Why I’m Reconsidering my SHAPE Subscription (plus an awesome new workout)

Hola Bloggies:

SHAPE was my very first introduction to the world of fitness magazines. Even before I started working out I would treat SHAPE as my gateway into a life I dreamed of having. One filled with runs, weight training, healthy eats, and a positive body image. I will always be grateful to SHAPE for the role it played in my journey towards wellness but right about now I find myself seriously reconsidering my SHAPE subscription.

Those of you who are frequent readers know that the Fiancé and I, will be tying the knot in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico this November 10th. Like any bride-to-be I’m hoping to look my best on my wedding day. So when I came across a SHAPE Bride app (for my iPhone) I downloaded it without hesitation. 

Included in the app is a section that SHAPE calls countdown to gorgeous. The whole point of that section is to give brides a countdown of what they should be doing in advance of their wedding day. I can understand telling me to work on clearing my complexion, get a haircut, or even consider brightening my smile . . . but then they crossed the line. Big time.

The Two Month screen suggested that I banish wrinkles: “A Botox injection can temporarily relax the facial muscles that can cause crow’s feet, frown lines, and forehead furrows. But since your muscles take two to three weeks to soften after the needle pokes, it’s best to see your dermatologist for injections no less than six weeks before the wedding.” (Taken directly from the SHAPE Bride app)

Seriously!?!? Who comes up with this stuff!?!? I’m willing to bet the majority of readers of SHAPE magazine range from 18-35 years old. Women that are in the prime of their life. And SHAPE’s advice to their readers that are getting married is to inject botox into their bodies!?!?

For those of you that are unaware, botox is derived from botulism; a rare disease that causes paralysis. Paralysis in children = bad. So why in the word would we consider partial and temporary facial paralysis to be good.

Frankly, I am appalled that SHAPE magazine would suggest I inject botox to prepare for my wedding day.

 

Test-Driving Women’s Health

Given that I may be forgoing my SHAPE subscription, I’ve decided to test run other fitness magazines. First up was Women’s Health Magazine. This was my first time purchasing WH and I’m still working my way through its pages. Thus far its content is looking good. But the part that has most impressed me has been its workout section.

Earlier this week I decided to do their feature workout for this month. I tore out the flash cards from my magazine and set about tackling the eight moves in their “The Best Workout for You!” I have to confess I seldom hold out much hope for workouts from magazines but this one was ah-mazing.

Not only was I dripping in sweat by the time I was done but I was sore the next day. Not a little sore – a lot of sore! My butt and my inner thighs hurt oh so good.

You can refer to the Women’s Health Magazine website here for the instructions to this workout but here are the moves:

Move #1 – Shuffle with Reach

Extra Tip: Use resistance bands or weights to make this harder – I used 7.5 lb weights.

 

Move #2 – Squat with High Pull

Extra Tip: If you don’t have resistance bands you can use weights one again. I recommend 7.5 lb weights.

 

 

Move #3 – Single Arm Chest Press with Rotation

Extra Tip: Remember to concentrate on your abs during this move. Contract your muscles and really think about what you’re doing. Again I suggest using 7.5 lb weights.

 

Move #4 – Side Lunge to Shoulder Press (I loved this one!)

Extra Tip: I once again recommend 7.5 lb weights but if you don’t have any feel free to use bottles of waters or a heavy can.

 

Move # 5 – Reverse Lunge with Row

Extra Tip: Make sure that you maintain tight abs throughout this exercise sequence. It would be easy to allow the bands to pull your body forward. Fight that urge with a strong core.

 

Move #6 – Step with Rear Leg Lift

Extra Tip: Make sure the movement forward on this exercise doesn’t come from momentum. Contract your muscles and really use your glutes.

 

Move #7 – Plank Sweet (another awesome move)

Extra Tip: These can be very tough. Feel free to take a break if you need to but make sure you don’t rest for too long. You want to keep your heart rate up.

 

Move #8 – Kayaker

Extra Tip: If you don’t have a body bar you can always use a broom or mop handle.

 

I did all of these moves as a circuit three times. It was a fantastic workout and I highly recommend it!

Not bad Women’s Health . . . not bad at all!

Disclaimer: All pictures courtesy of Women’s Health. All Tips courtesy of moi.

 

Question: Do you subscribe to any magazines? If so, which ones?

Notice Anything?

