Rest day and the power of indulging

Today was my rest day. Not very resting though I have to tell you. I woke up at 6am because some builders were making noise outside my window... At 6am!!! I am still sleeping at that time, and they are already "noising" around!!! And I have to tell you, I went to bed only at 2... So, not much sleep.

At 9 I had to be at the university at the structural equation modelling (SEM) course - which to be honest was interesting and exciting, so I was not - thankfully - falling asleep. After that - as a normal PhD student - I got so excited, I went back home and started using SEM for my own data... By the evening I was exhausted from work, and sleepy. 

I did let myself indulge in a little bit of dinner: carrot-parsnip puree, quinoa (yes, I found it thanks to one of my readers Nina - Thank you so much!), several olives, a slice of cheese, pureed tomatoes with garlic and some weird bio-diet-ham (of only 8 cal a slice... weird! but I simply had to try it). All that with a little glass of wine, some candle light and instrumental piano music of genious Ludovico Einaudi... Perfect evening, just wish my sweetheart was here in person and not just on Skype... :)

Dinner, Week 7 with some extravagances... :)

I LOVE candles... Long time ago I used to find them a waste of time and space... Now I love the little flames...

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Days 11 12 and rest day

I started level 2. Overall impression of level 2: it is tough, but doable. For me actually it became more interesting and challenging. In level 2 the exercises become more difficult, and one has to really keep attention up: to note all the angles and turns of wrists, feet, etc. Here angles become even more important. So beware!

In day 11 I had to separate the DC and MS - as I didnt have enough time in the morning (overslept) and it felt like I was much stronger when I was doing MS. I am not sure if it is about the change, or because I was not already exhausted by DC, but it went almost easy. Then I had my rest day, and on day 12 - 4th of March, I went to the consulate to vote and had salsa, so I only did MS in the evening. Will get back to DC tomorrow - for sure!

Diet... Well, what can I say - I was off it for 1.5 days almost. Though I still tried to keep up the more or less healthy food. But yesterday was my birthday, so my sweetheart arranged a couple niceties for me - so sweet! He whisked me off to a hotel with spa, got me a cake with candles (I really begged to get something really really really tiny - I am still on diet!! :D), a wonderful present, romance, champagne, amazing dinner, and then salsa dancing. We got a little too much of drink - oops, but it was a wonderful day. And I had some nice and not too unhealthy food...

Breakfast (birthday cake and champagne):

Lunch (small chicken soup and a salad, ate 2 pieces of bread :(...):

Dinner (rumpsteak with rucola and tomatoes, tomato salad):

(I know, I know, its a steak, but at least I ordered it without any sauce (and it is protein after all!), and also had only fresh veggies with it, rather than any bad roasted potatoes and other unhealthy fatty things.)

So, the diet was not too bad, but well not precisely what was prescribed... But overall, I had a great weekend, and I loved it and felt great! :) Back to the diet - week 3 starting tomorrow!

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Rest day

Rest days are marvelous... and ah - so restless too. I have to say I wake up every day with the though of exercise. No, I am not waking up hating it and not looking forward to it. Neither do I jump out of bed to get into the exercise because I am so excited. Nonetheless, I do wake up and one of the thoughts on my mind is about the workout. Neither good, nor bad. And I think it is indeed a great development - it is as if my body doesnt see a day without it. So, I actually have to remind myself the evening before and the morning I get up that "Hey, calm down, you are not working out today". And it is strange not to. I try to enjoy the break - so that I actually rest. I take a slow breakfast, I laze in the bathroom or put make-up twice longer... I have time to open the book (Kindle actually) and read with my breakfast and juice... I have time to take it easy and slow down in the morning. But I feel strange. As if something is missing.

I start work, and my brain is not as concentrated and I keep returning to the pleasure of stretching my muscles, and doing this exercise and that... I keep interrupting myself with searching the web for nice fitness and sports videos, health tips and other fitness-related things. I keep falling asleep too. So I get a coffee, and try to muddle through some more work. Then I go to a driving class, and by the time I am back, my eyes hurt, my back aches and I just need some stretches and activity. I do a little bit of back and legs stretches, and stop myself from working out. 

It is so strange how this works, isnt it? How the psychology of us humans works?! On the days when I have the workouts, I still have to talk myself into them - rather my laziness. I have to force myself start it early enough so that I can fit it in. On the opposite, on rest days I am restless and can barely stop myself from exercising... Funny beings humans :)

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