The running lady

Heck no, not me! My dear trainer is already giving me heck because I don't always get my one hour daily exercise. I have enough to think about with all these new food guidelines. My kitchen is supposed to close at 8pm for the night... hard to get used to when your previous regular routine consisted of a 1am fridge raid. But I digress.

Yes, there is a running lady. Ethan has preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings and without fail, on our way to school we pass by a running lady. I would guess that she's in her 60's. But man is this woman dedicated. She's always wearing the same black pants and headband and she's always jogging along. She's not going super speedy, but you can tell that she's been running for a long time. We've seen her running in sunshine. We've seen her running in rain. We've even seen her running in snow!

And every morning when we pass her, I'm silently cheering her on.

photo credit: fotosearch.com

2011 - year of the health nut

I've gone and done it... I hired a personal trainer.

I finally made the plunge when our tap costumes arrived to the studio and we had to try them on... yes, the costumes are gorgeous but i just wasn't happy with the way it looked on me. So, I bit the bullet and called up a friend who also happens to be a trainer and a weight-loss success story herself.

I started two weeks ago. In my first week of changes to my food and exercise levels, I lost 10 pounds! It feels pretty good too! And to be honest, I haven't changed much about my diet...besides swapping my lunch for a hefty salad, the only major change I've made is to stop eating after 8pm and to eat smaller meals more frequently.

I've also increased my physical activity, but not even by a big stretch. I train with my GF Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for an hour, and then I try to get out and walk Lilly everyday or do some kind of physical activity everyday (even if it's just racing around the dinning room table with Ethan).

Hopefully I can keep up the success. I've been derailed by a nasty cold this week so haven't had much energy to be active. Time for another cup of tea.

A little hard work never hurt anyone.

We had a big dump of snow last week. It fell overnight and accumulated to about a foot. The next morning, we headed out to buy a snow shovel so I could shovel the sidewalk in front of our house (it's the law here, don't you know!) when, at the the store, Ethan saw some shovels that were just his size.

"Can I get a shovel too?"

"Of course. Are you going to help me shovel the snow?"

"Of course!"

So, we started with the driveway, then shoveled the sidewalk. Here is Ethan, proudly displaying is shovel. Then we discovered that when you drop the handle into a snowbank, it makes a cool shape. So, we spent 15 minutes dropping our shovels... sigh.

After all that shovelling, we warmed up inside with hot chocolate and a movie night and listened to .50 clang around inside Ethan's allowance jar.

How to... Grow a Winter Garden

A friend asked me how I made my winter garden grow? Well, it didn't really, and neither did hers, so I decided to do some research to find out how we can both be successful winter gardeners. A quick google search reveals a plethora of information.

1. Know your zone. Here in the lower mainland, we are zone 8. Knowing your zone helps you to know when to plant seedlings, when the typical first and last frost occur. Check here to see the characteristics of your zone.

2. Next, decide what you want to plant. Successful winter garden vegetables include carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, chard, beets, onions, leeks, cabbage, Brussels sprouts. Basically tubers, root vegetables that grow under the ground and hardy leaf greens like kale and chard.

(Photo: My cousins garden in France)

3. Lastly, know when to plant. The easy part of a summer garden is the fact that you can start planting as soon as the risk of frost has past. And you can keep planting throughout spring and summer. The trick with a winter garden is to know how long it will take for your seeds to mature (and there is huge variation from crop to crop) and then calculate when to plant.

For example, let's say I want to plant beets to harvest in the early fall. Beets take approximately 90 days to reach maturity, so I would want to plant by mid July for a mid October harvest.

Broccoli on the other hand only takes 30 days to reach maturity, so I could plant by mid September for mid October harvest.

For continuous crops, you could plant new seeds every two weeks just as you would a summer garden.

Here are some websites that I found to be helpful and informative. Check 'em out, then go out and plant some broccoli... it's not too late.

Old Farmers Almanac

Hume Seeds

Plant a Fall and Winter Garden

You Grow Girl - General Garden Blog for Urban Dwellers

Put on Your Red Shoes and Dance the Blues

It has been well over 20 years since I last donned my tap shoes, but it looks like I'm going to have to dust them off cause I went and joined an adult tap class at a local dance school. I'm a little bit anxious but mostly excited to start the class which is running from September to June, one evening per week, culminating in a dance performance extravaganza! Costumes and all! Woo whoo!

