Oh hi there... Happy New Year~!!!

Hello world!

I know... I said I was going to post 1ce a week... ... and I have not been good at all...

So here is a video for you all :)

I have a new computer that can process videos in better quality without shutting down at 99%.
:(
Sorry old computer... you left me so frustrated and unsatisfied when it came to video processing.

No I did not buy my new computer, it was gifted to me by one of my friends :D
and Yes I will be paying it forward by gifting my old computer (which is only just shy of 3 years old - and working well might I add <- minus the video thing *ARGH!*) to one of my friends who has to trek to work on a day off to use the computers there - that sounds less annoying than I'm sure it actually is in real life.

Just wanted to say that I wish all of you a Happy and Successful New Year!

Day 2 Sugar Free... So Sleepy... ....

How am I doing on Day 2?

ZZzzzzZZZZZzzzz *pause to open eyes and blink* ZZzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzz

repeat ad nauseum

So SLEEPY! All the time!

And I still feel a little queasy - but the queasiness doesn't hit me until the afternoon... and I feel MILES better after I eat.

*sigh*

The Challenge continues

Watch the vlog here!

Sugar free challenge begins!!

So.... I have the memory of a goldfish.

On Day 1 of my challenge... I completely forgot about my "Sugar Free" Diet and ate a Chupa-Chup *creamy* lollipop, and at dinner I ordered a Strawberry Milkshake (delicious!)

Halfway through the milkshake my partner asks me "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be "Sugar Free?""

Ooops.....

So challenge started yesterday November 2, 2013 and will continue onwards until December 14, 2013

Check out my video here for how I'm feeling:

Thank you so much for reading!

What do I wear when I'm not working out?

In case you were wondering what one wears in Canada this time of year?

Showcasing Canadiana with a capital C
Lululemon wear
Fidelity Jeans - the only pair of jeans I own - seriously. **

All products were bought by me  and my hard earned cash.

And trust me, most days... I work HARD for my living

** If your jeans fit you properly you don't need to own a ton - unless you have the capital... and jeans make you THAT happy that it is worth ______x grocery bill...

Measuring amount spent on grocery bill for me always puts things into perspective

"Are these glasses REALLY worth a 2 months worth of groceries for me and my partner?" - "Yes you wear them everyday and need them for life!"

"Is this luxury nail polish  (Butter London I'm looking at you) worth 1/5th of my grocery bill for the week? - No, you wear nail polish next to never"

etc. etc.

:D

November Food Challenge

It's getting chilly up hurrrrr...

I'm changing it up this month and I'm going to work on my diet. ...

I have a sweet tooth, and as much as I hate the word "deny" ...

I KNOW that I have indulged way too much this past year. ... SOOO....


SIX WEEKS SUGAR FREE! ....

Oh my word I am going to be cranky...

I'm planning to not eat refined sugar for the next six weeks

How is this going to work?

Simple.

I already cook most of my food, that will continue. - Obviously no desserts :(

Caffeine? - Work recently extended hours at the coffee shop to 24 hours which will help me get my night shift caffeine fix through English Breakfast tea if I feel the urge

"Natural Sugars"? Blackstrap molasses (haha... like I even know how to cook with it...), Honey (which I DO have and LOVE) are ok. ... I don't typically use Stevia or Agave... or I have to seek it out to come into contact with them, so I probably won't be relying on either for a "fix"

Fruit? Fruit is allowed... If I feel the need for more fruit or more sugary fruit... I'm going to allow that... I just don't see myself eating so much fruit that it rivals that "refined sugar" zing...

...

Fitwaythisway without sugar?... ...

Toronto... be afraid... be VERY afraid...

I will try to blog or vlog regularly during this

Good luck to me!





Added: This is just something I am trying out. Of course, if you are planning a major change to your diet, please consult a Doctor, Nutritionist, Dietitian or otherwise registered healthcare professional

Austin Haul, Shoppers Drug Mart Haul, Tea, and ME!

I refilmed my Austin Haul, because, basically it would never get loaded... and I wanted it to get loaded because... well... there isn't much going on here other than the "life stuff" of work, volunteering, school, friends, family and coco...

Thanks for watching!

25 workouts in 25 days - Reflection

Phew!~ I have completed my challenge!

I still kind of cannot believe that I actually DID it. ... I think at some time in the future I will have to re-do it where I do not have a trip in the middle/end of my challenge :P but I suppose that was just poor planning on my part.

I know I was hurting for a rest day near the end of the challenge... I'm sure you can see the whiny-ness in the video 15 days in HAHA. But I really REALLY wanted one at that point. I am however proud that I did complete it.

I won't say that I always enjoyed taking the 1/2 hour a day to myself. ... Sometimes I just wanted to sleep. Or study, Or shop for groceries, Or play with Coco, Or... Or... But, do I think it was good for me? Yes. It was good for me to sort of build that discipline back into my day.

