Day One

I woke up every few hours afraid to check the clock and see it being 4:55 am, only to actually wake up at 4:57 and sigh that I had only mere moments left in bed.

Rob had me lay out all my stuff the night before, so I wouldn't be wandering around in the morning gathering everything up, and we arrived a few minutes before the gym even opened at 5:15 am. There was the odd person waiting with us, but by the time I was half way into my cardio, the area was pretty much full. The weight and stretching sections weren't congested, and what's nice about this gym is it's really spread out, with a track that runs outside each of the area's and down and around large picture windows.

It's 6:38 now, and I feel pretty good. Not once during the workout did I feel tired, or cranky, I was just wide eyed with wonder at how many people actually get up at this time for fitness sake. The absolute best part though? It's done for the day! I don't have to mentally prep myself all day for going to the gym, there's no "should I, I know I should" argument as I make the weary walk to my car after work--it's done! DONE! I can't believe how cheerful that alone makes me feel.

I was a little sleepy when I got home, though I think mainly from needing some protein, but now that I've had my sugar free yoghurt, I'm good. I'm even planning what I should make for dinner tonight. : )

Let's see if I can carry this trend for a few weeks, and what I'll be like further into it.

A definite key is going to bed on time. I made sure I was in bed by 9 last night, and sleeping by 9:30 at the latest. As long as I manage that, I should be able to manage actually getting up.

Happy Tuesday!

Running in heels, Tim Horton's and working out

I was being silly at work running with my filing cabinet in precariously heeled shoes when I skidded onto my ass, narrowly missing a co-worker in the process. The black marks are from the heels of my shoes, and there is an actual dent in the floor. One of my co-workers commented she couldn't believe how far apart my legs had spread.


Why was I running with my filing cabinet? Well, any morning we work out front, the staff all wheel out their filing cabinets so our resources are close at hand. This particular morning was a Friday and I think I was happy the end of the day would mark the beginning of a long weekend. Obviously Karma took the opportunity to kick me in the ass, so I guess I won't be doing that again.

***

Perhaps I thought of Tim Horton's as a healthy alternative to fast food. Not so after picking up the Nutrition Guide at my nearest TH. Even though I didn't expect to see really healthy listings, I'm not sure I was prepared for what I did find:

Chocolate Chip muffin: 430 calories, 16 g of fat, 580 mg of sodium and 69 carbs.
Twelve Grain Bagel: 330 calories, 9 g of fat (the highest of all bagels), 580mg of sodium, and 52 carbs.
Herb and Garlic cream cheese: 141 calories, 13 g of fat, 228 mg of sodium, and 2 carbs.
Iced Cappucino: 250 calories, 11 g of fat, 50 mg of sodium and 33 carbs.

For a grand total of: (not including the muffin, I just threw that in there because it shocked me) 721 calories, 33 g of fat, 891 mg of sodium and 87 carbs. For BREAKFAST.

Wow. Nevermind if you happen to add a donut or God forbid the chocolate chip muffin (which is obviously some sort of meal replacement). It is clear that Tim Horton's should be classified along with all the other fast food outlets.

What really boggles me, though, is how the twelve grain bagel is the worst of all bagels offered at Tim Horton's. I would choose this bagel thinking it to be the healthiest when in reality, it's the worst. It has the most calories, fat, and ties for the most sodium. The only thing it's comparable on is the carbs, which after everything else is said and done--who cares. In reality, when I shop for bagels, or bread (which are all really quite unhealthy), I'm always scanning the nutrition labels to pick the one lowest in everything important to me and one that's marked "whole wheat" as the very first ingredient.

Still, so much for thinking Tim Horton's is the lesser of fast food evils.

***

I just joined Rob's gym, which is a 2 minute walk from our place. Tomorrow is our first 5am workout together. Here's hoping that after 22 sessions (the number it apparently takes to develope a habit), I can call myself an early bird exerciser.

The obvious advantages are not just health related. I would have the work out done for the day, so when I come home tired and cranky from work, I can relax and have my dinner with Robert (instead of going off to work out and coming home by 6:30 or 7 to then begin dinner). Because I'll be up earlier in the morning, I'll have some extra time before actually having to get ready for work, which also might make the early morning rising a bit easier to take (instead of getting up groggy, rushing off to workout, and rushing back to get ready).

Rob has his doubts as to whether I'll be able to pull off this a.m. health revolution, but because I'm currently struggling with the motivation for going to my own gym, anything that might help is better than nothing. : )