Its 11am and a dull ache in my feet has begun. Its been two whole weeks since I've stood at my desk, responding to e-mails, staring at excel spreadsheets, fielding phone calls, and sorting through the various papers that need homes. I forgot that when I initially got a standing desk, there was a slight adjustment period for my feet. Two weeks of vacation might as well have been a year. The things that happened before I left feel like ages ago. It feels like so much should of happened here in the past two weeks, yet, it appears that nothing did! Catching up is a lot easier then I expected.
So...my vacation. It consisted of 4 days of super stress, 8 days of enchantment/mystery/sensory overload and 2 days of semi-relaxed bliss (or jet-lag, however you want to see it). It was definitely the preferred order of operations. Now that I've had time to decompress, I can look back and see how somehow, someway, we pulled off an intricate dance of serious house projects, large party planning, cleaning, east coast relatives visiting, caterer, tent rental, decorations, appetizer making, friend visits, distant travel, and everything in between. The past 2 weeks rank among the most amazing weeks of my life.
Now its back to the grind. Back to work. No more 2-a-day naps (what? 10 time zones will do that). Back to eating my preferred diet. No more wedding/honeymoon splurges. Yes, in Turkey I ate baklava nearly everyday. I get married and go to Turkey once every...33 years. Back to my gym. No more backyard workouts or workouts in a 20 square foot 90 degree hotel gym with 110% humidity. I'm so happy to be home, thankful for my incredible friends and family, and so happy to get back to my routine. Oh, how I love my routine.
I've been slowly catching up on my blog reading, and looks like the status quo remains. The ones who rock it continue to rock it, and the ones who suck continue to suck. Just like in real life.
And now...picking up where I left off...
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Change of Plans
I'm a planner. I like schedules, knowing what to do, knowing how things are going to be, etc. Yesterday, I was super excited about the idea of doing a track workout at the beautiful school track 3 blocks from my house. I envisioned a workout of 5 rounds- 100m sprint, 20 burpees. It was sure to be a butt kicker, and the weather was an nice overcast 65 degrees or so, perfect for running.
I changed into my workout gear and headed out the door towards the track. As I approached the school, I heard lots of noise. I knew exactly what it was...a soccer game. In the center of the track I wanted to sprint on. Damn. I had to think quick- what to do, what to do...then I remembered 3 blocks the OTHER way is a high school with an equally nice track. I walked that way. When I got close I saw soccer practice going on, way less spectators, but still, I didn't want to draw attention to myself as I performed burpees on their sidelines in my neon pink pants. Right next to the soccer/football/track was a huge empty baseball field. IT had a super nice infield with that fake green/rubber stuff that throws tiny black rubber balls into your shoes. I looked for where I could run sprints, and didn't see anything good, so I had to change things on the fly. I kept the 5 rounds, 20 burpees, then added 20 air squats, and 20sec handstand hold against the fence. So I started the stop watch on my iphone, and began performing burpees on the fake turf. It was kinda bouncy, and way more comfortable then I thought it would be. A few times when I was on the ground portion of my burpee I thought about just taking a nap, but then somehow kept jumping up. The handstand holds were fun because 1) I was outside, 2) I was in a strange non-gym location, and 3) I just like doing handstands. All five rounds took me a little over 18 minutes, not bad for 100 burpees, 100 air squats, and 1:40 of handstand holding.
I can remember a time not that long ago when I would frequent a globo gym, and if all my "planned" machines were taken, I'd be lost. I wouldn't know what to do. I had no back up plan, no creativity, and typically, I'd just wander around trying to look busy, and finally I'd leave. That sucked. It sucked that I couldn't think outside of my comfort zone and find something else to get me sweating. I was paying however much a month for use of the equipment that was supposed to "get me in shape." It's mind blowing that now I can walk out my front door and kick my ass with nothing but myself and some open field.
