Working Eating Eating Working

Hi, y'all!  How's your week been?  Hard to believe it's already Friday, eh?  Work, for moi, has been going pretty well.  Slowly learning the ropes and getting to know everyone - it's fun.  :D  Nonetheless, I am EXCITED for the weekend!!  Can you believe it's already Halloween?  Nuts!  This Fall is flying by which makes me tres tres sad.

Working has definitely shaken up my eating routine.  I'm ravenous by the time I get home from work and typically end up eating the first thing I set my sights on.  I know I should have a snack in the late afternoon, but I just haven't gotten my act together yet, and I don't want to go buy something from the cafeteria.  Tonight, I had just enough time (like 15 minutes) to whip up a quick, easy meal before heading uptown for a concert w/ friends. 

Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan and veggie masala burger aka the BEST VEGGIE BURGER EVER!!!  Seriously, I thought it sounded weird when I first heard of it, but then I tried it, and OHMEMGEE - it is taaasty.  I think it's going to become my favorite go-to meal component.

I also had a bag of spinach that was about to go very, very bad.  I made one of the greenest smoothies I've ever made in my life!  It was also very simple - just spinach, almond milk, frozen banana, frozen mango, touch of raw honey, and ice.  It was surprisingly delicious sans peanut butter & flax per my usual green smoothies.  Very light and refreshing.  And GREEN!

Naturally, as soon as I got home from said concert, I was hungry again.  So I made another veggie burger and shoved it in a small whole wheat roll.  Mmmm I need to buy lots and lots of boxes of these...  Get them.  You won't regret it.

As for le weekend, I plan to do the following...

Friday: Get brows waxed at the Boom Boom Brow Bar, go for a run, catch up on my DVR, hopefully finish my book club book

Saturday: Brunch w/ old friend, shop w/ NYC friend, gym, then OUT for HALLOWEEN!

Sunday: FINALLY getting my hair did (it's been 6 mo since haircut... appalling), church, run, 

get ready for week :D  

What're you up to this weekend?

Mini HELLO!

Morning Ritual:  Bonjour, friends!!  Can I just say that I ADORE having to get up early now?  I know, I know, it's nuts but hear me out.  I love being up in the morning, sipping coffee and watching CNN, and feeling like a productive member of society.  Despite it being a STRUGGLE to actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off, I'm loving it.  I hope that eventually I might be able to get up even earlier so I can have more time to savor my coffee, write my 750 words, and catch up on blogs (cause seriously, I have no other time to do so). 

Work: I'm writing this, funnily enough, before I head to work for the day!  Today will be my first day actually sitting in my department all day.  I'm eager to learn so I can actually start being a helpful member of the team.  Ma Soeur asked me yesterday what exactly I'm going to be doing, and honestly... I have no idea haha.  I've never done this job before!  The work environment is fast-paced and team-oriented though so I'm excited.  :D  I've already begun making a list of "Office Must-Haves."  Things like hand lotion, essential oils, something fragrance-y, a coffee/tea tumbler, cute notepads, fun pens, etc.  Can you think of any office essentials I need to add to my list?

Fit for Fall: Sooo I've been TOTALLY sucking.  That's not true - I've kept up with my workouts, but my eating has been all over the place.  As a result, I feel gross and bloated and sluggish so I want to nip this in the bud asap.  I couldn't go to my WW meeting last night because it was Roomie Deux's birthday, and I think knowing that I wouldn't weigh in definitely made an impact on how I ate.  I wouldn't be surprised if I gain next week!  Le sigh.  Anyway, as far as MOVIN and GROOVIN is concerned, I'm doing well.  I've decided to loosely follow Hal Higdon's 10k training plan (for novices).  It seems doable, customizable, and I like how the runs are spaced out.  Because I couldn't go to the gym last night, I did my 2.5 miles on Monday (with a belly full of pizza - OW) and tonight is 30 min. cross (boooo I HATE the elliptical).  Anyone want to join moi? 

Gotta run!  Have a FABULOUS HUMP DAY!!

First Day: Recap

{pretty much how my coworkers reacted when i walked through the door}

Thanks for all the sweet wishes, readers and tweeters!  You guys sure are the bestest.  :D  My first day was AWESOME, albeit uneventful, seeing as I only sat at my desk for about an hour.  Most of my day was taken up by training and info and all that.  Stuff like 401k's (which made me yawn and my eyes roll back in my head... I wish I liked finance stuff) and HMO's and PPO's and sexual harassment and vacation days and all that.  Tomorrow is computer training (the office uses Lotus Notes... wth??) and then hopefully I'll actually get to start working.