Hola Bloggies!

So I’ve been looking through my food pictures and blog posts.

And while I know I often eat very healthfully (hello morning oatmeal).

That’s not always the case.

Even when I set out to be really good (hello tandoori fish), I still manage to sneak a refined carbohydrate in there.

I really have to find a way to get beyond that bad habit of mine.

So from now on, there will be more smoothies.

More fruits and healthy snacks.

And more salads (don’t mind that fro-yo in the corner back there).

 

Question: Are you like me? Do you have a carb problem?

Does it Hurt When I do this?

(source)

Hola Bloggies:

Although I haven’t shared with you, I have unfortunately been experiencing some back pain in the last month. At first it started off as tenderness in my lower back. I could feel it when I got up from extended periods of sitting – it was most noticeable right after driving or being at work. Then it progressed to pain that caused me to alter my “Operation Bring it!” workouts. I basically managed to get one week in according to the schedule and quickly found myself modifying the rest of the schedule to avoid anything that could cause stress to my back (that was most of the workouts).  And then it got worse . . .

About a week ago I had several days of absolutely excruciating pain that had me flat on my back in agony. I tried using heat. I tried taking extra-strength painkillers. I tried changing positions. Nothing worked. Honestly, the pain was so bad I was absolutely nauseous. And then it largely went away.

Still I wasn’t happy with the progression of my back issues and I attended a variety of Doctor’s appointments. Currently, I’m awaiting X-Ray results in the hopes of ruling out any skeletal issues. Although my Physiotherapist fears that may be the cause the Doctor is not so inclined. Nonetheless, in the meantime I am under strict Doctor’s orders to stay away from P90X. Instead, I have been prescribed a series of abdominal and weight lifting exercises that use very little weights and are heavily supported. Basically, they’re meant to target the deep muscles of my core in the hopes of alleviating the pain.

One not so great part is the fact that this pain has coincided with the start of my training for the Long Beach Half. To train for the race I will be using a modified version of Hal Higdon’s Novice Half Marathon Training Program. Basically, I know my body can’t take running every day so I will be limiting my runs to three times a week. On my non running days I will be participating in cross-training consisting of Zumba, cycling, and maybe some deep water running (the Kinesiologist recommended that I give it a go). Of course I’ll also be incorporating weight training into my workouts, as the Doctor permits.

Today, I did my second run of my half training. Although the workout came from FitSugar, I made sure to run it by my Medical team before giving it a go. Here’s what I did today:

 

Beginner Treadmill Workout

00:00-5:00   3.5 Speed   1.0 Incline

5:00-10:00   3.5 Speed   1.0 Incline

10:00-12:00  5.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

12:00-16:00  3.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

16:00-18:00  5.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

18:00-22:00  3.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

22:00-24:00  5.8 Speed  1.0 Incline

24:00-28:00  3.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

28:00-30:00  5.8 Speed  1.0 Incline

30:00-35:00  3.5 Speed  1.0 Incline

35:00-40:00  3.0 Speed  1.0 Incline

 

If you think that looks like a walk-run, you’re right! It wouldn’t be my usual choice for training for I’m trying to be good and listen to my Doctor. Truth be told, holding back was really the hardest part of my run. I wanted to go faster during those forty minutes. And after the scheduled workout was over I still felt so good, I wanted to keep going. But I forced myself to stop and move to another cardio machine.

Here’s hoping I get good news on the X-Rays and can return to regular workouts soon!

 

Question: Have you ever suffered a back injury? More specifically, have you ever trained through a similar injury?

Dear SELF Magazine - it's time we talked

Dear SELF:

For years I've been a SHAPE magazine kind of girl but recently I discovered you. And boy was I glad! Since then you and I have become good friends. In fact I have to confess I love your workouts (who knew something from a magazine could kick my butt) so much I've even shared them with my fellow bloggies.

And then you went and did something bad . . .

Don't look at me like that! You and I, both know I'm talking about your September issue.

You decided to publish a cover featuring Kelly Clarkson. Good old Kelly has always been a sweet girl. She doesn`t seem to be at all jaded by show business. In fact she appears to be the same lovely Texas girl who first walked on the Idol stage. Now there`s no denying that Kelly has gained a few pounds in the last year (who doesn`t have their ups and downs). Of course this has led to some vicious media attacks. Thankfully Kelly continues to show a remarkable amount of confidence both on and off stage. She`s comfortable in her own skin! That alone makes her a positive body image role model.

