afaenia

I got my flu shot a week ago, which seems to have resurrected my bronchitis.

=______=

so, running is off the table until I can breathe better sitting down. ><

The weathers been terrible, work is quite stressful, but I guess for now, I'll focus on eating right! Off to the doctors in the morning to see if I can get some medicine.

Grump!

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Oops!

It's been pretty busy over here! Weather hasn't been amazing lately and combined with my working hours, it's been hard to fit in runs, but I'm still trying! As I was about to go for yesterday's scheduled 45 mins, I realised it was pouring rain.

Veggies I was doing semi okay! But lunches, I am a bad bad lady. Unexpected changes to my schedule and lots of stress over the Christmas production has resulted in a fair few bad choices. But I'm set on making those right from now!

(There's also a whooooole bunch of Star Wars related snacks around and oh gosh hahahah)

Not giving up just yet! But I'm not going to beat myself up over a few bad days when I'm doing the best I've ever managed at a 5k program! ^___^

Thanks for the encouragement, Zahirah! <3 I've been cheering yours on, too! Your distances are an inspiration!

And thank you Sue! <3

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Adrianne, keep it up! You've got a good helping of PMA. ^^ You're doing fine.

Tea is great for everything. <3 One of my favourite cure-alls!

Alright!

 

Signature updated! Folks followed and putting the encouragement boots on!

 

Beast mode was activated yesterday - I needed to take my cat to the vets (no emergency thankfully) which involved calling the vetenary office AND a taxi. My Japanese isn't great, and I get anxious over phone calls which is the reason it had been put off... but powered through and did it, to great success!

Next on the list will be enrolling for tai chi classes!

Koaladle, you are kicking buttttt this challenge!

 

All your talk of princesses makes me want to go find the glitteriest stickers I can here (stickers for some reason are way bigger in Japan than they have any right to be) and send them your way haha.

Hope you're doing well, Zahirah!

Maybe there are around 600ish Pokemon now! The wall posters must be nuuuuuts.

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It's still sitting on my counter. I don't have an oven that isn't a toaster over. ;-; Japan isn't really an ovens kinda place.

My asthma wasn't happy (and still isn't tbh) about the attempted 8 mins of fast running/slow walking intervals today. managed 4 before I had to slow down for a few, then sped up for the last.

Hit my veggie target at lunch today, but, didn't hit it at dinner!

Yesterday and Monday were fine in terms of veggies and running though. ^^ So, even though it feels like I'm getting sick (again!) we'll keep going and beat back the lurgy through exercise and good food.

Lost the reflective strips around my ankle on tonight's run hahaha. I'll have to invest in a sturdier pair!

15k steps for Wednesday, 11.3k for Tues and 11.2k for Mon. We're doing awriteeee.

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Saturday was a bit of a fail - I didn't get my 45 minute brisk walk/jog in on my training plan, but I did more than make up for it today. The day is not yet out and we're on 17k with one adventure left! I think we'll manage over 20k today! I also ate bread for dinner ;-----;

Even though I didn't make my so far only meal today, it was mainly veg! So I'm not feeling too bad about eating out twice in one day. ^^;;;

Tomorrow is another run day! But I have an early start to work and a potentially late end to tonight, so I'll need to plan this carefully hah. It's coming up on bonenkai season, too!!

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Managed to hit 17k steps yesterday somehow! @___@

 

Busy day, with an unexpected early start at work, but still managed to get a healthy lunch in beforehand. Completed the scheduled run - it was raining first, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to! Don't want to get more sick haha.

 

3/4 of a day off today! So, relaxing but not too relaxed. Will challenge myself to get 10k+ steps today, too!

 

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What have you been doing for vegetables recently? Anything specifically Japanese?

 

I have a sweet potato/yam hanging out on my counter that I'm not sure how to cook! Otherwise, recently, it's been a lot of nabe and come congee because I'm sick, so veggies of choice have been leeks, carrots, hakusai, daikon, nira and lotus root. Oh, and I've been really loving takuan - the yellow daikon pickles, and yuzu pickled turnips! <3

But, nabe is the easiest way to use anything, so it's not so important.

 

 

You are doing great.  Yes I am curious about the veggies too.  

 

Depending on the distance of the run I like to wear jeans in general when it cools down.  Once it is downright cold I will wear my only pair of running/biking moisture wicking pants and then jeans on top.  Surprisingly comfortable and yet warm enough.  They are loose jeans and usually 5ish miles is about what I can do without worrying about chaffing.  Might be worth a try.

