I hope your Monday morning started out better than mine. Since I woke up very tired and on the wrong side of the bed, I literally went back to bed and thankfully, the second time, I woke up on the right side. Horray for me (and even more for GMan).

Remember how I mentioned last week that it was a down week for training?  Well I think it was a down week for my eating aswell. As in, I downed way to much junk food. I was craving all the wrong food and foolishly didn’t think twice about eating it. Ok, actually I did but then I ate it anyways. By the way, thanks Mom for sneaking the box of chocolates in my backpack before I left. I found them when I was unpacking…they were really good. Ask Gman, he tried one… or was it two?

I am throwing these sperts of unhealthy eating out the window and welcoming healthy eating (and maybe just a few pieces of dark chocolate) with open arms and a determined mind. I have less than a month until race day and I need and want to get serious. I am going to focus on juicing and making shakes in my one and only.  I’m actually sipping on cucumber, celery and orange juice as I write this. Hey, don’t judge until you try it! GMan also made some cucumber juice on the weekend and it was really good. Definitely going to continue drinking these  aswell. I don’t know about you but the food I put in my body really does effect how I feel. If I eat a healthy dinner the day before a long run (rather than let’s say… a few slices of pizza) I not only run better but feel better in general.

I am super excited to try the samples of Amazing Grass that I got from Lindsay. I love receiving snail mail and was so happy when I received this. She wrote a post about the benefits of Amazing Grass and since then I’ve really wanted to try it; unfortunately I couldn’t find any in my area so she was kind enough to send me a sample.

Thank you Lindsay!!  Whole Foods is definitely not as common here in Canada as it is in the States. I wish it was though.

On Friday I tried the Jillian Michaels – Yoga Meltdown video.

What can I say? Jillian kicked my butt.

Yoga Meltdown has two levels, although, I chose level one with it being my first time and all. I have to say, I was a bit skeptical at first because I am not a big fan of following workout videos.

feel free to make fun of me in any of the following pictures...

It was a good workout and my muscles were burning a bit afterwards, especially my arms and lower back. I have no upper body strength, so I think if I continue to do this a couple times a week I may start to get a hot bod like Jillian, no? I joke, I joke. But I wish, I wish. Once I get more comfortable and used to the positions/moves, I think it will be an even better workout. I will be able to focus on the muscles I’m working rather than worrying if I’m doing it right or not.

I think this video may also help me work on my patience a bit because normally I get frustrated if I miss something or if I can’t do it well. But I am not giving up! I realized that I can hold my balance better on my right foot which is weird since I am left handed. I also realized that I need to strengthen my lower back. You should see how the one girl in the video can arch her back.. crazzzy!

Overall, I enjoyed it and thought it was a good workout. It’s obvious that this video is definitely a good choice for anyone who wants to strengthen and tone. I definitely worked up a bit of a sweat but then again, I normally do sweat buckets. I am going to challenge myself to do this video at least 3 times a week to strengthen and hopefully tone my body overall. Anyone else up for this challenge? I am definitely sticking to level one for awhile until I feel comfortable and feel like I can do the moves half decent. 

no, our couch isn't normally in front of the doorways. GMan was kind enough to move it for me, so I had more space

As Jillian says, “get comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable”. She is a good instructor and really encourages throughout, unlike on The Biggest Loser when she is screaming “LAST WORKOUT… PUSH HARDER!!”

I was right with my assumption in saying this isn’t a zen relaxation yoga video.. but that’s okay. It doesn’t hurt to get a good butt kicking once and awhile, does it?  On Saturday I had a great 10.8km run and could feel my upper back was a bit sore from doing Yoga Meltdown… but it was a good sore.

What do you do to turn a bad day into a good one?
~ Go for a run to try and snap out of whatever is bothering me or have a nap. Naps can do wonders :)

What’s your food weakness: sweet or salty?
~Most definitely, sweets. Although there are times when I crave something salty too.

Happy Friday all! 

Today we woke up to this: 

you can't really tell by the pic but it was snowing HARD and the flakes were BIG.

A snowy blizzard. Oh Canada! What a difference from the last few days. Remember the little adventure I had with GMan? Forget that and welcome back the snow. Today is definitely a day to run on the treadmill. 

So GMan and I thoroughly enjoyed watching American Idol last night. If you ask GMan he may not use those choice of words. Whatever he says, I know deep down he liked watching it as much as I did. Right Baby?! I was happy to see my girl get through. Obviously, I knew she would! Near the end there was a bit of a crisis – “network difficulties – please stand by”  Thankfully it didn’t last long and I got to see the end. 

I made us a snack to eat while we spent “quality time together”. ha! 

Remember, I’m the snacking Princess according to GMan. I beg to differ. Ok, maybe not. But it would be cool to be known as the speedy Princess or something of that sort rather than eating. Don’t you think?  

One can never go wrong with a fruit salad. I cut up some strawberries, an orange, and a few cactus pears, mixed it with a bit of crunchy cereal and pinapple – coconut- banana yogurt. It was SO good. 

The only reason I am going to tell you the following is because I don’t want you to go through the same state of panic or frustration that I did. Capeesh? Capeesh. 

