Typhoon Haiyan Response

Morning friends!

I had a craaaazy busy day at work yesterday - as you may know, I work at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (D-FAT-D, for short) in the humanitarian assistance unit, which is the primary group that programs Canada's assistance for natural disasters and complex emergencies (e.g. Syria). 

After Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, a few people from my unit have been working non-stop to organize our response and unfortunately did not get the chance to enjoy their long weekend...although obviously for a good cause. I was pulled into an urgent meeting about 5 minutes after arriving at work yesterday morning and did not stop until the lights went out. Literally. Our building has started an energy-saving initiative where the lights automatically turn off at a certain time. I took that as my cue to go home ;)

Note: if you are thinking of donating to the response to the typhoon, the Government of Canada currently has a matching fund until December 9th. Essentially, it means that if you donate to a registered Canadian charity, the Government will match that amount and set it aside in another pot of money which will then be used to program even more assistance for typhoon-affected people. I would recommend any of the following organizations:

• Canadian Red Cross Society, which has extensive relationships with local organizations on the ground and can typically access hard-to-reach vulnerable populations; 
• Humanitarian Coalition, which is a group of Canadian NGOs that are experienced in humanitarian responses;
• UNICEF, which provides emergency nutrition and child protection services - super important in an emergency context; and,
• World Food Programme (WFP), which is the largest humanitarian organization and has the logistical capacity to deliver food assistance quickly and efficiently (this isn't a Canadian organization, so it won't apply to the matching funds, but it is effective nonetheless)

[Disclaimer - I don't work for any of these organizations, but if you choose to donate to another organization, I encourage you to look into their capacity to deliver assistance in humanitarian emergencies before funding to them. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions :)]

Workout

Since I didn't get the chance to go for a run at lunch today - I barely had time to eat lunch - I decided to bundle up and go for a run when I got home. It's always hard to get up the energy to go for a run when it is cold and dark outside, but I was feeling a bit lethargic after a long day and knew it would perk me up to go outside for a run. 

I'm glad I did!

Although, I have to admit...it was pretty darn cold out there. It took a bit to warm up, but once I got in my groove it was smooth sailing :)

Breakfast

I made a protein pancake for breakfast this morning and decided to go wild and add some oatmeal into the mix - best. idea. EVER! I ate it with a drizzle of maple syrup and cinnamon. Perfect start to the day :)

 

 

I came in early this morning since I have to leave on time tonight, and things are already heating up. I'll be back tonight with a review of the power yoga class I am attending with a friend :)

Have a great day!

10/27 Fitness for the Week

Morning friends!

How has your weekend been?! I neglected to post again yesterday...clearly Saturdays are not my prime blogging day. I got up bright'n'early and went for a run along the canal this morning - it felt so good!

The Rideau Canal, my new fav place to go running

My foot is definitely feeling better, although my calf still feels a bit tight. I'm going to see my physio Liz again on Tuesday so she can give me some stretches to start doing so that I can go for longer runs. This morning was just an easy 5km jog, but I felt like I could have gone forever! I decided it was probs a good idea to take it easy, though, since I haven't run in about a month since I stressed my peroneal tendon. Le sad face. But so glad I am back out on the road!

Pre-Running Selfie

I made a yummy protein pancake when I got back home with raspberries and a drizzle of maple syrup, and skyped my little sister in Egypt. Fun times.

I'm just about to head out to watch my other sister's rugby game and then go for a family dinner at my Mom's cousin's place - a family-filled Sunday!

Fitness for the Week

I can't even explain how excited I am that I can now go running again. I might actually be able to follow my weekly fitness plan for once :)

Monday: Power Yoga @ Rama Lotus

Tuesday: Run(!!)

Wednesday: Pilates - Arms, Back and Abs

Thursday: Run

Friday: HIIT - Full Body Workout

Saturday: Yoga

Sunday: Runday

Have a fabulous day everyone :)

Dinner At Ahora, Take Two

Hello friends

Hope you are all having a wunderbar morning :)

I feel like I've already had a pretty productive morning - I woke up early and did a bit of abs

30 crunches
30 bicycle abs (slow)
30 leg lifts (start on your back and slowly lift both legs up to 90 degrees and down)
30 reverse crunches (start on your back with legs up at a 90 degree angle and lift feet towards the ceiling until your bum comes off the floor)
30 forearm plank oblique dips
30 mountain climbers (start in a high plank position and bring right knee to right elbow and back, then bring left knee to left elbow, continue to alternate)

And then I even had time for a wee little bit of meditation, AND time to eat breakfast at home!

Protein pancake with raspberries and a drizzle of maple syrup

Dinner At Ahora, Take Two

My cousin was in town from BC, so my brother and I met up with him after work to go for dinner and catch up. Somehow it came to me to decide where to go for dinner - in case you don't know, I am pretty much the most indecisive person OF ALL TIME, so I panicked and went with a classic - Ahora restaurant in the market. 

I went there recently with a friend of mine, and loved the Mexican theme going on, the fresh salsa galore...SO GOOD! Also, my little bro was just in Ecuador for a year, so he was very excited to show off his Spanish skills and converse a bit with the waitress.

[As a side note, someone - I won't name any names *ahem* Aunt Kim - totally ratted me out about going to Caliente and forgot to invite him...he was like 'you went to a salsa bar without me?!?' Hehehe I promise I won't make that mistake again ;)]

But the boys were very happy with the MOUNTAIN of food that they got - burritos and rice and salad and fresh salsa piquante. I went for the good ol' ensalada fiesta. 

Lettuce, tortilla chips, chicken, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, salsa piquante and a lime. 

Fiesta in my mouth.

We wandered about the market place for a bit after dinner and then went to mi casa for some tea time. It was so nice to catch up! We realized that it had been about 3 or 4 years since we had all been together...crazy pants!! Hopefully we won't leave it that long in the future :)

Hope you all have a great day, and I will be back again tonight with another HIIT workout!

Question of the Day:

• Do you have a go-to restaurant for when people come to visit?

As I mentioned, I usually draw a total blank when it comes to restaurant choices, so its good for me to have a few good ones in the back of my mind. I remember my roomies and I in Montreal had our go-to place for when the parents went - Claremonts in Westmount. So classy, and so unaffordable when the parents aren't around teehee [Momster & Popster - pretend you never heard that...]