Thursday, August 14, 2008

We Won the Bronze!

Trivia was a blast last night! We had a stellar team (with lots of "garbage brains"), and we ended up coming in 3rd place! Here's Andy, one of our key team members, holding our prize: a $15 gift certificate to the bar where we played. We've already decided to spend it at Trivia Night next week!


I ate dinner at the bar last night. I did some errands after work (I somehow ended up at H&M... strange how that happens), so by the time I got home, it was already time to leave for trivia. I decided to balance the "good" and "bad" menu options.

The "good": Garden salad with honey mustard on the side.


The "bad" (but oh-so-good): A basket of French fries, which I ate with ketchup and honey mustard. I shared the fries with Mal and Andy, but I probably ate 1/2 the basket myself. Best.fries.ever!


My beverages for the evening: Kamikaze shot, ice water, and a Miller Lite. I have no idea what the deal was with the Kamikaze shot. I really don't like shots at all, but Andy insisted that I do one with him. I didn't want to be a party-pooper (or a bad teammate), so I did (peer pressure at its finest). Kamikaze shots are suppose to be kind of wimpy, but it gave me goosebumps! I'm just not a shot girl. Needless to say, I was loosened up after drinking a shot and a beer! :)


This Morning

I was determined to go to the gym this morning. I always feel better when I get my workout done first thing. It just sets a great tone for the day.

I took a spinning class today. I haven't done spinning in years, and it was a lot harder than I remembered! The instructor was great though-- encouraging, funny, and his music selection was very entertaining! The music "theme" for the class was "so bad, it's good." Highlights were "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys and "Mmm Bop" by Hanson (two special and horrifying favorites of my Union girls!) The music was so fun-- it kept me interested and motivated the whole class. Spinning is such a good workout! I was sweating like crazy!

After the gym, I grabbed an iced coffee with soy milk from Starbucks. I also ran into a friend there, which is always a nice way to start the day! :)


Breakfast was made in the office once again this morning. I made myself a big bowl of Kashi instant oatmeal with high-fiber cereal, flax granola, banana slices, and peanut butter. It might not look like it, but it was a big portion; I barely finished it!


Question of the Day

How does your job (or student life) affect your health and wellness goals?

Me: I have a desk job, so I spend most of my day sitting down. I try to get up and walk around as much as I can, but it's not always possible, especially when I am chained to my desk with work! I also have to battle office treats! I usually give in, but I typically have just a small portion.

25 Comments:

Anonymous said...

My job affects my health and wellness in a lot of ways. I am allergic to grass and I work for a golf course so those things don't go hand in hand. So, I don't really feel well most of the time but I am working on that. I do have a desk job and a 40 minute commute each was so activity is hard for me. But, I am doing what I can to make it work because I really do enjoy my job.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Congratulations on the bronze!! :0)

School definitely affects my sleep schedule, so it's more difficult to get enough zzz's.

Quinn said...

I used to work at an Irish pub, and LOVED our trivia nights. People would pack in for them. I still go back for fun! It's addicting!

Shut Up! Mmmm Bop??? Someone still has that on a CD and willingly plays it for other ears to hear?

I try to get out in the afternoon, even if I have packed my lunch, just for a walk. I also like to use the office gym during my lunch hour. The worst is if I'm just sitting I find it makes me want snacks more often. And hence when "Secretary Spread" commences in the rear. So, I'm really careful with my snacks and not resorting to vending.

Kristin said...

Congrats on the win!

My job has affected my health and wellness, because I have learned that I need to prepare more balanced, healthy meals for lunches/dinners to keep me going at work, not just the odd larabar or plain veggie burger. I used to be worried what my coworkers (who basically just snack their ways through the night) would think about me bringing a full meal to work. But a bar is not a meal! I've learned I can prepare yummy meals beforehand, reheat them in our microwave, and have a healthy meal away from home! I feel SO much better this way.

As for school, feeding myself has made me realize I can eat as healthy as I want to eat, because I am in control of my own wellness, no one else. I stopped caring if people thought I was a hippy because I shop organically, stopped caring about what my family said about my choice to be a vegetarian.
I started my blog, and I found so many supportive people out there with the same healthy-minded goals as I, and I realized I wasn't so weird- being healthy is normal! As a nutrition major, I learned that I can eat what I want, when I want- if I want a treat, thats fine. But I need to balance it with other healthy choices to get in all my needed nutrients.

So now I choose to eat whole, clean foods, try to stay away from packaged foods, and cook home cooked meals as much as possible. I let myself the occasional treat (or something small every day), and have never felt better. I stopped labeling myself as this or that, and now I'm just Kristin- the health minded nutrition major with a passion for fitness, cooking, and food in general.

Seriously, changing school, living and work environments has opened up my WHOLE perspective on eating.

Great question!

