A lazy yet productive beginning of October & Last Weeks Workouts

Morning friends & a very merry second week of October!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and plan on having an even better week. I was off all weekend so I had my days filled with productive tasks that I knew would leave me feeling self-served and on top of the world! (O happy days .. as you can tell)

Before I ramble on with my diary of my weekend, here's a little recap of last week's workouts..

Monday
4.54-mile night run in Pouch Cove

Tuesday
1.25-mile at 4-am before work (Pouch Cove, obviously)

20-minutes on the StairMaster after work
1:03 Arms & Shoulders workout
1.75-mile night run in Pouch Cove

Wednesday
25-minutes on the StairMaster after work
10-minutes on the treadmill (2-10-incline, 4mph)
1:00 Chest & Shoulders workout

Thursday
2-mile Run

Friday, Saturday, Sunday - Listed below


*New tactic for running: Sleep at David's house in the night and leave my car at my dad's house. How will I everrr get home at 4-am? hmm I don't know .. RUN! Meow.

I got off work on Thursday evening and started my crossing the of the list. First stop, Chapter's for Starbucks and a new book.

I was on the hunt for David Pelzer's 'A Child Called "It" '. It's a story of a boy who spent his childhood being verbally and physically assaulted by his mother. It walks you through the details of a child who was beaten, starved and tortured by an alcoholic. He has written three books about this ordeal and they were suggested as a 'must read' last week.

I finished 'A Stolen Life' earlier this week (yayyy, it took me less than a week) so I decided to follow the autobiography trend. A Child Called "It" was such a 'can't put down' that I ended up starting and finishing it in 2-days. Now I have to pick up the sequel, The Lost Boy.

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I also bought my first Christmas gift! Fun, right?I can't tell who it's for or what it is cause this person is a reader of my blog.

dun dun dunnn

And just when you thought my Chapter's visit couldn't get more exciting, you find out that I also bought my first official recipe book! I plan on transferring all of my recipes over to this big black book of recipes.

I headed to the gym for a short workout after my caffeine kick and then I was off to bed by 11:00-pm and prepping for my Friday off.

Saturday

I woke at around 8:30-am and was feeling so so rejuvenated. I'm really trying to take my sleeping seriously when I'm on turnaround. I sometimes forget how good it feels to sleep 8+ hours. Luxurious almost.

I started my morning with my classic 1/2-cup of oatmeal, 1/3-cup of egg white, all natural peanut butter mixture. Yum.

And then was off to my 9:00-am 1-hr massage. (Awesome way to start my day, hey?)

After my massage, I went for a quick 35-minute cardio session at the gym. I used the cross-trainer and then headed home to shower before my final sitting of my tattoo.

Before



Sitting 1
my back looks haggered and manly here.. ew

Sitting 2

After my tattoo, I had planned on heading back to the gym for some strength training but my shoulder was way too sore. I opted for a hair cut instead.

 I got home at around 5ish, went back to the gym and then headed to Starbucks for some reading/blogging.

Initially I had planned on going to bed after my date with Starbucks but I ended up doing some catching up with a long lost neighbor. We stayed up chatting in the shed for hours .. which lead to sipping on moonshine while we told stories and had laughs. Needless to say, I did not get to bed at my scheduled time. I did however, punch 8-hours! Score! I woke up at lunch time and met up with Val for a catch-up!

We headed to the classic BP and sipped on waters while discussing our week/weekend plans.

I had the spinach salad with an added chicken breast. It was to die for and I polished off every last bite!

After lunch Val and I headed to Chapter's to pass some time, and then we were off to the movies. We saw the movie Prisoners.



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I had to add this picture because it was so damn creepy.

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 Prisoners was over 2-hours long but it was suchhh a good movie. I actually didn't want it to end.

 

After the movie, Val and I went our separate ways and I headed to the gym to meet Samantha for an arms and shoulders workout. The workout consisted of:

 

1. Dumbbell Shoulder Presses

 

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2. Dumbbell Side Laterals

 

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3. Hammer Strength Military Press

 

 

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4. Bent Over Rear Delt Flys

 

 

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5. Smith Machine Behind the Back Shrugs

 

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6. Dumbbell Curls

 

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7. Rope Press Downs

 

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8. Straight Bar Curls

 

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9. Straight Bar Cable Press Down

 

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After some strength training, I finished up with a little cardio.

