I got a little excited...

about the Biggest Loser last night! The show brought the contestants to my city and I was slightly bummed out that I didn't know they were here over the summer. I wish I could have gone to the Bob and Jillian workout at the Washington Monument!! Also, it was really fantastic to see the whole BL crew go to the White House. The team make dinner from vegetables grown in the White House garden. It was inspiring to see such a commitment to healthy living and eating from the First Family!

I had my left over hot and sour soup and phad see eiw for dinner a bit earlier in the evening, along with more of my roasted brussel sprouts. Towards the end of BL, I had some yogurt and a toasted waffle for my nighttime snack (not pictured).



It unintentionally became an early night for me. I'm not sure if I'm still adjusting to daylight savings time or just not 100% recovered, but I am still pretty exhausted. I was happy to crawl into my bed around 10:30!

This morning I woke up feeling pretty good and excited to go into work. The sun was shining which made it easy to get dressed. I was glad to finally get out of my apartment for a while. I had maple-cinnamon hot cereal and an egg white for breakfast and am about to head out. I hope I make it through a full day!

1/4 c Bob's Red Mill GF Hot cereal
1 c water
sprinkle of raisins and dried cherries
drizzle of maple syrup
1/2 tbsp PB

What do you find most helpful in recovering from being sick?

New Approach

I woke up this morning hoping I would be able to head back to work and leave my apartment for more than 30 minutes for the first time in 5 days. Nevertheless, my throat was raw and hurting and I felt pretty crappy all around. Not the start to my day that I was anticipating.

So, I moved from my bed to the couch... and then to the kitchen shortly thereafter for my morning green tea. While making my breakfast ideas were running through my head about what could help me start to feel like a real human being again. I've been getting lots of vitamin C, feeding myself good foods and soups, trying to stay well-hydrated, and getting lots of rest. Then, as soon as Matt Lauer popped back on the tv, I remembered a segment I saw on the Today show yesterday about the germs that lurk in our kitchens. Aha, that's it! While I've been making sure to wash my hands, not leave dishes in the sink, and would never say that my apartment is messy or dirty, it was time to do a good cleaning now that I'm recovering from my flu.

So, after breakfast, I thoroughly cleaned my apartment - kitchen, bathroom, door knobs, I vacuumed, dusted, changed sheets and swept. Plus I cleaned my phone, the TV remotes, and any appliance surface I've touched in the last week - which in my studio, was most of the apartment! Goodbye germs! Feeling accomplished, I settled in for some rest and rehydrating on my couch and got some more work done for the sorority.

My appetite is still recovering from the flu, so I had a small lunch consisting of last night's leftovers. The small meal hit the spot and I once again headed out for a small errand. It felt good to stretch my legs and get some fresh air and sunlight! I'll probably stay in tonight and rest up for tomorrow (hopefully back at work). And, it's Tuesday which means my favorite "healthy" show the Biggest Loser is on!

I've decided to start taking pictures with my camera instead of on my phone. Let me know what you think! Also, what's your favorite active TV show?

Toast w/ PB and cinnamon, an egg white and some berries

Cuban black beans over rice and sprinkled with reduced-fat cheddar and roasted brussel sprouts!

Day 5...shouldn't I feel better by now?

Well, I've made it to Day 5 of my flu-cation and feel like I'm hanging in there. I'm definitely ready to stretch my legs a bit after all of this lounging around but that's going to have to come with some slow, short walks. My energy level is still pretty low, appetite small, and that icky feeling is lingering!

Thanks to Daylight Savings, I woke up earlier that I would have liked. I'm definitely a person who would rather it be light in the evenings than in the morning when I have to get up. I like my sleep! I wasn't hungry for a couple of hours and made a repeat of yesterday's breakfast when I finally was. I'm pretty full after the hot cereal and a small glass of Trop50 orange juice.



I spent the morning working on the schedule for my leadership training weekend in a few weeks It was nice to feel productive for a bit. Otherwise, the sun is shining through my windows and I'm hoping to start feeling like my normal self later in the day!

For those of you who gathered up some candy this weekend trick-or-treating, I found this gluten-free and allergy guide for candy and treats. Thanks to Elana for finding this!

I had a small bowl of hot and sour soup around 1:30 and then decided that I could sit no longer. I committed to running a small errand to see how I'd feel. I took my dress from last weekend to the dry cleaner as I'll be wearing it at a gala dinner in NY in a couple of weeks. I make a pit stop in the grocery store after to pick up a couple of things I was craving and then headed home. I ended up being out for much longer that I had anticipated and was pretty exhausted by the time I got home. I snacked on a pear and a handful of soy crisps and enjoyed Oprah's shoe and accessory intervention show. I definitely added a few more items to the "Want" list!! Thanks, Oprah!

I've spent the rest of the night continuing my work on my training schedule, relaxing, and doing a bit of cooking. I've been craving brussel sprouts for the past few days so I made sure to pick some up today to roast. I simply seasoned them with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and they were delish! I was full from dinner so I didn't have too many but these will be great to snack on tomorrow!

For dinner, I had a baked sweet potato and cuban black beans with bell peppers and broccoli, sprinkled with hot sauce and some parmesan cheese.



On the agenda for tonight: the Greek season finale with some cinnamon toast. I love love love the show and am sad that the fall season is over. Maybe it will force me to find a new Monday night post-yoga routine!

I'm hoping to be able to go into work for a bit tomorrow but it will completely depend on how I feel when I wake up. I'm still pretty tired and exhausted from today's little outing. Goodnight!