melonrouge
Maliney

21 | VEGAN | AUS
A collection of my workouts and occasionally food
Instagram

2016 OPENS
FOOD ADVENTURES
RECIPES
HIKES

Movements

BACK SQUAT
BENCH PRESS
CLEAN
DEAD LIFT
FRONT SQUAT
HSPU
OVERHEAD SQUAT
PULL UP
SHOULDER TO OVERHEAD
SNATCH
THRUSTER


Archives
June 2015
July 2015
August 2015
September 2015
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
May 2016
June 2016
July 2016
August 2016
September 2016

Friday 31 July 2015, 20:15
Day 31/32

Thursday
Another day, another workout! I have a hate-love relationship with these 6AM starts. I hate it because it's 4 degrees when I wake up, the sun has yet to rise and I know that i'll be fighting for air and rest within the next hour. I love it because it pushes me way out of my comfort zone, i'm surrounded by determined people, my hunger-cravings are left at bay for the rest of the day and I always leave the gym with a smile on my face.

Workout
Warm up
400m row

Strength-
Backsquats
5x15kg
5x25kg
5x27.5kg
5x35kg
Every 90 seconds
4x35kg backsquats

4 minutes on, 1 minute off for 4 rounds
400m row
10x5kg alternating kettlebell snatch
AMRAP 4 diamond sit ups > 2 modified pull ups
[2/2/3/3]

I am pleased that I got up to 35kg for my backsquats this morning. One month ago when I first started crossfit, I was backsquatting 15kg and my legs KILLED for days - it took me 3-4 days for my muscles to recover. I remember the painful feeling of walking and having to sit down. It was the worst but I guess it has made me stronger.

At uni, I started to type up notes for my units - there's no room for bludging this semester! Not even on the first week. I dropped by Offieworks and bouht my tablet a bluetooth keyboard... $89. I'm not entirely sure it was worth it but lets just hope that i'll be more productive in note-taking during lectures now.

Khiem then took me to Gelato Blue hehehe and I indulged in a chai and almond donut sundae with rose turkish gelato. Such heaven. The regularly-used excuse that existence is not possible without icecream, donuts, chocolate, cake etc is outdated and the vegan lifestyle needs to be re-endeavoured. This donut sundae tasted even more beautiful than it looks ♡!!


Friday
I don't always go to my crossfit classes (guilty!) - sometimes I try to make it to the gym, to try to workout on my own, to see my own strengths. I do feel as if I work myself more in crossfit classes however.

Workout
Warm up
23 minute 6km/h walk
3X5 hanging leg raises

8 minute AMRAP
50 single skips
10 4kg medicine ball squats
- 6 full rounds -

5 minutes of foam rolling quads

----
For lunch, I caught up over baguettes with Lyn at Taste Baguette - a restaurant on campus. It was my first time trying their food and it was ah-may-zing! I ordered a crispy tofu baguette on wholemeal rye. It cost $9.45, using my ACCESS card discount.


I finished my day with a molecular biology and genetics lab which ended at 4:30PM. I think I made a friend or two? I'm not sure LOL.


This has been one of the most beautiful sunsets that I have seen in a long time. The clouds were sparse but abundant, the orange sun's light reflected red/pink off the clouds and the darkness from the night was creeping it. I found times as I was driving where I would divert my attention off the road and into the beauty of the sky. Dangerous, I know! But I couldn't help myself. 

I am feeling blessed by the Earth.

Labels:




Wednesday 29 July 2015, 17:00
Day 29/30

Tuesday
Workout
Every 90 seconds
Complex off the cage: 2 front squat and 1 jerk
4x1 20kg complex
3x1 22.5kg complex
1x1 25kg complex

12 minute running clock
8 20kg clean jerk
8 box jumps
6 22.5kg clean jerk
8 box jumps
3 22.5kg clean jerk (I attempted 25kg for this but I couldn't clean properly so I dropped the weight back down lol)

Wednesday (ACTIVE REST DAY)
Okay so I was thinking that I should just do a weekly blog post thing BUT my workouts will all be clumped into one post and the true intention of this blog is to be a collection of my workouts from when I first started crossfit/weight lifting so it can be used for comparison in the later days. So I was thinking maybe not.

