JUST made it to bootcamp due to the horrible JGH shuttle and then ridiculous traffic. The class was amazing but BRUTAL. God knows how many squats, burpees, pushups and mins of jump rope we did. I'm really curious to see what the "athletic training" class is, although it's on Sunday morning at 9:30am so who knows if we'll be okay to go to that one...

As for food, I had salmon, a tiny scoop of rice (what, I'm asian) and a large salad for dinner. Then I had a Costco cookie...well, a third of the three different kinds (they're frickin good). I also had a small cookie that my co-worker made me (had that in the pm). Dunno if that deducts a point but whatevs, do what you will!

So far 28 is starting off great exercise wise - but just fyi, my glasses snapped in half on the way to class. Not kidding, there was a lot of profanity involved...anyway, this is turning into a regular blog/email so that's all for now. Thanks for the love today girls, I'm INCREDIBLY lucky to have you in my life :)

Feb 3rd/Mels Birfday

Physical Activity
Went to the gym at work today and did abs and legs with Sarah. Brutal workout actually and I can barely walk up my stairs. I'm happy though since it made up for yesterday!

Food Stuff
I was relatively good today until dinner when I had ribs and mashed potatoes, yum but not in the plan. So I'm not giving myself a point.

Recipe
Found this today and thinking it would be delicious for our next dinner party! Healthy fartichoke dip? Yes please!
http://blackeiffel.blogspot.com/2011/02/spinach-artichoke-dip.html

Progress
My pants were loose today! What??? It was very exciting. No movement on the scale but that's a good sign right? And I actually really enjoyed working out, I was having a rough day and it really made it better. Who knew!

Points
Today - 3
Total - 10

Writing on bbm so it will be short


Food: smoothie
Half a thin Bagel w pb
Tofu curry
Cookies
Sushi
Chip crumbs - it was a horrriiibbbllleee day

Gym- yes it was a miracle I went

Progress- gained a pound? Continually stress eating....bad cycle I'm in these days...

Recipe:
Tofu curry sauce
Two table spoons of curry
One can coconut milk
Ginger grated
Salt
Pepper
Love and time....or a slowcooker with whatever you want

Melissa's Birthday!!! - Feb 3rd

Happy Birthday Melissss!

Physical Activity
Went to the gym and did cardio because tis all i can do! But it felt great! I did 45 mins which i never normally do (too lazy usually to go longer than 30 mins), so that was good.

Food Stuff
Breakfast was the same as yesterday: yogurt with bananas and strawberries and vanilla almond cereal. Had a coffee (mokacchino). Two small chocolate chip cookies. Lunch was pasta with sundried tomatoes and feta, but surprisingly i didn't really eat much of it, which is a good thing because i am slightly obsessed with pasta. And all carbs for that matter. Snack was a fruit cup (fruit in water and NOT syrup might i add) and a granola bar. Dinner was a bowl of cereal.

Recipe
Yeah...

Progress
Neck is still messed up and my knee i think is getting worse...not sure if i should take a few days off to make sure it doesn't get too much worse. Boo :( This weekend is gonna be a little bit of weight gain with all the delicious food and drink going on. Oh well! Happy Birthday ladies!

Points
Today - 3
Total - 6

Hey Shawty, it's my Bday

I won't have much time tonight so I'll do this now (whilst I'm supposed to be working, bwuahahaha)..

Physical Activity
I'm booked for bootcamp back to basic at 6pm, which I already know is a great & intense class. Let's hope I get through it because my hamstrings are still pretty cramped from Tuesday's workout! If I have time I'll elaborate on tonight's class later on.

Food Stuff
Again, I'll try to add/revise tonight. For breakfast, I had strawberry yogurt (with omega 3, how dee-lightful) w/kashi go lean cereal, blueberries & strawberries. Um, also made myself a large french vanilla coffee w/hot chocolate. IT'S MY BDAY! I'm about to pee it all out. For lunch, my co-workers are taking me out for thai (food), where I plan on having a large soup w/noodles, veggies & tofu. Dinner is TBA. Oh, my bosses got me a tiny chocolate mousse in the shape of a heart so I suppose I'll have to have a bite of it, despite my indifference towards mousses (moussi?).

