fitness adventures around Toronto

This week I’m back to running. My twisted ankle seems to feel o.k. and it is time to get back into the swing of training. No more procrastination!

Tonight’s hill training workout certainly kicked my behind. 4 hill repeats plus a run to the hill and back. I then came home and did Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. I’m a crazy person

For some reason I have found it more difficult than usual to get into the swing of my marathon training – not sure if it has been the hot weather, the humidity, the twisted ankle incident or something else. My heart is just not in the training these days. With only 66 days to go until “the marathon” I need to get motivated.

The silver lining in all of my less than perfect training runs is that I have  to mentally and physically push myself through runs. This may sound crazy, but in its own way these types of runs may actually help me on marathon day especially when I hit the dreaded wall…

In other news, I am in love with these babies.

I am a tomato addict these days. Last night I just chopped up the heirloom tomatoes I got in my CSA, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, added some olive oil and served. They were yummy!  One of the things that I have learned this summer is that the veggies I get in my CSA are often best served simply. The veggies are so tasty on their own and really don’t need a lot of “extras”.

Last week I was invited to try out a Pilates class at Body Harmonics. I have heard a lot about the studio, but have never had the chance to check out any of their classes.

The class I did was taught by Body Harmonics’ owner and founder, Margot McKinnon and was machine-based. I didn’t manage to take any photos of the room with the machines, but you can find a photo of what they look like here.

At the start of the hour long class, Margot explained that the moves she was going to take us through would give us a taste of what Body Harmonics had to offer. Since she had never worked with any of us in the class before we weren’t going to be as focused on form unless we were doing something really wrong. I imagine it is quite difficult for a Pilates teacher to teach a class without correcting since it is normally such a detailed workout.

One of the main things  that I liked about the class was that it challenged both my body and my mind. What was really neat was how Margot would take you through a move and then revisit it later on in the class as a way to show you how your body could open up in such a short time. Who knew I could be so flexible?

We also got the chance to use “the foam roller”.

If you have never tried out a foam roller go and buy one now! It is the best (and pretty reasonably priced) way to open up your body and challenge your balancing skills.

At the end of the class we were also asked to stand up, close our eyes and just think about how our body felt after this class.I wish I could feel like this all day and every day. Wow. After even an hour class I felt stretched out, less stressed and less hunched. Not sure if the last one makes any sense! Oh, and my abs were also looking more defined

As for the studio space…it is beautiful. Had a very modern feel to it and was very clean. Definitely no qualms about walking around barefoot here!

If anyone if interested in trying out Body Harmonics they have an introductory special – $45 for an introductory consultation and one week all you want Pilates. For more details on this and their offerings check out their website!

For months now I have been running by (literally) Coco & Jules in Rosedale. Sadly I have not had a chance to visit until this past weekend.

What woman doesn’t like a good jewellery and accessory store? Yes please!

This place is jam-packed with accessories. So much stuff! I wanted it all…

But just picked up a few things…

Maybe I’ll wear this Headmistress barrette on one of my runs!?

Best part of this shopping excursion to Coco & Jules was that everything was 50% off.

Coco & Jules is just north of the Rosedale subway station on Yonge.

Earlier today I mentioned that I may use my new cookbook, Two Dishes, as my inspiration for tonight’s dinner. It did not disappoint and the three recipes I tried out were easy to make and delicious. I also loved how everything I made had a really clean taste to it.

We started off with some eggplant and goat cheese dip. I was able to use up these very sweet baby eggplants I got this week from my CSA.

The end result?

After today’s rain I also decided to make up the rustic tomato soup recipe. Tomato soup has got to be one of my all-time favourite comfort food and this recipe included roasted red peppers which were a great addition.

One of things I love most in this world are chickpeas. I love love love hummus, so when I saw a recipe for chickpea tuna salad I knew I had to make it. I also felt our dinner needed a little bit something extra!

Now I am off to have seconds! What are you all having to eat tonight?