Shepherd Fox: Super Fresh Restart

[Ensi]

 

 

Hi Rebels! Ensi here I'm a 23-year-old Rebel from Finland. I've been around for a couple of years, done a few challenges and found a place among wonderful people. Right now I'm very busy with my studies, so instead of participating in the next NF challenge, I'm going to put up a battle log... Which you're reading right now!

 

I like to keep things simple and short, so here's what I do:

 

- The Sweetest Day of the Week

I'm a bit of a chocolate addict. I've been working on it since last summer, and I've reached a level where I can deal with having a small portion of chocolate daily (2 pieces) and a little bigger portion once a week - so, deploy The Sweetest Day of the Week! I can have some extra chocolate on Saturdays. I used to eat about 50-150 g of chocolate daily, but currently I can go a whole day without it: even though I might want to buy some chocolate, I just don't. It's been a slow progress, but what's my rush?

 

- Dairy, nuts, caffeine

... are something that I need to consume with moderation. I avoid buying these at home, but none of these foods are as problematic as chocolate. All in all, I'm trying to eat as paleo-ish as possible, but I don't sweat about it too much. Portion size control is much more important for me!

 

- Exercise

Three times a week until I sweat like a pig and feel like a fox.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN7lt0CYwHg

 

I love going to gym, doing kettlebell workouts and walking/jogging.

 

Where am I now?

 

Since last summer I've lost 6 kg/13 lbs. Doesn't maybe sound all that much, but I have PCOS and I'm studying hard.

I'm currently at 83 kg/182 lbs, and I'm aiming for 75 kg/165 lbs. I'm 170cm/5 feet 7 inches tall.

 

I had a massive break-down a couple of years ago, and I've made a very slow recovery. I gained 10 kg/22 lbs while the break-down, and it's been difficult to lose it again while recovering. I'm starting to be ok again, though, and I'm making small changes in my life in order to lose weight and get fit D8<

 

Nevertheless, I'm doing my very best to maintain a positive, forgiving attitude towards myself, the lack of which led to my break-down.

 

So, here you will find positive and happy stuff!! Unless I'm not feeling positive and happy... In which case you will find a lot of animal gifs!

 

 

Enough talk for now. Let's fight!

[deftona]

Yay Ensi! And yay for gifs! 

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

YESSS GIFFSSS POWAH! (I can almost feel the graphical power flowing through my 3D veins)

This message was convincingly brought to you by,"my imaginative brain", co-produced by "my nimble but bulbous fingers".

[Ensi]

Today I went jogging/walking (45 minutes, 50/50) and completed a kettlebell workout (3 x 6-minute round). Now I'm watching Skyfall and doing some stretching All in all, it's been a good day. I was going to buy some chocolate, but worked out instead. Hurah!

 

After working out I had some salad with avocado, tuna and feta cheese + half a portion of oatmeal. Later in the evening I had a portion of ground beef with tomato sauce and broccoli.

 

Tomorrow I'll go for a walk with a friend, and we'll try and find a nice coffee shop. Might have a special treat there, since it's Saturday (SDotW).

[Ensi]

It's SDotW, and I've eaten Italian ice cream, chocolate and chocolate nuts. I've also walked a lot, but all in all it's been a sugary feast today! But the Nutella ice cream... Let's just say that I have no regrets. I've now cleared the apartment from sweets and I intend to focus on coding and drinking tea.

 

I'm (probably) having a big Java exam on Thursday I need to revise generic classes, practice writing object-oriented code and... Well, just practice! A lot. It's been a very important course for me, and I want to get a good grade >:I

[Ensi]

Watched Skyfall last night and stretched for 45 minutes while watching it. A few weeks of regular stretching has made a huge difference in recovering from exercise! I feel a lot more flexible and energetic. I nearly managed to do a split last night, just a couple more inches to go...

 

Today I'm going to wash the laundry and study. A couple more months, and then my semester is starting to be over Then it's gonna be summer, summerjob, summer food, summer weather...! It'll be good for me to be a cleaning lady for a couple of months. Takes my head away from all the studying and stuff.

[Ensi]

Got my period today... A couple of days early, but that's OK. Explains the bloating and cravings on Saturday

 

Went for a walk twice yesterday, first to the grocery store and then just a round around the river (20 + 55 minutes). I was feeling a bit tired and fevery, but that's explained with the Crimson Terror.

 

I'm still laughing about something that happened yesterday... I was putting my groceries on the line, when the cashier (young man) suddenly asks me: "Have you worked with the new exercises from the Databases course?"

It took me a couple of seconds to process what he had just said, so I just stared blankly at him (he could probably see the "buffering" sign on my face). Then I kinda woke up and started chatting with him You know those situations, where you're expecting no social interaction at all and then it just hits you in your (buffering) face?

