Tzippi Longstockings Starts Again

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I have a week between challenges, and I hope to not let it slide too much, but preparation for the seder on Saturday is going to take precedence over some things. I made matzah, but now need to worry about eggs, charoset, maror, karpas, and dinner itself, which I'm thinking will be"

 

Vegetarian chopped "liver"

Israeli salad

Lentil soup

Roasted veggies over quinoa pilaf

Macaroons and fresh fruit

 

In the meantime, I'm eating a lot of egg or tuna salad on matzah with a side of sauerkraut. I'm hoping to get myself really into sauerkraut and other fermented veggies. So far, it's good, but I only want a tiny bit at a time. I'll just keep eating it, in an attempt to get my body craving all the probiotics that come with it. I already like cabbage, after all.

 

 

Apart from that, I have Sabaku no Hana this Thursday, and I need to find a haggadah this week to use for the seder. And i want to get started on my "Got my Wings" goal for next challenge and read the parshah and some commentaries today. And, if I can, sneak out an do some bodyweight rows or some burpees somewhere I won't be seen. I wish I had a key card for the school gym. It's mostly machines, but I think there are some free weights and a smith machine for inverted rows.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Testing out my Pivotal Living band, so far it's okay, for the way I'm able to use it. Since my smart phone runs such an old version of Android OS, i can't use the app, but I can wear the band as a basic step tracker and watch. Only downside is that I can't fix the time without syncing to an app, and it is currently about 13 minutes slow. And I would much rather 13 minutes fast than 13 slow.

Other than that, I ran a quick test, wearing the band and holding my phone as I went for a walk around campus.

Band

508

0.30

25 cal

Walk Logger

476

.36

25 cal

Close enough. I honestly don't care much about whether my tracker is absolutely accurate, as long as it is reasonably steady in its over- or under-approximation. Also without the app, I'll have to write down my numbers at the end of each day, but that would be a good excuse to log on every singe day to update. I'll see if it shows any of the static issues that have been reported, but as it, this should see me through my 50,000 steps/ week goal I have set for the next challenge. If I see problems, I'll pick up one of those cheapio clip=on pedometers at the Edion and use that.

Food isn't great today (it never is, on days when I'm stuck at my desk all day), but at least I have time to run before the taiko group dinner tonight. I had an enkai last night, too (for school). The big banquet-style work/drinking parties can be either fun or really annoying, depending on who you are sitting near, whether you're drinking, and whether you have a bunch of dietary restrictions. ah well.

Remembering how tracking food works. Boy, does a good, filling breakfast make a difference! Well, I won't let my husband talk me into staying up late any more this week - I will get up early enough to have eggs or something for breakfast, and make some more adai batter when the stuff gets here in the mail (I'm out of split peas and lentils). I will definitely go over today, since I'll be going out to eat with the taiko group, but I'll have a protein shake right before bed, which should help. Then tomorrow? SALADE NICOISE!

Pivotal Living tracker (need a name for this thing) says I'm at 8491 steps as of 6:22, after a forty-minute run.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Last night ended with a big feasty-feast, which went great! I had tons of different vegetables, some egg, some fried tofu, and a piece of fish. And I had one sake, but otherwise a lot of oolong tea. I ended the night with 9,500ish steps! which, for a 40-minute run and a few ambles around the school, is very doable!

I have also decided on a name for my pedometer-band. Most of my gadgets have Discworld-themed names (my tablet is Hex, my iPod is Nanny Ogg, my phone is Twoflower and my thumb drive is "the Luggage"). So my pedometer, which keeps me marching, but also unobtrusively is unobtrusively there, is hereby named Willikins (potential spoilers for the Discworld Books)

"Shall we prod buttock, sir?"

Anyway, this morning I got up earlyish and made matzah brei with leeks and salsa for breakfast, with some broccoli on the side. Mine had a higher egg-to-matzah ratio, though, and grilled leeks (snack of the Dovakiin! recipe here, including a bacon-wrapped one, for all you carnivores. in it. I like my matzah brei savory.

