When I gain some weight (just a few pounds), I have more joint pains, my lower back is painful…. And I’m not overweight… So if I were obese, I can’t imagine how painful it will be for me (Disclaimer : I’m really not judging people who are overweight, don’t get me wrong. Everyone is different, and as long as you are happy with your body, that’s all that matters =) ).  For my frame (small bones), I can’t gain to much weight or it will really hurt me… Like when I’m at my heavier weight (aka post holiday weight :p), I have more ankle pain when I run, my abs are not strong enough to keep my back straight, and I have less energy.

So right now, I’m still at my heavier weight and I don’t feel awesome. I did a bodypump class today and it wasn’t the best.

But I’m starting my new work Wednesday, so I’ll be really busy and be in my own place (now I’m at my sister). So I’ll stop eating (I eat when I’m bored ! Yeah kinda an emotional eater but I don’t feel guilty about it anymore !), and have a better workout schedule. I found a gym which is open at 7am (In France, most gyms are open after 9am !) so I’ll wake up at 6:30am, grab a banana or some dates, workout from 7 to 8, take a shower at my gym, eat my breakfast and be at work before 9am =). With this plan, I will be able to focus more on my work (once my workout is done, I don’t need to stress about it “If I’m leaving work too late, I won’t workout… How I’m gonna do it ?”. )

My new workout plan is :

Monday : Weight lifting (Full body)

Tuesday : Cycling

Wednesday : Cardio (Run most likely) (or BodyFlow at 8pm ?)

Thursday : BodyPump

Friday : Cardio (Run or elliptical)

Saturday : off

Sunday : BodyFlow (yoga/pilates/tai chi)

Or maybe I’ll workout Saturday instead of a weekday ?

Did you notice a big difference when you workout depending on you weight ? Energy levels ? Pains ?

Bess tagged me in this eleven things. When I saw that Bess tagged me, I felt so happy! I felt I belong to the Healthy Blog Community! Little things make me happy. I learnt to enjoy all those little things and not to wait for the perfection!

Here are the rules of the eleven things post:

1. List 11 random things about myself
2. Answer the 11 questions she asked me
3. Come up with 11 questions to ask other bloggers
4. Tag 11 bloggers to do this next

Random things

1. I’m just crazy about the worst/best song ever : “I’m on a boat”. So many great memories !!
2. I had an eye surgery at 3 because my eye wasn’t totally open… I’m glad my parents took the right decision. I know they probably freaked out because it was risky but I had the surgery and now my eye is perfectly normal =)
3. I have a wonderful horse. I met her when she was just 7 and now she’s almost 19 !! I really love her and I would do anything (but absolutely anything for her). It’s one of the best thing that ever happen to me. I perfectly remember the first time I met her…. I slapped her ! Don’t judge… Most disrespectful horse ever !
4. Sorry Mom but I have to confess: Sometimes I really enjoyed when Fidelle (my horse) was making you fall (Vengeance!!) (such a mean daughter ^^)
5. I usually don’t lie but once I had a fight with my sister and I totally lied to my parents… And since I never lie, they trusted me and not my sister so she was grounded …
6. I used to hate running (like haaaaaaaaaaaaate) and going to the gym in middle school (“sorry I have my periods”, walking instead of running…)
7. I used to do ballet when I was younger…
8. When I was a child, I used to check under my bed if someone was hiding. Every night ! And every night I was scared to find a psycho under my bed !
9. I really want to play tennis one day but my motor coordination totally sucks !
10. I hate Jazz music. I just can’t stand hearing it !
11. I’m an aerospace engineer but I’m not crazy about aviation, space or aeronautics… I just like physics…

 Questions asked by Bess :

