1st Day of Vacation

I cannot tell you all how great it feels to know that I do not have to go to work this entire week. Right now I am up bright and early to hit the pool. Its been about a week since I've been swimming so I am glad to be getting back in the water. The legs are a little sore from the running and cycling this weekend so swimming and yoga today will be warmly welcome. As for the rest of the day, instead of heading into work I will be able to come back to the apartment, take a nap, go to Starbucks, maybe mountain bike in the freshly fallen snow, watch a movie, read my books.

It's now 8:26AM and I am now located at the 12 Corners Starbucks enjoying a non-fat latte. My swim workout for the day has been completed and I now have until 7:00PM to do whatever I feel like (At 7 I have Yoga!!!yey, I really like yoga).

It was quite a drive to the pool this morning. Lots of snow was on the road but this did not deter the RAMS faithful. The pool was pretty much filled with the usual Monday morning characters. A little winter weather can't stop dedicated swimmers! However, it now appears that the snow has ceased for now. The plows are finally making some headway and the roads are looking a lot better. I heard on the radio that their were over 15 accidents in the Rochester area...yikes! Glad that I was not a part of that statistic today.

My immediate plan for the day is to make my way back to my apartment in a short while, eat a nice breakfast, and cozy in to read parts of the 3 books that are in my reading rotation. Interested in what I am reading these days? Well even if you are not, I am still going to tell you.

1. Racing Weight - How to get lean for peak performance - By: Matt Fitzgerald
I am really enjoying this read. From what I have read so far it has a ton of tips on how to structure your diet plan. I really need this as I have a tendency to sabotage my meal plans. Don't get me wrong I eat an extremely healthy palate of foods. Recently I was introduced to a "Nutritional Challenge" which incorporates a point system on a daily basis(maximum of 4 points per day, or 5 in my case.) I do not claim to have come up with this idea. The idea was presented to me by Kelly C., a member of the Train-This group, and I thank her for sharing this challenge! I know that Kelly tries to do this on a 4 week basis and based on her 4 point system she aims for a cumulative score of 25-28 per week. Since I will be adding a point to my challenge I will bump up my goals to 32-35. Kelly also creates the incentive for success by treating herself to a "non-food treat" like clothing, triathlon gear, etc...I will incorporate this as well. Most like with a spending limit. Maybe for every week I achieve my goal I will bank $10 dollars...something like that.
1 point for eating 4 vegetables (Not an issue...ever)
1 point for eating 3 fruits (Not an issue...ever)
1 point for drinking 80 oz of water (I don't believe this will ever be an issue)
1 point for not eating "junk" or overeating/splurging
My additions to this challenge:
1 point for not going to Wegmans - (I tend to go to Wegmans way to much and spend way more money on food than I need to. Obviously I do not mind spending money on good food..(I spend a lot) but I just really need to work on purchasing food in a smart way)


At the end of each day's posting I will tally my previous days score and keep a running total. If you would like to participate with me...THE MORE THE MERRIER! and please provide any other suggestions for the nutritional challenge.

So for day 1 (12/27/09)
4 points
Vege's - 1 point
Fruits - 1 point
Water - 1 point
Overeating - 0 points (Although I did overeat in a Huge way I still ate more than I needed last night. I really have trouble with the night time eating and hopefully the techniques and meals plans I am learning about in Racing Weight will help me overcome this challenge)
Wegmans - 1 point (I have lots of food in the apartment, thanks to being at my sisters house over the holiday as well as being generously given a lot of food preceding my departure last night) I should be able to get through most of the upcoming week without going to Wegmans. I'd estimate maybe 2 times...But we shall see.

Alright on to book #2:

SuperFreakonomics - (This was suggested to me by a friend. I did not read the first edition 'Freakonomics', so this will be totally new to me. It is a humorous and interesting look into the world that we live in. I just started reading the introduction this morning and the titles of the chapters that I scanned over seem to be quite entertaining. In fact the authors even wrote a little description about each individual chapter...a nice touch if I may say so myself.)

Book #3:

Twilight - (Ahh...let the laughs reign loud and clear. I know...I know...I have fallen prey to the Twilight Saga Monster, just like when I was consumed by the Harry Potter Machine. I intentionally held out as long as I could, thinking that this was just to "girly" for me. However, I was listening to a triathlon podcast of all things when a girl..AND GUY were both discussing how they had listened to the twilight books on their iPods in their cars and while on the trainer/treadmill. Well that sealed the deal...If fellow triathletes were finding these books interesting enough to listen to...then well I felt I should at least give them a shot. I need a bit more inspirational motivation while on the trainer and treadmill so I am going to stick to movies and music for the long boring days. However, I began reading the BOOK in the evenngs and at other various free times. I must say that it is exactly what I was looking for. A nice easy read that goes quickly. Its the type of book that you really do not need to engage mentally. You can just read and enjoy without over-exerting your brain. I was also pleasantly surprise that although it is "girly" at this point I have not felt overwhelmed and/or disgusted with the girly-ness. If all goes well I am happy to start reading these books because their are 3 more after the first one..so it will keep me mindlessly busy for a while. Plus there are now 2 movies out. Even though these movies will probably not be nominated for movie of the year they will still be about a book I have read and just for that I will watch..and they will at least give me a couple hours worth of viewing time on the trainer. Think of me as you like...I am reading these books. HHAHAHAH..(That's me laughing at myself)