It turned out that we're on the same course, but I just haven't seen him there (there are over a hundred students on this course alone). We ended up having a nice little chat, and we pretty much summed up that coding is awesome. u__u

 

Today is all about eating healthy and writing my thesis. Also, practice coding. Let's have a productive day!

 

 

or not?

[Alarion]

Aha! Found you again! Looks like you are relentlessly going after your goals, in a nice and not too stressful manner.

 

I also read up on your challenge some, having reappeared after my absence. Just had to check in on you! And... it seems that the battle log thingy does look a bit more relaxed than the challenge...

 

And your shop experience definitely made me laugh! I can easily imagine something like that happening to me too - taking time to really grasp what was going on, and such.

 

Hope you've had a great day today!

[Ensi]

Aha! Found you again! Looks like you are relentlessly going after your goals, in a nice and not too stressful manner.

 

I also read up on your challenge some, having reappeared after my absence. Just had to check in on you! And... it seems that the battle log thingy does look a bit more relaxed than the challenge...

 

And your shop experience definitely made me laugh! I can easily imagine something like that happening to me too - taking time to really grasp what was going on, and such.

 

Hope you've had a great day today!

 

Great to hear from you, Alarion! *hugsesss* Very kind of you to check in on me Here I am, going strong and learning the ways of the Force Studying takes up a lot of my time, and I should just make better plans with eating in order to lose weight. That's something I need to work on!

 

And yup, unexpected social events... Wonderful, but scary

 

Today's feeling... sleepy. I hit the bunk at 9.30 PM last night and slept all night until 5.45 AM O__o This must be a WP (WItchcraft Period), since I'm feeling just very sleepy and weird. But it's been a very nice day: I've done a lot of coding and I'm fairly confident with the exam on Thursday.

 

I skipped my regular ass-kicking workout because of period (and it's good to take a rest day every now and then), but I'm hoping to be back in business by Thursday. I'm attending a boxing class with a friend Now I'm preparing some chicken and salad, yum...!

[Ensi]

Woke up, ate breakfast, surfed online, aaaand... I suddenly felt like hitting the gym. So I did! Did 10 minutes of rowing, then some push-ups, crunches and dumbbell deadlifts, and finished the workout with 10 more minutes of rowing. Moderate exercise really made my body feel better and made the Witchcraft Period lose some of its power...

 

After that I went to my thesis instructor to have a chat about what I've written and done so far. She thought my thesis looks very good, and she gave me a couple of tips for further reading and analyzing my material. So happy! Now I feel confident about doing the rest of it

 

So... yesterday we had a programming tutorial. I wrote such a lazy yet simple code for one complicated problem that my crush thought it was borderline genious It was the last tutorial of the course, so it's no longer certain that I will ever see him again. But I feel kinda OK about it this sounds horrible I'm just so happy about everything else in my life that I don't really miss anything. Gotta enjoy this feeling while it lasts...!

[deftona]

Yes for slaying the WP with exercise! And I love the term "Crimson Terror", I am definitely stealing that one  

[Ensi]

Yes for slaying the WP with exercise! And I love the term "Crimson Terror", I am definitely stealing that one

 

Thanks! Witchcraft Period would be "Noitamenkat" in Finnish... (Noita = a witch, menkat (slang) = period). Noitamenkat sounds great, I'm going to start using that!

 

My friends and I got a lot of stuff done today. When I came home, I really felt like going out for a walk. And when I went for a walk, I felt like jogging, so I jogged, and ended up jogging for about 25 minutes I need to do some stretching today, it's been a while since I completed two workouts in one day.

 

I think stretching has actually made a huge difference in everything...! I feel so much more energetic and agile than before o__o I'm never ever going to slack with stretching again!!

 

I'm a bit scared about the exam tomorrow... The course has been OK, but it's super exciting to go there and give it my best. Feels like there's a huge battle coming D8< But that's tomorrow. And tomorrows are the best!

 

[deftona]

LOL at the Noitamenkat, I am using that one too! 

 

I'm a bit scared about the exam tomorrow... The course has been OK, but it's super exciting to go there and give it my best. Feels like there's a huge battle coming D8< But that's tomorrow. And tomorrows are the best!

 

Good luck with your exam tomorrow and I LOVE those two sentences up there ^ because it has to be one of the most positive phrases I have ever read. 

Have I told you how awesome you are? I'm sure I have, but I'll say it again. 

 

YOU'RE AWESOME! 

[Ensi]

Good luck with your exam tomorrow and I LOVE those two sentences up there ^ because it has to be one of the most positive phrases I have ever read. 