1. If you could change your name, what would it be? A short name … Léa ?
2. What is your favorite place to go on vacation? Bahamas (I went once  with my family, it was awesome). I love the USA too (San Fransisco is my  favorite place !)
3. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done in your life? A midnight  swim with my friends … Lots of fun !
4. Best dessert you’ve ever had? Kouign Amann. It’s french so most of you probably don’t know it, but it’s so good !!! Main ingredients : butter and sugar … but Yummy !
5. Favorite workout? BodyPump ! (BodyFlow too)
6. One thing you wish you could do? Speak English without my terrible French accent :p
7. What is your guilty pleasure? Sweets ! And listening to my favorite songs really loud (and have my parents pissed off for that !)
8. If you could speak another language besides the one(s) you already know, what would you chose?  Hindi ! I want to visit India ! (Bucket list !!)
9. What is your perfect date? (April 25th. Because it’s not too hot, not  too cold, all you need is a light jacket??) Beach or doing something totally stupid, random and stupid =) Nothing too romantic because I’m totally freaking out when it’s romantic (weird right ?)
10. What was the first pet you ever had? A guinea pig “Kiki” … He lived almost 8 years !!
11. Favorite motivational quote or picture? “If you are going through hell, keep going”

 Questions for the 11 bloggers

1. Dark chocolate or Milk chocolate ?
2. When did you feel proud ?
3. Do you have any siblings ?
4. Harry Potter or Twilight ?
5. Have you ever gone to France (my country!) ?
6. Do you believe in friendship between guys and girls ?
7. Left or right-handed ?
8. If you had a chance to switch bodies with someone you admire, would you do it ?
9. What is the weirdest thing you do in your everyday life ?
10. Did you ever check you ex-boyfriend’s facebook page ?
11. If you won the lottery, would you keep working ?

And I tag :

Haley, Tracy, Lauren, Lena (she just did her first half marathon !!), Tara, Jessica, Kayla, Sarah, Sophie, Kim, and Meg !!

I’m ready to move !

I said goodbye to my therapist (I’ve been seeing her for one year and a half. I’m so thankful for all the time I spent at the hospital. She was great (I used to hate her at the beginning. But I went through ups and downs, and she was always there (I know that’s her job but still. She was really amazing and annoying sometimes: p . I used to go once a week (sometimes 2 when I really needed it) and the good thing: it was free (so no guilt for me =)) because it was at the hospital.

Anyway, Wednesday I went to the hospital, told her about my new job and that I was moving 7 hours from Paris. We talked and we both agreed that I didn’t need to find someone else, that I learnt a lot about myself, about life, my body, stress… I’m strong now and I feel that I come from far far faaaar away. I feel like I’m a totally different person than a few years ago. I feel peaceful about who I’m. I’m not ashamed of being weird sometimes ^^

I’m so grateful for my family, friends, the hospital, this community! And ME :p .

Ok ok, I won’t keep talking. I just needed to write it =)

I’m moving Tuesday! I’m gonna drive for 7 hours (at least…)…

Now I need to start packing and put my whole life in my car! It’s gonna be interesting… or not !

Workout

I had a great week for my workouts too!

Monday : CXWork and 30min walk

Tuesday : BodyFlow and 45’ walk

Wednesday : Weight lifting (back, chest, arms and abs) and cardio (10min walk and 20 elliptical)

Thursday : 30min walk and 30min run (I’m so happy because I’m able to run more now ! My leg is not fully recovered but it’s better !) and Abs

Friday : BodyFlow and 30min walk

I talked with the trainer today, and this week end I’m going to do some legs !!! I haven’t done any weight lifting (legs) for the past 2 months, so I’m gonna do some light weights and see how it goes. Fingers crossed =).

I’m also planning to go back to a BodyFlow class with my mom! She doesn’t workout but I almost convinced her =). I did pretty good this year: my father bought a gym membership and goes 2 (sometimes 3 !) times a week and he even started to weight lifting (Fun story : He used to run and I used to do more weight lifting. He asked me to join him for a run in the woods and I kinda lost him! Since then he does some weight lifting to have strong legs ahahha). And my sister just bought a gym membership (one month ago) because I can’t stop talking about how good I feel after working out (and because she wanted the same a**).

I like sharing my love for fitness, and I love even more sharing it with my family =)

And this week end, I also want to do some cardio (depends on my leg though).

A few eats?

Ricotta cheese, banana, hazelnuts and oats

Salad and veggie pizza (I love pizza!!! And sometimes it’s good to indulge..)

Hummus and chicken on rye bread

Do you workout with your family ? your friends ?

Does your family share your passion for fitness too ?

ANNNNND I FORGOT ! Those who live in Florida or California or a sunny place… Enjoy ! I’m jealous ! It’s -7°Celsius here (19° F). Too cold for me ….

