Last night I ate leftover brown rice with cheese on it for dinner. And some frozen blueberries. I felt pretty crummy about it, and found myself thinking about the lack of thought I've been putting into my diet. I've been working out more lately, but not really eating conscientiously. Like, earlier in the day I ate Kettle Chips and onion dip (made with yogurt). It made me feel kinda groce.

I really don't want to be eating ANYTHING that makes me regret doing so right afterward.

Okay so I sat down last night and made a list of foods I want to be eating, ones that are low in sugar and fat and unprocessed. Need to go shopping today.

Breakfast today was: scrambled egg whites with a little bit of leftover rice, roasted red peppers, a tablespoon of tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Served over a slice of wheat toast. No butter or oil.

I made lunch right after my 30-minute strength training workout, which followed forty minutes of running/walking: slice of wheat toast with natural peanut butter and little bit of good honey; half of a green apple; half of a banana; handful of almonds; some chopped cucumber; one lowfat fig newton. It was yummy and none of it made me feel yucky.

I'm excited about the strength training. We do it three times a week and we record what we do so that we can steadily challenge ourselves. It has been missing from my workouts. I used to have these incredibly cut arms, a long time ago. That would be fun to have again.

Tags: fitness, food

We went running in the rain. My shoes were already soaked to my socks by the time we reached the quarter-mile oval. I circled the track three times, alternating walking and running, but on the final lap I jogged the whole way. I guess after a while I didn't notice the rain as much.

Our audience was comprised of twelve enormous Canada geese, who stood next to the long jump pit, which had turned into a small pond.

Brian said he was very proud of me. It was nice because before we left the house I bitched and moaned a lot about going running in this weather. But I did it anyway.

Tags: fitness

Despite sore muscles, Brian and I worked out in the garage again today. Same strength training stuff; crunches, push ups, planks, lunges. After three sets of each, we took a short jog, very short, only a half mile.

We walked out to the main road and Brian said, "I want you to jog all the way to N____" which is around three blocks away. He said I had to run the whole way without stopping. A big problem I have is with confidence, and giving up because A) I can, and B) I don't believe I can push myself.

So we started to run. This was about a four-minute jog. Halfway through I definitely felt like stopping. This was the point when a personal trainer comes in handy. But I don't have that, so I conjured one in my head.


Like Jillian from the Biggest Loser! Who sometimes resembles Paula Abdul.

Anyway, I heard this inner voice saying (yelling), don't give up, don't be a quitter, you know you can finish this, challenge yourself! etc etc motorvational ass-kicking kinds of things. And I ran the whole way to where Brian was already waiting for me. I was very out of breath, but I was proud of myself.

Speaking of challenges, my latest knitting project is a pair of ribbed fingerless gloves, which are knit in the round on a frame of four needles. For me, very complicated. Luckily gloves are small and if I keep at it, I may even finish before the end of the month. They are going to be incredibly cute. I am knitting them on a variegated baby alpaca yarn in an array of autumn colors -- cream, yellow, brown, burgundy, dark green.

Tags: fitness, knitting

This is what I made for breakfast this morning:



French toast made with fresh French bread and an egg custard infused with orange juice and nutmeg. It was delicious.

Later we went for a run. Total distance was three miles, though I probably only jogged for a third of that due to my lack of endurance. However we did do a couple of hundred meter sprints. Sprinting is my favorite running style. It's fun and you get to go fast.

We got home and stretched, then I weighed myself. I hadn't been on the scale since before Thanksgiving, so I should not have been too shocked that I have put on five pounds. The weather in December kept me from walking every day. Bleah.

So I took a shower and for lunch we're having brown rice and vegetables. :D

Tags: fitness, food

I just had a 45-minute workout in the garage, with Brian as my trainer. It was good -- we had the door mostly open so the sunshine and fresh air could flood in. I felt especially good about my roundhouse/punch combinations on the heavy bag. Not so much with the situps, wah.

I have tried to be "active" with walking and stuff in recent months, but haven't done any strength training or circuit training, which I know is important for complete fitness. Brian is very motivating. I know he wants me to get back into martial arts too, but I'm happy just doing it as part of a workout right now.

