Focus on me

Before the holidays, I stopped focusing on food and exercise. OK let’s be honest – it was probably way before the holidays. But right before the holidays, I made a deliberate choice to not put a high priority on those areas. I still tried to follow my meal plan and to workout, but I was putting too much pressure on myself trying to meet my obligations in these areas. I became too concerned about what I “should” be doing, and that caused a lot of guilt. (Hello, Catholic upbringing!)

And I’ve done OK with working out. I’ve run a few 5Ks and have made it to the gym 1-2 times per week.

I didn’t win. I’m just happy I finished them!

But I was noticing that my weight was creeping up. Not much, just 5 pounds. But since I was 5 pounds from my goal, I’m now 10 pounds from my goal. And I wasn’t worried because those 5 pounds were added over like 4 months.

I figured I needed to address those last 10 pounds, partially because if I just focused for a short period of time, I could really make a difference. I have one friend who’s lost about 40 pounds in just under a year through diet and exercise. I have another friend who is trying to lose a lot – maybe a 100? – pounds. If they can do it, what excuse do I have?

Plus, I have the motivation of wanting to be in the best shape possible as a dancer. I want to look good on the dance floor. I’ll never look THIN – I’m too curvy for that. But I want to look GOOD while I’m dancing. And being in great shape will help my dancing. That was my motivation for running and losing weight in the first place – dance.

I had worked with Kelly, an awesome nutritionist before. I love her approach – it’s not just about the number on the scale. For her, it’s what your body fat percentage is. For me, it’s that and how my clothes fit.

So I had a few sessions with Kelly on the books still. So I felt like it was time to focus on this again, so I met with her last Monday.

While I have gained weight, the good news is some of it was muscle mass. My body fat percentage went up only about 1%. Yes! Kelly said if I focus on the food (sticking to the plan) and increase my working out, I could meet my goal in about 6 weeks. Which is right about when Showcase is. So that’s perfect.

I had already made my food for the week, so I knew my food was going to be a bit off that first week. But I could do the working out. The goal is 30 minutes of cardio five times a week. OY. For strength training, I’m aiming for 4 times a week. ZOIKES. And none of that counts dance or yoga. With my schedule, that fifth day of cardio will be tough to fit in. Unless I split it in two and did a short run two mornings a week before work. Hmm.

So last week, here is what I did:

Monday: 20 minutes yoga before work, 30 minute run after work
Tuesday: 20 minutes yoga before work, 45 minute dance practice party
Wednesday: 20 minutes yoga before work, 45 minutes of dance practice, 45 minute dance lesson
Thursday: 20 minutes yoga before work, 30 minute run after work, 20 minute strength training, 45 minute dance group class, 45 minute dance practice party
Friday: 20 minutes yoga before work
Saturday: 30 minute run, 20 minute strength training, 45 minute dance group class
Today: 35 minute bike

I DID IT. And I feel GOOD. I think I’m getting to the point that my body really wants to be moving this much. I’m going to try to keep this pace up.

I need your help though: Keep me accountable on food (no treats!) and exercise. I’ll lay it out for you…right now I’m 139 pounds with a body fat percentage of 25.15%. I want those numbers – in particular the body fat percentage – DOWN even though it’s in the healthy range. My BMI is pretty normal too.

Showcase is May 19. Let’s see how far I can get by then.

Weekly roundup

In the last two (sheesh, I’m behind) weeks, I…

*FINALLY shared some of the amazing recipes I’ve made lately, including a super one for homemade peanut cups.

My friend LG read about them and tried them the very next day and loved them.

*Had a book club meeting where we finished “The Count of Monte Cristo”. It was a loonnnnggg book, and I had the abridged version (by mistake.) I’d like to go back and read the full version someday because I do feel like I missed some details. Someday.

*Went for coffee with my niece LB who was home from college for spring break. So fun to see her!

*Enjoyed a very lovely day off, including a long run outside. Well, long for me…about 2 miles. Slow (about 10:45 per mile), but still, I ran them all!

*Was all fancy and had dinner with my friend SH at a private club in St Paul. So posh.

*Saw the hand surgeon about my wrist. Surgery is scheduled for the end of May.

*Had dinner with my friend SP. And we tried a fantastic place for dessert. SO GOOD. And I could feel the diabetes setting in just walking in the door.

*Practiced at the studio. I do dance homework at home, but some things you just need the studio space for. But I hate practicing at the studio. Which is silly and ridiculous but true. My friend SH feels the exact same way, except I don’t think she practices at home. So we made a pact to meet at the studio once a week to practice. We did it last week for the first time, and it was great. Like having a workout buddy but with dance.

*Caught up with the fabulous KB over coffee. Alas, it was way too short – we didn’t cover everything!

*Took a knitting class with DF. It was great because she had never knit, and I learned some basic things (cough cough cast-on) that I never really learned properly.

*Had Easter dinner with the family.

PB all the way

There has been a trend to my baking lately, without my even trying.

PEANUT BUTTER.

