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Three Thing Thursday
Hey guys! Happy Thursday to you all wherever you’re reading from and however this post finds you today. I’m blogging from home (the basement) where I’m glancing out the window at a beautifully sunny day after a fun and early morning where I did NOT get up and put on workout clothes! 
…but more on that later.
Thanks for the great comments and feedback on yesterday’s 100 Burpee Challenge post! I know that Tina and Lindsay have already taken the challenge; anyone else up for it?! Feel free to create a video response to the one I made on YouTube if you’d like and we’ll link it up! If not, still give it a shot; remember that you’re competing against yourself and getting a GREAT workout in a short amount of time.
3 Thing Thursday (that alliteration goes out to Janetha G!):
Thing 1: Recent Moves
Speaking of the workout front, here’s a great workout I’ve put some clients through this week in different variations and with various weights. It will wipe.you.out and engage every major muscle group! Feel free to pin this one to save it in the archives for a rainy day:
Workout Notes:
- Here’s a great video for the DB push up/plank rows, except in the above workout, 1 push up + a row on 1 side = 1 rep. Repeat, alternating arms, 8 reps on each side or 16 total.
- Feel free to substitute the 1 min jump rope for any other type of cardio: rowing machine, quick high knees, stair runs, treadmill/outdoor sprint – be creative and flexible with what’s available to you!
Yep. That’s about how I felt after this workout (AND after doing my 100 burpees for time in the morning!).
Yesterday the sun was shining and my schedule allowed for a trot outside for Wednesday’s movement. Seeking shelter from the wind down on the trails, I finished off 7 miles through Fish Creek Park. Slow, beautiful, and killer on my quads – a definite recovery run after the previous day’s workouts!
Thing 2: Recent Eats
Another “Fat Tuesday” meal success! My first time trying shrimp n’ grits thanks to our new friends from the South, Emily & Jeff. It was delicious, especially when paired with a few mini bites of baguette (haven’t had bread like that in ages!) and a small glass of red wine.
Breakfast on an unrushed morning: a fried egg on a piece of toast with spinach, broccoli slaw, and with asparagus and cherry tomatoes for her; breakfast scramble with potatoes for him. 
Thing 3: Recent Life Updates
I’ve been loving my Tuesday morning Bible study lately. It was a freezing, snowy, windy morning when I went this week but I was so glad I did as our pastor’s chosen to “interrupt” our women’s study for a month to speak to us about the church’s core values (a study we’re doing Sundays too). This week the focus was all about CONNECTING – why we NEED people and community. Some things that stood out to me?
This Zambian proverb: “Run along. Run fast. Run together. Run far.” Isn’t that neat? It reminded me of my FitFluential family and also of our small group (aka “Fat Tuesday” above since we meet Tuesday nights for good food and conversation!).
We need people to WALK with us (and combat loneliness), to WORK with us (combat fatigue and burnout), to WATCH out for us (combat defeat), to WAIT and WEEP with us (combat despair) and to WITNESS with us (combat fear). …isn’t that the truth? Community, true community where people know and love you and therefore can speak into your life, is so important.
Mikey and I went on a quick jaunt yesterday as we’ll be leading a snow shoe hike this Saturday with a group of cancer survivors and we wanted to scope out the amount of snow after a few warm weather days. It was beautiful out and great to get out and move together; we don’t usually go on walks (I asked Mikey why not and he said because we’re not old – lol!) but it was a blast.
…I really love this man. 
And as I alluded to earlier, if I wasn’t wearing workout clothes this morning, what WAS I wearing?
Downtown, nice clothes, eye liner, and heels = a BIG departure from my usual FILA and lulu lemon gear! That’s my interview wear…and I’ll leave it at that for now.
…and for a BONUS THING 4: Recently Random!
- An article you might be interested in: the 5 worst sweeteners to have your kitchen: agree or disagree?
- There’s no shortage of random (inspiration and weirdness!) on Pinterest. I found some interesting photos to share with you on this Thursday (click photo for source):
…but I really must dash.
I’m not really one of them, but this one’s for all my sci-fi buddies (do I have any of those?) because it made me smile!
…I love this crazy, neat woman!
Ahh…that was nice.
Update me on some recent things in your life! Workouts, eats, life events – what’s going on in those different fronts?
Have a great day and I’ll catch you guys on the flip side! Live well & be well today,
Bonnie
Thursday Things
Hello, friends! It seems like it’s been a while! Long time no blog. 
