JupiterStar

You know what's fun? Not being allowed to eat tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, chamomile, cranberries, blueberries, dark chocolate, or any alcohol or other things that cause blood thinning. Know what's even more fun than that? Also not eating certain meats died to religion. Even more fun? Trying to do all of this IN JAPAN where they think bacon isn't pork and not only are all my no no-foods constantly in things but also there are 80 millions onions and if I forget to mention one of them as an allergy, that will inevitably be the one that shows up in my food, because onion A and onion B aren't both onions in Japanese. And now my doctor wants me to go low-carb. Happily! Mind telling me how to do that IN JAPAN, land of rice and noodles and ridiculously expensive produce and dairy?!? At least I'm still allowed chicken and fish.

Would love more motivation/accountability! Jupiterstarchild

Your son sounds wonderful and I'm glad you're helping each other on this journey!

Welcome! Our reasons are different but our goals are similar (33 here, looking to lose 20-40 lbs and wean off some medications for pain issues), if you need a cheerleader, I'm here! Good luck (^-^)

Welcome, Evan! Congrats on the hormone therapy, and on already learning the hardest lesson in health, that the small, sustainable stuff is just as important or moreso than the big results. Good luck on your journey!

Well, I'm back! Mid-January my laptop decided to die and because I was preparing to travel from Osaka to Glasgow for a wedding AND saving for my own, it's taken me til about two weeks ago to get back here! So I may as well start from scratch, right? Shiny new start for the shiny new computer! So, I'm Sabrina, I'm a 33 year old freelancer (performing, writing, and tour guiding) and part-time university English teacher originally from Colorado who has been living in Japan for six years now, and also lived in Scotland to get my masters degree for two years. I met my fiancee there and we're getting married on our 9th anniversary in March! Meanwhile, I'm also bulking up my performance skills to try and get full-time employment at Universal Studios Japan, Tokyo Disney, or one of the resident opera or musical companies here. My interests broadly include aaaall music (seriously, I did my masters thesis on what makes so-called bad popular music good, I can ramble at length about ANY genre and make it sound good), comics, animation, video games, cosplay and J-fashion, anime, manga, and J-dramas of course especially with magical girls, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, silent and classic movies, dance, acrobatics, martial arts, theater, TV especially Canadian and British sci-fi shows no one has heard of sadly, travel (I've been tm 27 countries now), languages (fluent in Spanish and Japanese, conversational in Farsi and beginner in a whole slew of others), and generally just geek culture as a whole! Some reasons I'm here? I nearly died four years ago and was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, ITP, where my immune system thinks my platelets are a sickness and destroys them to the point where I could easily bleed to death internally without warning. There is no cure and no good treatment except prolonged steroid use if you're bleeding to death, which I was...so I was on a high dose of prednisone for nine months, then went through horrific withdrawal for almost a year, and I still suffer symptoms as if I were anemic and hemophillic. Basically, I went from 130lbs and able to dance two days of outdoor parade routes easily to losing all my muscle tone and strength, struggling to have energy for full-time work and daily tasks like showering or cooking, and putting on 40lbs that I couldn't get off because I was too exhausted, weak, and in pain to even stand in class and the prednisone significantly screwed up my body chemistry. So naturally, I want that weight OFF and I want my strength back! My goals are to lose at least 20 lbs before the wedding (ideally all 40 but with the ITP issues and also having been diagnosed with hypothyrodism and PCOS as a high school student, 1 lb a week is a HUGE amount for me, I'd rather set a more manageable goal then get discouraged), and also get toned enough that I look good in the dress AND can be taken seriously at Harry Potter World auditions next winter. I also want to get my chemical levels healthier, boost my immune system, and be as strong and as healthy as I can be for myself and my future wife! I'm not much on weight training but I do contemporary dance and aerial lyra classes as often as possible and I love hiking, biking, anything involving water, and things like martial arts and tumbling, so I want to work on building muscles through actual use. Nice to meet people (again) and if anyone needs support or has any to offer, don't be a stranger!

