stationary bike

atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: And I went to the store…

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In addition to a quick walk to the grocery store on my lunch break (they had canned tuna on sale and me and the kiddo eat a lot of salads with tuna so I try to get it cheap), I did the under desk bike again while I worked my way through some ordering. My director asked me if I could buy a bunch of graphic novels for my collection and hoooooooo boy, do I have an order to put in. If you give me the chance to boost my collection, I’ll gladly take it!

To self promote; I had a random thought about my First Brood Series and went to see how much I had completed of book 4. I’m still working on Dahlia 3 but I think I’ll sneak and update my brain on Emma’s book, too. I put it aside to work on shorter stories but I’m in the mood to work on it. We’ll see what comes of it.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Playing Catch-up

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I’ve been trying to catch up on my book reviews so I can tell I wasn’t as focused on the workout. That’s ok because I’m trying to get through my intense backlog of books. I’m aiming to at least do two posts a day aside from the workout posts.

In food news, I FINALLY got the homemade chips right!

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I had bought some ground wagyu awhile back and since I’m doing my best to eat what’s in the house and not order out, I made smashed wagyu burgers and chips on the side. I got the pretzel bun from here. That’s truffle salt on the top.

Now, the mistake I was making with the chips was not letting them air dry after soaking them. I would just toss them in the oil, resulting in some soggy ass chips and some crispy ones. This time I let them air out for 30 minutes sandwiched in paper towels and they came out perfect. I even got the seasoning right so I don’t feel like I’m going to get sodium poisoning. I had some BBQ seasoning in my cabinet and paired with a little season salt, I have a nice crispy snack!

With the Saxenda, this was a HUGE meal that I ended up dividing in half but it was still amazing. If I ever get a deal on wagyu again, I’d repeat this meal.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Brain Fog

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I haven’t been able to focus on much of anything today. It’s one of those days where I won’t realize I’ve been staring into space for minutes at a time rather than being productive. Hell, I’ve started this blog post three times.

I am so glad I have leftover fried rice because I don’t want to involve fire and knives trying to cook when I’m so sleepy. I didn’t want to skip a day working out so, I made sure to power through and burn those calories. Maybe I’ll get to writing or something today if I get my brain to put the words together.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Cardio Day 1 and Sunday Dinner

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I did some biking while I went through the books on my desk. I have these random piles of things and it was about time I made sure I even need them there. Most of them are withdrawn books I want to read before either selling or disposing of them.

Meanwhile, I had a TON of leftover rice floating around so I used it to make some beef fried rice.

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Yeah, it looks messy but I’m not out here trying to be a food blogger. I’m just trying to get my money’s worth out of my food and getting creative with eating more vegetables. Also, I used a small bowl and it was more than enough to fill me up. My only issue was with adding the scrambled egg. Instead of adding chunks of egg, it just got absorbed by everything else and created an interesting creamy sensation. And I made sure everything was cooked through so there’s no salmonella in my future. I had fun making it and it was satisfying. I’d totally make this a regular meal.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Dreary Day…

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Today was an ideal day to workout at my desk. Its rainy and windy, just the type of day where you don’t want to do anything but cuddle up with a warm drink and a blanket. But, I made sure to get in my third cardio day for the week.

Unfortunately, my scale hasn’t moved much. I’m still fluctuating between 210 and 208 and I’d hoped to be under 200 by now. It’s traditional to want to achieve weight loss goals by the summer and it’s looking like I won’t make it. I know it’s not a be all end all goal, but I’m still disappointed. But, I’m not giving up. I got my new refill of Saxenda and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits to keep on track, even with the occasional treat. This weekend, I’ll start my bodyweight workouts to build some muscle.

I’m still struggling with my salt intake. I’m limiting it but I still love that salty taste. I’m considering Flavor God since they have some low sodium options. I’ll update if I get my hands on some.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: Cardio and What I Cooked Yesterday.

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I did a quick session on the under desk bike while going through some library journals and having a mild heart attack and the cost of the vegetables I regularly eat. I really need to just grow things at home. 