I guess you must agree since you put her on the cover.


But you didn`t just leave it at that - you photo shopped the living daylights out of Kelly. You didn`t perk her up - you took about 50lbs off. And then you had the nerve to position her next to headlines that promote total body confidence. Clearly, you want us to feel good about ourselves just like Kelly. But then why was she not good enough . . . why did you have to alter her so drastically!!!!!


Of course you could smell the controversy brewing so you decided to put out a statement. This was the part where you could have saved yourself. But nope. You dug yourself an even bigger hole and admitted you retouched the photo to make Kelly look her best. You also managed to spout some incoherent dribble about being ashamed of your body even after it got you through a marathon.


Seriously! It baffles the mind!!!!


So here`s the bottom line - I am disappointed in you. I expected better.


From now on you can consider yourself on probation. To get off probation I expect you to practice what you preach. To promote a healthy lifestyle and above all to promote a positive body image. Girls and women are bombarded by the media telling them they are not good enough . . . they don`t need you to contribute to the negativity.


I will be watching.


Yours,


A Disappointed Reader

The Novelty of Just Taking Off

Running Towards a Half - Update

It will probably come as no surprise when I confess I'd fallen off the running wagon lately. First it began with the scorching heat of the Rocky Mountain summer. Then when it wasn't blisteringly hot it was crazy stormy.

Not the most running conducive weather. What I should have done to keep up momentum was to head to the gym instead. But I didn't.

Then I went on vacation and swan instead of run. When I came back home I found myself enveloped in a province rampant with wild flowers. You could almost taste the smoke outside (and you could definitely smell it).

All in all the reasons not to run racked up and I never got beyond a walk.

But this week I decided to make a change; I read one of Marelen's (Mission to Another Marathon) post - she's so consistent and has come so far. And yes it guilted me into running.

So for the past two nights, the fiance and I have been at it again. On both nights we've run about 3 miles. It's been somewhat slow going 'cause my (left) leg feels stiff and tends to cramp up. But it feels so good just to be out there running again.

In the process I've tried a new approach to running - just taking off. No iPod. No Nike+. No gadgets. Just me, the fiance, and my running shoes. I have to admit it's been somewhat liberating.

In some ways I miss the music but I don't miss my Nike+. That little guy drives me insane sometimes. You see at times it won't sync with my iPod and other times (like currently) it just doesn't update my profile.

All of this has me considering a less cumbersome approach - perhaps a Polar heart rate monitor or a Garmin. Any suggestions? Will these tools be lost on a newbie like me?

Looking forward to hearing the feedback! :o)

Maybe Blogger is Still Angry at Me

Hola bloggies:

I decided to check on my blog to see the new entry and realized that it's not listed at the top of my entries. Because I started it several days ago it's featured a bit further down the page.

Feel free to scroll down to the entry called "Water and Mountains Make me Happy" or feel free to click on the hyperlink (the red writing) to get there directly! :o)

A Tropical Distraction

Hola Bloggies:

My blogger account is still on the fritz. Hopefully everything will be fixed by the time I get home from work this afternoon - I have some awesome pictures I want to share with you!!!

But for now I thought I would entertain you with a bit of a Tropical Distraction! :o)

As most of you know I'm going to be a Destination Bride! Woohoo!!! The time for my wedding scouting trip to Mexico (May 30th - June 6th) is getting close and I'm getting more excited. I'm thrilled to bits bloggies!

Today I will be speaking to my dream cinematographers (telephone consultation). They do awesome work and they're also familiar with destination weddings. In fact, two members of the StillMotion team were recently married in St. Lucia. What follows is a trailer they did for their wedding.

Enjoy!!!!

Our Wedding Trailer from StillMotion on Vimeo.

Blogger Interruptus!

Hola bloggies:

I have a wonderful weekend recap to share with you - unfortunately Blogger informed this morning that I have exceeded my storage quota (for pictures) and it won't let me upload anything else. Boo-urns!

I've paid for more storage but unfortunately it will take up to 24hours for me to be able to upload more pictures. Hopefully it will all be good to go this evening! Until then try not to pine too much for me! :oP

Have a lovely Tuesday bloggies! And if you live in British Columbia (Canada), don't forget to vote!!!!