Oops, I've discovered two things that are throwing me off-track this week; Bullet journaling is REALLY addictive, and I am now That Girl Who Gets Our Extra Tickets to my friends. To elaborate, my birthday is in just over one week. Last year, a friend of mine in Hokkaido bought a season pass to the Osaka Umeda Arts Theater for shows (she had a goal of seeing 40 in one year) but then realized in July that she wouldn't get down to Osaka enough to use it, so she just gave it to me to use. I took advantage of it to hit up a few shows I wanted to see, including much nicer than usual tickets to my yearly Four Stars One World concert night. I also had time to go to more Takarazuka shows (because yes, I do enjoy oggling hot ladies in dude drag singing and dancing their way through copious amounts of peacock feathers), and a friend of mine in one of the fan clubs decided to start giving me any tickets that her other friends backed out of, especially to the special performer-only dinners and whatnot. So I sort of ended up having tickets to a lot of free or discounted shows last year. This year, I mentioned how much I've love a replacement UAC pass for my birthday if people wanted to go in together on one...no dice (that I know of), but in the last week I've been offered FIVE tickets to shows that people backed out of. One of these is to Takarazuka's newest original show, The Poe Clan, which opened YESTERDAY. And my (yet another) friend who had an extra ticket offered it to me above everyone else for free as a birthday gift. The seats are FRONT ROW AISLE, right where the revue travels down during the finale. I could not turn those down. Except, um, they're on Thursday. AKA one of my gym days. And I got offered them Tuesday, too late to reschedule. Damn. I'll try to make it up by using my nice shiny new Circit home gym after the show (I'll get home around 7, too late for my gym buddy). I'd count that as a gym workout, if I actually do it for at least 30 minutes. As for the journaling, I have spent waaaaaay too much time on my journal, to the detriment of other stuff like studying. Oops. And it's mostly decorating the damn thing and filling up the To-Do pages and Future Log. Oh, and my Lolita collection pages. PS, I think I have a problem. At some point between 2013 and now, my Lolita dress collection went from one to 18. Also a skirt, 4 blouses, 7 pairs of shoes, 3 cardigans, a truly ridiculous amount of hair accessories and wrist cuff sets, 3 bags, 3 petticoats (WHY do I need 3? I DON'T KNOW!), and a dozen pairs of tights and knee socks. Which I added to today. Um. When did that happen? I guess one good thing about the journal, now I can SEE what I have all in one place and it does make it a lot easier to go, "....but do I REALLY need that Innocent World Tales of Red Riding Hood salopette JSK and matching capelet? Do I REALLY?" Anyway, yeah, bullet journals. Feeding some OCD tendencies I wasn't aware I had. Seriously, I'm not being hyperbolic, I had no idea how many lists of stuff I made, or how much I like cataloging and numbering things until now. Oh dear. Maybe I should limit myself more. Like, I get to open my journal twice a day, max, for 10 minutes or less each time. Something to make me stop checking stuff off every time I have a break at work. This got weird. Sorry. I blame the rain?

Week 2 Lifestyle: Bullet Journal Daily: 0/7 Days, Grade: -- Fitness: Attend Aerials Class and Gym: 0/3 Days, Grade: -- Food: Track Daily: 0/7 Days, Grade: -- Fitness/Lifestyle: Go Out Pokemon Hunting: 0/1 Days, Grade: -- (So Far: 0/2, --) Note: Since this is a grade based on my overall 4 week completion, I'll grade myself at the end! Possible issues to be wary of this week; I have a very busy weekend coming up. Saturday I'm visiting the traveling Final Fantasy cafe with a friend for lunch, then joining an open mic night for dinner, which leaves only the time in between for a workout (which is doable but will be a bit tight), and then Sunday night is the Kansai International Lolitas Wands'n'Frills meet over dinner, which means I will only barely have time for aerials class that day, and I'd have to pretty much come straight home, immediately get changed, and head out of the door. So Sunday would not be the best time for aerials this week, nope, especially with work planning and chores that I have to put off from Saturday. So since the weekend is so full, I CAN'T miss things this week because I won't have a chance to make them up over the weekend. I have to plan things out pretty well in advance, and I don't like being that rigid in my plans. But, shouganai? So I figure I'll do aerials Tuesday night or morning, hit up the gym Thursday and Friday as usual, and do my PoGo hunt either Tuesday or Friday afternoon, or Sunday before KIL's meet (since we can walk to the grocery store together, kill two birds with one stone). I hope I can stick to this plan. Also, I have to factor in music practice time for the open mic night, and I'm still new enough to bullet journals that it takes me more time than expected to do it each day. I mean, not long, but still like 20 minutes. I just hope I can do both every day without losing too much time I need for other stuff, you know? I don't think it will be a problem, but it is something I have to keep in mind. Can't get too sucked into writing or decorating stuff, but also can't get too sucked into the music. I just have to be aware those are risks and try not to get lost in whatever I'm doing! Otherwise, I think this week will go better than week 1 did. I have less to do for work, so more time for other stuff, my bujo is all set up now (mostly) so it'll take less and less time to use it, the weather will be nicer so hopefully my cough will keep getting better and not interfere with workouts...all good things!

