Zumba and an Empty Fridge

When I was 5, I started taking ballet and tap dance classes. Sure, it was fun, and I learned all of the basic ballet stances. I can remember carpooling to and from class with a friend of mine, the little pink button with a plastic tap shoe that was the clasp on my very own taps shoes, and that class wasn't so bad. That is, until it came time for our first recital.

I've never been one to be shy, and that wasn't the reason for my recital unhappiness. I admit it - the reason is pretty "me." I did not want to perform in my recital for 3 reasons very important to an opinionated 5-year old. I did not want to 1) wear pink tights, 2) put my hair in a bun, and 3) dance in a purple, sequined tutu with make up on. My first recital was my last and then I either moved on to gymnastics or soccer...

Tonight I caught a glimpse of my 5-year old dancing self in the mirror during my first Zumba class, insert sneakers and workout pants instead of ballet slippers and a tutu! I love to dance when I'm out with friends, at camp when we do Israeli folk dancing, and when the mood strikes me. But I'm definitely not one to ever think about auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance. Zumba class was great - fun, good music, intense cardio, and not a typical exercise class. The instructor was pretty good and the class was split between those who can dance and those who cannot. I fell into the latter category and loved every moment of it - trying to make my body do things that I'm just not good at, getting into the music, etc. AND, to top it all off, I felt like I had a really good workout. I think Zumba might have to be incorporated into the workout routine after Thanksgiving :-)

Tonight I packed, cleaned, and of course, watched Grey's Anatomy. Now it's off to bed to try to get some sleep before an exciting, busy, and fun weekend!!

Lunch #1was the rest of my roasted brussel sprouts, green beans, and 1/2 sweet potato.

Lunch #2 was the rest of my veggie fried rice.

And then I fell prey to the dreaded office distraction - free food. I treated myself to a lovely little bag of potatoe chips and they were oh-so-good!

I had a quick snack of an apple before Zumba. I wasn't so hungry after class so I finished off my lettuce in a salad and also finished the last 1/2c of black bean soup I had left over.

My night time snack was some plain yogurt with raisins, dried cherries and raisins, a drizzle of sugar-free syrup, and cinnamon, with a piece of cinnamon and PB toast. And my last 2 bites of my Babycakes cookie sandwich :)

I'm off to bed, with a thunderstorm and rain as my background noise :-)

Happy that my weekend is here!

I am so happy to have made it through this week. Between seeing friends, late night programs for work, and the dreary nor-easter that's sitting on top of DC right now, I've been keeping myself busy and feel like I had a jam-packed week.

Tonight was my first workout since Sunday and boy, did it feel good! I did 35minutes of running intervals and another 30 minutes on the elliptical, with quite a few sprints. I stretched and ran from / to home to get a bit more cardio in. I've hit 8 miles for the day - I guess I'm making up for only getting in 3 or 4 a day since Sunday.

I had some salad and my veggie chili (last of it, I swear) with cauliflower faux-tatoes on top, Shepherd's pie style.
For lunch I had a salad with carrots, corn, and kidney and black beans with a light sprinkling of cheese and an apple. I felt refueled for my afternoon but did manage to snack on some more fruit and some nuts during our all-department meeting in which we made care packages and wrote cards for T.A.P.S, an organization that works with families of fallen soldiers.

This morning I had some PB toast, an egg white on 1 slice toast, and a pear w/ an AB drizzle. It held be over until 2pm which was great!


Yesterday I got to sleep in a bit because I knew I'd be working until at least 11pm. I had my Bob's Red Mill hot cereal with berries, flax, and PB drizzled on top. I have to admit, the flax seeds really keep me feeling full for quite a long time! 4 hours at least! It's kind of nice.


When I did finally get hungry in the afternoon, I had my favorite Wasabi chicken soup. The broth was quite oily so I dumped it out and just ate the chicken, rice, and veggies.


I stopped at home for about an hour and a half in which I did some packing for my trip to New York this weekend and ate dinner. I had a salad with corn, carrots, and some brown rice tortilla chips crumbles and an Amy's tamale pie for dinner.


When I finally made it home last night I had a piece of toast w/ PB as I watched Top Chef and then headed to bed.

Whew, as I said, I'm glad for the weekend and to be heading to New York tomorrow. I'm joining my parents and various friends to celebrate the centennial of my dad's fraternity. I'm just hoping the sun comes out for a bit!!