Long Weekend

Alone by myself in the city.. what to do? I suppose I could have gone home, but my mom is in Saskatchewan visiting with friends, and I'll be there next weekend anyway, so it made sense just to stay here.

There is a great event happening here in Edmonton this long weekend, Heritage Festival. This means upwards of a hundred cultural stands and food stops in Hawrelack park. I went last year and it was great. Hot weather and great food! This year, no one is available to go, and I'm not nearly independent enough to go on my own; unfortunately.

So this means I have to come up with other things to get me out of the house and into the nice weather. Plan A: Start cooking again! In June I was making a lot of different recipes and having fun with it. Now working full time with kids every day gets me so exhausted, it's too easy just to boil a pot of water for pasta and say that's that. So with plenty of time to spare, it's time to get at it again. Ideas:

• Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole
• Banana Bread (I've had a thing for bananas this summer)
• Guacamole (why not)

Plan B: Read! Lay down a towel and suntan in the backyard. I've had trouble keeping interested with reading, so who knows how this might work out. I've been 1000% attached to my computer, but I want to get outside so bad and even out my tan that I am getting from soccer camp that I need to at least try! Not sure if I could just lay there and listen to music. 

Plan C: Take a long bike ride. I was going to attempt a ride to West Edmonton Mall, because I actually need things, but it seems like quite a trek. There's really no direct route because the major road there does not have a bike lane, so I'd be stuck taking some trails in the River Valley and then some small neighbourhood streets. Which is fine if I won't be bringing anything back. Maybe I'll attempt a movie by myself and bike there for it.. That'll give me a good rest to harness energy to get back as well..! 

Plan D: If all of the above become a bust, for any reason, or I get through them, I suppose I'll just watch another season of Big Brother. I just downloaded season 11 because I'm already bored and need my attention captivated at all times. 

Have a great long weekend!

Today's Haul, Y'All

Oh god, I've had a good day when I'm speaking like that ^ :)

Anyways, today has been a great day, and it's not over yet. I decided to do a little shopping today, for mostly items that I can get away with saying I need, and some were definitely just impulse buys... oh well! So here's what I got!

Matte finish sunglasses from Claire's

I had a pair almost exactly like these except not matte for orientation last year, but lost them last summer at a bar..! So I finally got out to replace them, needed for next orientation and I also couldn't stand my temporary crappy ones. This was basically the only purchase I really 'needed'.

Lush Cosmetic Warrior face mask & sample of Grease Lightning

Rocky Mountain Soap Breakout Buster

My skin hasn't been too great lately, and I want to get that solved as quick as possible. I'm not a fan of wearing makeup during the summer,  especially with my camp job now. To sweat all day and then end up in the pool, makeup is just not worth it, but I'd rather my face be as nice looking as possible. If not, I'll just suck it up, but may as well try something new!

On sale at Sears, $20 down from $30

Also on sale at Sears, $15 down from $20

These were definitely my impulse purchases, but they looked too cute and too cheap to pass up. Really, I do need shoes but I was actually more just looking for new flip flops. I couldn't find the ones I like so I settled for these. But I still want/need new flip flops..

I already wore the blue ones out and about today, I biked to Whyte Ave and then walked to Lush. I then headed for Tim Hortons but that's when the pain set in.. yep, blisters. I'm hoping it's a case of breaking them in/my skin needs to toughen up again rather than they are not good/I got the wrong size.. At any rate, there's no returning them, I was almost home when I realized I had started to bleed a bit too.. great.

Drawstring backpack from Bentley

I did but also didn't need this.. It was more so just a practical purchase. I was heading to Whyte on my bike and needed to bring my wallet, and I didn't want to have my purchases in a bag hanging off my handle bars so this was a relatively cheap solution, about 10 bucks! I also ended up putting my bike u lock in it; I don't have a screwdriver to mount the holder thing!

Fooling around at Sears. Had it been a different color
 I might have been tempted to buy it...

So quite a few purchases that maybe should have waited until my first paycheque, but oh well. I feel that they were reasonable enough to not make me feel too guilty..! Plus it gave me a reason to get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Next up is orientation volunteer BBQ in a few hours! Summer has finally begun!

