Love me some Maki Sushi!

Last night my friend Liz & I went out for my birthday dinner. We decided to go to a new Japanese restaurant.

I've never had Japanese and I thought it would be a good opportunity to cross off #70 off my list: Eating with chopsticks!

For the appetizer we sampled Maki sushi, Nigiri sushi , and Albacore. The main course was Tempura Morawasi. Thankfully, the pieces were bigger - it made it easier to eat with chopsticks!

Enjoyed Japanese food - can't wait to try something else next time! :)

Olympic Torch Relay

I had the amazing opportunity to watch the Olympic Torch as it passed through the City. It was nice to see the community out celebrating! There were some very talented people on the stage! Wish I was able to take better photos.

To read more about the Olympic Torch Relay HERE

Snowy December!

I was speaking to someone who lives in Florida the other day on the phone. We were talking about the weather - I mentioned that it was snowing. Her reply: " I wish I lived where you live". Funny, Canadians complain about the weather being too cold, too hot, too windy, too snowy, to rainy. This year is one of the first years I'm going to take advantange of the snowy weather. Yes, I will learn how to cross country ski - it's on my list.

In the meantime, thought I'd post a photo I took while walking my dog.

Beautiful world we live in!!

Just sayin'

I love wearing clothing that has meaning behind it. When you read the piece of clothing , you almost have to read it twice or say "that is so true". Below is a photo of me wearing one of my favorite shirts - and I love what it says.

Please don't pay attention to my facial expression and focus on the meaning on the shirt ;).

"A smile is a curved line that sets thing straight" - thank you American Eagle.

Reading & RHU

#12 on my list is to get my RHU (Registered Health Underwriter) designation & #13 on my list is to read 30 books - so luckily I get to kill two birds with one stone ;)... although I love reading and will probably read more than 30 books by the time this challenge is over. I just like to cross things off my list.

Below are the 3 books I have to finish. I have 3 tests to complete and the exam is Jan 15th - so I better get at it. Procastination is evil. :)

I'm half way done the RHU Book - I will post when I actually finish the tests/exam!

Quotes

I love quotes - especially when I think they are useful and apply to my life. My boss sends our team quotes on a daily basis. I felt the quote that he sent today really applies to life in general. I also believe we should be asking ourselves this question daily:

Attitudes truly are contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves,

"Is mine worth catching?"

~Mac Anderson

Having the right attitude - possibilities are endless! :)

Oh how I love De-cluttering!

#31 on my list is to clear out my closet and donate clothes I don't wear anymore. I had a rule of thumb - if I didn't wear the piece of clothing in over a year - I put it in the donate pile. I must be honest I do this a couple times a year and don't understand how I accumulate so much stuff.

For those of you looking at the photos - do not judge me from my closet (haha, I really dislike putting clothes away - laundry is okay - but putting the clothes away - ugh). I'm also blaming it on the fact that I have a very small closet!

I decided to post the "during" photos as well - scary!

Before --------------------------- During -------------------------------- After

Clothes I'm donating!

I feel great that this is done! Now, it's to keep it like this. I should have put a timeline on my list -keep closet clean for 1 year! :)

First 9 day cleanse completed!

My first 9 day cleanse is complete. There were a few things that I did forget at times - drinking enough water and taking my accelerator capsule.

Below are my results:

I do have to admit that I had a few unhealthy choices during this 9 day - it is hard sometimes when you are at someone elses house as a guest.

I also didn't worry about the calorie intake. If I was hungry - I ate. I just tried to pick healthy choices like protein on shake days and nuts/snacks on cleanse days.

Things that I noticed:

• shake days I felt really "healthy" , I know this may sound odd for those who have never done a cleanse - but it's exactly how I felt.
• cleanse days I felt kind of cold - but definitely high energy. Definitely more clarity on the 2nd day of cleanse
• taking ionix supreme at night - I slept very soundly
• went to the bathroom regularly (not often - but regularly which is something that I don't normally do)

Things I would do differently next time:

• I would not workout on cleanse days ( i am addicted to crossfit --- i should have taken a break)
• monitor my water intake - this definitely needs to be increased
• I couldn't get the videos working - so I will work on this for my next 9 day cleanse!

October Meal - Pork Chops & Spaghetti Squash

My husband usually does all of the cooking - if I have to cook for myself - I seem to resort to a protein shake. It's not because I don't like to cook - it's because I'm not quite good at it.

#40 on my list is to cook at least 1 meal per month. I am eating "paleo style"- which means you'll find meat (animal) and veges on my plate (usually). This month I cooked Pork Chops & Spaghetti Squash.






Okay, so next time I'll learn how to cook the spaghetti squash a bit better - without the seeds!!!

All in all, it wasn't that bad....November is another month!