Recipe
In honour of MEEEE and yummy soups, I present to you...MARTHA!
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ideal-asian-chicken-soup?lnc=4ef2dc5bfca40110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD

Progress
My co-worker told me I look skinny "today", don't know what that means but I'll take whatever I can get. I've been feeling pretty good, especially since starting bootcamp. I don't expect a huge change when it's done, but it's nice to challenge my body and brain to do something new. I'm already scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday classes and will hit the gym in between.

Points
Today - 4
Total - 8? (1st day 3, yesterday 1 - makes sense since you guys haven't done your blogging yet today)

AMENDMENT: My co-worker made me chocolate chip cookies!!!! They're famous in our office! The "good" news is that everyone called me out on trying to hide them, so this afternoon I'm going to share them with everyone, so hopefully I will only have a small piece and then they'll be gone!

Ugh...Feb 2 - Jen

I've decided i'm not cut out for this blogging stuff, considering i missed the first day, but i have been forced. Sooo...here goes:

Physical Activity:
Gym
I only did cardio and abs today because my knee is still acting up and so is my neck (how old am i?). So i figured i'd at least increase my heart rate a little! I weighed myself and i'm not exactly where i want to be...still need to gain back my muscle mass that i lost over the holidays, not working out.

Food Stuff:
I was actually kind of proud of myself today!
Breakfast:
Yogurt with bananas, strawberries and vanilla almond cereal
Lunch:
Grilled cheese (no butter on it! I know that sounds odd...don't ask)
Salad with cucumbers, red onions, avocado, goat cheese, chicken with oil and balsamic dressing
Tiny piece of carrot cake
Dinner:
Fried egg on a piece of toast
Banana (potentially dipped in melted Toblerone)

Recipe:
Fail...

Progress:
So far this year i've been really motivated to work out and have been consistent with it. It's also probably because i've seen good results so it makes me want to continue! Sucks that i've had a few set backs over the last little while...now with my old lady injuries. But i'm gonna make sure my body heals before getting back into it too hard so i don't have to go back to physio. I'm gonna need help eating healthier so i think you ladies are going to help me with that! You all seem to eat well! I need to set aside more time to make meals ahead of time so i'm not reaching for last minute unhealthy crap. And researching good recipes is also on my list of things to do more!

Points - 3

Impressed!!!!

Holy impressed with all you girls!!! I've had a cold since I got to Cuba on Sat so its been about 11 days now...been tired and finally semi back to normal today which is a step in the right direction! I just read all your blogs and am excited for all you girls but feel that this isn't ideal for me. I dont want to kid myself i dont think I'll be able to keep up!! I'm going to keep reading your blogs though and watch what I eat and how often I exercise on my own.....you girls will be my motivation by reading these entries!! My entry for yesterday would have been: pretty tiered, ate fruit throughout the day to make up for the crappy food in cuba, did yoga for 40 mins, bottled wine after work, came home, ate chicken breast with pasta for dinner then had sex - was on top so more of a work out?!?! hahaha Im the worst I know but I promise to be extra good this month and will set my own personal goals!

Can I stay part of this blog though to steal recipes and cheer you all on?!?!

Love you all!!!!
Melina xoxoxox

Feb 2nd SNOWMAGEDDON

Physical Activity:
Nothing! I scraped snow off my car? Gym was supposed to happen but work got shut down and I came home, so night off for me. I'm bummed but what can you do? Yoga tomorrow.

Food Stuff:
Good on my calories again - 1311. I didn't want to write my paper so I made some healthy and delicious granola bars using that recipe from yesterday and then I made butternut squash soup for dinner that was way simpler than I thought and pretty good, even though I didn't have a carrot. I'll post the recipe below.

