Cookie Confessional

...I ate 5 of them yesterday.  In a row.  I don't think I was breathing.  That is all.

Easter is Over...

....so let the diabetic coma commence....Happy Easter Monday, everyone!!  I hope you found yourself surviving after a weekend full of chocolate, sweets, and suppers!  I didn't fare so well, but it wasn't due to Easter.  It was a result of me having to help my sister prepare for a wedding dessert table on Saturday and therefore, I consumed copious amounts of sugary baked goods.  Oh man, did I ever feel sick.  Yesterday wasn't much better, however, as I had an all day photo shoot and the only sustenance we had at the studio was Timbits and coffee...while I refrained from eating ALL of them, I piled them on top of all the other crap I ate the day before.  Interestingly enough, however, I have been craving protein like there is no tomorrow....and green juice.  All I think about is making green juices...perhaps a 3-day detox is in order, hmmmm.

 

One of my pleasures from the weekend was taking Ms. Madi to her ballet class on Saturday morning and it was sooooooo cute!  Seriously, I cried a bit because of the cuteness.

I also had the pleasure of attending my first fashion show with Stephanie on Saturday night and it was quite fun!  Dee-Karpa's designs were beautiful and it was cool because we had seats in the front row!! YAY!  It was nice to get out and it was beautiful enough outside that I didn't even wear tights under my skirt!! Scandalous, I know.

Oh!  I wanted to share the recipe for the most delicious oatmeal cake thing I have ever made/ate.  It was absolutely fantastic and really easy to make!  The hardest part was not eating it all!  You can check out the recipe over at mindbodygreen.com!  Seriously, the yummiest!!

Lastly, for Easter my momma gave me a basil plant and it smells so lovely.  I think I may give urban gardening a go this year.  It's nice to have my own herbs when I want them!  In fact, I used some of the leaves for a delicious chicken, basil, goat cheese pizza for this evening!!

Anyhow, stay tuned over the next few days because I am going to have some features on some lovely ladies that are sharing their knowledge on health and wellness!  Plus I tried out some new activities which you definitely need to hear about!!  Have a great week!! Ps. enjoy the sun and this little picture I found and thought was hilarious:

A Blog Post Full of Small Rants (with a bit of swearing)

Do you ever have those days where you accumulate all of your thoughts and just have a lot of negativity hanging around taking up space?  Well, I do and normally I would write in a journal, but this is essentially my journal.  Here are things that I have been feeling anger/frustration/sadness towards lately.  The purpose of this post is not to make you feel negative or sad, but for me to have a vent session.  Plus there are some positive things at the end!!

Rant #1:  Health Food Stores Vs. Grocery Stores

Does anyone else find it interesting that we have grocery stores and then we have health food stores?  I was thinking about this the other day when I went into Superstore and then in my mind said "Oh! I need to get such and such at the health food store" and realized that those grocery stores and health food stores are 2 different things.  That is also alarming because most people buy ALL of their groceries at the Superstores, Safeways, Costcos, etc. and yes, I know they have an "organic" section and what not, but it really only recently became this way.

Rant #2: The Inability of the Government to Put People Before $$

After watching numerous documentaries I am extremely pissed off with the government and the difficulty that local producers/farmers/bakers have in preparing food for local people and even just their families.  They say it's for the safety of the community, but I am sorry, I find that to be a massive amount of bullshit.  Small local businesses go through a lot more inspection, red tape, and harassment from the provincial and federal government than the franchised, big name corporation restaurants and its horrific.  If they truly had the community's interest at heart, they would not allow so many preservatives, chemical laden "food" items, etc. that come through the corporate restaurants, but instead they are picking on the little guy.  Personally, I would much rather "take my chances" with eating a burger made from local bison meat with local produce on a homemade bun, than I would grabbing a "hamburger" from a fast food chain store.  I just want there to be consistency...meaning if local restaurants/farmers/producers are subject to daily healthy inspections so should EVERY restaurant, including the franchises.Anyhow, I plan to work with local advocacy groups to make the laws easier for local producers....our voices need to be heard.  If you want to know what documentaries I watched, just shoot me an email or check back a few blog posts.