Bridal Tales: Of Shoes and Dresses

Hello peeps!

As you already know I spent part of my last couple of weekends doing wedding errands. I met with our prospective wedding photographers briefly and then spent the rest of the time wedding dress shopping (!).

It had not been my intention to go dress shopping at this point. In fact I had intended on waiting until my Labour Day visit to Toronto. My friends however were relentless and I was pressured into trying on some dresses.


My vision of the ideal wedding dresses looked something like this:


I had visions of something classic, Spanish influenced (think lace or ruffles), slimming and simply glorious. Now I don't know how I got this idea but I also thought wedding dress shopping would be relatively simple. Man, were those the words of the un-initiated.

I don't know how the rest of you felt but my wedding dress shopping experiences were for the most part a disaster. I was completely shocked to discover that the dress samples weren't in an ample enough size for most to fit into and clip to create the right shape and snugness. Imagine my surprise when the sizes were teeny tiny. My street size is an 8-10 in most things. Slightly more if we're talking about a fitted top (I'm blessed :oP). But in wedding dress sizes I was many sizes higher!

Also, up until the moment I tried to slip on a wedding dress I didn't believe I had a sizable booty. If anything I thought I had a definite lack thereof. The wedding industry says otherwise.

I will confess that I found the whole wedding dress shopping somewhat demoralizing. I had to suck back tears a couple of time and remind myself that I've lost a TON of weight and put in a TON of hard work! I've changed my life and the right dress in the right size will look amazing.

As a glimmer of hope I will let you in on a secret - I did find one dress that I quite liked. It was one of the few that looked flattering so I won't decree it "the one" but it did give me hope! :o)

And now for the shoes . . .

Today I bought myself what I'm calling my "Congratulations you successfully completed nine years of University/Call to the Bar shoes!"

:oP lol Long title, huh? Want to see what all that hard work got me?


Scandalous, aren't they!?!? lol :oD I love me a good pair of red shoes and these red Manolo stilettos will do the trick.

I bought them online at a private sale for 50%. Truth is I don't know if they will fit. Hopefully they will or else I will be in the market to off-load a pair of red Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Depending on what they look like these little beauties will definitely make an appearance at some wedding related events. Perhaps the E-shoot? :o)

On Pins and Needles

Hello peeps!

Just a quick late night note to let you know I've been trying to post my Honest Foods review and GIVEAWAY but my camera is not co-operating.

We (the camera and I) will duke it out tonight and I'm pretty sure I'll emerge victorious! :o) Look for the promised post early in the morning before I head to work.

I can't wait!! :o)

Now if you excuse me I need to go talk some sense into my camera . . . lol

A Cliff Hanger

Hello bloggies! I hope your weekend was wonderful!

I had some good eats (and some not so good eats) but unfortunately my camera isn't cooperating. Rather, it seems like its on the last leg and so it decided to eat my yummy food pictures. Either that or it completely bleached some out (like most of the ones from today). Clearly, this calls for a new camera in the near future.

Thankfully I managed to save some pictures from my breakfast - a beloved Green Monster:


Today I tried to make my Green Monster especially smooth! For two people I used one banana, about 4 inches of a cucumber, one tablespoon of flax seeds, two cups of Almond Breeze, a heaping handful of kale, and another heaping handful of spinach, topped off with about 1 1/2 cups of slightly defrosted mango.

After a couple of minutes of blending my wonderful Green Monster looked like this:


I thought it looked wonderful and tasted especially fresh. :o) And that's when the boy dropped a bombshell - he does not like cucumbers!!!

I was shocked! We've been together for two and a half years, we eat together everyday, I cook for the both of us. And this is the first I've heard of a dislike for cucumbers! In fact he dislikes them so much that this was the first Green Monster that go no love from the boy. To remedy the situation I added 1/3 of a cup of fat-free plain yogurt and one tablespoon of honey. I then re-mixed all of the ingredients and everyone was happy!

Much of the day was spent waiting for the boy's parents and nephew to arrive. They were picking him up on their way to visit the boy's brother in Alberta. Unfortunately they were delayed by avalanches (!!) and a serious accident on the highway.

Of course the boy and I were waiting for them to show up and started to get quite worried. We were originally supposed to have eaten lunch together but somehow the boy talked me into going into KFC. I had their grilled chicken burger. In the end I ate only the bottom later of bread with what looked to be about 1/5 of a chicken breast.

