Sugar Eviction 2014

It seems that one of the best motivations to sticking to your goals is by announcing your goals to the online world. I don't remember what the specific percentage of increased probability is, but it has been recently shown that you are more likely to stick to and achieve your goals if you post them on some sort of social media outlet, such as Facebook or Twitter.

But on the flip-side of this, I feel like isn't there a increased amount of pressure on your shoulders to fulfil what you set out for yourself knowing that the world (or at least your intimate circle of friends who might actually be following your progress) is watching? If you fall flat on your face into the giant heap of messy self-pity, doesn't this mean more pointed fingers and laughing faces in your direction?

As for me, I am definitely more likely to complete what I set out before me if I announce it to the world and put it all out there for people to see. The idea of others knowing that I am weak and not able to complete a personal ambition puts enough fear into my heart to keep at it and finish my task. I'm not looking for feedback or a pat on the back for doing these things. I guess that publicizing personal events makes them more real to me and makes me think, "Alright. Everyone knows. Time to buckle down and get this done with."

So I guess it's time to "announce" that I am starting my annual 2-week sugar & wheat cleanse tomorrow. This is honestly the first time I have actually looked forward to doing one of these. Normally I am dreading the idea of not eating any sugar or wheat products for a couple weeks...but my body needs this and my brain knows it. I've kind of just succumbed to the fact that it's going to happen and there's no need to get all bent out of shape about it. I feel like the amount of refined sugar that I have been eating since the beginning of December is just overly stupid and every cell in my body is begging me to avoid the stuff for a good while.

I might even stretch it to a month depending on how it goes. But I just know that those 2pm chocolate cravings at work might drive me over the edge pretty quickly. When the girls come into the office with the afternoon chocolate fix, saying no for a whole month might start to make me twitch.

Usually I eliminate dairy as well, but I figured that I eat so little of it already that there's no need to go out of my way to completely avoid it for the next 2 weeks. Once I eat up the rest of my plain Greek yogurt then I just won't buy any more and all my dairy consumption will be kaput!

So there we go. No more sugar. No more wheat. Eventually, no more dairy.

Just enough time for one more beer!

I Heart Canadian Tire

Have I mentioned how much of a boner I have for Canadian Tire?

I love that store.

I love how it smells. As soon as I walk in, I fill in my lungs with its heavy rubber tire scent and make my way into the aisles in search of the treasures within.

But mostly, I love the sales. Canadian Tire has the most AMAZING sales of pretty much any store in the entire world. You can go into that store and find items that are a ridiculous percentage off and save hundreds of dollars on super wicked items.

There is nothing better than going into a store and finding the item that you are looking for to be on sale. For example, I decided that I wanted to make butter chicken and the recipe that I planned on using asked for a Dutch Oven. I don't own a Dutch Oven and decided to just use a regular pot to make it. But then yesterday when I was heading to the bank, I glanced over at Canadian Tire (right next to my bank) and decided to go take a look at their Dutch Ovens because really, how have I lived this long without owning one? So I headed over and went to the kitchen area to find that all of the Dutch Ovens were 70% off!

70% off. How could I not? It was a clear sign that I could not pass up such a great sale opportunity. I saved $120 on a super wicked bright red Kitchen Aid Dutch Oven.

Like I said, Canadian Tire is the best. If you need to buy something and save copious amounts of money, even if you don't actually need it and just want to feel that fulfilling sensation of getting an amazing deal on something, please to there and take advantage of the sales.

And my butter chicken turned out pretty friggin' good.

Motivate Me Baby

Some days are easier to find motivation than others.

Some days I jump out of bed ready to take on the day! I'm cooking, cleaning, doing my school work, making appointments, writing emails....knocking off each item on my To-Do list like it ain't no thang. Then other days....I lay in bed, ignoring the clock and spending far too much time on Netflix. My To-Do list mocks me from across the room as it glares me down with disgust.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about motivation, especially when it comes to physical fitness. The other day while at the gym, I was looking around the cardio room wondering what motivated these women to give up their Wednesday evening and spend some of it in a noisy room full of sweaty red-faced strangers. I'm not much of a fan of working out after work, but I hit the gym after my shifts because I want to avoid the horrible 2-6 pm traffic on the Trans-Canada highway. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic after working for 12.5 hours is far more dreadful than an hour on an elliptical. Far far more dreadful.