You really need to check this :

http://vimeo.com/31000652

I wanna do it !!!!!! Seems so funny . Yeah yeah I know, I’m sure a child, but I’m (almost) not ashamed of it :p

What do you think ? Would you try it ? What is the funniest race or workout you did ???

So I need to find a place, to move, to start working, to move my horse, to deal with a few things in Paris… so I’m busy but happy !!

Workout this week

Monday : CXWork and 30 min walk

Thursday : 1h30min cardio (light cardio)

Wednesday : OFF

Thursday: I don’t remember if I went to the gym, so probably not …

Friday : OFF

Saturday : heavy weight lifting and 1 hour walk

Sunday : cardio (1h) and I was able to run 20 min !!

Today : CXWork (core training) and 30 min walk

So I took a lot of rest, I really need to be more committed ! But My job was a priority this week =)

Food

Few easy snacks… Yummy snacks =)

Frozen raspberries and riccotta cheese !

Apple and dark chocolate

Apple and hazelnut butter and peanut butter

I’ll be in a new city, so I need to meet some people, make friends… It’s not the easiest thing for me… But I’m lucky, my sister lives here !

How do you do when you move in a new city ? Are you anxious about meeting new people? How do you make new friends if you don’t know anyone ??? (I feel like a need a “101 friendship” class :p)

Workout

So Sunday I lifted heavy, and it felt so good. I loved it ! I did chest, back, and arms ! The trainer showed me a new move for my biceps and I was sore Monday !

The afternoon, my parents invited me to the spa : sauna, hamam and jaccuzzi !

How relaxing! I really enjoyed it =)

After my talk with the trainer Sunday, I chose to try a fitness class.. Since my injury, I haven’t gone to a class and really missed it ! I need the instructor, the music, like-minded people …

So monday I chose to go to a CX30 class (Les Mills, see the video below) . It’s an amazing core training, no rest for 30 minutes, good music… Felt really good ! And my leg was fine !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNsSJ6WaRd0&feature=related

Today, I did some light cardio for 1h30 ! Since I can’t do any sprints, I chose to make a longer workout…So I walked 10 min (a little inclined), then 20 min of elliptical, 10 min walk, biked for 20 min and finished with a 30 min walk.

Food

I just wanted to share this awesome dish (I just no the ingredients, no the measurements)

Shrimps and scallops with coconut milk, tomato sauce, onions and curry!

My mother made this recipe but she doesn’t even know her measurements, she just does it …

So goooooooooood !

What is your favorite seafood ? Favorite fish ??

Today, I’m going to lift some weights with my father! It’s going to be cool and hopefully I’ll kick his ass  :p (my father doesn’t like heavy weight lifting). My plan for today is chest/back/arms (tri, shoulders, and biceps)!

And this afternoon, my parents invited me to the spa, so it’s going to be a really relaxing afternoon! I can’t wait!!

Food

Some eats now…

Favorite breakfast of the week ! Coffee + cinnamon and dried fruits toasts with a lot of peanut butter and apricot preserves (no sugar added), mapple syrup ! DAMN GOOD !

Greek yogurt and hazelnut butter + half of a chocolate/hazelnut muffin (Starbucks). Moderation is the key =)

Hummus and crudites

Favorite dinner of the week : veggies and this “roll” made by my mother : Tuna, eggs and cheese !!

Easy and quick snack : Apple and dark chocolate =)

I changed my profile picture yesterday and I’m a little uncomfortable with the « blog and privacy » issue.  How do you deal with it? Are you cool with the fact that everybody can see who you are and your personal story?

Please Share, I’m really interested =) 

WEIRD, huh ?

Workout

My harmstring is stronger everyday ! I’m so happy. I was able to workout more this week (elliptical, short runs, upper body weight lifting !) It feels good ! I love sweating, I feel so high and hyper after my workout. And when I workout, I eat healthy, sleep enough… Just awesome !

