Fitness Friday: Finally Getting Back to Weightlifting

May 23, 2014Fitness, WeightliftingChelle

If you’ve been reading my blog since I first started (not that long ago), you’ll know that in December I got nailed with a really bad shoulder injury. I’m not really sure as to the source of the injury, but I was doing gymnastics, weightlifting, kickboxing while playing soccer and still continually running (not that either soccer or running has a huge impact on my shoulders) and I think the combined pressure from all of those exercises eventually caused me problems. I ended up with a cyst in my rotator cuff region and tendinitis in my upper bicep. It was excruciating, and several months of physiotherapy was not only expensive, but also very frustrating because it just wasn’t getting much better.

Shoulder Injury – Photo from December 2013

I eventually had to give up physiotherapy when my benefits at work ran out, and only recently went back when my benefits had renewed (as well for another problem with my piriformis). The therapist re-tested my bicep and shoulder, couldn’t find any weak spots and said I could go back to lifting in the upper body but to leave the legs alone for now as we tried to figure out what my new leg problem was. HOORAY! Finally! 5 freaking months later I can finally go back! My whole upper body area had been starting to get extra wobbly and I was getting really fed up of not being able to lift. (Cuz frankly… it’s really darn fun!)

I was told to start out slow, so I’m roughly halving the weight in all my exercises so that I don’t overdo it and end up right back where I started. I also need to focus on keeping my shoulders back during my day to day life (and while exercising) to ensure that I’m keeping proper form. (And as I write that, I find myself correcting my posture.)

So here’s a before and after shot.

The shot above was taken this past November, shortly before I had to stop lifting. I remember being frustrated at the time because I didn’t think I had a whole lot of definition in my arms and shoulders. But I’m kicking myself for thinking that because this is what I look like now:

Jeebus. The first thing that comes to mind is “doughy”. Yikes. The lighting may be a bit different, but you can definitely see there is a lot less smoothness and definition to my arms and back in the shot above compared to the one from November. It’s also worth noting that I’m exactly the same weight in both pictures (151 pounds). As much as I dislike the current picture, it’s nice to know that I definitely had something better going on before!

So here ‘s my current list of weightlifting sets. Anything that is marked as dumbbell is obviously the weight one hand is using. If it’s a barbell exercise, then it includes the weight of the barbell (45 lbs.).

Day 1
Exercise	Old Sets x Reps	Weight	New Sets x Reps	New Weight
Bench Press (Barbell)	3 x 4	75 lbs.	3 x 10	50 lbs.
Squat (Barbell)	3 x 10	125 lbs.	Sidelined for now 🙁
Bicycle Crunches	1 x 36	N/A	1 x 20	N/A
Two Arm Seated Dumbbell Extension	3 x 7	40 lbs.	3 x 8	20 lbs.
Dumbbell Row, One-Arm, Bent Over	3 x 7	40 lbs.	3 x 8	20 lbs.
Standing Dumbbell Curls	3 x 4	22.5 lbs.	3 x 8	15 lbs.
Lateral Raise, Dumbbell	3 x 8	12.5 lbs.	3x 10	10 lbs.
Day 2
Deadlifts (Barbell)	3 x 8	115 lbs.	Sidelined
Push Ups	3 x 8	N/A	3 x 5	N/A
Abdominal Leg Raise	3 x 12	N/A	3 x 8	N/A
Dumbbell Step Up	3 x 12	70 lbs.	Sidelined
Standing One Leg Dumbbell Calf Raise	3 x 12	45 lbs.	3 x 10	35 lbs.
Seated Dumbbell Press	3 x 7	22.5 lbs.	3 x 10	12.5 lbs.
Day 3
Lunge (Barbell)	3 x 12	95 lbs.	Sidelined
Chin Ups, Assisted Weight	3 x 4	80 pounds assisted	3 x 4	110 lbs. assisted
Standing Hammer Curl	3 x 3	22.5 lbs.	3 x 8	15 lbs.
Lying Dumbbell Extension	3 x 5	17.5 lbs.	3 x 8	10 lbs.
Flat Dumbbell Fly	3 x 12	15 lbs.	3 x 10	10 lbs.
Dumbbell Side Bends	3 x 13	45 lbs.	3 x 10	35 lbs.

It’s a massive step down in almost all areas compared to what I was previously doing, but I really don’t want to encounter the same problem as before so I need to start back from scratch and build up slowly. Frankly, I’m just really happy to be getting back into it. My first day back lifting I was really, really happy to be back in the weight room at the gym. I had definitely missed it being a part of my regular routine. (And holy hell was I ever hurting after the first day back… so many underused upper body muscles… all screaming in agony!)