Needless to say I was mungry! So when the boy's family suggested that we drive to a ski resort town (over an hour away) to eat at one of my favourite restaurant's, I jumped at the chance. Except that when we got there it was closed! :o( So the boy and his family headed back to Alberta and I drove back the other way towards home.

As it turns out there was basically nowhere to eat. By this point it was 5pm and all I'd eaten during the day was a Green Monster and about 1/5 of a chicken breast. Eventually I started to hiccup (I hiccup when I'm really hungry - lol :oP). The first restaurant I hit was a Chinese buffet place so I went in. There was very little I could eat there so I filled up on a plateful of asparagus in black bean sauce, steamed broccoli, tomatoes, and about 1/3 of a cup of fried rice.

So unfortunately my eating day wasn't the best but I'm going to make up for it!!!

How you ask? By adapting The Fitnessista's Almond Macaroon recipe!

I tried it earlier in the week and they turned out wonderful! Want a preview?


If like me, you don't have a dehydrator and can't find coconut oil then this one's for you!!! Stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow . . .

Nighty night bloggies - and here's to a wonderful week with lots of yummy food pics! :o)

M.I.A.

Hello peeps!

I have yet to have a chance to write a proper post today. Turns out that when you go away on vacation the calls, letters, and accumulation of files keeps on going. Eeek!

This has been a crazy week at work and I am seriously looking forward to the weekend! :o)

For now I have to head back to the office (past 8:30pm!) to research some more case law. Good times! Hopefully I won't be there too long. That way I can come back and update you on today's yummy eats.

To tithe you over, I'll leave you with this photo I took in the Inner Harbour of Victoria (on Vancouver Island, British Columbia). The lit-up building is the Provincial Legislature. Apparently the building was first illuminated in honour of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (1887) and has been lit every night since. During the summers the lower causeway is especially lively with buskers and people selling art. I kind of heart it there!

See you soon . . .

Top o'the Morning to you!

Good morning boys and girls!

So I woke up nice and early today, all ready to get going on my day. And of course how could I start my day without updating my blog for your reading pleasure.

Unfortunately, my food journal update will have to wait until a bit later today. Picasa (my favourite editing software) is being a royal pain. For the last couple of days I've had a terrible time uploading my food pictures; clearly Picasa is not a fan of CFW! So I'll edit those and update you on Day Six later.

But before I head on my day I wanted to talk about something that's been bothering me a smidget. And that's that the presumption that because I eat a certain way I'm on a diet. The D-word has many connotations and I don't really love it. It seems to imply that you're depriving yourself. That you're hungry all the time. That your food is not very tasty. That it's only temporary.

Actually when people say things like that it makes me sad. I eat the way I do because it's good for me. In fact I often think my eating habits should be even healthier! Food fuels my body but I also enjoy it. I don't always deny myself rich goodies. But I indulge in them in moderation. I firmly believe that balance is the key to success in healthfulness.

The way I eat is reflective of my life-style. Diets are temporary. Three years ago I chose to change my life for the better and in the process I gave up pastries, white bread, and buttery sauces. At least most of the time.

But I'm okay with that. And my food IS very yummy! Maybe I need to start ramping up the creativity and showing you better pictures. I would like people to realize that eating healthfully does not have to mean depriving yourself of all that is tasty in the world!

And on that note - stay tuned later on today for a twist on breakfast oatmeal. Also, I think I'm going to tinker with some ingredients to see if I can recreate a Key Lime Pie Larabar. Num num num num!! :o)

On with my day! Hope my American readers have a fantabulous day off (PS: I'm kale-green with envy!)

Sometimes Temptation Lives in my Fridge

I find one of the hardest things to do when living a healthy lifestyle is to avoid temptation in the way of food.

But recently I've found myself sharing food with the boy. I love my boy to pieces but he and I have somewhat different eating habits. Truth is I'd like to pretend that I have tremendous amounts of self-control and can withstand any sugary/salty/(or worse!) carbalicious temptation that is put before me. But alas! I am but a mere mortal.

Previously I was quite successful at avoiding these things . . . I just didn't buy them. If they were not in the house then I could not eat them. To give the boy much credit he's been great when it comes to eating healthy stuff lately!!! The picture above represents my last grocery haul (damage? about $120). The stuff on the right is his, the stuff on the left is mine, and the stuff in the middle and forefront is ours. All in all even his stuff isn't that bad. Usually there wouldn't be Philly cheese or sausage patties in the mix but today was his birthday (yaaay birthday!) so I indulged him in all his favourite goodies.

