And time just flies by!!

I apologize again for taking so long to post anything!! So what has happened since the last post? I turned 29, I finished school (not just the semester, the whole program!) and I spent a quiet Christmas with my family.

I am looking forward to this year. I've decided to try and focus on health, fitness and music for the coming 368 days (and not in that particular order). No, these aren't resolutions - I don't make resolutions. I have always felt that resolutions are just a set up for failure. I make goals. And I don't make goals just because its January 1, I make goals when I finish projects and set my eye on the next target.

That is about it for now...hopefully I will try to post a bit more in the coming days!

Its been a while...

...and I am sorry for that. But don't worry, I have a lame reason!!

So what have I been up to? Well, on the last day that I wrote, I described my last day of my thirty day fitness challenge...well the fitness kind of halted right there. I pulled my SI joint (google it) and was in pain for a week and a half before I decided I should see a doctor. I refused to go on pain killers, so I was given some anti-inflammatories that made me nauseous. I tried to only take them for a few days, but my body wasn't having it. I started physio soon after that, along with IMS treatments, and I am almost in no pain. It is just the beginning of the road to recovery though.

My SI Joint is hyper-mobile - it moves too much, doesn't really know where it belongs and just floats. Kickboxing is going to be a big no-no for a while at least. I may eventually even have to no longer consider it at all. Capoiera is out for sure. I am hoping that I strenghten all the muscles around it enough that I am able to take part in those activities, but only time will tell.

So needless to say, I haven't been doing much that is noteworthy. But I am back at the gym with Nick, and I'm back to doing volleyball on Tuesdays...negative guy hasn't been there (yay!!).

Thats all for now... :)

I did it!!!

So...30 days is finished!! Yay!!

Day 28 was some burlesque aerobics - totally fun! I learned how to swerve my hips, tease with a fan dance, let my feather boa linger and shake my booty. The Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society puts on different burlesque exercise classes on Mondays at the Chicken Coup! If you want more info, let me know and I will gladly get it for you.

Day 29 was volleyball - fun as always. Mr. Negative was there again, and again as soon as he left, a weight lifted and I played much better. One of my favourite players wasn't playing last night...but he showed up halfway through and watched because his friends were still playing. He is one of my favourite players because he makes it fun - we all laugh so much when he's on the court with us!

Last but not least, Day 30 was personal training with my super awesome trainer Nick! I was way more well-behaved than last week, and we got back to kickboxing! SO MUCH FUN!!

So now that its all said and done, what is next for La Femme Vocale? Capoeira! At least that is what I'm thinking for now. I'm not sure when I will get a chance to start this, but if I can find an intro class that isn't too expensive and runs on Monday nights...I'm set! What else is next? Just keeping up the good work! I'm not going to work out every day - its been such a stress thinking about it as much as I have been thinking about it. But incorporating exercise and healthy things into my daily routine as much as possible is something I totally think I can at least try to do.

And I'm keeping the blog! I'll try to post more often...not sure if anyone is actually reading this though. If you are THANK YOU!! :)

E.

Home stretch...

I am almost done!

Day 20 was just some work in the warehouse...it was nice and light.

Day 21 was where I really really really started to get frustrated. I had a workout with my trainer Nick, who is still awesome, but I melted down. I absolutely broke down and started crying in the middle of my session. It was so frustrating for me to feel that vulnerable when I was trying to strength train.

Day 22 was much better. I got to play volleyball! I was the only girl in a gym full of guys...kinda awesome, except that I had to run for the ball pretty often...lol Oh well, its good for me, right?

Day 23 was a lot like Day 21 - more frustration, bad workout, more crying...I admitted to Nick that I just wasn't having fun with it anymore. He replied saying it was hard work. Yes, I understand that it is hard work, I've stuck with it since the beginning of May, haven't I? But this was the first time that I really felt like I wasn't having fun anymore. We haven't done kickboxing for so long and I keep telling Nick I'm ready, but something gets in the way of us doing kickboxing. I'm so tired of doing just weights. I can do the weights, the squats, the lunges and all the non-fun stuff when I get to hit something for a few minutes...is that bad?

Day 24 was nothing. I had work and then school and just couldn't do any more after that.

Day 25 was a whole lot of running around. I had a computer problem so I had to rush down to my brother's office, he made a call, then I rushed over to Yaletown to pick up a part, back up to my place, quick change and out to help set up for a fundraiser that was to take place on Day 26.