Some may be pondering over the idea of why some people may pursue active rest days and just plain ol' rest days. Essentially they are the same thing but I like to differentiate the two by their minor ideals. An 'active rest day' for me is when i'm not doing crossfit but am still completing some sort of movement in the day such as yoga, brisk/long walks or even a 15 minute HIIT. These days are usually fit into my timetable on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A 'complete rest day' or just a 'rest day' to me is when one does not do any form of physical activity, it's purely just carrying on with your day without the intensity of increased blood pumps. It's also be known as a lazy day where therefore usually falls on Sundays for me.

Today I attended a *reset and align* yoga class where the intention is to relax and redirect your focus inwardly and then outwardly. It's to calm the mind which then calms the body which then calms the soul - because we all need to every now and then otherwise we'd be radiated crazy levels of stress and cluttered thoughts. However I do always feel a bit 'fluffier' on these rest days...

After I prepared my lunch/dinner meals for the next couple of days. I didn't really measure anything for this, it was sort of a 'whatever amount fits into my box' kind of measurement.


Ingredients list:
375g (dry) lentil and rice spiral pasta
2 handfuls of rocket lettuce
3 handfuls of grated carrot
1 can of cherry tomatoes
1 bottle of (tomato, garlic and chilli) pasta sauce
1 handful of baby peas
1 handful of corn kernels
Parsley and dried basil to garnish

This made about 5 servings (and one of my servings is more than average!). So that'd last me 3 dinners (W/Th/F) and 2 lunches (Th/F) - sweeeet!

**** It has been 1 month since starting crossfit! I started the 'sport' halfheartedly but I grew to enjoy (and maybe even love) it. It has shown me that i'm stronger than I think but true strength is not something you're born with, it's something developed. I know, it sounds silly but i'm serious... I used to go about workouts thinking "oh I can't lift 15kg, my body was not built to so I just won't". I'm still saying that "I can't" do many things but i'm a work in progress! And soon enough, i'll be challenging myself with weights that seem out of my league.

Labels: ,




Monday 27 July 2015, 19:03
Day 28

First day back to uni! ...and consequently, my schedule had to be adjusted. I now wake up at 5AM, leave the house by 5:40 and in the gym at 6. My workout ends at 7 then off to catch the train at 7:40 to arrive at uni for my 9AM class. Then repeat 4 times a week.

Workout 
6 minute EMOM
6x5 15kg thrusters
6x6 burpees

In 90 seconds:
1. Max 15kg thrusters [10]
2. Max burpees [13]

8 minute ladder: 2/4/6/8... reps
15kg thursters
Ring pull ups

This was a similar workout to last Monday and I definitely beat my scores. I got up to 12 full sets and 8 reps of the thrusters today, as opposed to last week where I reached 10 full sets and 4 thrusters. It's so weird though... Because during the workout I was dying and could literally not do anymore - it was so hard to breathe. But now, I feel fine. No muscle soreness, nothing! Did I workout properly or?

This week's intentions are:
- Wear jeans instead of tights.
- Apply face cream, sunscreen then bb cream daily.
- Don't miss a workout!
- 2L+ daily.

My internet is being really lame (because i'm capped, i.e. barely any available data usage) and so I don't think i'll be posting again until Saturday, which is when I get my net back.

Things to look forward to:
- 3 workouts (Tue, Thu, Fri).
- My active rest day combined with my treat day.
- Hopefully some photos of nature or food or something!
- Maybe a recipe... I'm thinking blueberry muffins?

Until then, Maliney x




Sunday 26 July 2015, 09:25
Day 26/27: weekend before uni

Saturday
I, yet again, woke up energetically at 6 in the morning. I tried sleep to savour the last moments that I could actually start mornings late. I eventually got out of bed at 7;30 as I didn't want to waste time. I started the day off great with a bowl of oatmeal; I so then decided to go to one of my yoga classes. It was either a difficult lesson this week OR i've become less balanced and focused. My strength was terrible - I had to continuously take breaks from the burning sensations of holding asanas. My usual teacher will be going to training in Bali for the next few weeks, so i'm thinking of visiting farmer markets during those Saturday mornings then return to my regular yoga schedule after.

