Fall Fitness Challenge Week 3 : Healthy Eating

Work has been chaotic and draining with the Toronto Film Festival in town the past two weeks, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And with it will come sleep and normality. One of the things I'm looking forward to the most is getting back to healthy eating. Despite trying to stock my fridge up with lots of healthy options before the festival started, I'm still out of the house most of the time (16-19 hour days right now!) and I can't always bring something with me. On a few occasions I've had to buy something on the go, but I'm trying to stick to healthy options like Pita Pit or Subway. However, they has been a couple late night pasta dinners with colleagues, candy bars while riding the subway, copious amounts of Diet Coke (I don't drink coffee or tea and I desperately need the caffeine!) and of course popcorn at some of the screenings.
When all the mayhem stops on Sunday, I'm looking forward to getting back to my normal eating habits.

I used to be a breakfast cereal fiend, eating it every day. I could still always go for a bowl of Kashi Go Lean with skim milk and a sliced banana (any meal, any time!). That was until I recently saw a documentary that explained how bad all the sugar and carbs in cereal are for contributing to our blood sugar levels. Now I am trying to make more berry protein smoothies, egg white (+ one whole egg) veggie omelettes with whole grain toast or even oatmeal. Having more protein in your breakfast will give it some staying power to get you through the morning

A few times a week, I like to chop up a variety of different vegetables at once and store them in glass containers in the fridge. They are perfect for snacking on when I'm making dinner (when I often fall prey to nibbling) or for when I'm on the run and need to put something nutritious together fast.

Then every morning (or the night before), I use a variety of the pre-cut vegetables to put together a salad for lunch. I like to toss in a lean protein, like chicken, beef, beans, chopped hard boiled egg or even low fat cottage cheese.

Duing the work week, I like to pack my own lunches using the chopped veggie salads, preparing homemade soups in advance (low sodium!) or making a veggie and lean protein packed sandwich with whole grain bread. I find it harder to stay on track on the weekends for lunchtime when there is the temptation to grab a hot dog, or I completely forget to eat lunch and before you know it I'm munching on a plate of nachos mid-afternoon.

Dinner time isn't always easy to predict where I'm going to be, but even if I have to eat out (whether its at a restaurant or a friend's house) I look for the most nutritious options. If I'm having something I love like Chicken Marsala, I'll take a small portion of the chicken and noodles, but load up the other half of my plate with fresh, cooked or roasted veggies. When I'm out I'll pick the side salad over the fries (dressing on the side! You'll use waaaay less), forgo on deep friend appetizers and look for the lean porteins and veggies. That being said, I don't beat myself up when I eat something that tastes good but isn't necessarly the healthiest options. Life is to be enjoyed and that includes having a good relationship with food.

Don't deprive yourself of that after dinner brownie sundae or the mid afternoon cookie break. The key to enjoying it is to focus on smaller portions of your favorite things. After you've had a few bites, you may find that it has satisfied your sweet tooth already. Give it a try next time!

As for getting in some exercise this week, I started off with good intentions, but then before I knew it the Festival took over all my time. I stressed about it for the first few days and then decided to give myself the rest of the week off until the Festival is over. That being said, I've been walking all over the city and I've still tried to fit in some stretches whenever I can: waking up in the morning, waiting for breakfast to cook, taking a couple of minutes at the office, or my personal favorite when I'm going to bed.

Exercise Log:

Wed, Sept 8: Bedtime Yoga
Thurs, Sept 9: Indoor Bike (10.67 miles) + Intervals:
                               Warm up: Bike 5 min (17 mph, 1.16 miles)
                               Stretching
                               Bike 5 min (20 mph, 1.68)
                               Interval 1: Resistance Band Exercises (kind of like some of this) + 30 sec Plank
                               Bike 5 min (20 mph, 1.68)
                               Interval 2
                               Bike 5 min (20 mph, 1.68)
                               Interval 3
                               Bike 5 min (20 mph, 1.65)
                               Cool down: Bike 5 min (17 mph, 1.16)
                               Stretching!
                       Later on I did some Bedtime Yoga to calm me down before sleep. Worked like a charm.
Fri, Sept 10: Day Off
Sat, Sept 11: Day Off
Sun, Sept 12: Day Off
Mon, Sept 13: Day Off
Tues, Sept 14: Day Off

Interestingly, my stats are reflective of an indlugent long weekend followed by a crazy work week. I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine next week and toning up some more. When you have a bad week like this, its easy to fall off the band wagon, but you've just got to forgive yourself and put more effort in it the next week :)

Stats
Body Mass Index: 24.2
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.44
Percent Body Fat: 27.8%
Lean Body Mass: 112.8 lb