Tourennatrix goes to the Xavier Institute - Part 1: Getting Settled

[tourennatrix]

 

You'd think I would be used to it by now, things changing. Seasons pass every year, and every year winter comes. But now, I have to be stronger than ever against the oncoming darkness, learn to harness my powers, focus them. That's why I'm here at the Xavier Institute.

 

Primary focus this round is going to be maintaining some sort of handle on my mornings as winter blows through. Working at 8 most days means waking up before the sun, which is something my body just does not want.

 

Daily Morning Task (pick at least 2):

Breakfast

Shower

PT

Sun Salutations

 

Supplemental tasks/facilitating the above:

-Using a smart alarm to try to wake me up at the “optimal time”, possibly setting up a CAPTCHA to require leaving bed to shut off the alarm.

-Completing the 6-week Sleepio course (already in progress)

-Weekly planning, making sure to plan for (quick) breakfast options.

 

Evenings get some love, too! I can't use the Danger Room yet, but the school has a gym to use until I earn that “privilege.” (On weekends, this is any time after 'morning')

 

Daily Evening Task (pick 1):

Capoeira/Workout

Yoga/Balance

Dance/Mobility

 

-Weekly planning to make sure I get a little bit of everything. Capoeira will be a strict schedule (what with ‘leading class’ and all, yeeps) regardless of whether or not I get sidelined by the winter blehs. The others mostly fall into ‘what feels good today?’ and I still need to make sure I get some variety in!

-Dance and Mobility can be a short 5-minute sessions just to not be a slug for a day. A few laps around the living room with animal drills or one or two songs to dance to. Better if it's longer, but this is “active rest day” material.

 

Also:

I will continue to monitor my water intake because it's so easy to slip when it's not super hot out, and when caffeine becomes a morning staple (trying so hard to avoid this). In addition to putting a focus on breakfast, I am also going to be keeping an eye on snacks at work. Not tracking them per se, but observing snack portion sizes (instead of inhaling an entire bag of crackers). The goal here is to slowly bring it back to actually eating meals, which have been rather scarce this last month or so! Also super bonus if I can shave off some unnecessary expenses on my grocery budget for December!

 

(yes, I spent a ridiculous amount of time making this)

[Mad Hatter]

I like this challenge a lot. I've also been thinking about morning/evening routines and maybe incorporating something into my next challenge, so I might take some, ahem, inspiration from you.  

 

 

[tourennatrix]

Day 0.1 featured a successful morning of PT and sun Salutations. I didn't have breakfast at all because everything in my fridge is weeks old and needs to get thrown out. Water did happen throughout the day but came in sorely under par, because that's how weekends go. This was felt later when I did yoga (again? whaaat? Husband wanted to do it so I made sure it happened. Same routine 2 days in a row while dehydrated, maybe not the best choice? We were both a little nauseous after ) BUT WE SURVIVED AND IT WAS GOOD. Also funny trying to peace out to yoga while the pets were all curious.

 

Day 0.2 started with a shower and a very amusing failure at making protein oatmeal, and forgetting that this week I get to go in to work at 9 instead of 8. Good start!

[raptron]

A friend of Xavier is a friend of mine.  

 

 

[Mad Hatter]

Go you!

[SkiBlue]

On 11/26/2016 at 11:38 PM, tourennatrix said:

Capoeira will be a strict schedule (what with ‘leading class’ and all, yeeps)

 

*insert evil laugh here*

[tourennatrix]

23 minutes ago, SkiBlue said:

 

*insert evil laugh here*

Mine, too, shall be an evil laugh when I get old/new girl to do all of the animal drills (until I start dying. Then it'll be a dying laugh)

[RogueLibrarian]

On 11/26/2016 at 11:38 PM, tourennatrix said:

possibly setting up a CAPTCHA to require leaving bed to shut off the alarm

 

This is hardcore, bud.

[karinajean]

Whew, mutants forever! I am also on team-at-work-at-8AM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tourennatrix]

10 minutes ago, karinajean said:

Whew, mutants forever! I am also on team-at-work-at-8AM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

8am suuuuuucks (mostly because it's wintry time. I could deal in summery time). I used to not have go to go in until 10. Now it switches between 8 and 9 but mostly 8 because once a week I work a half day so I can drive an hour, share my deepest darkest (mutanty?) secrets with a percussionist, and then drive back. 

 

The things I do for personal growth and self-improvement.

[tourennatrix]

Just now, tourennatrix said:

 drive an hour ... and then drive back. 

 

I realize this is some people's daily commute to work, and to them I say "DAYUM WHYY" and then realize it's like 5 miles in the worst traffic ever. Rural Iowa: In town commute is 5 minutes. Any longer than 15, and you probably live in the country or the next town over. 

[tourennatrix]

Day 0.2 Continues.

My protein oatmeal PROTIP*: Do not add the protein powder to the boiling liquid at the same time as the oats. May try again tomorrow.

*I have not successed the protein oatmeal yet. This is not a real protip.

 

Class was interesting in a new and unusual way! Astronaut was there of course, but Girafa also graced us with his presence. And what more we had a super special guest: one of Girafa's kids! Who is somewhere around 6? I can neither confirm nor deny if this kid got kicked in the face. I certainly didn't see it happen, I was too busy not trying to get kicked by an Astronaut. *ahem* Mostly he watched from the sideline and then ran off to play soccer. I took a knee to the head a couple times, but much lighter than last time  I've been getting flustered more lately, and I can't quite figure out why. I might be hitting another plateau (ugh) or might just be dealing with life interrupting going to ALL THE CLASSES. I'll hopefully snap out of it soon, especially once I start doing animal drills like some sort of animal drill-sergeant.