Reflections on Week 1: not so good, honestly. The food tracking went fantastically and once my bullet journal arrived, I did pretty well with it but I did miss journaling yesterday because I was just not feeling up to even getting out of bed, so....eh. But I think that won't be an issue next week! Work-outs, on the other hand? Noooooope. The cold snap continued until today, and I developed a cough that got worse rather quickly, so I ended up spending the whole weekend housebound. No Pokemon catching, no gym, no aerials. Not a great start, nope...but from tomorrow, it's supposed to get warmer (up to 14 C, actually, with most days being around 11-12 C, versus 0-2 C from Thursday through yesterday), minimal rain (wherease it snowed this week), and a normal schedule with work again after the holidays, so I aim to do MUCH better this week to make up for it! And if I can do extra of any of those to make up for this past week as the month goes on, yay, go me? Anyway. Here's to week 2 going better, I hope!

Oh, really? Nice, I'll do that, then, thanks!

That's actually really reassuring to hear about the bullet journals. I think I was just getting overwhelmed with all the "cool things to do with your bujo" and "how to make your bujo most effective!" things out there, plus all the images online...but I got mine in today and while I admit I did spend a good 4 hours (good lord) getting it partially set up and decorated (...it was fun...), it's a lot simpler than I thought it would be, and knowing that most of the work is done now is a big relief, and what I have left is pretty easy, just pages for lists and planning, a couple habit tracking pages I can just check off, and the journal, that's it. Whew! And yes, the Osaka Pokemon Center is love. I spend way too much money there each month. Um. Oops. Worth it. Alas, even if I had the time, it wouldn't be possible. 90 minutes of aerials REALLY takes it out of me (not to mention the bruises, since I do lyra, not silks...I can barely even bike home from the train station after because it hurts to sit!), and I'm still weak enough that an hour at the gym is fairly taxing as well. I could do less time at the gym, but since it takes me about 30 minutes to do the strength training stuff I'm able to do and I like taking advantage of the treadmill TVs to practice my Japanese, why? Add on the 45 minutes commute time from my house each way to both, plus the fact they are on opposite ends of the city, and involve three different train lines...the time and money would eat up like an entire day (seriously, I'd need at least 6 hours free if I doubled up). I don't think I'll be able to do two aerial days in the upcoming weeks, sadly, because of work events on the weekends of the 20-21 and 27-28 but maybe in the last week I could do it? That might work... Ooooo, NOT risking the trip to Wakayama on a weekend, not during the new year period! Soooooo many toursits on their way to Koya-san.... *shudder* But I do think I'm going to kidnap that map for additional PoGo travel when the weather warms up!

Thanks for the support, you two I appreciate it! Also, tracking for week 1 to keep me accountable: Week 1 Lifestyle: Bullet Journal Daily: 2/3 Days, Grade: B Note: Hit a minor snag on this one, my journal was supposed to arrive yesterday but due to the national holiday in Japan, it won't be in til tomorrow at some point. So I'm only doing 1/2 of this week, for obvious reasons. Fitness: Attend Aerials Class and Gym: 0/3 Days, Grade: F Food: Track Daily: 7/7 Days, Grade: A Fitness/Lifestyle: Go Out Pokemon Hunting: 0/1 Days, Grade: -- (So Far: F) Note: Since this is a grade based on my overall 4 week completion, I'll grade myself at the end! Right! So, thoughts so far...I'm doing better with tracking than I thought I would, mostly since I forgot that my meal plans keep me set for most of my food except for snacks throughout the week! So that's been easy, just enter the meals all at once and then go back and alter things as need be (such as dinner last night being swapped out for soup when my stomach had some trouble, or adding in my couple of onigiri snacks while walking around Umeda showing my friends around today). I just wish I knew other people on MyFitnessPal so that we could cheer each other on, you know? My bullet journal arrives tomorrow, and I'm actually a bit nervous? Everyone makes such amazing ones, and I...am not so great with design stuff like that, so I worry, I guess. I did get an erasable Frixxon multi-color pen at the Pokemon Center today that's Pikachu, Ditto-chu, and Mimikyu, and I unearthed all the dorky (Harry Potter, Sanrio, etc.) washi tape I received as gifts at various schools here, as well as some sparkly gel paint pens, so hopefully I can make something pretty, at least? I'm worried about making my goal for fitness this week. I plan on hitting the gym on Thursday and Saturday with Terry, but I can't figure out a good time for aerials. If I'm at the gym those two days, I can't go then, but I couldn't go tonight because a friend was in town...which leaves Sunday only. I guess I'll have to do my best? And if not, 2 out of 3 is still good? Maybe? I feel torn... Pokemon Go, yay! We meant to play today but the wind was SO INTENSE, like planters getting tipped over on our balcony and metal tables blowing over intense, that we decided not to. Friday is Purplebug's last day of her temp job, so that's out, but hopefully Sunday will be a good day, or Saturday's rain will hold off long enough for us to do a cold trip to the grocery store and back, with our phones in tow? I hope everyone else is doing well!!!