Obviously living a healthier lifestyle and avoiding some genetic diseases are my main motivations for going to the gym and exercising on a regular basis. I also have some injuries/physical ailments that really act up if I do not stay active. But I definitely remember the moment when I became addicted to lifting weights. A few years back I was in the washroom giving it a good cleaning and I bent over to pick a cloth off of the floor and caught my reflection in the full length mirror which revealed the outline of my deltoid muscles. Never had I ever had shoulder definition like that and seeing it made me want more, more, more! 

So back to my story of the cardio room last Wednesday night. What is the motivation pushing these women (most of them at least 40 or older) to leave their work or home to be at a gym? 

- Health scare?

- New Years resolution?

- Want to be able to run around and keep up with their kids? Grandkids? 

- More energy? More physical strength? Stronger bones? Less pain in the joints?

- Could it be part of a bet? Maybe she has a bet with a friend of who could lose 10 pounds first.

- Planning a trip to Costa Rica and the idea of wearing a bathing suit terrifies her

- She saw her grandma's Bing arm and immediately started tricep extensions

- Recently single and hitting the dating scene again

- She saw Jane Seymour's recent photo spread in US Weekly (did I mention she's 62?)

Whatever your motivation is to haul your arse to the gym, I applaud you. I know how hard it can be to keep motivated and keep with your exercise regime day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. I know how hard it is to just start and get there. I know how shitty it feels to leave a gym feeling like you have accomplished nothing and are wasting your time in your oversized sweats while all the thin chicks in their tight tights burn a million calories just by filling their water bottles and flirting with the ripped trainer. I get it.

While I was cooling down that evening, spending my last 5 minutes walking on the treadmill, the lady next to me really perked my interest. She would walk for a couple minutes then run for about 30 seconds (or so). After her 30 seconds she would slow down and grimace, almost like she was mad at herself for giving up so soon. I wanted to cheer her on! I wanted to tell her to keep trying and let her know that it will get easier. Soon she will last 45 seconds, then a full minute, then even 2 minutes! I wondered what her motivation was for even attempting those initial 30 seconds. 

Whatever your motivation is people, keep it at the front of your memory when you feel like throwing in the towel. Put the picture of your dream vacation destination on the treadmill or hang your bikini on the bathroom door so you have to look at it every time you go in there. Don't worry about what other people think or what you look like when you're working out. We all get sweaty, red-faced, trip over our own feet and stop to read the instructions on the machines. We all stared at the bottom and felt overwhelmed at our surroundings. I recently realized that I have, somewhere along the line, become one of those annoying people who grunt while lifting weights! While I am doing my best to curb this embarrassing habit, it's not going to stop me from lifting heavy weights. My motivation is in my deltoids and I'm not going to forget it.

You don't want to look back in a year and wish that you had started today. Find your edge, work within it and keep at it. You'll find that moment when you realize you're addicted and one day you'll be surpass the goals you set out for yourself.

Yeah he got his titles taken away for doping, but Lance Armstrong said it right:
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." 

Sometimes you just need a Motivation Proclamation :)

A Few More.....

Every so often I feel the need to write a post about a product, brand, restaurant or just something that makes my every-day easier, my soul happier or my life funner (for the billionth time, yes funner is a word). Today I have 3 things to write about and perhaps if you try them as well then they will make your life a little better too!

1) Covergirl's No Clump Mascara: Clump Crusher. This sounds like a strange item to discuss on a blog but if you're a woman and you wear mascara on a regular basis, I highly recommend this product. I have been using the same mascara for years and years and after trying several other brands and designs, I always go back to the same one. But then I got this item for Christmas (stocking stuffer) and I feel like my mascara world has dramatically changed.

I was hesitant to open the package because I thought, "Why open this when I'm never going to use it?" I loved my same-old brand and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Right? Plus the Clump Crusher has one of those curved brushes (was never a fan) and the brush is also made out of that hard plastic material that tends to be uncomfortable to apply with. Skeptical from the beginning is never a great way to approach a new beauty product.

But now that I have used it, I'll admit that I am officially a converter. It is not the most comfortable product to use (still not a fan of the material that the brush is made out of) but I have yet to have any form of clumping at all on my eyelashes. My eyelashes have never looked so perfect in all of my life. It's a friggin' Christmas eyelash miracle! Plus it's relatively inexpensive which is a bonus. I've used really expensive and really cheap mascaras...and this one falls in the $7 range which is an excellent deal for exquisitely separated and clump-free eyelashes.

2) My new ultra-speed cable jump rope. I was ecstatic to get a speed jump rope for Christmas. I have been working really hard on my jump rope technique and speed but my old jump rope simply couldn't keep up with me anymore. I have out-jumped my old rope and frankly, it was holding me back.  This new rope is simply a thin coil of wire wrapped in plastic. It's really light-weight and goes like a bat out of hell when you get your momentum going.

