12WBT - 04/04/11

Today started with me being generous.  I donated blood.  First time I've done that over here (first time since I left the UK that I've given - and I never gave when I was in NZ, go figure!).  Deffo a good cause - if you haven't given in a while (or at all), get in touch with them and do so now.

Australian Red Cross Blood Service - go on, what have you got to lose???

Granted, it took me two hours - by the time I filled in the paperwork, had the interview and waited around (it's reassuring, though, to have to wait because there are so many people there giving freely).  I didn't mind - it was two hours of work time...and I got a milkshake and a muffin out of it ;)

When I got back to the office it was back to emails and phone calls.  Bah.  Why do we have to work for a living - can't someone else do it for me so I can do other things?  Really! ;)  Come the afternoon, though, I felt a bit...light-headed (moreso than normal).  The moral of this story is to ensure you keep the fluids up after giving blood - haha.

Because of this light-headedness, I didn't go up to the spin class :(  Instead, I opted for a 40 minute walk - which ended just before the skies opened.  I managed to get back home in a light drizzle.  Phew!

Meals

Breakfast: puffed rice, linseed etc, raspberries, Jalna yoghurt with cinnamon

Lunch: salad (spinach, canned chicken, four bean mix)

Dinner: ham & brie with couscous

Exercise

40 minute evening stroll.

12WBT - 03/04/11

What's this rubbish about an extra hour of sleep today?  I think my body missed the memo somewhere along the line...  Y'know what, though?  Even though we didn't have an extra hour of sleep (because one of us was too wide awake ;) ), we did just chill this morning.  It's nice doing that.  Relaxing - making the most of the sunshine streaming in the window and the peace of the neighbourhood.  I think this is a must for a normal, healthy life.  You can get too caught up with the hustle and bustle and forget that down time is just as important - as is quiet time alone.

When we finally surfaced, it was to head up to pick up some DVD storage from up the road - and some more DVDs to add to the collection (we need more shelving for DVDs - the slimline things we've replaced the old jewel cases with still take up a shed-load of room).  From there it was off to get groceries (via a lovely lunch at Lane Cove).  Yeah, exciting, huh?

When we got home I vegged on the couch while Wifey put the groceries away.  Actually, my vegging was productive - I pulled the DVDs out of their old cases to put them into their new homes.  Very time consuming - but not as time consuming as what came next.  I then went through all the empty DVD cases and chucked the cracked ones, then sorted all the others out to put on eBay (I hope someone wants them - I've got about 450 empty cases if anyone wants them!  Seriously!  Let me know!).

We had a lovely dinner - Wifey did a chicken breast in a scrummy mushroom & mustard sauce.  She's a whizz in the kitchen is my wife!  

Meals

Breakfast: low GI, gluten free granola-esque cereal, strawberries & yoghurt

Lunch: erm, fries & pizza...but the pizza had green on it ;)

Dinner: chicken breast in mushroom & wholegrain mustard sauce

Exercise

Lazy days calling to you; come out to play, the future lies with you...

12WBT - 02/04/11

Poor Wifey had to get up early today - when I say 'had to', it was self inflicted.  She has her haircut this morning.  I was thinking I'd laze in bed while she was away, but no chance of that.

I'm currently working on a PowerPoint presentation for her to use while she's away on a school retreat next week (aren't I a good hubby - thankfully it's something I enjoy doing so there ain't no probs there).  I suppose I should also do the housebi*ching chores while she's away - poor chook is well tired these days and could do with a bit of a break from the mundane.

Yep.  House ship-shape now.  Just waiting on her to come home so we can head off to the movies this arvo.  Booked in to see Rango (animated Johnny Depp flick) - the last of our cheap movie tickets.  Hope there aren't too many kids around.  I dislike going to movies when kids are there - loud, obnoxious creatures that they are.  I, of course, was never like that ;)

Movie was OK.  Wouldn't say it was the worst I'd ever seen.  Perhaps a bit more of an adults one than not.  We did manage to get some exercise in before the movie, too.  Wandering around the mall and then walking up all the stairs to get to the cinema we needed (could've used the lift but there were snotty-nosed kids about - lol).  There were a few kids but not as many as I had envisaged (or feared!).

When we got home neither of us were hungry so we went for a walk around the neighbourhood for about an hour and a half.  It was a pleasant night to do that - not too cold, not at all hot.  Walking around at night gives a different perspective on the 'hood as well.