(photo credit: http://www.bayoucityoutdoors.com/clubportal/ClubStatic.cfm?clubID=3&pubmenuoptID=11318)

Rant #3: Haters

I hate how people hate on people for being healthy or achieving a goal.  I understand that a lot of it has to do with a person's insecurity about themselves, but it absolutely angers me.  If a person feels their priority is to get healthy, that's their choice.  You don't know their story, you don't know what they are dealing with, etc.  Stop hating it and let them be pleased with their accomplishments.  And before you complain that "all I ever see is their fitness photos in my news feed...", please take a look at the numerous baby/dog/cat/selfie photos that probably fill your own Facebook wall.  And if your life is fabulous and you don't post excessively on Facebook, you aren't on it enough for people's accomplishments to matter.  The golden rule, if you can't say anything nice about someone...shut the hell up.

I think that is good for now.  I don't want this to be a completely negative post, but those are a few things that really tick me off and I just had to vent.  Now, I shall enjoy some yummy tea now that I have removed these negative thoughts.  On a positive note, tonight I create the best Fa-MEAT-a EVER!!  I roasted the peppers in the oven, plucked some fresh organic cilantro, put some salsa on the wrap and topped 'er off with good ol' ground turkey in cumin.  Yum, yum, yum. 

 Ooh also!  There is another documentary set to come out about the addictive properties of sugar....I cannot wait to watch it (then you can probably expect another rant post :P).  Here's the teaser:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut Coconut Nom Noms

So a week has gone by since the last time I posted so that means 1 of 2 things...I have been very bad, or I have been very busy.  Or perhaps a combination of the 2, haha!  Just kidding, I haven't been too horrid these past few days, in fact I have been watching my food intake with a fun little app on my fun that I was alerted to via my sister's hubby.  It's called My Diet Diary and you simply enter what you are eating throughout the day, your water consumption, your goals and then your exercise for the day and it will let you know the approximate amount of calories you should be consuming to achieve your goals.  And yes, I have said it before, calories are not the end all to be all...but I know enough to know that if I eat up my calories by having a delicious piece of super chocolate cake, then I won't be doing myself any favors by starving at the end of the night.  I take it with a grain of sand and it is just more to keep me accountable :D which is the main thing.

 

In other news, I have been steadily attending my Pilates at a minimum of 3 hours a week at the moment and I am noticing a huge difference in the tightness and flexibility of my muscles which is awesome.  I find that Pilates is incredibly challenging for me because it is way more focused than "gym work" and while I am not saying that weight lifting is horrid (I still do it) but I do it with more precision, control, and focus than I did before, thus making me feel it a lot more and reaping the benefits properly.

My one Pilates workshop is coming to an end next week, but I wanted to fill you in on all the fun stuff that we have been learning about.  In addition to the Pilates workouts, we spend about 15-20 minutes talking about the benefits of different types of foods that help aid in the overall health of our bodies.

 

This week we have been talking about the importance of probiotics in our daily diet and how we can add more into our bodies via natural routes instead of just the pill form and yogurt.  In fact, Heather was so lovely that she decided to bring us some homemade Kefir to try.  It tasted....neat.  For those you that are not sure what Kefir is, it is essentially the brine of fermented Kefir grains and is a super important probiotic (that is easy to make) and helps maintain our gut health and ensure a proper digestive tract.   While the taste of it will probably take some getting used to, I can see the importance of introducing it into my daily life (or at least weekly!).  I have also heard and read a lot about kombucha, but have yet to give that a go.  I have read that its properties are quite amazing as well!  

 

Anyhow, you should check out Heather's Facebook page  for some cool information, guidelines and motivation.  I am kind of sad that our course is coming to an end next week, but perhaps she will start another one!  In the meantime, it has been fun talking with somebody who is as passionate about the exciting world of holistic health practices! 

Lastly, in my efforts to curb my sweet tooth these past few days (thanks, PMS), I made a batch of relatively healthy cookies that are flourless, sugarless, and VERY delicious.  I have included the recipe below here for you!

 

 

Things you can look forward to from me in the future: trying out some new activities (I have 3 currently lined up....2 of which you probably didn't even know existed in Winnipeg ;) ), more delicious recipes, and soon....a BALLET RECITAL!!!  