Plans tonight: we might go have good Mexican food for dinner, but I think we'll just play it by ear. As far as ringing in the new year, that shall be happening here in the comfort of the house, in our pajamas.

Tags: fitness

I am going to get up at 7:30 am and walk downtown to get coffee. And back. It's 3 miles round trip. The only thing that will stop me is pouring rain. POURING rain, not the other kind.

And how is everyone anyway? It seems quiet around here lately. maybe it's just me, and my boring boring posts.

Tags: fitness

Today I went to my ninth bikram yoga class. When I go to my tenth, I will have spent $3 per class. I am really making the most of that introductory offer.

I think I am making progress, but with yoga, it really does take a long time to work up to an "advanced" level. For example, the pose where you twist your arms around one another, then your legs



For some reason I am unable to make my arms do that in that tight, crossed way. Are my arms too short? Are my tits too big? (ha ha, no.) I am hoping it just happens eventually, rather than it just being a structural fault of mine, being a petite girl.

I did a lot of packing last night, packed up all my clothes. I listed my dressers and nightstand on craigslist, and so far I have over ten interested people. Man I love craigslist. Because I am honorable, I am saving it for the first person who replied, who claimed they would be here tonight by 6:30. If they flake or if they pass, I will still have everything sold by tomorrow.

Today: hot shower, roomba the apartment again, pack a couple more boxes, clean under and around the kitchen table, watch a netflix movie (I suspended my account, did you know you can do that?), and go to dinner at Stephen's. Another full day that will likely fly by.

Tags: fitness, moving

I walk home and feel my jersey pants sticking to my legs. The water all over my skin evaporates quickly in the bright, full, mid-morning sun. My mouth tastes mildly salty. I think about how I have now taken five bikram yoga classes and have reached the point where I can now see myself going every day, ninety minutes a day, stretching more, going deeper into poses, touching forehead to straight knees, sweating out pints of water. It's addictive.

I get inside and start undressing, but before I shower, I eat a nectarine and slap a mint julep masque on my face. My pores are open and flushed, perfect time for it. I drink a glass of water. I feel pretty awesome.

I am going to miss this. I wonder if there is a yoga studio of any kind in the town where I am moving. I bet the best I can hope for is "Curves." I do believe I would rather do yoga on the back deck.

Tags: fitness

You guys I am going to my fifth hot yoga class this morning. I am starting to get used to it. I think today I am going to bring a small washcloth so that I can more easily wipe the sweat off my face every ten minutes or so. I know, it's pretty sexy.

Yesterday I went downtown for the first time in ten days. I bought shaving cream for Brian, face moisturizer for myself, and um shoes. Yeah, yeah. I am weak. I came home and did the shoe inventory, packing up one big cardboard box with them (some shoes still in their original boxes inside), and setting aside a pile for the yard sale and another smaller pile for possible sale at Crossroads.

We continue to sell off furniture. Got rid of the kitchen cart last night and already have an interested party for the set of chairs. The last time I tried to sell stuff on craigslist (years ago), it was NOT this easy. Clearly their traffic has multiplied a hundredfold.

I also haven't been watching TV at all, with the exception of the occasional baseball game and "Flight of the Conchords." Haven't missed it too much.

Okay, off to burn a thousand calories.

Tags: fitness, moving

I almost didn't go to yoga this morning. I'm still sore, so I thought of wimping out and just laying around instead. But yet I found myself getting dressed in my workout clothes and rolling up my towel and filling up my water bottle. So I went.

Different instructor this time, fewer people. I sort of knew the poses this time. Two men showed up (there were none in my first class). One was called Alex (easy for me to remember) and stood right next to me. He took off his shirt to show off his perfectly formed body. I didn't let it distract me, I was too busy wiping sweat out of my eyes the entire time. By the end of class my lips were salty. I felt tired and walked outside. My clothes were wet and stuck to me.

Now I am home and showered and dressed. Sun is out, a rarity here. I ate a chopped nectarine in yogurt with some blueberries, now having hummus and pita chips. I should get on the train soon. Still no coffee today, it will have to wait until after my hair appt, but then I can walk over to Blue Bottle to try what is supposedly the best cup in town, served from an open garage in Hayes Valley.

Tags: coffee, fitness