Healthy Eating

All of a sudden I'm very into eating super well, finding new recipes to try. Five minutes on this wesbsite and I already found a handful of meals and treats I want to try. I found the site this morning when I was deciding what I wanted for breakfast. Normally my breakfast is two pieces of 12 grain toast with peanut butter and honey, but I'm slowly making the switch to almond butter (I like it even more than PB!). That routine is getting boring and old now though, so I was looking to incorporate the almond butter into pancakes, and so I found a recipe for almond butter pancakes from detoxinista. I couldn't try it out because I didn't have all the ingredients for it, but I'm thinking if the weather clears up here, I'll head out to the grocery store to pick up the needed items.

One reason for all of a sudden getting into creative recipes is the fact that I am not longer broke! So with money to spend (on food it is more than acceptable, since I should really be putting it all towards my credit card) and more than enough time find and recreate recipes, why not try new combinations of foods while being healthy in the process!

The one thing that I've noticed about these recipes though is that a lot call for some obscure ingredients that I'd never imagine I'd be willing to try. I'm almost wanting to go out and buy some zucchini, coconut oil, etc to try some new recipes. I'm really excited but also have to keep in mind that I don't have an unlimited supply of cash to spend on a bunch of ingredients.. So I'll have to stick to recipes that call for mostly the same things I guess, but nevertheless!

Any recipes that have become a staple for you, or think that are worth giving a go? Or even any favorite websites!

Ps. My favorite find so far that I've already devoured are chickpea almond butter chocolate chip cookies (you can see the trend of getting obsessed with AB), and next time I'm going to try and get dark chocolate to use to make them even healthier (versus all the sugar from milk chocolate chips).

Go Alberta Go!

This weekend was the Canadian Youth Championships in Calgary. This was the one tournament that I really wanted to go to and represent Alberta. Unfortunately for me, the provincial qualifier came at a time where I was struggling with health issues. Somehow though, until the second last game, I was winning. Then my friend shot a huge game to all but secure first place and from there I had all but given up, as well as I was drained of what little energy/drive/ambition I had for the day, and I slid to 3rd place.

So for awhile I was frustrated that it went down like that, because had I been totally healthy, I think I would have walked away quite easily with the title.

None the less, I accepted what happened (I still shake my head at the whole thing and have a pang of yearning, but there are no hard feelings), and congratulated the winner.

One of the reasons I had wanted to win so bad was because Nationals were being held in my home town, so I could have full home field advantage. But the next best thing to not competing was to cheer on team Alberta, half of them my friends.

In the end, my friend who had beat me ended up on top as singles and all events champion, so I'm very happy for her, and the province. Who knows, had I been there, would I have made such an impact? Realistically I'd like to think yes, and maybe I would have done better, since I had a great showing at CNCs two weeks ago. But I can hardly be sound in saying that because who knows how I would have reacted to the pressure and to the patterns they put down (though I feel the patterns would have been in my favor).

All in all, I still had a wonderful time this weekend, cheering on Alberta and other friends from other provinces. I got to hang out with all my bowling friends for an entire weekend and talk bowling. These people are honestly a great group of people are really fun to be around, which makes me sad that we don't have more out of town tournaments to bond like this.

This also makes me want to hit the lanes again. More so I almost want it to be league again, I want to prove my worth in the adult league, start doing tournaments and see how I really stack up. CNCs gave me a huge confidence boost, but I want to put it to the test and see if it wasn't just a fluke. I doubt it, because it was a great learning experience (like always) and feel like it all culminated in the last day when I tore it up. As long as I keep those things in mind, I think I'm set for the upcoming season.

This being said, I might even actually go practice with a friend on Tuesday since we have nothing better to do. June might be regular for me if I can get out there, since I'm not really working, but July/August I'm doing soccer camp and might be too pooped; hopefully I could get out there on a weekend, but risk getting annoyed by public bowlers..

#happy

Health Movement

The last few weeks, even during finals, I started getting on a health kick. This came in two parts. Food wise, and exercise wise. Normally I'm pretty active anyways, but with soccer done, and not having gone to the gym in a few months, it was time to get back at it. Especially with exams going on.

It's funny though, because being in physed, clearly I know the benefits of exercise. It's SUPER important/good for you during exams!! Same with eating well! But before this term, I ignored all the facts and just went with comfort/what was easier. Well being healthy ended up making me pretty comfortable so I stuck with it.