I love peanut butter. Especially with chocolate. You know I’m not much of a sugar person; give me salt! But peanut butter and chocolate…just can’t beat that combination.

A while ago, I made these buckeye brownies from Brown-Eyed Baker. They were amazing. My roommate still talks about them. Sadly, though, they didn’t really last long enough to take pictures of them.

Then a few weeks (months?) ago, my friend KB talked about these homemade peanut butter cups she made. Homemade? With salt? I had to try the recipe. So I got the recipe from the blog she found it on and tried it.

Bite-sized amazingness.

The recipe used full-size muffin liners; I made them mini-muffin size. The chocolate part didn’t quite work for me, I think because I used skim milk. So I remade them and this time just used melted chocolate. I should have added some cream, but they were fine without it.

Then I saw a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction that I had to try. Especially since my roommate pinned the same recipe because she wanted me to make these.

Amazeballs.

They were great. A huge hit at book club. I made them smaller than the recipe said to, and they worked out great.

Three fantastic recipes that use peanut butter. All of them so very good. And easy too.

Great, now I’m hungry for a Reese’s.

Weekly roundup

Last week, I…

*Got a Kindle Fire!

And it’s awesome.

*Went to the doctor and learned I need to have hand surgery soon to remove a cyst on my wrist. Luckily it shouldn’t interfere with my life too much. But still annoying. I find out more next week.

*Waged war on the mice.

Cotton balls with peppermint oil on them in tea defusers. And dryer sheets. Our house smelled like peppermint linen for a while. Then the smell dissipated, and we saw signs of the mice again. So more peppermint oil, more dryer sheets, and refresh both more often.

*Had dinner with MH and heard about her amazing trip to Belize.

*Saw “Searching for Sugar Man” with SP. It is a great movie – well deserving of the Oscar it received. Go see it. And then go listen to the music.

*Made these…

More on those soon!

*Finished “The Great Gatsby” for book club.

Weekly roundup

So last week, I…

*Ran outside for the first time in a long time to prepare for a 5K. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Except for when the jog interval on the program I used started over halfway through. And I ended up running for 50% longer than I had planned to.

*Babysat for a friend. And learned very interesting things from the oldest child.

*Saw this fantastic picture on the Facebooks and remembered that we’re all awesome in different ways.

*Gave up on online dating.

*Had great dance lessons. So much progress still being made. Did lots of dance homework too.

*Declared war on the non Gus-Gus mice in my house.

*Ran a 5K! In 36 minutes – the exact time of the last one. Except that this means I was faster than before, because we lost about 2 minutes traipsing through a snowbank to walk around a ginormous puddle.

*Did a dance group class and a lesson after the 5K. Yep, met my quota of physical activity that day.

*Had brunch with KC. (No sunshine band, though.) We tried a new restaurant that was so good. So yummy. Must go back soon.

*Made these:

Homemade peanut butter cups. SO GOOD. More on these soon!

*Realized that my body now wants a certain level of physical activity. Whoa, that’s new.

All in all…a very FANTASTIC week!

Football and snacks

Super Bowl Sunday. A great day in America. Good football…and great snacks.

I was planning to stay home this year to watch the game. My roommate is rather indifferent to football, so to appease my guilt in wanting to use the TV for something she wasn’t terribly into, I offered to make snacks. We’re all about the snacks here.

The smart bloggers had been posting game day snacks all month long. I just chose two that seemed awesome.

First up, bacon wrapped water chestnuts from the Girl Who Ate Everything. She’s one of my go-tos for food ideas, and I don’t think she’s ever let me down. These were AMAZING. Water chestnuts that marinated overnight in a garlic, soy sauce, vinegar goodness. Then wrapped in bacon. Then dipped in BROWN SUGAR and baked. Oh man. So good. So easy, and so rewarding.

Next, baked mozzarella sticks from the Comfort of Cooking. These were probably the easiest thing I’ve ever made. Baked not fried, so we didn’t need to feel guilty. Well, any more guilty than we already felt. Cheese dipped in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs. Baked until golden and oozing. So amazing.

All in all, a great success, even if I do say so myself. And the game was pretty good too.

I got nothin’

It’s been a busy day. And all day, ideas of blog posts kept popping in my head.

And now I can’t remember a single one of them. Damn.

So I’ll leave you with a freakin’ awesome looking recipe my friend KB posted on FB:

Image courtesy of chow.com

lemon ricotta pancakes. MUST TRY.

You know the whole T-Rex-has-short-arms thing makes me laugh out loud.

Yep, still laughing.

And a picture of my dog because I’m missing him tonight.

That is all.

Here’s hoping I remember what those amazeballs blog post ideas were!

White cupcakes aren’t bland

My coworker’s birthday was Tuesday. I like my coworker, so I wanted to do something to celebrate, especially since he took me to lunch for my birthday.

I thought about making a cake but he’s rather particular on his baked goods. For cakes, he only likes white cake with white frosting. YAWN. But it is his birthday, so I thought I’d try it.