New year, new computer, new goals, new successes, hopefully! I've got some big things coming up this year so I really need to buckle down and focus, so now that I'm back from a much-delayed vacation (we got stuck in Tokyo two days waiting for a rescheduled flight), here are some of my big goals for 2018: Look my best for my wedding at the end of the year! Purplebug and I finally set a "date", or rather a date range, after talking with an immigration lawyer over my trip back to visit with my family in Colorado. Our tentative plan is to elope and get married during the end-of-year break from work, then in 2019 we'll have the big family wedding on a cruise around Greece at some point. I bought my wedding dress during this vacation, but I'd obviously like to be in really good physical shape and lose some more weight before this time next year, and since we'll be doing our honeymoon(s) at the same time as the weddings and it will likely involve a lot of beach time since we both love the ocean, I want to look my best! Pass some auditions for performance jobs!: I won Osaka's Got Talent in December, yay! And I've had so many people pushing me to do more performance stuff and asking me to really try for the Universal Studios Japan job or others that I think this is the year I'm going to do just that. That means getting in more regular music practice and lessons, more open mic nights, more auditions, the works. I also need to get back in touch with my creative side, not just being capable of putting on a good show. Also... Get back into regular physical training! I need to find a dance class that I can attend to get those skills back up to par. I've also got a new workout buddy who can help me with regular gym training, and I'm going to try to keep up with aerials as well. Basically, I want to get in plenty of variety with activity and exercise, since healthy eating has never been a huge issue for me but workout burnout is, and if I'm going to rock that awesome wedding dress and these auditions, I'd better be physically fit! Have better self-esteem! This ties into pretty much everything above. If I'm feeling my best, I'll be less stressed about how I look for the wedding, I'll enjoy all of it more, I'll do better at performances and auditions, I'll be able to keep going to workouts and classes without feeling too ugly and fat and weak to do so...I can do it! I'm going to have a Lolita dress up day at least once a month, I'm going to stop referring to myself in bad terms and try more positive ones (like instead of "a fat Lolita blob," I'll be "a muffin aspiring to be a cupcake," things like that), and I'm going to get myself all of the tools I need to reach my goals even when I feel down. I can do it! So. With those in mind, I am back on board! Time to bring back my Cardcaptor Sakura challenges, master the Clow, and master my own body at the same time! But first, because we all need to start somewhere, a challenge to get me back into the groove of things during all the New Year madness. Lifestyle: Bullet Journal Daily Why: I've never tried bullet journaling before and I've had many people say it helps them with focusing, keeping on track, and keeping a better mind-set. I'm hoping I can use it to focus on feeling more positive, or at least noticing trends for when I feel down so that I can actively work to combat those days (like if I notice I'm routinely getting down on myself after a certain class at work, I might be able to pep talk myself before that class, or something like that). It'll also help me to keep track of my goals, see progress (I'm planning on tracking things like what moves I learn in classes and how much I can lift), and to not forget things that I sometimes forget, like logging in here regularly! How: I'll set aside time at the end of the day every day to at least track the basics and write a quick positive note about myself for the day. Grading: 7/7 days a week = A, 5+/7 = B, 3+/7 = C, less than 3 = F Fitness: Attend Aerials Class and Gym Three Times a Week Why: My self-esteem got me self-sabotaging after summer vacation last year...every time I tried to go to the gym or aerials, I felt stupid and fat and incapable of doing well. So I stopped going...and I miss it. This will help with me getting healthier again, with losing weight, with staying fit, and hopefully with my self-esteem, as if I'm going to things weekly, I can see more progress from week to week even when I feel down on myself. How: I got a gym buddy! He'll join me on Thursdays and Saturdays at the gym, which will be a huge help. And for aerials, I'll try to drag Purplebug along to keep me accountable. Grading: 3 times a week = A, 2 times a week = B, once a week = C, none at all = F Food: Track Food Daily Why: The biggest challenge for me with losing weight has always been the fact that I eat very healthily already. Like, any dietary program I've started, I was already following (I don't drink soda, juice, or coffee regularly, I love seafood, poultry, and veggies, I measure portions, I don't add a lot of condiments, I cook almost everything from scratch and eat meals from home all but once or twice a week, and I've done all of this for at least 12 years). My main problem is actually undereating, especially for my activity level. The best way I can keep track of all of this, to check that what I'm eating goes with my activity level for the day, that I'm eating a balanced macro diet to keep my energy up, and things like that to make sure my messed-up metabolism doesn't get even more so. How: I've downloaded MyFitnessPal! If anyone else has it and wants to be buddies on there to hold each other accountable, please let me know Grading: 7/7 days a week = A, 5+7 = B, 3+/7 = C, less than 3 times in a week = F Fitness/Lifestyle: Go Out Pokemon Hunting Once A Week Why: Because it's good for me, it's a way to get out with Purplebug a bit for some bonding time, we can explore Osaka, and why not? How: We're going to go out for this on either Tuesdays, Fridays, or Sundays every week, for about one hour. Grading: All 4 weeks = A, 3 weeks = B, 2 weeks = C, less than 2 weeks = F Wish me luck, guys! I'll do my best to cheer you on as well!

