running

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Much needed whimsy

Not that I would ever be happy working late every day, but it is really nice to get a workout out of the way first thing in the morning, then go about the rest of my day. I did slow my pace this time and didn’t wear the weights, but I bumped up the incline. And I still love this set of Venture missions. They’re so interesting!

Soooooo, McDonald’s is doing a Hello Kitty and Godzilla collab, and much like with the Kpop Demon Hunters collab, I headed out to see if I could score a cool toy. I didn’t get the one I wanted, but it’s still cute! And a kid’s meal of 4 nuggets and tiny fries is only around 300-400 calories. Other than feeling blegch for eating McDonald’s at all, it didn’t destroy my caloric deficit for the day. I was able to score some yu choy on sale, and the little tweak of using the mini ramen still worked for keeping overall calories under control. It’s so sad how tickled I am about that toy. I will take any bit of cuteness I get my hands on. Yes, I will try a different store to see if I can get the Hello Kitty or Cinnamoroll toys. They just tailor-made this to mine my wallet, didn’t they…

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: There’s gonna be more!

Ever since I got the email that Zombies Run! will be releasing new episodes soon, I’ve been motivated to finish off more of the Venture missions in preparation for the new ones. I’m still doing intervals and have kicked up the speed to 4mph when I run. It’s harder but worth it. I feel so accomplished afterwards. I still run with the weights on my wrists and try to focus on using my thighs more than my calves. My calves are huge now.

Between a quick walk to the store to get some veggies on sale and bathroom cleaner, I think I had a pretty good day!

Lunch was the last of the hot dog and egg combo with some veggies I threw in before I went to work. After that run, I was too tired to get all involved with cooking or chopping up anything, so popcorn it was for the evening. I have nothing prepped for tomorrow. That’s gonna be an interesting morning… We’ll see how tired I am when I finally crawl outta bed and what’s leftover after my son raids the fridge.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Did I break the plateau?

I need to get back to posting workouts when I do them instead of a random day when I think, “Hey, I haven’t done that in a while. I should do that.” But anyway, with the washer and dryer back up and connected, I don’t feel anxiety about producing any extra dirty clothes than absolutely necessary, and I’m back to my regular workouts. I’m still running with the weights on my arms and incorporating more body weight stuff. I think it’s working because my weight FINALLY dipped under 205. Perhaps I shouldn’t be all excited for losing one pound, but I was stuck for so long; I will take any victory I can.

The random tomato plant in my yard is producing a bunch of fantastic little fruits, and I have been throwing them into whatever or just eating them straight up. Given that I repeat a lot of meals, I limited the pictures. There’s no point in posting the same thing over and over. One hard lesson I learned is that not every food will tolerate my 3-day limit. The cute little hot dog, rice, and egg will work if I prep it on Sunday and eat it Monday and Tuesday. If I stretch it to Wednesday, I get sick. I think it’s the egg, to be honest. That’s fine. I’m good with bringing in some other meal. To save money, I have been using some frozen vegetables. I’m sure I’m violating some kind of rice commandment by putting seasoning and beans right in the rice maker along with the rice (that I did wash, of course). I’ve also limited my alcohol to weekends, and I miss my little nightcaps so much. But I can’t have them; it’s not good for me, it’s a bad coping mechanism, and it’s empty calories. Drinks should be a sometimes treat, not a nightly event. I hope this finally broke the plateau. Let’s see how the next week goes.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Quick workout dump – 50 days to go

Since NYCC is fast approaching and I picked a formfitting dress cosplay, I am feeling the crunch. Since the repairs are mostly done and I’ve released two short stories to hopefully get some sales (the smutty pen name), I’m moving back into running. The sessions are short for now but they are more intense. I upped the speed to 4mph and put 1lb weights on my wrists for that run today. And I’m just happy to be back on Zombies Run! I missed it.

There are clearly some missing meals and that’s just because I didn’t take pictures. I mostly ate well save for hitting up a pizza place and gelato with my son at Flame Con (I had the little cup). And I cleared 10k steps, it’s fine. Anytime I go to a con or head into the city, I log a ton of steps. The only workouts I do on days like that are stretching and squats. Maybe a hundred crunches if I’m feeling feisty. But, I think I’m not doing too bad! I think with all the stress I’ve been under, the running will do me good.

 

 Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Weekend Warrior

Since I’m trying to get these side gigs to make enough money to dig me out of the hole I’m in, I’ve been sticking to shorter workouts during the week and longer ones on the weekends. I’m also back to the desk peddler. It was amazing to make it through that long run even if I had to powerwalk for the last interval. It reminds me that I can physically do these workouts; it’s just hard to find the time.