One reason for changing my diet was that it finally dawned on me that veggies are so much cheaper than anything else! It was also easier to make lots in order to have super easy meals to come home to after studying all day long. So I did curry and quinoa which lasted me through exams. Then I got even more creative and searched the web for recipes. I can't quite recall them all now, but my favorite by far was a recipe for quesadilla. 1) spinach 2) olives 3) feta cheese 4) need I say more??? The week after discovering it I decided to throw in some black beans too, to make it a bit more filling and it worked well! It even helped in reducing the saltiness of it all; I put too much cheese the first time and it was way too salty. But it's definitely going to be one of my go to dinner items now.

On the activity part, my gym membership at school is done for now, so I have to go at it without any equipment, so I decided to start running, which is also good to start getting in shape for outdoor soccer. I'm a great sprinter, so indoor is my game, but for outdoor you really need good endurance, so that's my goal. I have an app called runkeeper and found a program on there that I decided to give a try. It's called Running 4 Fat Loss. Now I don't really care about losing fat or weight, (if it happens great!) but it's great because it keeps you more accountable and it changes it up every workout day. There's things like run 30/40/50 mins continuously; fast for 3 mins and steady for 3 mins X 5; fast for 10, walk for 5, fast for 10, etc. And so from this I've also planned a goal to run 10km in one run by May 25, but I got injured a few days ago, and I'm going on a trip in a few weeks so it might have to be pushed back to early June. Again, I don't really care about doing it, but it's a good motivator and it's nice to see your progress.

I have also thrown in a bit of upper body and core stuff every morning before I hop in the shower. I do crunches and heel touches for my core, and then modified pushups for upper body. I had to modify it because with regular pushups, my wrists hurt like crazy. So I do it at an incline now, like off to back of my couch or off my bed. Gets less core in there, but still really good for pecks, triceps, delts and I even felt my traps today. I've sometimes thrown in some mountain climbers too, it's supposed to be good for core and cardiovascular work.

I also have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of free time on my hands, so may as well take an hour or so a day to work out, and also take the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. And it really helps that I'm a 2 minute walk from Safeway!!

Now hopefully my foot heals quick (I'm planning on rest and ice for a few days, and then doc Monday if it's not better) so I can get back to it! I'm already getting super bored without that hour or so back in my day to do nothing..

Blogging & Bowling

On my second blogger blog, #yegbowling I rarely post, but when it comes to the annual major national tournament for team trials, I write as much as I can. Today I realized that I'm 2 weeks away from leaving for it, so I posted what I've been up to, beginning to prepare for it.

Then I went back and read all my past posts. It's interesting to read what I've dealt with from year to year at this tournament, what my expectations were and how I made my way through the 3 days of bowling.

I'm really glad for that blog, because it gives me a bit of a head start for this year. I can read about what shots were giving me trouble and what I did to correct it. Like last year. It was maybe my worst showing, but it was the first year that I came at it in a logical way and could actually analyze what I was doing and attempt to fix it. Clearly, after reading those posts, my head just wasn't in it, I wanted it too bad. Basically that was my biggest problem last year I think.

So pretty much that's the game plan, DON'T want it too bad. Just go out with a have fun demeanor, and enjoy the opportunity that I nearly didn't get. But even before realizing this through the blog, I wasn't making any expectations, besides a wish to make top 20 that I can't take too seriously.

I realized I prepared very seriously last year for this tournament, practicing with the youth national team twice a week for two weeks leading up. This year not so much. I don't want to say I'm over it, but just so many things have happened this year that I don't approach anything the same way anymore, I just want the easy route for now.

That being said, I'm still planning on practicing. I've been twice since the end of league, but on dried up lanes, not ideal conditions, but still good practice (check out #yegbowling to read about that experience). I'm also trying to get Dan, the proshop guy to set something up for me on Monday, but hopefully for a few times before we leave. Ideally maybe one day on each shot (short, medium, long). Also, my friend who is out in Vancouver for YBC nationals right now works at the West Ed bowling alley and he's going to try and set something up once he gets back. He's also going to CNCs so it will be good for us to practice together. There are the other regular participants of CNCs that will be practicing too so I should look into what they're doing.

But more than anything, practicing is just something to look forward to and is also a good time killer/gets me out of the house since I don't have a job yet. I actually would practice everyday just because I am so bored, but in the long run, knowing me, I'd end up injuring myself.. That would definitely not be cool.