Hey all! Native Coloradan here, but I haven't lived stateside for over eight years now, and I'm coming back for my first visit home in about three year next week! I'd love to meet up with some fellow NF types, help me get back on track, motivation-wise, for 2018? I'm only around from December 23rd-January 3rd and will be limited to the Denver-Boulder metro areas, though, due to needing to borrow transportation. Still, if anyone in the area wants to meet up and grab healthy food, a quick workout or interesting outdoor activity, whatever, I'd love to!

Week 2, Day 2 Goal 1: Aerials attended this week, 1/1! Yay! Goal 2: Breakfast included spinach, lunch included bananas, and dinner included broccoli! Could have been better, but I got in something, right? Goal 3: I biked to the train station to get to class (plus the walk from the station to the school), and also added a bit to my usual walk to aerials by detouring to buy a new kettle for our kitchen when the old one abruptly stopped turning off and starting smelling of ozone. That's $30 we weren't expecting to spend this week, but an extra 10 minutes of walking and a bigger kettle now! Goal 4: This one didn't really happen due to NaNoWriMo kick-off and me being the only Eastern-based ML who could actually kick off anything on the NaNoWordSprints Twitter (everyone else was in the US or Europe and not actually starting NaNo yet). So I was up til 1am and then had to try to get to sleep without waking up purple_bug, so...yeah, didn't happen. Week 2, Day 3 Goal 1: N/A Goal 2: Breakfast included spinach AND banana, lunch had broccoli, and dinner tonight includes mushrooms and carrots! Goal 3: I was too sore after aerials last night to bike and took the bus instead, boooo (I was the only one in class so I got a REALLY intensive session). But, I did still do the walk to work and back, and I added some extra walking time to and from a cafe for an impromptu write-in. So, could have been better, but I got out! On the negative side, I did cave and get a taxi home because I missed my bus and didn't want to wait another 30 minutes for the next one because I was feeling so wiped by then. Oops, that's 2 taxi this month. I'd better stop this! Goal 4: I'm still a few hours out from sleepy time yet, but I think tonight this will happen. I've hit my writing goal for the day, I've done all my ML stuff so my region of WriMos is nice and happy, I've done my studying for the day, and while I still have to eat and shower, I think there's no reason I won't make it to bed early enough to relax a bit. Maybe I'll badger purple_bug into starting to read Slaughterhouse Five aloud to me, so I know she actually reads it (I've been suggesting it to her for years and she keeps swearing she'll check it out, but so far, no dice.) It's going to get harder from here on out! I'm losing a hour a day to MLing for NaNo, plus another 1-2 writing and another 1 or more studying for the JLPT next month, so on top of work and class, that's a lot of time eaten up and getting taken away from being healthy. But I'll do my best! And I'm resolving not to get any sweets or sugary drinks at cafes when I write or study, just plain, unsweetened teas and maybe something small and savory like quiche or a veggie dip mix if I really can't wait to get home to snack. Wish me luck!