For the most part, my favourite moves encompass all the barbell ones (something I had shied away from when I first started until a friend pointed out there was only so much I was going to be able to grip dumbbell-wise before I had to step up to a barbell) and unfortunately I can’t do the larger leg movements for the moment (squats, deadlifts and lunges) but I’m happy enough with bench press for now. There’s something about doing a bench press that makes me feel like a badass. Even if I’m only hoisting 50-75 pounds. (Goal of 100 pounds by the end of the year though!)

The plan at this point is to just keep increasing weight in all areas until I’m satisfied. I’m not sure how much that’ll be, or when it’ll happen, but I’ll keep you posted along the way!

Travel Makeup Bag – Ottawa Race Weekend

May 21, 2014Miscellaneous, VacationBenefit, Bobbi Brown, Hard Candy, Ipsy, Murad, Nivea, NYX, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Urban Decay, yabyChelle

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This coming Friday I’ll be heading up to Ottawa for the capital city’s Race Weekend. Last year, after hearing about my first race experience during Toronto’s Pride Week (the Pride and Remembrance Run, which I’ll be doing again this year), my dad decided he wanted us to run a race together and he picked the 5K during this event. Despite having grown up in Ottawa, I had never, ever heard of this event!

Anyway, the point of this is… I’m only in Ottawa for less than 48 hours, so I don’t really need a whole lot of makeup. Regardless, I’m bringing some, so here’s what I decided to pack.

Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer Potion and Benefit They’re Real mascara

The necessary basics – mascara and primer. I’m a little bit nervous to only be bringing one eye primer, but since I’m stuffing everything into a smaller bag than normal, I’m only bringing this trial size of Urban Decay‘s Anti-Aging Primer Potion (which is something I’ve also never tried). Also along for the ride is a trial size of Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and yaby foundation in Buff

I have no idea if I’ll even want to wear foundation on the weekend at any point, but I’m bringing a small tube of yaby‘s foundation in Buff and a Murad Oil-Control Mattifierprimarily just to use it up.

Bobbi Brown blush in Apricot and NYX Love In Rio trio in Segredos de Giselle

My only blush for the weekend is Bobbi Brown‘s Apricot – it’s beyond gorgeous. And since I’m bringing a fairly neutral eye palette, NYX‘s trio in Segredos de Giselle, I’ll need that brightness from the blush to liven up my face.

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip and Hard Candy bronzer in Hula Hula

Looking at these side-by-side and I’m wondering why the heck I’m bringing both of them… Regardless, they’re both in the bag! Physicians Formula‘s Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip needs some love, so in it goes. Hard Candy‘s Hula Hula bronzer is a fantastic shimmery bronzer that I’m going to use to fake like I’ve got some semblance of a tan. 😉

Nivea – A Kiss of Berry Swirl, Revlon Snow Peach and Urban Decay gloss in Naked

And once again I’m bringing far more lip products than I’ll ever actually use. The Nivea lip balm is a necessity, but the others are completely superfluous. Revlon Snow Peach is there in case I feel the need to wear a bright colour and the Urban Decay mini gloss inNaked is there if I’m feeling lazy as hell.

And since this month’s Ipsy bag was so darn cute and tiny, I put all my products in there. Now… fingers crossed that we have wonderful weather for the race on Saturday!

What’s On My Face – Volume 16

May 19, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Bourjois, CoverGirl, Hard Candy, Hourglass, Illamasqua, INGLOT, Joe Fresh, Makeup Geek, MUA, Nivea, NYX, Revlon, Sleek, Tarte, Wet n WildChelle

You know… I never really noticed just how much white I wear until I started taking pictures of my face for this blog. It seems that nine times out of ten I’m wearing a white shirt!

This entry ended up being highly blue-centric. Enjoy!

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I can’t get over Inglot and their colour range. I wish I had easier access to the brand (they’re nowhere in Toronto) but good grief are their colours ever amazing.

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Eyes

Inglot AMC Shine 33 all over the lid and on the middle of the lower lash line.
Inglot Matte 338 heavily in the outer corner, blended into the crease. Also in the outer corner on the lower lash line.
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee slightly through the crease (not pictured).

