feeling healthy in LA

The fun continues here in LA. While Clinton is preparing for the next block of filming, I personally feel like i am on holiday. For example, yesterday i went out for breakfast, went for a long run along Venice Beach, loaded up for the rest of the day at the local salad bar, did 30mins of swim cords and core and watched not 1, not 3, but 4 movies! In LA, you watch movies... (when in Rome and all that).

Venice Beach, the scene of today's training

the boardwalk where i ran

the market along the beach, also on my little run route

In general, the last couple weeks have been very, ummm... healing for me. Using the word healing means there must be something i am healing from. What that is i couldn't tell you exactly. Sometime last year between a difficult break up, a move to a new city and a batch of disappointing and unsuccessful races, i needed some recovery time. These last few weeks, I have refocused on my own health, AND am starting to feel really quite good.

I want to tell you what i did. And i also want to tell you what i didnt do.

I didnt decide to change anything. I didnt make any resolutions. There was no beginning and no decision made that "I am going to feel better".

Here's what happened:

1. After a 3-week break from training, I really wanted to be out there doing some real excercise again. Training, by definition, is the process of breaking down and building up. A lot of the time, its hard. Lately, I've been training for health and fitness, a completely different reason. Dont get me wrong, I've been doing 15-20 hours of training/week, some of it hard. But, given my sports background, I can do a solid 20h week and still recover from each session, and feel great waking up every morning.

2. The second thing i've done to improve my health is to stop drinking coffee. (crazy. I know). I was inspired by my friend Anna's detox blog (see Vitality for Life on the right, its a good read, she's a childhood friend and a naturopathic doctor). By drinking green tea instead of coffee i no longer have the slumps in my energy levels that i used to experienced daily.

3. Lastly, I have been eating fairly "cleanly", having almost no sugar, reduced wheat and have been eating my fill of quality grains, like brown rice and quinoa. Also, veggies and fruit (I always ate lots of these), beans, pulses and some chicken and fish. My diet was always fairly healthy by normal standards, but i know from past experience (I ate gluten-free for all of 2008) that i feel better without refined wheat and sugar, my bloodsugar levels are even and my body says "Yay!"

I have found (surprise surprise) that by watching what i put in my body, I get more out of every day, every moment. Its been amazing to be able to depend on my energy levels and really enjoy the little things. I have always felt that enjoying the little things, the ordinary things of everyday life is really the best we can ask for.

I want to reiterate that I never thought "I am going to start a new diet" or "i am going to make some changes", just slowly but surely, I kinda thought, "i'll try this", or "i feel better eating that" etc... basically, there was no "resolution" involved. My process has been entirely organic. So with no rules, I also have no worries. If i am at a friend's house for dinner, i will eat what is on offer and be thankful, dessert and all. Saturday night I went to the pub and had a burger and salad and a beer, for no other reason than thats what i wanted. There is a lot of freedom in not deciding.

On that note, I am not trying to give anyone advice. Just acknowleging that the most permanent changes come from the inside out. Another childhood friend, Alyson, wrote an honest and insightful blog recently about New Years Resolutions, some of the themes are simillar to my musings here. Link here. Enjoy.

S.

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Sweating on Sunset

So I find myself in LA, Hollywood actually, where Clinton is directing a little horror film (its called Behind Your Eyes for all the inquiring minds out there) . After filming for 10 days in the snowy San Bernardino mountains, they are moving production to the city for the final 3 days. So here we are. We started the morning with a nice little breakfast at the Sunset Grill, made famous by Don Henley:

Let's go down to the Sunset Grill
We can watch the working girls go by
Watch the "basket people" walk around and mumble
And stare out at the auburn sky
There's an old man there from the Old World
To him, it's all the same
Calls all his customers by name
Down at the Sunset Grill

We both had the sunset omelet (with chicken, avocado and swiss cheese, yum!) and then i decided to go to the gym.

Clint waiting for his breakie.

Now I have to say, I was a little intimidated by the idea of going to a gym on Sunset Boulevard. I had an image of all these perfect people lined up on treadmills and ellipticals, and of me rocking up, looking dishevelled and makeup-less, wearing real workout clothes rather than anything that could be considered fashionable.

