Getting Ready for Vancouver
The Vancouver International Salsa Festival is this this week and I am more than ecstatic to be able to go this year. I’ll be able to visit my sisters in between parties and workshops so I’m, and I really don’t like this expression but there’s no other way that I can think of to express myself, killing two birds with one stone.
I am so excited that I am preparing for the trip a little more than I would any other trip. I really can’t explain why, I’m just doing things a little differently than what I would usually do before a trip. For example I got my “salsa” pants hemmed which cost me more than buying another pair of pants but I really want to wear them since I’ve only ever worn them once because they were too long and I kept stepping on them. I went tanning… Yes… I went indoor tanning… and after you stop laughing I can tell you about it. 
Winter really makes my skin look pasty and I thought, since I will be salsa dancing, I would like to look sun-kissed. There’s a place in Winnipeg called Body Shades that has a great selection of tanning lotions and tanning beds, for my first time I used the Entropy unit that gives you “6x the results”… to tell you the truth I did spend a little more than I wanted to because I did buy lotion and even tattoo protecting balm. but it really was worth it. I actually did see the results after only 7 minutes. I think I may go again before I leave on Tuesday, I do have a pedicure and manicure there on Monday so I may have to take advantage of another session of tanning. Other than that, I just have to pack and get ready for 4 nights of dancing and 2 days of workshops in beautiful BC. Will keep you posted on my activities!
Java Thoughts
As you well know, I’m a tea drinker through and through, I love all kinds, all cultures and all ceremonies that have to do with tea. I drink it all day everyday too! But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy a cuppa java more than once in a while. And I’ve come to realize that, just like tea, there are many coffee traditions all over the world!
I recently went for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant and had their “Vietnamese Coffee”, they serve it in a tall glass with condensed milk at the bottom. You get to mix it up and even add more hot water to it if you find it too strong but I thought it was perfect the way it is. The sweetness of the condensed milk mixed with the bitterness of the coffee really worked well, and I thourougly enjoyed it!
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Rosca de Reyes
It seems like the last part of 2010 went by in a whirlwind of events! I finally got my Turbo Kick certification and started teaching, I’m taking my fitness instructor exam this week and I’ve been running around like a mad woman trying to “study” for my exam and practicing for both my Turbo and Zumba classes. Combine that with overtime at work and all the holiday fun, I hardly had time to think!
Now that it’s January, a new year, I’ve had a chance to cook and bake a couple of times. Seeing as today is the Epiphany, January 6th, I made a traditional “Rosca de Reyes”, which translates as “Spiral of Kings”. When I lived in Mexico as a child I remember very well going to the neighborhood party on January 6th, Dia de Reyes, (Day of the Kings) and having a piece of bread. The tradition is that everyone gets a slice of bread, and whoever gets the little plastic figurine of the baby Jesus (yup, there’s a little figurine baked in each bread) has the honour of having a party and making the tamales for February 2nd which is Dia de la Candelaria. Every kid wanted to get it, I know my parents were not very keen on the idea of making tamales for the whole neighbourhood, and, now that I think about it, in the whole 5 years that we lived in Mexico we never had the honour of getting the little figurine.
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Thanksgiving Plan
It’s day 6 and still no cravings… I’m going to the movie theatre today and the popcorn is a big temptation, I’ll bring my travel tea mug with a great ginger pu-erh and will have my sister with me to help me stay away from the concession stand.
It’s great to feel like I’m making progress with my injury, I can feel that the pain, if any, is merely muscular and nothing that a bit of Tiger Balm won’t help with if needed. I was a little more adventurous today and did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix this morning! A 30 minute cardio workout with some jumping involved. I live on a 3rd floor and sometimes I’m afraid that the neighbors below me will knock on my door and tell me to keep it down but maybe I’m not as noisy as I think I am, I have no rugs or carpet so I try to tread softly and working out barefoot is not so good for shock absorption in your joints so, while wearing runners, I jump as quietly as I can. It’s easier than it seems actually!
Now, if I can only keep my diet as clean as I’d like. It’s helpful to make your own meals, and while my sister is visiting I’m trying to keep our at-home meals as clean and natural as possible, but when we’re out and about it’s a little harder to do. At work today we have our Thanksgiving Lunch so I’m assuming there’ll be turkey with all the trimmings. That’s all a bit heavy (and I have no idea how they expect everyone to get back to work after that!) so I’ll check out the food before I make a decision. Turkey’s not bad as long as it’s without the skin so sticking to white meat is the best, however, white meat is usually dry and gravy will just undo all the careful planning so tread carefully! A little indulgence once in a while is good but this Thanksgiving weekend will bring a lot of meals like that so try to moderate yourself. If you really love your mom’s pumpking pie then refrain from eating all the other pies and desserts that may be available and save yourself for that delicious treat that you’ve most likely earned! I always like to think about the positive instead of the negative as well so instead of saying “I can’t eat that” or feeling like you’re depriving yourself try to think about the positive and say “I’d rather eat this…”, “this is so much better for me” and think about the hard work you put into your workout and how you feel when those pants you couldn’t fit into finally button up and look great! Also, keep writing everything down in your food journal, you’re less likely to deviate from the plan if you know you’ll be recording everything you put in your mouth into your journal. I think the best rule of thumb is always KEEP IT CLEAN!
Good Luck!
Quote Today:
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy”
Slowly but surely…
Day 4 and still going strong!