 

25-minutes on the StairMaster and 10-minutes on the treadmill

I can't lie, I was pretty womped after my workout on Saturday and couldn't wait to lay low for the rest of the evening.

 

After the gym, I headed to visit dad for a bit and then it was off to bed to read my book. I fell asleep at 10:00-pm (go me!)

 

Sunday

 

Sunday started with a 9-am rise and a 25-minute cross-trainer/25-minute core workout with Courtney. We tend to lay in bed on Sundays and text on what time we should meet at the gym. Today we gave ourselves 15-minutes to gobble down oatmeal and planned to meet at 10 to get a good start to the day.

 

We cut our core workout short because Moksha had a 12-pm class and Courtney had never tried Hot Yoga. I must say, it was quite the nice change for a Sunday afternoon. We sweat buckets and got the best stretch ever!!

 

After yoga, I headed home and passed out for 3-hours. Holy smokes, I must have been exhausted because I feel like all I did was sleep this past weekend. I definitely needed it and know that all that sleep will definitely start my week off well!

 

When I woke, it was time to prep, cook and get ready for my luches (with a 45-minute/3-mile walk on the treadmill at dad's house while everything was cooking).

 

Ground turkey with minced garlic, yellow and orange
bell peppers, zucchini - all cooked in a little coconut oil
and cumin (yummy taco-tasting)

Cold pepper and zucchini quinoa salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
I also added a little white wine vinegar and olive oil once
I portioned the servings (just had to be done)

Did you know that if you place a wooden spoon over the top
of your pot while boiling rice or quinoa, that it won't boil
over? O, you did? I guess it was just me.
Thanks, Blair!

And there you have it. Such a low-key yet productive weekend, hey? Worked out like a semi-ninja, got drunk and caught up with an old friend, slept a ton, ate a ton, went on a BP date, went to a movie, did some Christmas shopping (picked up my Christmas paper on Friday), went grocery shopping, started and finished a book in 3-days and went to bed feeling a champ!

 

So ya, hope you did the same and Happy 2nd Week of October my lovelies! *Insert smile here*

 

Good night!

 

I shall leave you with my motivational quote of the day

 

I actually have this written on the back of one of my little motivational print-offs. Heart.



Fogo Adventure - Day 2

We woke bright and early on Sunday because we had reservations at the Inn for 9-am. We wanted to give ourselves an extra half of an hour to check out that artist studio in Tilting that we had missed on our first day due to weather.



This actually looks like it could be a post card.
Definitely a framer!

We stayed up pretty late the night before and just drank our tea and read our books so we didn't get as much as sleep as we could of. . . but it didn't matter cause we were awake with excitement for our fancy breakfast!

Before heading to breakfast, we had a little trot to the studio. Cool, right? Artists come here in the summer and just chill by the ocean and paint. Imagine how cool it would be to hang out and blog there, right?

We headed to the parking lot of the hotel where we were kindly chauffeured to the hotel itself.  You actually cannot just drive up. You have to be accompanied by an employee. It was first thing in the morning so we got to drive up with the general manager.

As soon as we stepped foot in the Inn, we were both in awe. It was absolutely magnificent.

 

The library

 

Wouldn't it be amazing to just sit, sip and read in this place?

 

Relaxing area outside of the dining room



The beautiful light fixtures

The view from the eating area was incredible.



Enjoying a lovely coffee



or 2 (quite the tired eyes I have here)

Even the bathrooms were simple yet beautiful. I definitely felt the need to snap a few pictures.

 

 

 

 

Original tile work

Once again, we sat with our books but we didn't pick them up once. The atmosphere was actually captivating. We drank our signature coffee and were greeted with some complimentary starters.



so many delicious danishes and muffins



I tried the protein square and it was absolutely delicious!
Wish I knew what they used to make this.