What I thought was really cool about this rope is that when you buy it, it's super long but you can cut it to fit your height and jumping comfort. Using a rope that is too short or too long is very inconvenient when you're trying to break world records.

There are pros and cons to any kind of jump rope, whether it be a speed rope, weighted rope or plain old traditional rope. Speed ropes are best for speed, coordination and practising your fancy footwork. They aren't the best for building strength because there is no weight to them so you won't have to use your shoulders and arms as much as say, a weighted rope (those definitely cause your upper body to work hard). Plus they are really easy to tangle and really leave a mark when you whip yourself in the back or arm. Ouch! I've left the gym with a few good slashes on the back of my arm. You never really realize where you hit yourself with a jump rope until you use one made out of a plastic covered cable. But the speed rope is so fun and my workouts with it are much more enjoyable. I highly encourage you to try one if you've never used one before.

3) Gardener's Hand Care - Intensive Therapy Hand Cream. I first found this product while aimlessly wandering around the gift shop while aboard one of the BC Ferries on my way to Vancouver. Stopping and sniffing every single body product in the gift shop is a good way to kill time and I am always looking for a nice hand lotion, especially one for my sister who has notoriously damaged hands from her job. While my hands aren't as bad as hers, they take a beating as well considering I work in a hospital and wash my hands about 100 times each day in hopes of avoiding the next deadly strain of H1N1 or the black plague.

With most lotions I just enjoy the fragrance of the testers, but this one I actually tried. Surprisingly enough I went with the lavender scented one which is a scent that I generally detest. However, I think that because of my fast approaching old age, the smell of lavender has become comforting and I find myself enjoying it more and more. Anyway, I immediately loved the way this lotion felt and as with most lotion and tester products, I tried the product and walked away. My theory is that if I still like the way it smells and feels and hour later then I will go back and buy it. And yes, I still enjoyed it very much.

Now I have a tube of it on my bed stand and slather my hands up every night before bed. My hands feel better than they have in a long time and I wanted to send a shout out to Upper Canada Soap that makes this lovely item. Thanks for bringing letting me know how much I actually enjoy the scent of lavender and how nice it is to wake up with softer hands.

Bragging Rights?

All of my life I have very much enjoyed winter. For all of those who curse the snow, shoveling, frozen noses, freezing temperatures and panic stricken moments of whether or not you will be able to hold your bladder long enough to peel off your multiple layers of clothing, I have fond memories of winter.

First of all, winter is a beautiful season! When the snow envelopes every inch of your vision and creates a soft blanket of majestic whiteness, there is just nothing more gorgeous to look at. Snow creates a clean slate for all of the ugly out there (unfortunately it also covers hidden piles of dog poop but if dog owners were responsible and not useless human beings, then this would not be the fault of winter).

Second of all, winter gives us (at least me) that amazing "Omigod it snowed!" sensation in your chest. You know when you wake up and the light coming in from your window is different than it normally is? It's slightly brighter and calmer than usual and you whip open your curtains to knowingly discover the world covered in white! Then you smile, clasp your hands together in glee and eagerly begin the day knowing that the world is prettier than it was yesterday.

Third, winter is fun. Skiing, snowboarding, sledding, hiking, showshoeing, snow angels, snow forts, snowmen and catching snowflakes on your tongue...all great things. Snow brings out the kid in everyone.

Lastly, winter is so much fun to drive in! The secret to not being one of those people who have panic attacks every time that winter comes around consists of two parts.

Part 1 - Get some good tires. Put your car on something reliable. This will help your confidence when having to face an early morning drive in fresh snow.

I just got a little giddy thinking about driving in early morning fresh snow.

Part 2 - Don't care about what other people think about your driving. If you're driving along and some a-hole is riding your rear while you cautiously make your way down the road, don't get all panicky thinking "Oh no! That person is judging me for driving so slowly! I need to hurry up." Don't hurry up. Take your time. So what if that guy curses you and has to, OH NO! go around you! He's the one that is going to end up in a ditch somewhere and have to pay for a tow-truck to bail him out. Not you. Yeah you'll get to work 10 minutes later than usual, but I'm sure your boss would rather have you there 10 minutes late than not at all.

Better yet, leave 10 minutes early. Now doesn't that sound like a reasonable compromise?