Woke up with a bit of pain this morning, just stiffness but it was still hard to move. I did a 35 minute DVD – Chalene Johnsons’s Turbo Jam 3T’s, a strength workout using resistance bands, it was exactly what I needed to get me up and going in the morning. Just enough strength to workout but not strenuous. It may be harder for me to get my workout in when my sister is visiting but I’ll aim to still do my 30 minute elliptical training after work, now that I started moving I don’t want to stop. My goal is to be ok to do the workshops at the fitness conference on the 17th, I think that with the athletic therapy, chiropractic and massage I should be able to participate. Hey, no one ever succeeded by taking the “safe” and easy route right? I know that as long as I’m taking care of myself, taking the necessary rest and not overdoing it by overtraining I will heal and still be able to workout. So far I’ve been able to function without painkillers in the last 4 or 5 days so I know the pain is minimal to non-existant. And that’s the way I like it!
Pain Free!
Day 3 of my chip-free cleanse and doing ok… 
Feeling so much better today than I have the last few weeks. Even though I did 25 minutes on the elliptical yesterday and then went to athletic therapy for an hour my pain is non-existent, which is EXCELLENT! Means that I should be able to get moving soon! October is a busy month for me, I’ll be attenting the Momentum Fitness Conference in Winnipeg on the 17th and that’s a full day of workouts! Then my Aqua Fitness Certification class starts on the 27th and I’ll also be taking the Zumba Fitness Certification on the 31st so my goal is to be functional to take advantage of the classes, and can’t do that if I have to sit out every few minutes. I was so happy that I was able to do a downward dog that I almost cried! This body’s gotta get back into fitness!
Meanwhile I am preparing for my sister’s visit. Gives me a chance to cook for real! Living on my own doesn’t give me the inspiration to make complex dishes and I usually stick to easy peasy meals, but with her coming I’ve already started on the empanadas which were a special request and the chicken that I’m making for panes con pavo (it’s only two of us so I’m making chicken instead of turkey. We’re don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but we’ll be doing a small dinner anyway since she will be here for a few days. Looking forward to a lovely meal with her!
28 Days…
This is how I want to begin this post… “My name is Silvia and I’m a chip-a-holic!”. Since my pelvic injury I have been resting ALL THE TIME and not able to get up and moving, it was only recently (as in the last couple of days) that I got the green light to get moving, and only walking and the elliptical trainer. Oh well, better than nothing! But, the point is that the 3 weeks that I was in mandatory repose I ate more potato chips than I’ve had all year! Seriously! I hit rock bottom when I purchased 2 large bags of Miss Vickie’s Lime and Cracked Pepper because they were on sale at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. I ate one and a half bags in one day! So… Half way through the second bag I said “That’s it!” threw the last bit out and started this.
Because it’s so hard for me to stay away from potato chips now that I’ve opened the vortex, I will post the updates of my “detox” on my blog. I started by writing DAY 1 on the little blackboard in my kitchen and I will stay on track by being accountable. Not sure if this will work for potato chips (and french fries for that matter) but it’s worth a shot! When I start training again it will be easier to stay away from junk but meanwhile all I have is my will power.
Autumn Leaves
I went to work today after being off for 3 weeks due to my back injury. I was fortunate enough to be able to work only half a day today (and the rest of the week) just to get back to the swing of things. This gave me a chance to be able to walk home in the middle of the day and take in the lovely fall colours.
Fall is my favourite season. Sandwiched between extreme hot and extreme cold it makes a nice transition to enjoy the outdoors, the changing of the leaves and the cool weather. Taking a brisk walk mid afternoon and hearing the crunching of the leaves under your feet is very calming to me. I’m a bit disappointed that I can’t enjoy the perfect weather for jogging because my injury is still healing but it doesn’t stop me from taking lovely walks. One think I will say, Canada has perfect autumns! My iphone pictures don’t do the colours justice.
Behind the Winnipeg Legislative
Bears and leaves
Quote today:
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf’s a flower.”
–Albert Camus
Lots of lava! (Without the guilt!)
I don’t eat dessert too often, but when I do I really love it! After careful consideration I narrowed down my favourite dessert to two. Chocolate Lava Cake and Créme Brûlèe. (I hope I never have to choose between them because I will be torn forever!) However, we all know that when you’re trying to either lose weight or keep it off most (if not all) of the trainers, dieticians and fitness pros will tell you to lay off the sweets and to skip dessert altogether, or to have a bite once in a while but never eat the whole thing! Well… that wasn’t good enough for me! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but when I do eat dessert I like to make it worthwhile, and then I feel guilty because of all the hard work I put into working out and getting fit… I don’t know about you but I don’t like feeling guilty, do you? So… in my search for delicious dessert that doesn’t affect the waistline, I found this little gem! Read more
Empanada by any other name…
I’ve always loved empanadas as a mid-afternoon snack, as I got older, it was a delicious accompaniment to the afternoon coffee or tea. Of course, I’ve only ever had them in El Salvador and had no idea that many, many other countries had their own “empanadas”. The ones that I have been lucky enough to try have all been delicious but seems like I haven’t even begun to skim the top of the empanda world… In Chile, empanadas are stuffed with a mix of beef and vegetables called pino (similar to the mincemeat filling), chicken or cheese; In Portugal, their empanadas are usually stuffed with tuna, sardines or chorizo; in Costa Rica , they are fried and filled with seasoned meats or cheese, beans or cubed potato stew; in the Philippines, their empanadas are fried as well and are filled with ground beef or chicken, potato, onion and raisins… I can almost guarantee that if you search for an empanada recipe on-line, you will get hundreds of different variations from dozens of different countries! But, for now, let’s talk about the Salvadorean kind… Read more
