The Morning After

My Christmas was unusually quiet this year, but to be honest, as much as I love the season and all the festivities, it was just how I needed it to be this year. Still, all in all I had a lovely day. Although I love to cook, I had all 3 meals out today, but they were all kept light and relatively simple. The best part about that is waking up the morning after (today) and feeling really good and not worried that I'll have to throw in a few extra intense hours at the gym to try to burn off what I ate.

I was thoroughly spoilt this year - I'm not sure what I did to deserve it, but I was totally thrilled and very moved/touched/thankful (and tearful)!

So, the first thing I did this morning was put on these:

and head to the gym. I've always wanted a pair of Asics and now I finally got them! I absolutely love the colors, and they were really comfortable to run in :)

I had a good workout (only treadmill today for 3 km and then Body Balance - love that class!), did a bunch of other errands and things, and then headed home to play with my new gadget:

I was totally shocked when I saw this. I've been talking about wanting to buy one of these in the upcoming year - something to kinda keep me motivated with my writing and research (because I'm feeling really de-motivated right now) - and now I've got it! I tell you, I immediately wanted to head out to a cafe and get some writing done! I'm super-psyched and I hope that I do the present justice by getting a lot of writing done (or at the very least, some more blog posting while I'm away from my desktop) :)

My eating is back on track in terms of following the Whole Life Challenge guidelines. There are a few Christmas chocolates around the house and they're quite tempting. However, I've kept a jar of raisins next to the bowl of chocolates, so whenever I feel tempted to eat one (if I'm in that area of the house), I just grab a raisin or two.

I know I could hide the chocolates or throw them out, but I don't want to. I want to be able to exist in the same house with a few Hershey's kisses without feeling the need to eat them. I think the raisin jar is a good solution until I figure out how to build up more discipline.

I have some exciting fitness plans/news coming up -  it's all in the works at the moment and I can't wait to share. Fingers crossed it all falls into place. So excited! :)

Merry Christmas!

I didn't have any big celebrations planned for Christmas this year - just catching up with a few friends throughout the day. It was lovely laughing and chillin'; however, all of the social visits involved meeting up in food places - breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee. So, before I got started on any of that, I headed to the gym.

I had a great workout this Christmas morning - I completed 5 km (half on the treadmill and half on the cross-trainer) and then did FRAN - a CrossFit workout that involves 3 rounds, 21 reps, 15 reps, then 9 reps of thrusters (I used a 20kg/45 lb bar) and pull-ups (I used the assisted pull-up machine at a 43kg resistance). Obviously the workout was scaled, but I mainly did it coz' I hadn't done the workout in a long time and I wanted to warm my body up for the movements -- it was really good. I felt great after the workout. Here's a pic of me after my 5 km :) 

I went to a new place for breakfast - The Early Bird. Actually, the restaurant has been around for years but I've never been. It's run by 2 Americans and has a great reputation for serving American breakfast food. It's a small place (about 8 tables) and is really, really popular. There was an endless number of people just streaming in and out. 

One thing about American restaurants is the American-sized portions. As yummy as the pancakes and waffles looked, there was no way I could eat them (though my friend had a pancake - he ordered a single one even though they normally come as a stack of 3 and he said the 1 was more than enough). They had a healthy section of the menu - I ordered the eggwhite omelete that was made with onion, tomato, and spinach. I told them to hold the bread. All the regular egg dishes came with a side of hash browns, sausage, and bacon as well as the bread. This one, however, didn't. 

I was thrilled with my order. It was delicious - so fresh, light, and tasty! It was perfect for a post-workout meal. I was really pleased with my experience! 

It's been raining non-stop all day today. I kinda like it though it was a nightmare to drive in. On my way to the gym this morning the clouds broke and the peeking sunlight was absolutely stunning - lovely start to the day :)

Stretching and Desserts

I went to Body Balance class yesterday after almost one month. My legs were so stiff and sore, particularly after all that rowing on Sunday. I had a bit of difficulty with the standing stretch poses - variations of the warrior pose - but I pushed through. A lot of people think that body balance will be an easy stretching class, but I'm telling you, 15 minutes into it and I'm already sweating. By the end of the 50 minutes, I'm totally ready for the 10 minutes of relaxation and meditation.