I doubt I’ll be able to grow broccoli but I love to eat it so I’ll have to deal with the cost. I didn’t have any bok choy so I used broccoli and steamed pork tenderloin to make ramen. That first bowl is for my teenager; who I have caught drinking hot sauce from the bottle, hence the pile of chili crisp. I honestly wonder how they taste anything anymore… I sautéed the broccoli in just sesame oil with just a dash of MSG since the ramen I used has plenty of flavor. I think it turned out pretty good and was super filling. Next time, I will have to put some scallions on top.

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Today’s Workout: Cardio and File Updates

I neglected to add .mobi files to my Smashwords library so while I went and did that, I used the under desk bike so I wasn’t totally stationary. I didn’t do it in the beginning because I thought that would mean having to publish on Amazon but, that’s not the case. If people shop there, I’d like them to have the file option available. They’re also on the shop page of this blog, if you’d like to support me directly.

And yes, I took breaks to rest my eyes.

It was more intense than I realized. I went to get up and my thighs were shaking. But that’s good! Anything’s better than being motionless.

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Today’s Workout: Cardio Day 2

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I took a break yesterday to work on a short story that I seriously should have finished by now. I don’t know why I’m having such trouble with it but it’s a SLOG to get the words on the page. There are times where writing is like a wild ride and there are times where writing is WORK. And this story is being so stubborn.

In addition, after my trip to the eye doctor, I have to stop and take more breaks because of blocked oil glands. The doctor asked me “How many books do you read?” and after laughing, I told him my side gig along side being a librarian who’s on screens all day, I write and review books; meaning more screens. I use a warm compress he gave me twice a day at least and it’s both comforting and unnerving being medically forced to take a 10 minute break a couple times a day. But, I need my eyes so, I gotta take care of them.

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Today’s Workout: Biking and How I Make My Lunch At Work

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I’m doing a bunch of training this week and I’m doing a big push at home with my writing and needlework so, I figured biking at work would be best. Once I hit the house, I hang up my coat, snarf down some food, then go to the side work.

But speaking of food, I thought I’d share an example of how I prep and cook my food at work.

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I use my Itaki electric lunch box. What I do is use the containers and prep the ingredients at home.

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I use different meats (I haven’t successfully tried fish yet) and this time was some steak. I slice it up small and marinate it in soy sauce, cumin, paprika, and red pepper. Either I prep it in the morning or the night before but it gets to sit in those seasonings for awhile in the fridge. I’ve also experimented making chicken marinated in lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning. That’s a refreshing meal.

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This box has more capacity so I fill those spots with vegetables. I tried noodles a couple times and rice but on the Saxenda, the carbs are too much and I can’t finish it. This time is bok choy but my go to is broccoli. Mostly because I like my veggies crunchy and it takes about 20-25 minutes for the meat to be done. That makes the broccoli perfect for me but the bok choy ends up too soggy. I keep those off until the tail end of the cooking.

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As you can see, I also add sliced garlic and onions. Sometimes I get fancy and add some ginger. This is my go to when I have time to prep and cook at work. Not every day gives me enough time so I bring leftovers or a salad.

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I also love to add this stuff. It’s amazing.

The caloric intake varies on what ingredients I use and hovers around 290-350 calories. It’s hearty and filling for me, even before I was on the Saxenda. I think I tried tofu once (I vaguely recall this) and it wasn’t as satisfying. I may try it again but I found a great concoction that works for me.

Obviously, this means I have a place to plug this in and a lunch hour long enough to cook and eat this without feeling like I’m shoveling the food down my throat. There are other combinations I’d like to try, too. I’ve seen some impressive meals floating around on YouTube. It’s a fun little gadget to have.

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atthequillsmercy

Today’s Workout: More Multitasking

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Since I’m worried about writing more books but don’t want to miss out on my cardio, I’m back to the desk bike while I work. The good news is I finished one short story and started another one right after. My goal is to have a back log of completed work and then schedule regular release dates. But, we’ll see how it goes.

As for my weight, there hasn’t been much of a change other than the standard 1-2 pound fluctuations. I’ll give an update when there’s a substantial change.

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