BLOG AWARD

Thank you so much Amanda over at Fat Wuz Here for nominating me for a blog award. Check out Amanda's blog and prepare to be inspired.


In order to accept this award I must:

1. Thank the person giving the award-Check!
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs.
4. Let your nominees know about the award.

7 Things about me:

1) I am single, with no kids, but love to spoil my Nephew and 4 Nieces every chance I get.


2) I love to travel, and have been all over Europe, as well as the Caribbean, and so far have gone on 1 month extended trips, to the Northwest Territories (Northern Canada), Greece (from the North to the islands) and the East Coast (including Newfoundland and Labrador)


3) I normally shock and confuse people when they ask about my background because my father is born and raised in the West Indies (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), and is actually at least 4th generation West Indian (his ancestors were Scottish and Irish)



4) While I love my job, it is often very stressful as I deal with power of sale (forclosures).

5) I worked at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto from the age of 14 to 29, and have met many hockey personalities, seen every concert (watched the making of the Duran Duran Reflex video), and was a ball girl at a Harlem Globetrotters show, where I actually became part of the show.



6) I am looking forward to getting my motorcycle licence soon, just so I can go on a long distance bike trip.....



7) I once travelled to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska on a trip(as mentioned above), drove 13,000km in one month, and set up a tent in a new place on every since one of those nights. This still remains the best month of my life, I saw glaciers, wildlife, and gained an appreciation of just how beautiful Canada is. I also had the opportunity to fly on a float plane and land on the Nahanni River!




I nominate:

Alright, instead of nominating 15 people (lol, I don`t have that many followers) I just ask everyone who reads this to post one interesting fact about themselves in my comments section, or if you wish, just introduce yourself.

Vacation ....Finally

Finally taking a couple of weeks vacation from work. So excited to just chill. While I am not going away anywhere, I plan on staying active and spending much of my time outdoors enjoying the fantastic weather we are having here.

I wrote earlier about ordering a cycling shirt on line.... well I got it aaaaaaand.... it doesn't fit! I was dissapointed but it was sort of expected. It is now hanging on my bedroom door and I hope to be able to wear it before the summer is out.


My workouts are just brutal these days, but I love the challenge and love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with each challenge I complete. I did an this thing on Friday where I had to run backwards for about 15 feet and then turn and sprint about 30 feet as fast as I could. I have to say that I loved running full out as fast as I could. I am looking to add this to my workouts a bit more. I really felt strong and powerfull when doing this sprint cycle.

I have dusted off my camera and will try and take some pictures to add to my blog of places I go, and some of the activities I get up to.... I know that I love to see pictures on others blogs:)

My new love

Since I began this journey to get fit, I have tried out a few new ways to get fit. Running, triathlon, mountain biking, boxing, Muay Thai, and now I think I have found my "thing". Cycling- I just absolutely love the feeling of being out on my bike with the wind in my face and the sun shining down.

I actually was watching bits of the Tour de France this weekend- I am a big Lance Armstrong fan and wear my Livestrong bracelet proudly... It acts as my anchor to how I want to live my live.... to help push me towards that person that I have been trying to find for so many years. That 10 year old athlete who's view of the world and more importantly, who's view of herself was shattered by a few mean spirited and poorly timed comments and actions. So anyway, when I first started biking I was reluctant to put on the helmet and get into the cycling fashion. Then I went to the states and bought my first pair of Oakley sunglasses to go with my awesome helmet... I feel like I look like an athlete out there and it really boosts my confidence.

So on the weekend I went to the next step and purchsed a cycling jersey- lol. I have always wanted one and finally ordered one on line. Here is a picture:



I am expecting to receive it in the next few days, and although I am not expecting it to fit me. I will hang it proudly and vow to get into it by the end of the summer.

Livestrong, what a powerful thought. Thanks Lance!

Battered and bruised but grinning ear to ear

So my friends husband invited me out to go biking with him today. He said it was fairly easy riding, wooded trails leading to a nice waterfall and he said we would go at a nice pace. I was a little bit leary of off road biking but figured since he said it was an easy route I would take a crack at it.

We headed out with another of his friends and I knew I was in a bit of trouble when the very first hill was covered in rocks and tree branches and was pretty darn steep. I pushed my bike up this hill but lookin up ahead, into the forest the path looked pretty clear so I pedalled on. Everything was going great until we hit the first hill, there were quite a few rockes jutting out but I managed to climb up onto the grassy side and manuever my bike down..... phew. Then we came to the next hill, Dave and Dan were just out of site as my back tire hit a rock and my bike skidded to the right. Bam, I went down hard and the pain seared through my right hand as my thumb came down hard on a rock. I looked down and noticed a big scrape below my right knee. Welcome to mountain biking is what I thought. Anyway not to be defeated so soon into our ride, I got back up and continued. I slowly got a handle on how to navigate through the rocks and branches and started to quite enjoy the challenge. We hit a nice meadow with a grassy patch and just two ruts in the middle of the path. I was going through the rut when my pedal hit on side and BAM, I was thrown from my bike into the long grass. I landed hard on my right shoulder and totally got the wind knocked out of me, but I got back up and soldiered on.

All in all we rode for about 1.5 hrs up and down lots of hills and even with the spills I absolutely loved it. I felt alive, and fit and capable and I cannot wait to get out there and do it again. I am now back home, healing my wounds and thinking that I am really getting close to finding the real me that I always talk about. This is what I want to be doing on a Sunday afternoon, and for the first time in a very long time, I know that I am capable of doing it.

On another note, this week I pulled out my body bugg again, and have been tracking my food and exercise. I don't think it is coincidence that I am down 3lbs this week. My short term goal is to lose 25 lbs in 10 weeks which will take be down to about 218 lbs. I think I am off to a great start.

A week off

Last week my trainer took a week off to go on vacation. I took that as an opportunity to sit on my arse and veg for the whole week. Actually, I worked out both Saturday and Sunday last week, and came to the realization on Sunday night that I am tired, like seriously tired, worn out, fed up. I slept in on Monday morning and tueday morning and skipped my morning workout. I noticed that my knees were feeling a little bit better. I then made the decision to take the e ntire week off, get lots of sleep, catch up on the overflowing workload at my job and heal my body. It made me realize how much pain I was in- from my feet to my knees and all the way up to my shoulders, I have been in constant pain. It's all gone now, well except my knees which are still a bit sore, but the pain is manageable.

I also realized that I miss working out. Seriously I MISS IT! I never in a million years thought I would ever say that. I am looking forward to getting back to the gym tomorrow for a good run bike and swim, before getting back to training on Monday.

The other thing that I noticed is that my stress level went through the roof this week! I was irritable, miserable, tired, and just a plain old bitch all week long. I am 99% sure this is a direct result of not working out.

All in all, yes I was a lazy girl this week, but at least I learned some new things about myself, so I guess there was a small victory!