 

EXACTLY like that.

 

[imjustarogue]

Did you google "animal drill sergeant" to find that image? Because I feel like you did and it was the first one that popped up.

[zeroh13]

8 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

 

I realize this is some people's daily commute to work, and to them I say "DAYUM WHYY" and then realize it's like 5 miles in the worst traffic ever. Rural Iowa: In town commute is 5 minutes. Any longer than 15, and you probably live in the country or the next town over. 

My commute is usually somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. But that's because I have to take two buses. That might not be on time or even show up.

 

If I knew how to drive and had a car, my commute would be about 20 minutes.

 

I will also be in the 8/9 am club starting next week.  Probably. I still have to talk to my boss about it.

[tourennatrix]

7 hours ago, black_daquiri said:

Did you google "animal drill sergeant" to find that image? Because I feel like you did and it was the first one that popped up.

 

....well it wasn't the first one... I was really hoping for a better selection, but I wasn't impressed with the kitty ones that showed up and the rest were quotes.

 

SHUT UP I WAS TIRED

[tourennatrix]

Unrelated(ish) but awesome:

 

I have discovered that I can hang from a pull up bar again! Not a dead hang, but an active one, protecting the crap out of my shoulders, but I can hang! Feet off the ground, no assistance

[Mad Hatter]

30 minutes ago, tourennatrix said:

I have discovered that I can hang from a pull up bar again! Not a dead hang, but an active one, protecting the crap out of my shoulders, but I can hang! Feet off the ground, no assistance

 

That's fantastic news! 

[SkiBlue]

10 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

I realize this is some people's daily commute to work, and to them I say "DAYUM WHYY" and then realize it's like 5 miles in the worst traffic ever. Rural Iowa: In town commute is 5 minutes. Any longer than 15, and you probably live in the country or the next town over. 

 

Because that's where work is.  It's only about 30-45 minutes for me, but when I hit traffic, it increases to about an hour. And while technically, my job was described as having an 8:30AM start time, I find that being here by 7:30AM (during the semester) is much better. Mornings and I need to stop being such enemies.

 

9 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

Day 0.2 Continues.

My protein oatmeal PROTIP*: Do not add the protein powder to the boiling liquid at the same time as the oats. May try again tomorrow.

*I have not successed the protein oatmeal yet. This is not a real protip.

 

Whisk the protein powder into the oatmeal AFTER it's finished cooking completely. And add a bit at a time when you do. It'll make all the difference. 

[tourennatrix]

5 minutes ago, SkiBlue said:

And add a bit at a time when you do. It'll make all the difference. 

 

Because SCIENCE? Cooking is weeeeird

[raptron]

Yay shoulder~~!

 

Protein oat advice depends very much on the brand and type of powder, in my experience. I usually use it after the oatmeal is created, but is still hot. 

[tourennatrix]

2 hours ago, SkiBlue said:

 

 

Attempt #2 at the oatmeal was still thoroughly unsuccessful. I only got about half the powder in before it started getting too thick. I will give it at least one more shot before giving up (and if by some miracle I do succeed, I'll probably have to figure it out all over again soon because I think I'll be getting a different brand of powder next time around

 

Despite yesterday's weirdness with food, I still managed to get a "reasonable" amount of protein in throughout the day (quiche for dinner, lunch was my homemade burrito thingy with 2 eggs and about half a chicken sausage). Regardless, I feel rather smashed today. Not in a good way tho. My legs feel kinda awesomely tired for being used so much in class, but the rest of my body is not taking the fatigue very well at all. It's almost bad enough that I want to take the afternoon off work I didn't *think* I slept this poorly... >_<

[Mad Hatter]

1 hour ago, tourennatrix said:

Regardless, I feel rather smashed today. Not in a good way tho. My legs feel kinda awesomely tired for being used so much in class, but the rest of my body is not taking the fatigue very well at all. It's almost bad enough that I want to take the afternoon off work I didn't *think* I slept this poorly... >_<

 

 Hope you get some good sleeps tonight.

[tourennatrix]

Oh yeah, I remembered the other awesome thing from Monday night- at the end if class, I pushed myself up into a bridge! It certainly wasn't a pretty one by any means, and my arms were crazy bent, again to not stretch the front of my shoulder too much.

 

And as I was writing that... Well let me just take a moment here to be impressed with my own strength for a second. I held myself in a "part-way" position without even giving it a second thought. My only concern was not straightening my arms, didn't even occur to me that not going to full extension might be hard. And it wasn't really! Compare that to not being able to push up from the ground at all.... A year ago??

 

It's so easy to get caught up in certain goals (push up, pull ups eventually, "being done with this damned shoulder thing) that it's hard to see other forms of progress until they come around and slap you in the face and say "DAMN IT WOMAN FEEL AWESOME FOR A SECOND GEEZE."

[Mad Hatter]

4 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

DAMN IT WOMAN FEEL AWESOME FOR A SECOND GEEZE."

 

YESSS! Love it!

[raptron]

!!! YES!