Winter Showed Up! Well, Briefly

Is anyone else disappointed at the mild winter we're having? The conditions have been excellent for outdoor running, but it's been pretty lousy for sledding and such.

We were very pleased to get a decent snowfall at the beginning of this week and made sure we took advantage of it before it melted away.

Here's how the week went:

All dog parks should be so fabulous and forested

Saturday - Curves workout followed by a trip to the forest dog park...

Very, very happy girl

 ...and the sledding hills...

C'mon, let's go!

...and then an evening out with my son to cross something off The List:

Hey! Get down from there!

The Harlem Globetrotters! Seeing them live has been on my wishlist since I was a little kid back in the mid-1970s. So you can imagine how excited I was to pick up a couple of tickets on a Groupon deal for this game. And it was just as silly as I expected it would be. Even better that I had a 12-year-old boy to enjoy the show with :-)

Sunday - 1.4K dog walk, a ton of housework, 2K dog park walk...

Walking home from the dog park. Stella loves to stop and play in the snow.
I love to take pictures of her. But you knew that already.

...then later had to use all of my self-discipline to head out the door for C25K week3 run3 (2.4K). I came really close to putting this off until another day, but Stella shamed me into it. Well, actually, she was fast asleep on the floor - all 4 legs twitching in a doggy dream, drooling - but jumped up like a shot when I happened to walk near the front hall. I figured that if she could be raring to go so quickly after being so heavily asleep, then I could put a little effort into my evening. Whatever gets you out the door, I guess.

And that led me to my first experience with running on snowy sidewalks. What a workout!

Believe it or not, I am glad that I am doing this run

Post run. Had to wake her up to go to bed.

Monday - Curves + boot camp #13 (2 mins speed skating, 1 min jumping jacks, 60 leg lifts each side, 200 crunches, 30 squats + 90 arm curls with 8 lb weights, 2 x 35s planks). Followed by a slow 250m in the pool.

Tired. Very tired. But just remembered that tomorrow is REST DAY and managed a small smile.

Tuesday - Ow, my butt. Hobbling around like an old woman after last night's boot camp.

Wednesday - My butt is still tight, but I got in my C25K run - Week 4, Run 1: run 3mins, walk 90sec, run 5 mins, walk 2-1/2 mins, repeat. Covered 2.9K. I have never, ever run 5 continuous minutes before in my life. So, I am spending tonight patting myself on the back. Repeatedly.

Thursday - 2.8km walk during the day. Zumba + Curves workout + boot camp (2 mins speed skating, 110 leg lifts each side, 100 situps with 8lb medicine ball, 200 crunches, 50 squats, 100 arm curls with 8 lb weights). Holy moly.

Friday - PA Day for the kids and I took the day off work. Spent a verrrrry lazzzzzzy day but did get them to the park for a couple of hours, and did C25K week 4 run 2 before bed. Not a bad way to spend a day.

How was your week?

February Funk

Just like clockwork, I was hit hard by the February Funk this week. Looks like I'm not alone; I'm seeing similar sentiments coming from other bloggers. What it is about February? Is the dreary weather getting to us? Is there something magical about being 6 weeks into the new year, or 6 weeks after Christmas?

I don't know. I do know that the cure for this is to eat well and stay active - but my motivation to eat well and stay active is slipping this week. Seriously slipping.


Winter Carnival and curling on the lake - February 2011

We had fun at both ends of the week, but even so this funk has got me firmly in its grips. Doesn't help that both kids have been sick back-to-back, my husband is away on a (rare) business trip and it's been close to impossible to get out to exercise. Can't leave sick kid to go to the gym in the evenings, and working from home while minding that same kid means I'm not able to power walk and do stairs during the workday. Sure, there's ways to exercise at home, but home is where I feel sluggish.

I think Pa says it best -take a minute and give this a read: 

http://padoeslife.tumblr.com/post/3223948908/winter-reflections-continued

I have been diligent about logging everything I eat on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ every single day, so at least I can see how far off track I get every day. Surprisingly, it's usually not as bad as I feared, and usually within the range to maintain my weight. I am spending a lot of time fighting off the urge to completely overindulge though.


The good news? The St. Pat's 5K is coming up fast and I've challenged my son to do a 100 Days to 100 Pushups Challenge with me. Makes us giggly, which is a good thing.

Here's to moving through February and getting our heads on straight!



Hahaha - Ice Jail! February 2011



Here's a recap from this week:

Saturday - Curves in the AM including my daily pushups (11 + 26), then out of town to my mom's for the weekend. Took the kids to the Winter Carnival - playing in the ice castle, sliding around on the frozen lake, general playing in the snow.

Sunday - Still at my mom's. Back to the Winter Carnival for the petting zoo, kid skidooing and general playing in the snow. Pushups when we got home in the evening (12 + 28) and practiced Zumba in the family room.

Monday - Didn't sleep well last night. Skipped the stairs, no lunchtime walk. Did manage the daily pushups though (13 + 30).