I am relieved to say that i was wrong. The gym was no more filled with beautiful people than any other gym i have been to. Though, for noon on a Saturday, the place was packed. The treadmills were all lined up with their individual TV screens (you had to bring your own headphones), as were the ellipticals. I decided on a nice tempo workout of 10x 500m @ 5k pace. I made the mistake of thinking i could do this with 20s rest... ouch. It was a lot harder than i bargained for and it was extremely hot in there. As per usual, I was sweating and gasping for air more than anyone else around me, which in the end, was the only thing i felt self conscious about. I finished off with 15mins easy on the elliptical and 10mins of core. Phew.

Afterward, I sat in the sun at Starbucks (some things are the same no matter where you are, like a Starbucks chai latte with soy milk, par example) while my loverboy made a shot list (see i am learning the movie-making lingo!) with his cinematographer. After that we took a drive around to see all the places Clint used to hang out, including a cool house in the hills off Mulholland Drive with an amazing view!

Finally we pulled up to his friend's place where we will be staying for the next week or so. I took some photos on my phone to share:

the view

the house

the pool and view

the view at a different angle

Now its time to do swim cords and a maybe hop in the pool for a little water run. The pool is freezing, but water running works up a sweat so here goes!

More adventures to come.
Sara

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my best culinary invention so far

A couple weeks ago i was busy making my fave snack of veggies and guacamole when i thought to myself, this really is a tasty treat, but it doesn't have any protein in it (read: less than ideal for recovery).

How can I add protein to my guacamole?

Answer: cottage cheese!

Many meals and treats that are missing protein get the "cottage cheese treatment" in my house, fruit salad, pancakes, granola, and most dinners include cottage cheese. So why i didnt think of this sooner, I am not sure.

So here's what to do at home; (By the way, when i read blogs with recipes on them i often think, "that sounds good" but never get around to making the thing myself or even write down the ingredients under some kind of illusion that i am going to make it someday. If you are like me, I suggest you make an exception this time)

Take the following ingredients; 1 large avocado, a huge dollop of cottage cheese, some lemon juice (this stops the mixture from turning brown in the fridge), salt and pepper and mash them together in a bowl.

Dont forget the secret ingredient; Hot sauce!

And voila, you have the perfect dip for veggies, rice crackers or corn chips. Tonight i even loaded some on a grilled chicken breast. Yum.

Occasionally i get something right. This is one of those times.

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4pm in Terrace

I find myself in Terrace BC. To get to Terrace, go to Vancouver and then go 1000km north.

I kinda like this quirky little place. The people are friendly, the running trails are good (at least when the bears are in hibernation), the pool is not crowded. And today, the sun came out. Beautiful.

In Terrace, as in most small towns, the local's idea of distance is a bit different than city-folk's. For example, the first time i came up here, i was told that the pool was "on the other side of town." So i layered up and headed out the door for the big trek. It took 14 minutes. Last night when i arrived, my mom mentioned that there is a nicer, newer gym than the one i normally use, "but its a bit further away," she said tentatively, thinking that i might not want to make the effort. So during my run this morning i thought i better check out just how "far away" this gym really is. Turns out, its 3 blocks.

Ahhh... the simplicity of having everything you need within a 14-minute walk.

For a few weeks I have been feeling blah. Not crazy about the idea of training, and unable to even consider a race plan for 2010. blah. I am still scarred from my breakdown at Ironman Canada. Blah blah and more blah.

However, of late, I have sooooorta started to come around. Slowly i have started enjoying the simple pleasures of aerobic exercise again. Somewhere between Christmas and New Year, Santa delivered me my desire to train again. Thank goodness.

I have been riding my cross bike (basically a road bike but with thicker, knobbier tires) up and down pretty much the same route for 3 weeks. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. Sometimes I ride straight up the path and sometimes I duck into every side trail i can find. On New Years day, I took a few photos of the sights i have become accustom to. I feel thankful to live in a place where i can ride outside all year round.

Apologies for the poor quality, i took these on my phone.

the biggest pigs ever

Here's to a 2010 filled with many happy footsteps and pedal strokes!
S.

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