Summmeeeeerrrrr!

I am actually really unprepared for summer. Usually I start making lists at the beginning of April, counting down finals until I was free. For whatever reason, this year was different and I just kept my head down, focused and not letting myself think about it.

It may also be because I can't get excited because before I can plan to have fun, I need to find a source of income.. I honestly actually did get on the ball early this year, but there was just nothing interesting out there to be had!! So at this point, I'm done trying to find relative experience and now it's about making money to pay off my mastercard...

So this resulted in re-applying for soccer camp. Great money but doesn't start til July. So in the mean time I'll be trying to get 2 part time jobs. Campus rec, with whom I work with every school year, has their spring/summer stuff that I could do a few nights a week and then I'd need to find something for the morning/afternoon. I live right by a mall, so that will definitely be on my list to check out. I actually kind of really want to work at David's Tea...!! I'll also keep my eye on Kijiji of course.

The only thing that worries me about finding a job (however justified or not, I still worry) is that I'll be gone for about a week in May, for my annual bowling tournament out east (this year is Montreal again).  And it's just because I have to pay rent that any of this is chewing at me. Believe me, it was very difficult not to think about it during exams; I felt guilty for not looking, but I could just not deal with the stress of it.

BUT all this being said, I can finally start thinking about what I want to do this summer, so here's somewhat of a list!

• GET IN SHAPE BEFORE SOCCER. I went for a run this morning and nearly died. My lungs are what worry me, and they are kind of critical for soccer...
• Have a few fire nights with friends and some beers! I FINALLY have a fire pit in my backyard! I've been wanting one for soooo long!! 
• Go camping. Something else I've also wanted to do forever. 
• Volunteer. Every summer I say it, but end up too tired. If everything goes the way I want with jobs, I will probably be more tired than ever, but I want to find a way to do it! I really want some experience in the rehab world!! Or even just other recreational type stuff will do :p
• Buy a bike. I really miss biking, and it would be nice not to have to pay ~90 bucks for a monthly transit pass!
• Spend more time with people on days off. Alone time is good, but I tend to do it too often.

That's all I can think of right now. Just gotta get a job and I'll be all set to go. Trying not to worry about money problems, I'm too young to!

Anything you are looking forward to this summer?

Life and the Future

Now with finals being done, my brain can wander. And it ended up on my future. I've actually had it in the back of my mind for a week or so now, but today I specifically started looking at careers.

As of right now, my plan is to go to grad school at the UofA for occupational therapy. Leading up to it I'll finish up my required 9 classes next year (but will take 10 I'm pretty sure) and then possibly do my practicum right after that. BUT the program only begins in September so I'm not sure if I can do my practicum that late and still be able to apply. So this needs to be figured out at some point next year.

IF I couldn't do grad school right away (which I feel will be the case) then it wouldn't be the end of the world, and maybe I'd try to find something relative to it and get some experience, leading to a good professional reference, and better chances to get it when I could apply. I'm also not 100% sure I want to do it, so it could also be a good thing to see what's out there and see what I can get into. Who knows, maybe I won't even want to do OT after that!

But I had a really interesting conversation with Mike Lake, south Edmonton's MP about after the completion of my degree. He was saying that I should consider going to Ottawa to work, just because there are so many opportunities by being bilingual. One, this is another future possibility, but two, it just really made me see that just because you have a degree in something, doesn't mean you need to do something in that field. I guess I already knew that, but kind of thought that was silly; because what was the point then? But what I am understanding more and more is that the degree shows that you are teachable; that you are an intelligent person and can put in the effort, and you may as well have proved it by doing something you enjoy!  So I guess what I'm getting at, is that even though as I stand right now, I only see a limited amount of possibilities related to my degree, I know that there are a plethora of opportunities waiting for me once I graduate. I just need to figure out what I really want to do and go for it. Mike also gave advice on this: don't give out a million resumes, pick a few you really want and then work hard to get it. Plain and simple.

So it's been exciting realizing I don't have to necessarily worry for when I graduate, and now I know I don't have to be scared about entering the 'real' world. Now the only thing is that I'm still 1.5+ years away from really getting on the tracks of life, and I'm too excited already. I suppose you'd call this growth!