Tuesday - Home with a sick kid. Pushups: 14 + 32 (OUCH)

Wednesday - Home with a sick kid. Pushups: 0. Crawled into bed with the kids and a DVD at 7pm.

Thursday - Home with a sick kid. I love him and everything, but this is really losing its charm. Pushups: 0

Friday - Kids and I are off on a PA day, and it's my daughter's birthday! My son is still sick but is finally feeling well enough for a change of scenery. Went to Riverdale Farm for some fresh air and to visit the animals. A few of the ewes had lambed recently, and we had a good laugh watching the lambs bounding around their pen and come running every time their mother called for them. Went to my sister-in-law's for dinner afterwards. My daughter and her cousin put on a disco dance party for us, and my SIL + MIL and I took the dog for a 2K walk afterwards. Nice way to end a difficult week.

What I'm reading this week: Not a single thing. Couldn't even keep up with the newspaper.


Bouncy and happy - new lambs! February 2011

Winter Fun

OK - this was seriously fun. The Kortright Centre put on a dogsledding & winter fun weekend and you'd better believe that we got ourselves over there. Spent the better part of a day there, watching dog sled races, petting a ton of Huskies, showshowing, having hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows over a bonfire, going for rides on a dogsled and sledding down the hills. Fun, fun, fun - and the kids got to knocks a few things off their lists!



MUSH! January 2011

It was amazing to watch the Huskies before their races. Every single dog was practically vibrating with energy, eager to get out on the course. Lots and lots and lots and LOTS of barking. One of the handlers told me that his family has about 14 dogs on 100 acres, and carves a 15-mile track in the snow every winter for them to run and race. Says that they are happiest when the temperature falls below -20, that he can see them actually grinning when they're out in the weather that they were bred for.  

One of the things that I love about living in this climate is having such a variety of seasonal activities. Can't go dog sledding in California! (or can you?)

Saturday - Curves in the AM; walked the kids down to the community centre & back (1.1K) and went swimming for 90 minutes. 

Sunday - Dogsledding, snowshoeing. So fun.

Jen Goes Snowshoeing - January 2011. Haven't done this since, oh, Grade 7?

Monday - Quick walk and stairs to 7 at lunch. Curves after dinner. Came home to find out that Ben, Jed and Pa are going to Do Life in Toronto this summer!!!!! All 4 of us are planning on doing their 5K, just waiting for them to set the date. My kids are just as excited as I am. Hope I don't swooooon when I meet the Davis boys. My husband is completely prepared for me to make a fool of myself.

Tuesday - Stairs to 7 in AM, power walk at lunch (about 1.5K) with Lynda.

Wednesday - Snow day! Kids had the day off school and had a ton of fun while my husband and I tried to work from home.

Thursday - Power walk at lunch (about 1K) + stairs to 7 at lunch, Zumba Curves after dinner. Snuck my daughter in...she's been begging to come...!

Friday - Stairs to 7 in AM; 1.4 power walk outside at lunch. Chilly day!

What I'm reading this week - Never Change by Elizabeth Berg, and Dead Until Dark - the first 'Sookie Stackhouse' book by Charlaine Harris.

It Snowed!

Winter in Toronto is brief. December is usually pretty mild, we usually have a light dusting of snow in time for Christmas, and then the snow finally shows up sometime in January...just to melt by March 1st.

I grew up a bit north of the city, where snow showed up just after Halloween and hung around until well after March Break. A few snow days were guaranteed every year. Don't get that around here. In 8 years of school, my kids have had exactly 1/2 of a snow day, and fantasize about what life in snowier regions must be like. We were at my parent's house this past Mother's Day (May 10) and a blizzard showed up - my kids were thrilled!

Sledding day at High Park - January 2011


What are your favourite outdoor activites in the winter? We've never really gotten into skiing but we take the kids sledding and skating as often as we can. They both want to go snowshoeing and I'm regretting not having bought a Living Social deal I saw before Christmas to rent & get lessons for cheap.

Here's a recap from this week -

Saturday - Curves workout followed by short power walk (<1K) and snow shovelling. IT FINALLY SNOWED!

Sunday - Took the kids sledding for about 90 minutes. Went down the hill myself a bunch of times - which meant going back UP it a bunch of time. So much fun!

Monday - Stairs to 7 in AM; Curves workout after dinner.

Tuesday - Recovery day. My knees are tired - the trainers at the new Curves work me harder than at the old club. :-)

Wednesday - Nothing. Snowstorm made me late for work, busy day kept me at my desk all day. Didn't even have time for the stairs. Uck. Good news - Zumba Curves tomorrow!

Wait - if you haven't heard of Zumba or how Curves is working it into their circuit training, check out this video (1 minute):



Thursday - Stairs to 7 in AM, 1.2K power walk at lunch, 0.5K quickie walk after work, then 40 minutes of Zumba and 1/2 of a Curves circuit after dinner. Just a thought - I have GOT to get a pedometer!

