For the love of the sport.....

Saturday proved an exausting day for me- 3 games and a scrimmage to officiate.  My Cardiotrainer App on my phone tells me that I burned approximately 3000 calories over the course of the day.  Exhausting!  While it was a great day of skating- it was not without it's rough patches.

My first reffing partner of the day- awesome.  We got along great, had good rapport.  He had taken a few years off when he started a family with his wife and I couldn't believe when he said he was 35.  It was great to have such an affinity with a fellow ref on the ice- I will work with him anytime- which he said was mutual. We worked well together, covered the ice when the other was blocked from proceeding to follow play, had a pow-wow over what call to make (which resulted in a very exciting penalty shot).  Awesome.  It was an awesome game- the teams were great, the coaches were great, everyone was great.

It seemed like a good start to the day....

As some of you know,  I've been an ice hockey referee for 5 years or so now.  I ref because I love the game (cliff notes version).  After one game at BIG 3 earlier this season,  my reffing partner, who I have worked with a number of times, over all of the seasons I have been involved on the officiating side,  explained that his next game was at a neighboring town and with a team that has a terrible reputation.  I wondered how terrible this team could be but then brushed it aside- afterall, we all have our bad days.  Perhaps this was a rumor gone awry.

Mid-day Saturday, I believe I met this team with the terrible reputation.  Let me tell you- their preceding reputation did not even do them justice (and not  in a good way).  I have never worked with such a team.  I doubt I will ever meet their equal in poor attitude, terrible sportsmanship, lack of manners, and complete disregard for how they speak to others.  I'm speaking specifically about the coaching staff.  The coaching staff complained about being told their kids mouth guards needed to be in.  Mouth guards being a safe guard against concussions that can end a sports career and cause permanent brain damage.  I even had to send one of the coaches to the locker room.  He had already received a bench minor and I had had enough.  The players reflected the poor attitude and bad sportsmanship displayed by their coaches.  These kids are the kids that are really very good, but just not quite good enough to make the A-team.  It's one of those terrible decisions where teams have to get picked and they're all neck and neck so they probably just end up drawing straws (this is especially true in ice hockey because there is only 1 A-team allowed per association per age group).

My partner for the game was like wall paper.  Still fairly young to the officiating side of the sport- he contributed little and had nothing to offer in terms of being a partner on the ice.  It was hugely frustrating.  The wrath of the coaches and parents were directed only in my direction.  Usually I try to make conversation with my associate referee before we go out for a game- get at least their name and how long they've been involved with officiating and playing ice hockey.  It's usually a good launching pad for more conversation.  From  my partner on Saturday for the two game set- nothing.  He was more into his phone than getting his mind set for the game.  I've never been so disappointed in a reffing partner.  I walked into the ref room and immediately apologized for being late and explained that I had  a migraine headache that I was still fending off.  He didn't even look up from his phone.  It was a bad sign and as I tried a few more times to get him to talk to me before the game (within reason) I knew things were not going to go well.  It was clear he had no people skills and was not interested in Dale Carnegie.

Saturday night when I arrived home, I was seriously questioning whether or not to continue after this season as an ice hockey referee.  This morning, I realize that this is one bad team with a terrible attitude that is not only hurting themselves, but their team mates, the parents, the team's association, and the sport of ice hockey.

New Years fitness goals...

I started thinking about what my fitness goals for the new year would be before New Years.

Why? Why not wait until New Years Day?  Studies show that there are 2 specific times people try to start something new and it ends up being unsuccessful. 

The first- is New Years.
The second is- Mondays.

 Never start anything new on a Monday or as a New Years resolution. 

With New Years- there's so much hype and so-called excitement surrounding resolutions and all that- I think people end up becoming disappointed or their enthusiasm dwindles. 

When you make a decision to do something- just do it- it doesn't matter what day it is.

Muffin Mania

www.traderjoes.com After the success of the Blueberry Orange Muffins, I decided to try another muffin recipe from eatingwell.com. 

Again, using up my surpluce of Zucchini from Aldi- I opted for Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins.
[Per serving: 231 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 26 mg cholesterol; 41 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 271 mg sodium; 102 mg potassium.]

My fiance had been wanting Oatmeal muffins like they have a Trader Joe's.  WIth the little ones- it's easier to stay home and make muffins from scratch then get all bundled up and get to the store and everything else.

I doubled this recipe because we have been going through muffins like crazy.  Muffins for breakfast, muffins for snacks, muffins on the go.... Once they're made they are easy to eat and not messy.  This is particularly helpful with a 2 year old! 