Oh and ps, it's not so random that I had a conversation with an MP, his son has bowled in my bowling league for two years now :p

On The Mend

Ok, it's time to get serious. Being in my field of study it's kind of ridiculous that it's taken me this long to get with it, but my body is broken and I need to fix it. Or else when I'm old, it's going to be baaad.

In grade 12 I sprained my knee quite significantly playing soccer. I did the usual go to physio to get some functionality back and to get back to playing, but by this time I was so done with the whole routine of the home exercises (I've sprained so many ankles and other ailments that required physio) so I didn't really do it at all. Now here I am, 4 years later, and my knee hyperextends like crazy and sometimes it'll even get stuck/locked in hyperextension when I walk and it feels like I will break my knee. It's a really scary feeling and I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, especially being that I still play soccer...

So there's that. BUT I also experienced another quite significant injury, about a year ago now, with a re-occurrence last July. I honestly have no idea what/how it happened, but I was in a bowling tournament and all of a sudden my left quad gets pulled and it kills. Like I could not walk. I couldn't stretch it out. After a bit it finally went away and then I was seemingly fine.. until July. This time, all I was doing was jogging. I was playing ball with two friends and I was jogging to get the ball and I pulled it again. This time it did not go away and had to do physio for it for quite some time. This time I followed through on the regimen, having learnt my lesson from my knee. But about a week ago I was in physiology lab, and we were doing velocity force stuff. In short, this machine tests your power and torque for your quads and hamstrings. The relationship between the muscles is supposed to be 3:2 (quads:hamstrings). I was the subject and I did it on my left leg, not thinking much of it. After the TA reads the data he asks if I've ever injured my knee. So of course I was like uh yeah, and a quad strain. The data collected was totally funky and basically my ratio was 1:1. Then a few days ago at the gym I was on the quad machine and there was a noticeable difference in the strength in my right and left quads. Usually those are pretty similar, but I just couldn't keep going with my left one.

That leads me to this. I have less than a month left of having "free" gym membership since we're done at the end of the month. I really want to change these issues I have. So it's going to be a lot strength training for my quads and hamstrings, and my calves (for the knee). I'm pretty sure what happened with my knee is that I tore the posterior cruciate ligament, but of course physio's don't use this language because they assume their clients won't understand, but being in physed I think I can kind of tell what most likely the injury was. And he probably didn't mention it either because the PCL is actually not too necessary. You don't need surgery because you can just strengthen the muscles around it to offset it (or at least that's what I am remembering from my sports injuries class, but don't take my word for it). So simply, I just need to get some more strength going on on my left side. Hopefully I can get enough going before I lose my gym privileges, because there's only so much you can do with just your body as equipment.. I'm game with just a little improvement, then just keep in good cardio shape and then get back in September to get to where I want to be. After that it'll be maintenance of those muscles.

Day to day these injuries don't affect me too much, except for the random knee incidences, but if I want to keep playing sports until I have grey hair, I really need to start taking care of my body.

This Week

Things have been rough lately and motivation is at an all time low. So here's some things that I hope to accomplish before heading down to Calgary for the weekend:

• Book an appointment with my advisor
• Meet with seminar partner to work on leadership presentation
• Start studying for second intro to injuries midterm
• Clean my room
• Go to all my classes
• Look for summer jobs
• Go to interview for a job for next term

That list actually as bad as I thought it was, but I guess that's what it feels like when all you want to do is sleep or watch tv all day.. (Good thing I don't have a lot to watch.. I wouldn't get anything done..)

A Bust

You know that list of things I wanted to do this week? Yeah..... .... ..

Oh well. I really don't care at this point. Give me another 7 days however and I might be kicking myself; where the school work is concerned. It really isn't the end of the world, I still put in some good work, but I just would have liked to finish it all during reading week so I wouldn't have to stress about during the week back.

On the other hand, it might be better; stuff to do during my breaks and maybe make me stay on campus later.. It's just too hard to do a few small things when there's nothing else productive going on at the same time..!

And I really didn't hang out with anyone; just my friend from work. We went skating at Hawrelack park though, that was cool. For the most part I was just too lazy and the days somehow whizzed by!

So as long as I'm productive come Monday, I'll be okay with my laziness during the break. But I also needed to just sleep in, and RELAX. It's going to be SO rough going back Monday... but at least I still have the weekend!

One More Day

Just gotta get through one more week guys!! Then reading week!! So pumped to not have to wake up early every day! It;s really funny how during holidays, I crave getting back to routine, but right now I am definitely feeling the opposite! I just a break, breath of fresh air.