All in all, I have to same I am pretty stoked.  The perks of working at a large NY company are sick!!  Car services, gym membership discounts (including my current gym - I nearly jumped out of my seat w/ excitement!), a subsidized in-house cafeteria, free admission to the MoMa, transit discounts... the list went on and on.  SWEEEEEET.  Also, my technical "hours" are pretty dope, although I have a feeling that I'm going to be working much later than the supposed 5:30 cut-off time - my dept is quite busy.  Other perks of my new job include:

- working w/ other people around my age
- working w/ people who are not lawyers and are therefore about 100x less socially awkward
- a 15-minute commute
- working at a company that insists on stocking every single meeting with TONS of food (this could potentially be a very, very bad thing...)
- having an awesome manager

A few things I need to adjust to...

- not having my own private office (I'm so unsure as to proper cubicle etiquette re: computers, phones, etc.  HELP!)
- not having an admin assistant (I know I know... woe is me)
- not being in a small office in which I know everyone (17 floors?  I'm going to get hella confused.)
- being super busy (haha, it's true - the flailing economy made work before fairly slow-paced for me)
- not being able to work from home whenever I want (hmm... and I left my old job because...??)
- lame-O office supplies (aka cheap blue/black ballpoint pens, NOT the cool green & purple gel ink pens at my old firm... womp womp)
- NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION (seriously AT&T?  i mean... SERIOUSLY??)

BUT, again, it's an entirely new experience, and I'm incredibly excited about it.  Because I was too nervous/talkative/whatever to eat all day (despite being provided a TON of food), I came home ravenous and inhaled about 1/2 a pizza as soon as I stepped foot into the door.  A couple of hours later, I hit the gym for a run and nearly puked all over the treadmill (gross, huh?), but somehow I survived it and lived to tell the tale. 

Tomorrow night is Roomie Deux's birthday, which means marrrgaritas and no gym for me! 

Hope y'all had a fab Monday.  :D  LOVE YOU!!!

First Day

Tomorrow (today for y'all) is my first day at my new job.

Instead of waking up this morning feeling excited and nervous, I woke up feeling uber crappy.  A super bad stomachache kept me up until the wee hours of the morning, and my bipolar cold was rearing its ugly head again.

I went back to sleep.

And then woke up and did what any normal girl would do - ate Greek leftovers and hit the gym for a short run.

I feel better now.  

And I'm starting to get a little nervous about tomorrow.

I don't even have a first day outfit planned!  The weather is hitting the 70s tomorrow, which is way too warm for tights.  Boo.

So I'll have to improvise.

Here's to hoping all goes well...

Catch me on Twitter for updates throughout the day (hopefully!).  :D

Operation: Get Well

Sunday: Notice a bit of difficulty swallowing breakfast wrap at Cafe Champignons.  Hmm...

Monday: Wake up with sore throat, but body feels fine.  Take it easy most of the day and go to yoga at night.  Fall asleep feeling optimistic.

Tuesday: Sore throat still there, but decide to go for a run anyway.  Feel great after run!  Notice some sniffling and a nasal-y tone in my voice.  Choose to ignore.

Wednesday: Wake up feeling like CRAP.  Moan, wrap myself up in quilt tighter, and immediately fall back to sleep.  Wake up a few hours later to a text message.  1 PM.  Drag myself out of bed, pull on leggings and jacket, and make the short trek to Whole Foods and Whole Body.  Pick up all kinds of goodies.  This is what Operation: Get Well looks like in Carolyn-land:

(kale, coconut water, OJ, lemons, throat coat tea, Riiiiicolaaa!, Badger Winter Wonder Balm (for chest), Emergen-C, Immune Support vitamins, and antibacterial spray)

Post-WF Run: Guzzle down a cup of freshly squeezed OJ spiked with Emergen-C (I cannot get that stuff down with just water.  In OJ?  Delish.)  Began chopping kale and make soup.  Retreat back to bed and beloved laptop.

Couple hours later...  Make croutons and ladle soup.  Lunch + Dinner = Linner!  

I am obsessed with reusable cups with straws.  Obsessed.

Am now lying in bed avec laptop, iPhone, liquids, and Criminal Minds.  I want to feel BRAND SPANKIN' NEW by Friday!

What's in your Operation: Get Well kit?

Hungry Girl

First, thank you guys so much for all your sweet compliments on my legs!  I have a love/hate relationship with them (as most gals probably do).  I love that they are muscular and toned... I hate how big my calves are (trying on tall boots = tres depressing)... I love that my thighs get smaller when I run... I hate that my calves stay the same.  But my former trainer in Austin, Deb (miss you!!),  told me to be proud of my strong legs so I'm gonna!  Moving on...  Hungry Girl!

 No, I'm not referring to myself (although I'm often quite hungry).  I'm talking about the Hungry Girl - Lisa Lillien.  Hungry Girl began as a website that features low calorie/low fat/low point recipes, new food finds, and shocking discoveries, like how many calories are in a slice of The Cheesecake Factory's carrot cake (1560 calories, 84 grams of fat).  Since my college days, she has blown up and now has 5 published books, and in January 2011, she will have her own cooking show on the Cooking Channel!  (You can see a preview of the show here.)