 

Thanks, Sue! ^^ Really, the worry is wet, not cold. But, we shall see what a search for wet and cold weather gear brings up!

I'm still wearing what I was wearing in summer, but I'm some kind of monster and 10-15 Celsius is perfect weather for me. XD

The coldest it gets here... there was no snow last year. Maybe a little flurry but no ground stuff - but I think the average low is around 2 degrees?

Me either. I ended up with a bad case of bronchitis last year. This year I will be better prepared!!

Doing well with daily goals so far! Many vegetables included in all 3 meals today, and I made lunch. Forgot to put on my Fitbit after showering however, so none of that got counted. Tomorrow is a run day! We'll see how it goes.

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Day one - ate lots of veggies, and made lunch at home! There was no work out scheduled in my diary so I'm marking that a great success! I didn't study though. >____<;;;

Day two has started with a run - but for some reason, RunKeeper fluffed up the audio notifications for the intervals? So maybe I messed it up a little. Headed to a barbecue in the mountains shortly, with meat and veggies! will be studying Japanese too, as it's mostly my Japanese coworkers who will be there.

Must buy some gear as the weather starts to cool down, too. Today was fine (15 degrees C and sunny with a little cloud) but winter is coming. Mmmmm winter. <3

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Is your overall quest achievable (over a short or long period of time)? Is it reasonable?

Very achievable and very reasonable. It's unhealthy to do in an incredibly short amount of time, but 12 weeks should be long enough to make the results stick! I've almost lost 2kg already over the last coup,e months just by changing a few habits.

Do your 3 quests all build towards your main quest in little ways, or are you taking on too much? Do your quests have sub-quests or is it just one thing to focus on?

One thing to focus on. Getting 2 fruits/veggies with every meal should be easier making my own lunches. And all I gotta do is follow a running schedule! (readily available lunches range from 800 - 1000kcal+, so that's also a huge improvement on general calorie consumption)

Are your main goals realistic? Can you scale them to smaller steps to fit your life better, even if it will make it take a little longer to achieve them?

If necessary, yes.

Are your goals able to be measured and tracked? What will you use to track them?

Tracking my meals and snacks with My Fitness Pal, and following/tracking runs with RunKeeper. I'm also using a Fitbit for a rough idea of how much I'm doing during the day.

How are you grading your goals? Are they pass/fail (“every dayâ€, “not even once over the six weeksâ€)? Is there a reward for the effort, or are you only grading yourself on whether or not you “lose the weight†or “run the distanceâ€?

A, B and C grades. Gave it everything, tried hard, didn't really try.

What is your plan for continuing/altering/grading those goals if you become ill or injured?

I'm already sick! But not drastically so. The worst I'm likely to get sick is influenza, worst case a week out of action. The worst I'm likely to get injured....? Prevention is better than cure! If I can't run, I'll attempt to ask a doctor what I can do.

Did you take into consideration any special occasions (Labour Day, Independence Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc) that may occur during the challenge? What modifications do you need to build into your goals for those?

My birthday is gone, the next big interesting thing will be works end of year party and visiting home over the holidays! But honestly, it's easier to eat healthy at home hahahaha. And I can still run! End of year parties seem to have consistently quite healthy food options, so it's just a matter of being careful.

Do any of your main goals conflict with each other? Will one goal make it hard to do another?

Nope! Not that I can see anyway.

Do you already have the time in your schedule to actually complete the goals you’ve set? If not, what are you planning to do to make time for them?

I have plenty of time. I'm just lazy. So, this is the kick in the pants that I need to give myself.

Are you trying to build multiple habits, or is all your energy focused on your main quest?

My energy is focused on sticking to a a schedule for running, and making sure I always have enough fresh produce on hand for meals, with the intention of these contributing to my main quest. If that makes sense haha.

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Thanks omigosh you live in Japan?? (Not that I was stalking your profile... ) I'm hopefully going on holiday there next year - sooooo excited!

Haha stalking profiles is perfectly legal, right?!? That's what they're there for!

I do indeed, but out in the sticks pretty much! Still awesome though. When a outs are you planning on going?

Glad to see you had a pretty good first day, too! Keep it uppppp!!!

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Row row fight the power!

Good luck on your challenge!

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Seems like you're off to a good start, Koaladle!!

Pomelos are a great fruit! <3 I miss them a lot haha. Good luck on your challenge! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

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I love to bike as much as I am able too!  Such a great sounding challenge.  Your motivation makes so much sense and is just brilliant.