I'm not going anywhere, and I'm actually going to end up pretty busy. I have a handful of school stuff to get done already and I also plan to make the most of my days off and hang out with some friends that I haven't had the chance to do so.

Here is my To Do list so far:

• Formal exercise physiology lab report
• Ethics paper proposal
• Meet with partner for ethic seminar plan (?)
• Brush up on my anatomy for my intro to sports injuries class (we begin taping when we get back)
• Go to an Oil Kings game (I have free ticket vouchers that I need to use!)
• Go see some movies
• Have a fun drinking night
• Bowling tournament
• Go to the gym (I once again neglected it because of exams and feeling down)
• Clean! I get too messy during midterms...

I'm planning on picking a day where I don't care if I'm spending money, I just need to have a day where I have no worries and can just have fun! To makeup for this I'm planning on picking up some extra shifts this weekend (might as well, get paid to work Panda's hockey playoffs!), just so I'm not being totally "irresponsible"... :p

I've been counting down since yesterday, it's felt like Friday since then.. it's so close!

Any fun plans for anyone? Or just relax and get caught up? Or is it all one in the same? (I'm actually kind of excited to work on my proposal and lab report......)

New Music

Anyone heard of Imagination Dragon? They have that really catchy tune that all of a sudden got super popular, "It's Time"is the title. So I decided to download it and to check out the rest of their album "Night Visions". I also cleared out some stuff that I don't like anymore in my iTunes, so I figured I'd go hunting for some new music. Listening to the iTunes previews of the first few tracks of Night Visions, I got hooked. So I promptly torrented it.

I really like the iTunes service that suggests other albums (what other people who liked that album bought) and then found a guy called Mat Kearney, and his album "Young Love". Again, I got enchanted by the first few previews. Both these albums are the alternative/rock/folk type vibe that I've become a big fan of (The Script, The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons..) so I'm excited to give all the songs a few thorough listenings.

Then I decided to check out what free single iTunes had. It is "Bleeding Out" by The Lone Bellow (brand new group). Another folk/alternative genre. A lot of the reviews call them Mumford and Sons with a girl or without as much facial hair. LOL. Anyways, I really liked the song and decided to download that album as well (The Lone Bellow). Not too sure if I'll like every song on there, because like with M&S, I'm not a big fan of the slower songs. So we'll see.

These three albums take place of Lady Gaga and Tyler Ward (Youtube artitst), both of whom I'm not a big fan of anymore. I'll probably have to clear some more space to get all these songs on my iPhone though, I have too much music, and most I probably haven't listened to in a long time.

Healthy Living Survey

As I get further into my physed degree, I'm obviously learning more about healthy living, so it's become a big interest of mine to eat well, and be healthy. I'm not extreme when it comes to it, like clean eating or any of those things, but to me, as long as I'm not eating things chock full of fat and calories and add in some exercise, I'm goo to go. So here's an interesting survey that Sam posted and I thought would be fun to do. Plus I have time to kill before my next class.

1. What did you eat for breakfast?
We were out of milk this morning so today was natural/plain yogurt from biobest along with some granola. But usually the standard is any high fiber, low sugar kashi cereal with 1% milk. I usually tend to get grumpy if I can't have my morning cereal.

2. How much water do you drink a day?

I'm actually not too sure, but I would say maybe about 2-4 cups a day. It depends if I go to the gym or not. I know this is kind of low, but I've never been a water drinker, so this amount is pretty darn good! But if I was to factor in water from tea, it would be a lot more. I'm on a big tea kick and usually have about 2-3 cups of tea a day.

3. What is your current favourite workout?

Lower body and core. I've always had injury issues with my lower body so training them is super critical for me. I enjoy it because it's not a particularly difficult workout.. I work hard and sweat but it's not like after a 30 minutes run. Funny enough I do like working my core. It's really difficult, but I have two exercise that I LOVE. One is a machine called the torso rotation. You hold on to a stationary part of the machine, kneel on a padded part and rotate your lower body. It's a great workout and a good feeling. I also use a medicine ball after cool down and stretching, again doing a rotation routine. 

