A new trend among cats and thinking on yesterday

I have always loved animals. It was probably much to my parents’ chagrin that hardly any time passed when I was growing up where I didn’t have a pet of some sort. These days, I have two cats: Yoshimi and Mick.

Even though the two have very distinct and different personalities, most of the time, they are your typical cats with their lounging and snuggling. Yoshimi will usually be the one to cry in the morning if not fed on time, but Mick likes to sleep in. Although, with her behavior the past two mornings, you would never have guessed it.

5:30am, like clockwork. I hear her little claws skitter across the hardwood floor. She rustles around in the corner and scampers back to her scratching mat, where she proceeds to go to town. The mat bangs loudly against the floor and she does a few laps around the room. She ends her route under the bed where I’m assuming Yoshimi has been sleeping since Mic gives him mew of warning. I imagine Yoshimi has probably playfully bitten her at this point.

…Aaaand I’m up.

Although I value my sleep as much as the next person, there is a certain loveliness about early morning. The sun is not quite up and everything is still quiet. I do some of my best thinking (and coffee drinking!) during this time. This morning, I thought about yesterday and what an all around good day it was.

I went to the lake for a run yesterday before lunch and felt great about the workout. I listened to my new playlist and really paid attention to how great it felt just to get outside and move. THIS is what I need to remember when I get lazy and decide to take a week off from exercise.

I forgot my HRM at home, so I have no idea how many calories I burned or exactly how long I went, but I’m estimating 2.8 miles in 35-40 minutes. (I still haven’t lost sight of my goal for the Get Moving Challenge and I’m actively seeking new ways to fit in all those miles I lost last week!)

What’s on the menu?

My light lunch yesterday ended up being one of my favorite Lean Cuisine dishes… Sesame Chicken! Super delicious and 330 cals.

At 6pm, I met an old friend at a restaurant on West End called Rumba. We sat outside with a couple of drinks (I ordered a “Naked Gun” – pistachio liqueur, Firefly sweet tea vodka and ginger ale), a couple glasses of water (of course) and split a small order of ridiculously good naan and hummus. Though I was impressed with the food, drink, service, and ambiance, the best part about the outing was catching up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. That kind of stuff is good for the soul.

As for today…?

Breakfast: I’m planning 1/2 cup of Irish Oatmeal (150 cals) with some much needed coffee (with 3 tsp of creamer… 33 cals)! Post-workout, I’ll have 4oz POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice (75 cals) blended into a smoothie with a small peach (~33 cals) and 4oz of Dannon Fit & Light Vanilla yogurt (60 cals).

Lunch: I foresee a Morningstar Tomato Basil & Pizza burger (120 cals) in my future! With some shredded romaine (1 cal), 1 tbsp of Kraft Light Mayo (50 cals) on a 100-calorie Sandwich Thin. On the side, some leftover grilled veggies: zucchini, squash, onions, green peppers and a little garlic (~37 cals). I may even treat myself to a Slim-a-Bear Klondike Bar (100 cals).

Dinner: I have a meeting scheduled at Panera so I’m planning to order my old fave standby… a half Mediterranean sandwich on Tomato Basil bread with a small fruit cup (380 cals total).

How’s your week shaping up?