Day 26, I worked all day at my weekend job and then headed right to the fundraiser where I got to run around all night raffling tickets, selling merchandise, selling balloons, being an auction runner - I was home by midnight.

Day 27 I was up early and in to work, where I spent the day in the warehouse, and then was out to my parents house for dinner with the family. So it was a light day.

So how is the rest of my 30 days going to look? Day 28 will be some me time at the gym, no trainer, Day 29 will be volleyball and Day 30 will be a personal training session with Nick. And only 3 days total were missed...3, right?

I think one less thing on my plate stressing me out will definitely be a good thing. As much as I have learnt about myself and what my body is capable of with this challenge, it has been hard. It has been on my mind on a daily basis and has driven me crazy.

More in a few days... :)

Past the Point of No Return!

I am officially past the point of no return! The halfway mark has been reached!

So what have I learnt so far? This challenge so far has shown me how to come up with creative ways to get some physical exercise every day. Whether it be shopping at a grocery store that is not as convenient as your usual grocery store, walking the long way home, properly scheduling time at the gym (outside of personal training no less!) or playing volleyball at the community centre, I have found many ways to get more active. I have always loved vigorous exercise; I've just been too lazy to actually implement it into my life.

As you know, Day 14 was personal training with my fantabulous trainer, Nick! We got back into some more high impact stuff because my knee was feeling better. I was squatting, lunging and thrusting my way through the workout, and boy did my legs feel it for at least 3-4 days afterwards.

Day 15 was volleyball at the Coal Harbour Community Centre. I brought along a friend who hadn't played volleyball in a long time, and we laughed so much while we played. I was starting to think the European guys thought we were crazy. I worked up a fairly good sweat too! I am hoping to make this a regular thing with my friend, so long as she is up for it. 'Cept I'm gonna have to teach her to stop shutting her eyes and cowering when the ball comes towards her...

Day 16 was personal training again with Nick! More higher impact things, and my knee was still doing great! I am looking forward to *hopefully* doing some kickboxing again this coming week. I really really really miss kicking and punching Nick. He takes it so well. And it really helps me work out my aggressions.

Day 17 didn't go the way I had planned it. I brought my gym gear with me to work and subsequently to class after work, but by the time class was over I was too tired and starving, so I just walked home. I walked at a very brisk pace (as I normally do...I just like going as fast as I can) and the walk took 15 minutes.

Day 18 was a half hour work out at the gym after work. It really got me energized and pumped and ready for the evening ahead!

Day 19 was some work in the warehouse at my weekend job and some walking to gastown and all over downtown during the evening/night going to various karaoke venues with a friend of mine. I normally would have taken a cab to each spot, but because I knew I didn't get a work out in, I forced myself to walk. I wasn't wearing heels, so I felt definitely more inclined to do so. Plus (for those who might say, "Hey, wait a minute, it was Saturday night...") I wasn't drinking, so none of the benefits of doing all the walking got cancelled out in any way. Actually I have stopped drinking all together...at least for a while. But that is a whole other post which I might post later.

Today is day 20. I am doing some more work in the warehouse today. I am also planning on perhaps hitting the gym tonight or at least going for a walk around the neighbourhood...I haven't decided.

I have also been thinking about what I am going to do to reward myself once this is all done. The challenge in itself is the reward in one way because of how energized I feel, and how much I love integrating exercise into my daily life. However some sort of treat (a new purse or jacket perhaps?) would feel good as well. I'll have to think on it a bit still.

Time for an Update!

Time for an update, I suppose!!

Day 9 found me at the gym with my trainer Nick. We decided to let my knee have a little bit more time to heal and did the circuit training but with a bit of a twist. Tried some new exercises and felt quite spent once I was done.

Day 10 I had class right after work. Thankfully it was a short introductory class, so I just hit the gym afterward. I'm getting accustomed to working out later at night, so I may just continue to hit the gym after class on Thursdays. I did a half hour of cardio - 10 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes doing a walk/jog on the treadmill. Ran into Nick on the way out of the gym and he commented on the amount of sweat pouring off me. Yup, I had just gotten off the treadmill and running makes me sweat the most. He looked proud. :D

Day 11 was a bit of a light day. I took the day off from work and didn't really do much of anything. In the evening, however, I took a walk down to Yaletown to meet a friend for coffee. He offered to drive me home and I said no, I would walk, and I did. Like I said, a light day.