Have I told you how awesome you are? I'm sure I have, but I'll say it again. 

 

YOU'RE AWESOME! 

 

Oh def ;__; Tomorrows are always kinder than you think, aren't they? It's nice to spend a moment every evening just thinking about all the possibilities that are waiting for you tomorrow! Being positive hasn't always been easy for me, but I've been through so much that I know it's better to focus on the good stuff.

 

I also find myself asking myself, 'What would Steve Rogers do?' He's a guy who gets stuff done - and it's usually the right stuff!

[Alarion]

Haha! Those are some strong descriptions for the period! I usually just say "red guests", which sounds almost kind in comparison to "witchcraft period" and "crimson terror".

 

Ensi, where do you get those sudden urges to hit the gym? Though I could always use the outdoor one whenever I go for a walk in the park... Why pay for gym membership when I can do it for free and have a good portion of fresh air. Ah well.

 

Go get that exam!

[Ensi]

Haha! Those are some strong descriptions for the period! I usually just say "red guests", which sounds almost kind in comparison to "witchcraft period" and "crimson terror".

 

I have PCOS, which is basically "Period Cramps Of Suffering". Which is another reason for me to lose weight and eat healthy: that alleviates the symptoms Am I talking too much about my period, by the way? It's just that it affects me a lot and I need to vent somewhere :DD

 

 

Ensi, where do you get those sudden urges to hit the gym? Though I could always use the outdoor one whenever I go for a walk in the park... Why pay for gym membership when I can do it for free and have a good portion of fresh air. Ah well.

 

Go get that exam!

 

I don't know, really! I'm pretty certain that it has something to do with stretching, though. And I've also changed my attitude towards exercising... Which has actually made me do more exercise!

 

You see, I used to make myself exercise even when I felt tired and strained. I just didn't realize that there's a difference between "being exhausted" and "being lazy": I thought that skipping a workout was always a bad thing to do. And this lead to bad things... So, these days I'm letting myself stay home and rest, if I feel exhausted. Instead of working out hard, I do some stretching and mind my eating. It's a much more positive, supportive attitude than 'no pain, no gain' (which has its time and place, though!). Like when ice cream makes your head freeze and you still want to eat it, and you have to keep eating in order to gain weight... wait what

 

Ayyyyy you hit that outdoor gym! There are a few near my place, as well, but... it's winter I'll probably use them in the summer!

 

And thank you! The exam starts at 2 PM, so I have time to do stuff before that. And get ready for my boxing lesson in the evening Have a wonderful THORSDAY, friends!

[Ensi]

The exam went beautifully. Except for one exercise... The code was OK, but for some reason the program printed out "null". I spent ONE HOUR AND TEN MINUTES looking for that one mistake... And then it turned out that I had written one line of code that printed out unnecessary information. T____T Deleted that one little line of code and got it right.

 

I'm happy and relieved! This course felt really difficult a two weeks in, but I managed to take it easy and clear everything up. Hurah! Now I'm going to take a nap and get ready for my boxing lesson this evening Tomorrow and Saturday are going to be rest days...

 

ED; Story time!

 

I'm terrified of flying, so last spring when I travelled to Paris with my family I was nearly panicking out in the plane. I calmed myself down by imagining that it's Captain America flying the plane and that he wouldn't let anything bad happen.

 

Only after my flight did I remember how Captain America - The First Avengers ends.

[deftona]

Congratulations on the exam, I am so glad it went well

 

 

ED; Story time!

 

I'm terrified of flying, so last spring when I travelled to Paris with my family I was nearly panicking out in the plane. I calmed myself down by imagining that it's Captain America flying the plane and that he wouldn't let anything bad happen.

 

Only after my flight did I remember how Captain America - The First Avengers ends.

 

I don't love flying either, but every single time I have flown I have worn super hero pants. I am going to make it my mission to never let this one stop. It makes me feel better!

[Ensi]

Congratulations on the exam, I am so glad it went well

 

 

 

I don't love flying either, but every single time I have flown I have worn super hero pants. I am going to make it my mission to never let this one stop. It makes me feel better!

 

Thank you, def! I'm also happy that it's over and that it went well

 

Hey, that's a great tip for flying...! I might try it 8D

[Ensi]

The first boxing lesson is over, and even though I did some stretching, there is no escape from some pain in my shoulders and hands tomorrow...

 

But I was extremely pleasantly surprised, when the instructor asked me to help her to show the movements! I've been to sooo many martial arts classes and seen people being picked to help the instructor to demonstrate what we're doing, and I felt so honored when she picked me. It's just that people usually suppose that I want to be as invisible as possible when I'm working out, but... That's not it. I don't mind being seen. A month ago I attended a zumba lesson, and my friends were in the back row. I went there with them, and they made it very clear that the instructor would switch sides at some point and that our row would actually be the first row. I said OK.