I miss yoga, BodyPump and spin classes… But soon… =)

Life

Live healthy on a budget …

My whole life, I was kind of spoiled by my parents (they are really generous with me, I travelled, they paid for my school… I’m really grateful for that) so sometimes I’m far from the reality when it comes to money. I never really checked the price of my food, if I  want some new clothes (not fancy brands though), I don’t really restrict myself. Careful, I’m not a spoiled girl, who can’t stand No for an answer or who wears design clothes…  Just, I’m not used to money issues, to check the prices, to live on a budget…

But we talked ! I’m about to start my own life, to have a work, a new place… And until I have a job, we decided that I’ll have a budget to get used to it ! I mean who go to Bahamas for the holidays or  try every new food available in the grocery store when they just start working and don’t have a huge salary ??? So I needed to get back to reality ! My childhood is over =) So I ask them to help me to be more realistic.

So I have a food budget and I’m grateful for that because it’s a good transition between my student life and my future life.

I was shocked when I discovered how expensive Starbucks is! I mean I used to go one or twice a day when I was in college in USA. Let’s do some calculus: 365*2 *2= 1460 $ a year !! (I don’t remember the price for a coffee so I say 2 $. When you save just ONE dollar every day, you save 365 $ a year…I love Starbucks, it brings me good memories, so I won’t stop to go, but not too often !

OR

I’d rather save some money and travel to see my friends !

This takes me to my next point : Make priorities : I’d rather spend money on healthy food than expensive clothes, gym membership rather than a new laptop/iphone/technology stuff…

To save more money, I was thinking about cooking more legumes/grains (so cheap and healthy !).

For dairy and eggs, it’s important for me to buy organic, because it’s better for the animals and for my health =) I eat meat now (I used to be a vegan and vegetarian) but I make sure it’s free-range meat ! So I don’t want to save money on animal products (I’m talking about quality, not amount)

I don’t want to buy 100% organic as I used to (my bills are just crazy when I go to the organic grocery store ). I buy organic grapes, apples and tomatoes (because I eat the skin) But I don’t care if my almonds, my nuts, my sweets potatoes or bananas are organic or not.

Few or No prepared food (it’s healthier and cheaper). And I love to cook.

I don’t need to try everything new ! I feel like I’m a junky when I go to the grocery store and I buy every new thing !! It’s just insane !! So make a food list will help me !

Frozen berries and frozen veggies are convenient and really cheap too (in France at least).

I don’t need expensive anti-cellulite lotion because A. I don’t have cellulite (or not much at least) B. It’s more useful to eat healthy ! and C. It’s probably full of chemicals and other craps !

What are your budget tips ? What are your “budget priorities” ? Do you find it hard to live healthy on a budget ?

Have a great day !

When I think about my life, my choices, sometimes I think I did a big mistake.  “I saw the light, so I came in” (I just translated some French, so maybe my sentence doesn’t have any sense, but anyway…).

I wanted to do something to help people, something close to the nature, the human body, something that makes me feel useful.

I started my eating disorders right after highschool, because I was studying maths/physics/engineering sciences and even if I was good at it, this life didn’t make any sense. I felt I was trapped, lost and had no choices, and no solutions. So I got really depressed. Real depression, no energy, I had to seat in my shower because I had zero energy. The only thing I was thinking about was my death but I didn’t want to hurt my mother… Anyway, during my exams, my body said “STOP”. In France, you study for 2 years like crazy (when I say crazy, I mean it, little sleep, class all day, one 4-hours exam every week, 2 oral exams every week too… No time to workout or see your friends, eat as fast as possible and go back to your books…). After the 2 years, you have 3 or 4 weeks of exams (the written part)… then the oral exams… So my body just gave up during the exams : 3 weeks of exams =  1 surgery for my collar bone the first week, 1 surgery for a cyst and 3 spins inside of me the second week (emergency and I had to stay at the hospital for a bit because it was pretty bad…) and an massive allergic reaction the third week… I wasn’t sick for 2 years, and just for the 3 most important weeks, I had to go to the emergency room three times, and had several surgeries… FATE ? I don’t think so… I know that deep inside of me I really didn’t want to take those exams (the doctor told me my cyst was stress-related).

I was lucky, because even if I didn’t take the exams, I was accepted in a good school… And then I had the chance to go to the USA for a year. I’m still not crazy about my major though, but for the first time of my life, I felt alive and truly happy when I was studying abroad. I met some amazing people and had a lot of fun!

I’m so grateful that I make the wrong choice for my studies because I met some of my bestfriends and I found myself.