I’m barely sneaking in with a Thursday post here and have been busy enjoying…life, I suppose! Nothing new in particular, not busier than usual, but simply not been on the computer much. Despite sometimes feeling the “need” to keep up with other bloggers and stay connected, it’s nice to not feel the pressure to blog or spend what ends up being a long time on the computer (for me).
On an unrelated note, and in the spirit of alliteration, I thought I’d come at Thursday from a thing perspective and check in with thoughts from the week. Join me, won’t you?
1. My blog is still getting a bit of a facelift; unfortunately the photos aren’t showing up from previous posts and I’m not aid to those helping me as my behind-the-scenes blog skills are lacking! Hopefully the issues are soon resolved; I am very thankful to these two, both part of the FitFluential family!
2. I made Jessica’s S’more Brownies for dessert for friends. I altered the recipe somewhat with a mashed banana (which had only a subtle flavor) in favor or subtracting one cup of sugar and experimented with adding crushed up graham crackers into the brownie batter before baking it. I know her version would have turned out tastier, but it was still a little evening treat! Oh – and now I’ve just remembered we have more of them leftover! Must.resist.the.late.night.brownie! …they were good. 
Beware the broiler! That things works its magic quick.
3. The weather is back to being cold in the mornings and nights (feeling more like winter!) but is warming up beautifully mid-day. Planned my run away from my neighborhood and out under the warm sun later today! Edited to add: The run was beautiful! Parts of the 10.22 miles were easy, but I enjoyed the movement and found myself with lots of energy and push to finish strong – felt great.
4. We’re going backcountry skiing this weekend! Pumped to finally get out there, even if it only is for 1 day. I LOVE being in the mountains with my man, especially when he’s got a good beard going on like right now.
The beard has grown. And I love it.
5. Checking in on the eating…it’s been okay this week. I haven’t necessarily been eating junk, but simply too much of the good stuff. Know what I mean? Mindless munching or more volume than I need at meal times makes me feel sluggish and not as great about myself. It’s worth it to be mindful in your eating as it really does affect how you feel and feel about your body! Back on track today with a good egg, spinach, broccoli slaw and chia seed breakfast. 
6. The TV-free week challenge is going great! The other night we admittedly did want to watch a Prison Break on Netflix, but we helped each other get our minds off of that type of relaxation and picked some books up instead. Although we’re still spending time on our computers, it’s been good, because we’re also spending time in others ways reading, connecting with people online instead of just surfing online and enjoying each other’s company (but that part wasn’t new).
(source)
7. I printed out business cards today! They aren’t your typical business cards but are in between business and post card size. I’ve had some in the past printed out from home, but today I took them in, got them done on good cardstock and they are ready to be handed out. Excited to continue moving forward in my in-home personal training business. Training others brings me so much joy!
8. My body feels tired today. I got up, got some work done around the house, headed out for 10+ miles, went to the store for a few goods, got my business cards made, baked and cooked with my friend Emily for another friend, came home to shower & make dinner for the man and the headed out to train some clients. GOOD DAY! And it just hit me hard: I’m ready for bed. So I think that ends our “Thursday Things” for the day!
A posed picture to show you I’m sleepy.
Thanks for following my Thursday Things! What would you add to the list? Anyone else doing the no TV challenge and being changed in any way? I was in the mood to veg out tonight but opted not to – holding fast to the week’s commitment!
Looking forward to the weekend and to some fun blog topics coming up! Have a great last day of the work week – keep making thoughtful choices and enjoying life. Live well & be well friends,
Bonnie
4 Years! Part II
Well, the fun still continues in the anniversary posts! 
I left you guys hanging with the dinner details last night so I’ll just jump right in from there: the dressing up and the dining out.
Anniversaries of any sort are important to celebrate because it is cause for pause and reflection on the year that has passed. But it’s also cause for celebration! And this started soon after we arrived at the hotel, when a staff member brought us a small wine and cheese plate. The white wine was tasty and it was fun to feel treated before actually going out, although I expected the cheese to be more than cheddar in a package. 
But I’m pretty easy to please and do love cheese, so it was fun to eat before heading downstairs. This was all a great Living Social package that Mikey got – the room, wine & cheese, dinner and breakfast the next day! Way to plan this out, Mikey! …and it was all a surprise to me. 
Although we had about 2 hours to get ready for dinner, I of course only got moving at 6:18 pm to change my clothes and put some make up on before our 6:30 pm dinner reservations. #notanormalgirl …Always love a chance to wear my blue power skirt!
