Gotta Keep Going

So this morning, after two days of inactivity, I dragged my body out of bed when the alarm rang.  I wore leggings and long-sleeves because it looked chilly outside.  (Yesterday it was raining so I decided against going outside.)

Off I went at 6:25am.  

I realised how short the Southleigh Avenue loop was after I got a bird's eye view of the area so I decided to run around the Parsonage - Coolong loop twice instead.   Somehow, I seemed to have reached the corner of Parsonage and Coolong near Windsor much faster than before because when I checked my watch, I was only on my twenty-minute mark.  (Maybe that short Southleigh loop is worth the extra metres.)  

I pushed myself to reach 25 minutes then brisk walked the rest of the way home passing through Kerrs Road.

Not bad.  

We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Time is Relative

Five minutes running takes much longer than five minutes walking.

The corollary to that is -- Five minutes walking goes much faster than five minutes running.

I Did It!

I managed to reach my goal of running for at least twenty minutes this morning.  In fact, I made it to twenty-five minutes.

OK, I jogged for 25 minutes.  Does that count?

It does for me.

Mai was already awake as I was about to leave the house.  I asked her if she wanted to make her anything for breakfast.  When she said no, I took that as a GO-signal for my morning run.

It being a Saturday meant I didn't have to rush back.

Last time I ran, I made it to my fifteen-minute mark.  Today, I didn't feel as tired as before and figured I could make it to my twenty minute goal.   I opted to take a logical break after I had gone around my usual Parsonage Rd -- Coolong St -- Southleigh Ave -- Coolong St -- Parsonage Rd -- Coolong St loop.  By the time I checked my watch and reverted to walking from jogging, it was 25 minutes.

I did it!

Now, if I could only do this three or four times a week.

Pamper Your Feet

GIVE YOURSELF A PEDICURE
What will you need?
- a bowl of warm water
- nail clippers
- nail file
- pumice stone
- body moisturizer or foot cream
- essential oils
- cuticle cream
- orange stick
- warm towels
- thin cotton socks

1.  Use a pumice stone, or dry skin board, a good foot scrub to scrub away hard skin.  Remove rough or hard skin from the foot.  It is easier to remove this when the feet are dry.

2.  Once dry skin is removed, soak your feet in a bowl of warm water for around 5 minutes.  Add 2 - 3 drops of essential oils (such as tea tree [antiseptic] or peppermint [energizing] or lavender [relaxation/balancing].

3.  Dry feet (don't forget between your toes).  Clip toe nails straight across.  Use a nail file to smooth along the edge of each nail, stroking lightly in one direction.  Make sure that corners are smooth and that there are no sharp edges.

4.  Gently massage cuticle cream into base of each nail and thenpush back each cuticle with an orange stick.  (Cutting cuticles encourages more growth, so better not to cut them.)

5.  At this point, you can give yourself a foot massage.  If pressed for time, smooth a nourishing body cream or oil into your feet.  Put cotton socks afterwards to allow moisturizer to soak in.

MASSAGE YOUR FEET

1.  Make a massage oil consisting of 3 drops to 10 ml (2 tsp) base oil.  a combination of lavender, marjoram, and neroli oils make a relaxing mix.  Prepare your hands by putting a few drops of oil into your palms and massaging your hands together until they feel soft and warm.  hold your foot sandwiched between your hands for few moments, then stroke your foot with gentle sweeps towards your body, one hand behind the other.

2.  Massage each toe using your thumbs.  Continue by gliding your thumbs along the top of your foot towards your ankle and then back towards your toes, fanning your thumbs out to the side as you glide.

3.  Start to loosen your toes by sandwiching them between your palms and rotating them clockwise and then counter-clockwise.

4.  Massage each toe again, this time with your thumb and forefinger, give them a light squeeze and a roll.  Finally, gently pull each toe in turn towards you.

5.  Using gliding movements, run your thumbs between the four tendons on the top of your foot, moving towards the ankle.

6.  Firmly massage the sole of your foot.  Use your thumbs to eash out from the centre to the outer edges.

7.  Massage around the ankle and Achilles tendon area, making small firm rotations. 

8.  Complete the massage by stroking the foot.  Wrap it in a warm towel or blanket while you work on the other foot.

Toss It!

Quick Salad Dressing

1 T   olive, walnut, sesame or grapeseed oil
1 T   rice wine, pomegranate, red wine, champagne or balsalmic vinegar
spice this up with red onion, fresh garlic, herbs de Provence, Italian herb mix, fresh basil, fresh thyme, lemon juice, gourmet mustard, sea salt, cracked black pepper

Asian Salad Dressing

1 T   sesame oil
1 T   red wine vinegar
1 t    sesame seeds
1 t    grated orange rind
1 shake  red pepper flakes

Asian Salad

6 ounces grilled scallops
2 c total butter lettuce and green cabbage mix
1 c total julienned carrots, red pepper, radish slices
1/4 c mandarin oranges
1 brown rice cake crumbled over the top
1 T sliced almonds

Winter Salad Dressing

1 T   olive oil
1 T   balsalmic vinegar
1 t    gourmet ground mustard

Winter Salad

2-plus cups mixed greens
1/4 c   torn basil leaves
1 c      roasted veggies
1/2 c   cooked garbanzo beans
1 T      chopped walnuts

Shake It!

One can opt to replace a meal with a shake.

1.  Pick a protein

2.  Add fiber.

3.  Add a healthful fat.

4.  Add fruit.

5.  Add water and ice to create the desired thickness.

===================================
JJ Virgin's shake recipe

 1 - 2 scoops protein powder
 1 - 2 servings of fiber
 1 - 2 servings of fat like 1 T organic nut butter (not peanut) or 1/4 c light coconut milk (replacing water)
 1 c  frozen organic berries
 1 c pure spring water

Eat From the Rainbow

Some of the highest nutrient-level non-starchy carbohydrates are colourful

ORANGE : carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe

GREEN  :  broccoli, spinach, avocado

RED  :  beets, red peppers, raspberries, pomegranate, cranberries, cherries

BLUE :  blueberries

PURPLE :  red onion, radicchio

BLACK :  blackberries, olives, seaweed