Anyways I then had work and later then visited my local vegan grocers. I know right, I have a local vegan grocers - how cool is that? Some things are pricey but it kind of beats ordering them online. I had also once bought expired stevia drops from there, so I need to keep in mind to always check the dates! Today I grabbed three Clif bars and a 4-pack acai smoothie blend. This totaled $13. Worth?


For dinner, I was invited to a buffet dinner with Khiem and his family. I'm so awkward in social situations - it'd be so good if I weren't. I started off my huge feast with a lot of sushi rolls and inari.



Grilled vegetables (heaps of oil!), stir fried vegetables, chips, springrolls and more inari came after. And assorted desserts quickly followed (but I forgot to picture it). Apart from the overly-oiled vegetables, everything else was quite dry... Most likely from the extended time in the heater. The food was alright as it was buffet food and not a high class fine dining experience.



After tonight i'm totally stuffed! And yes, these photos were taken from my snapchat... haha.

Sunday
I wanted to start off my day with a green juice - or any type of juice really - due it being lower calorie and the fact that I ate way too much last night... but I also wanted to be consistent with my breakfasts. And so I had a bowl mocha peanut butter oatmeal. Adding peanut butter really changes the oatmeal experience! The texture is gooey, smooth and overall delicious and I will definitely be adding pb to my oatmeal (as opposed to on top) more often.

Today's agenda includes:
- A grade 7 English teaching plan for one lesson.
- Clean room, i.e. put all clothes away and organize books for uni.
- Tutor my cousin.
- Pack gym bag, uni bag and work bag.
- Work meeting at night

I'm quite sad that my net is capped. I was really hoping to game late over this weekend before uni starts again. SIGH. Oh wells.

Uni tomorrow... i'm not really keen tbh. Sometimes I wish I could just devote my time to blogging and fitness because those things do not require the heavy study hours that university does. SIGH SIGH. Goodbye.

Labels:




Friday 24 July 2015, 17:40
Day 25

Surprisingly, I got out of bed quite energetically this morning - it might have been due to the dormant sugar-rush that I stored from finishing a giant block of fruit and nut chocolate.

Workout
Warm up
Foam rolled my quads (it felt amazing)
400m row
10 8kg kettlebell sumo deadlifts
10 8kg goblet squats
10 8kg kettlebell swings
5 15kg push press

Strength - 6 minute EMOM 
6x5 17.5kg push press

For Time 
Goal: 150 kettlebell swings and for every time the KB is dropped, perform 20 jumping lunges.
25 8kg KBS
20 jumping lunges
10 8kg KBS
10 jumping lunges
13 8kg KBS
17 jumping lunges
20x4 6kg KBS
20x4 jumping lunges
17 6kg KBS
*I just realised that I calculated wrong and was 5 short of the kettlebell swings... opps! And yeh I coudn't finish some of the lunges - it became so hard to catch my breath. Good lord, I was pooped by the end of the workout.

If the others weren't cheering me on, pushing me to keep going and counting the reps down for me, I probably wouldn't have gotten this far. I'm grateful for all the support that I received from those around me.

---

After a couple hours of watching YouTube videos and sitting on my butt, I thought 'Why don't I just walk on the treadmill AND watch these videos?" And it's what I did for about 25 minutes at 4-4.5km/h. I feel as if that workout of somewhat had no effect on me - I could have been walking too slowly - but I figured that it was a 100% better choice than being sedentary.

Lunch was banana "nicecream", which is essentially just blended frozen bananas. My Vitamix is a GOD at making this. The texture is amazing. One little problem occurred today... I had my blending settings on low and had the stick bashing into the frozen nanas to help them blend, but I pushed down too deeply and the blades cut the plastic and little pieces were integrated into my frozen creation. My mom's going to be mad - help!

Hopefully the pieces go right through my digestive track and no problems arise.

Fingers crossed.




