I'm Very Proud!

Of my husband Scot, that is.

After two years of hard work, he and his business partner Ray have finished Baby Gizmo, a video series they developed for infants right through to school aged kids!



I should give you a bit of background about this. A few years back, Scot got laid off from the high tech company he worked for and was faced with the question of what to do next. Like most people would, he put out his resume everywhere and he got a few offers, but for jobs that he knew he would be unhappy doing. So instead, he and a former co-worker decided to form their own company. That decision came at a risky time because I was just starting my PhD program and could at best only take a part time job, which I did. I felt this was something I could do to help support his dream and I thought it was important that he worked at something he loved rather than hated. As with any new business, there were ups and downs along the way. He and Ray built this business from scratch and that involved a lot of research, time and sacrifice (on both of our parts). And as you can imagine, working pretty much only off a a part time salary when you have two kids is NOT easy! In fact, it has been anxiety provoking for me at times. BUT, seeing the end product of what they have worked so hard on has me excited and I can't wait to see how it will do. If you are interested in seeing a demo of what they have done, check out their website: www.baby-gizmo.ca

On the fitness side of things, I have been in training the last two days at work and was no where near my gym. However, I knew this going into the week, so I have been subbing my gym workouts with jogs at home. It's weird though 'cause it's like my body is craving to get back into the gym and lift some weights. In fact, I've kinda felt "blah" the last couple of days and I have a feeling it's because of not going to the gym. Can't wait to get back in tomorrow! We had catered lunches at these trainings and for the most part, I was good, though I did have a couple of little desserts (yummy!). There were surprisingly quite a lot of healthy choices which made it a bit easier. Weather wise, we have hit double digits these past few days which has made it easier to commit to jogging!

Chocolate Enemy #1: Cadbury Easter Cream Egg

Why are these damned things so good? Maybe it's the association with those cute bunnies on the commercials?

I remember the days when these things hit the store only at Easter time. Now, they're out pretty much right after New Years Day until Easter (and then for the post-Easter sales. Mmmm!!!). I had my first one of the season this past week. Scot knows how much I love them so he got me one and how could I say no? OMG was it good! That's not to say I haven't been eyeing them longingly whenever I see them at the store. Somehow I've not bought a single one myself yet. Other years, I would buy them anytime and sometimes I ate 2 or 3 in one sitting (disgusting or what?!) So yes, I am an easter creme egg nut but damn it, I'm fighting the cravings this year no matter what!

So as planned, Mariette and I went to the gym this week and even though she doesn't think so, she did great! I told her she'll catch up with me in no time because I can tell she is the type who puts on muscle easily. Best part is she had fun and is thinking of getting a membership. So maybe I'll having a training buddy some of the time. I don't mind working out by myself, but it's fun to have someone there sometimes too. That would give me a chance to try some of my exercises with heavier weights which I don't always do by myself if I don't have someone to spot me.

In other news, my friend Randy has been following Don Lemmon's Know How program for over a year now and he has achieved some amazing results. It's kind of funny because about a year ago, I ran into him at my old gym after not having seen him in years and he had just started up this program. I saw him as the months went on and it was really cool to see how well he was doing. Check out his website: http://www.thefatlosssecret.com/ It has his before and after pics and talks about the Know How Program. Actually, when he told me about this stuff last year, that's what inspired me to start lifting as heavy as I could and to move up in weight when 10 reps became too easy. And I have to say, I definitely noticed the muscle gain!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Tension is a Brewin'

As you might remember, back in December, the agency I work at had a round of layoffs which luckily I wasn't affected by. For the people who were cut, they were given 3 months working notice so that they would officially leave by March 31. Well, March 31 is a comin' and things couldn't be more tense around work. Quite frankly, those who are leaving disengaged themselves from things quite awhile back, but you can definitely see the stress on their faces as they try to wrap everything up and it has caused a lot of confusion for staff in terms of who to report to about important issues and stuff like that. What really pissed me off the other day had to do with one of my coworkers who had some reports she had due from the Fall that I was supposed to sign off on and include my clinical impressions of the kids. She had told me back in December that she was definitely going to finish all of that. Well, I asked her this past Wednesday whether she had some of them for me so I could finish them up and she told me flat out that she's not going to do them. Well, these reports have to get done one way or the other because we have a ministry inspection coming up for that program in May. That probably meant that the reports would fall on my shoulders. Grrrrr!!!! I thought to myself that there was no way in hell I was going to take on someone else's reports when I'm already behind on my own so I spoke to the executive director about the situation and made it clear that I would not have time to do these reports before the May inspection. Luckily, she completely understood and said she would speak to my coworker about it. So, I may have made a new enemy this week. In the past, I would have shut up about something like that and then been really pissed as I rushed like a fool to do the reports. Not this time, though. Had to take a stand.