Caitlin said...

yay trivia night! good job on waking up and hitting spin class after a kamikaze shot :)!

my job has positively affected my health in many ways. i have a desk job, but i work from home, so i can make healthy lunches easily without much pre-planning. i ate healthy when i worked in the office as well, but it just required that i plan far in advance and make my meals the night before. also, now that i dont have an hour commute, i have more time for working out or relaxing (which is just as important for health!)

however, when i first started working from home, i was really challenged by being so close to my fridge. it was way too easy to walk in there and grab a few crackers or another snack. working from hom has increased my willpower for sure!

arielle said...

My job affects my health in that I work next to my kitchen. Enough said, I think.

I love spinning!! It is the best workout, and the music makes it go by so fast.

sloank said...

my job is a desk job as well. I try to go for a walk at lunch time, but like you said, sometimes that does not happen. I also have an hour commute each way so sometimes once I get home I feel mentally drained at the end of the day. Healthy eating isn't too tough for me, but fitness is!

In the fall I'll be going back to school and teaching at a middle school so I think things will definitely change a lot for me! I'm not sure how I'll be able to fit everything in just yet.

Anonymous said...

although i do have a desk job, I work at a garden so it's very easy for me to get up and walk around everyday. It's quite big (28 acres), so I can easily get some good walking in. That and the fact that I have a 15 minute STEEP uphill walk from the train station to my office everyday keeps me healthy at work!

PonderingRunningYogi said...

I work a desk job (for only a week longer then it's time to start grad school!) and there are always office treats, cakes, cookies, etc. I used to indulge more often but they're around all the time and don't feel as special, so I'm better at turning them down. Turned down already just this week: donuts, ice cream, and brownies. However, we always have a birthday cake from an awesome bakery at the end of the month, so I'll always have a slice. I'll be starting grad school soon so I'm sure there will be new obstacles (late night studying, more happy hours/outings with the students, packing more portable lunches, etc.) but I know I'll make it work! :)

Oh, and those spinning songs sound awesome! Sometimes I love listening to old "teeny bopper" songs!

Anonymous said...

Before starting my grad program in nutrition i thought I knew alot about the right way to eat, but I slowly have adapted a more healthy balance rather than a diet mentality and I beleive that will forever change the way i live and eventually the way I will be with clients when I am a practicing RD

Jon Defreest said...

I have a desk job, but luckily for me I have a shaws & my gym both within short walking distance. I can by food to make a decent lunch and work out on my lunch breaks.

If I worked in another office I don't know how I'd survive.

Anonymous said...

Great question Tina!

My job is ALSO an office job-but I only started it in January (making the switch from bartending) and I found that switching to a more sedentary lifestyle really motivated me to become active during my own time. I now work out 5-6 times a week (I bring my work out stuff with me to work and since when I'm walking from my bus stop to my house I pass right by my gym it's pretty hard to come up with a good excuse as to why I won't go). With working out more I've become much more aware of what I eat- I was calorie counting for the past 7 months but am currently really trying to quit. Now I'm just focusing on eating more healthy, wholesome foods.

In September I go back to bartending and school-so complete flip of schedule (rather than working 7-5 I'll be in school/working 2 pm-12 am)so hopefully I can still maintain my healthy lifesytle.

Anonymous said...

I am in medical school currently. You'd doctors would have or at least be supportive of healthy habits, but it's definitely the opposite! When we're working in the clinic we have to be there by 5am and often get absolutely no break for lunch, sometimes not finishing until 8 or 9pm... it leaves little time for sleep, not to mention workouts, and that's before you consider weekend work and hours of studying. On the bright side, endless rounding in the hospital can incorporate a lot of walking! I am also getting pretty good at shoveling a (relatively) healthy turkey sandwhich down while walking sown the hall. :) And, of course, it won't always be like this but it can be quite the challenge to a healthy lifestyle at the moment.

Anonymous said...

Meant to say "you'd THINK doctors..."

Great question Tina, and I love your blog!

Becca said...

I'm doing an apprenticeship at a restaurant and with a cake baker/decorator so I really have to think about whether I'm actually hungry or if its just the yummy smells making me want to eat.

Rosiecat24 said...

Is it terrible that I'm jealous of people with desk jobs? It's a strange thought indeed!

I have a job that requires me to run around for much of the day. I'm a science grad student, and my lab life is very active. I spend a lot of time walking around or lifting heavy things. Even on days when I don't PLAN to work out, I get a lot exercise just doing my job. I suppose it's a healthy perk to the work, but it's also exhausting and it can be hard to stay motivated if I'm working toward a fitness goal, like running a half-marathon.