So what is a girl to do? Develop more self-control, that's what! That and try to reach a happy medium. Sometimes he will want to snack and I just need to make sure I keep healthy alternatives for me around. And so I'll stash loads of fruits and other yummy healthful treats.

I'm learning. I'm not indulging with wild abandon. But that might be because there aren't any baguettes lying around. Because if there were . . . oh Lord have mercy! lol

In the meantime - I keep trying to lead a more healthful lifestyle everyday!

FIRMLY on the Wagon

Just checking-in to reassure my readers that I have NOT fallen off the wagon; that's not the reason for the silence on my blog as of late.

My silence is due both to a combination of being really busy at work with lots of trials and court time and the fact that the Toronto Girl out West household has been struck by a mid-winter bout of the flu.

But no worries, I'm back! I have to head to work now but I'll return this afternoon with a post about my adventures in treadmill shopping. Turns out I have a $1000 allowance from work that I can choose to spend on wellness for myself.

Awesome, huh!? Indeed!

Confessions of a Fitness Blogger

My Confession: I have let things slip in my journey towards "the whole package." I know, I know. It's terrible and I feel bad about it.

I had it all together in Victoria until it was time to study for the bar exam. I have never (NEVER) been under such stress in my life. I wasn't eating properly, I was neglecting my workouts, and I was under such pressure my hair started falling out in clumps. Not a pretty sight.

I eventually finished that whole process and moved to the Rocky Mountains. And here I haven't been as good as I would like to be. I haven't really found a gym home and I really miss my Victoria workout digs. I've also found it a bit of a struggle to get adjusted to my new career life. I don't work insane hours but I still feel myself utterly drained at the end of the day.

But enough with the excuses. I've fallen off track and I need to get back to the way things were. Yesterday I went to the grocery store and loaded up on oodles of healthy stuff; that was the first step. I'm also going to buy free weights for home and a little contraption that I can use to turn my bike into a stationary spinning bike. I've spoken to my trainer and he's going to come up with a plan for me to do at home. And just as soon as the weather gets better (it will be months) I'm going to take up running outside.

So in honor of New Year's here's what I resolve to do in 2009:

1) Get back to my healthy ways (I've worked too hard for too long to let it all fall apart)

2) Reach my ideal weight

3) Run a half marathon

There you have it! What are your resolutions for 2009? Just remember, it's good to have goals!

I believe this is what is called a set-back

So it turns out that high-heels with pointy toes, like so:












Don't always mix with jeans that flare, like so:


In fact, sometimes, those pretty shoes can find a way to tangle themselves in the extra fabric of the flare. Thus, causing the wearer (ME!) to tumble forward.

It was not a pretty sight. Not at all! And the worst part is that this is not the first time something like this has happened. In fact, I had a very similar scenario several years ago (I was late for class and running in heels and wide-legged pants). Except that time my fall resulted in a fractured knee-cap. This time I was much more fortunate. My scraped foot, achy wrist, and painful ribs are all testaments to the fact that my knee did not absorb all of the impact.

Sigh.

Don't expect to see my miles increase on my Nike+ account for at least a little while. Yesterday I could barely bend my knee. Today things are better but it's still ridiculously swollen. More worrisome however is the abject pain in my ribs. :o( I think I may have impacted those.

I'll be back at the gym tomorrow (hopefully) even if it only is to stretch. Boo! And I was doing so well too . . .

Updates from the Front

And by the front I mean my parent's home in Toronto. And by my parent's I mean the people who cook ridiculously good food that is restaurant worthy. And by ridiculously good food I mean the stuff that contains oil and cheese and pasta. And by oil, cheese, and pasta, I mean the things I can not resist.

I have one week left here and I love being back in my home. But it's time that I get back to my regime of frequent workouts and my kitchen where I've banned dairy, bread, pasta, fruits, tortillas....yeah the list goes on and on.

But now I have a week of enjoying life back home to enjoy!

Blog Interrupted

I just wrote a whole blog entry only to lose it right before I posted it. I'll re-write later on....but just to give you a heads up, I'll be writing about the new Pearl Izumi campaign.

Needless to say, I'm not impressed.