Standing Bow Pulling January 15, 2009

Thanks for the get-better wishes!  I woke up on Wednesday morning with a VERY sore throat.  It hurt to talk and it even hurt to touch my neck.  I’m a big believer in keeping my germs at home/out of the office as well as not going into work when I know that I will just sit there and feel miserable all day- so I called in sick.  I spent the day on the couch napping, watching daytime TV, and reading.  I must have had a little bug, because by about 5 pm on Wed. my sore throat was almost completely gone!  Either that or that Zenergize thing really worked – I’ve been having one every day this week just in case

I felt 100% better today, so I was ready to get in some exercise.  I went to another hot yoga class and loved it even more than the first time!  The hour-and-a-half just flew by and it was the first time all week that I think I have been completely warm.  It was about -15* when I went into work this morning and about 4* when I left, so it was nice to be hot and sweaty for a while.  I should be sleeping right now, but I felt like blogging and sharing with you my favorite pose from tonight’s class: standing bow pulling pose.  I like the opposition of pulling the foot up and the other arm forward as well as the challenge of the balance.  What’s your favorite yoga pose?

Happy almost Friiiiday!  Hope you have a fun weekend planned

The Winter Sickies January 13, 2009

Hi friends!  Greetings from my post on my parents’ couch.  I woke up with a sore throat this morning and I went to work, but it got worse throughout the day and a headache and some stuffiness joined in as well.  I skipped the hot yoga class I planned on going to today and came straight home, put on sweats, got a giant blanket and laid on the couch.  I’m listening to my body and plan to rest as long as I need it.  I know I’m sick because I didn’t feel like exercising or eating anything.  I know I need some fuel to help me recover, so I asked my dad to get some tomato soup since he was headed to the grocery store.  It’s really the only thing that sounds good at all, so I’m going with it.  Actually- I take that back- a smoothie or some ice cream sounds SO GOOD, but I’m really cold, so I just can’t imagine either of those things right now.

Earlier today, I tried one of these Zenergize tablets that we got at Costco last weekend for a shot of vitamin C.  I don’t really believe this much vitamin C (2500% of the RDA) is that beneficial, but I figured it couldn’t hurt!!  I had the pomegranate orange flavor and it was delicious!  I tried Emergen-C not too long ago and thought it had a weird taste, but this did not (I put mine in 16 oz. of water so that the flavor wasn’t too strong).

Get more sleep!

This article was on the front page of the local newspaper this morning and I thought it was interesting and timely!  This study says that regularly getting 8 hours of sleep strengthens your immune systems and helps your body resist colds.  Do you get 8 hours of sleep on a regular basis? I try to, but usually end up with closer to 7.5.

“The longer you sleep, the better off you are, the less susceptible you are to colds,” said lead researcher Sheldon Cohen, who studies the effects of stress on health at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University.

Hot Weekend January 11, 2009

Saturday morning I tried something else new- hot (bikram) yoga!  A yoga studio recently opened near my parents house and they offer an introductory price of $20 for 20 days of unlimited yoga.  I got up on Saturday morning and headed to the 9am class.  According to the studio’s website:

“The classes are a challenging, 90-minute workout that improves physical strength, flexibility, and balance while enhancing mental clarity and focus.  The heat accelerates the rate of change within the body, improves circulation, helps to eliminate toxins, and significantly reduces the risk of injury during stretching.  The poses work synergistically and cumulatively to return the body to a balanced state.”

My review: I loved it! I got there about 20 minutes early to pay and get acclimated to the 100* temperature in the studio.  Obviously it was hot, but I didn’t feel lightheaded or overheated at all during the class.  I enjoyed it a lot more than other yoga classes I have taken and can’t wait to go back.  I sweated a TON, but it was a very cleansing sweat and my skin felt awesome afterwards.

I’ve been hesitant to try a bikram yoga class for awhile, but if you’ve ever considered it (and you like the feel of a good sweat), go for it!  The instructor told me that it takes most people about 3 classes to get used to the heat and to truly enjoy/appreciate it, so maybe give it a couple tries if you don’t like it the first time.  I’m planning to go twice this week and to get my money’s worth for that $20 I paid!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

New Year, New Things January 8, 2009

Hope you are all having a good first full week of 2009!  My week has been great.  This is the first “real” week at my new job, and I really think I’m going to like it!  The people are nice, the work will keep me busy and things are different each day.  The hours are new for me, too.  Here they work 7 to 3:30 ( I used to work 8ish to 5 M-Th and 8 to 2 on Fridays).  I used to workout before work on most days, which meant I had to get up at 5:00am.  This week, I’ve been working right after work and loving it!  I have a lot more energy at that time of day and I think I’m getting a better workout in.

