Day One

I woke up at 7 this morning to go to the gym. I decided that a spinning class was a good way to start the day. I put on some sweat pants and made myself some breakfast. Never exercise on an empty stomach. I didn't want to feel too full though. So, I made myself a tasty light banana smoothie for breakfast. Let me tell you that I feel great now after a great workout.

However, I didn't feel great at the time I was working out. I only did a 45-min spinning class because that is all I could handle after months of not exercising. Half-way throught the class I felt like one of my lungs was about to come out of my chest. A word of advise for all of you out there who are also trying to lose weight: take it easy on your first day at the gym. I tried my best to keep up with the class, but it was hard. I beleive, though, that making it through those 45 minutes was a great accomplishment, don't you think?

Another thing that made my morning workout quite interesting was the crowd at the gym. It was around 7:30 AM and the gym was packed. I was in line waiting for my spinning pass (yes, you need to get a little plastic card to reserve your bike at the gym I go to) and the lady right behind me was telling how she much rather wake up when it is still dark so that she can go to the gym and still make it to work on time than dealing with the unbelievable crowds in the evening. I have to agree with her. Evening crowds are even worse than morning crowds - let alone that evening crowds are usually larger. Anyway, is anyone else dealing with large crowds at the gym? Any good stories?

By the way, here's the recipe for my breakfast banana smoothie:

Banana Smoothie
1 large banana
1 cup of skim milk
A pinch of cinnamon
1 splenda

Put it all in the blender until it gets a bit foamy and enjoy.

This smoothie has 211 calories, 1g fat, 5mg cholesterol, 104mg sodium, 875mg potassium, 45g carbohydrates, 4g fibre, 10g protein, 12% of the daily (DV) of vitamin A, 33% DV calcium, 20% DV vitamin C

If you have any breakfast ideas, let me know.

Getting Organized

I figured that if I am to succeed, I probably need a plan. So, I've come up with THE LIST. Yes, I am making a short list of what I need for this weight loss journey. Here it is:

1. Gym membership
2. Plastic containers
3. Gym clothes
4. Healthy food
5. Measuring tape

For the gym memebership, I had a bit of a discussion with a very good friend of mine. She loves to be outdoors so she mentioned that I didn't necessarily need to go to the gym to get a good workout. I could also go for a jog in my neighbourhood or bike to school. Let me tell you, she made some valid points and it is true that you don't need a gym to exercise. However, I looked outside my window this morning and everything was white. When I stepped outside my appartment, there was snow up to my knee on the sidewalk. So, I decided that going to the gym is probably a better option for me. Maybe in the summer I'll go out for a jog.

You may be wondering about those plastic containers up there. Well, I am sick of dieting. Thus, I am not going on a diet at this moment. I will try to eat healthy and all but I won't go on a "formal" diet per se. However, my main goal is to completely eliminate junk food as far as changing my eating habits is concerned. At least for now. I'm staying away from the food courts and packing my own lunch. It will take some effort in the morning to wake up a bit earlier but I hope it will be well worth it in a few months when I step on that bathroom scale. And as we all know, healthy lunches need healthy ingredients so I will clean up my fridge and go grocery shopping. Hopefully, my fridge will be full of fruits and vegetables and other healthy items by the end of the day. Goodbye food courts and hello cooking pans and chopping boards.

Finally, gym clothes. I went through my closet and found lots of gym clothes. Sadly enough though, nothing fit! I think this was a good wake-up call. Anyway, I have to get myself some new gym clothes and a measuring tape. Believe it or not, I do not own a measuring tape. I thought it was probably a good idea to also use measurements as indicators of my weight loss instead of only relying on my bathroom scale. What do you think?

Well, tomorrow is day one then. Wish me luck and if you think something else should be up on THE LIST, leave a comment. Love to hear what you think.