Ahhhh Nostalgia!!!

I was talking with my sister today and remembering those nights as a child when the adults would go out for a night on the town. Sometimes it was just mom and dad and the sitter would come to our house. Sometimes it would be with my aunts and uncles. They would pile us in the car and all the cousins would be at one house with one sitter. But the ritual was always the same...

Mom would float down the stairs he permed hair perfectly placed and sprayed, black nylons slipped into her shamefully neglected pumps, the scent of her perfume, a scent that alerted you to the occasion of the evening and her face, perfectly powdered and lips stained the perfect shade of red. Bracelets, earring and neck charms of gold. Long black coats and pocketbooks too small to really hold anything.

These are the things I remember from when I was young. These are the things that made me anxious to be an adult.

Do you remember those nights as a child. How going out for the night was a production. People don't do that anymore do they? Do you?

The other side of cranky

I needed to write about this in hopes that I can enlighten some people as I have been today.

I work in an office building and in that building there are cleaning and maintenance staff.

When I moved to this building I meet the cleaning lady. Our first introduction was not that great. She barged into my cubicle and started moving things and dusting the surfaces over my head stirring up dust which inevitably would end up in my open coffee cup (Strike 1).

I sat there dumbfounded, unable to order this rude and crazy person out of my personal space. She then proceeded to tell me the "rules" of the garbage pick up. She does not handle recycling other than paper and if she finds any pop cans, paper coffee cups or water bottles, they will be put on my desk as a reminder that it is my responsibility to dispose of them.

Ok...fine! I get that we have a recycling centre in our staff kitchen, and I am totally fine with handling my own recycling but do you have to be so rude about it? It's my first day here in the office and I haven't even "broken" the rules yet (Strike 2)

Later that day, I had to go speak to a colleague and when I turned down the hall to go to his cubicle, there she was with her huge cleaning cart completely blocking the way. I stood there for a moment trying to decide how to handle this. Do I gently move the cart so I can pass (what?? and risk poking the beast?!?!?), do I say excuse me and ask her to move the cart (what??? and have her rip my head off for disrupting her cleaning process??). I stood there and waited. She saw me standing there and made no accommodation to let me pass. BITCH! (Strike 3)

These same incidences continued weekly, sometimes daily, over the past year. I tried killing her with kindness, saying good morning every morning, asking how her weekend was. Saying hello when I passed by, trying to make small talk and ALWAYS saying thank you when she came in to clean my cubicle.

None of this helped. I had surrendered to the fact that she is a cranky old lady whose misery was impenetrable. She was content to be mad at the world and just no longer worth my effort.

About a month ago, I noticed her skin was very yellow. You know, like a jaundice baby...but worse. It almost looked like she had rubbed iodine all over her skin. As the days and weeks wore on, she seemed to be getting worse. She'd miss a day here or there, she'd be moving extra slow and I often saw her sitting in the common areas, I assume, trying to catch her breath.

I came in this morning and the man at the front desk told me that she had been admitted to hospital finally. He listed a myriad of things that the women is dealing with health wise. I asked why it took until now for her to be admitted.

Turns out she has had tests done, and no one has been able to tell her anything. She is paid hourly and the thought of being hospitalized freaked her out so much she refused to go to the Hospital. She doesn't get paid if she's not here and she fears losing her job if she misses too much work.

Well now she has been hospitalized and no one knows what's going to happen.

I learned a valuable lesson here. I am always trying not to judge people and give them the benefit of the doubt. But I gave up on this woman because I didn't receive anything back from her. (Shame on me).

You never know what is happening to someone in their life outside of the context in which you know them. Their seemingly negative outlook more than likely has a root.

Be kind to your fellow humans. Even if they don't acknowledge or reciprocate your kindness, it may very well be your kindness that lifts them, even just a little.

Just a quick update

So life has been a little crazy lately and I haven't had the time to blog, so here is a brief update before I head out for my day.

I'm still following the eat clean diet and loving how it makes me feel. I had a bit of a slip up last week but jumped right back up and kept on going.

I have found a couple really great new recipes that I've been enjoying lately and I will try to post some pics and recipe's this weekend.

I have to say I love the clean way of eating. I feel so great all the time and whenever I do slip I am immediately reminded how much better clean eating really is for me.

This is my third week of eating clean (minus the slips) and I feel ready now to tackle the gym. Tonight will be my first night and will be a cardio session. I really do miss the bike and I can't wait to get spinning!!!

Not broken, just a little damage

My foot has been a little uncomfortable for the past couple weeks. Nothing too bad and it hasn't hindered me in anyway...until yesterday...

I was walking (just walking) through the office when I heard a CRACK followed by some excrutiating pain!! It was after hours so thankfully no one was around to witness my spazzie body jerk in response to the pain.

So, I took that as a cue that it was time to go home. The pain continued to worsen as the night went on and this morning I could barely put any weight on it at all.

My wifey (best friend) finally convinced me to let her pick me up and take me to the Dr.

Well it's not broken but there is tendon and internal deep tissue damage (???)

