Day 18 – “You Got A Problem With Me?”

I have a problem. I brought home that veggie burger last night (and felt the misery of so much grease this morning), and do you think I did “RawTill4”? Absolutely not! I knew that burger was in there, and that’s what I went for. I’ve gotta learn to order only what I can eat that night, and not take things home. It’s not mentally working!

Meals:

Breakfast – Veggie Burger
Lunch – Vanilla Iced Coffee (I know, not much of a lunch…)
Late Snack – 4 Freezies (so hot here!)
Supper – Black Bean Burger, French Fries
Late Night Snack – Blood Orange Kombucha, Vegan Vanilla Cake

I didn’t workout today, but it was a bit of a weird, interesting day.

It was late this evening when we went to Planet Organic. I honestly love that store, and I needed some last minute items to take with me while I’m camping this week with my students.  When we got to the store, there was a very intoxicated man standing outside the doors. As soon as my husband got out of the car, he yelled at him saying something along the lines of, “You got a problem with me?”. Um, no Dude… we just pulled up and we’re going to get groceries. We hadn’t had a problem with you yet… But as we kept walking inside, repeating the word no several times, two bicycle policemen were walking towards him. As we went through the sliding doors, the store manager came over asking if he was still there, and was happy to see the police were there. I’m guessing this guy had been hanging around, causing trouble for awhile. What an extra little “spice” to the night.

Then it comes to me sitting here, eating this vegan vanilla cake. It takes me back to a whole different world…

A couple years ago, I was sitting in my apartment, my husband still unable to work, and living paycheque to paycheque. At times, I had to juggle which bill I could let slide for a month or two. Half of the time, our car didn’t work. It was such a different world. For us, it was such a treat to eat at Tim Hortons or McDonalds, McDonalds being the most frequent because it was the shorter walk from our place. We did what we could with what we had.

One day, we had taken the bus to go shopping down this road, covered with stores on both sides, and that’s when I saw the organic food market. I remember walking through there, not being able to really buy much (much more expensive than a McDonalds-night-out budget), but I so wanted to try this vegan vanilla cake. I had been vegetarian for many years and had heard lots of criticism about vegans and how the lack of dairy made everything taste bad. I so badly wanted to see for myself. Luckily, they sell pieces of the cake for a couple dollars, so I was able to get that and I think one special drink (I believe it was also the first time I tried kombucha). I couldn’t believe how good it was. In fact, I remember sitting at the bus stop, not realizing kombucha was carbonated, had shaken the bottle, opened it, and was quickly covered in what I immediately thought smelled like vinegar. What a smell for the ride home!

Sometimes I think it’s important we look back and see how far we’ve come. My husband is now on his third job in this country, we live in a 3-level townhouse instead of a 1-bedroom apartment, we have 2 working vehicles instead of one that continuously broke down, we have our own washing machine instead of using coin laundry, and I’ve gone vegan, eating as organic as possible. We NEVER eat at McDonalds anymore. So much has changed. It doesn’t mean we’re quite comfortable to where I’d like to be, but we’re in a place where don’t have to worry about bills not being paid, or fun not being had (though still smaller scale). And as I’m sitting here eating this vegan vanilla cake, I can smile and know I’ve come a long way from the first time I was blown away with this delicious treat, and look forward to where I’ll be the next time I have it again.

Can’t Get to the Gym? Find a Playground!

With all of our car troubles, and lack of vehicle involvement, my husband and I have struggled the most with being able to workout at the gym. I cannot tell you the amount of frustration it has put on us. Both of us love to workout, and both have visions in our heads of how we want our bodies to look, and yet we have no access to our gym. What we do have, is a playground in the next block.

Playgrounds vary on the equipment that they offer. But usually, there are a few components that most playgrounds will have.

#1: A slide. What is it that slides have that are useful? The stairs. Not only can you use them for simply doing stair workouts, but you can also use them to do body weight calf raises! 

#2: A field/Boundary of the Playground: Run Baby Run! Cardio is one of the easiest things to fit in, but if you lack the use of a timer, count laps instead! Run 2-3 laps around the playground, then walk one lap. Get in your HIIT by counting laps. Even run 1 lap, and walk 1/2 a lap. It’s so much easier to count with landmarks than trying to keep count in your head. If there is a field? Sprint to the other side and walk back, repeating several times. Even do lunges around the perimeter of the playground. 

#3: Bars for assistance: Can’t do full push-ups on the ground? Do them from a bar on the playground. Can’t do one-legged squats without something to hold on to? Use the assistance of bars from the playground. 

#4: High bars that children often use to swing from or climb on: Hello pull-ups and chin-ups! You can also do hanging leg raises.

#5: A very low bar over the ground: Lay out as straight as you can and do rows by pulling your body up to the bar.

#6: Platforms: Hello jumping! Do jump squats, practice jumping higher and higher, box squats if you would like. Many uses of a normal platform.

#7: Be creative! Just because you don’t have a gym, doesn’t mean you can’t still work out some major body parts by using playground equipment. Remember, something is better than nothing!

Bonus: Have children? Guess who can play while you’re working out! No babysitter needed!

My husband and I have been doing this for over a week now. And let me tell you, compared to what I was doing at the gym, I thought this was nothing! But by doing full body workouts, 3 days a week, I have been incredibly sore! It’s causing me to push my boundaries. There are no assisted machines here. It is all or nothing! 

What I usually do is what is listed above, come home, and do more crunches, should raises using a kettlebell, and bicep curls using a kettlebell. You can find 5-15 lb kettlebells for fairly reasonable prices at many stores, and this way, you can have something to do even if you’re lacking a gym. Trust me, it works!

Just an extra website that I invite you all to check out: theworkoutmama.com 
She has tonnes of other workout ideas for playgrounds and living healthy with children. Although it is geared towards people with children, she is has inspiring tips for busy people, as well as eating and living healthy. Seriously, check her out.