Meals

Breakfast: three-egg omelette (with 1 yolk), onion, ham, tomato & spinach

Lunch: chicken schnitzel & salad

Dinner: slice of cheese & some spinach

Exercise

Walking around the mall, including stairs; 90 min stroll around the neighbourhood.

12WBT - 01/04/11

What a fizzer April Fools turned out to be in our office this year.  It wasn't so much that people weren't into it, it was a case of people being so flat out that they didn't have time.  We had three big meetings going on making people less inclined to partake in the jovial nature of the day.  The one big prank we had going didn't work well.  The instigators hadn't thought about the follow-through - and the victim was a bit of a sore loser.  Ahh well.  There's always 2013...

When I got home from work (early, I might add - yay for having a later day earlier in the week), the sun was shining in the bedroom window so I thought I'd soak up some of the rays from the comfort of the bed...and then I woke up when Wifey called to say she was on her way home for the PT session.  Oops!  Luckily it was only a wee grandpa nap for an hour.

PT session was mildly enjoyable.  We did weights, which I'm still not a fan of really.  I much prefer cardio but PT is making me do weights.  Worse things happen at sea though.  It was a full body workout tonight - upper & lower.  I was coping fine with almost everything, except the bloody press ups.  I think, because it was nearly time, my body was over it and just wanted to stop.  I persevered though - for what it was worth.

After the gym we had dinner.  Wasn't the best meal for us, but we were both famished...and tired.  Going out wasn't planned - it just meant that we had a bit more of a walk after the workout - and didn't have to do dishes!

Meals

Breakfast: puffed rice, strawberries & yoghurt

Snack: skippy rissole

Lunch: spicy pumpkin, kumara & chickpea soup (the soup that lasts forever!)

Dinner: lamb rissole, salad...& chips

Exercise

PT session - weights (upper & lower)

Time: 1:01

Calories: 597

Average HR: 121

Max HR: 163

In zone: 32:36

12WBT - 31/03/11

It's the end of March!  Holy moly, Batman!  Where's the year going?  It's escaping on me and I'm not sure I like the feeling.


Had my meetings and - as an added bonus (for me) - have almost finished typing up all the reports I need to do from the meetings.  God I'm good.  Well, when I'm not being bad, that is ;)


I need to vent and you're going to cop it - feel free to ignore this rant.  


<rant>
So, I've been told for the last couple of months about the potential of a new job for me at work.  From the sounds of things, it's now not going to happen.  I've also been told that I'm worth more than what I'm being paid currently but my "position isn't worth more".  So if you put these stories together, it's clear that there's not much chance of me progressing any further.  This displeases me muchly as the powers that be are aware that I'm bored senseless in my current job.  It's not that there's nothing to do - God, that would be even worse.  It's that I'm not challenged, and what I do have to do that is challenging I've been told should be paid at a higher level (and I can't get my teeth into it because of the normal, day-to-day, unchallenging rubbish).  I've only been in the job for seven months and I'm about to start a job hunt.  I hate doing this, but it's something that I've got to do.  (Having the motivation to finish my PhD would help, too - that's starting from next month...shite, tomorrow!).  I hate the idea of job hunting.  I hate the idea because I still don't know what I want to do - I have plenty of ideas in mind but whether or not I've got the experience is another thing.  It still irks me that 20 year olds these days can seem to walk into jobs with no experience or qualifications but Generation X-ers don't seem to have this luxury.


I'm a bit worried that this is going to hang over my head and upset my applecart, so-to-speak.  I don't want it to stress me out as that's when I go back to ways of old (blocks of choccy, bags of crisps etc - you get the idea).  I hope that I'll be able to instead reach for the treadmill or something instead.
</rant>


Well, reaching for the treadmill worked tonight.  A lot more relaxed about things...  And no choccy or crisps were hurt (just ignored - lol) ;)  I guess being so tired (as Wifey and I both are) is not helping matters as I often dwell on things too much - without actually fully formulating a thought ;)


Meals
Breakfast: Skippy rissole & boiled egg
Lunch: pumpkin & kumara & chickpea soup
Dinner: pumpkin & kumara & chickpea soup


Exercise
Treadmill again :)
Time: 1:23
Calories: 1015
Average HR: 138
Max HR: 163
In zone: 45:34

12WBT - 30/03/11

I was involved in meetings all day today.  Will be the same tomorrow.  Can't you just feel the enthusiasm oozing out of this page?  It's kinda boring.  Elements are interesting - but often few and far (very far!) betwixt.


