Really want to go to sleep but packing is calling my name

Okay, I just wasted way too much time on facebook people stalking and looking photos of friends from middle school/high school.  I really need to be productive!! 

Workout

Like I put in my previous post today, I went to the gym and did the cardio wave.  I am thoroughly addicted to this thing.  And yes, call me vane, but there is a full length mirror to the side of me in the gym and I do have to admit I think my legs are looking pretty good while I do that thing!!  Yes, this may be vane, but I think it is acceptable coming from the girl who just 6 months ago had 1 really muscular leg because it had been doing all the work for 10 months and then 1 chicken leg because it had been in an immobolizer/leg cast for about 10 months.  I think  I now have 2 sexy, equally muscular legs…and I like it!

Work went well today. I am getting really busy and I am having the same problem as tonight, by the end of the day when I am exhausted I just have a tough time focusing.  Maybe I should pick up a coffee habit to keep me centered.  Thoughts?

After work I went to physical therapy.  PT is so different depending on which of the 2 doctors I work with.  There are a bunch of assistants in there but I try to only work with the doctors because they really know how to busy me.  Monday I worked with Thomas who is big on getting me sweating through cardio, balancing, squatting, etc.  Mike is totally different…I still sweat a lot, but he isn’t working me out through cardio.  He is more working me out in these teeny tiny motions that really strengthen where my knee is weak.  He takes me all the way to exhaustion and where my knee doesn’t hold me and then pushes me from there.  I think I like both styles in distantly different ways.  Means they make a good combination for me!

After PT I ate the other 1/4 of the Clif bar that I have been working through all week.  It is finally done.

I got home from PT and threw together a really quick dinner so I could make it to my 7:40 doctor’s appointment.  I wasn’t really hungry at all and I felt stuffed (still do) after this meal.  I think I could have had a small bowl of oats and a piece of fruit for dinner and would have been happy.  But I am not sure how happy the husband would have been with that.

Dinner

I made a side salad with spring lettuce mix, some wheatberries, black berries, avocado, cucumber and tomato.  I added about 1T of Anne’s Green Garlic dressing on top.

For the main course I had about 2ounces of linguine pasta mixed with a bunch of freshly steamed veggies and about 1/2 cup or so of Newman’s own tomato sauce with sliced chicken sausage put in it.  I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top.  This is one thing I love doing…mixing noodles with a ton of veggies.  Because 2 ounces of pasta is not all that much volume but when you bulk it up, it seems massive.

I was stuffed after this.  I went to the doctor’s and got an rx and then stopped by the wine shop to get some boxes.   I think I may ’steal’ an idea from their decor for the island in my kitchen.  It definitely won’t be happening anytime soon because it will be too labor intensive for my time schedule right now.

 

Okay, time to pack some boxes and then sleep. 

 

Sweet dreams all!

Up and At ‘Em

Yep, I woke up bright and early this morning and I must admit, I sort of had a new found vigor.  It wasn’t too difficult getting up that early.  I went to bed around 10:30 last night.  I think more than anything I was excited to have some ‘me’ time to be productive!  Right now I am sitting out on our screened in porch listening to the crickets, drinking a cup of black tea and waiting for the sun to come up.  If this isn’t the perfect, relaxing way to start a hectic day, I don’t know what is.  I am really going to miss the screened in porch when we move!

I was good last night and did get my food all packed up to take with me today.  I actually think I am able to pack my lunch faster at night for two reasons.  a.) I am wide awake and my brain is able to process just fine.  b.) I am not hungry at all, so I am not guided by that when making my choices.  I just try to think–do I have protein, do I have fiber, do I have fruits, do I have veggies?

Breakfast
It was another perfect breakfast.  I think getting granola out of the bulk bins at Wegman’s is my new go to.  No need to buy boxes of cereal anymore.  1/2 cup of oats, 3/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of egg beaters, 1/2T of cinnamon.  Cooked for 2 minutes on high.  Then I added some blueberries, 1T of flax seed and then some nuts/granola/chocolate mix (and a broken up cranberry granola chunk).

and then all mixed up:

I think this will keep me full for awhile!

AM Snack
My nectarine yesterday was simply to die for.  I am really going to miss peach season, I would say a perfectly ripened peach may be my favorite fruit.

I threw in some dried edamame so that I had some protein.

Lunch
I started with side salad of spring lettuce mix and then added what ever I could find in the fridge that looked tasty.  I added some blueberries, wheat berries, black beans and celery.  I figured I would already have enough flavor with these things that I didn’t need salad dressing, so I just added a lime wedge on the side to add a little acid.

I have been craving an egg salad sandwich lately but never have the effort to assemble it in the morning.  Therefore, putting my food together the night before was a perfect way to make sure I had enough time to make this.  In all honesty, I don’t think it really takes any extra time, I just think it will so I don’t make it.  All this is is half a hard boiled egg + just the other half’s egg white.  I added not quite 1T of reduced fat olive oil mayo to it.  Then I just added some S&P. 

A little lettuce to protect the bread from getting soggy.

And I am back to my daily rice pudding in the freezer.  I have other people at work putting their yogurt/pudding into the freezer now after seeing me do it.  It is getting rave reviews.

PM Snack
I went for something totally different today.  I always forget home much I like this combination.  Carrots + all natural PB.  I threw in a few raisins on the side to have a ‘bump on a log’ sans the celery type of snack.

Workout aims of today
I am going to head to the gym over lunch.  I am positive it will be a cardio wave day.  I adore that thing!!!  And then I have physical therapy after work.  Looking forward to another sweat-fest there!

And I think today may be one of the best days of my life:

Lance to Return to Cycling

I have always been a die hard Lance fan.  Prior to the whole Livestrong thing, I have adored him.  I went and watched his second Tour De France victory in 2000 in Paris and have some amazing photos of him from that (Sorry, not scanned in) and I have just adored him ever since.  Then I went through a bout of being sick and the doctor’s wondering if it was non-hodkins lymphomia.  One surgery later to remove my swollen lymph nodes I am better, but I remained sick for quite a few months after the surgery and was definitely still scared.  That May (2004) Lance started the whole Livestrong yellow wristband thing.  I ordered one (well at the time you couldn’t order just one…they weren’t popular yet.  You had to order 50 at once.) and I haven’t taken it off since. Since putting this thing on, I have lost my father to colon cancer and I have witnessed my sister-in-law go through thyroid cancer along with numerous other friend’s parents, etc.  I also was quite popular that summer seeing I had a huge supply of those wristband when they became so popular.  I am kind of glad that they popularity has worn off for wearing them.  When I still see someone wearing a Livestrong wristband, I always want to ask them why because I know there has to be an amazing story behind it.  But those stories can be so personal that I really don’t think it is appropriate to ask that of someone on the metro.