Recipe:
Roasted Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup

Progress:
I am down a half a pound from last week, but still not really going anywhere. I'm saying it's because I'm gaining muscle but not sure if that is true or not. How can you tell?? I'm happy about being active more and hoping I can keep it up all month. Just sad that the second day and I've already skipped the gym!

Points:
Today - 3
Total - 7

Andrea

Meals:
smoothie
2 cookies
bagel
soup
crackers and dip
veggie curry
cofeee

Not that order

Progress--last night i did not sleep, i feel i give myself excuses alllll the time... but its 707 and I just flat out dont feel like going back out to the gym in this snow storm...Ya...i could do 20 mins of stretching and call it yoga,,,but i think for my own motivation, if i dont realllyy sweat, i wont count it


gym- no

recipe-

Not for the most of you again...cilantro salad...i LOVE cilantro... so you take a head of cilantro...two mangos chopped up, Fresh lemon juice to squeeze on top and thtas one of the healties and yummies salads ive found recently!

weight- 120

Keeping track of points

Hi Ladies... day 2 and I'm still posting! :) So.. I was thinking that calculating our winner will be messy at the end if we keep going the way we are so here's what I suggest.. we post and at the end we put our total points- yes?

Here's my day:

Physical activity: 1

I will start again today as a test to see how my back takes it- I have an 'at home' program from Oxygen magazine

Meals: 1

I've already prepared my entire day of food- tonight my dinner is supposed to be pasta with primavera sauce which I made last night. To cut a few extra carbs I will be replacing 1/2 the pasta with spaghetti squash (let's see if Henri notices)..

Recipe: 1

Here is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe... the butter and eggs are replaced by walnuts and you would never know it ; ) http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10870

Progress: 1

Since I started with yoga and power plates and am being more careful with portions I managed to lose 1.5 lbs .. hopefully my back will heal quickly because I need to workout!!

Total pts today: 4

TOTAL overall: 7

Holy Winter!

Hope you all got into work okay!

Today I'm posting a recipe - going to the game, so no workout. As always, not tracking calories but will just watch what I eat.

This just looks yummy and again, I found it in my email recipe folder from two years ago.

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/papaya-berry-yogurt-parfaits?xsc=stf_MSLO-RECIPE

Let's all ditch work and cozy up by a fire!

14 mins left of laptop battery!!!

OK guys I had to post before midnight so here goes:

For meals I bought (thanks to Meliss) Kilo Cardio and I determined the calories that I can intake in order to lose a pound every two weeks.. yes it's slow but I want to do this right!! Spent $150 at Adonis on Sunday.. got run over my little old ladies and sweat like a pig... ($150 cause Henri is doing it too so yeah it's a lot of food- but ALL healthy; )) So I'm sticking to the diet and am taking in less than I should during the week so that I have more freedom on weekends- the lentil soup is AMAZING.. will share the recipe tomorrow!

Also- please add this to your internet browser bookmarks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/ - it's a site that creates and re-creates healthy recipes.. amazing site.

As for a work out I'm still restricted, can even allowed cardio so no news on that end.

Good luck ladies!!!

Ugh Blogging

I think I'm just going to always copy Teenie's format, less work for me. Btw, it took me a few mins to figure out how to post (I wasn't logged in, go figure). Hope I don't lose any points for that..

Physical Activity:
Bootcamp Cardio Combat
FUN! 2nd boot camp class out of a potential 16. It was a great workout - I hate Energie Cardio, but thank god for the Les Mills program because Body Combat helped me get through this boot camp. I think I inserted my hand into a colony of germs in those gloves, but it was SO WORTH IT. My butt, thighs and arms feel the burrrn. Also, Rasputin (on Just Dance 2) will never look the same to me, because we did well over 150 russian kicks..

Food Stuff:
Pass. Screw this point.

Recipe:
Not gonna lie, I've had this recipe in my email "recipe" folder for 1.5 years but haven't tried it. Sounds yummy and a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes. Also, I don't think I can do this everyday. 1 point for today, yyyayy..