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow, Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and BenefitThey’re Real on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Covergirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Shade 51 Light Vanilla mixed together
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
Blush: Joe Fresh Apricot
Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
Lips: Wet n Wild 903C with NYX‘s Tiramisu Butter Gloss over top

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Seriously love red eyeshadow. My only gripe is that Makeup Geek‘s Peach Smoothiealways does that really annoying creasing thing on my lid every time I wear it on the lid (even with double primers).

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie on the inner third of the lid.
Makeup Geek Mango Tango on the middle of the lid.
Makeup Geek Razzleberry on the outer third.
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease to blend everything out.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: Revlon Colorburst Lipgloass in Papaya

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I haven’t used my Original Sleek palette very much so I pulled it out for this look.

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Eyes

The copper shade from the Original Sleek palette all over the lid.
The purple shade from the Original Sleek palette in the outer corner and on the outer corner of my lower lash line.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my top lashes with Sephora‘s Purple mascara on my bottom lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: MUA Matte Foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
Lips: Revlon Colorburst Gloss in Sunset Peach

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If I look half asleep it’s because I was – this was some early morning IKEA run. I had no idea people actually line up outside IKEA before it even opened for the day. o.O

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Eyes

MAC Blanc Type all over the lid and all the way up to the brow bone.
MAC Contrast in the very outer corner.

Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Blush: Illamasqua Hussy

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Mehhhh not sold on this look – wouldn’t repeat it.

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Eyes

MAC Fade all over the lid (this is so patchy – the name is apt, it fades poorly!)
MAC Steamy in the outer corner.

MAC Shroom to highlight the brow and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Blush: Bourjois Rose Gold
Lips: Nivea – A Kiss of Berry Swirl

Fitness Friday: Sporting Life 10K Race

May 16, 2014Fitness, RunningRaceChelle

My second 10K race and one I also felt ill prepared for. The week and a half prior to the race I was like “hang on, you only ran TWICE last month and you think you’re doing a 10K race in 9 days? Are you crazy? Or just stupid?” Seeing that I’d only run two days in the previous month was slightly shocking. I knew I’d pulled out of running a lot since I was playing a lot of sports (soccer and frisbee were both ramping up and down at that point), but I didn’t realize I’d scaled back on my running THAT much. So the week and a half prior to the race I was running almost every day in an attempt to cram for the run (something you’re told NOT to do…).

The timing on everything that happened in the nine days prior to the race was just awful. Not only was I suddenly trying to bust out faster paces and longer runs, but I’d also had a wart frozen off one of my toes (nothing big, I just wanted it gone) at the same time. What an idiot. Two days prior to the race, I could barely even walk. I was out with a friend and the amount of hobbling I did to get home that Friday night was not only embarrassing, but it was so bad that I had to pull out of my soccer plans for the rest of the weekend in the hopes that I could ice and elevate my swollen toe enough to be able to even stand on it come Sunday morning, let alone run.

Anyway, on to the actual race!

Sporting Life 10K – Somewhat close to the start line

The start time for our corral was 8:40 a.m., and I knew I needed to eat something prior to run lest I feel like absolute death without some kind of fuel in my system. I woke up at about 6:30 that Sunday morning and it was absolutely beautiful outside – no wind, sunny, and about 14C degrees. I had half a small bowl of Quaker oatmeal mix and a bit of water, but not too much as I didn’t want to risk having a full bladder throughout my run.

Of course, race jitters kicked in and I must’ve gone to the bathroom about four times before I even left the apartment. I met up with my friend at 8 a.m., and took a cab up to the starting area around Yonge and Eglinton since the subway doesn’t run until 9 a.m. on Sundays. It was PACKED. We watched the corral before us take off (8:20 a.m. – Blue) and even though I had some friends running that group, I could’t see them at all because there must’ve been about seven thousand people taking off in that group! We lined up for our time slot (Green Corral) relatively close to the front and waited for the start time.

My previous 10K time was 59:37 from my race in New York City back in March, so I knew I wanted to beat that but I wasn’t really sure if I’d be any quicker since I felt slightly more out of shape than last time. I’d also been having a lot of late nights lately and was definitely running a sleeping deficit. Thankfully, and perhaps this is somewhat of a cheap move, but the bulk of this course is very much downhill down Toronto’s Yonge Street so that gave me, and everyone else in this run, a very decent step up. My friend didn’t think he’d finish in under an hour, but he’s fairly fit so I was pretty certain he’d do better than he expected.

The race started and we went our separate ways after we finally broke free from the crowd – and it was certainly busy since there was about 22,000 people running this! I was pretty certain I was ahead of him, but I didn’t see him for a very, very long time and figured I’d gotten way too far ahead.