Thursday 23 July 2015, 18:29
Day 24

Workout
200m row

3x5 20kg deadlift
3x5 20kg backsquat

5x50 single skips
1x15 8kg kettlebell swings

3x10 straight leg sit ups with twist
2x15 leg raises (I could hear a bone popping...)
1x30 crunches

1x10 8kg kettlebell swings
1x100 single skips

60 second plank
30 second side plank (both sides)

---

My muscles were still feeling a little sore from yesterday's loonnnnng walk and I didn't feel like attending yoga so I stayed home and cruised around youtube. I baked some protein banana bread! Woohoo~ I will be storing this in the freezer for my M/T/Th/F breakfasts next week.

Protein banana bread recipe:
2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 super spotty (ripe) bananas
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maca powder
2 servings (53.4g) of Wagner's Vanilla plant protein
A lot of cinnamon
A dash of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Blend bananas and almond milk.
3. Then add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Pour mixture in a lined loaf tray.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Poke a skewer stick through the loaf. If it comes out clean, then the bread should be ready! If it comes out wet, bake for a little longer.
6. Cool then serve or package to store :)

- It came out more dense than expected hmm.... Well as long as it keeps me fueled and full through the morning until lunch then I guess I could call this baking experiment a success? But I shall update next week!

I feel as if I did not move at all today...................................... :(

Labels: ,




Wednesday 22 July 2015, 19:41
Day 23


It's safe to say that my active rest day was a success! I walked to Bondi beach to Coogee beach following the coastal walk - went by 4-5 hidden beaches along the way. It took me about 2.5-3 hours because we made little stops to look out into waters - the view was so beautiful! I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to experience such wonders of nature.


I loved how there were a lot of ups and downs, steps, board walks and areas to walk along the rocks to see off the edges. There were heaps of people of all ages walking/jogging along the track. The whole experience was absolutely breathtaking and the next time I choose to complete the coastal walk, i'll be walking past Coogee to another beach a bit further down! My feet are sore, my body is tired but my soul is buzzing on life!


Before the walk, I stopped at Funky Pies (finally!) and grabbed myself a "no wurry curry" lentil pie. It was delicious. I paired my meal with an apple-beetroot-carrot-ginger juice. This cost me $12.50 and I was full until 4pm-ish. Actually I probably would have been okay for longer but I ate something anyways because I didn't want my body to drop into starvation mode without me knowing!


After the walk, I treated myself to Gelato Blue and tried their vegan brownie slider with peanut butter and caramel popcorn gelato. The brownie was so dense and decadent that I struggled to finish it, however the gelato was on point.


According to my FitBit, up until now, I torched 2,440 calories and walked 17.11km with 25,35 steps. Weowwwww! Well anyways, time for a couple hours of gaming then a goodnight snooze to re-energize my cells for a big workout tomorrow x

Labels: ,




Tuesday 21 July 2015, 20:59
Day 21 + 22

Monday
Every morning that I plan to workout, I tell myself "I can go right back to sleep after" and that usually gets me out - I rarely ever crawl back into bed though.

Workout
6 minute EMOM 
5x5 15kg thrusters
5x5 burpees

60 seconds AMRAP
1. [5x] 15kg thrusters
2. [10x] burpees

Within 8 minutes
The amount of reps increase for every set.
Reps: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...
15kg thrusters
Ring pull ups
* I got up to 10 + 4 thrusters!

---

I had to get my serviced and good lord, did it take forever... It wasn't the actual servicing itself that took long but the waiting. My appointment was at 10AM so that's when I brought it my car in but it wasn't serviced until 2PM... I spent those 4 hours mindlessly wandering the shopping centre and area. I'm not the shopping kind of person so I didn't actually browse through shops and the only thing I bought was lunch - which was, by the way, vegan indian curries on long white basmati rice. The rice was light and fluffy but I wish the curries had more spice to it (they did have it labelled as 'mild' though lol).

When I got home at 4:30PM, I decided to have an early dinner as I was starting to develop a really bad headache and was hoping to turn into bed early - maybe 8PM. I ate 9 vegetable rice paper rolls with a peanut dipping sauce (my fave meal!), a small Mc Donald fries (Yeah I know.. it's totally bad but I was still a little peckish and it was just sitting on the table) and a wholemeal toast with Nutella and blueberries.