Day 12 I had to get up early to go down into Coal Harbour for a Reiki treatment. It was my first Reiki treatment, and it was awesome. Every spot on my body where I had an injury got a more intense flow of heat/energy. I sweated quite a bit during the treatment, and the Reiki Master told me that is because of the amount of toxins in my body. She suggested I take it easy for a bit afterwards and drink lots of water so that it would help the toxins leave my body more. So I did. Later in the day I took a walk to a grocery store that is out of my way to do some grocery shopping. 15 minute walk up hill there and 15 minute walk home with grocery bags home.

Day 13 (yesterday) I didn't work again! I know, three days in a row! For my exercise I walked down to English Bay to chill with a friend for a bit and walked home. I was planning on doing a bit of the seawall while I was down there, but didn't plan it properly and was starving by the time we left the beach, so I had to head straight home to eat something.

Today is day 14 and I have personal training tonight. I'm looking forward to it! Enough posting for me for now - time for breakfast! :)

Little bit of a hiccup...

So day 5 and 6 went alright - I have a weekend job that can be physical at times, and I did some core work as well, so I say that counts. Sunday night I went out with a couple friends to a house party and had a few beer. It hit me harder than I thought, so Monday was a complete write off. I slept until 2 pm (apparently my body needed it?!?!?) and then felt like crap for the 10 hours I was awake before going to bed again.

I woke up this morning just absolutely livid with myself. How could I slip only 7 days in?!?! It made me think that I was not cut out to make goals for myself. I feel like every goal I make for myself I fail miserably at. Its why I don't set resolutions at new years - just another way to let myself down. But something like this?? Why?

A friend told me that I should not be so hard on myself, that its only a day, and to just keep going and forget it happened. Her words "It was a day, not a week". True, but I wanted to work out for 30 days straight. I feel like a complete failure for not having been able to do that. Another friend threatened to impale me if I were to ever call myself that again. Well...fine, I will try not to. But unfortunately it is a word in my vocabulary.

So today was day 8, and I think it was the most fun so far. I played volleyball at the Coal Harbour Community Centre. For the most part it was good. There were faces there that I recognized from last season, and a whole bunch of new faces. It will be interesting to see what the turn out will be like next week. I already have 2 friends confirmed that they are going to join me for volleyball next week, so that will be fun. I've never played volleyball with either of them before, so it will definitely be interesting. The part that kind of sucked was this old guy who kept acting as if he was trying to coach us. Wouldn't have bothered me if he did it in a positive way. But he was condescending about it, and when I questioned doing three on three (we had enough to have 1 six on six game, why split it into 2 three on three games??) he said "Oh, it will be good cardio for you, give you some exercise." Maybe I was feeling a bit sensitive, but I totally took this the wrong way, and said "I'll have you know I exercise on a daily basis." He didn't say anything to that. But he kept trying to tell me how to play...it wasn't positive. I was glad when he just abruptly left the game. Then a guy who was sitting on the sidelines because of an injury (golf apparently?) joined us, and it was awesome! He learned our names, encouraged us...he was obviously way above us in skill, but he didn't rub it in, and really cheered us on no matter what. I became a better player within 10 minutes because of the change in energy.

So tomorrow is day 9, and I have personal training with my super awesome trainer Nick! Looking forward to that! I feel so good after I exercise.

E.

Friendship

Friendship is knowing that no matter how much time passes before you are able to talk to each other, for whatever reason, things will feel just as comfortable as the last time you spoke and it will feel as if no time has passed at all.

Friendship is knowing that you can call your friend at any hour of any day for any reason.

Friendship is knowing you can say anything without being judged by your friend.

Friendship is wanting your friend to succeed and do well for themselves, no matter how far it might take them away from you.

Friendship is giggling until all hours of the night over the stupidest things.

Friendship is that text you get when someone knows you're going into a situation where you may not be all that comfortable, and they're checking up on you to see if you're ok.

Friendship is being able to stand up to your friend and tell them when they are being an idiot, but still loving them if they continue to harm themselves.

Friendship is getting all bull-doggy when you see your friend getting picked on, upset, disrespected, etc., and not letting it go down without a fight.

Friendship is being able to sit in silence for hours, and knowing things are still ok.