Two kilometers into the race I suddenly got that feeling (ladies, you know what I’m talking about) that I had gotten my period. I was NOT prepared for it. Another half a kilometer later, the cramps kicked in. All I’m picturing at this point is getting to the finish line soaked in blood and looking like a damn idiot. There wasn’t even any point in stopping at a porta potty because it’s not like I was carrying a tampon with me. Praying I was wrong, I did my best to try to forget about it, ignore the ever increasing cramps and keep going. (I don’t care if that’s TMI for some people, the reality is that this could happen to anyone.)

The cramps eventually did dissipate somewhere around the 4 km marker and body-wise it was pretty smooth sailing from thereon in. Nothing felt tight or cramped, my legs felt loose and everything else felt in tip-top shape.

Running down Yonge is pretty interesting. You can see how far off everything is and you really wonder how the heck you’ll ever make it there. Seeing the tall Bay tower on Bloor Street far off in the distance and realizing that’s not even the halfway marker is pretty bracing. As it’s a course I don’t often run (I’ve only ever gone up Yonge Street since I live south of Bloor) it made for an interesting route. When I run, have a habit of staring at my feet, or directly in front of me, since I’m usually looking out for potholes or people to pass, but with this run, since it was on a downhill slope, there was a lot more opportunity to look up and off into the distance. It was really neat to take in more of the surroundings than normal. Once again I wish I’d had a camera with me so I could take in the sights and post them on this blog, but ultimately my racing time matters more to me and carrying a camera while taking pictures would’ve cut into my time.

As I hit Bloor Street and moved closer into the downtown core, I started to pick up my pace. I started checking my Garmin to make sure I was on track since I definitely didn’t want to run slower than my previous race. I was fairly certain I was on track for a 56-57 minute finish, but I didn’t want to suddenly falter and drop down to 58 or 59 minutes. It’s funny to think that a few minutes means so much, but shaving off time in running always feels important, even if the numbers are small. At least then you know you’ve accomplished something and done better than you did last time.

I actually ran into my friend around kilometer 7 and was shocked to find him ahead of me! I thought I’d left him far behind! I was pleased that he was keeping pace rather well (this was his first 10K) and clapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was there and gave him a big thumbs up and a smile. That being said, I got annoyed with myself for thinking I was in the lead (not that it was a race between us, but clearly I got cocky) and put on the burners. You can see my sudden pace increase between the 7th and 8th kilometers.

You can see the speed increase in the second half of the race (be aware that my Nike+ tracker is off significantly for speed and distance when compared to my Garmin)

The final kilometer was hard. It was one of those moments when you’re like “why am I even doing this? You can just walk the rest of the way and it won’t matter.” But I persisted. Physically, at the time, I’m pretty sure my body was telling me I couldn’t up my pace to finish a little bit faster, but when I look back on my speed grids at the end, I was definitely increasing my pace in the last kilometer. So I suppose I was pushing it, but at the time I felt completely lethargic. I also didn’t feel like I could suddenly sprint to the finish line either, which is something I had always felt in my other races (and was kind of an indication that I hadn’t been pushing steadily enough throughout those races). I mean, if you can bust into a full sprint at the end, you clearly weren’t utilizing the last 9.5 kilometers appropriately for pace.

I crossed the finish line and then headed off to the right hand side to look for my friend. I wasn’t sure if he was ahead or behind me at this point, and I kept getting ushered towards the awards area. In the end, he came in two minutes behind me and he was soooo happy with his finishing time. I clocked in at 56:23 and he was about two minutes later than that. Since he hadn’t expected to finish in even under an hour he was very visibly excited about his time! As for me, I was dead pleased with mine. With a race time of 56:23, I had managed to shave off 3:14 from my previous 10K!

It wasn’t until the very end that I realized that my foot problem hadn’t even remotely bothered me and that I definitely had not gotten my period (eeesh… thank heavens for that – although I’d love to know what the heck those cramps were because they were definitely time of the month cramps).

It was an awesome day and I’m really pleased with my finishing time. Now to work my way towards a 50 minute 10K!

10K Race Summary

Finish Time: 56:23 (new personal best)
Pace: 5:39 per kilometer
Overall placement: 7901/21751
Age group placement (Female, 30-34): 557/2102
Gender placement (F): 3166/12739

Next up is a 5K in Ottawa during Ottawa’s Race Weekend!