A lot of things are going to be new for me in 2009, but I think it’s going to be a great year.  I know some people don’t believe in resolutions because so many people break them, but I’m going to use this new year to set a few goals for myself.  Some of these have been in work for a while, but here are my goals for 2009:

• Be more organized!  I’ve let things slip in the last few years and hate the feeling of not being organized in my life, in my house, and at work.  This will also include keeping my new house less cluttered.  I like to call this goal “getting my life together.”  It’s already off to a really good start.
• Get stuff done- do things I need to do (clean the house, homework, etc.) before I do things I want to do (watch TV, read blogs and general internet time-wasting).
• Make a better effort with social plans- sometimes I rely on others too much to invite me to do things.  This will be especially important since I don’t have a ton of friends here and will hopefully make new ones!
• Don’t take things out on my husband.  He doesn’t deserve it, no matter how stressed out I am.

I’ve got a few other things in mind, but this is where I’m starting.

Even though this first week of 09 has been a good one, getting up to go to work each morning is taking a toll after my holiday break- I’m pooped!

Technorati Tags: goals,2009

Late Christmas January 4, 2009

Happy Sunday!  Hope you’re all having a good one.  Yesterday my dad and I made it to the gym and it felt sooo good to just be at a gym!!  I really am a gym rat, I just loved it!  A couple hours after we got home all plans were canceled due to icy roads.   Oh well.

Due to all the traveling and house-hunting around the holidays, I didn’t get to share much of my holiday celebrations with you all.  I know it’s belated, so I’ll just share a few things.

First up, my favorite Christmas treat ever – Pistachio Nut Swirl Cake, otherwise known as Green Cake.  We make this every year to eat on Christmas morning (yes! cake for breakfast!  it’s so good with a cup of coffee).  I realize that I was too excited to eat it, so I never got a shot of the inside, but the actual cake is green from pistachio pudding.  Delish!

Next up are some food-related holiday gifts: an immersion blender and Giada’s new cookbook.

Haven’t used either yet, but I’m looking forward to it!

Moving January 3, 2009

Here’s a quick re-cap of my current life situation:

After living in St. Louis for 7 1/2 years (college plus ‘real world’), I accepted a transfer with my company to a position in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.  I officially started the new job on Dec. 22, 2008.  Since we don’t have a house yet, I’m staying with my parents for a while.

Our house in St. Louis is for sale and my husband just left Omaha to go back to St. Louis to work for at least the rest of January.  If no one wants to buy our house, we will accept a buy-out offer from my company and be done with it.  For the next month or so I will be missing my husband and our dog very much   But I’m grateful to have a place to stay that is free, comfortable, and welcoming.

Obviously we aren’t going to live with the ‘rents forever, so Zach and I have been house-hunting for the past week.  After looking at a gazillion houses, we bought one on New Year’s Eve!  I’m super excited about it – it has an open floorplan with lots of living space, a great kitchen, and is next to a lake/recreation area with 7 miles of trails and a dog park!!  We will close and move in sometime in February (the date is still TBD) and I can’t wait!

Two other things that didn’t necessarily make the decision, but made me feel good about it:

1.) The floor plan is called the “Degas“.  Degas painted lots of pictures of dancers that I have always loved

2.) The house number is 8614.  8+6=14.

~

Today I’m headed to the base gym with my dad.  I’m in serious gym withdrawl, so I’m excited!  Later I’m hanging out with my niece and nephew, then going to dinner with a friend.  Have a great Saturday!

Photo grabbed from Little Paper Dog on Flickr.

Holiday Exercise December 27, 2008

So I’ve been hibernating since my last post…just kidding!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  I have been busy celebrating with my family and my in-laws and now I’m back at my parents’ house.  I had a great Christmas and am glad the weather cooperated for all of our driving- hopefully it stays that way for my husband’s last leg of the trip back to St. Louis next weekend. 

My parents don’t have wireless internet (gasp!), so blogging is a little more difficult from their desktop.  Pictures will have to wait until Zach gets wireless hooked up for them this week

I’m going to do a quick re-cap of my workouts during this holiday week.  Considering that I am not at my home, started a new job on Monday, and had various Christmas festivities during the week, I think I did pretty well!  I don’t have a gym membership here yet, but luckily my parents have a treadmill in their basement in front of a TV.  This is lucky because it was very cold and icy here in Omaha early last week, so outdoor activity was out of the question!

Sunday 12/21- ran 4.5 miles on TM (incl. warm-up and cool-down), stretched 15 min.; watched Extreme Home Makeover- this was a good treadmill show because I had to keep going to see the end result

Monday 12/22- no workout.  Delivered gifts from church with my dad in approx. 0 degree weather.  Ate soup and hid under a blanket afterwards.