I know my major is not the thing I want to do with my life, but I don’t want to change my past and my choices. I just want to make my next choices the right ones. I actually think I can enjoy my job as long as I found the right engineering project for me and I keep some balance in my life. I also feel that I want to switch my major and study something else because I’m scared… just scared of the real world… scared of growing up…

So I’m thinking about finding a job as an engineer and see how it goes… It’s not about the major, it’s more about the team I’ll be working with, the project, the place where I live, the people I’ll meet, how I’ll balance my personnal/professional life…

But I want to study nutrition/wellness, while working full time as a engineer. So maybe one day, if I don’t enjoy my job anymore, I’ll have a chance to switch my job and do something I’m passionate about.

I have learnt so much the past 2 years… I can’t regret my choices. I’m in a better place now than ever, even if sometimes it’s hard and I have to find for my happiness. I WANT TO FIGHT FOR IT!

My friends, my family, the healthy living community, my therapist, my wrong choices, me … all this help me a lot, and even if my life is not perfect, I want to keep going and follow my spiritual path.

It’s really hard for me to explain everything, because I don’t even know how to express my feelings,  how happy and grateful I’m… And now I can see the positive aspect of the bad things that happened to me, and it feels good !

My message is probably confusing but apparently, I needed to talk :p

Do you think you can achieve happiness without your dream job ? Do you regret your “wrong choices” ?

Some kind of tomato/fish pie with homemade mayo

Salmon with rice, veggies and cream sauce (made with Indian spices, so gooooooood)

Cheese and bread (the bread was delicious and I love goat cheese)

Dessert was a coconut pie (heavy in my stomach, but to die for !)

My belly was full of yummy food !!

I didn’t take any pictures, but I have some coconut pie leftovers. So I’m gonna take a picture and post the recipe later =)

It’s really hard for me to go back to my healthy habits. But today is the DAY, because right now, I feel pretty uncomfortable in my body (it’s not about the weight, just the feeling). I have a lot of cravings for junk food or sweets , my body is painful  : when I eat too much sweets, my skin/muscles hurt, I think it’s because of water retention. It sounds weird but my mother and sister have the same feeling. Do you have this kind of body pain when you indulge too much ? Or this is me being weird ?

I did go to the gym today because

1. I had no energy ( this is a bad excuse because working out gives me energy, but I don’t feel like going)
2. My gym is open from 10 am to 12 30 am on Sundays and I’m going to an Indian Restaurant with my ex-Roommate.  We are meeting at 12am but it’s far from my place so I need to leave at 11am. And I need to be ready, put some make up on my face, have breakfast … And I don’t wanna go to the gym for 20 minutes !! And this afternoon, I realized my gym was closed today !
3. I love walking in Paris, and it’s gonna be my workout for today !

So I was careful with my food today.

I started my day with a yummy breakfast :

Hot lemon water with my fish oil and my vitamins (I use Opti-Women).

I cooked some oat bran with a rice/oat/pistachios milk (It’s a new one, I bought it to try ! I don’t like drinking it but I love it with my oatmeal). Once my oatmeal was cooked, I added a sliced pear and cooked it again (I love warm pear) and then added a spoon of pistachios butter !! (PISTACHIOS DAY)

Later I had a coffee and some Mate tea.

For lunch, I went to an Indian Restaurant with my friend and it was awesome !  A lot and a lot of food. We chose the brunch :

I chose the Indian tea, my friend took the hot chocolate. Then we had some Indian pancakes stuffed with some coconut and maple syrup.

Then we had some pineapple juice and this HUGE plate :

This plate is just for one person…Smoked salmon toasts, Chicken, White beans in tomato sauce, basmati rice, fried eggplant, fried potato, lentil curry, potato curry, scrambled eggs.

And finally we had some fresh fruits and some delicious yogurt sweetened with some syrup.

Our bellies were full!

We stayed for almost 3 hours, and we talked a lot. Then we went for a walk in the cold weather. I love walking in Paris! We went to a park.

We didn’t realize it, but we walked almost 1 hour and a half ! Not a workout, but it feels good !

Then we headed to Starbucks and had some green tea and coffee.

More tea when I came back to my place.

And tonight, I had some veggies and tuna (light meal ^^)

What is your favorite ethnic food ?