Friendship is that secret language you have where you can communicate with just a look, or a small hand gesture.

Friendship is irreplaceable. Your friends are the family you get to choose.

This isn't a copy and paste post. Some of these ideas have been said before by other people in different words. These ideas came from my head, through my hands and into my computer. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. What is friendship to you?

E.

Day Four!

Today is day four! Here is the rundown of the week so far:

Day one, I took the long way home and did a 45 minute walk on the seawall and into the westend.

Day two, I had personal training with my absolutely freakin' awesome trainer, Nick! This consisted of just some circuit training we've been doing for the past 3 weeks to allow my knee to heel properly. I do 15 lb. bent over rows, leg extensions (to strengthen the quad muscles to help my knee), ball crunches, bench push ups, thrusters, interval training on the elliptical, the plank (my longest is a minute)...I feel like I'm forgetting something. Anyway, we go through that 3 times, and then I'm done for the night. Next week I think (hope...) we are getting back to the more high intensity stuff - kickboxing, jogging, lunges and squats...I think my knee is better.

Day three, I hit the gym after work and did 30 minutes of cardio, plus some leg extensions to get those quads burning.

Day four, thats today, I went to the gym and did 45 minutes of cardio - 20 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes on the treadmill. I started jogging again, and my knee felt ok!

So I'm keeping it up!

Day One - SUCCESS!!

Day One of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge was a success!! I finished work and took the "long way" home - down Howe, on to the seawall, on to Denman and up into the Westend. It took me 45-50 minutes. But it made me realize I need a couple things:

1-a better bag that is wearable while I exercise. The one I have is alright, but it doesn't fit quite right around the bust. I need something that is more adjustable I think;

2-new shoes! I got a blister today because my shoes are wearing out.

Overall though, day one was a success!

I'm getting excited...

I am getting so excited to start the 30 day fitness challenge next week! I was telling my personal trainer about it today, and he is excited for me as well. There has been such a change in me since the beginning of May when I started working out a lot more regularly. I re-did some measurements recently and found out that I had lost 5% body fat. That is HUGE! I am proud of myself for what I have accomplished so far, and I am really excited to see how much more I can accomplish.

I've added something to the month of September. I'm going to give my body a couple weeks to get used to exercising every day, and then I am going to start a 12 day herbal D-Tox (Wild Rose). I've done this D-Tox before, and it can be hard when you don't have the recipe guide, but thankfully I have the recipe guide! I'm a bit more limited because I can't have eggs, but there is an awesome recipe for scrambled tofu - can't wait to try it!! Tofu tastes like egg-whites anyway, so I don't think it will be all that much different.

My attitude is getting better as well. I really and truly believe that you wake up every day with the ability to make a choice - you can either choose to be miserable and unhappy, or you can choose to be positive, look forward to the day ahead, and try and find good in all that you do. Of course not every day is going to work out to be like this; once in a while no matter how hard you try, you're going to have a day where you just don't freakin' care about making the right choices, and we have to allow ourselves to have a day like that...maybe two. But any more than that would be allowing ourselves to fall down a slippery slope into negativity, self-doubt and low self-esteem. It is harder to actually practice this of course - at least it is for me. But every day is a new day, and I just need to keep putting one foot infront of the other.

Baby steps...

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes...

What is it with me and dreams?

When I was younger, I had very very vivid dreams that I now experience in real life - deja vu if you will. Its been a long time since I dreamt one of those dreams and experienced it. But I'm still experiencing whatever is left in the backlog of those first dreams I had way back when.

For most of my adult life, I haven't remembered dreams except for those really disturbing one-offs that just stick with you for a couple days. And when I say disturbing, I mean disturbing. I would wake up in such a state of panic that it took quite a bit of time to fall back asleep. But on a larger scale, I don't really remember my dreams...well, at least until the past year or so.

I seem to be remembering dreams better, at least long enough to interpret them on an free online dream dictionary. Are they your subconcious just sorting out your days events, or is it something bigger? Is your subconcious, sometimes, not all the time, warning you of something big coming? I don't remember what it was I dreamed a few weeks ago, but I remember waking up with a sense that change was coming and it was going to be big. And I still have that feeling. But what I dreamt last night was completely off the wall, and I think it mostly had to do with yesterdays events.