 
Zumba was so, so fun! Good and sweaty. Salsa, merengue, samba...took some time to figure out the routines and how to be light on my feet - but I didn't step on anyone! Looking forward to next Thursday's class. Actually found myself doing some of the steps in PharmaPlus afterwards when I was shopping for milk and pencils (wow - what an exciting shopping list). Fortunately the store was pretty empty at the time, so the only person who saw me would have been whomever was watching the security cameras.

Friday - Stairs to 7 in AM and again at lunch. Feet are tired today after Zumba. Time has come to replace my old gym shoes. They are still looking good but are embarrassingly old. Let's see how the new ones do at Curves tomorrow.

What I'm reading this week - At Close Range, short stories by E. Annie Proulx - one of my favourite authors.
 

New sneaks - January 2011 - How do you pose your shoes for pictures?



In Which We Go Ice Skating a Lot

 

Perfect day for skating - December 2010

We're on vacation for the next 10 days - how sweet! The craziness of past few weeks is behind us - HOORAY. We're planning on resting and relaxing and skating and (if the weather cooperates) sledding and celebrating Christmas with our family. Nice, nice, nice.

About skating. Did I tell you that I used to be afraid of skating? I used to feel really unsteady on my feet and didn't like the out-of-control feeling. Or the falling. It occurred to me this week that although I'm not terribly skilled, that I'm not afraid anymore. Helps that I'm lighter and stronger and have the world's most comfortable skates - but I'm also generally more confident now.

This week, I worked my way up to gliding on one foot with the other off the ice and bent up behind me. And then managed to do that with my OTHER foot too. Had some fun talking myself into that one: "Nothing bad is going to happen if you take your left skate off the ice. Honestly. Trust me! Nothing bad happened when you took your right skate off this ice, now did it? OK - NOW DO IT" And I did! Slowly, slowly breaking out of my comfort zone.

Here's a recap from this week:

Evening skating at our local rink - Dec 2010
Pic taken by my daughter

Saturday - Curves workout in the morning. The four of us took my daughter to her last gymnastics class of the season, then over to our local bakery for hot chocolate and coffee. Bought a few groceries from the Italian market next door - home-marinated artichokes, warm ciabatta, pesto, pizza dough, a lovely rustic tomato basil sauce and some beautiful tomatoes, beans and broccoli. Lunches and dinners this weekend are going to be lovely! Spent the evening at the Christmas pageant / party for our son's Scout's troupe. Went on until midnight as usual - at least we were prepared for that this year.



Sunday - Laaaaazy morning, then met friends at a new outdoor skating rink in the west end. Absolutely perfect day for outdoor skating!

Monday - Ran a few quick errands with the family before the stores get crazy later in the week. Mild weather meant I could ride my bike to Curves and back (5K) for a workout in the afternoon. Took the kids skating after dinner. So proud of them both - we haven't been skating since March and they are doing amazing. My son's a decent skater and is teaching himself speed skating and snowplowing. My daughter falls a lot but is learning so quickly. By the end of our skate yesterday, she was back to where she was in March. By the end of today, she was able to skate the length of the rink without falling!

Tuesday  - Lazy morning then out for a few errands - including the very last of the Christmas shopping. Stayed home to wrap gifts while my husband took the kids skating. Realized that I've overbought for one kid and underbought for the other. Shoot.


Harbourfront Centre - December 2010

Wednesday - Finished the Christmas shopping (for real this time) and hit the gym. The kids talked me into making latkes with dinner and ohhhh I ate too many. Good thing I only make them about once a year.


Had an 'aha' moment this evening reading a post over at 5-4-3-2-1. Cara, the author, is suffering from sprains and strains in one of her feet that have derailed her plans to run a marathon before the end of the year. The good news - she's come back fighting with a recovery and training plan. The part that really got my attention was her comment, 'I'm sure a main cause of this injury is being a still-overweight person who runs 20-30 miles a week'

Aha! Maybe that's why my knee acts up now and then. I may feel strong, energetic and invincible - but I AM carrying 40 or so extra pounds, and they're with me up the stairs, on power walks around the block and at the gym. I'm thinking that it's time to break out of the comfortable plateau that I'm on and start shrinking again.



Doing Life at Harbourfront Centre - December 2010

Thursday - Skating again, this time at Harbourfront Centre down beside Lake Ontario. Skated for close to 2 hours. Took pics of the kids wearing their 'Do Life' t-shirts and sent them on to Ben. He asked permission to write a post about it - check it out over here!


Friday - Christmas Eve! Power walked around the neighbourhood with the kids, delivering cards and cookies. We're heading to a family party this evening, then home to set out milk & cookies for Santa.

Merry Christmas everyone!

What I'm reading this week: Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield, about an 11-year-old boy living in Kabul after the fall of the Taliban. Very, very illuminating about what life is like in Afghanistan at present.