Mashed cauliflower

- Take 1 head of cauliflower and chop it up into florets.
- Throw it in a 2-quart stock pot; add in 1 cup of chicken broth and cover.
- Steam the cauliflower on medium heat for 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Add more broth if necessary.
- Pour the cooked cauliflower and broth into a blender; add 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
- Blend to desired consistency: less time for a chunkier texture, more for a creamier one.

Serves 4; 70 calories per serving.

Progress:
Soooo I'm going to be on a beach in 4.5 weeks. Looking & feeling good is CRUCIAL! I will happily hand a lululemon gift card to one of you as long as I'm satisfied with my progress throughout the month. I do have to say that a meal plan would help, but I'm just not feeling motivated enough. For now I will just try to watch what I eat, and hopefully the calorie counting & stricter meal plan will follow (no promises, though). I do love to work out and I think this whole process will be fun for all of us!

Feb 1st // Teenie

Alright ladies so psyched! Here is my update for the day:

Physical Activity:
Bootcamp Cardio Combat
I went to my first class at Studio Adonnics with Mel and Chris, starting my 16 classes this month (eee!) and it was amazing but clearly I am too uncoordinated to do a jump kick. Lots of sweaty boxing gloves and roundhouse kicks, Chuck Norris WISHES HE WERE ME. Orrrr not. I can no longer lift my arms.

Food Stuff:
Stuck to my calorie goal of between 1200 and 1550 cals per day at 1319 cals today, but didn't meet my protein goal again. Anyone know any high protein snack I could be eating other than almonds and peanut butter?? I'm at a loss here.

Recipe:
I found this breakdown of the basic components of how to make a granola bar, just follow the formula with whatever protein/nuts/grains/fruit/etc you want and it should work. I'm excited to try it out because the last few bars I've made have only been mediocre:
http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2011/01/molasses-and-ginger-granola-bars.html

Progress:
I've been working out with Kumi and Sarah at work for the last month with a bit of success but I feel like I'm sliding the other way now. I was down about 4 pounds, and I've gained back 1.5 in the last week or so with my wisdom teeth/house floods etc. So I'm hoping that this will get me back on track and I'm excited to beat you guys!!! YAYYYY SEMI-FRIENDLY COMPETITION!!

FEB FIRST ANDREA
Starting weight...exactly 120...

Breakfast: Banana soy smoothie with flax
Lunch: Quinoa salad, half bagle and cream cheese, two cookies
Snack: carrot soup
Dinner: lean turket burger, chips and beer on the side

GYM: 5km run on tredmill with hills in 28.31 seconds...NO BIG DEAL!!!
(I have a race on Feb 20th...hoping to be under 28...but will be bundled up so who knows...)

progress: None...but im hoping this challenge helps me get motivated with my running...after the marathon I ran a total of 8 km...in about four months! haha..jjuuusttt so sick of it...But started again in January...and now I want to get faster. Teen and I have a leisure run (celebrating beers) on st. pattys day,,,and I want to be under 27 minutes for that one!

Recipe: I dont think you guysloved it...but im on the quinoa train as its the healthies food you can make!


This is one of my FAVOURITE recipes of all time! and its wildly healthy!!!


*The directions look complicated...but I just put everything in a big bowl...no order, and then put the dressing on top. SUPPPERRR EASY!


Ingredients
2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c fresh chopped cilantro
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
fresh lemon juice, to prevent avocado from browning
salt and pepper
juice of 4 limes
zest of 1 lime


dressing
1/4c EVOO
1/4 c whie vinegar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper

Add Cooking Step
Directions
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Cover and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add beans tomatoes, and cilantro. Toss to combine.

3. Dice avocado, drizzle with lemon juice, and set aside in fridge.

4. Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until garlic is blended and dressing appears creamy. Set aside in fridge.

5. Fluff quinoa with a fork and add bean mixture. Season with salt and pepper and add lime juice and zest. Toss to combine. Serve in bowls, topped with avocado and drizzled with dressing, dividing evenly.

Wow

I can't believe I actually figured out how this works! Yay for us all.

FEB CHALLENGE?! Not sure if this works!