Whew, delayed, but here's the results for Week One! Step One: Attend aerial lyra class once a week Grade: Pass...basically, Tuesday was not an option due to work, nor was Thursday, so I RSVPd for Sunday's class...and we got ANOTHER TYPHOON. That's two typhoons in exactly one week. I couldn't do Tuesday because we had to make up work from missing Monday due to the first typhoon, and then a new one kills my make-up chance? Ugh. But it couldn't be helped, the trains shut down and the circus closed for the day, so I'm just not marking this week for the overall challenge. Step Two: Get in fruits and veggies with every meal Grade: A; I got in at least one serving with every single meal all week (especially since I didn't eat out at all!). That's 21/21 meals, 100% so far! Step Three: Bike, walk, or rollerblade every day, and no taxis Grade: A; I biked or walked my commutes Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, plus I biked to the doctor on Wednesday while I was sick and to get some groceries for lunch, I made a point to go out and walk for 30 minutes on Saturday in between chores and work prep, and on Friday we added a good hour of walking at Unviversal Studios Japan, being chased by zombies and going through the Deadman's Forest maze (I love living so close to that place, it rocks!). Also, no taxis!!! But...I didn't get out on Sunday. Because typhoon. I should have at least gone out with purple_bug to get groceries but I HATE rain. So not a perfect score, but so far 6/7 days I did what I was supposed to, and 0 taxis! Step Four: Read or listen to a podcast in low lights to help with better sleep Grade: A; managed to do this every night! 7/7, 100% so far Now, on to the start of week two! Gonna get a little weird, gonna have a good time... So, I've RSVPd for aerials tomorrow. I have no plans (not even USJ temptation because I am NOT braving the Halloween crowds at night!), dinner is premade...so fingers crossed everything goes well? I'm talking rainbows... This one is going to get trickier starting this week. With NaNoWriMo starting up in less than 28 hours, I'm not going to have as much time for meal planning and prep, even with help. But I spent last week building up a leftover buffer and this week will be the same. So far, for today, I've had: Breakfast: Baked oatmeal made with applesauce, bananas, and unsweetened raisins, plus 1/2 banana on top Lunch: Chicken and vegetable rice casserole, with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower Dinner: Honey soy chicken with rice and 1 cup of broccoli on the side Fingers crossed I can keep this up and get enough leftovers with produce in them that I can just plan 3-4 meals a week the rest of the month and still meet my goals! I think Earth is a pretty great place... Today was not so great for this one...the weather was nice enough post-typhoon but the winds were high and it felt FREEZING. So I was lazy and instead of biking to the train station, I took the bus. But, I did still walk the 15 minutes to work from the train station each way, and took the bus home instead of catching a taxi, so I'll still count it. Minimum effort, but it happened, and tomorrow will be better! She will keep the lights on... In theory, this will happen tonight. I got some new oil for my little burner, lavender, so I'll see if that helps me relax faster, and I'm going to restart The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air since it makes me so much less anxious or excited than other podcasts we listen to. Laughing a whole lot or getting vaguely creeped out is not conducive to me shutting down my brain at night, but apparently singing saws, cricket stories translated into English, and janitors working on a radio show at the top of the Eiffel Tower are? I hope everyone else is staying on track, too!

Welcome! Best of luck with your goals! My outdoors goal is similar to your walking one, and I've gotten really practiced at packing boxed lunches/dinner, so maybe we can share some tips to help each other!

This time, I had 1/3 cup of rice and mixed in a cup of spinach (which I wilted), some fat-free margarine, and a soft-boiled egg, all mixed together. 161 calories, very filling, good mix of nutrients (though usually I use brown rice, but we were out after the typhoon), it's one of my faves! I also use a lot of homemade creamed spinach for things like breakfast quesadillas, and use wilted spinach in breakfast sandwiches where I mix it with the egg in a scramble. Plus omelets or frittatas and things like that. If you aren't into eggs, I also like this savory oatmeal topped with fresh or steamed chopped veggies!