"You sure that's ok?"

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind."

"OK, but it'll be the first row..."

"Yeah, I get it. It's OK for me."

 

Yeah, I am chubby and not Lara Croft or Black Widow, but if I don't suit up and show up, how am I ever going to be? I'm very proud of my strong body, and I don't need anyone to think that I'm ashamed of it ò__ó

[deftona]

That's an excellent attitude, love your body however it is because it is YOUR'S and it's EPIC. 

[Ensi]

That's an excellent attitude, love your body however it is because it is YOUR'S and it's EPIC. 

 

Yep, my body's been through so much that jugding it by its appearance would be shallow :/ Yes, I'm trying to lose weight, get healthy and appear fit, but that doesn't mean that I don't respect my body right now.

 

Slept pretty well. I woke up a couple of times, but I didn't even expect to sleep through the night after a hard workout Today is a rest day. Just gonna do some grocery shopping and... oh yeah, another exam. I've been studying so much that my brain just doesn't want to absorb any more information, so I'm just gonna go there and see, how it goes!

 

A nice thing that happened yesterday at the boxing lesson: the instructor asked us to carry the boxing bags away. There was only one left, and this guy and I approached it at the same time. I asked him, "who's gonna get that one?" and he said "let's solve it with rock-paper-scissors!"

What a great person! None of that "I'm the man here, I'm gonna carry the heavy thing!!"

So, we had an intense match of RPS, which I won, and I carried the bag away. All in all, the lesson was a great boost for my confidence. It's nice to go back next week

 

Today I'm gonna do some stretching and walking. I also got my bicycle out, since the snow and ice have melted and the roads are clear!

 

Morning weight is 83 kg. Maybe it's time to start logging my food here...

 

BREAKFAST

 

- one boiled egg, half a banana, 10 grapes, 1 portion of cottage cheese, a half of fish/vegetable stake, coffee with almond milk and a dash of cream

 

I'm a bit conflicted about cottage cheese... It's great for protein, but it's dairy. T__T One portion a day should be OK, though.

[Swampling]

I love your attitude towards your body!

It took me rather long to get anywhere near that mind set...

 

That RPS duel made me smile! Good job winning and doing all the heavy lifting for the "little" man.

 

re Cottage Cheese: Depends on how your body deals with dairy, I suppose? If it doesn't cause you any problems, by all means eat it. But if you feel a bit wonky afterwards or are not quite sure, rather stay away.

[Ensi]

I love your attitude towards your body!

It took me rather long to get anywhere near that mind set...

 

It's not always easy, isn't it? But that's OK...!

 

 

re Cottage Cheese: Depends on how your body deals with dairy, I suppose? If it doesn't cause you any problems, by all means eat it. But if you feel a bit wonky afterwards or are not quite sure, rather stay away.

 

Yeah, I do feel better when I'm not having dairy. It's just a bit challenging to stay away, because dairy products are a big deal here in Finland... But I'm doing my very best to eat as little as possible. It's just that cottage cheese is so good

 

Today didn't go quite as planned. They opened a new library here in our university's campus, and I went to check it out. Turns out they have put huge bowls filled with chocolate on the tables... Needless to say, tomorrow's SDotW became today's SDotW I feel kinda exhausted after a long week, and I have nothing planned for the weekend. I'm gonna stay home, write my thesis and eat healthy. I've stayed in bed this evening, done some gentle stretching and watched Aliens. Now I'm going to watch Inception, haven't watched that in a long time... Basically I'm just drinking tea and binging on movies The exam today went OK, I'm sure I passed.

[Ensi]

Oh, a wonderful thing happened this morning: I thought it was Monday, but it was Sunday Not that it makes much of a difference, I'm only going to have a cup of coffee with a friend tomorrow... But still!

 

I'm having a rest week from exercise. The boxing on Thuorsday left my shoulders and hands in pain, and I'm going to go on walks and do stretching. I started working out three times a week in January, and now it would be wise to have a small, one-week break: my body feels a bit exhausted I'm very proud of what my body's been through and handled, but it needs rest, as well! So: stretching, sleeping and walking it is until next Thorsday's boxing lesson. But no sleepwalking.

 

I went for an hour's walk yesterday and did 30 minutes of stretching in the evening. I've also slept pretty well the past few days. Around 10-11 PM I start to feel like sleeping, and when I fall asleep, I sleep the whole night and wake up at 6-7 AM. Might be exhaustion, but I'm handling that now by taking it easy with exercise.

 

Can't believe it's March already! Time goes by so fast O__o