I have not done anything to bring this on and have no idea why I am now hobbling around my house and moaning like a cat in heat evertime I try to walk to the washroom or get somethig to eat from the kitchen, but I am.

The pain is constant and unrelenting but sitting here unable to move I started thinking about things (as I always do when I'm alone) and eventually my thoughts came around to my weightloss journey.

I was thinking how the old me would have used this as an excuse to skip out on the exercise and diet and just go back to my old ways and start self soothing with "dirty" (but tasty) foods. Instead, I altered my idea of what a work out looks like and indulged in a less "dirty" treat...I had some popcorn.

So today I decided to combine some pilates moves that don't require putting weight on my foot with some seated boxing moves. It's not the most ideal workout but it's something. The point is I'm moving and not giving up.

The new me is slowly starting to overcome the old me's way of thinking, and I have to say, I am a little proud of myself.

The fat (or injuries) will not win this time!!!

Benefit's of Clean Eating

I weighed myself today and was down a pound! Yippeee!!!!

I wasn't quite so excited when I got on the scale this morning. In fact, I recall thinking, what the hell am I doing wrong, and immediately went looking for the corn pops. I got to the kitchen, pulled out the box and even got out a bowl.

But then a funny thing happened. I started thinking about how I would feel after eating those deliciously sugary nuggets of sin.

I knew I would immediately feel bloated and inevitably guilty.

See, that was the old me...always giving up when things got hard or didn't go exactly as I wanted them too, but that is how I got to where I am now. Overweight and very unhealthy (and not too happy).

Then I started to think about how I've been feeling since I started eating clean.

I have been waking up with my alarm much easier.

Instead of hitting snooze for an hour or more sending myself into a tailspin rushing to get my day going and on time, I have been hitting the snooze once (5mins) or not at all. Now my mornings are leisurely and enjoyable. My kids aren't rushed and I'm properly groomed!

My skin is starting to improve, my energy is up, my mood is stable and pleasant.

I find myself bouncing around the office, smiling at people and engaging in conversations. Something I haven't done in years but used to be known for when I was thinner and healthier (and alot happier).

I've also lost my taste for overly sweet foods. My motto was always, the sweeter the better.

Now...not so much.

I still have my cravings at the mid afternoon mark (but I think that's just a habit that I will have to break).

Yesterday, right on schedule, I started going looney for a sugar fix. Rather than succumb to the vending machine, I opted for a Diet Coke which I always find refreshing but haven't had since I started this journey. Well, I had one sip and almost gaged. Then I took a second sip for good measure and got the same reaction.

GROSS!!! It wasn't refreshing at all, it was like drinking a sugary sludge!!!

I guess by eliminating sugar from my regular diet I have lost the taste for overly sweet things. Which can only be of service to me during this lifestyle transition.

So, I may only be down a pound, but it's one pound in the right direction and I am seeing so many other positive changes overall that I am definitely sticking to this plan.

I feel good. I love the food I am making and I know my outsides will catch up eventually.

New Years Day

Well, another year has come and gone, and with that usually comes reflection on the past year and promises for the coming year.I am one for reflection, not just on New Years but often throught the year.

Last night I went to see a movie and then spent the rest of the night alone. Being alone on a night like that forced me to look back on my year. It was a long one; a rough one; and at times it was a painful one, but, I survived it, I learned from it and I grew because of it.

My eating was top notch yesterday.

Started my morning with... Clean Protein Pancakes and Tea

Clean Protein Pancakes
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
1/2 cup egg whites
Blitz all ingredients in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet)
Pour into hot pan like regular pancake batter.

I got about 6, nice sized pancakes. They were quite thin but very pancake like. I think next time I will add some ground flax seeds and wheat germ to the batter.

For Lunch I had Clean Veg Curry over Quinoa (a recipe I got from EatCleanDiet.com)

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can No Added Salt chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 2 15oz cans No Added Salt/Sugar chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 8 - 10 green beans, chopped into segments
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 - 2 tbsp curry powder (I doubled this...as it just wasn't enough)
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• To serve: Steamed potatoes or brown rice (I used Quinoa)
• Optional add ins: 2 tbsp raisins & 1 tbsp shredded coconut (I opted out)

Instructions

1. Heat a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. About 5 mins.

2. Add the curry powder, and continue to saute until spices are lightly toasted and aromatic (it should start to smell really yummy right about now).

3. Add the tomatoes, carrot, celery, green beans, zucchini, cauliflower, raisins and coconut (if using) to the pan. Cover pan with a lid and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water, and cook potatoes OR brown rice. Both go excellently with this meal.

5. After 15 minutes add the chickpeas, and tomato paste to the pan. If mixture seems too thick, add a little veg stock or water. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes.


MY mid afternoon snack was just a salad with whatever i had thrown in...

I didn't have dinner since I was heading to the movies and I wanted a little treat. I normally go for the nachos with extra cheese and some kind of diet drink but last night I kept my new lifestyle in mind and ordered a bottle of water and M&M Peanuts. Not at all clean but better than usual and was a totally satisfying treat!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year. And I pray 2012 is kind to you. Just remember, you may not always choose your path but how you choose to walk it is all you!