Tuesday 12/23- no workout.  Worked late (well, later than planned), husband got into town, went to dinner with a good friend in town from San Francisco

Wednesday 12/24- ran 5.5 miles on TM, 15 min. weights, 15 min. stretching; watched Love Actually on DVD

Thursday 12/25- Merry Christmas!  ran 3.5 miles on TM before we headed to north of Kansas City to see the in-laws; watched A Christmas Story on TBS- I love that movie, wish I’d had time to watch more!!

Friday 12/26 – finally had a warm day!!  It was almost 60*, so Zach and I went for a walk on the country roads near his parents house.  I thought this would be boring, but it was actually very peaceful.  The fresh air felt amazing, we walked for about an hour, which I am guesstimating to be about 3 miles.  Saw several cows and horses.

Saturday 12/27- drove back to Omaha.  ran 6.5 miles on TM (walked about a mile between warm-up, cool-down and a break for a cramp), stretched 15 min.; watched (can’t believe I’m admitting this) Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen on Disney.  It’s always nice to see Lindsay Lohan pre-fall-from-grace.

I usually like to mix it up more than just running, but since that was my only option this week, I’m glad I got in what I could.

I’m off to spend some quality time catching up on all your lovely blogs!  My Google Reader is full- I’ve missed you guys!

Hibernation December 22, 2008

A lot of places have been hit with serious winter weather the last few days and today I just want to crawl under some covers and sleep for a few days!  I want to hibernate!!

Today in Omaha it was about 15* which is better than yesterday when I think the high was 3*.  Within 24 hours of arriving here, I bought my first long underwear in years and stronger moisturizer (my skin dries out and my hands kind of crack in the winter weather).  Brrrr!  Today I just couldn’t warm up.  I started my new job (ahhhhh, it will be ‘different’) and the office was pretty drafty.  Plus we had to go out a few times to try to get my ID, etc. squared away and my feet and face froze!  We haven’t had this kind of cold in a few years, and I’m really hoping it won’t stick around too long.  After work, my dad and I went to deliver Christmas gifts from our church’s angel tree, which meant more jumping in and out of the car.  After a warm bowl of soup, I was still freezing.  My mom reminded me that moving around is the best way to warm up, but it’s getting late, so I’m just going to go with my instinct and jump into bed

Did I mention that my mom made a really yummy soup for dinner?  And that I’m living in my parents basement and so far it kind of rocks??  I miss my hubby though- glad he gets here tomorrow!

Hope you are all keeping warm out there

Numbers December 20, 2008

Today I:

• ran 3.5 miles
• packed 10 pairs of shoes
• drove 400 miles
• crossed the Missouri river 3 times
• sat in my car for 6.5 hours
• used 18 gallons of gas
• drove through 3 states
• ate 1 bowl of oatmeal, 1 PB cookie Larabar and drank 1 vanilla latte
• watched and felt the temperature drop 31 degrees
• hugged my 2 parents
• played with 1 niece and 1 nephew
• built 2 Lincoln Log cabins
• answered 55 questions from a 3-year-old
• realized Christmas is in 5 days and I’m finally feeling the spirit!

Almost Gone December 18, 2008

Yesterday was my last day of work in St. Louis.  Honestly, I don’t think it’s really set in that I’m moving. 

Anyways, today I’m supposed to be en route to my new home in Omaha (well, really en route to my temporary stay in my parents’ basement until we find a house).  Instead, I’m enjoying a leisurely day off.  The forecast has an 80 to 90% chance of ice and snow for the entire route between St. Louis and Omaha, so I’m waiting until tomorrow to drive.  It’s totally not worth risking getting stuck in the middle of Missouri or Iowa in the bad weather.  So, I took advantage of my extra time by procrastinating packing my stuff until today (hehe) and enjoying another day at home. 

I got up around 8 this morning, checked the class schedule at my gym and headed to an 8:30 Muscle Works class and then a 9:15 spinning class.  I’ve heard good things about the Muscle Works class, but it was not very good at all.  There were about 7 other people in the class and none of them really seemed to be there to work hard.  I’ve notice that the during the day gym-goers are more social during their gym time than the early morning or after work crowd.  I think I got a decent strength training workout in the class, then I happily headed to spinning.  The teacher had these hanging on every bike:

A travel-size germ-X with a chocolate taped to the back.  So cute!  She played some awesome Christmas music and I had a fantastic workout!  I think it got me into the ‘Christmas spirit’ a little bit.  I feel like I’m not really in Christmas mode this year.  Our house isn’t decorated and we’re so pre-occupied with moving that it’s hard to think about anything else.  I’m sure as soon as I get to my parents’ house tomorrow and see all their Christmas decorations and spend time with my family…I’ll be in the Christmas spirit!

I was pooped last night, so I laid on the couch and watched TV for a while.  Lucy wanted to join me, so she hopped on the couch and SAT on me.  That’s 85 lbs. of chocolate lab love