 I have conflicted feelings about Hungry Girl.  On the one hand, I'm thrilled that she's succeeding and is showing people how to make "healthier" food, exposing just how awful most restaurant food is, etc.  But, I have major issues with whether her recipes actually contain "healthy" food.  For example, many of her food finds are questionable (100-calorie packs and such) and many of her recipes contain ingredients like Splenda.  Yuck yuck and yuck.  Then again, sometimes she actually creates recipes that contain real foods (like this Baked Ziti swap).

It's crazy to think I used to eat all that processed crap... ew.  I was so obsessed with being on a "diet" that I lived off diet soda (at one point, I used to have 4 different kinds in the fridge), 100-calorie packs, fat free hot dogs (EW), Skinny Cow sandwiches, and low calorie bread.  (And in high school, I ate at McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell almost daily.  GUH-ROSS!!)  These days, I feel uber guilty anytime I eat anything processed.  But... there is a time and place for everything.  I still drink soda from time to time (I have a deep love for Mexican coke and Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer - both made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup), and, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but sometimes I drink Coke Zero.  I know I KNOW it's awful for you, but sometimes I just don't want all the calories.

So I'm not totally the best eater, but I try my best.  Places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods definitely make things easier (I can typically read all the ingredients in their products!).  What about you?  What are your (processed) guilty pleasures?  (In addition to soda, I also love oreos.  Mmm...)

And we'll run for our lives...

[The above is a lyric from my fave Snow Patrol song - Run.  I highly suggest you download it immediately if you've never heard of it!]

I've been thinking a lot about my running lately.  It's been a SLOW process...  When I was 21, picking up running was challenging, but doable.  I quickly made my way to running 5ks on a regular basis, and the farthest I got in my half-marathon training was an 8-mile run.  EIGHT MILES.  In all honesty, I can't believe my body ever did that.  And I remember that run like it was yesterday!  It was done at the TCU gym (where my ex-boyfriend went to college), and I watched TV the entire time, haha.  When I got back to the dorm, my then-boyfriend said, "I CANNOT believe you just ran 8 miles."  My thoughts exactly... but I did it.

Do I think I'll ever be able to run 8 miles again?  Honestly, I've no idea.  I'm not going to try either, at least not right now.  I'm taking things very slowly.  My 27-year old body does not like the idea of running too far too soon too fast, so I'm not letting it.  That being said, I do like having goals and have considered following a 10k training plan.  We'll see...  for now, I'm just taking it day by day.

Psst!  Check out my new kicks!  

As soon as I got news of my job offer, I immediately headed to JackRabbit, a store devoted to running.  (Running shoes were #1 on my list of "Post-Offer Purchases."  Yes, I made a list.)  They take their time with shoe fittings!  The guy who helped me was super nice.  I explained that I was trying to ease my way back into running after a 5-year hiatus.  He had me run on a treadmill while he observed and recorded my gait.  Apparently, I'm a stable runner - holler!  Then we tried on a bunch of shoes, and he had me run on the treadmill in each one.  Finally, I decided between 2 pairs: Brooks and Asics.  I went with the Asics (more specifically, the Asics Gel Cumulus 12) - they are roomier in the toe and tighter in the heel, which I like.  Plus, my former pair of running shoes are Asics as well so I figured it was a safe choice.  The shorts are also new - I needed a pair that had a place to hold my keys since I was sick of doing this.    They are ADIDAS and dark fuchsia - I love 'em!

One thing I've noticed is that as much as I love running outside, I get UBER thirsty whilst doing it, especially as I increase my speed and distance.  I asked my fellow tweeters for suggestions/advice, and they were so helpful!  One option was to run in loops so I could keep a water bottle somewhere, but because I run along the West Side Highway, that's not really an option.  Another option I considered was to bring cash and purchase a bottle of water from one of the vendors along the road, but I hate the idea of buying a plastic water bottle.  Yet another option would be to get a gadget, like a water belt.  But I hate the idea of something being around my waist - I fear it will slide down and/or pull down my shorts - no bueno!  In the end, I decided to try the Camelbak.  It's gotten great reviews, it was on sale, and it's PINK!  What's not to love?  I felt kinda silly buying such a "hardcore" item, seeing as I'm a completely novice runner, but eh... whatevs.  If I want to run outside, I've got to have water!

I've also noticed that I need rest days between my runs, which is surprisingly hard to do.  Now that I'm actually excited about my runs, I want to do them every day.  Not good.  My endurance significantly decreases on the 2nd of the 2 back-to-back days.

Are you a runner?  How long did it take you to easily run 3 miles?  5 miles?  8 miles?  26.2 miles??  Any advice/suggestions for a novice runner?