Happy Friday!  It’s been a short week with Victoria Day on Monday, but it still seemed long enough – and has thrown me right off schedule. Add in the fact that we took a vacation day today, and a three-day week felt like a full five days. How is that possible? Oh yeah, I’m two weeks out from stage (two weeks today, to be exact!).

For something a little different, I compiled some of the more entertaining and random things / thoughts from the week right here. It’s just one big random post, which is kind of what my brain feels like right now – scattered and strange. Enjoy!

The best purchase I’ve made lately:

So comfortable! I also got them in black to be a little more versatile, but thought these were very spring / summer appropriate.

These shoes! While my office is pretty casual, I don’t always feel right wearing running shoes with my outfit – especially if my top is a little more on the dressy side. I have a lot of heels that work, but to be honest, lately my legs are so tired and sore, wearing heels is not even a possibility. I stopped into Ardene the other week and picked these up for CHEAP! They’re incredibly comfortable and work with so many different options; I might get more colors for variety.

My biggest cravings:

I’ve been on a pretty challenging meal plan for the last two weeks, with one more to go before “peak week” hits. Overall, I’m impressed with how I’ve done in terms of cravings, I truly haven’t had many and they’ve been short-lived. The things topping my list of wants right now: bananas, berries, rice cakes with peanut butter & jam, and a timbit (no particular flavour, just one stupid timbit). I swear, I smell bananas in my office most days of the week and it drives me crazy. I seriously just want fruit all the time.

A good laugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltS0G7KA7XQ

I love dogs, more than most people. I would go out of my way to make friends with or help a dog, so I never want to see them get hurt… but this video kills me.  Mostly because our dogs are well represented in it – Lulu just lets things hit her in the face (even food). Joe is a little better, but he’s definitely still lacking a lot of coordination. The bulldog might be the best part… Enjoy!

Dirty secret:              

No shame here… This is the dirty truth of competition prep, or at least it is for me. Between working full and part-time, this is as good as it gets most days.

I don’t shower nearly enough for how much I sweat in a week. It’s disgusting, but time is honestly so crunched in the morning and training and cardio is just more important. Plus, the thought of, “I’m just going to sweat again in the morning anyhow…” happens nightly.  So, I had a moment of brilliance and bought baby wipes to “shower” with, and will just wash my hair in the tub when absolutely needed. I’ll also text Kyle and tell him to force me to shower on certain nights. Seriously, who thinks competing is pretty, glamorous, or girly???  You’re wrong.

Thankful for:

I have to mention a few people here. Obviously number one is Kyle. I always say I couldn’t prep without his help and support and I truly mean it. He does so much to make my day as easy as possible – he’ll pack my meals while I’m at the gym teaching a class or getting ready in the morning, he’ll remind me of things I have to do (because my memory is pretty shot), and insist / force me to relax in the evenings. This doesn’t even touch the subject of the mid-training pep talks, listening to me rant about everything, and being the best training partner – there is NO slacking allowed! I can’t imagine going through this with anyone else, and I wouldn’t want to.

Secondly, I’m so thankful for my fitness instructor teammates who have helped cover some of my classes in the next couple weeks, allowing me to rest and recover. They’ve also been really supportive of my progress along the way – as have my co-workers at the office. They’ve asked me great questions, said they’d check on me to see if I’m still awake, and gave me a variety of teas as a treat!

My biggest question of the week:

The only thing I can say … why?

Why does anyone need a Bluetooth enabled toothbrush??  Who can justify spending $200 on a toothbrush?  You still need to see your dental hygienist – they’ll tell you if you’re doing a good enough job brushing your teeth or not. I do not need technology to invade my mouth. To be honest, my first thought about it was that it just played music synced from your phone while you brushed your teeth (isn’t that all Bluetooth is good for??). I looked it up and learned what it actually does, but am still questioning WHY??

And now, a few of my training / cardio / depleted brain thoughts and truths from the week:

• Cable chest flyes – ok. While standing on a bosu ball – no. And on one foot – NOOOO. Just why?
• Obviously that food tastes amazing – it’s made with two sticks of butter and a bag of sugar! Damn you, You’ve Gotta Eat Here.
• I keep telling Kyle I’m 99% sure about things, but I truly have no idea (now I can’t do that)
• I have never had so many alarms set in my cell phone, for the simple fact to remind me to do something (i.e., go to my chiropractor appointment, buy potatoes)
• My most productive and alert window of time is from 5 – 8am. That’s it.
• Why are packs of gum so expensive??
• I wish all vitamins tasted as good as vitamin C, they’re like candy
• How long does it take a dog to digest cat food??? Stupid Joe.
• The Bluetooth toothbrush. REALLY?
• Two thumbs up to the guy on the cardio bike with the air cast on!
• “If I feel like I’m going to pass out in Step class, what should I do? No really, what should I do??” – Kyle had no helpful answers beyond “stop teaching”
• Signs prep is nearing the end – sweating has decreased a lot, and my food now fits in my smallest IsoBag containers. That’s sad.
• Walking on an incline is boring and takes too long. I truly believe if I could run, time would pass faster. I understand this isn’t true.
• No, you cannot build a better butt in just 10 minutes a day. If you can, I’ll be pissed I spent so much time building mine (approximately 600 hours in the last 7 months, for the record).