We headed down to the basement where the restaurant was located (pretty convenient on a cold night to simply go downstairs! Also nice for not walking long distances in heels and after a few glasses of wine) and got ready to order. First up, some multigrain rolls with a mouth watering smoked paprika butter and sea salt – what a great combo! – and half a bottle of our favorite: a Malbec! We generally reserve wine for meals with friends and special occasions – this was certainly the latter!
The menu looked delicious – all local food and very seasonal – and we made up our minds pretty quickly. Mikey ordered a lamb shank with mashed cauliflower and ____ while I went with the butternut squash, chickpea tagine with braised kale and couscous (which made me think of meals in Morocco with Anna and when I learned to make one – sweet tagines like this one are common dinners!). I watched the lamb literally fall off the bone – Mikey didn’t need a knife his whole meal! – and thoroughly enjoyed my dish. It was gone well before Mikey’s. 
The atmosphere was fun and Christmas-y in neat gray hues and the portions were perfect. Great meal all around!
We debated dessert and I finally gave Mikey the reigns to order yay or nay and one each or split. Sharing normally would be a no-brainer, but he typically likes fruit-based desserts while I’m a fan of chocolate and/or ice cream based-ones, so we never really want the same thing. Although I hummed and hawed, he ended up ordering a s’more crème brulee with homemade graham crackers. The first bite was super rich, but as Mikey said, it got more bearable with every bite as your body got used to the sugar and each taste was better and better. 
Like he said, you only order one $10 dessert once a year, so this was the time to go for it!
We had a fun evening talking about the past four years, our future life direction and where we see ourselves, our desire to hold things loosely and stay flexible in case when God shifts our plans and about our families. Part of being married means learning to balance your families, the way you grew up, the direction you’re moving in and forging new traditions and making new waves as a couple together. I love that! It requires sacrifice, honest communication and dedication, but when God is our center and our focus is on loving Jesus and loving others, it’s hard to go wrong. What an adventure we’ve lived together in four short years! And we have both our parents to thank for their support in so many ways and for the support of wonderful communities around us enabling us to huck it huge – to go for it full blast – and try new things based on the unexpected course our lives have taken.
My favorite part of the day? Yesterday morning, when we woke up and started chanting, fists pumping in the air, “4 years! 4 years! 4 years!” 
…and here’s to many more!
We woke up to pack and get ready for the full day ahead and started it not with a workout (I opted to sleep in – getting up in the “6’s” just didn’t seem appealing today) but with a delicious, healthy breakfast downstairs:
An omelette w/lots of spinach, tomato & goat cheese, dry multigrain toast (had 2 – remember, your body digests carbs the best post-workout and in the mornings! Don’t be afraid of them!) & fruit.
The portions were PERFECT – we really don’t need as much as we often think – but I’m not a huge OJ fan and the coffee was okay (I’ll admit I am a coffee snob 
– strong, dark, and black all the way!). I loved the omelette and toast though; even without a workout, which is my preferred way to begin a day, I ALWAYS feel better with a healthy breakfast and feel good to know I got some protein and greens in the a.m!
Now we’re at the Holy Cross Cancer Center in Edmonton and I’m typing away while Mikey’s in a meeting. It’s very interesting to be back here since this was a stop on our WW2H film tour…I remember Jason graciously parking the RV and pulling through with our sound equipment; Cassandra helping set everything up with a smile Mikey and I reeling after just hearing that the retreat center we were moving into to run had been taken away from us. It was so tough, but seeing the faithfulness of God over this last year with Mikey and good friends like Jason and Cassandra has created a deeper trust and satisfaction in my heart. Seeing patients in this center with shaved or bald heads, noticing the fear, sensing the uncertainty…it’s all too familiar from almost four years ago and has spurned our desire as a couple to inspire hope in those who feel none. We have so much hope in our lives because of the faithful God we serve who provides richly for us daily. And He provided Mikey for me; I am so grateful for this adventure together. I love you, Mikey!
Back to the day at hand, ready for an screenings with oncology nurses and all the meetings Mikey has planned! Edited to add: the day went great! Mikey’s meetings were successful and we shared some drinks with friends and had a great night seeing Edmonton friends! Happy weekend guys. Reflecting from time spent spent in a hospital, a place of sickness and often sorrow, I pray that you would keep living well and be-ing well!
-Bonnie
First full mountain peak since chemo, October 2011.