I didn't have time or the energy to make all of the muffins at once- so I made one batch and kept the rest of the batter in the fridge.  Then, my fiance made a batch, and on Wednesday I put another batch in the oven as we were getting ready for our day.  It is really muffin mania at our house!

In college, I used to go get a banana chocolate chip muffin (nearly everyday) after my morning classes.  I stopped doing this once I learned that this particular muffin I was eating weighed in at a hefty 900+ calories! 

No wonder my pants weren't fitting. 

Finishing up the Tilapia...

I made the 5-spice Tilapia again. No asparagus this time though.

This time, I used more of the Zucchini surplus we had on hand (thank you Aldi- 3 humongous Zucchini for $1.69).  I just used a little olive oil, salt & pepper and threw the zuchini (quartered lengthwise and cut into inch long pieces) into the pan.  I also added a little oregano.

5 minutes and ta-da- done!

The Zucchini was a better fit with this sweet Tilapia recipie.

I already picked up more Tilapia anticipating I will make it again soon!

Feeling good- 1 visit follow up

While my first visit to the gym was off to a bumpy start, I am already feeling and seeing the rewards.

Feeling better... I already have more energy and feel better in the near 2 days since my visit.

Seeing the rewards... It's one thing to step on the scale and feel like you've been seeing the same number for months (that's been me). It's another to take out the measuring tape and see how you're doing. This is a more accurate gauge of how you're doing. The numbers may be stagnate on the scale- but your body composition changes show with the measuring tape.

This has been the case for me.

I am so thrilled because in the past week between visiting the gym and the 3 ice hockey games I have reffed since the 10th- I have lost inches.

Waist- -2.5 inches
hips- -1 inch
bust- -2 inches (thats ok- really ok- things are just out of control)

I like to plug the numbers into the Shape Virtual Trainer. You can log your starting weight, current weight and goal weight. It will tell you how much weight you've lost, your body fat percentage, the pounds of body fat lost, the weight of your lean body mass and your body fat (both in pounds and percentages), and it has a tally of how many inches you have lost with an average number of inches lost per week. You can also log your calories and exercise and the dashboard will tell you if you need to eat more, less, or if you're in the weight loss zone.

If anyone is interested in trying the JCC out- let me know- or visit their webpage for a free 2-week pass.

My first visit

The first time at our new gym was last night.

It was so akward at first. I felt so out of place, and out of practice. It was bizzare to think that I haven't gone to a gym or worked out consistently in 3 years.

I kept asking myself- "Will I like it?"

I had no idea. I used to like going to the gym. I used to enjoy running and weight lifting.

I suddenly felt small and intimidated.

What a strange feeling to have when going to do something that used to be the norm/ routine. What a strange feeling to be someplace and feel out of place.

It was akward at first. It was intimidating and strange.

It's sad- but I wanted to turn around and not even try. I'm ok with me- aren't I?

Then I remembered the other day. I brought my two sons home. The oldest- who is almost 2 1/2 years old wanted to race me down the apartment hallway. It was so fun and he was so happy. I remembred again why it was important and why I needed to try- because I want to be there and be able to be the best mom I can be for my kids, and the best partner "in crime" to my future husband.

So, for my workout, I did a mile long bike ride to warm up ( 6 minutes), a did a run/walk for 20 minutes (and got up to 7.6 mph- which is really good for me, my short legs, and lack of running for about 4 months). Then, I moved on to weight lifting- bicep curls, upright rows, tricep extensions and other arm exercizes on the cable machines, the assisted pull up machine (I could never do pull ups on my own in gym class), and the roman chair. The roman chair was tough- it used to be so easy. I did 6 back extensions on the roman chair and then felt the c-section incision. It was time to stop.

I ended the work out by using these cool new stationary bikes that have different races and routes with a monitor so you have something to look at.

After I worked out I felt great and remembered why I used to love going to the gym so much and why I've missed it.

We are officially members!

After much debate and a long hiatus from having a gym membership- I (I should say WE, as a family) have a gym membership.

I am so thrilled to be able to go to the gym. No just go to the gym though. It's much more than that. It's promoting and showing healthy habits to our kids. It's having options in my workouts. It's about the family time that we can have together in the gym or the pools.

It is so exciting to know that I have the tools and the time to take care of myself so I can better take care of my family. I'll also be able to live a longer healthier life and that is a great prospect.

Since we joined the JCC, we also qualified for a scholarship. Which I am so grateful for since my better half is still in school, and I have just started working again.

I have to admit - the tears welled in my eyes just thinking about how grateful I am to the scholarship program. Grateful to be the mom and partner I want to be and how having a healthy, active lifestyle fits into that.

Tilapia... yum yum!