 

The menu was a bit pricey but it didn't seem too too bad when our bills arrived later that morning,

 

It was cool that they offered a selection that I could pick from. I was afraid they wouldn't serve my food allowances but they had just what I needed.

 

I went with the Oatmeal Cooked in a Cast Iron Pot (steel cut or rolled oats - seasonal condiments which were molasses, syrup and a jam paste), 2-eggs and the grilled tomato.

Doesn't it look delicious? It should, because it was.  Who knew a $5 quarter of a tomato could be so appetizing..

Before visiting this hotel, we both kinda laughed at the price and how we could never justify paying $550-$3000 /night for a room. After seeing just a small portion of the place, we both agreed that it was a Bucket list kinda thing. It would definitely make an amazing getaway on a special night with a special person (d'aww .. O Victoriaaa).

*Note: Zeta Cobb is allowing every resident on Fogo Island to spend a night at the Inn for free.

After we finished breakfast, we headed over to have tea with Marie before we left. We chatted for a little over an hour and then were on our way. Karla and I stopped at the other artist studio on our drive.

 

 

 

We then headed to This n' That for one last look and then onward to Brimstone Head. Brimstone was on our 'to do' list but when we got three-quarters of the way up, we had to turn back because the wind was ridiculous. We both had tears in our eyes and at one point there was a potential to be blown off of the cliff. It wasn't cool.

Karla faking excitement.
She's afraid for her life here! (not kidding)

Then it was off to the ferry where we began our voyage back to reality. We arrived at the ferry an hour early, sat and read while drinking coffee and then had a relaxing non-rushed drive back to St. John's.

Highlights of my trip

• I read over half of a novel (I have 5 to read before my 26th Birthday, remember?)
• I bought my first piece of art and I have already scoured Adam Young's site to start deciding on what I shall purchase next
• I got to see the Osmond family (they're so good to me)
• I got to cross off #22 on from my 25 While 25 list
• I got to eat a prestige high-end hotel that had the most beautiful eating area I had ever seen
• I learned to appreciate down time
• I got to sleep in without feeling guilty

All in all, this 48-hr excursion was most definitely a 10/10. I wish we had been there longer but we did what we could. It was relaxing, yet filled with things to do. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to go with (as you can see from all of the pictures I took of Ms. Hunter). We were definitely on the same page the entire time and enjoyed our time away from Long Harbour.

Thanks, Karla :)


Questions

Have you ever been to Fogo?

Does art work make you excited?

Do you think 48-hrs is long enough for a getaway?

If you missed Fogo Adventure - Part 1, you can find it here

My Personal Running Essentials

So now that training has began, I've been told that it's time to cut down on the jogging/running. To be quite honest, it's a bit of a relief. I can't lie, I loves me a good jog around Quidi Vidi and this year I even fell into a love/hate relationship with the treadmill at the gym, but it'll be nice to give my knees a break. I commonly get a flare-up in both knees but my left actually deforms into an inflated beach ball. It's ugly. I look like I have chubby-knee-syndrome. I look like chubby-knee-syndrome exists. 

With that being said, I still plan to run 15-20k a week. I have this thing where if I go a while without a little jog, I look in the mirror and can honestly see weight-gain. If I go to the gym and don't perform cardio, it's embedded in my head that I'll gain weight. It's more of a bad habit I guess .. and I've been informed that this is so NOT true. But still, we all have our workout rituals and regulatory 'must dos'.. or at least I do.

Below I give you the essentials to an effective walk/jog/run!

Belkin Arm Grip

If you're like me, you use your iPhone for music. I've spent the last 8 months working out with my phone in my hand, on a machine, falling on a treadmill, stuck in my bra and/or shoved under the drawstring of my pants (which has ended with a hand down the leg of my pants or falling through shorts and widening the already existing crack I have in the screen. 

How did you get a crack in the screen? O, I don't know .. cause I was running on signal hill with my phone in my HAND and face-planted the trail. Ya .. so for the Tely, I invested in an arm band for my phone and it has done wonders. I got this at Future Shop for $29.99 and is super comfortable and out of the way. Try it. Buy it!