Tidbits
Happy Wednesday, friends! Just popping in mid-afternoon before some evening clients to say hi! Some random and exciting tidbits to share with you all today:
- I’m feeling better! I woke up before my alarm, took time to read and have a good breakfast, and was ready for my first client feeling almost back to normal. Take that, sickness! So weird to get a flu like that out of nowhere…but I’m glad it’s over and hoping it’s truly done! Sure makes you grateful for health.
- After emptying the contents of my stomach yesterday (sorry – too much?), I decided to really make an effort to refill it with the best nutrients I can give myself. It’s a great mini challenge especially right around the holidays. Truth is, I really love ice cream but I could take or leave cookies, cake, and the like. So when I really think about it, I shouldn’t get full on those empty calories that I like but could really do without – unless it’s ice cream or a glass of wine – because those are things I’ll happily splurge on. To help me on my quest today I ate (carefully; wasn’t sure how my body would handle it):
- Rolled oats with plan Greek yogurt, some cinnamon and chia seeds, 1/2 banana and a dab of almond butter. Simple, filling, full of good stuff, and tasty.
- Lunch was a salmon spinach salad with 1/2 avocado, some tomato and red pepper, some sweet potato and drizzled with lemon. Fast, nutritious, delicious!
- My afternoon snack consisted of some more carbs: a teeny bowl of Kashi Honey Almond Flax cereal with almond milk. Hit.the.spot!
There’s my baby bowl! Perfect for snacks and ice cream!
- Need some workout inspiration? There’s a GREAT series going on right now over at BodyRock – The 12 Workouts of Christmas. You’ll get a chance to check out the new trainer, Lisa-Marie (who’s from the UK and has great energy!) and the great new moves. They’re quick, effective workouts and you can definitely squeeze these into your busy December schedules…no excuses, guys!
Caught up on BodyRock workouts today but took.it.easy! – didn’t want to overdo it. Felt great to move again and the workouts are stellar!
- Last Sunday we went to the Christmas production at our church, “Two From Galilee.” It was excellent! The best part is it’s just “regular” people, no professional dancers or actors, but it sure feels like it is.
The set (seats from the way back – and we got them 3 weeks in advance over 4 nights of shows!).
All four nights were packed and it was a fun musical, especially because we went with friends – Roger, Heather, and Shawna!
Shawna and I before the start of the play; with Mikey afterward.
So great to have their company and enjoy the delicious desserts afterward! I didn’t snap a photo, but mainly because my piece of Skor cake was gone before I could get my camera ready! Wait a second…didn’t I just say I could take or leave cake? …well, this time, I took it. 
- Lastly, tomorrow is mine and Mikey’s 4th wedding anniversary!
Wahoo! We are headed up to Edmonton because he has two days of meetings and presentations at hospitals there that I will help him with (Gopher Bon!) and then we’ll take off from there to ski! We have some pretty fun annual anniversary trips and we’ve celebrated the same way every time: with an outdoor overnight ski trip! Here’s last #3’s celebration last year!
And that’s about it from Calgary today! Feeling better, great workout resources for you, some food and videos. I wanted to give a shout out to my good friend Karine, who went out and ran 5.2 km the other day – just like that! Congrats, friend – you.are.a.runner and I’m so proud of you! 
Got any tidbits to add yourself? Let me hear about ‘em! Have a great rest of your night and catch you guys later. Keep living well and be-ing well into this season, living with intention and thankfulness as you keep striving for health in every area of your lives!
-Bonnie
On a walk to the post office today, “blinded by the light snow!”
Thanksgiving by the Hours…
Hello and happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all my American readers! Happy Friday to everyone else – either way it’s a good day to celebrate. 
Although I didn’t think I’d get much of a US Thanksgiving celebration in, our friends invited us over for dinner with 4 other Americans and I was looking forward to the festivities all day yesterday! But some other things had to happen first, so let me break it down for ya’ll (practicing my “American accent”):
7:30 am: Woke up to a beautiful snow after a few warm days that melted away the white stuff! It was peaceful, cool, but not cold out, and at 8:15 am I walked next door for a training session with a new client.
9:00 am: The baking begins! We had offered to bring a big salad for an American Thanksgiving meal with friends, and to round out the healthiness I decided to bring Jessica’s Pumpkin Brownies too! I got to baking and alternated between the brownies (a bake, cool, bake routine) and baking batches of granola as gifts. I noticed Janetha was making these too, and she mentioned that she always goes Jessica’s site when it comes to desserts, and I could not agree more! They are easy-to-make, crowd-leasing desserts.