Here's me, post workout. You can see the fancy turf and my neon pants. Oh, and my face pretty much sums up how I feel about burpees. :)
I changed into my workout gear and headed out the door towards the track. As I approached the school, I heard lots of noise. I knew exactly what it was...a soccer game. In the center of the track I wanted to sprint on. Damn. I had to think quick- what to do, what to do...then I remembered 3 blocks the OTHER way is a high school with an equally nice track. I walked that way. When I got close I saw soccer practice going on, way less spectators, but still, I didn't want to draw attention to myself as I performed burpees on their sidelines in my neon pink pants. Right next to the soccer/football/track was a huge empty baseball field. IT had a super nice infield with that fake green/rubber stuff that throws tiny black rubber balls into your shoes. I looked for where I could run sprints, and didn't see anything good, so I had to change things on the fly. I kept the 5 rounds, 20 burpees, then added 20 air squats, and 20sec handstand hold against the fence. So I started the stop watch on my iphone, and began performing burpees on the fake turf. It was kinda bouncy, and way more comfortable then I thought it would be. A few times when I was on the ground portion of my burpee I thought about just taking a nap, but then somehow kept jumping up. The handstand holds were fun because 1) I was outside, 2) I was in a strange non-gym location, and 3) I just like doing handstands. All five rounds took me a little over 18 minutes, not bad for 100 burpees, 100 air squats, and 1:40 of handstand holding.
I can remember a time not that long ago when I would frequent a globo gym, and if all my "planned" machines were taken, I'd be lost. I wouldn't know what to do. I had no back up plan, no creativity, and typically, I'd just wander around trying to look busy, and finally I'd leave. That sucked. It sucked that I couldn't think outside of my comfort zone and find something else to get me sweating. I was paying however much a month for use of the equipment that was supposed to "get me in shape." It's mind blowing that now I can walk out my front door and kick my ass with nothing but myself and some open field.
Here's me, post workout. You can see the fancy turf and my neon pants. Oh, and my face pretty much sums up how I feel about burpees. :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Dearest Trainwrecks
Dear trainwrecks:
You've been at this weightloss blogging thing for some time now. During the past 3-5 years since you've started your "journey" you've amassed a huge following. You ignore all the tough love comments with actual real helpful tips and knowledge from those who have been there, dismissing them as "haters." Rather you accept the pats on the head and mindless drivel from people that just discovered your blog and haven't had time to figure out that you are a fraud yet. This of course is your preogative. Your blog, you do what you want to do. However, do not think for one second that you are fooling any one with half a brain. Eventually, the ones with the encouragement will grow tired of your wheel spinning and take the path of tough love. After offering advice that will bounce off your rubber skin repeatedly, soon, they will see the truth. You are not ready to lose weight, or lose any more weight as the case may be.
There is nothing wrong with that. Except for when you claim that you are "trying" and "ready" to lose weight. Those are just words. We want actions. Actions are inspirational. The people that are doing it, day in and day out. Eating what works for them, drinking their water, kicking their asses at the gym THAT is inspiration. Inspirational is NOT talking about what you are thinking about doing, whining about how hard it is to eat less calories, detailing workouts that are suitable for a 80 year old woman when you are a 30-40 something individual and "coming clean" about slipping off track.
So, I beg you to ask yourselves a few questions, really ask yourself. If the answers to these questions are mostly "no" please do all of us a favor and get your head right before spewing your drivel under the pretense of "trying."
1) Are you willing to give up all your nutrient lacking favorite foods possibly forever (cake, cookies, etc.) to get to your goals?
2) Have you identified your trigger foods?
3) Have you found a way to sweat/burn calories that you enjoy and look forward to?
4) Do you understand (not just know) that the changes you make must be permenant changes?
5) Are you willing to ditch conventional nutrition advice and find out what works for you as an individual?
6) Have you lost any weight in the past month?
Lastly, I'm going to say a few things that none of you trainwrecks will read. Paraphrased- food can either be the best medicine, or the slowest form of poison. Think about that for a minute. By ingesting items with the sole goal of getting all your nutrients from real, nature made foods, it really takes the drama out of eating right. There are excellent sources of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. that can be combined to form a diet that is satiating, lower in calories and higher in nutrients then the standard american USDA guidelines. Do not waste your time eating things that have no nutrional value, how is that any different then flushing money down the toilet? When you eat stuff that isn't providing you with anything, its like paying money and NOT GETTING ANYTHING. Who does that?
I'll make it even EASIER for you- my 2 cents- if you want roughly 1,200 of the best calories that you can get, try eating this in a day, in no particular order:
2 eggs scrambled with 1 cup of nutrient rich veggies of your choice (broccoli, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, kale, cabbage, etc.)
1/2 an avocado (or equivalent in nuts, coconut oil, etc.)