It's all a part of my new health goals. While I have been running and walking more, I feel these kinds of exercise are a chore because I really don't enjoy them. It's a struggle for me to find motivation to get on the treadmill because it's so monotonous. Dance on the other hand doesn't even feel like exercise to me, which is why I need to be doing more of it. I even enrolled Ethan in a hip hop class for 3 - 5 year olds. He is so excited to start his class. When we went to register for the classes, he was so sad when we left cause he thought he was going to be dancing right then and there!

I'm also going to start Ethan in swimming lessons this fall. We had such a great time at the lake this past summer and enjoying our local swimming pool that I feel Ethan is finally old enough to get something out of an organized swimming lesson. He also expressed an interest in soccer, but I think with pre-school starting this September as well, he's got enough on his plate.

Am I A Big Loser?

I sure hope so... I hope I'm the biggest loser. My girlfriend decided to create a challenge for her friends to motivate us to lose our unwanted and unhealthy pounds. One of my health goals for this year was to lose some weight anyway, so now I have a little cash incentive to make that happen. (We each had to ante in $20.)

So now, the challenge is on. I'm actually taking steps to living a more healthy lifestyle. For example, if I'm in the mood for a snack, I reach for a fruit or veg first, before indulging in comfort food like cheese and crackers. I'm drinking more water throughout the day. I'm also actually using my treadmill every night. Hopefully, these little changes will help. And at the end of the challenge, I'll be happy to have lost any weight at all. Winning all the money would just be an added bonus!

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff

watch the video, get educated, stop buying useless stuff

If you would just listen

I took Rueben for his (really late) 12 month immunization shot this past week. He's almost 18 months old now, so he was long overdue. While in the office, the nurse administering the shots had a few questions for me concerning his development... does he let me brush his teeth, does he 'help' to put his clothes on (putting his arms up, lifting his legs...), can he crouch to pick up a toy without falling over... check, check, check. Then she asked me if he could say 5 words meaningfully, but not necessarily properly pronounced. I though for a minute, and sighed as I realised Rueben wasn't saying any words meaningfully. Ethan was with us in the office and she asked if he has a word for Ethan... nope. "Can you point to a picture in a book and elicit a response?"... no. Then I got bombarded with a barrage of pamphlets and papers on speech and hearing clinics. How can my child have speech problems when I can use alliteration and fancy words like bombard and barrage and his 4(ish) year old brother says things like "that's very interesting". I mean, really?

The heat we've been having these past few days has been driving me crazy. I'm normally a hot person anyway, so for me, these temperatures are verging on unbearable. So in a moment of brilliance, I scooped up the boys and we piled into the air conditioned truck for a quick visit to Starbucks. All of a sudden, as we're driving along, I hear from the backseat "puh-peh", just as we're driving past the Clayton off leash dog park. He said a word! He said a word.... wait, I think I've heard him say those sounds before. He likes to throw things out the (low) kitchen window onto the balcony which happens to look out into the backyard, and I've seen him standing there saying puhpeh puhpeh. Why have I never realised the connection between those sounds and the two little yappy dogs who belong to our new basement tenants? Why have I been so literal in my thinking that 'words' need to be words. Of course Rueben talks... he says 'gha oo' when I give him a cup of milk, he says 'boom' when he falls down, he says 'ahmee' when he looks for my bellybutton.

I guess I just need to change my thinking about talking. And maybe I need to listen a little more intently to Rueben's sweet nothings.

In search of the elusive shut-eye

My efforts to get more sleep have been completely derailed. Last night, I went to bed at 4am. Ethan woke me up at 7am. Yes, that's correct, folks... I got a measly 3 hours sleep.

According to this BBC article I'm "12% more likely to die over a 25-year period than those who [get] an 'ideal' six to eight hours".

Hmm. No thanks!

So, in light of this recent news, I've been doing some additional research into sleep and ways to encourage my body to catch more of those elusive Zzz.

So, here are 10 things you need to know about sleep.

1. Bath Before Bedtime. A hot bath has been a much-quoted remedy for sleeplessness for years, but how does it work? The body's normal core temperature is about 37.4 degrees Celsius. You might think that raising this temperature in a hot bath is what tricks your body into feeling sleepy. In fact, it is the cooling down that occurs when you get out of the bath that facilitates sleep. It is only recently that the drop in body temperature has been recognised as a trigger for sleep. If you're having trouble sleeping, try having a warm bath about an hour before bedtime.