Thanks, @Wobbegong! (Also, I NEED YOUR GIF-ING ABILITIES!) I'll do my best, even if I end up with a whole apartment full of laser eye puppies and flaming rainbows! Day Two (because I forgot yesterday) Step 1 (aerials): N/A Step 2 (veggies/fruits): Had spinach with breakfast, a banana with lunch, and pumpkin risotto with other veggies as well! Step 3 (commute): Didn't get a chance to commute today but we did walk to and from the vet office with the poor sick birdie, so that counts? Step 4 (sleep routine): I've got a lovely cold, and it sucks, so I get to relax with eucalyptus oils while I make purplebug read to me?

Hey guys! I'm back! After some work shake-ups, health issues, a great summer, some family concerns, and a typhoon last night that meant we had to evacuate in the middle of the night and also were without electricity most of yestreday, I'm back to get things moving again! I haven't stopped trying to be healthy, but now I need to get really focused and revving again so I can power through the winter. With that in mind... How to Defeat the Forces of Evil (...or pre-JLPT stress, NaNo-ML stress, and Japanese winter suckiness) Step One: Gonna Get a Little Weird, Gonna Have a Good Time What: Attend aerial lyra class at least once per week (Monday-Sunday) Why: Because I've gotten into the habit of only going when I have the time and in November I simply WON'T have the time, ever, and I don't want to stop getting in regular workouts, so...let's do the thing! Also, it'll help me stay in the habit in December and beyond, when it gets really cold out and I don't want to have to make the trek to the studio. When: There are classes every Tuesday at 7:15pm and Sundays at 1:00pm, plus on Thursdays at 12:45pm. Now, during this challenge I have Japanese class until 12:30pm on Thursdays and I'm hosting write-ins on Sundays from 2:00pm on, which makes those unlikely, but Tuesday nights are always okay, and hopefully if I miss Tuesday, I can either come late on Thursday or reschedule a write-in for 3:00pm instead. Just so long as I don't do it too often. Teal deer, Tuesday nights, with make-ups on Sunday afternoons or Thursdays at lunch! How: Schedule it! And, you know, just DO IT. Maybe make purplebug come with me to take photos or something. Grades: A=I did it every week, maybe even more than once! B=I missed one week. C=I missed two weeks. D=I missed three weeks. F=Didn't attend at all. Step Two: I'm Talkin' Rainbows What: Get in a fruit or veggie serving with every meal Why: Fresh produce in Japan is SUPER expensive, and now that summer is past but winter isn't here yet, and also with smaller crops due to major typhoons this year, even the seasonal fruit and veg are nuts...and non-seasonal stuff costs more than meat right now! I'm careful about calories and macros, but I've noticed my produce intake is getting lower again, so I want to get back on track and keep my immune system boosted! When: Every single meal, every day (even if I eat out) How: Meal planning, and also making sure when I eat out, I don't succumb to the temptation of the newly-opened Wendy's or things like that Grades: A=Succeded for more than 90% of my meals. B=More than 80% C=More than 70%. D=More than 60%. F=Less than 60%. Step Three: I Think Earth is a Pretty Great Place What: Bike, walk, or rollerblade every day; and no taxis for the month! Why: Because it's getting cold out but not necessarily rainy or snowy, and it will get me outside, save me money (taking the bus to the train station adds 120 per day, and taxis? Yeah...), keeps me moving, and it's faster most of the time anyway. Also, even when it rains, making myself walk will accomplish everything but the speed thing, and honestly, it's like 15 minutes more, that's not much. When: Every single weekday. (Weekends will be allowed off because with NaNo stuff in tow, I can't risk getting wet; the taxi thing still holds true though!) How: Every weekday, ride my bike or bus-and-walk to work/class, and every weekend, bike or rollerblade to get groceries or catch the train to write-ins if the weather is nice enough. If I have no plans (...this will never happen, MLing is basically a job), go out for a walk or skate along the river! Grades: A=20+ weekdays of outdoor exercise, and 0-1 taxis taken. B=15-19 weekdays outdoors, and/or 2 taxi taken . D=10-14 weekdays outdoors, and/or 3 taxis taken. F=Less than 10 weekdays outdoors, and/or 4+ taxis taken. Step Four: She Will Keep the Lights On What: Read or listen to a podcast in low lights to help with better sleep Why: Because NaNo and studying are already eating my soul and messing with my ability to fall asleep, and I need to get enough sleep to get through til the JLPT with my health and sanity intact! This will help me shut down my brain and relax before bed. When: Every night. Every single night. How: I'll set an alarm to head to bed no later than 10pm every night; then I'll set my phone to charge in the other room; and then I'll settle in to relax! Grades: A=Succeded for more than 90% of my nights. B=More than 80% C=More than 70%. D=More than 60%. F=Less than 60%. Here we go! I gave myself yesterday off because of the typhoon but from today on, let's do it!