Cleansing

I love cleansing! #7 on my list is to do at least ten 9 day cleanse programs. I have started the program today. It's actually 11 days ( 2 pre-cleanse and then the 9 day program) The pre-cleanse days are meant to prepare your body for the program. This is what it should look like:








However, due to my schedule - I am going to be changing this up a little. Below is my plan of action & the instructions

Monday October 19th, 2009 - Pre Cleanse Day


Tuesday October 20th, 2009 - Pre Cleanse Day


Day 1 - Wednesday October 21st, 2009 - Shake Day


Day 2 - Thursday October 22nd, 2009 - Cleanse Day


Day 3 - Friday October 23rd, 2009 - Cleanse Day


Day 4 - Saturday October 24th, 2009 - Shake Day


Day 5 - Sunday October 25th, 2009 - Shake Day


Day 6 - Monday October 26th, 2009 - Shake Day


Day 7 - Tuesday October 27th, 2009 - Cleanse Day


Day 8 - Wednesday October 28th, 2009 - Cleanse Day

Day 9 - Thursday October 29th, 2009 - Shake Day






Above and beyond this - I do take a multi vitamin, probiotics and omega 3 daily !!


And I will be exercising more than 20 minutes per day. Shake Days I will continue to do Crossfit, but on cleanse days - I'll stick to walking. Monday and Wednesday I swim. Of course this doesn't include any additional walks I take with the puppy!!!


Here are my basic measurements:


Stomach : 33 inches (smallest part of my waist)
Belly: 37 1/2 inches (pouch below the belly button)
Thigh: 26 inches
Breast/back: 35 1/2 inches
Hips: 42 1/4 (my weakness for sure!!)


I am doing a video blog as well - when I figure out how to post it online I will add them in.

R & R !

After the hike, we went to Le Nordik Spa located in Chelsea QC, for some R&R and finished with wine & cheese! This allowed me to complete #66 on my list.

It was very relaxing - and surprising enough - staying in the sauna for 15 minutes and dipping in cold water for 10 seconds, we were able to lay out on the patio furniture like it was summer.

Definitely enjoyed the Vitamin D!!! Very excited to go back!

Beautiful Autumn!

Fall seems to be that one season where I always get anxious for. I get excited for the temperature change and love the nice cold crisp air.

It feels like overnight the leaves change colours to different yellows and reds.

Saturday was a perfect day to start on task number #20 - which is to hike 5 trails. The photo on the right is in the Gatineau Park on the Kingsmere Trail.

This will complete 1 out of 5 trails.

Length vs Width

Everyone has things in their lives that they want to do, but haven't had a chance to do for whatever reason.

When I tell people I am doing this 101 list, some people seem to be inspired -while others look at me like I'm insane.

I was sent this quote today which I think sums up my reasoning perfectly:

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."
– Diane Ackerman

Everyone has a different "width" - write your own list and determine yours!

IsaBody Challenge

I am in the process of becoming the healthiest I can be. For the last 2 years I have sporadically used Isagenix products to help me along the way. Every year they hold a 24 week challenge where people from all over participate in a weight loss challenge. I have always wanted to register, but never went for it. The winner is evaluated based on "body transformation" (50%) and on a "written essay" (%50).

Read about it here: http://www.isabodychallenge.com/

Since I am on my way to become as healthy as I can be - why not participate and hopefully win $5000!!! :)

#9 on my list is to register for the Isabody Challenge - which I did this morning. I won't post all the photos (I'll wait until the 24 weeks is up)!

My First 5K Completed!

#5 on my list is segmented in to 3 runs (5K, 10K and half marathon).

I believe the two most important elements to be a successful runner is to breathe properly and the ability to get "in the zone" while running. Saturday October 3rd marked my first timed 5K run and I lacked both essential keys!!

Thinking back to Saturday morning:

* There were about 80 runners behind the running pad - some looking excited and some looking nervous.

* I heard "10,9,8....3,2,1". As I took off - I looked down at my shoe and thought "I should have tied my laces in a double not". Too late now.

* I may have started out too quickly - with all the excitement - trying to keep up with others.

*About .5K in, I was already out of breathe and wasn't sure why because I've been training twice a week and usually was able to run 7K until I felt breathless...

*At 1K my right shoelace came untied , so I quickly tied it in a double not (thinking about the beginning of the race) and kept on running

*At 2K I was offered water - but remembered the last time I ran and drank water at the same time - it wasn't pretty - so I gladly declined and kept on running.

*The turn around was at 2.5K and remember feeling happy that I only had 2.5K to run, but also discouraged because the first 2.5K wasn't my best

*The 3K mark I had a sharp pain in my side (which does happen to me occassionally), that tells me I am not breathing properly - so breathe deeply - in and out praying for it to go away.

*The last 1K was my chance to get back what I lost and I finally became "in the zone" ... nothing could stop me now. I was going to make it through and complete this 5K. If only I was "in the zone" right from the beginning!



Below are my stats - pretty good for my first 5K. When I get the photo from the finish line I will add it in. My goal is to now improve this 5K run! This is my benchmark.