I’ve been leaving out the ramen noodles from my daily lunches. And it’s really easy to batch cook rice and portion it out for meals for the rest of the week. I did get takeout once, but it lasted me 3 meals. Not bad considering how much it is to order out these days. Most of the time, I’ve been making do with whatever is in the house, which explains meals that are simply rice and a protein. I don’t mind it much. It makes things easy when I’m exhausted and don’t want to cook when I get home. I can tell this is making some good changes. I’m not as hungry, things are timed well around what I need to do every day, and I use fewer dishes! Wins all around.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Stuck but still trying!

(Image Source)

I am doing my best to not only continue going on the treadmill in this heat, but incorporating more strength training aside for my morning and evening 60 squats. Parts of me that I’m not used to are sore but I welcome it. I did have to redo a workout since the heat was so bad, I missed an interval but today, I made it!

I’m also trying out more types of meals so I’m not eating the same thing every day. I honestly don’t mind my usual Itaki meals. This way, I can get different nutrients and eat a wider variety of vegetables. Garlic scapes came back so of course I made chimichurri again. And when I made a sandwich with that bagel, I was too lazy to put away whatever tomato didn’t fit on it and just ate the whole thing. I doubt its such a bad thing to eat more vegetables. I’m also on a baby broccoli/broccolini trend right now. Just, again, to switch things up a bit. I’m still stuck around 206 and that will probably go up a little while I build muscle. I can tell by body is changing because I wore a crop top in public and nobody’s eyes starting melting out of their heads from the horror. Things are looking up!

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: I feel good! Mostly…

Even though I’ve had to scale back a little on some days to walking because I’m sore from the running days, I still feel amazing. I’m working out more often than not, my pace is decent, and my endurance is getting better every day! Even with the heat, I’m noticing a difference. The scale hasn’t moved, but my clothes are getting loose. I still need to take more time to do strength training, but I still do 60 squats every morning and night while I’m brushing my teeth.

I am trying to eat smaller portions when it’s not a meal of mostly vegetables. I’m certain I’m getting enough nutrients since almost all of my fingernails have grown back properly. I do need to worry about my blood pressure. I don’t think it’s the salt I’m eating, since I’ve been lowering that in most meals. Stress is a factor, I’m certain of it. That’s partly why I’m working on more frequent workouts, lowering my salt even more, and solving the source of 90% of my stress: my finances. I’m budgeting wherever I can for now and looking into some gig or part-time work. I know I’ll feel better once I pay down some debt.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: I need more!

I already miss the new missions… I do wonder if they’re going to continue right from where season 11 left off now that they’ve done these ‘we’re back’ missions. Either way, I gotta say again how glad I am for this app to be back in its normal state. As for me, running is getting easier, despite how horrid I perform in the heat. My stamina is increasing, and according to my scale, my body fat percentage is trending down. My actual weight hasn’t moved, but I’ll take more muscle. I don’t want to be skinny, I want to maintain my mobility as I age. I’m 45. It’s all downhill from here.

 

I have been trying to eat more fruit. That pear looks so damn funny in that picture. Just this random fucking ball on the screen. I did end up having takeout for lunch one day and tried another one of those microwave meals from Trader Joe’s. I gotta say, I think I spoiled myself by having the Itaki and having food that so fresh or that I cooked myself. Microwave meals just aren’t for me. Plus, I don’t feel so good after eating them. Not as bad as when I eat fast food, but I can tell my body isn’t happy with it.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Game on

Does posting the notes count as spoilers? I sure hope not…

I love how shamelessly nerdy this app is. I was never a tabletop gaming person but this was still really fun. And the intervals are getting longer. I was able to get through them like a champ. I felt AMAZING after this run, even though I was really tired after work. I’m glad I did it anyway.

I am back to my signature lunches. Since they’re around 500 calories, I wasn’t very hungry after my run. I just made some popcorn. It’s also cheap. I think it was a good day! I feel pretty energized considering PMS is kicking in. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

 

atthequillsmercy

Workout Dump: Welcome Back!

I am so happy to see Zombies Run back to how it used to be. I swear, I can hear it in the voice acting; the joy at getting back to what made the app awesome in the first place. It is a happy accident that things are more routine after my son’s surgery, and I can start running again. It feels great to be moving, even if I’m sore.

The medical bills and rising cost of… Everything has me getting more creative with my meals. I try to have more fruit, get jarred sauce on sale while I wait for my plants to grow, and use cheaper vegetables when I don’t buy the frozen ones. I make sure to take stock of what’s in my home and make do with what I have before I spend any more money on groceries than I absolutely have to. I think it’s going okay so far, but I am so stoked to see what my little indoor garden will give me in a few weeks. It’s going to be a very stressful summer, but I’ll deal with things as they come.