By the way, I LOVED Kristin's answer to this question! I used to feel very self-conscious about my lunch habits because I pack big lunches for work: homemade soup, cheese, and bread for lunch with fruit and a sweet-healthy snack for late afternoon, for example. Other people pop Lean Cuisine into the microwave and call it a meal. Now that I've been brown-bagging it for five years, I don't care what other people think about my eating habits; I just know what works for me. And I really, REALLY love my homemade soups :-)

The hardest part about my job, health-wise, is keeping my stress levels in check. I'm working hard on trying to do the best job I can while staying cool and calm in the face of disasters--I mean, challenges! Such is life in the lab.

Anonymous said...

Tina,

I love your blog!

My job has has affected my health in a negative way. I work in politics and am mostly sitting on my butt for 12 hours a day. The stress level is insane. I get home way too late not having eaten dinner and tend to be so hungry/stressed out I eat whatever is in the house (for this reason I keep only "healthy" items in stock). I try to get up and do some sort of exercise before work, but I am so tired and decide to sleep over exercise. Its an aweful pattern to be in, stressed, feeling sluggish, and gaining weight. Thankfully, it only lasts until November!

Amanda said...

I just graduated from college in May and have been working at my new desk job for a about a month now. I am finding it a lot easier to eat well, but harder to fit in exercise.

I do much better with pre-planned, packed food that I portion out when I'm not hungry (plus it's cheaper than buying lunch), so that is a plus. We don't have an office gym but I do have a lunch break, so I usually eat at my desk and then get out for a 30 minute walk. I'm in Philly right by Rittenhouse Square and the park!

I also pack my gym clothes the night before so that excuses to skip the gym after work don't cut it!!

Love the blog Tina - I'm jealous you had time for spinning! I miss classes at the gym!!

Anonymous said...

Kristin- its so great to see other health-minded individuals like yourself. I'm in college right now and people expect you to eat unhealthy. Ever since high school, I've always eaten healthy and now I want to be a dietican:)

Tami said...

i'm a stay at home mom. so i get up everyday, well m-f at 430am and head to the gym. i need to be home by 630 so my husband can go to work. that limits the classes i can take at the gym. i don't have the energy at 4pm when he gets home to head to the gym sometimes i wish i could do more but i just don't have the time

HangryPants said...

Tina, Do you eat your fries with malt vinegar? I know it's popular in RI and Mass and I love it! Perfect with ketchup, too. Ooooh I want french fries.

Heather

Tina said...

Heather,

I don't typically, but I do like malt vinegar on my fries. I used to eat them like that all the time when I lived in England. Sooo yummy! I might have to start doing it again!

Anonymous said...

I too love your blog!

Prior to being a stay at home mom I was a nurse. Although I got in lots of walking during 12hour shifts, patients families were always brings in sweets for us. I rarely got an actual lunch break so I felt like I was always taking bites of things and never satisfied because I didn't sit down and eat.

Being a stay at home mom has it's ups and downs on the health front. My kids hate the gym childcare, so I workout early before they are awake. Some mornings I take my youngest in the jogging stroller with me. I used to take both, but at 4 yrs and 2 yrs sitting that close for any amount of time is torture for us all :)

Although it is hot here in TX right now (so it is hard to get out during the day) we do go to lots of parks and are busy during the day.

We eat organic fruit, dairy, and meat. I try to make snacks healthy although I do allow treats and sweets because I don't want that to be "bad". It's tough though because even if it healthy snacks- I have to watch that I don't mindlessly eat just because they are. It is also hard for me to not pick food off their plates that they don't finish or just while I sit there waiting for them to finish.

Having two little ones does mean we have lots of birthday parties with lots of sugar. It's funny because they enjoy the cake and ice cream but really only will take a couple of bites. I'm the one that has a hard time stopping :)

Anonymous said...

Mmm the life of a college student...I definitely feel like I lack in sleep like veggiegirl but also I only grocery shop for myself so I can get as much of a variety as I would like because my roommates don't like the "healthy" food I eat...I guess more for me. Also, sitting around for four hour classes kills me! My workout schedule is messed up as well...sometimes being as late as 11pm!

I want one of those C & B bags! I am so happy you liked healthworks spinning...I miss it!

Anonymous said...

Way to step up to the bar (pun intended) with that shot! Looks like a great night. I am the same way. If there are fries nearby, they will end up in my stomach. I simply cannot resist.

How does my job affect my health/wellness goals?

My job actually positively affects my goals. My company pays nearly 90% of my gym membership (it is a massive health club that reminds me more of a country club than a gym and it cost an insane amount to belong to. I only pay $30 a month.) My office is also only 2 buildings from the gym. I have no excuse to not go to the gym. I am able to go over lunch and I also can skip right over there after work without getting side tracked. The only negative about my office is that there is ALWAYS food around. I have learned to pick my battles wisely. If it is something special or something I simply cannot have anywhere else (Israeli donuts—Sufganiyot) then I will eat away without any guilt, but if it is something plain and typical, like a sheet cake or hershey kisses, then I pass it by.

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