12:30 pm: I finally left the baking behind and took to the fresh, snowy trails for a 10 mile run. After reading about many others’ races and fun Turkey Trots, I decided I’d do my own run on Thanksgiving Day and was hoping to get some mileage in before the day got away from me. The weather was beautiful, I was WAY too coordinated (crazy purple, blue, and white running tights with my purple shoes and purple shirt! ahh!), and finally felt my body warm up and got into a rhythm around mile 3. I reached my 5 mile turn-around point and on the way back battled knee pain for most of the way home. I’m not sure if I’ve been running in my shoes that aren’t great for me or what, but it hindered my pace when the rest of my body felt great – so frustrating on a run! Happens to the best of us. It didn’t deter me from a big post-run jump though (and seemingly broken leg).
2:45 pm: I was home, showered, and in the car to run some errands and stopped at the mailbox before leaving the neighborhood. Guess what arrived for me on Thanksgiving Day?!
My GU package that I won from Lindsay (plus two Picky Bars…I ate one on the spot for some post-run recovery and fuel!). Thanks so much, friend! 
Made my day so special!
6:15 pm: Mikey and I gathered our goods and headed out to our friend’s Amy and Aaron’s house to share a meal! We were so looking forward to time with our friends whom we hadn’t seen for a while and to everyone’s cooking, especially Aaron’s – he is a gourmet (unofficial) chef! It was a surf n’ turf Thanksgiving with crab as part of the main menu – so fun and different. 
The meal began with borscht – beets, carrots, and real, natural sausage from the Missing Link. It.was.delicious! Some sour cream and dill to top it off and it was a very pleasant way to begin a meal.
From here we moved onto the main course: turkey with bacon baked on top, gravy, cranberries, cheesy potatoes, mini squash, mushroom rice pilaf, and my cranberry goat cheese+sunflower seed+spinach & broccoli slaw salad.
Delicious turkey & bacon + crab!
Mini squash, red wine & home-made brews, and a table of 12!
Together we laughed, cracked crab, shared stories, caught up on life, and noted what we were thankful for around the table. It was great to see friends with whom we have more of a history with (since university days!) and to hear all the new updates (married friends, pregnancies – like Neil and Erin, who’s in the middle below! – and jobs). I especially loved time with these ladies!
Sarah, Ashley, Erin (+ 1!), me, & hostess Amy
…we are blessed and thankful for good friends in Calgary this year! And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I’m proud to be an American!
9:00 pm: We left our friends and went to support another friend, Alyson, who was putting on a fundraiser for the Alberta Cancer Foundation called “brain matters.” She has brain cancer and continues to live her life surrounded by a great support team, beaming through the difficulties, and inspiring people everywhere in all she does. Although we got there late, we stayed for a while, heard a few great talks, walked around the silent auctions, and got to see several fun friends and hug them in such an intimate, important setting at a restaurant downtown. Bittersweet to see Alyson and her partner Jared as she is on chemo indefinitely, and yet so right to be thankful, to celebrate life, to focus on people on this day of the year.
11:15 pm: We arrived home and crashed, knowing we’d have an early day in the morning. And early we did! We were at the cancer centre by 8 am to set up for a day of presentations (for Mikey) and manning a booth (for me) for the 30th Anniversary of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. It’s an amazing facility with great staff (some of whom we saw the night before at Alyson’s shindig!) and good patient care, and we spent the day there connecting and networking with others. Tomorrow we’re going back and will be interacting with more patients as the public can walk through all the displays throughout the day. The only funny tidbit of that time (the rest was just pure positive, and Mikey’s multiple talks went great!)? The morning food choice; you wouldn’t believe how many people were eating this as their breakfast!
…Doctors are a funny bunch.
It was a great, early start to the weekend and I am so thankful for friends in Calgary, family with whom we could chat yesterday all gathered in Oregon, the chance to run in the beautiful snow under sunny skies and enjoy it, and for the new mercies I experience daily because of God’s grace. I’m loving catching up on other bloggers’ Thanksgiving festivities, but tell me:
If you’re not a blogger and I haven’t already read about it, how was your Thanksgiving?
If you’re Canadian and didn’t celebrate, did you partake in Black Friday craziness? What’s on the agenda for your weekend?
For anyone: tell me something you’re thankful for – the weather today, a good conversation over coffee with a friend, your family, the career you’re in…I’d love to hear about it!
With that, although I’m exhausted for some reason, I’m going to bang out this BodyRock workout before going out to the movies with Mikey! Then we’re back at the hospital for more fun and a long day tomorrow. Have a great weekend, you guys! Keep moving, eating well, loving others and enjoying life.
-Bonnie
D5 Creation