Finished the day really tired and dragging, after taiko. But I hit 11342 steps!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Today so far is less good. I'm in a better mood than last night, but only barely. I slept okay, but only got up early enough for matzah with butter and jam - no half so filling as matzah brei. Anyway, I'm handing sabaku no Hana over this week, because I need to time to rest before this weekend, and get at least one dish prepared for the seder. (I figure I can put together the vegetarian fake "chopped liver" and maybe make a smallish plate of matzah roca and/or macaroons to be dessert. Tomorrow I can roast the veggies and prep the pilaf, then Saturday i only have to worry about the seder plate itself, lentil soup (easy, as long as I don't burn it), and some sort of salad, which I can easily leave to my husband.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I have three guests for Saturday's seder! It'll be a bit of a squeeze in our small place, but so much the better. Menu is:

 

Vegetarian "chopped liver" with crudite's (I don't know how to put an accent aigu on with this keyboard)

Salad (either Israeli or basic green)

Lentil soup

Roasted spring vegetables atop a lemon quinoa pilaf

Matzah (natch)

Macaroons with fresh fruit

Wine

 

So tonight (Thursday) is cooking night. I'll try to get some reps in when things are baking ot cooling or whatever. 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay, so fifth challenge went pretty well, but I mean to hit the next one harder. 

Goals:

Getting back into regular running and bodyweight, ON TOP OF the steps.

Eating more. I got to the point where I've been undereating a lot, which is bad.

More bedtime stretches!

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay, this week so far, steps are as follows:

Monday - 9,736

Tuesday - 11,699

Wednesday - 12,833

 

Food has been meh, and evenings a complete wreck. That;s getting fixed tonight - I am going to shower, then stretch, and have a nice earlyish bedtime.

 

Oh, in non-fitness-related news, we've decided to move back to Boise in September. I'm hoping to take advantage of the foothills for my running and the Greenbelt which runs along the river for cycling. Also looking forward to getting back to more plentiful fruits and vegetables.

 

That said, I have plenty of goals to keep me going in Japan:

* Riding the Shimanami Kaido again!

* Climbing Mt. Ishizuchi

* Keep practicing taiko, and be ready to perform at OnMaku (late summer festival)

* Learn a few more Japanese dishes, especially tsukemono!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

celebrating the new start with a new avatar! Yes, that's Tex and Church. d'awww.

 

So far today (Thursday the 28th of May), I had overnight oats, got a bunch of extra steps in, had a salad (yay!) at Mcdonald's (and also a small fries and fish sandwich - boo!) for lunch, and am looking forward to cleaning time, then teaching sixth period, then the long walk to the station to catch a train home. Hoping to cook (curry or something else left-over-y, maybe hijiki salad) and do a BW tonight. 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Finished Thursday STRONG! 

 

Went home and did a full cycle of the Beginning Bodyweight Workout (I need to find a different acronym than "BBW" for this*)

 

**I am really starting to understand how we get stronger between workouts. I did the full thing, and have no soreness in my triceps! I even tried bumping up the difficulty for a few of the movements, like trying horizontal rows on the lowest bar (could manage 3 reps of about 50-70% up. not yet), and breezing through many of the others. Interestingly, the 1 minute plank was the hardest thing yesterday. i have a few movements I should maybe move up, but I can't do the next one yet, or I can only do the progression I'm on with aid, because I can't balance in that position. Maybe I need to do some more balance-type yoga. Maybe I should do any.**

 

Then I walked to the grocery store (ending Thursday's steps at 16,249! AAAAAAWWWWWWW YIIIISSSSSSSS!), came home and made my uber-protein curry. ate dinner, checked NF, showered, stretched, and was in bed by ten-fifteen.

 

(favorite Katy Perry song. I know it's kind of boring and like everything else, but I love the stupid video, and it makes me want to work out. #unapologetic #unironiclove )

 

Friday morning started great - woke up at 5:40. i should have got up then, but didn't. Either way, managed to make curry eggs and tea for breakfast, get dressed and reasonably pretty, and meet my ride at 7:30. and i packed my lunch (curry again, with an onigiri. I really like curry. I made my husband curry eggs for breakfast, too)

 

Goals for the day - a run when I get back to Imabari, before Shabbat. Veg and fish for dinner, with kiddush wine. lots of stretching.

 

Kittehs love curry!

 

 

* Actually, the program I use is "Start Bodyweight Training", so SBWT! Or is that taken? Stupid acronyms . . .Scottish Borders WoodTurners, Scaled Bi-orthogonal Wavelet Transform, Strength Boost Welding Technology, Smart Beginnings Western Tidewater . . .

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Kind of an embarrassing "achievement" for 2015, but i made my first avatar. which is to say, I opened it in MS Paint, and carefully changed the background color to pink, which necessitated blowing it up to 800x zoom and recoloring individual pixels. New respect for my graphic designer SIL!

 

 

Now to learn how to make gifs . . .

[Tzippi Longstockings]

I wish I had a garden . . .