2 chicken thighs (no skin) (or equivalent 4-6 oz serving- flank steak, pork loin)
2 cups lettuce (mixed greens, romaine, spinach) w/ 2 tbsps. homemade vinaigrette
1 chicken breast (6oz) (or equivalent 6oz serving- fish, ground turkey)
1 cup berries
1 cup of green veggies - broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, etc.
1 medium (6oz) yam (or alternating yam every other this with 1 cup 0% greek yogurt)
That is a lot of food. That every single thing is contributing something. I challenge someone that weights 220 pounds to feel hungry eating this, to feel like they are "missing out." Boring? Maybe. Tasty? It can be. Healthy? Absolutely. So, here's the thing- if you are capable of eating this day in and day out forever, why aren't you? If you are not capable of eating this day in and day out, you need to ask yourself why. I believe the answer will tell you more about yourself than 3 years of blogging about "plans" and "being an inspiration" will ever do.
Peace trainwrecks- I've got some sprints to run, some burpees to do, and maybe some handstand holds against a wall to perform, just for fun.
You've been at this weightloss blogging thing for some time now. During the past 3-5 years since you've started your "journey" you've amassed a huge following. You ignore all the tough love comments with actual real helpful tips and knowledge from those who have been there, dismissing them as "haters." Rather you accept the pats on the head and mindless drivel from people that just discovered your blog and haven't had time to figure out that you are a fraud yet. This of course is your preogative. Your blog, you do what you want to do. However, do not think for one second that you are fooling any one with half a brain. Eventually, the ones with the encouragement will grow tired of your wheel spinning and take the path of tough love. After offering advice that will bounce off your rubber skin repeatedly, soon, they will see the truth. You are not ready to lose weight, or lose any more weight as the case may be.
There is nothing wrong with that. Except for when you claim that you are "trying" and "ready" to lose weight. Those are just words. We want actions. Actions are inspirational. The people that are doing it, day in and day out. Eating what works for them, drinking their water, kicking their asses at the gym THAT is inspiration. Inspirational is NOT talking about what you are thinking about doing, whining about how hard it is to eat less calories, detailing workouts that are suitable for a 80 year old woman when you are a 30-40 something individual and "coming clean" about slipping off track.
So, I beg you to ask yourselves a few questions, really ask yourself. If the answers to these questions are mostly "no" please do all of us a favor and get your head right before spewing your drivel under the pretense of "trying."
1) Are you willing to give up all your nutrient lacking favorite foods possibly forever (cake, cookies, etc.) to get to your goals?
2) Have you identified your trigger foods?
3) Have you found a way to sweat/burn calories that you enjoy and look forward to?
4) Do you understand (not just know) that the changes you make must be permenant changes?
5) Are you willing to ditch conventional nutrition advice and find out what works for you as an individual?
6) Have you lost any weight in the past month?
Lastly, I'm going to say a few things that none of you trainwrecks will read. Paraphrased- food can either be the best medicine, or the slowest form of poison. Think about that for a minute. By ingesting items with the sole goal of getting all your nutrients from real, nature made foods, it really takes the drama out of eating right. There are excellent sources of lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. that can be combined to form a diet that is satiating, lower in calories and higher in nutrients then the standard american USDA guidelines. Do not waste your time eating things that have no nutrional value, how is that any different then flushing money down the toilet? When you eat stuff that isn't providing you with anything, its like paying money and NOT GETTING ANYTHING. Who does that?
I'll make it even EASIER for you- my 2 cents- if you want roughly 1,200 of the best calories that you can get, try eating this in a day, in no particular order:
2 eggs scrambled with 1 cup of nutrient rich veggies of your choice (broccoli, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, kale, cabbage, etc.)
1/2 an avocado (or equivalent in nuts, coconut oil, etc.)
2 chicken thighs (no skin) (or equivalent 4-6 oz serving- flank steak, pork loin)
2 cups lettuce (mixed greens, romaine, spinach) w/ 2 tbsps. homemade vinaigrette
1 chicken breast (6oz) (or equivalent 6oz serving- fish, ground turkey)
1 cup berries
1 cup of green veggies - broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, etc.
1 medium (6oz) yam (or alternating yam every other this with 1 cup 0% greek yogurt)
That is a lot of food. That every single thing is contributing something. I challenge someone that weights 220 pounds to feel hungry eating this, to feel like they are "missing out." Boring? Maybe. Tasty? It can be. Healthy? Absolutely. So, here's the thing- if you are capable of eating this day in and day out forever, why aren't you? If you are not capable of eating this day in and day out, you need to ask yourself why. I believe the answer will tell you more about yourself than 3 years of blogging about "plans" and "being an inspiration" will ever do.
