You see, we have this deal with the snow.  It is supposed to stay in the mountains.  That way if we want to frolic in it, we will happily do so.  Every now and again the snow decides to seek acknowledgement and slap us around a bit.  Boo, to this I say.

And as I write this…gazing out my office window, the snow has pretty much disappeared.  So perhaps it just wanted to tease us today.  I really don’t like these little mind games the weather is playing but I guess I will just have to live with it.

Now, what is our friend the Groundhog up to these days?  Early spring?  Really?  I certainly hope he’s not going to start playing mind games as well.  Perhaps he’s in collaboration with the weather.

Ah yes…we do like to complain about the weather, don’t we?

Now that I have amused myself with this little rant, I will say that my work out was fabulous.  I am really working on the core.  I know that beneath my jiggly parts is a rock solid tummy!

I am incorporating a lot of new things into my routines and I am happy to say that I am down another 1.6 lbs.  So I have hit the 10 lb. marker.  It is coming along and I know, particularly the area I am wanting to lose from, can be quite challenging for women in general.  So I will keep it up.

I had a great run last night.  We did hills so the focus was on stamina.  I really focused on my breathing and form.  I know that when I keep those shoulders down and head up and keep my steps quick and light I definitely have more power and drive to work with.   It was cold out. Took a while to warm up but once I get warmed up I actually appreciate the frigid temperatures.

I find when it is warm out sometimes the heat can be very draining.  I tend to perspire more and lose a lot more water.  The cool air helps to keep the body temperature lower so I am not expending as much energy or at least it seems that way.

In any case I must now get some work done.

I am sure they have done a study on how often our friendly varmint the Groundhog has been correct in his predictions.  Still, the ‘experts’ said we were in for the mother of all winters and that has not happened either.

Enjoy your day!

So I finished my workout…and the hair turned out, you guessed it…fabulous.  The sun is shining…I mean it just does not get any better than this.  Why can’t every day be my birthday? Mind you that would make me 19,710 years of age if it was my birthday everyday.  Then I really could say I look good for my age.

I am feeling decidedly rather juvenile today, or at least more so than usual.  That happens when you get older though or at least I am hoping this is what is supposed to happen.  Since I entered my 50′s, mentally I have been regressing in age.  I just tend to be a bit more childlike.  Or perhaps the grey matter is beginning to diminish…but I don’t think so.  I just think since I entered this era of my life I have come to appreciate little things like getting caught in the rain or playing in the surf by the ocean or dancing down the aisle in the supermarket.  Just those little inconsequential little things that in my youth I would not have dared enjoying in a public setting because I would not have wanted to embarrass myself.  Now I know there is nothing to be embarrassed about because I am just enjoying a moment.

So my advice would be to enjoy your age whatever it may be and enjoy each moment as they unfold and don’t be fearful to embrace  a moment of spontaneous combustion.  It can be wonderfully liberating.

Off to work I go….:)

This thing is just silliness personified.  I have complained in the past about it having a time zone button on it….this occurred about a month ago as I recall..but I still made it to the gym because I lost an hour of sleep that morning.  The thing with the snooze button on this thing is if you hold it down for just a nano second too long…it doubles the amount of time you will be snoozing for…hold it for a nano second longer than that and you triple the snooze time.  And that is what happened this morning.

So who created the ‘snooze’ button anyway?  I used to just get up when I had a normal, windup alarm clock that sounded like and air raid siren had gone off in my room.  Of course,  the thing scared the crap out of you and got your adrenaline pumping so it would have been quite impossible to fall back to sleep.  But it got the job done.  It roused you from your slumber…quite rudely and made no apologies for it.

Now it has become this foolish psychological game that we all play with ourselves….set the alarm for this time…even though we don’t have to get up until this time…but hit snooze so that we ‘feel’ like we are getting a few minutes more of sleep.

I mean…I could have gotten up when the alarm went off….I slept really good last night.  But oh no….I had to hit the snooze button which would afford me a few more ‘stolen’ moments of sleep.  Of course, I was a bit too heavy handed this AM and well….ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It is all good though.  I will be doing my dance class tonight…and I will have a walk at lunch. So I will be moving…even though in dance I look rather awkward and jerky.  Trying to find my rhythm…..I have to have some…somewhere.  It has peaked out a few times as it did at the drumming class.  So the quest continues.

My run was decent last night.  I have to ensure that I have carbs for lunch on the days that I run, however, as I started to run out of steam near the end.  I only had soup and crackers for lunch….so I really need to be mindful of that.  It was a beautiful crisp night to be running and my pace was pretty decent.  As stated in previous posts, I am really focusing on my form and keeping my back straight…head up…using my arms.  After the run, Lara discussed core exercises with us and we covered the different types of plank positions and bridging and a few others and she talked to us about breathing exercises and pelvic floor muscle exercises as well.  The importance, as well, of having a strong core and how it will improve your overall stamina when running.