Actually - now that I'm back from the meetings, they were bloody good today.  Bring on tomorrow.  Ha!  I did manage to rejuggle things so that I'm done at noon.  Huzzah and yay me!  That could mean that my plan for world domination - erm, wait, that's another blog entry...  My plan for finishing work at 3.30 so I can be at the gym by 4ish could pan out.  Yay.  


Bollocks!  It's not going to work like that.  Wifey has her 1:1 with PT at 5.30 so I'll just go up with her then.  Oh well, at least I'll still go up :)


I did that today, actually.  No, not went up with Wifey to her 1:1 session - finished work at 3.30pm.  By the time I caught a train and got home and changed it was just gone 4pm.  I was on the treadmill by 4.15 though.  That, my friends, was pretty good going for me.  I only managed to misplace one thing...but found it...as I was getting ready to leave :)


Spent another hour on the treadmill.  Really enjoyed the fact that the gym is so empty at 4.15pm!  Means that as it's starting to fill up, I'm walking out the door heading home (all nice and sweaty!).  I didn't mean to spend the whole hour on it.  It's becoming a bad habit.  I'm perhaps a little too competitive with myself.  If I can get to X km by X time or within X calories then I'll stop.  Or, I'll just go for three more minutes and get off at 20mins...I'll just go for 4.5mins and get off at 25mins...  It's bloody annoying but I just can't stop myself - I do thoroughly enjoy it though.  Can't wait for next Monday when I start going back to spin again.  It's been WAY too long and I miss it lots :(


Ahh - best go and start prepping dinner.  We're having the chicken laksa (adapted from the 12WBT :D ).  I'm so the biggest fan of this dish - especially when I put in way too much red curry paste and my eyes want to roll back in my head when I eat it.  That's the best part by far!


Okay - I didn't put in anywhere near enough curry paste.  BAH!  No eye rolling tonight :(  This saddens me.  Next time - I'll double my normal doubled amount.  Yeeehaaaw, baby!


Meals
Breakfast: Skippy rissole, boiled egg, puffed rice (with linseed etc & oats), yoghurt (with cinnamon) & blueberries
Lunch: one samosa and 1 mini beef melt thing
Dinner:  12WBT chicken laksa (this is so my favourite dish from the whole program!!!)


Exercise
Finally back on to this!  Treadmill.
Time: 1:14 (includes walk home 'cos I forgot to turn it off - 1:05 was on the treadmill)
Calories: 1209
Average HR: 161
Max HR: 179
In zone: 15:36 (this was most likely the cool down & walk home!)

12WBT - 29/03/11

After the initial excitement (haha) that was Monday, Tuesday is a rather mundane day.  I was going to say it's like Thursday - pointless, but at least Thursday is closely followed by Friday.  Oh well.


When I got home (after a same-old, same-old day at work - oh, I did manage to empty my inbox for the first time this year; what a joyous occasion that was!), I was charged with cooking dinner.  Y'know, I've not even got into the routine of doing that this year (and we're 1/4 of the way through the year already!).  I was going to go all out and cook something well fancy.  Didn't quite get there.  Ended up making a scrummy spicy pumpkin & kumara soup.  Mmm, nice and filling and I don't think it'd be too bad health-wise.  The bonus of doing a soup is it's like the gift that keeps giving.  Soup today, soup tomorrow, soup for the rest of the week!  hahahahaha


Between trying to relax (read: laze) on the couch and cook dinner, the evening pretty much disappeared.  OMG!  LOL!  BRB! ROFLMAO!  WTF!  NASA!  I forgot to go to the gym.  Arsemonkies.  Not impressed.  Oh well.  Tomorrow, as they say (who the hell are they and why do they say that?), is another day.


Meals
Breakfast: kangaroo rissole & boiled egg
Lunch: Wagamamas, baby!  Bento box (teriyaki beef - but didn't eat the rice), chicken gyoza, edamame - Coke Zero ('cos the juicer was again broken - this is getting old now!)
Dinner: spicy pumpkin, sweet potato & chickpea soup.  Mmm


Exercise
hahahaha - hmm.