The other day my handsome man made homemade tortillas to have with dinner. The best way for them to stay warm/fresh is to wrap them up in a tea towel. Anyways, when we were ready to eat, he set them directly on our nice hardwood table. Do you know where I’m going with this? We were at the table for probably an entire hour afterwards just talking with the kids and avoiding the dishes. Well, guess what happened?! The moisture from the tea towel took the finish right off the table and left a big white mark. Did I mention it was right in the middle of the table? This Mami was not a happy camper. No Señor. Everytime I would walked by it which was about 2579 times since our place is open concept, I wanted to cry. After a couple days of waking up and the white stain continued to greet me with a big “good morning”, I got some advice from Mr. Google and it worked like a CHARM!! It amazed me. I wish I had pictures to show.. sorry friends. 

We placed a white towel over the stained area and ran the iron over it for about a minute then turned the steam on and continued to run the iron over the stained area. Within a few minutes… BAM! The problem was fixed and no more white spot. The Mami was then a VERY happy camper. You know what they say: Happy wife, happy house, happy husband. The moral of the story is, if this happens to you, DON’T PANIC! Just grab a white towel and the iron :) Just don’t blame me if it doesn’t work though, K? 

. . . .

Check out my YOU + ME page to see one ROCK’N runner who sent me a picture from her favorite race. Want to brag about your accomplishments? Admit it, I know you do!! Check this out and then email me a picture! Don’t be shy :) 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!

What are your plans this weekend?  What fruit do you like to put in a fruit salad?

So big news (that may already be a bit old for some of you) for RadioactiveRunner! Yesterday SkinnyRunner featured me in one of her Cat Lady Blogs (No, I’m definitely not a Cat Lady). I was so happy and it was so awesome to hear from so many of you!!! THANK YOU for all of your kind comments and I can’t wait to learn more about YOU and your story!!!  

I spent the last two nights at my parents place.. we had a quick but nice visit. I had my yearly check up yesterday with my Nuclear Medicine Doctor. It’s crazy to think it’s been three years since I was diagnosed. All is well, and nothing new to report at this time. 

It’s crazy to think about the number of people with Cancer. It actually makes me really sad. Maybe I feel more aware about it since being diagnosed myself but I feel like it’s everywhere; the young, the middle-aged, the old. Thyroid Cancer is now the fourth most common cancer among females in Ontario. Who would have thought? On my parents street alone, there were three women that were diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer (myself being one of them). I find it hard to believe that the Big C is unheard of in some nations. For example, GMan is from Mexico and he says that while he lived there he didn’t hear anything about people having cancer or fundraising for cancer organizations whereas here, I feel like it’s second nature. Why is that?  Not to be all Señorita Negativity but I don’t think they will ever find a cure for cancer. It’s such a huge business and thousands and thousands of people would be out of a job. Although, I do hope someone proves me wrong.

OK, enough serious talk…  

Did you watch American Idol last night? I LOVE that show and look forward to watching it. Last night was so INTENSE!  Between all of the contestants boo-hooing and then J-LO having a cry herself, I was on the edge of my seat. How can Jennifer still look so stunningly beautiful while crying? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty ugly when I cry and my face gets all red and blotchy. I hate how they dragged the walk to the judges on and on and on… Ok, we get it just tell us who made it!!  Do you watch American Idol?  What’s your favorite reality show?  

My favorite contestant so far is fifteen year old Lauren Alaina. She has a powerhouse voice and raw talent.  

This week is a down week in my training plan. Remember what I thought of my last down week? Well this one is different. After my hard run last Saturday I’ve been embracing this time to really focus on actual recovery. Allowing my body to rest and relax, my spirit to re-focus and trying to really focus on the ‘now’. I feel great and each time I think about my upcoming race I get more excited!!  

Tuesday night I took advantage and ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes … it felt good to get the legs moving.  

watching The Biggest Loser and running without falling off the treadmill = talent.

Last night I went to a Zumba class at Good Life with my Madre and sister. I LOVE ZUMBA!!  

Zumba is “an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party”. If the instructor is good it’s awesome, a good workout AND fun! Really though, it feels like an hour of booty shaking- salsa-ing-dancing. Have you ever tried it? If you haven’t, grab a friend and go and let me know what you think!  

awkwardly modeling new workout shirt from Costco. Thanks Mama!

My cute Mom and I before Zumba - take 1

take 2. (Roots grey zip-up is also new from Costco.. it's soo comfy)

I have been wanting to try yoga for awhile now and my awesome Mama bought me Jillian Michaels “Yoga Meltdown” DVD (Thanks Mama!).  I’m looking forward to trying yoga for my first time ever. I thought it would be good for stretching and relaxing on my easy run days.  

Now that I think of it, Jillian is an in-your-face -kick-your-ass kind of girl so I don’t know how relaxing it will be. Uh-Oh. I’ll let you know after I try it.  

Do you ever do workout videos at home?
~I have tried maybe one but normally, I don’t. Maybe I’ll change my mind after trying Yoga Meltdown.  

Are you going to watch American Idol tonight?
~ YES! Of course :)