4. How many calories do you eat a day?

I'd say about 2000-2150. If I've been really active in the week, of course it's going to be the higher number. I have an app that calculates how much I should be consuming for my body type and fitness level, and it should really be more than this, but being lower means I can lose some weight easier, and I've found I just really don't need that amount (or maybe I haven't been as active as I've entered into the app...).

5. What are your favourite healthy snacks?
Hmmm.. well I guess it would be an apple with peanut butter. I usually tend to have this after soccer games so I can get some protein into me for better recovery, but I know peanut butter probably isn't the best way to go about it. For snacks in general, I just look for low fat and low calorie. 

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?
I'm a creature of habit, so when I take a lunch to school it is literally the same thing every day. Except maybe a different kind of granola bar. I take a ham sandwich on sprouted grain bread (I've finally kicked my obsession with white bread!!), with cheddar, ham and lettuce. Also a banana, granola bar (kashi or kellogs 90 cal bars), and these new cracker chips from peppridge farm. As far as crackers go, I think they're probably one of the best ones, again low calorie.

7. What is your favourite body part to strength train?

My legs are easier but my core is more rewarding..

8. What is your least favourite body part to strength train?
Arms. I hate feeling so sore in my arms afterwards. It's one of the worst feelings.

9. What are your "bad" food cravings?
Peanut butter and honey on toast. Not too sure how healthy/unhealthy honey is, but I know there's a decent amount of bad in that combo..

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
I try. My mom is a supplier for Herbalife so she's given my multivitamins, cell activators and glucosamine supplements but lately I've had a hard time taking them. I also take iron.

11. How often do you eat out?
Not too often at all. Usually it's just for a special occasion, or if I go home and my parents are treating. Or if I have a gift card. Does Tim Hortons count (I think it's borderline)? I sometimes have lunch there (with my gift card!).

12. Do you eat fast food?
I really try not too, but last semester this failed pretty bad. It's hard when I have 2 roommates that like to go there quite often, so when I'm with them it's all too easy to go along and not be the odd man out. If I'm in a pinch for time or I'm starving I'll tend to more easily give in as well. But once again, does Tim Hortons count? 

13. Who is your biggest supporter?
I suppose my other friends who are health conscious. It drives me to be more aware when I see posts of their achievements. Last year it was my roommate, she's in nutrition so of course she knows all about what you should and should not be eating. She is for the most part vegetarian so her eating styles definitely influenced mine for the better last year. 

14. Do you have a gym membership?
Yes, everyone at the U of A gets access to the campus gym; it's included in fees. 

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
It really depends. It can vary from 6-10. As long as I can fall asleep fairly quickly I can get at least 7.5 but that sometimes is asking a lot. Because of work and sometimes soccer, I get to bed late, and I have early classes Tuesdays and Thursdays so it's tough. I'm trying to keep it around AT LEAST 8.5 because it seems 8 isn't enough, even that 8.5 isn't enough but it's sometimes as much as I can get. I'm definitely struggling with sleep, so far this semester though, so I want to find that happy medium.

16. Do you have a "cheat" day?
No. If I want something, I'll eat it. I don't normally want anything too bad anyways, so if there is a day I want something particularly bad like a chocolate bar, I'm gonna go for it.

17. Do you drink alcohol?
Not very often, usually if it's a special occasion like a birthday. 

18. Do you have a workout buddy?
No. At most I've had someone to go with me, but not really in a buddy type capacity. They were there strictly to make sure I got to the gym, because I'd feel bad telling them I wasn't going. But in the gym I have my routine and I want to do it on my own.

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?
I don't think I've noticed a big difference, but maybe lately, after having being off exercise during exams and holidays, it affects my energy levels.. So far after getting back to it, I'm not sure I've seen a big change, but I bet you I would if my schedule weren't so hectic.

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Made my lunch today instead of taking the easy way out (since it was an early morning) and going to Timmies.

TV Review

I remember quite awhile ago now, doing a review on a little known, Canadian produced movie starring Joshua Jackson, and enjoying analyzing it. Not so much as what an actual critic would, or what an english major could, but just really how I felt about it. Ok, so maybe it would be more of an opinion column type deal. Anyways, since then I have not really come upon anything "lesser known" that was worth sharing to get some people in on it. But I have now!

Not that I really know if this show is lesser known, but the fact that it is carried by showcase and that wikipedia tells me the average audience view is around 2 million, I'm guessing it's not really heard of. Especially when me, the big TV fanatic that I am, hadn't heard about it until a week ago.