I am writing this post because I had a rather heart-wrenching moment the other day and I feel the need to come clean about it. I believe it was the 29th of December and I was hiking up a mountain with a friend and as I looked around me, I had the sudden realization that it was the 29th of December! Here I was climbing a mountain wearing running shoes and a spring coat and at one point I had to remove a layer of clothing because I was overdressed. The trees around me were green and lush, the creeks all had running water and the ground was soft. This was winter. My new Vancouver Island winter.

And it was kind of awesome.

A huge part of me is feeling an large sense of guilt for enjoying this new form of winter. Why am I not missing the snow and the cold? Where is my nostalgia for that morning wake-up of fresh snow excitement? Why don't I feel the sudden urge to throw a snowball at the back of my sister's head while she walks ahead of me on the trails?

Ok, THAT urge will never go away until the day I die. Nothing beats a surprise snowball to the back of the skull and I most definitely will do it the next time I get the chance to.

Today is January 3rd and it was 7 degrees this afternoon. I walked down to the mall and it was sunny, the wind was calm and therefore nice enough to leave my winter coat at home. Where else in Canada does this happen? Anywhere? Certainly not the places I have lived in the past.

I've spoken to many people who were born and raised on Vancouver Island and the majority of them said that they hate it when it snows. They're scared to drive in it and hate dealing with the burden of it when it does make an appearance. They're just not used to it, that's all. I grew up with snow every winter of my life, so I am used to having it around and adjusting my schedule to it. Am I now going to become one of those snow-cursing people who panic at the sight of a snow cloud? Gosh I hope not! That's way more scary than a few silly inches of snow when driving on summer tires (did that this year and dang it was fun).

So who gets the bragging rights? The people who don't get the snow and get to wear shorts all year round? Or the people who get piles and piles of the playful white stuff and learn to live their lives in a winter wonderland? There are pros and cons to both lifestyle choice and I am interested to see how I evolve in this snow-less world I am currently in.

Stay tuned.

One of my favourite commercials ever. 

Christmas, Board Games and My Re-Love of Hot Yoga

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here so here is a late "Merry Christmas" and an early "Happy New Year" to everyone out there :)

I went to Vancouver on Christmas Eve to spend time with my sister, niece and brother-in-law who are living over there while my niece is getting her treatment at BC Children's hospital. Even though it was not the usual Christmas that our family is used to, it was still a wonderful visit and I am very happy that I got to see them and see my niece open her presents. Unfortunately I had to leave on Christmas day since I had to work Boxing day, but that was alright. It was worth it.

Like I said, I've been keeping busy which has been highly enjoyable! I have to take a couple courses next semester which means that I get to become a whining procrastinating student again, but I only have 4 courses left before I am done this program and then I am free! Free! Free!!! The past few months, living as only an employee and not a student has been great, so I am not looking forward to cracking open those textbooks and putting my nose to the grindstone again. But like I said. Just 4 more courses to go.

723 Yates Street
 Just in case you want to drop in.

Saturday night I was promised a "fun night" by a friend, and I was pleasantly surprised to end up in a new board-game cafe downtown. It's called Interactivity Board Game Cafe and it's a quirky little cafe which specializes in board games! When you walk into the cafe, there are hundreds of board games stacked upon the shelves for the board game shoppers of Victoria to purchase. As you move on through the cafe, there is the sales counter where you can buy food, snacks, beverages and literally a "bowl of candy" for your munching needs. Then past that, there are about a dozen large tables set up and roughly 600 games for your playing pleasure. Basically how it works is you pay a flat rate for each person ($5/person) and you have unlimited access to all of the board games for as long as you want. Whether it's a charming evening for a couple to have a date, or a place to bring all of your friends for a random game night, there's something for everyone at this place.

I think it is a pleasing business concept and I am very interested in how successful it becomes. It's only been open for about 2 months now and after talking to one of the employees, it sounded like they were having good feedback so far. I can think of lots of pros and cons to the idea, so hopefully all of the cons disappear that they have a lot of success in their fun business endeavor. I'm always rooting for the independent business owners out there!

Yesterday morning started with a nice hike up Mt. Work. It's a fairly easy hike and if you stop to enjoy the scenery at the top for a few minutes, it only take a little over an hour round-trip. A nice Sunday morning hike. I didn't bring my camera so I have no pics to share of the trail but there was 1 or 2 magnificent views near the top.