It’s funny…I know a few runners who don’t work out.  They simply run and they always seem to be coming into injuries.  I have been very fortunate in this regard.  If I can remain vertical and no attempts at body surfing are made, then I have been incredibly fit with no injuries.  My knees are holding up pretty good and any pain that exists has in fact lessened as the weight has come off.  I have found that Yoga in particular really helps with relieving any pain or stiffness I might feel and again I attribute this more to my condition rather than what the actual run or exercise session will make me feel.  I like feeling ‘tight’  but I also know that I don’t want to feel too ‘tight’.  Then I could be open for injury.

The rain has returned to the West Coast…but that’s okay.  It can’t be sunny everyday.  If it wasn’t quite so cold out…I wouldn’t even mind getting caught in the rain….but that’s another story altogether.

As for the alarm?

….to be continued.

Have a great day!

As I was getting ready for work after exercising, I was thinking about some of the things I have learned in running with this clinic.  One was the heel to toe ratio on running shoes.  When I first started with the clinic I went out and purchased a pair of NIKE shocks.  I ran in them for about 2 weeks.  Thought I was going to have to amputate.  My shins would just be killing me….my feet would be sore.  I figured this was just part of getting back into running shape.  I was sitting in the store…..I usually arrive early….and I started to talking to one the staff members there.  I told him that I was having all kinds of pain and he looked at my shoes and said that shocks were not very good for running in.  In fact, they could do a lot of damage because of the heel to toe ratio.  I was quite surprised…and so we began the process of fitting me for another pair of shoes.  He got me to walk back and forth in my socks and really took note of my foot fall.  Off he went…he brought down two pairs of shoes.  Both incredibly comfortable but the ASICS Nimbus were just a dream.  So I purchased those.  I never had any pain in my shins after that and the only thing my muscles really felt was fatigued…which they should to some degree after you have run a long distance.

I am currently running with New Balance 890′s.  They are 30% lighter and I do notice a huge difference when I start to get tired…not having as much weight on the feet really does have an impact.

I was finishing up my makeup…and lo and behold yet another hair popping out of my chinny chin chin.  What’s up with that?  Man, you start to get a little older and the body just seems to start having all these inordinately strange things happen to it…and it just starts to do really odd things.  I wondered if I should let the hair grow REALLY long and then I could sit there and play with it and twirl it around my finger and really annoy people.  Everyone would likely want to pluck it.  I can see myself running with this one long strand of white hair trailing in the wind.

Could be dangerous, though, what would happen if it got caught up in some branches…so I plucked it.  Nuff said about that.

I left the gym and headed over to get my morning java from Delaney’s.  Cleo was in her usual place.  Cleo is a golden retriever.  She is one of many dogs I have gotten to know over the past few years who hang out in front of the coffee shop.  Their owners are in having coffee and the dogs congregate out front adamant that you pet them before entering the store and as you are leaving as well.  So of course, I have gotten to know them all on a first name basis.  It was drizzling this morning so Cleo was the only one there.  She is getting on in years….she is lame in one foot.  But she lifts her head and gazes at me with those big brown eyes….

What is it that makes us talk baby talk to animals?  I just turn to mush and give her a good scratch and discuss the weather and my political views with her and the state of the world.  Cleo just listens…and is always very thoughtful in her in her reply.  Woof!   And you know….she just makes so much sense and I tell her that I agree completely.  I go in and get my coffee and say my’ good-byes’ and that I will see her tomorrow…and I note that Cleo also has white hair growing out of her chin.  I smile thinking that perhaps we are not so different after all.

Hmmmm….Cleo would look funny if she plucked her white chin hair…..I laugh to myself.  Funny the odd little random thoughts that run through our head at any given moment.  So I wll start my work day now.

May all of you enjoy your day.

The clock slipped past the midnight hour…and anxiety started to set in.  No, no…don’t do this now I tell myself.  This won’t solve anything.  What, I think to myself, if I cannot sleep….I will be a mess tomorrow.  I calm myself and finally somewhere around 12:30 AM I am successful and drift off.

I made it to the gym…had a decent work out.  I am down 1.8 lbs.  in just over a week.  So I will modify a few things as I want to see the 2 lbs. per week…but I am close to being on track.  Also, I am not yet doing my full work out regime so once February kicks in I should be at full capacity in that regard.  The knee is feeling pretty good…the only tender spot as I stated is the scrape on the knee which is shrinking quite a bit each day.  I guess what I don’t like is the discoloration.  It really looks ghastly having run down the shin and calf the way that it has.  And the bruise on my stomach…weird.   It is raining and while I started off with the hair thing looking pretty good…it has rolled over and is currently playing dead.  I will likely have to bind it behind my head at some point when I can no longer stand to look at it.  (For those of you who would like further information about my hair…please read the blog “You know you need a haircut when…”).