So the idea of the 21 days was so that I would build it into a habit. ... Will this habit stick? ... I think for most days it will stick. ... I do say MOST to be honest... I found the hardest days to work out were after working a 12 hour day shift at work. So... I probably will not make time to work out after a 12 hour shift... Unless I keep challenging myself - one of which will be coming soon... so stay tuned for that :)

Anyways... that's good enough for now.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stretch Chat 7 is Uploaded!

Hi everyone!

Thanks for stopping by, that's right. It's Monday... which means, new Stretch Chat Upload!

Core and cardio workout was done today.

Next up on the blog ... maybe more personal finance? And a description of the nutrition challenge...

I'm trying to get geared up for it myself...

Stretch Chat 6 is online!

So 21 days has come and gone and no word?! ... Check out what happened on the new stretch chat.

Also. I know... I've been neglecting this blog... But don't worry. New blogposts will start to get uploaded by the end of the month :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Day 15 of my 21 Day Challenge

Argh!

See how I am feeling 15 days into this challenge...

12 days into my 21 Day Challenge

So I'm more than halfway there... and I'm proud to say that I've actually kept up with taking a half hour to myself at some point during the day.

Hells Yes I am proud of my effort.

I will be trying to film a recap of the 21 days after my 21 days are completed and in it I will provide details of how I was able to squeeze my workouts in, as well as how I tried to keep myself balanced and on track.

I'm already looking for a new challenge.

But the last half of the challenge doesn't mean that I can slack... No (unfortunately <- says lazy-me), this is when the "new-ness" and "new-challenge push" wear off and I start to make excuses for myself.

Well... (Hopefully) NOT THIS TIME!

Check out my new Youtube video!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for watching!

6:21 - 6 days into 21 Day Challenge

Stretch Chat 3 is up!

Hope you are all having a great weekend... and staying motivated to continue on in this challenge with me :)

2:21 - Ah! Gaining momentum

Hi guys!

Back to report that even before a night shift and a morning full of groceries and public transit, I was able to squeeze in a workout!

Phew! my arms are tired from Day 1... so for Day 2 ... CORE!

*feel the sweet sweet burn of ab girdle each time I laugh*

... I LOVE ITTTTT...

Hope you guys are doing well... excited to be off Night shift and onto Day 3!

1:21

Day 1 of 21 Days is complete... (completed 23/09/13)

Ugh... I have to stop procrastinating working out until the end of the day...

As such No stretch chat for yesterday. ... I know.... losing motivation already. :P

The way I see it 21 days is an exercise in motivation.

Day 1 was a total body resistance workout. I lasted 26 minutes out of 30 (most of that was trying to figure out how to home-gym these exercises and then giving up (Tip: it is important for me to know how to adapt the workout to my space ahead of time so that I do not just sit like a lazy lump and let the time pass me by)

So ... today is Day 2... RAWR!

21 days

There is a saying out there that if you do something for 21 days in a row... it becomes a new habit... I don't know how much I believe that.

That being said, I am going to try to work out every day for the next 21 days...

Do I think I can?... I will let you know once I try.

So what will constitute a "workout"?

Unfortunately walking Miss Coco will not count.

I mean taking at least a half an hour a day to myself to be active, break a sweat. and feel comfortable and confident in my body :D

So... starting tomorrow... Hi! Ho! Let's Go!

Rest week?

Rest week? yeah right!


As much as I like to go online and find sites that host terrible reality tv so I can sit in front of my computer eating bowls after bowls of cheerios (plain and chocolate mixed with lactose free milk)... I had ended up leaving EVERYTHING that needed to be done up until this past week.

By EVERYTHING I mean dental appointments, doctor appointments, schedule pick, catchup with friends from all over the place, a trip to a medspa ( more on that in a future post promise!) and some interviews for my Coco (she needs socialization... and has some behavioural issues that I can't deal with on my own).

So was there time to sleep? ... Barely. <- I had wanted to blissfully put away 8-10 hours of sleep in each night... so far I am averaging 4-6 ... (on the 4 hr days I have been sneaking in 1-2hr naps during the day).

I LOVE sleep... LOVE IT! My body is one that NEEDS 8 hrs a day for most of the days of the week ... or I am not performing to my best capabilities ... and I become very very irritable... and crabby... and more prone to "hanger" (hungry + angry) than usual. <- bad on all fronts.

So what about my workouts?... oh... they have been nil since Monday when I filmed my video... until today! :D I got in my HIIT workout focusing on core.

... what's up for the rest of today?... a LOT A LOT of laundry... groceries... another trip to the dentist... and hopefully 8 hrs of sleep :D

Extra motivation for the week: Stretch Chat 2 is up!

Hi everyone!

What?! I followed through on a commitment!

Last week I said I would try to get 1 stretch chat up a week... and mission accomplished!

Please thumbs up for Coco!

Thanks for stopping by!

