Thursday, March 22, 2012

I Am So Proud of Myself

There have been a lot of new discoveries and progresses in my life this past week and I am feeling pretty pleased with myself today.

I went for a bike ride on my day off of work (and my scheduled day off of exercise) and enjoyed it. The only reason my ride ended was because the trail was flooded out so I had to turn back and go home. That same day I even considered going out for a second workout to take a run, but it was too close to my scheduled massage (which I missed because my loving husband accidentally took my car keys to work with him - oops).

I got inspired by a friend. I work with this amazing woman who does a job even I do not have the patience nor the mental staying power for and she has been sharing her gym successes with me. The other day she lifted 140lbs!!! Between my work friend and my blog friend Marion I may have to make weightlifting my next goal.

I chatted with a new old guy at the gym! Yay me! I was stretching after my trail run and he asked me how I was doing. We compared notes and he gave me some tips and words of encouragement. If only people my age at the gym weren't so concerned with just themselves my gym buddies could begin to multiply.

Ages ago a blogger friend that mysteriously disappeared from blogworld posted about Bento box lunches. I thought this would be a perfect idea for me as I often only get 10-15min for my two teaching lunch breaks so I tend to "just snack" anyway. Lately I've been coming home with headaches because I'm not eating and drinking enough during the day (yesterday's calorie count was under 500 calories by dinner time). Today I cracked open the Bento style box I bought and packed it with yummy healthy food for lunch tomorrow. Tomorrow is even treat day at work so this is a big ordeal.

Tonight's new dinner recipe to add to my cooking goal is pan fried fresh rainbow trout, broccoli, and a spinach, strawberry, feta, and almond salad with homemade balsamic dressing. Yum!

5 comments:

  1. I had one of those bento lunch boxes. I loved it and was very sad when it broke. Mine was a souvenir from England - where did you get yours?

    As for biking. I love it. I find it soul-enriching. It's the only exercise thing I enjoy as much as taekwondo.

    Glad it's going well for you!

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    1. I have yet to find an original bento box. If you track one down please let me know. All I did was purchase a piece of tupperware from Walmart that has four separate slots in a long tray. The lid folds down and locks over the tray. The staff at work today were excited about it too. Amber

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  2. I love the idea of the bento lunch boxes. I'm thinking of getting one for my son too when he starts kindergarten. I have seen some bento style boxes on Amazon.

    This post is bursting with enthusiasm. I love when I end up doing something active and good for my body like hiking or biking and it doesn't even feel like I'm exercising.

    Your dinner sounds delicious. I miss those summer salads with berries.

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  3. I adore bento boxes! I actually found one in Atlanta, Georgia (though really, it was a chance purchase). My favourite place to window-shop (haha, internet window, really) is Bento&Co (www.bentoandco.com), a company out of Japan. They have some great deals sometimes!

    I also love reading BentoAnarchy and JustBento (though the webmistress has been ill as of late).

    Also, awesome for getting tips at the gym. I go to an all-women's gym and though I'm friendly with the staff, I get the feeling the type of strength work-outs I'm doing are not what anyone else is doing, so no one comes to correct me if I'm screwing something up (like my plank sagging or my push-ups are in terrible form).

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  4. Weight lifting is so fun! You'd love it, Amber. Plus, it is very much easier to learn with a friend who already lifts. Hopefully, your friend can teach you. Because she is enthusiastic, that thrill spreads when teaching it. Even I was hesitant about learning to bench press, but I've never looked back. :D Yay you, Amber. You're finding opportunity (with its answers) all around you.

    :-) Marion

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