A Lot About Nothing

So today was the first day I actually used my new (and I say ‘new’ because I haven’t used them since I purchased them 2 months ago) inline skates on the lovely paths of Wilmot Creek Park in uptown Toronto. The weather was great, the paths weren’t that occupied–so they’d be less of a chance of strangers laughing at me if I fell–and I had my all-important wrist guards for safety.

Now I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t fasten my skates up correctly or if I’m just a big cry baby, but my calves and arch of my feet were aching after going up and down a couple of paths. I haven’t ’skated’ since I was in grade school… and even then, I was used to ice skating. I didn’t do too bad. I need to work on my stopping technique though. 10 minutes into the blading I couldn’t slow down after a mini hill and I tried to use those flimsy orange construction fences to brace my fall. I stayed upright though! I’m proud to say that I only fell once, and it was about 4 metres from the car on my way back home. It was a graceful fall, if I do say so myself: I did a sort of 1/2 split in mid-turn in my descent and landed on my bum.

I guess I should’ve listened to my friend and not try to use my brake like I did on some of the gravel that was in the parking lot. Ah, well… practice makes perfect! :D  I think I got a much needed workout today after eating all those Tiny Tom donuts at The Ex last night.  I made some yummy guacamole as a post-workout snack when I got home (recipe coming up next).

Ever since I got my Magic Bullet, I’ve been using it to make delicious, fruit-filled smoothies. Since this is one of the few weekdays I have off from work (and I’m up before 9am), I decided to try a healthy breakfast smoothie to start off my day.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain)
1/2 large banana
5-8 frozen strawberries
1 scoop of whey protein powder
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
2. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

It’s so important that you don’t skip breakfast in the AM, especially if you want to keep fit and healthy. I’ve been guilty of rushing off to work sans breakfast, but now that I’ve started a routine, I’m being careful to make sure that I get some energy in the morning by either making a quick smoothie or having a couple slices of peanut-buttered toast.

My Hip Hop Abs package that I ordered from BeachBody a couple weeks ago, finally got delivered last Tuesday.  I figured I’d “officially” start the my routine today, since it’s a holiday (and I wanted to pig out on ‘bad’ food over the weekend).

I just got through the “Fat Burning Cardio” routine, and I honestly think that if I keep up with the included workout plan every day (using Sunday as a rest day), I think that I can lose some serious poundage in the next couple of months.  The first routine was definitely fun. There’s even some moves that would work well the next time I head out to a club. ;)  The moves are easy to pick up, and Shaun T has the “Secret to Flat Abs” section of his DVD that will help beginners learn the moves to maximize the results.

I’m going to try and stop make excuses for not working out daily… after all, the first routine was only 30 minutes.  I followed that today with a stairclimbing up and down several floors of my apartment.  Trust me… I felt the burn.  Hopefully my metabolism picks up.

I’m gonna go make myself a mango smoothie with some protein powder now, and think about what I’m going to eat for dinner.  KFC is definitely out of the question.

I should’ve gotten a PlayStation and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA instead of Hip Hop Abs. Man, this game is a workout! Just got back home from my sister’s BBQ, and my brother had this game on his PlayStation. I’ve always wanted to try that cabinet arcade version, but I think it slipped my mind that they have an ‘at home’ one (I really need to get back into the gaming scene…)

The low level is pretty easy… but I fathom to think how much game practice a person has to do to get a good score at the advance level (damn those speedy arrows!). The game needs better songs though… (although Fall Out Boy’s “Dance Dance” is one of my favs ) I think I lost all the calories I gained eating all that BBQ! I didn’t even know that the home version has a workout mode to estimate calories burned!

I just wish I can move as good as this kid:

So last night (or rather, this morning at 3am), I did something I swore I wouldn’t do until I got my budget in order: I ordered something online. I know, I know… I need to have self-control when it comes to shopping, but this will be worth it in the long run!

My purchase of Hip Hop Abs was sparked by the fact that I realized I had gained another five pounds, contrary to the fact that I’ve been avidly looking at the labels of all the food products I buy to make sure that the calorie factor is low. I realized that this is not enough, and that I have to stop eating those big, super-late dinners and stop skipping breakfast. Six small meals a day, an active workout, and proper diet will need to be my new plan if I want to tone up and slim down.

I’ve used Turbo Jam actively before. I was religiously following a set regimen for about 3-4 weeks and I noticed that I did lose 5-8lbs. But, alas I abruptly stopped b/c I found I was too tired to work out after I got home from a long day at work. Also adding to the fact that I stopped was that I was noticing my clothes fitting a bit better, and people close to me actually noticed that I looked thinner. In reality the numbers on the scale were going up.

Where is all this weight going?!?! I remember when I was at the doctor’s office earlier this year for my annual physical, the nurse weighed me. Prior to setting foot on the scale I informed her of my timidness b/c the last time I checked I was 180lbs. She’s like, “Nooo! That can’t be right, you don’t look more than 140″. Needless to say, she was shocked when she had to keep tipping the weight on the scale to the right to balance it out. LOL… even my doctor didn’t believe me when I told him how much I weighed (the last time he weighed me, I was around 155). Bah… I guess it could be all muscle. (wishful thinking :D)

Back to my Hip Hop Abs impulse buy: It cost me three easy payments of $19.99 (thank goodness, because I don’t think I would want my credit card to go over the limit again this month ) I even got 10% for using an online coupon. It comes with 4 routines, an extra DVD bonus and a bunch of little extras (nutrition guides and such). I cracked and got the advance DVD’s as well, because I didn’t want to pay shipping again, and they were offering them at 50% off. Yeah, I know that I probably could’ve saved my money and got a bootleg version, but I’m not the pirating type… The infomercial seems kinda typical, but if the routines are followed closely it actually shows results. Just take a look at Rob’s results from doing Turbo Jam. If you’re in the Toronto-area, take some of his Turbo Jam classes… they’re so much fun, and a great workout! I really need to start going to them again.

I’ll keep my eye on the mailbox for my Hip Hop Abs DVDs. I can’t wait to try out the routines! I had some success with Chalene’s Turbo Jam, so with Shaun T’s DVDs, hopefully I can get great results, especially since it’s done to “Hip Hop”. My dancing days may not be over yet!