 

In  other news, I've had a lot of tension in my upper back from all this weight work, and have wanted to get a sports massage, but can't find a place nearby/reputable. So i finally caved and ordered a foam roller, to try to break up some of this muscle mass on my own. Also got some more lentils and split peas, for curry or soup or (now that it's summer) salads to eat cool. i am so jazzed right now, I'm trying to take advantage of it. I don't want to go teach in fifteen minutes, I just want to RUN or LIFT or SWIM or DANCE!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Lots of good work today (Sunday). Green smoothie for breakfast, curry from the big batch for lunch, and a sixty-minute run, followed by some stretching and rolling on the new foam cylinder.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Pinning this here: 

http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins

http://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/quorn-samosas.html?sc_cmp=tp4_aff_1503186

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/rice-and-beans/

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/grain-green-and-bean/

 

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Aaaaaannnnnndddd, a new "off week" after the "meh" performance of my "Blood Gulch" challenge, #6. This coming one is going to be tough, because we'll be travelling almost the entire time, but I'm hopeful. First draft looks like this:

 

STRONGIN’

              BW 2x/week, with resistance bands for pull ups/rows if I don’t have easy access to a bar. If, for some reason, I get an opportunity to climb, that will more than suffice for one of these.

 

SWIMMIN’

              Every morning, the three places I know I’ll have access to a pool – Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Boise. Minimum 20 minutes of “my†aqua exercise:

Tread water to failure. Grab side of pool. Kick against side of pool to failure. Aqua port de bras. Repeat until it’s been at least twenty minutes. I can also swim, but with hair and stuff . . .

 

WALKIN’

              105,000 steps per week, which is 15000 steps/day. Adding 500 to my previous amount. On touristing days, this shouldn’t be hard, but it will also encourage more breaks during long drives to get out and move for a bit.

              Hike once in each of three locations, minimum. Kyoto, Lake Biwa, Yosemite, Portland area, LA area, Spokane area, Boise area.

              Hit Mt. Ishizuchi once more OR cycle Shimanami Kaido again before leaving Imabari.

              Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto.

 

EATIN’

              Every meal has vegetables. If there’s a reason that can’t happen, extra veggies next time. Also, one serving of leafy greens/day.

              7 sweets/week?

              Hydrate, keep track of water.

              Prep car snacks – veggies and hummus, wheaty/granola-y crackers if needed for car tummy. Water and tea to drink. Stock up at Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods in bigger cities. Pack some extra water, knife, bags, and a cutting board in the car so we can stop at grocery stores as well.  

 

SPECIAL DAYS

              August 1^st and 2^nd – ONMAKU Festival, and last Taiko performance.

              August 3 – last day in our apartment

              Thursday August 6^th – board the bus to Kyoto

              Tuesday, August 11^th – fly from KIX (Osaka) to SFO (San Francisco)

 

In other news, I went for my first run in quite some time last week, after being mad as hell that the city gym was just "closed", with no warning, for . . . I couldn't quite understand how long. I get there's an event, but I can use the weight room for 30 minutes? Grr. Anyway, went out toward Matsuyama and did a whole miserable hour in humidity. Never again. Got home woozy and ill and blech. Food was good yesterday. But then I slept in, so I'm eating a donut for breakfast. Need to try egg muffins again, or just make a big tortilla de patatas (and zucchini? or spinch?) to eat on rough mornings. Taiko tonight, and lunch (two salads and some cashews), obtained already.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Today had some unfun emotional time. But I then did five reps of this:

And I have a taiko performance tonight. So things are looking way up. Also, a mere twelve days until leaving Japan!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Taiko in the morning. Beach volleyball and beach toddler-sitting from noon to five. Exhausted.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Just uninstalled several programs from her work computer, navigating only by katakana-ized English computer terms and what little technical know-how she has learned from being married to an IT guy!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Well, I succeeded in my very meager goals for the weekend, and now my family and some friends know, so I'll feel less stressed and like I'm constantly lying. Also, the warm temperatures and rain mean that my usual lunchtime walk (scoped it out on the drive in to work) is now dry and ice-free! I didn't pack a lunch today, but with my walk available again, I'll get back in the habit!

 

Really excited for highs in the 40s all week. I can already see large sections of my lawn, which I haven't seen since mid-December. They're mostly mud puddles, but tant pis.

 

Trying to do research about what's best to do, and it seems mostly to just do what I know is good for me anyway. So with the ground thawing, the sky lightening, and my stomach finally starting to cooperate, I think it's about time to get back outside!