And yes... I know the place is a mess... I started this as my motivation to workout... not to clean haha :P

My Favorite Core Workout - Laughter

Oh accidental exercise... How I love thee.

Last night I was lucky enough to go see the Toronto production of Second City's: We can be heros.

I had a great time. The writing was awesome and I basically laughed straight through the 2 hours. There was some clever use of the stage space and the improv has me giggling even now.

Also a bonus (but not very Fit Way This Way of me) Second city makes great Bloody Caesars. It's got tomato in it somewhere....and some lime... that's practically a salad!

In any case, if you have the time and funds, go check out Second City productions near you.

They don't charge for the accidental exercise *winkyface*

Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuggggggggggg

That's how I feel right now...

Do I REALLY have to work out, get up, start my day?...

Is it REALLY already 3pm in the afternoon?

All answers  to above are YES!!! GET UP! WORK OUT! WALK THE DOG! IT'S ALREADY 3!!!!

ahhhh... the wakeup fuzziness of post night shift. ...

well... I suppose I can start my day by eating :D

 ... :D


... and then maybe a quick hop back into bed ...

Night shift day sleep. Can't have just one.

New Fitness Toy: Lebert Equalizer

I wasn't prepared to make a second video so soon... but look what arrived in the mail?!

My first piece of professional exercise equipement.

*SQUEAL*

My current piece of equipement is 2 weighted rods tied together in a yoga mat with bungee cord so this is a big deal for me :)

Video on Trial... Stretch Chat 1

YAY! ... the long awaited stretch chat is up!

FINALLY!

Geez... Did I procrastinate or WHAT on this :P

Click below to check it out :D

And as always.

Thanks for coming by!

Off the bike... then On the bike... then Off the bike

Do any of you have this problem?

I will work out hard for months or weeks... then decide.

Nope. Not for me. .... and off the well trodden track I go.

Argh! So annoyed at myself...

So I worked out for the first time today... ... in weeks... ...

I feel alright. Going to try again tomorrow night. ... took it easy today because I had to go to work afterwards.

Stretch Chat is coming... ... just figuring out editing and all that stuff. don't worry! I have not forgotten...

Keep on Working on It

Blogger says my last post was 5 days ago.


So Imma gonna let you know what I've been doing.

A whole lot of work over the weekend... But don't worry.

I've still been pushing it workout wise.

Continuing with my daily workouts... which means that I have been working out fairly consistently ... maybe 4-5 times in the past week.

Woot woot.

I know it can be hard to keep on it, but first week is a lot of work trying to see how working on myself fits into my sort of too flexible packed schedule.

How do you figure out when/how much to work out?

Day 3 - Abs... and a world of pain

Day 3 Core workout completed.

Ouch I'm sore eveywhere...

and my favorite maintaining buddy is begging to be taken out for a VERY early AM walk.. and she is being VERy insistent on it.

today... already gearing myself up for a 12 hour shift and what looks to be an intense Cardio work out.

ouch.

Carry On... and on...

Sore Ties

Ouch!

My first workout in 1 month ...

Oh my gosh getting back on the saddle leads to a sore bumbum.

But it's not my bum that's sore so much as my inner ties. ;)

Moving my legs hurt... with each step I wonder if it's the action of pulling them apart with my quads that hurts my inner thighs... or is it the action of using the inner thighs to pull them together ... and each step contains both these actions...

*sigh*

This pain means 2 things.

1. I should work out to warm up my muscles again so I can stretch without hurting myself
2. I should post my Stretch Chat.

Currently in stages of editing.

Stretch Chat coming soon :)

Missing OOTDs

You know what I don't have in my apartment?

A full length mirror...

This means no OOTDs (Outfit of the Day) until I hang one up.

But in the meantime:

I will be trying to post motivational videos as well as workout breakdowns of what I am trying to do

Lets hope I keep up with it. :)

Tree Top Trekking

This past weekend I had the opportunity to got tree-top trekking.

Where I had the chance to walk on tight ropes and obstacles up in Ontario's tree canopy.

A couple of things you should know about me:

I hate that "weightless" feeling. HATE it. I like my feet on the floor. On ground.

So with a lot of apprehension... away I went.

First an orientation about how to work the harness and how to stay safe up in the tree tops.

Then up into the tree canopy.

In spite of my apprehension, and my lack of confidence in just "letting go" for the ziplines...
It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.

I spent a lot of time not looking down as a conscious decision.

The next day... I had some sore lats and sore deltoids.

I would totally do it again... and may look into rock climbing/bouldering in my area.

I guess this time is as good as any...

I have a pretty good history of being in shape.

I was REALLY into dancing as a little girl. Luckily I had a fast metabolism and little bones that helped me stay competitive and the correct proportions to be somewhat successful at ballet.

However, I am approaching my... 30s (eeps!) and while I have kept up with exercise, diet and wellness... I can feel myself slipping.

I'm starting this blog to chronicle regular exercise, and a regular healthy diet in my life.

...

and here we go!