Category Archives: Health

Sick days rule

Posted in Health, Jobs, Photos, Sick by

Especially when you’re actually sick.

On Monday I woke up feeling like garbage. Absolute garbage. I dragged myself to work because I’m a trooper and have never called in sick in my life. No lies! I figured I’d be able to push through it by the afternoon, but around 10:30 a.m., my stomach decided it wanted me to throw up, so there I am running to the bathroom trying not to vomit on the nasty old carpet in the office. I didn’t barf, but I did decide to tell my boss that I was going to go home early because I felt like dying.

So come 11:30 a.m., I gathered my things and went home, trying not to pass out at the wheel. And when I got home? I slept. I slept all afternoon, only being woken up by the dogs barking at random noises and my dad bringing my ginger ale. (Thanks Dad!) I woke up around 3:30, when my roommate got home from school and I figured I should stay awake so I could fall asleep at night.

Usually I feel guilty about going home sick, but Monday, I had no remorse. My body was killing me and I just needed to sleep. Yesterday I went to work and finished all my work as if I hadn’t gone home early at all the day before. I still don’t feel 100%, but not feeling guilty about going home early is even better.

Do YOU feel guilty when you go home sick?

Kicking the Sumo Diet

Posted in Appearances, Food, Health by

Sometime last summer, I can’t pin-point a date exactly, I decided to get healthier. I bucked up and joined a gym and decided to watch what I eat more carefully.

I’m not talking about calorie counting, but just eating food less often. I found that during university, I’d graze throughout the day all while still eating breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday, plus a giant bedtime “snack.” (Think lunch-size leftovers, frozen dinners, etc.) I now like to call that my Sumo Wrestler Diet, because after eating huge meals, sumo wrestlers have naps. Apparently that’s how they kept all that weight on.

Add my Sumo Diet to my new lack of exercise due to no longer playing soccer, I suppose I wasn’t burning all those glorious calories I was so happily consuming. After five years of post-secondary education and studying at night while eating garbage food, it added up. I think I gained around 10 pounds, which seemed to gather in my stomach area.

After staring at my gut in the mirror one day, I finally had enough and decided I needed to change my habits. I joined the gym and try to go two or three times a week, doing cardio once or twice and weight-training once a week. I (almost completely) stopped eating huge amounts of food between dinner and bedtime. I’ll have an orange, some yogurt or a small bowl of cereal instead. It takes a whole hell of a lot of willpower, but I do it! Right now, as I write this post, I’m really craving tortilla chips with salsa and loads of sour cream, but I’m resisting! I have a wonderful sample of Kashi cereal I’m going to try instead :)

I still eat all the foods I love in the same portion sizes I’ve always had if I just adjusted everything else I did. I’m proud of my accomplishments and I’ve noticed that I have more energy these days. I can take my dogs for a walk and not die at the top of a hill. I just feel good. I don’t weigh the same as I did in high school, I don’t think I ever will, but just feeling better about myself is all that matters.

WTF Friday 1.0

Posted in Appearances, Health, Workouts, WTF Friday by

I opted out of Friday Food for this week to bring you WTF Friday. I’ve noticed something this week at the gym that has just made me go “WTF??” and really, I have no excited foody adventures. Unless you count my orange attacking me today, I got nothing.

SO …

*Image removed*

I don’t particularly like to give shout-outs to specific places of business, but I was at the gym that has a catchy little song and dance about it, and I noticed that there are generally two types of people who go to the gym. There’s the people who want to work out and actually get in shape and the people who go just because it’s the “cool” thing to do.

The “cool” people, I’ve noticed, are constantly texting, are always there with one or two friends and are always fixing their hair. They never break a sweat and walk slower than my Grandma (who actually doesn’t walk slow at all).

This Tuesday, for example, I’m clinging onto dear life as I sweat it out on the elliptical machine and this young girl (she must’ve been about 15) hops on the machine beside me. She maybe used it for 10 minutes before getting off and leaving. I watched her leave and her ass crack was nearly showing. WTF? This a a gym, with sweaty old men with hairy backs, not a high school basketball game filled wall to wall with acne-ridden boys and bad Bieber-like hair. *barf*

I’m a person who goes to the gym to get good and sweaty and feel great anyway. I’m all for the people who genuinely want to get in shape, not search for their next Friday night date. I could care less about how red my face is or how much sweat is all over me. I’m not a “pretty” gym-goer, to say the least, but I love it.

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel that I need to look drop-dead gorgeous while I’m working out. I wear what’s comfy, I wear what works, and I don’t mind getting my sweat on.

So, if/when you go to the gym or are working out, are you more concerned about how you look or how you feel? Be honest now …