Awesome workouts this week. I didn't get the morning runs in because that beautiful weather we had on Saturday did not last. It's actually been quite chilly this past week. Still planning to do them when the weather gets better though. So, my runs were HIIT treadmill runs. I do my weights first and then finish up with a 20 min. run. For all three of my runs this week, I burnt somewhere between 303 and 311 calories-in 20 minutes, remember! My body starts screaming at me to stop at around the 12 minute mark, but I keep telling myself to hold on and then I get to that 20 before I know it. Tomorrow should be fun because my friend from work is coming to the gym with me. I got a free guest pass in the mail since I am a member so I thought it would be fun to bring a training partner. She told me she hasn't done weights in awhile, so I'll take her through my routine and make her work EXTRA hard, right Mariette?! Heh, heh, heh!

Spring is in the Air!!

It was 10 degrees outside today!! I know, I know, for some of you that's freezing compared to the temps you're getting these days but in my neck of the woods that's warm! I just got back from a walk with Scot and the kids and I couldn't help but feel a little bit of Spring Fever. Got a good little interval workout in too because Kyle wanted to race me several times. I think he's got a bit of his mom's competitive spirit in him! The roads are nice and dry and I'm thinking it may be time to start doing some early morning outdoor runs. I've never been good with getting myself up early in the morning, so it will be a challenge. But really, there would be no better way to start the day by getting energized like that. Added with my lunch time workouts, I would probably see even bigger results than I already have.

Workouts this week were good. Monday was UBWO and treadmill run. Wasn't able to do an unassisted pullup, but I haven't given up. Tuesday was 45 min. interval spin class. Wednesday was LBWO and elliptical. Thursday was supposed to be workout #4, but I ended up working at home that day since we got some lovely freezing rain, so I wasn't able to make it to the gym. Friday was not a formal gym workout, but I ended up doing lots of walking since I went to school. I park off campus, which means I get a good little walk in, plus save some money since a parking pass at the university costs an arm and a leg. Eating was so-so. Not great, but not terrible either. What's interesting though is that since I started increasing the intensity of my cardio a couple of weeks ago, I'm actually feeling a lot slimmer. Clothes are fitting a bit better and the body fat according to the scale is a little lower on most days even though the pounds are not much different. So I know I'm going in the right direction. I'm convinced that if I start those morning jogs it's gonna happen faster. I just need to get the motivation up to start.

So overall, not a terribly exciting week, but at least I'm still keeping on track. Kyle's March Break is this upcoming week, so I'm looking forward to spending a little more time with him on the days I'm not at work.

Later all!

How Dodgy are You?

Hey all,

Got this quiz from my friend Kristin.

Ever wondered how much of a criminal you really are? Or rather, how much of one you would be if you lived in the UK? Take the quiz and find out. Some of this stuff is hilarious! My results say that I'm "Dubious" and could get up to 5.5 years in prison!

Here's the link: http://www.thesite.org/flash/dodgy.html

I'll be back later today or tomorrow to update on my week...

New Arms and New Hair

It's been another great workout week. Tuesday was my best day with a 45-min interval spinning class. It was literally 1 minute full intensity and 1 minute rest for the entire 45 min. My heart rate was up in the 170's/180's for almost the whole time. Killer!! I thought there was no way I would have it in me to do upper body after that, but not only did I manage, it was my best arm workout to date! I upped the weight on almost all of my exercises and I got down to 30lbs assistance on pullups! And it felt easy!! I guess I got a little cocky after that because I started thinking, "If I can do 30lbs, I can probably do at least one unassisted." I put that theory to the test at the end of my workout and went back to the pull up machine. My heart was pounding as I set it up without any assistance and I was really hoping this might be it. But, when I tried, I just couldn't quite do it. Very close though! I don't know if I psyched myself out at the last minute or if it was just foolish to try after my arms were exhausted from the rest of my workout (or maybe a little of both). So I think the game plan for next time will be to start with 20lbs assistance and if I can squeak out even 6 reps, I will try the next set without assistance rather than wait until the end of my workout.

I was feeling good about my arms after that workout so I decided to take some pics. I was shocked and really happy to see how much progress I have made! And just to prove it, have a look:


This is the most muscle I have EVER had in my arms! Can you tell I'm proud? I decided to reward myself yesterday for a great couple of weeks with a trip to the salon to get my hair done. I got a good few inches taken off the back and then a little feathering around the face to give my hair some texture. I've got really fine hair, so if I don't cut in some layers, it gets really flat really fast. I was happy with the change. What do you think?


The other cool thing about this week is that I got a draft of my PhD prospectus into my advisor. I have to defend by the end of May, so time is a ticking! I didn't think I would be in the writing phase this early, so that's a good sign because it gives me more time to make changes if I need to. I'm really hoping to be able to graduate in June of 2007, but there's a lot to do between now and then. Just thinking that I could be done by then gives me that excited feeling in the pit of my stomach. But, for now, I've got to focus on the present and work hard to make it happen. My friend Sue is also at the same stage as me and we've decided then when we graduate, we're going to throw ourselves the biggest and best party EVER!! That's gonna be a celebration I tell you!