run at any size

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Longer Workouts and Adjustments

I finished the pirate missions and now I’m working through this spirit quest like one? It’s really interesting! I can’t always run but then I walk; trying to get in at least 40 minutes when there’s space in my schedule. Overtime hours are available again and instead of sleeping in longer, I get up and work out before I go in. I even managed to destroy the seam on another pair of running pants. Odd that I take that as a win… But I’ve also noticed more loose skin on my thighs even if the scale hasn’t moved as much as I’d like.

After the big clean out for the new fridge, I have been trying to use up more of the stuff I had in the freezer. It may be odd to be thinking “Gosh, I gotta eat all this bacon” because it’s on auto ship with my Butcher Box order (free bacon for life, baby) but I kept not eating it since it’s unhealthy. Then it just built up. BLT salads are a great way for me to get protein with my salads while taking a break from tuna. With grocery prices the way they are, I only buy things on sale and the bacon I have in the house is better for my wallet than going out to buy full-price tuna. And since I’m militant about calorie counting, I still log everything to make sure I’m in a calorie deficit, drink plenty of water, and try to keep averaging 7k steps a day. And honestly, even the piddly 20 wall pushups, 100 crunches, and 100 squats are making a difference. I have noticed I am stronger. I don’t get winded as quickly, I can pick up heavier things, and stuff I normally could lift, I can hold longer. This is not to say that moving large things like a mini fridge doesn’t result in muscle pain (I keep my Saxenda in a small fridge in my room, and I got a new one that has a self-defrost) but I did it. I did it all by myself. I do need to chill on the carbs more, though. And up my protein. I’m slowly building muscle and I want to keep that train rolling.

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atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Yo Ho!

While the steps are still kinda off in Zombies Run, I’m liking these side missions. Unlike most of the other missions, the running isn’t incorporated into the story as much. In the others, a character will work telling you to run into the script. Not a bad thing, just something I noticed. I enjoy running with these stories regardless.

I’ve been playing around with some different meals these days. Misfits Market had mini sardines and those were a nice change from tuna. There was a mishap with an order I placed with Weee (the mishap being me ordering, getting an email my order was cancelled, redoing the order, then getting BOTH orders), I have an overabundance of broccoli. I’ve been putting it in any applicable meal. The bacon situation is similar: I get free bacon with every Butcher Box order, and I’ve been adding it to more meals. One of those is clearly healthier than the other, but hey, protein is protein, and I don’t wanna waste anything and having tuna all the time gets boring! And bacon is delicious.

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atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Doodles

I normally don’t post the little notes I get from Zombies Run but this one from Sam is just too damn adorable! I really like these training missions! It’s so nostalgic with all the people I heard from way back in season one of the app coming back. And you’ll see I did one mission twice and that’s because I didn’t notice that it hadn’t been marked complete the first time. I just did it again. No biggie. Steps are steps.

I’m making good progress on cleaning out the freezer, which is why I made a random Cornish game hen in the middle of the summer. I don’t want to put the oven on but I also don’t want to waste food. I’m already tossing out a lot of random stuff I’ve unearthed and whenever I do, I hear my mother’s voice telling me that wasting food is a sin. I assuage my guilt by promising not to overbuy things in the future.

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atthequillsmercy

“Today’s” Workout: There’s clearly a problem

I honestly couldn’t tell you what the hell is going on with my Zombies Run app but I have made so many stride length adjustments since the last couple updates to the app and it just will not count my steps unless I’m shaking the phone like a damn maracca. I have my watch as a backup which shows the real step count, pace, and distance but the stats in ZR used to matter to me in terms of seeing my improvements or lack thereof. Now it’s all gone to shit. The 5k trainer within the app is great. I find it really encouraging. The intervals are different from Just Run which gives me some variety to make sure my body doesn’t get used to things and has a challenge. Every other app is tracking my steps just fine but I don’t know what is up with Zombies Run and my lazy googling hasn’t uncovered any other people having this issue. I’m trying for a 90 day workout challenge to try and burn off these last few pounds before NYCC and while this isn’t helping, it’s not hindering me either. I’m moving and that’s what counts. Any other day I’m not running, I’m on the desk bike or desk peddler.

My food has been interesting since I’ve been having my fingernails detach again. I’m doubling up on my multivitamins and switching some other things up. That salad is basically what I had in that croissant sandwich but in a salad without the bread. Those wasabi almonds are fantastic while I’m feeling peckish and I’ve been making progress on cleaning out the deep freezer/fridge by making things like that huge ass lamb leg. I baked it with potatoes and vegetables, then portioned it out for the week. I hate having to use the oven in the summer but, this stuff needs to be cooked and eaten. It’s all part of the big clean-out I’m doing of the whole house. If I can’t eat it, wear it, use it, or sell it, it’s going in the trash. Hopefully, I’ll sell enough stuff that I can give the sanitation workers a HUGE tip this year. They fucking deserve it considering what I’ve put them through.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Different stuff!!

Yup, I’m back at running and found a set of missions I haven’t done yet. I’m running out of those… Ha, puns… Anyway, this is a cute story so far with some honestly low stakes. I haven’t seen how zombies would fit into this if at all but, it’s silly and fun.