2. Insomnia. Insomnia plagues people in huge numbers, and once the body has asserted an erratic sleeping pattern, it can be very hard to break. Sleep restriction therapy is one potential method of breaking such patterns. A sufferer is restricted to spending less time in their bedrooms, whether they sleep or not. But it's not easy, as Professor Colin Espie from the U of Glasgow Sleep Centre explains: "People with insomnia will typically spend longer in bed to try and catch up. What we do with sleep restriction is drastically reduce the amount of time they spend in bed. That's a difficult thing to do." The aim of this treatment is to make the subject so tired that their body will be forced to re-establish a normal sleeping patter. If you're struggling with insomnia, a sleep restriction therapy programme is definitely an option to consider. The key is to stay in the bedroom only to sleep, and always get up at the same time each day. Consulting your GP is always a good first step towards tackling insomnia.

3. The art of Napping. The nap can be a great way of boosting energy levels, as long as you observe the rules over when you nap, and for how long. Naps are most effective when taken in the afternoon between two and five. The optimum nap durations is 30 minutes. Your body will naturally resist attempts to nap between seven and twelve o'clock in the morning, and between six and eight o'clock in the evening.

Check out the article to check out the rest of the list. Happy sleeping.

Smooth

I used to make smoothies all the time, at all hours of the day and night. When I was pregnant with Ethan, I would pour them into martini glasses to give them an extra special touch, and to make me feel like I was not missing out on any girly drink action. Well, yesterday I broke out the blender and whipped up a batch for me and the boys and boy were they good. Ethan and Rueben gobbled it up. And why shouldn't they? They're so healthy, delicious, chock full of goodness and so easy to make. I litterally throw stuff into the blender and push the button and it always comes out great. Here's my go-to recipe.

BANANA BERRY BLAST SMOOTHIE

1 banana
2 large dollops of plain balkan style yogurt (or whatever you have)
1 handfull of quick oats (or whatever you have)
1 tsp ground flax seed (or flax oil)
1 tsp psyllium seed husks
1/4 cup soy protein powder

about 2 cups frozen berries (I use blueberries and strawberries)

splash of milk

throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cold front

Ugh... why is it that as soon as I decide to instigate some positive changes in my life, it all goes to pot on account of a cold. I really feel as though I've been clobbered over the head... not to mention my will to maintain said healthy lifestyle changes have taken a beating too.

I'm trying to exercise more, I'm tryin to get to bed earl(ier), I'm trying to eat more healthy food (the one area where I can say I am absolutely achieving my goal). So why now? Why do I get what feels like the mother of all colds. Is it to really test my resolve? Now when I need sleep and rest more than ever, perhaps this is a way to make sure that I really stick with my new bedtime and routine.

Coming down with this cold is helping me to remember that I really need to listen to my body more. When I'm tired, I need to sleep. When I'm hungry and feeling a little weak, I need to eat and nourish my body. When my head is cloudy and foggy, it's time for some fresh air and a little sunshine. And when all I want to do is lay down and veg out, I can do that too. Tummy down on the carpet surrounded by toy cars and trains is Ethan's favorite way to play anyway.

Update

Well, it's been a few days since I instigated my new bedtime rules, and though still not perfect, things are definitely changing for the better. I have been sticking to my 'no coffee after 4pm' rule like glue and I gotta say, it's decreasing my total coffee consumption for the day. I never realised how much coffee I drank in the afternoon and evening. I guess it starts with that 3pm crash where you feel like you could just crawl into bed and since I can't really do that with two kids, I would opt for the cup of Joe to keep me going. But these past few days I haven't been feeling that tired in the afternoon. Who knew that a little change like forgoing coffee could effect so much!

Where I have not been as diligent in the new rules is 'getting daily exercise'. I have recently entered into a mutual acountability running relationship with a friend whereby we meet once a week for a run together and then run twice on our own in that same week. The whole point is to become more physically fit by encouraging and being accountable to each other. Well, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain. I haven't run in quite a few days. For crying out loud, 'go for a run' has been on my to-do-list for the past 5 days. Maybe if I put it at the top of the list instead of at the bottom, I might actually get to put a check mark beside it, instead of circling it numerous times and writing in bold thrashing letters TOMORROW!!!!

Well, progress is progress, I guess. I can at least say for all my efforts so far, I'm actually going to bed earlier than I had been a few weeks ago. I'm averaging around 12:45 now... Which means it's time to sign off.