It is the beginning of a new week.  The beginning of a New Moon.  The beginning of New Lunar Year on the Chinese calendar.  The beginning of the Year of the Dragon.  I am wearing red in honour of the occasion and will be attending a New Moon meditation this evening.  Perhaps it will give me some insight into the ‘quiet mind’ that I was certainly seeking last evening.  And yes, I know there is no ‘wrong’ way to meditate…but I was thinking last night…as I was trying to meditate and calm the mind and the thousand thoughts that were racing through…what if you have your thoughts straying in several directions?  How do you pull all of that back and try to empty it out?  Hmmmmm…..well, I guess I will just have to keep trying.  It should be good to have the additional energy of others around me who are able to achieve this state…perhaps I will absorb some of this energy.

So a very Happy Lunar New Year to everyone!  Enjoy your day!

- Romaine lettuce hearts (tear up into the bowl)

- Tomato (you can add cucumber as well if you wish)

- Mix this with Renee’s Asiago Cheese dressing (about a tablespoon)

- Put on plate

- Pan fry a chicken breast with onion lightly seasoned with Mrs. Dash

- Put on top of lettuce mixture

- Heat up about four small beets.

- Cut them up and put over the chicken.

- Sprinkle with Goat Cheese.

- Enjoy!

This is a very good salad!  Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

If the Yoga class goes well I will go for a run in the morning.

I got up this morning and saw that it had snowed a wee bit over night but nothing major.  I think this week I have been tested or something….for what, I am not too sure.

I got downstairs…into the car.  The FOB would not work on the gate  and I could not get out of the parkade.  The FOB battery was dead…and not showing any signs of life.  Funny, I just bought a new battery over Christmas.  Time for a new FOB I am thinking…this thing is a bit of relic to begin with.  I read the directions for getting out manually.

First instruction said  “Get a ladder…” and I lost interest at that point….but basically you have climb up on a ladder and turn the wheel.  That gate looks pretty heavy to me and I think I would just be tempting fate a bit too much to try such a thing especially with the week that I have had.  Not that I am paranoid or anything.

So I hoisted my gym bag & Yoga mat over my shoulder and hopped on the skytrain.  It was so beautiful everywhere this morning.  It always looks so lovely when fresh snow has fallen.  I love to watch people on transit and so  I just watched as people got on…some read…some listened to music…some just gazed out the window…the guy behind me mumbled the entire way in a language I am not familiar with.  Perhaps it was a mantra of sorts…or perhaps he just likes talking to himself.

If anyone has any other salads or healthy recipes they would like to share with me….by all means….I welcome the information.

Enjoy this beautiful, snowy day everyone.

Alas…the laws of gravity kicked in pretty quickly and of course when the flying thing didn’t work, I thought I would try body surfing on cement.  I think it was the salt that prevented me from being successful in this endeavour.  Suffice to say…a bit of a crash landing.  My right knee got the worst of it and I did break skin.  I am now debating on running over to the clinic to get it perhaps stitched?

Because of the heart medication that I am on…my blood is thinner now  AND I bruise very easily.  Georgia peaches got nothing on me in this regard.  The knee is black and it keeps on weeping blood.  It doesn’t really hurt per se…just a little tender.  I would have hit the gym this morning if the bleeding had stopped…

So I will have to get this under control pretty quickly and carry on with my routine.  The snow is really coming down out there now..so perhaps I will be taking transit this evening and just leave the car here at work.  We will see how this day pans out.

Any of you who thinks perhaps you may want to try flying on your own or body surfing on cement…from my experience I would highly discourage you from attempting this.  Enjoy your day and the winter wonderland out there.

I let out quite a loud guffaw and then laughed in a  rather surprised manner.  It is one of those things you overhear….something about the word ‘boob’ being in a sentence somehow just draws the attention.  So I got to thinking about this most revered part of the female anatomy.  Somewhere in the grand mix everyone wants big ones.  Why…I don’t know.  The female body as a whole is an absolutely beautiful thing to behold.  It also takes many different forms…and so it should.  We have an amazing structure that is not only sensual but life-giving as well.

So I got to thinking about my girls…we have gotten rather attached over the years and at times their demand for attention can be rather annoying.  They have a way of entering a room before I do and at times I think they have misrepresented me.  So every now and again I have to give them a good talking to….now I could have said tongue lashing…but somehow I think that might be taken out of context.  In any case sadly, the girls are finally starting to give in to gravity.