Taking a whole cake to work seemed a bit over the top, so I made cupcakes. That way, I could take him a couple and take the rest to the studio for the New Year’s party. I found a recipe in my grandmother’s recipe book, so I thought I’d give it a go. If they didn’t turn out, no one would know. The beauty of surprises.

I was expecting a flavor like a store-bought cake or a cake mix, which were the only white cakes I’ve ever had. And this as nothing like that. It has an amazing flavor, very light and airy. The frosting I used was just the regular Betty Crocker recipe (powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla.)

I thought that white cupcakes with white frosting might be a bit bland for most people, so I sprinkled some crushed candy canes on top of the ones not going to my boss.

I really need to not use my iPhone to take food pictures. But try the recipe…it really is fantastic.

***
White Cake
2.5 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
1/2 cup butter
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cake pans. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the milk, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, the vanilla and the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour. Fold in the egg whites last. Spread in prepared cake pans.

I baked the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, so I’m guessing cake layers would take maybe 5 minutes longer? Just keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Time to refocus

I like New Year’s because it’s a chance to refocus. I don’t like resolutions…they sound like work and negative consequences and failure. I prefer to think of it more positively: let’s refocus our efforts as we start a new year.

Unlike Calvin, I’m very aware I’m not perfect. But here are the main things I’d like to refocus on in 2013.

Physical health
I was doing very well for most of 2012, but December was kind of a bust. So, time to get back to the gym three times a week (like I was before). I’ll keep running and do more strength training. I want to continue and increase my morning yoga. It’s such a great way to start the day.

Food
It’s also time to get back to eating healthier, especially now that the holidays are over. (I don’t even want to think about the food I ate in December!) And expand the types of food I cook. Chicken and rice can only be made so many different ways.

Writing
Writing has become very important to me as has this blog. I’d like to write more often and build a consistent schedule of posts. (I’ve been doing well this week, haven’t I?)

Dancing
You know, this has become such an integral part of my life, and I sometimes take it for granted. I want to make it a more deliberate part of my life again, and I want to become a better dancer. I want to dance more – go to more group classes and more parties at the studio. I don’t always make a priority of the group classes, and they are really good and fun to go to. I also want to work on things on my own that I can do on my own, like Cuban motion exercises.

Creative hobbies
I’d like to bake more and try new recipes. Keep going with my grandma’s recipes and try those. I’d like to do more knitting – maybe try mittens – and maybe learn to crochet too.

Relationships
I think I need to take a more active part in dating too. Meaning actually trying to meet people.

Money
I think I have one final hurdle to overcome in terms of managing my money as well as I’d like too. So my goal this year is to tackle that hurdle. If I can do it, I’ll reward myself with some of the money I’ve saved.

Mental health
It’s going to be important to continue to work on avoiding the thinky place. I’ve made great progress, but I still have some work to do on it. I have a feeling this will always be something to work on for me.

***
I guess my ultimate goal is this:

Thanks, Michelle, for the image! It sums up perfectly what I ultimately aim for. That, and to make the day better for people I meet each day.

Here’s hoping 2013 is all that we all want it to be. Cheers!

2012 roundup

2012 was a good year for me.

*I moved out of my parents’ house and back to my beloved city.

*I went to my first Dance-O-Rama. It was a great experience, although difficult at the time, and I can’t wait until I can do another one.

*I had a rhythm dance dress made for me.

*When 2012 started, I was 3 weeks into a new job, which I really liked. And I still like it a lot, and I’m still learning a ton.

*I started knitting much more. And have made some nice things.

*I started running, and ran two 5Ks, including this one.

*I found an old cocktail book and have been making great old cocktails from it.

I did the same with some recipes from my grandmother my dad found.

*I made some crafty things, and they turned out OK.

*My dancing has improved A LOT this year, especially in the last three months.

***
In terms of the goals I made at the beginning of the year:

*Better physical health? Yep. I lost more weight, getting within 10 pounds of my goal. (I have gained 5 in the last month, but we won’t talk about that yet.) I was eating a lot better (until the last month, but we’ll ignore that for now.)

*Better mental health and a most positive outlook? I think so. I’ve tried to be more positive and to not go thinky. A few people have commented that they’ve noticed a difference in my attitude.

*I went to a Dance-O-Rama, I’ve not been as thinky about dance, I’ve done more creative things like baking and knitting, and I’ve continued with my blogging.

***
Speaking of my blog, here are some interesting stats.

*In the past year, most of my views came from the US with England, Canada (Hi DG!), and Australia (Hi KP!) next.

*My most viewed post is one I did on Quicken vs Mint.com, followed by infusing vodka, and pear chocolate cake. Money, alcohol and food.

*The most common search term used that drives people to my blog is “mint.com vs quicken” (or some variation of that) followed by “pear chocolate cake”, and “handle of Svedka”. Money, food, and alcohol. Sense a pattern yet?

***
Tomorrow, I’ll tell you what my goals for 2013 are. Til then, be safe tonight!