Hiya! I did indeed pop in, and am working on transforming into a more magical, cute being as we speak! But I'll probably stick to smaller goals til the next challenge since I go back to work next week and start school part-time as well...planning on getting back into things 100% by the next challenge, though, once I'm in the swing of things again!

Hey guys! One of the reasons I've been gone so long is because we finally made the trip to Yakushima, the island that was the inspiration for Princess Mononoke. I had a goal of hiking the Shiratani Unsuikyo trail there and checking out some of the oldest trees in the world but otherwise I was a bit worried about what would happen during the trip...it's a very, very tiny island with limited public transportation and bike rentals, I don't have an international driver's permit for renting cars, and the walks between areas are quite intensive. In the end, though, I sucked it up and decided to just have a very active vacation! We walked the full distance from our Airbnb to the ferry port to Yakushima, and from the arrival port to our hotel with luggage in tow (no small feat, since it was 40 minutes in the middle of the day on a tropical island, mostly uphill!), we walked basically everywhere around town, more than we needed to really, we went snorkeling and swimming for most of one day and ended it with an impromptu trip to one of Japan's most famous waterfalls without worrying if the hike would be too tricky (it wasn't, but still gorgeous!), we did the full-day hike I had hoped for and got to check out Yayoi Sugi and Jomon Sugi, and on the last day I did my first kayaking trip from the ocean bay up the Anbo river until we hit a spot to go snorkeling and swimming before our trip back. We even did a late night hike to the outskirts of town to watch the Perseieds meteor shower at midnight (which we hadn't known was happening until it started MID-FIREWORKS FESTIVAL IT WAS SO COOL). I've never gone kayaking before, much less in a river with such a strong current, I've never done a forest hike before (mountains yes, forests no), and this was only the second time I've hiked up to the base of a waterfall...I feel quite proud of myself! And we even walked our way back to the ferry port and the airport shuttles with luggage in tow, so...yeah, I feel strong and accomplished. Also, I got to check my Overnight at Summer Sonic goal off of my list as well as Yakushima, and got through that festival with no injuries or heat stroke, so I haven't felt this good about myself in a while. I hope I can parlay that momentum into getting back on track overall now!

I DID IT! Just got back from our trip to Yakushima and I can now strike that item off of the list...it was SO worth it! I haven't done a proper forest hike before (mountains, yeah, growing up in Boulder, but mountains WITH forests? Never!) and I was pretty nervous tackling it at the height of summer and typhoon season, but we literally just missed a typhoon upon arrival (day before flights were cancelled) and had gorgeous, sunny weather with fairly low humidity all week, and only a single mild shower plus the usual tropical Japan heat and humidity to deal with the day of the hike. The trail to Yayoi Sugi was pretty easy but the later trail up to Jomon Sugi was a lot tougher once we got past stop 6, and since it's been so long since I've hiked, I am very glad we got a guide to help out with sticking to the trail, especially since it was @purplebug's first serious hike. But we did it! 6 hours hiking through a World Heritage-designated natural site, visiting some of the oldest trees in the world, drinking some of the cleanest, freshest water I've ever tasted, keeping an eye out for kodamas, and eating lunch in the Mononoke Mori...given that I haven't done hardly any hiking since getting sick, I feel very, very proud of myself. Right, next up, back to the mountains!

Hey! Sorry, I stopped getting notifications from the site and just got back on for the first time in forever (thanks, life stress)...these recipes and sites look amazing! Thanks so much, guys, I'll have to try them out (and a super-big thanks to @Guzzi, those are some epic recipe suggestions that I can't wait to give a shot)!

Yakushima is part of Kagoshima, just south of Kyushu proper, and an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its ancient cedar forests and mountains. I don't think any of them are considered holy, but one of the oldest trees in the world is located there, as well as it being the inspiration for Princess Mononoke (mostly the setting, but also the man vs. nature part since one issue in Yakushima's past was the early Japanese logging industry). It's not the same as a mountain hike but I've heard from so, so many people all over the world that the forest hikes and even the small mountain hikes are stunning and a must-do, and it's been on my bucket list since before I moved here, so I'm really thrilled to get a chance to go at last! Good luck with your mountain quest! I've only done Fuji, but I wish I'd done the rest before my doctors put the kibosh on strenuous hikes. I hope all three go great for you!