AuroraNorth

Proteins- right now I have a whole chicken, portions of cooked chicken, a bag of chicken breasts, a few pounds of ground beef/turkey and five pounds of salmon in the freezer.

Also frozen veggies, frozen bananas and berries. That way I have lunch/dinner vegs on hand, and smoothie makings.

Frozen dinners. Before anyone screams in horror;), I'm referring to cooking ahead and freezing some for busy days. Right now I've got soup and San Francisco Special in portions in the freezer. I try to keep a few meals like this around as a backup. I can pull them out the night before and they'll be thawed by lunchtime, or if I simply cannot stand to cook that night I'll pop one of the soups out and dump it in a pan.

Yesterday- standard 2m walk to and from the train, first interval training run/walk. 2.2 miles in 29 minutes-it's a pretty hilly course. I started out trying 30sec/2m intervals, but I can't run and check my watch- way too distracting. So, I switched to telephone poles. Every third pole I ran to the next, then dropped back to a fast walk. I got back home, stretched out and felt pretty good- and rather smug! I actually did it!

Today will be the beginner bodyweight circuits. I'm going to try for three and see how it goes. Then tomorrow will be an hour of bellydance, plus a 5 mile walk if the weather holds decent.

I'm a little sore this morning, but it's a good sore.

Discreet vs discrete.

One means prudent, the other means separate. Get it right, world! *glares at the New York Times, a repeat offender*

What works better for you, paper or computer? I use a paper planner because I like it- I've got Outlook at work which we have to use, but I prefer my little daybook. I'm also a habitual listmaker. Would a weekly list work for you, or do you need it broken down by day?

For those (like me) who are allergic to avocados, you can also do this with a tomato. Yummy!

Buffy- of course.

Inara from Firefly- Intelligent, gentle but capable, much tougher than she looks.

Modesty Blaise- I loved this series! Modesty's great but doesn't come off as a Mary Sue.

Julie Sims Mackay from Eric Flint's 1632 series- I like a woman who knows what to do with a gun.

Dean Winchester- need you ask why?

Hi, all!

I'm AuroraNorth- Alaskan by the grace of God, East Coast by the curse of employment.

I'm a 38-year-old librarian who's looking to get back in better shape. I've always been an active person. We grew up out in the woods, so lots of walking and skiing, plus my parents both lift weights and taught us as kids. I was doing all right till last year, when I moved to my current apartment-away from a gym- and bought a laptop. Once I started playing on the internet at home as well as using it at work, I definitely lost muscle, although I haven't gained weight- I'm actually about 10lb lighter at 5'4" and 130lb. I end up glued to it and not moving for a few hours in the evening. Then I have to rush to shower and get to bed, so I keep leaving myself without time to workout. I'm working on breaking this cycle.

I have a goal- I want to get toned for my upcoming birthday in June. 40 is more than a year away, but I want to be in the best shape I can before then and stop the middle-age spread in its tracks! Currently, I'm doing an intermittent weight routine, walking daily and bellydancing once a week. My starting point to improve is the Beginner Bodyweight circuits 2x weekly, interval training 2x weekly and adding a second bellydance session per week. I hate running (I only do it to get away from moose, plus I end up feeling like a hamster on a treadmill) so I'm going to do the intervals as speedwalking with a little running. My diet is pretty good- I'm probably 70% paleo, though I find I do better with some grains than cutting them all out.

My secondary goal is that I want to perform with one of my bellydance school's troupes this summer in August, and possibly do a solo in a different show this fall. It's a big commitment timewise and energywise, so I want to go into it as strong as possible. Any helpful advice, suggestions, nagging *g* will be gratefully accepted. I'm hoping to learn a lot, get fit and make some new friends!