Glide

Yes, I get chub-rub (F, I hate that but it is kinda funny..) when I run in short shorts. I bought a stick of Body Glide from the Running Room for $9.99. I chub rub this on my inner thighs if I plan a 4+ mile run and it's actually deadly! Still chub but no rub! It's a lose-win kinda scenario! Happy happy :)

GU Chomps

Tiffany first introduced these to me last year. They're pretty much your sugar kick pre/mid run (for a long run). If I plan a 5+ mile run outside, I'll eat 4 before I start and then another 4 half way through. The GUs just get your sugars going and you get that little extra spurt of energy. (To be honest, I haven't run 5+ miles outside in quite a spell).

GUs also come in a gel pack. Karla gave me a packet of chocolate mint last year before the Tely. I got a little weak three quarters of the way through and hauled the pack from my back pocket (warm, sweaty shorts pocket) and into my mouth. 1. It tasted disgusting as I was sweating bullets and in no shape for hot chocolate and 2. I tried spitting it out on the road (bad news bears) and a kid watched me .. only to say "Misses, you got chocolate in your TEET!". ha! Low moment. Very low moment. GU chomps from here on out. 

You can probably purchase these at a number of places but I generally get them at the Running Room. They're $3.49 a pack.

Nike Elastika Short Bra 

I have like 10 sports bras and can NOT for the life of me find the right one for 'me'. Some people suggest Lulu Lemon but I find it causes too much pressure around my neck.I don't know why this is as I don't have much of a 'boob' to support. But it does. Some suggest Victoria's Secret and I can't comment on that suggestion as I've never tried a VS bra. I recently bought this Nike Dri-fit and fell in love. It has a double liner and is the softest material EVER! I actually feel naked when I run without it. I got it at Sports Check for $34.99. I can honestly say that it's worth every penny!

Nike Livestrong Phantom 4 Running Shorts 

These bad boys are my latest and favourite item of choice for my bottom half. Don't get me wrong, I'm loyal to my Lulu leggings but before the Tely in August, I found my crops were constantly falling down while running. I wear crop leggings because my legs rub when I wear shorts but it was last minute and I needed a quick fix. I went to Sports Check and bought these Phantoms on the fly. They have a 7" liner and actually stick to your legs while running. I still used my glide on the morning of the race but honestly, I could have got away with out it if need be. I paid $54.99 for them but they're worth it! Anddddd, aren't they so cool looking? I mean, hello0o0 .. running in style, friends :)

Lulu Lemon Cool Racerback

I'm sure any gal that works out agrees that the Cool Racerback is key for the gym. A few years back Val gave me a bright green one that she didn't wear. Since then I've collected another green, 2 black, a striped, a grey, a salmon and a blue. Whenever I post pictures of my workouts, it's safe to say that I'm sporting one of these tanks. They're the cheapest tank top from the Lulu collection at 42.00. If you don't have one, GET ONE!



Run Inspire Crop II

Lastly, these are one of biggest 'must haves' when being physically active. The Run Inspire Crop II are unbelievable. I wear them EVERYWHERE! They are the comfiest leggings I have ever put on my body and they firm your ass like somethin' sick (hellooo boys). They don't wear away cause of their slick material. They're 92.00 but I would suggest this active wear over any other that I've posted on this blog. I wear them walking, running, hiking, to Costco, to bed? Like .. absolute love! Tif and I bought some last October (I got my first pair in Calgary the year before but Samantha has claimed them for life) and I plan to get another pair at the end of next month when I have access to a Lulu Lemon. Yes, I'm aware Lulu has free shipping but they can't keep these runners in stock.

So there you have it. All my 'Must Haves' My essentials. My favourites. My babies! Heart Heart Heart it all <3

Seems like running is expensive, eh? I just can't justify working out in shitty clothes!

Note: I didn't post my running sneakers because I have like 3 pairs that I wear regularly. My Asics are my main pair but I'm still feeling them all out (the black and yellow Asics you probably see in everyyy picture I post) 


Do you have any workout clothing that you swear by?

Any suggestions?

Do you run in leggings or shorts?