We have had a bag of frozen Tilapia in our freezer since July or August of 2010.  I had no idea what to do with it- all I knew was that I wanted to eat it but didn't want to be disappointed. I had become so concerned that whatever recipe I tried would be labor intensive with poor results that the bag sat untouched.  It wasn't as though it was expensive fish either.  The bag came from Aldi - a great store that can really help you stretch your grocery dollars. 

 The bag sat and sat and sat in our freezer until New Years Day.  (After all, there's  no time like the present - right?)  In our case, it was completely by chance that making the Tilapia with an asparagus side occured on New Years Day.  I wouldn't pair these two together- the sweet of the Tilapia with the tart of the Asparagus was too much of a contrast.

If I'm following the advice of my personal trainer from college- we should eat 1200 calories a day.  Start with a 300 calorie meal and wait three hours, then a 200 calorie snack and wait two hours- repeat and go to bed "empty".  We don't want all of those extra calories festering in our stomachs and becoming fat stores overnight do we???  That doesn't sound like a good idea.  That would make all of our hard work useless.

I used this strategy in the past and it works- it really does.

Five Spice Tilapia- 180 Calories
Lemon Lovers Asparagus- 91 Calories

Total: 271 calories

271 calories- in just under that 300 calorie goal- you could have an apple or an orange for dessert.

My fiance looked at me and said "WOW- this is so good. Where are you finding these recipes???"

I look forward to having a larger home where we can entertain and have dinner parties.  There's something exciting and fulfilling knowing that you have served an excellent meal. Excellent not only to the taste buds but also for your health.

Fit and eating fish

Lately, I find I'm thinking a lot about how fit I was in my pageant days.  This is probably because in just under 6 months I am going to get to wear a pretty dress for a special day.  Our wedding!  I probably keep digressing to those pageant days because I was working so hard and my diet was spot on.

I ate a lot of Morey's marinated salmon and tilapia filets and rice.  I also worked out at least once a day consistently- sometimes twice a day.

My eating habits changed drastically once I started a new job and a co-worker at Careerbuilder.com criticized my lunch choice- complaining that my lunch made the entire office smell.   My self-confidence had been wavering as a result of some of the office politics and criticisms of people at other companies in a position equal to mine.  Numerous times, over the near year I worked there, my manager--Chad Goven, native of Eden Prairie, MN, graduate of Duke University and current graduate student at Stanford-- stated "Who are they? They are nobody! Don't waste your time!" 

I kept thinking "that could be me you're talking about".  

No wonder I hated going to work and worried about my fate or how I would be treated day in and day out.  After all, when he spoke that way about someone in an equivalent position to me- it was him also saying that about me.  What a great tone to set in every office meeting.


No wonder I gained 15 pounds in the near year I worked there. 


Chad eventually laid me off- stating office restructuring.  I was the low-man in the office.  Leaving was a mixed blessing.  

Where was I? Oh yes- to digress- before all of the junk that happened at Careerbuilder- I was in really great shape.

In thinking about my lifestyle then versus now.  There are some obvious adjustments I need to made to sustain that kind of daily fish intake.  They Morey's fillets- while delicious are $13.79 for a package of 2 at Byerly's (I checked on Wednesday when I was there).  As a side note, I signed up for Morey's emails and in the comments box I mentioned how much I love their products.    They replied and said they are happy I love their products so much and are sending me coupons!  Yay!  So maybe I can justify the splurge a bit more easily. Fish gets expensive to eat every single meal- as long as you're avoiding breaded and beer battered fare.

Off to the canned fish aisle I go.... tuna or salmon?  The thought of fish smothered in mayonnaise is enough to make my stomach churn.  There must be something better than what I learned to make growing up.

I searched through the recipes at allrecipes.com and found Eating Well.  This magazine has a great website- and a mobile website too!  So when you're grocery shopping the recipe search is bam! Right at the top of the page. The recipes also include how many calories per serving. 

What I've tried so far:

Easy Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dill Sauce

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

Black Bean Quesadillas

All were really good and very easy to make. (The the mediterranean salad use fresh rosemary as it calls for and not dried- it was a bit too prickly and weird but otherwise tasted good) Our 2- year-old wasn't so keen on the fish items but gobbled up the Quesadillas! 

I'm eager to try many more recipes from Eatingwell. The fish and vegetarian entrees will also be helpful considering I have to bring Kosher food to my new workplace.  I will oblige because I would want the same respect shown to me if the roles or situation were reversed.  I've also been interested in trying to eat vegetarian consistently.  When I asked my fiance about that, he wasn't so sure and wondered if we could still incorporate white meat into our diet such as chicken and turkey.  It's open for discussion at this point.