The show in question is Homeland. Starring Clare Danes. Yeah, you remember her, from Romeo + Juliet, the version with Leonardo Dicaprio. Well she has well since transformed and I absolutely loved her in this series. By far she is the best part of it. The next would be the plot, the reason for the show.

I'm definitely a fan of crime/thriller type shows, 24 being my fave, but now I see Homeland as possibly taking that #1 spot! Being based on a novel about Prisoners of War, it sees a soldier come home after 8 years of being presumed dead, at the hands of people close to Al Quaeda. Rumor has it that he has turned, and is plotting against the United States of America.

Maybe the plot in general doesn't pique your interest, it kind of sounds like same old, same old. But what really hooked me was the characters and their relationships. At the beginning they focused a bit too much on the soldier's family, but by maybe the 5th or 6th episode in, either they started to focus more on everyone else, or they just became so engrained, so important to the story that I didn't mind.

I already mentioned Clare Danes. She's already won quite a few awards for Homeland, and only 2 seasons in (the show itself has also already won numerous awards). She has a particularly interesting character. Sometimes I'm not a fan, but there are just so many other parts that make me go "Wow. This is crazy." or "That was awesome, way to go Carrie! [Her character's name]". Her character also spans so many different emotions, and she is SO convincing; it's really incredible. What really got me for good was the last episode or two of season one, and it's a critical part of the show so I won't spoil it, but it's a certain characteristic that she just absolutely nails.

I'm definitely a huge fan and I'm sad that I got through both seasons in under a week... With just 12 episodes per season, it's not that difficult, but now I have to wait for September 2013 for the next round.

So if ever you find yourself bored, with time to kill, and at least a little interest in the drama/thriller/politics/crime genre, give it a try!

Also a disclaimer: I didn't realize at first that it was on Showcase, and if you didn't know, shows are on Showcase for a reason.. aka basically some rated R sort of stuff, which kind of adds to the excitement though if you know what I mean ;p

The Future

Being in my fourth year of University, and my third year of my degree, I know it's important to start thinking about what I want to do after and what kind of career I want. Today in my introduction to sport injuries, the prof mentioned just this; that we're at the point where we need to start figuring out our plans.

For the first time ever in 4 years, I finally had a prof present us with a list of possible careers. And it got me thinking. Lots of them were interesting, sports nutrition, but I'm not sure if I'd want to do it. Then, of course, there's the biggest thing you think when you hear physed or kinesiology, pysiotherapy. But I know I don't want to do that. It's too medical and something about it scares me. I also always thought you needed an extremely high average to get in. Then he mentioned athletic therapy which caught my attention.

So I came home and started looking them up; I've never really spent too much time looking into these things so it's about time. I discovered that there is a Canadian accredited program for athletic training in Alberta! AND I could have a great chance at getting in! There are certain course requirements which are easy enough to get; I'll get them all in my degree, and then there's just an EMR/first responder course which I would have to pursue outside of school. Then, as long as I have a 3.0, it would basically be a done deal! It's a certificate program, so nothing like a graduate program where you a certain GPA, volunteer experience and an interview. So this is definitely looking like something I could strive for once my degree in completed.

On the note of physiotherapy, at the U of A (where I currently go), the GPA actually isn't too high, it's an overall 3.0 but recommended 3.5+ in last 2 years for better chance. As well as proper volunteer hours and an interview. So that could still be a possibility on the horizon, but where I'm at right now, it does not interest me at all. But of course I'm always keeping my doors open and doing the best I can at any rate.

Another that kind of caught my interest was sport physiology. I'm taking the intro course right now, and even though we haven't covered too much, it sounds really interesting. But in the little but of research on it I tried, it sounds very difficult to do, and would require a masters degree which now I'm not too sure I want to do.

After last semester's partial failure in my goals for marks, I was starting to think I just didn't have the grades to do anything after my undergrad. But now looking at these few programs I realize that I totally can, I've held a 3.4 in my first year, and a 3.3 since. So it's totally doable, maybe especially if I have a goal in mind.

So I'm glad the prof brought those things up today, and now I know a bit more, and can have a little bit of a plan. Ideally I would go talk to my councilor and get some more info on other perspective careers, but for now I'll be putting that off; though I know I shouldn't, at least not for too long!