The Results Are In + My Exercise Plan for the Holidays

Hey everyone!

I am sorry that this post is so late– ugh, our internet was down ALL DAY at work today, so not only could I not post over my lunch, but I couldn’t get any work done either.

Pretty much a write off!

And I still had to stay there and wait because Eric dropped me off today.

And so without further delay I present to you the results of my office Christmas Door Decorating Challenge:

The morning prep work (myself and my research partner were so pressed for time, it was quite nerve wracking!):

My treat bags were a hit!! Each child received 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies and chocolate bells.

I am happy to say that we won 3^rd prize! I am quite happy with this result considering I threw it together last minute.

Here is our prize:

What could be better than winning tea, cider, Clementine’s (!!!!), and chocolate!? I was naturally elated and ate 3 Clementine’s to celebrate.

So all and all a very productive day at work!!! LOL

Tomorrow we are supposed to get 20-25 cm of snow, so I am hoping that our scheduled team day is cancelled and I am allowed to work from home. The last thing I want to do is get stuck in horrible traffic the day before I am supposed to leave for my trip! Here’s hoping. 

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And now for the promised Guest Blogger!

Sketchie!

I figured he was such a celebrity on this website that he could do a guest blog.

He has actually taught me a couple lessons about healthy living:

1) Sketchie says, “I only eat when I am hungry. They put a bowl filled with food down each day and I only eat when I need to eat. I also eat slow to avoid stomach indigestion. I am not like those gluttonous dogs that scarf down everything put in front of them.”

2) He also says, “I work hard in my training program, so I allow myself cheat meals.

Since I work so hard with my trainers, I don’t feel guilty when I splurge and have some treats. It’s all about moderation!”

Thanks Sketchie!

[Yes, I have seriously lost it! I need a vacation!! lol]

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Blog domestics 

1) I have been asked why I do not post how many calories that I burn along with my other HRM stats when I post my exercise for the day. My reasoning is that I don’t pay attention to it and a big part of my Road to Health has been ignoring numbers that can be negative in any way.

However, at the same time I know that many people would find it useful to see what kind of effort is required to burn a certain amount of calories. I have found time and time again that machines drastically overestimate how many calories you are burning, even when your weight is entered. When I enter my weight and age on Polar machines, it overestimates my calorie burn by over 100 calories.

I am not opposed to posting how many calories my workout burns. But I thought I would do a quick poll to gauge everyone’s opinion on it. If the majority wants to see it, I will post it, and if not, then I will leave it out. Generally speaking my workouts burn 300-350 calories, with long runs burning over 500.

2) On Saturday I am leaving to visit my family out West for about 5 days! While my schedule will probably not allow 3 posts per day which is the norm for me, I am going to try to do a morning and evening post. My mom and sister are really supportive of my blog and I am sure that you will be seeing them on here during my visit!

I already have some ideas for my mom and sister to do a guest post! They too are both very interested in health and nutrition, and I’m sure they would jump at the idea to be able to do a post on here. There will be plenty of action on this blog next week so stay tuned for that!

My Answer:

I am a huge planner. I love planning. I love having an idea of what I am going to do before I do it. I am so not a ‘wing it’ type of person, but at the same time, I am not a Type A obsessive planner either. I just like to have an idea of what is to come.

I knew I would be away from the 20^th-25^th to visit my family. I honestly had no idea what I would be doing for exercise while I was away. I figured that I would try to get out for walks and maybe a run or two if the weather permitted. However, my sister said that it would be fun to go to her gym together so she is going to take me to her gym! I am really excited about that. I love that I can still stick to my routine even though I am away from home. It is a good thing she can take me too because the weather there is supposed to be -20C all week! Ouch!!

So hopefully we will get to the gym most days I am there. The days I don’t workout at the gym, I plan on going for a walk or maybe doing a few workout videos on You Tube. I hope to do a couple of good runs while I am away, but I am really not sure. Whatever happens I will be back to my regular training program as soon as Eric and I are back home. I will be running on my treadmill at home on Boxing Day before we head to his parents, and then I will be home the 28^th, and running my regular schedule from then on.

I hope to be able to show my readers how I manage a healthy lifestyle while on vacation, and show you that it is possible. On both of my recent trips (one to Mexico and my European honeymoon), I managed to eat healthy and still get lots of exercise while away. I came back from both trips without gaining a pound, so I am living proof that if you are sensible and eat in moderation it can be done!

I will try to document this process next week while I am away and highlight areas where I think that I made healthy choices.

And now for the second part of that question- I haven’t given too much thought to my meals however. My mom was sweet and asked me if I wanted any specific groceries and I told her Almond Breeze Milk, Spelt cereal, and Ezekiel bread would be fabulous (they are basically my new staples), but even without any of that I pretty much just wing it and select the healthiest option out of what I have in front of me. I am lucky because my family eats healthy, so there is never much junk lying around.

As for Christmas dinner, it is pretty simple for me. I load up on veggies and skip the gravy and stuffing (I have never been a fan of either). I always allow myself some dessert though- everything in moderation! I will likely have a slice of my homemade pumpkin pie…I can’t wait.

I hope this helps and I can’t wait to read all of your thoughts!!

Stay tuned tonight or tomorrow morning for a Homemade Pistachio Larabar experiment!