I also got back to hot yoga yesterday :) I am ashamed to say that it has been nearly a year and a half since I stepped into a hot yoga studio and...oh man. I nearly forgot how amazing it feels to spend 90 minutes in a stupidly hot room and have obscenely amounts of sweat run off your body while standing in awkward positions with a bunch of nearly naked strangers. It felt great to get back in there. While I am not a huge fan of the Bikram Yoga, it was still good to get back in there and enjoy the amazingness of hot yoga (yes "amazingness" is a real word....)

So after burning several hundred calories in yoga, there is no place like Bin 4 to gain a couple thousand back into the body. I have been jonesin' for a good burger the past couple of days and wanted to hit The Pink Bicycle, but alas, it is closed on Sundays. So Bin 4 provided us with the greasy comeback needed after a great workout. I have eaten there a few times now and I swear that every burger I have at that place is better than the last. Between the "Mr. Bean" and the "Angry Bull", you just can't go wrong with Bin 4.

Well, back to work tomorrow. The last working day of the year! YAY!

Warm Gooshy Christmas Feelings (and Biscotti)

I've had a rough time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. Maybe it's the lack of snow or the fact that I got the awesome surprise of having to dish out nearly $1000 to fix my car the other day. Mostly my holiday blahs stems from the realization that my family is in a weird mental state this year because my niece being sick and she has to live in Vancouver for the next few months for treatment. We're all kind of scattered around the province this year for the holidays and I suppose it has kind of thrown me off kilter. The out-pour of love and support from the community directed towards my family has been truly overwhelming and I know that I should be feeling joyous and wrapped in warm gooshy feelings of uplifting holiday spirit...but it's been difficult!

I will admit though that the giggly Christmas mood has been creeping in the past couple of days, which has been a tremendous relief! I was afraid that the holidays were going to sweep on by without infiltrating my apathetic state of mind. The other day while doing random tasks around the house, I put on The Nightmare Before Christmas and A Muppet Christmas Carol (which always makes me giggle like a kid). Those were the first to crack my shell. Then I decided to start my gifts for my coworkers, so I got to work baking a couple batches of biscotti (orange chocolate crystallized ginger biscotti which rock my world) and watched The Holiday while I baked. That definitely made the shell splinter open.

Today I even was humming Christmas carols which was definitely a sign that my soul has not charred up and flaked away.

And just now, I put on John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas album. Yep. Christmas can officially start now. This album is so what I needed to break into the Christmas spirit! I am having a personal revelation at this very moment. Aren't you so lucky to get to share it with me?

I am planning to spend Christmas with my niece, sister and brother-in-law which will be awesome. Spending Christmas with a 5 year old (or any child who still has that innocence of the holidays) is always the absolute best way to spend December 25th. The magic of watching them open their gifts, especially ones from the magical Santa Claus, is just the best. Unfortunately I only have the 24th and 25th off from work so it will be a super quick trip. Had I known in advance that I would be in Vancouver for those days then I would have taken an extra day or 2 to spend with my family, but I guess I'll just have to take what I can get and enjoy my time with them to the fullest extent possible.

Because my biscotti turned out so frickin delicious, I decided to put up the recipe for your enjoyment! Just like previous recipes on this site, this recipe was kind of created by looking at several biscotti recipe examples and I just created one recipe based on what I saw and the ingredients that I wanted to use. But they are delicious so I highly recommend making them.

Orange Chocolate Crystallized Ginger Biscotti 
- 1/4 cup butter, salted butter (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp grated and minced orange peel
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, vanilla and orange peel and beat until combined. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture, toss in the chocolate chips and ginger and stir until the mixture just comes together.

Oh yeah, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees with the oven rack at the very top.

Can you tell I'm writing this out purely from memory?

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the dough onto the counter and roll into a log (about 14 inches long and 5 inches wide).  Lift onto the baking sheet and flatten out the log to about 1 1/2 inches thick. It does not need to look perfect. Perfect is boring.

Biscotti Trick! When your log is all flattened out and on the baking sheet, make indents on both sides of the log so that the ends cave inwards (like a finger trap). This is an awesome trick because when the dough bakes, it will not expand outwa

rds so much and there will be less waste when you go to cut the logs later. 

Alright, back to the recipe. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the dough is just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 2 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Lift the log onto a cutting board and slice into 3/4 - 1 inch slices. Put the cookies back onto the baking sheet and lay them on their side. Bake for 8 minutes, flip each cookie to the other side and bake another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn off the oven and wait about 10 minutes. Once the oven has cooled down a bit, place them back in the oven and leave in the cooled oven overnight. This will allow them to dry out perfectly.

Store in an airtight container and enjoy at your leisure!

My homemade gifts for the lovely ladies at work.
Luckily (hopefully) none of them read this site.