In my youth they were perky little devils.  I used to refer to them as Lethal Weapons 1 & 2.  They liked that.  Found it quite amusing.  They were daring little darlings at that time.  As I got older I tried calling them Thelma & Louise but all they did is fight over who the younger one was….and who got to sleep with Brad Pitt.  So then I just started to call them the girls.  They seem rather ambivalent about this term…but hey, it works.

Funny how now if I bend over the girls’ resemble a couple of cow udders and if I lay down on my back they slide off into my arm pits…sad…very sad.  But fortunately there are bras out there that hoist them back into some semblance of their former glory.

I tell you though, some of the tests that they put the poor gals through these days…is it any wonder that they are traumatized and giving into the elements?  The first time I went for mammogram the nurse told me it would be a little uncomfortable.  Let me tell you…it is a lot uncomfortable.  They take some of the most tender flesh on a woman and proceed to flatten it between two plates of cold, hard, unforgiving sheets of glass.  The nurse instructs you not to breathe.  No worries there…

I understand the need for such tests…but hopefully they will be able to make them more user-friendly down the road because as it stands right now…we are sending the ladies into hostile territory.

They deserve to be cared for as does every other part of the anatomy…but because of their status, they are goddesses in their own right, they need that little extra.

So be kind to your girls…and remember…they are beautiful just the way they are…and just as we all look very different in our own right…the ladies have their own character as well.

And to the young man who took a picture of his ex-girlfriend’s boobs then flashed it all over the place…there is a reason that you are now single.  Delete the picture…try some manners on for size.  You’ll be surprised on how far they may take you.

Utimately I know  when I  need to get a cut….I am trying to do something…anything with it…and while the life in it seems to make a valiant attempt by day’s end it looks like road kill.

So I got up as usual….out the door by 5:00 AM…hit the gym and get my work out on.  I get ready for work and do my hair and I am thinking “Not to shabby today.”  It actually looks relative good and moderately sexy…..(yes, I am bit delusional at times).  So I leave to go and get my morning coffee. On this morning it is particularly windy…quite a bit so actually.  I walk over to Delaney’s and back to my car and in that short span I have gone from looking not too shabby to resembling Thing and the Bride of Frankenstein.  I have hair stuck to my lip gloss….I have tufts of hair sticking straight up at the back.  Small children would run in fright I tell you.

I get to the office and know I will have to get into the bathroom pretty quick to try and salvage some modicum of a professional appearance.  I think it would have been interesting to have taken a picture of me that morning and plugged me as being the modern professional woman.  My receptionist came in and laughed and pointed out that said hair was looking rather ‘odd’ in the back.  So I made it to the washroom and pulled it into a pony tail for the rest of the day…..I need a cut…I know this.

Onto yelp.ca I go….lets try to find something new….I find a little place Eastside Vanity Salon….and make an appointment.  I download a bunch of styles…that in my dreams would make me look fabulous, but alas, with hair such as this any stylist is limited to what they can do.  But I go in with a picture of Blondie’s (Debbie Harry) former hair style.  I go in with a bunch of images.  And I proceed to say…’Can you make me look like this?’  Sarah smiles and says ‘No’.  But we go with a bob….and I have bangs again….hmmmmm.

It has been about 3 weeks now…and I am starting to warm to the cut….I am starting to figure out a few different things that I can do and I don’t look half bad.  Some have told me I look younger….never a bad thing.

I don’t know if this is THE cut that will define my very being….and if I am questioning it…then it likely isn’t….but it is all an exploration is it not?

Being a woman is not an easy thing….and as we age we sometimes find the physical and emotional changes we endure rather daunting…even worse when you live in a society that tells you to look perfect and offers up many ‘unatural’ solutions to keep us looking ‘unaturally’ youthful.  All I ever wanted was great hair…even in my 20′s the hair thing was going on.  So this has been a lifelong dilemma for me.  I am starting to develop the dreaded chicken neck.  (Did you know they have facial aerobics?)  Yes, they do…..so while I am driving to the gym in the morning….I am doing those….I will not have surgery though…..I will keep my sense of humour about this process…because it will happen to all of us.  Aging is not a disease…it is simply a part of life…and yes, in my own rather odd way I am embracing it.

There are many other things in this world that deserve my attention….so I only ruminate on the aging thing once in a while….but like everyone before me and everyone after me…we all want to go through this process gracefully.  And I intend to go through it naturally as well…but I will take care of myself….eat well, exercise, love well….laugh….a lot…cry when necessary…enjoy the human experience with everyone that is along for the ride.  Focus on our commonalities rather than our differences and share this with everyone I come in contact with.

So should you see an aging beauty with hair resembling Thing from the Addams’s Family and a big smile on her face….just smile back and know that she know’s it’s time for a haircut….