Nutella is my weakness. I can live without it if no one in my house buys it. But if I see it sitting in my pantry, I will eat it. All of it.

---

Tuesday
Opps, I forgot to publish my day 21 post so i'll just mash the two days together.

Workout
Warm up 
Foam roll quads and lats
Basic movements using a pvc pipe to practice form

Strength- a set every 90 seconds
Clean complex: power clean > hang power clean > push jerk
2x15kg clean complex
6x20kg clean complex

4 round- 3 minute cap + 2 minute rest
400 run: 1'53, 2'15, 2'30, 2'26
Max 20kg clean and jerk: 4, 3, 2, 3

In this workout, I really died after the first 400m run. However yes the cardio is hard but in time and with practice, I will be running faster (...hopefully)!

When I got home, I changed back into my pjs and snuggled back into my soft bed and laid in the sun for a good 30 minutes. I totally binged on nutella and toast for lunch... I was really craving it and I didn't want to force myself to not eat it because then i'd feel as if i'm /restricting/ and restriction is something i'm trying to not go for. How to find balance in balanced eating? The rest of the day was less interesting, just marking my students' homework, lunch, work then sleep!

It's active rest day tomorrow and i'm totally craving mocha oatmeal with fresh papaya for brekky. I'm hoping to walk the Bondi to Bronte/Coogee track and take some scenic shots, absorb in nature and the fresh morning air and to spend some time with Khiem - because I have barely seen him all break. Tomorrow is something to look forward to :) 




Sunday 19 July 2015, 19:05
Day 19/20: the weekend & GMB review.

Saturday//
After turning my laptop off last night at around 10:30, I proceeded to bed with my phone in my hand. As a resultant, I fell asleep well past midnight. Due to habit, my body clock woke me up at 6 in the morning but I tried to sleep in (no later than 8). Being in bed while the sun is up always gets me agitated so I was up and out of bed by 7:30. After completing the usual morning routine to wake up, I was immensely craving sourdough toasts with peanut butter and banana slices. No bread was to be found and oatmeal was eaten instead. Oatmeal never gets boring. 

It was initially intended to either go to the gym for some sort of cardio work or to attend my (already paid) yoga class. I skipped both. Instead I cruised around Youtube and watched random "What I ate today" and lifestyle videos. I had lunch at the normal hour, showered quickly and rushed to work. When the weather feels like it's 2 degrees, movement is slowed drastically. 

P.S. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY FUNDRAISER PAGE FOR MY 9KM RUN IN SEPTEMBER. CLICK HERE.

Sunday//
I shamefully (however not regrettably) ate a few chocolate filled crossaints for breakfast... But hey I worked 9AM-4PM with a one hour lunch break. I required that sugar buzz! And yes, there are better ways for longer lasting energy kicks.

The good thing about working this weekend is that I now have money to spend on petrol, i.e. able to drive distances for scenic road trips!

GoodnessMe Box Review// 
Here's July's box contents! Exciting health conscious goodies to tingle my sensations. 

  • Happy tea: has a surprisingly sweet taste however I did not notice myself being any more or less happy before and after drinking the tea haha. I would definitely purchase again from Your Tea to try the different teas they offer.
  • Gin Gin candy: chewy ginger candy... how good is that? The ginger kick is a huge (however pleasant) punch in the face. 
  • Wagner plant protein in natural vanilla: pleasant taste however I will continue to try different plant proteins to see which one is most favourable. So far, all protein powders that i've come across taste pretty good. It'll probably come down to macros vs price. 
  • Food Matters TV gift card: allows a 3 month subscription to fmtv.com, a collection of films relating to health and welbeing. I've seen quite a few new documentaries, Super Juice Me!, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and Hungry for change - just to name a few... They were all very well worth the watch. 
  • All natural Tom Yum soup: I don't normally like the flavour of tom yum however this instant cup of warmth was bearable and maybe even enjoyable. 
  • Orgamix DIY Bliss Balls in classic choc: average bliss balls, though with it being pre-mixed, it does save some time and utensil clean up! 
  • GMB carry bag: I love this rustic carry bag! When it's summer, i'll definitely be visiting more weekly markets and will be hauling my groceries in this cutie.




