so i don’t understand smokers

What is it with people who are sick, but continue to smoke?

Hm. That doesn’t make much sense, so let me give you an example.

As I was arriving at the gym this morning, I saw a man outside the building lighting a cigarette. While I don’t like the smell of smoke, and prolonged exposure makes my eyes start to water, people who smoke generally don’t bother me. In fact, I know a lot of really nice people who are smokers. I just wouldn’t kiss them. Anyway, back to the man outside my office.

So he’s already puffing away as I’m coming up the steps to the front door, and he starts coughing. And we’re not talking about a little cough here. He sounded like he was hacking up a lung, it was so violent! I asked him if he was okay, and the following conversation ensued:

Guy : Nah, not really. I’ve had a horrible chest cold for almost a month now.
(He takes another puff and hacks some more)
Me : Oh. That doesn’t sound good.
Guy : Yeah, my doctor told me I’ve got a bacteria buildup in my lungs or something. But I don’t think it’s that bad. (he coughs again) Said I should probably stop smoking until it passes.
Me : I see. So –
Guy : Yep, still smoking. (He starts to laugh, then it turns into a lovely phlegmy cough…)

At that point I just tried to smile at him and went inside. I was confused and a little disgusted with the phlegmy…ness, and I also didn’t want to reek of smoke, because lets face it, it ain’t a pleasant scent. Also when I’m around it for too long my eyes start to feel funny.

So why do that to yourself? And right after you’ve been working out at the gym, or god forbid, before?! (He was wearing trackpants and an Addidas top while holding what appeared to be a gymbag so it could be safe to assume…) Smoking is not exactly the healthiest pastime, why would you want to make your lungs worse when you’re already sick? Is this normal smoking behaviour, or was that weird man I met a crazy exception? Blech.

On a healthier note, my yoga class this morning was fantastic. I’m just sad because I might have to start going to a different one in the evenings because I might be starting work earlier for the next little while… sigh. The ones on the weekend just aren’t as challenging.

diets are too much work

My friend L came to visit me today, and brought a book with her that she’s been reading lately called The G.I. Diet. It’s based around the glycemic index (hence the “G.I.”) and goes on about how our bodies react to the different amounts of sugars in the foods we eat. It may sound complicated, but it’s basically common sense. The G.I. Diet doesn’t tell you anything new, just the whole don’t eat too much fat, avoid refined carbs and most sugary things. Pretty straight-forward, and it seemed simple enough to follow – no weird foods to make or anything – so I offered to try it with her just to see what it was like.

Andhis is what I’ve had to eat today so far, trying to stick within the G.I. guidlines:

• Breakfast: a bowl of oatmeal mixed with some fat free, sugar-free yogurt and a handful of blueberries. Off to a good start, I think. 
• Snack: glass of skim milk
• For some reason, I neglected to have lunch. Oh right, I was out looking for a birthday present for The Mother (it’s tomorrow, oops).
• My next snack was some cherries, celery sticks and hummus, then a small slice of poundcake. Okay, so maybe that should count as my lunch…
• Dinner: TBE (To Be Eaten).

If it wasn’t for that slice of cake (which wasn’t even all that good… damn pound cake, you looked so yummy just sitting there on the counter), I’ve been doing well. Yet for some reason I’m finding it extremely difficult to not think about food all the time now that I know I’m on a “diet”. It’s crazy! Even now as I’m typing away that pound cake is calling to me… that same, mediocre pound cake. And the crackers and cheese (both on the “red-light”, aka banned foods list) my brother is eating in front of my very eyes. Never have I wanted to eat those plain, cardboard-flavoured crackers as much as I do now that I know I can’t. Or technically, shouldn’t. 

So I say, screw the salads and the stupid diets. Sorry L, Im gonna get me some crackers!

my health: take two

I mentioned before that I wanted to get back in shape and start eating better. Now that I’m not feeling so sick these days, and I’ve gotten Harry Potter out of my system (for now anyway), I am ready to go at this full force. So I’m going to start monitoring what I’m eating and how much exercise I do. Hopefully this will help teach me a few things.

Starting weight, as of this morning: 118. er… something. Anyway. The weight factor isn’t as important as the eating healthy part, but I figure if I start noticing differences from day to day I might be able to find corellations with what I’m eating when I gain (or lose weight) and how I’m feeling that day.

• Breakfast: Er, none. I know, I’m horrible. But I slept in without meaning to!

• Lunch: I ate a bunch of chocolate cookie/wafer things and had a glass of soy milk. Hellooo fat!

• Snack: A spoonful of light peanut butter and a glass of milk.

• Dinner: 1 chicken fajita with roasted peppers. Should have added shredded lettuce, but alas we had none.

• Total glasses of water: Maybe 2 or 3. Probably not good.

• Exercise: A little over 20min of running on the treadmill, followed by another 20min of walking (I ran into a friend and I stayed to chat instead of hopping on the bike like I normally do). Then some lackluster stretches while we talked some more.

Analysis for the day (so far): My eating habits really suck. I think I’m doing all right with the dairy aspect of things, and possibly protein too, but those vegetables are the bane of my existance. I may have to pick up some V8 juice next time I’m at the supermarket. Also, the junk food in my house has to go. I have the worst combination as far as food cravings go: A sweet tooth, and no willpower whatsoever. It’s going to be a long, hard road.

self-improvement: day 1

Or not.

Today was supposed to be the first day of the two-week diet and training  regime I put together to Stay in Shape and Stop Eating Crap (mostly to stop eating crap), but I woke up feeling all nauseous and headachey. Just my luck. As you may have surmised, I’ve been a bit lax lately in terms of my eating habits and gym attendance, and I’m hoping that by making this folly public that maybe I can be more motivated to get back on track. Normally I try to make it to the gym at least four times a week to do both cardio and weight-training, and I save one day a week (usually sunday) for a yoga/pilates class.

As far as the eating habits go… well. Let’s just say I have a sweet tooth, and very little self-control. Sometimes. Okay, okay, all the time. Luckily I have been blessed with a relatively speedy metabolism, so as long as I continue to work out, it doesn’t show. But those crappy habits will all change soon, at least after I start feeling better.

Today, I had some green tea (good), but then I followed it with the only cure I know for throw-uppyness: really salty crackers (bad… although they are SOO good). I had wanted to make an omlete for breakfast, but I’m afraid my stomach won’t be able to handle it, and then I’ll have to resort to having some soup or something. And as I’m not a fan of soup, unless its of the “Cream of [whatever]” variety, and that = also bad. I can only hope that I’m feeling better by tomorrow so that I can at least go to my favourite yoga/pilates class. And possibly on monday I can get the ball rolling for good.