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Fell off the breakfast wagon this morning due to: A.) lack of smoothie supplies, and B.) only slept a little over six hours. UGH. Tibba (nickname of fetus - short for T.B.A.) does not approve. So I had my first breakfast at Starbucks for weeks. It was ok. Better than no breakfast, but not as good as a smoothie and some cereal. Good news is I hit the store on the way in and picked up some full-fat Greek yogurt (I've learned I hate the no-fat stuff, but love the full-fat, so on I go with it!) and some fruit for snacks. So I should be able to keep up my fruit and veg intake over the gap week. Trying to decide now what theme to do for the next time - the Reach? the Riverlands? the Crownlands? Dragonstone? or take a jaunt across the Narrow Sea to Essos, even?

 

Ooh! a Sellsword company challenge, maybe. Do the Second sons with [REDACTED] and Oberyn Martell, The Windblown with [REDACTED], The Golden Company with Griff and Young Griff (actually [REDACTED] and almost certainly [REDACTED]), The Company of the Rose with the Northern exiles who refused to bend the knee with Torrhen Stark in 1 AC, maybe even the Brave Companions, even though screw those guys. 

 

Goals for the next few days:

 

Go through all workout clothes, be rid of ones that are either waay too small or always fitted badly (those tight, too-short tanks that I spend my whole run tugging down. Boo.). Clear a drawer for all my workout clothes that fit. Know what workout clothes I actually have.

 

Call my friend to get some feedback before calling the birthing center and getting all set up.

 

Doing some research on better bras, because this nonsense I've got going on now is nonsense.

 

Make something freezable - probably a big curry.

 

Whoo! Went and did my elevated push-ups and air squats while steeping my tea, and am a little winded! If the weather holds (which it should), I'll go for a 20-30 minute walk at lunch.

 

21 minutes' walk at lunch, and a plan for after work, including a shopping trip and my email for the synagogue.

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

This needs to be here:

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Set up a Bullet Journal! So far, it is tons of fun, and I care more about working on it than a different planner, because it also has places for journaling, doodling, etc, because I make it as I go along! Warning: do not google or pinterest unless you feel like losing some time.

 

Went for a longish walk at lunch, and because of one massive hill in the middle of the reserve, got seven flights of stairs today! Usually, I get none!

 

https://parks.cityofboise.org/parks-locations/parks/hyatt-hidden-lakes-reserve/

 

 

 

Reserve is currently much deader-looking than this.

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast today was good, as were snacks. Lunch was not so good (fast food fish sandwiches [2]). But then I took a 40-minute walk. But those things don't even themselves out. I'm trying not to be too obsessive but also not get way too lenient about food. I know I should gain some weight, but I was overweight to start with. But I should eat and not deny myself, even sometimes snacks to keep my blood sugar up, but I also shouldn't eat every time the idea of food pops into my head. It's a rough balance.

 

Movie night tonight, to see Logan. I need to remember to pack some tissues. I hear they'll be needed.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

It's 2020 and everything is new. I am once again attempting to spawn a n00b, and as such I need to think about eating right and moving my body. Depending on what the next half a month brings, I may start the next challenge very differently, but we'll see. Eating a little better, resisting office snacks. Sleeping a lot. 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Back to a job that I love. Some of you may remember when I was unemployed for half a year, and went to run D&D for my friend's students twice a week. Well, now I am working at that school,  running two sections of SCION, an English class, a Life Skills class, and general teacher aide-ing. I love it, and by not sitting at a desk eating all day, I have already lost ten pounds. 

 

Still ttc, need to work on cutting back down on sugary caffeine, and then caffeine in general. Have access to hot water, so I can make genmaicha or black tea with a splash of milk. School lunch doesn't always have a veg option, but does always have a good salad bar and hard boiled eggs. Now to work in a bit more exercise in the course of a day, and a better breakfast than the Starbucks drive thru.

 

Long, intricate fanfic writing project with my friend keeping me A.) creatively inspired, and B.) inspired to work out and trek. 

 

Went for a hikelet in the bird sanctuary near our house with Mr. Longstockings and weeStockings. Ran along with the little guy (he's two and a half) a bit, ran ahead and back while the two of them looked at a plant or bird, did a few box jumps onto a low stone wall, and carried weeStockings back to the car at the end, so a pretty good workout.

 

Then did some light gardening - got sun, fresh air, and some weeding done. Feeling very good - just waiting to be sure before planting sstuff.

 

Plans for Plants for this year:

 

Runner Beans

Tomatoes (Cherry and paste)

Ground Cherries

Lettuce

Spinach

Malabar Spinach

Herbs

Winter squash (kabocha, Red kuri, Jarrahdale pumpkins, sugar baby pumpkins)

Summer Squash (rond de nice, yellow squash, pattypans)

Dwarf Okra