Peace trainwrecks- I've got some sprints to run, some burpees to do, and maybe some handstand holds against a wall to perform, just for fun.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Courthouse Wedding
"Nice shoes" said a well dressed lady as we passed each other on the sidewalk, walking amongst the big buildings in downtown Seattle. I said a quick 'thank you' in passing, and thought to myself how in all the hundreds of times I've walked along the streets of downtown, no stranger has ever complimented my shoes before. It might have had something to do with the fact that I've never had on a pair of Kate Spade's before either.
I was annoyed that the wind was so damn strong and was threatning to ruin my nicely done hair. I was focused on walking in my heels and not twisting an ankle. My lips felt dry, was my lipstick still intact? Only one more block to go, and I'd have an airconditioned lobby to wait in. Manilla envelope in hand, I climbed the steps to the courthouse. As I was walking in, an older black man was walking out. He looked me up and down and then proclaimed "dayum baby, you looook gooood." I smiled.
The lobby was empty, except for a guard seated next to a metal detector/x-ray scanner like at the airport. I asked if this was where the marriage ceremonies were performed, and he looked at me with a skeptical glance and said "yes, but I think you are missing someone." I smiled and said "he's on his way." The guard was missing some front teeth, and reminded me of the mail carrier turned Nazi in The Sound of Music. He then said "I hope so." As I waited for Dave and our witnessess (all in the same car parking) to show up, another bridal group appeared in the lobby. The groom was holding an envelope matching mine. The bride was in a taupe racer-back summery dress with a regular blue bra on...which I knew because with her back to me, her straps were visible. I think that's tacky, but apparently the younger kids these days find showing bra straps as a fashion statement. A woman with crazy hair ruffled past me and said "girl, that dress is amazing, and you are rocking it. Your shoes are fabulous." I laughed a little. Maybe I should wear a white cocktail dress and blue Kate Spades everyday.
I decided to check-in at the courthouse on FB, my first choice of locations that popped up was King County Jail. Who checks themselves in on FB at jail?! Anyway, the courthouse was a few choices down and I selected it, status updated "about to become a Mrs." My phone rang, and it was Dave. "I'm at the courthouse, in the lobby, where are you?" "I'm in the lobby of the courthouse." Annoyed, he says "Well WTF, I'm where you told me to be, and I don't know where you are, lalaljafljSWEARlajdfkljdfjlSWEARljadfjkljaldjSWEAR..." I say, "where are you?" This practically sends him over the edge "I'm on 5th and Cherry, where you told me to be, I don't know what to tell you." "Ok, I'll go outside and look, I can see all 4 corners of 5th and Cherry, and you aren't there." Long pause..."Oh. I'm on 4th and Cherry" click.
Dave and 4 of our friends walk up the steps to the courthouse and we take a few photos. We walk back into the lobby, and the guard looks unamused that I didn't get stood up. We all take turns putting our items on the xr-ay machine and walking through the metal detector. We make our way up to the 10th floor, and on a 75 degree day, at 5pm, in a LEED certified building in Seattle, it was hot as all get out. We waited to be check in. My feet were starting to feel the 2.75" heel.
We get seated in a waiting room, and then the judge asks to see just Dave and I. She asks us a few questions, and I like her instantly. She explains how she typically runs ceremonies, and then asks if there is anything we specifically want, or want to change. I speak up and start to say that there is only one thing I have an issue with, and at that moment, she interrups me and says "there is no 'obey' in your vows." I exhale. Oh, wow, she's a mind reader. She then says she'd like to take us up to the 15th floor, into the room with floor to ceiling windows and sweeping city views. Sounds good to me. We got up there, admired the view, had our quick ceremony that was absolutely perfect- non-religious, to the point, informal, and exactly what I was hoping for. Our friends took some pictures, signed as witnesses, and then we were married.
For our after official courthouse nuptuals, we decided to head to the International District for some real chinese food. I loved the contrast between us being so dressed up and fancy, and then eating at a chinese restaurant. We got many amazing dishes, each person had such varied tastes. In the middle of ordering, our waiter cut us off and said "too much food." And walked away. My husband and the rest of the table were sort of dumbfounded- um, did that really just happen? Well, turns out, our waiter was correct in cutting us off when he did. The amount of food was perfect. Well, perfect in the sense that we all got our fill and there were no leftovers. What if we had wanted leftovers? Kinda funny. That's only happened to me at bars before.