Not a Baby's Gym

I am off to the Fort Garry for my boudoir marathon, but I cannot help but repost this video I came across on my Facebook feed a few days ago!  So funny!

Re-Motivation

I recognize that I have not been posting as frequently and it is definitely having an impact on how I run my days.  If you are a frequent follower of Facebook, you may have seen my statuses in the last 3 days about my difficulty in getting my ass to the gym.  I still went, mind you, but it was just so difficult to get out of the house and I blame my traveling (and this frigid chill outside) for that.  I know I am not alone in this either.  It is probably at this time, that a lot of you that set your New Years Resolution to get your ass to the gym are starting to waver slightly, making excuses, "forgetting" things, etc.  NOW, is the time that if you dig your heels in and don't listen to those little naggers in your brain, you will become quite successful. 

Whether you are dieting, exercising, both (hopefully!) or attempting something new, I hope you make it over the hump and into the land of habits!  Once you are here everything is beautiful and natural.  There is no room for excuses, because your workout is just as scheduled as your work, preparing your food for the week is a normal course of action, and you get excited about the prospect of creating something new.

The other day I posted a status on Facebook that said:

"I'm sitting here at my desk wearing my workout gear and looking at health on Pinterest....this counts right? just kidding...I'm leaving .....soon"

 Prior to leaving on my vacation, I would not allow myself on the computer until I had come back form the gym because of the time suck that can occur on sites like Pinterest and Facebook.  And while, I try to tell myself I am just getting motivated, it's all a lie.  I simply enjoy exercising my eyes better because it is easier to look at beautiful things.

In other news, I have been wanting to write a post on the stereotypes at the gym because it is quite ridiculous the "types" of people that show up.  Seriously, if you are in need of some character study, head to your nearest workout facility because you will see all types.  

When I proposed this genius idea to my boyfriend he showed me this video from Dude Perfect and it could not have been more spot on.  In fact, yesterday was my leg's day and I had the pleasure of sharing it with The Screamer,  The Mirror Magnet, The Sweaty Guy, and The Hunter Gather-er....it was all the same person.  In addition to all of those (watch the video to see what they are about), he was also the Drop The Weights in an Effort to Show People How Heavy You Are Lifting Guy.  Every rep is followed by a bang loud enough to break your ear drums.  Anyhow, watch this video.  If anything, it may get you excited to venture to the gym to watch for your own local stereotypes!  If you are any of the people in this video....stop it.

Mantra Monday (and getting back into the game!)

Today was my first day back at the gym since getting home from my Kindersley, Regina, Seattle trip and I have to say it was both surprising and delightful!  I still have a bit of a cough, so I kept the cardio to a minimum (shucks, right?) but I did do my biceps and back workout today and it felt good to be moving again!  I've also increased my weights and amount of sets and this shocked me, because I was feeling not so strong since my time away from the gym.  The rest probably did my body good!  I chose this mantra for today because of that....I think a lot of times I want things to hurry up or if I don't see results immediately I feel the urge to do things on my own instead of just "going with the flow."

As for what I ate the last few days I had been doing pretty good up until yesterday.  I helped Cori with the Wedding show, and therefore was surrounded by cakes, cookies, and candies in addition to inconsistent eating.  So that was neat.  After that, we went to my mom's for dinner but didn't get there until about 7:30 and didn't eat until 8:00 at which time we consumed delicious burgers with cheese and bacon and onion rings.  For dessert, there was peach cobbler and frozen yogurt.  Needless to say, I was excited to get to the gym after that kind of eating haha!

(This is me being excited)

Today, however, I consumed a delightful salad, rice cakes with peanut butter and a banana, some hummus and sweet potato chips and lots of water.  I also made this amazing wrap the other day that consisted of eggs, turkey bacon, light mayonnaise, and a toasted whole wheat wrap.  So good.

Just when you think your day is going bad...just remember, you could be Tyson:

And if you are Tyson, well, AWWWWW!  

Happy Monday!!

Oh Man...

...I came across this and thought it was hilarious so I am sharing it with all of you!