I feel bad that I've been neglecting my yoga and stretching lately. Aside from post-workout stretching, I haven't been doing anything else ... I need to get back into it.

I totally felt the impact of yesterday's class today - my legs felt great. I feel like the class totally worked off the stiffness that I was feeling before and loosened up my muscles. It was a much needed stretching class!

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Last night I hosted my annual Secret Santa evening. It went really well. The appetizers and main dinner were all featuring healthy foods, but the big question was dessert. So, before my guests came over I sent out a group text asking about dessert. Usually everyone says they're on a diet and don't want to have any dessert, so I wanted to know beforehand - no point having sweets around the house if nobody wanted them! They all said they wanted dessert mainly because they thought I made excellent desserts (wonder where all those gained pounds came from??). Anyway. It was definitely nice to hear that they enjoyed my cooking/baking, so I obliged.

They came. They ate. They enjoyed, and then the rest of the desserts were packed up in a box and given away.

Secret Santa Stockings - Just waiting for Santa

Dinner - featuring lots of grilled lean proteins

How's that for a stocking to be stuffed? ;)

Success all Around

I spent 11 hours on my feet cooking and preparing for yesterday's dinner party. Usually, even before the guests have arrived and definitely by the time they have left, I am exhausted and my feet, legs, and back feel like they're on fire ...

Not last night. I was really surprised at how relaxed and good I felt even after doing all the tidying up etc. after the night was over. I'm sure it has to do with both the weight I've lost and the strength I've gained.

It was just great to see/feel yet one more aspect of my life that has been positively affected by all the effort I've been putting in to taking care of my health. I mean, I know that all the changes have been good for me, but it just gives a bit of extra validation when you see/feel it in action.

So, the belated Thanksgiving feast was a success. My friends' reaction to the spread, especially the 24 lb. turkey, was one of completely surprise and awe - just like me during my first Thanksgiving celebration. It was something that we had only really ever seen on TV ... and then to experience it ... well, I'm glad that I was able to share that joy with others.

The dinner featured turkey, sweet potatoes (just baked with olive oil, salt, and pepper), string beans (lightly sautéed in olive oil and garlic, chick peas in tomato sauce (a touch of Bangladesh), quinoa stuffing (made with zucchini and mushrooms), and a few other dishes.

I did my best to keep it healthy and guilt free, and I do think I did a good job :)

I didn't make it to the gym yesterday, so I wanted to make sure I did some exercise today.
I headed to my regular gym (The Palms) for a cardio session. It felt really, really good to just put my music on, get on the cross-trainer, and move. I didn't have to worry about weights or punching anything -- my upper body got some much needed rest. It felt great :)

Belated Thanksgiving

I was away for Thanksgiving so tonight we're having a belated Thanksgiving dinner. I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I remember when I was really young I'd always want to have Thanksgiving dinner at home, but it wasn't something that my family celebrated ... so when I got to the States, I was beyond excited.

Thanksgiving brings back incredible memories for me. Since I was away from my family, my friends and their families opened up their homes to me. I spent Thanksgiving weekend at a different friend's house each year and I felt completely part of the family. It was so touching and I am so thankful for them for making me feel so welcome.

After returning to Kuwait - old enough to hold my own now - I told my mom. Alright, now we're celebrating Thanksgiving. And since then (2001), it's finally become an annual tradition.

This year I'm having the CrossFit team come over for Thanksgiving dinner. I've got a good menu planned (I hope) - including turkey, quinoa 'stuffing', sweet potatoes, and lots of veggies. The 'unhealthiest' thing on tonight's menu is stuffed mushrooms (has cheese) and the desserts -- which are being made at the request of some of the team members. I'd say 90% of the food tonight would have been considered Whole Life Challenge compliant, so I'm happy about that.

Fingers crossed it goes well. There's lots of cooking to be done. Hopefully pictures of a successful meal will be posted tomorrow :)