Ipsy – May 2014 Glam Bag

May 14, 2014Haulsderma e, Eva NYC, Hang Ten, Ipsy, Pacifica, RevlonChelle

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Another month, another Ipsy bag! I really like the bag this month – I’m a sucker for anything green and leafy. It’s also a cloth bag this time so that’s… moderately interesting? (Honestly I really have no idea what to do with all of these bags.)

Let’s dive right in.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive (full size)

This was definitely the most exciting thing in my bag. The chubby stick lip craze that seems to have swept the beauty world for the last year or two was just something I never really got into. My first exposure was the Revlon Balm Stains and I was not a fan of those. Those ones fade really funny, slide around on my lips and they feel really waxy/hard to apply.

That being said, everyone keept going on about the matte balms, but I held off on buying them because I didn’t need/want anymore. So I was definitely happy to get this for “free” in my bag. The colour is a bit tame, but obviously this makes it easier to please everyone who may get this colour.

And I have to say… this is awesome. Revlon‘s matte balm in Elusive is a damn showstopper. It goes on smooth, dries down to an almost transferproof finish (not right away though, you may want to blot a little to get it that way) and it stays PUT. I tried this without a primer because I was feeling lazy and it definitely lasted several hours. It even lasted through a semi-greasy lunch until I swiped at my mouth with a napkin to tidy up and it all came off then. The other side of this is now I want EVERY SHADE.

Hang Ten Classic Sport – SPF 50 (trial size)

I don’t really have much to say about Hang Ten‘s Classic Sport since it’s a sunscreen and I haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet, but unlike a lot of people who got this in their bag, I’m more than happy to test this out. I usually stick to SPF 30 but I’ll try this out when I play soccer throughout the summer and see how it holds up compared to my usualCoppertone Sport sunscreen. I also like that it comes with a safety seal on the tube and that it’s not even remotely close to expiring which I know has been a concern with beauty box samples before.

Eva NYC – Therapy Session Hair Mask (trial size)

Eva NYC is a brand I’m completely unfamiliar with. The instructions for their Therapy Session Hair Mask say that it can either be used as a deep conditioning mask, or an every day conditioner. Now, I’m not really sure what the heck the difference is since I leave conditioner in my hair for about five minutes every time I shower anyway. It left my hair feeling no different than any other conditioner so I didn’t feel like it was particularly special.

I’ve known of the brand Pacifica for years, but had never tried their products. As far as I’m aware, they’re well known for their lotions and butters, so I didn’t really know what to expect from this eyeshadow duo. It doesn’t help that they don’t seem to sell single or duo eyeshadows on their site – they’re all in palettes.

Anyway, this duo (#2?) turned out to be a dud in my opinion.

The white-gold shade is really patchy and chunky. The purple takes a lot of swipes and packing in order to get any kind of decent colour pay-off. In the end, the pictures really look better than I felt it looked in person, but by the end of the day the whole thing had faded and I didn’t even think it was that pigmented to begin with. So I basically went from a soft smudged out look (unintentionally, I just could not get enough colour to come off on my lids) and ended up with a faded out muddle of a look by the end of the day. Boo.

derma e – Microdermabrasion Scrub (trial size)

I was a bit surprised to get another microdermabrasion scrub in my bag since I got one just last month (however, I was so pleased with my previous sample that I sure wasn’t going to turn my nose up at this one!). I didn’t have anything in particular to use this derma e on so I just used it on my upper arms in the shower since I have a few random dry spots there. It felt exactly the same as the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion scrub, although this one smelled rather lime-y (a positive for me!).

Ipsy May 2014 Breakdown
(all prices in USD)

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive ($8.99, full size)
Eva NYC Therapy Sessions Hair Mask (60 ml @ $4.80, full size is $40 for 500 ml)
Pacifica Natural Beauty Duo #2 (they don’t sell single or even duo eyeshadows on their web site, so I’m taking a complete price guess here based on their palette price ~$10)
Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF50 (30 ml @ $2.20, full size is $12.99 for 177 ml)
derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub (28g @ $16.25, full size is $32.50 for 56g)

BAG TOTAL = $42.24

My Thoughts

I’m a little indifferent to this bag. I’ll certainly use the hair conditioner, sunscreen and microdermabrasion scrub up, but they’re not really things I would get super excited about. The eyeshadow is something I’m really happy to try out, it’s just a shame that the pigmentation is a bit of a dud.

The Revlon matte balm is an amazing product though – I’m really happy that was included in this bag because my disappointment with their balm stains had turned me off chubby lip pens entirely.

Anything you love or hated in your bag?