This may look like a strange day food wise but, I consider it a success. I always talk about how little fruit I eat and I got two servings in! I had to physically hide them from my child who will see a handful of apples and a box of strawberries and eat ALL of them before I even get a chance. Hell, I should be glad my child will eat fruit and vegetables willingly but, for me to not even get a nibble isn’t fair. The night before, I’d made taco bowls and set some up for lunch. It was so, SO much for my stomach that dinner was a mini bagel and strawberries. I am also aware that the avocado soaking in lemon juice like that probably looks gross but it tasted delicious and packing the cold and hot ingredients separately made everything the right sensory experience; warm meat rice but cool crunchy lettuce (and scallions). It’s a pain in the butt to get it to work and uses a lot of dishes but I was still happy with it.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Atlantis!

I love me some Atlantis stories. And I like how my role as a character changes mission to mission. Sometimes they do a riff on the number 5 and sometimes they just give me a new job like in this one; which is a hunter of sorts. It’s a classic with a silly professor and the guy who hired ‘me’ is shady as fuck and we’re after some magical macguffin. I’m enjoying it!

I used up the rest of the dumplings and rice for lunch and – since the fridge clean out is still in progress – I added broccoli from the freezer. I used more of it with dinner which was lemon pasta with spring garlic and parmesan. I made enough to pack for lunch tomorrow and dinner for the kid (if he eats it). I used an olive oil, butter, and pasta water mix for the sauce with that lemon olive oil from Trader Joe’s. That stuff is so great for cooking. I may need to find a cheap way for me to make it myself.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Taking advantage of laundry day

It’s probably not a good idea to admit how many workouts I’ve done that were spurred on by dirty clothes. Back when I only had one decent sports bra, I would literally put the damn thing on first thing on the morning to make sure I felt gross enough to do a workout to justify a shower because I let that filthy thing touch my skin. This isn’t the case these days but still, if I’m gonna have a morning to kill, I might as well mess up a sports bra with the promise that it would be clean by the end of the day. The method to my laundry madness is I do my bedding first since making the bed sucks. Hey, I’ll take any type of motivation. I’d used that back in lockdown; I’d put on my workout clothes first thing, then make sure I’d had a reason to put them on. Using my aversion to being filthy to workout is a little hack I’ve discovered. I dunno if I’d recommend it to anyone else.

I will freely admit that part of my motivation to run in the morning was that once I was done, I’d pop by my favorite bagel place for that and an iced coffee, only to find that they were closed. Look, my very Pagan Witch self forgets what non-Pagan holidays are happening sometimes, but I hid my very inconsequential problem by having a salad after my run. I did chores for the rest of the day and had the very lame victory of an empty hamper by bedtime. I had some steak and a potato laying around. I made myself some hand cut fries that were damn good! It’s pretty easy to have fries soaking and drying to fry properly when you’re doing a bunch of other cleaning around it. I even double fried them! Gosh, I’m so fancy. Or I’m seeing what cost-cutting measures I can take as the world burns down around me….

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Yikes on trikes

I try not to talk too much about the missions to avoid spoiling something for the 2 people who read this blog but, I gotta say, I’m not sure I like Evil Sam. The main story has him as this loveable, competent guy that hearing him be unhinged was off-putting. Props to the voice actor because, WOW. As for the workout itself, it went fine despite my knee hurting at various times of the day. I mean it would feel fine the entire run but once I went to walk down the stairs to make dinner, I’d get a twinge of pain. Very annoying…

I’d gotten a bakery set from Weee and decided to try the melon bread for breakfast. It was really good and perfect to just grab and go. Lunch was my usual but for dinner, garlic scapes are back in season and I LOVE those. I made pasta and cut up some Italian sausage, added olive oil, and put some flaked salt on top. Absolutely delicious and satisfying after a run and I only used one pot. All together, it was all under 1000 calories so, my caloric deficit is doing very well.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Bittersweet

While I am stoked to be running again, it’s a huge downer to know that the app I love to use is dying.

I see they’re trying to sound optimistic but with the world the way it is, I don’t hold out much hope. It would be a damn shame to lose this app. I’ve been using it for years and really enjoy it.

I had an English Muffin for breakfast with a touch of butter but there’s no picture because I ate it in the car. Lunch was my usual Itaki and I decided to give avocado toast a try for dinner. I put salt, pepper, and lemon juice on it and even though I cut it into smaller pieces, it still was a mess to eat. I gotta say though, this was so refreshing to eat after my run. I think a whole avocado was a bit much but I was feeling lazy and didn’t feel like dealing with storing leftovers.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Getting better!

I can tell I’m hitting my stride. My form isn’t always the best which leads to a little back pain but my legs are getting stronger and my stamina is increasing. If things start to get too easy, I’ll be upping my speed on the run intervals. My pace could use some improvement.

I’d gone to the pharmacy and snagged some almonds on sale. They make a great quick breakfast and paired well with the latte I tried. Probably won’t buy any more canned coffee for a while since I have so much instant and ground coffee. I’ve been enjoying green beans in my Itaki and I finished off that chicken parm for dinner. The place we ordered from was really good. I’d totally get those again. I think the carbs are worthwhile with all the cardio I’ve been doing and it was just nice and cozy end to the day. It’s so good to be running again even if it’s slow going for now.

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