 

Definitely come by the Scouts Tavern and introduce yourself.  We are a small group and a very friendly lot.  

 

I have heard so much about teaching English in another country.  How did you get started in it?  Not something that is an option now in my life but I find it so fascinating.

I used to hate it! Forced bike rides for a good 15+ miles on weekends as a kid. But, it's a necessity here really! Everyone has a bike.

I'll swing by and say hello. ^.^

Honestly, this was purely luck. A friend of a friend was leaving the position I have now, and I sent my details. A year and a half later, I'm still here! But as far as I understand, the teaching method at this school is quite different from the usual style! It's a lot of learning and adjusting.

I feel you on the conbinis...I LOVE onigiri.  Lately I have been challenging myself to finding and making the healthiest meals and snacks possible from the conbini for those times when I don't have time to cook (lunch!).  7-11 has frozen broccoli, frozen mango (lovely in summer as a sub for ice cream), and chicken breasts!  They also have a nice selection of nuts. You know, I have been here two years and only just in the past few months have gotten to a point where I feel adjusted enough to be able to REALLY focus on my goals.  As ex-pats I think we are in a very unique situation, and trying to self-actualize our goals before we have met the basic needs of adaptation and adjustment can sometimes cause more stress.  Absolutely, feel free to send your e-mail my way and I will add ya!

Oh man onigiri.

I love the beef jerky for a quick snack! Feels a little weird visiting the beer snacks section in the morning though haha.

Yeah, it's not a small thing to get used to! It sometimes feels like you work so much, there's not really any time to acclimatise as you're so busy trying to wind down and then get ready again for the next day. It's a busy country, Japan.

Sweet! I'll pass it via PM or such similar service!

Oh I LOOOOOVE that you and Zahirah have found one another! NF rules!!!

Surprised to find another expat in Japan.

Amazed that we're in neighbouring prefectures! XD

Woop woop! Get those successes in!

Good luck with your challenge!

Valar dohaeris.

Bicycles forever! What's not to love about free transportation?! (You'd never know I threatened to remove my legs if my mum took me for another bike ride )

Good luck on your challenge!!

No way are you in Hiroshima! I'm in Matsuyama! xD

It's a small world after all.

It's the convenience stores and supermarkets that get me for the crap. D:

So easy to grab lunch, but everything that's not rice is fried! But the seasonal stuff is the best. <3 I'd never enjoyed eating persimmons before coming to Japan.

It's so difficult to learn when your brain is not focused on the thing you need it to be! It's just been work, eat, sleep, repeat since I got here really. ^^; Most of my coworkers are married/have kids, and its a lot of late finish/early start so there's not even time or motivation to get out other than grocery or clothes shopping haha.

Relevance is always good for committing something to memory. Gotta use it every day!

Really?! Thank you! If I check which email I used for RunKeeper and pass it along, would that be alright? ^^

Hello from another person living and working in Japan! ^^

 

Good luck with your challenge!

Hey there, hi there, ho there! I'm Afaenia - relocated to the semi-countryside in Japan in February 2014 and after lurking on Nerd Fitness for considerably longer than that, it's time to do what has to be done and face full life consequences.

I teach Englsh in an immersion style school so the majority of my day is singing, dancing, yelling and running which ends at 7pm or 8pm, depending on the day... I bike to and from 90% of the places I need to go, because hey, it's free!!.

 

 

Main Quest:  Lose 10kg! If I lose ~0.5kg per week, that should roughly amount to 10 weeks, so let's call it 12. 10kg - 12 weeks.

 

Quest 1: Complete the Beginner 5k workout on Runkeeper.

A = no skips! B = 25 workouts complete, C = 22 workouts complete

 

Quest 2: Make lunch myself on work days. No instant meals! I have plenty of time, and the facilities.

A = 30 days, B = 25 days, C = 20 days

 

Quest 3: Get at least 2 fruits or vegetables in every meal - Japan is crazy about seasonal produce!

A = 42 days, B = 36 days, C = 30 days

 

Life Quest: 

Study Japanese for 45 minutes every day. I live there, but speak my native tongue 6 out of 7 days a week. It's frustrating in daily life, my social life is suffering, and I have a test coming up!
A = 42 days; B = 36 days, C = 30 days

 

Motivation:  I'm absolutely sick of all the children at work grabbing my stomach or legs, or prodding and squishing me! I want to improve my fitness levels, and treat my body the way it deserves to be treated. It's worked hard the last 26 years, and now it's time for me to repay the favour.

 

 

Ooh, this is scary! Let's go!