I saw the Hangover, and for anyone who has seen it, you remember how cute the baby in it is, right? Well I did some googling of the movie before I went to it (as I often do) and came to a webpage that had some "behind the scenes secrets" and spoilers. I ignored the spoilers, but one post caught my eye - for some of the movie, they used a doll-baby that looked very realistic in rehearsals for some of the lude things they made the baby do in the movie (those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about; those of you who haven't, relax, it wasn't that bad, and was quite humorous, and I wouldn't be surprised if many young male parents these days have thought of this...). Well my first dream last night that I remember had me looking after someone's baby. Except that these friends (in my dream, not in real life) had suffered a miscarriage and lost the baby, and they carried around a cabbage patch doll pretending like they had a real baby. And they expected me to care for it as if it were their real son.

This dream could be interpreted 2 ways (and this is just off the top of my head, I haven't looked it up online or anything) - 1-the day's events being sorted out by my subconcious (I have a weeeeeiiiirrd subconcious) or 2-I still feel like my friends having babies isn't real, and that they're just playing house. Maybe it is a bit of column A and a little of column B? Not surprising considering my age, and that everyone around me is "growing up" (thats a whole other post).

So then my second dream happened after I got a text message from a friend of mine - I happened to be concious enough when he texted me that I woke up and we had a brief conversation over text. Then when I fell back asleep, there he was in my dream! Thats a bit easier - I just texted with the guy and maybe was still in a state of sleepiness while texting that my subconcious got confused.

I've always found dreams fascinating. I remember this dream a friend of mine had. For the sake of making this easy, we will call my friends who appeared in her dream A and B - A being her who had the dream, and B being the other friend of mine who appeared in this dream (which is weird cuz they have met like...once).

A and me were in my coffee shop (I don't actually own a coffee shop, but in her dream I did, and it was new) celebrating the opening. I gave A a spare set of keys to the shop for an emergency back-up. B walks in, grabs the keys from her and holds them hostage - he won't give them back. Then he runs away and the chase is on to get them back.

At the time of this dream, I had just started hanging out with B, and him and I were becoming quite close (just as friends, nothing more...), so I interpreted her dream to be that she was a bit jealous of the time I was spending with B because I was hanging out with him more than I was hanging out with her, and that she was scared he would become a better friend to me that she was (NO ONE can ever replace her...NO ONE!)

Interesting, eh?

Solo Show

I went to the movies by myself for the first time tonight. I was expecting so much more! I thought I'd be shunned when I sat myself in that awkward "space" seat between 2 couples...but I wasn't. I mean, the one lady looked a little perturbed that she had to move her purse, but that was it.

So why is it that society looks down on people who do things like that on their own? Why can't I take myself on a date? I know I'll be good company, and there will be no fight about what movie to see. I can even hold my own hand if I really want to...whats so bad about that?

I find myself doing a lot of things on my own these days. Hey, you're not going to have someone around you all the time, so you gotta learn.

What did I see? The Hangover. Hilarious! A bit slow and predictable at parts, but for the most part it kept me laughing.

That all for now...

30 Day Fitness Challenge!!

A friend of mine said to me yesterday "You need to do a 30 day challenge. Yoga, working out...whatever it is. 30 days!"

When I got over the initial "How dare you tell me what I NEED?!?" thought, I let it sink in. 30 days straight...some form of physical activity each day, eh? Hmmm...

Then I thought I would need to set some obtainable guidelines for my lifestyle. I'm busy! I work a full time job, a part time job, school is starting again in 20 days, and I have a few musical projects on the go, one of which is my band that meets at least once a week to practice. I don't get a lot of down time because any spare time at the moment is spent at the gym with my personal trainer. Is 30 days straight of physical activity even obtainable??

*Dramatic Pause*

Alright...I am going to begrudgingly say yes.

So the guidelines are:

• Physical activity should last at least 30 minutes
• Physical activity must get my heart rate above its resting rate

That is all I have for now. I am going to start this challenge on September 1, 2009. If you can think of any other suggestions for guidelines, or anything else, leave a comment...just don't tell me what I NEED to do. ;-)

Happy Fitness!!

First Post!!

Okay, for the first one I am going to keep it short. I'm really not sure who is going to read this, or how often I am going to get a chance to post. I am going to try to post almost daily in September (for reasons you will find out soon)...but we'll see just how well I do that.

Now on to figuring things out and navigating this site...