Our big celebration party is in our backyard in a week. We got the boring stuff out of the way, now we can party with 100 of our closest friends and family members.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
I was annoyed that the wind was so damn strong and was threatning to ruin my nicely done hair. I was focused on walking in my heels and not twisting an ankle. My lips felt dry, was my lipstick still intact? Only one more block to go, and I'd have an airconditioned lobby to wait in. Manilla envelope in hand, I climbed the steps to the courthouse. As I was walking in, an older black man was walking out. He looked me up and down and then proclaimed "dayum baby, you looook gooood." I smiled.
The lobby was empty, except for a guard seated next to a metal detector/x-ray scanner like at the airport. I asked if this was where the marriage ceremonies were performed, and he looked at me with a skeptical glance and said "yes, but I think you are missing someone." I smiled and said "he's on his way." The guard was missing some front teeth, and reminded me of the mail carrier turned Nazi in The Sound of Music. He then said "I hope so." As I waited for Dave and our witnessess (all in the same car parking) to show up, another bridal group appeared in the lobby. The groom was holding an envelope matching mine. The bride was in a taupe racer-back summery dress with a regular blue bra on...which I knew because with her back to me, her straps were visible. I think that's tacky, but apparently the younger kids these days find showing bra straps as a fashion statement. A woman with crazy hair ruffled past me and said "girl, that dress is amazing, and you are rocking it. Your shoes are fabulous." I laughed a little. Maybe I should wear a white cocktail dress and blue Kate Spades everyday.
I decided to check-in at the courthouse on FB, my first choice of locations that popped up was King County Jail. Who checks themselves in on FB at jail?! Anyway, the courthouse was a few choices down and I selected it, status updated "about to become a Mrs." My phone rang, and it was Dave. "I'm at the courthouse, in the lobby, where are you?" "I'm in the lobby of the courthouse." Annoyed, he says "Well WTF, I'm where you told me to be, and I don't know where you are, lalaljafljSWEARlajdfkljdfjlSWEARljadfjkljaldjSWEAR..." I say, "where are you?" This practically sends him over the edge "I'm on 5th and Cherry, where you told me to be, I don't know what to tell you." "Ok, I'll go outside and look, I can see all 4 corners of 5th and Cherry, and you aren't there." Long pause..."Oh. I'm on 4th and Cherry" click.
Dave and 4 of our friends walk up the steps to the courthouse and we take a few photos. We walk back into the lobby, and the guard looks unamused that I didn't get stood up. We all take turns putting our items on the xr-ay machine and walking through the metal detector. We make our way up to the 10th floor, and on a 75 degree day, at 5pm, in a LEED certified building in Seattle, it was hot as all get out. We waited to be check in. My feet were starting to feel the 2.75" heel.
We get seated in a waiting room, and then the judge asks to see just Dave and I. She asks us a few questions, and I like her instantly. She explains how she typically runs ceremonies, and then asks if there is anything we specifically want, or want to change. I speak up and start to say that there is only one thing I have an issue with, and at that moment, she interrups me and says "there is no 'obey' in your vows." I exhale. Oh, wow, she's a mind reader. She then says she'd like to take us up to the 15th floor, into the room with floor to ceiling windows and sweeping city views. Sounds good to me. We got up there, admired the view, had our quick ceremony that was absolutely perfect- non-religious, to the point, informal, and exactly what I was hoping for. Our friends took some pictures, signed as witnesses, and then we were married.
For our after official courthouse nuptuals, we decided to head to the International District for some real chinese food. I loved the contrast between us being so dressed up and fancy, and then eating at a chinese restaurant. We got many amazing dishes, each person had such varied tastes. In the middle of ordering, our waiter cut us off and said "too much food." And walked away. My husband and the rest of the table were sort of dumbfounded- um, did that really just happen? Well, turns out, our waiter was correct in cutting us off when he did. The amount of food was perfect. Well, perfect in the sense that we all got our fill and there were no leftovers. What if we had wanted leftovers? Kinda funny. That's only happened to me at bars before.
Our big celebration party is in our backyard in a week. We got the boring stuff out of the way, now we can party with 100 of our closest friends and family members.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
 |
| He's so silly |
 |
| His eyes are closed, but you can see my shoes in this one. |
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