Friday 17 July 2015, 15:10
Day 18

Worked today 6 hours, tomorrow will be 2 hours and Sunday 7 hours... When will my uni break actually begin? I think during my next semester break (Dec '15 - Feb '16), i'm not going to cover anyone's shifts - or at least try to take as less shifts as possible. Ever since I was in grade 9 (2009) i've been working for the majority of my holidays. I wonder what it'd be like to have no working commitments?

But anyways... 

Workout
Warm up
300m row
10 jump squats

Strength
2x5 20kg backsquats
2x3 22.5kg backsquats
1x2 25kg backsquats

3x10 inclined leg press machine with no added weight
100 single skips

10 minute AMRAP
[9x]20 single skips
[8x]10 6 kg kettle bell swings

The food I ate today hasn't been too bad either. 
Breakfast: Chai protein oatmeal with fruits
Morning snack: A dirty chai latte
Lunch: A veggie roll with a handful of potato wedges


Afternoon snack: a Quest Nutrition bar and a chai latte
Dinner: Stir-fried mixed vegetables with white rice

I'm hoping to control my "diet" until the end of the year. I say diet, but I refer to just the things I eat and not specific guidelines. I'm not restricting my calories, i'm just trying to eat more mindfully. I really don't like how I let my body become... I've been told that i've grown "fatter", however the words "bigger in the legs but not necessarily fatter" were used than the terrible f word.

Weighed myself this morning. 54.3kg. 




Thursday 16 July 2015, 18:00
Day 17

Workout
Warm up
300m row
15 bodyweight squats
150m row
15 bodyweight squats

Strength
3x15 kg clean and jerk
3x17.5 kg clean and jerk
2x20 kg clean and jerk
1x25 kg clean
1x30 kg clean (I tried to jerk the bar but my arms failed and the bar dropped, hitting my head on it's way down... ouch!)

AMRAP in 6 minutes
[50] burpees
I alternated between the push up on knees and toes; majority being on knees.

AMRAP in 6 minutes
1x15 kg power clean
2x20 kg powder clean
1x22.5 kg power clean
1x25 kg power clean

--

It's raining today and in result I skipped yoga - I hate driving in cray rain and i'm also a bit lazy/tired/cold - and my oztag game later tonight will most likely be cancelled. My sister and I spent the day organising our family's Summer holiday! At the moment, it's looking extremely favourable towards a 9 night cruise trip to the Pacific Islands. Once my parents confirm the trip, i'll start organising my agenda hehe.

Before this cruise trip, that'll most likely occur during January 2016, i'll be going on a camping trip with my uncle's family during Christmas. I'm a little excited for that because i'm planning on bringing a truckload of fruit and follow a RT4 diet + heaps of scenic walks around the area.

I really want to improve my body.

I know i'm of average measurements and people say i'm fine but i'm not satisfied with being fine because i'm not healthy or fit and i'm just genuinely unhappy with myself and my life at the moment.




Wednesday 15 July 2015, 09:35
Day 14 + 15 + 16

SECOND LAST WEEK OF MY HOLIDAYS. What are my plans? To workout, eat well, game (League of Legends... someone play with me) and just chill out. I don't particularly want to go on many food, nature or social adventures to be honest. I really just want to soak in the slow life at home (and to also save a bit of cash $$).

I finally recharged my fitbit flex and am now going to be /trying/ to use it daily! I'll try to log all my calories/macros, workouts and sleep hours. I'm hoping to lose 3-4kg of body fat before Summer - i'll have to take my measurements to properly access my bodyfat% but the ultimate goal is about 18%.

Worked on day 14 and 15 - i'm so SO tired however am now excited to be finally free and can just focus on being healthy and chilling out.

Wednesday's (day 16) workout
Warm up
400m row

Strength 
1x5 15 kg deadlifts
3x5 25 kg deadlifts
4x5 30 kg deadlifts

Sprint 400m twice-
1. 1m 58s
2. 2m 08s

Within 15 minutes
100 single skips
21-15-9 reps:
- 15 kg thrusters (front squat > push press)
- 5 kg ball slams
100 single skips
** I finished in 13 minutes and could barely breathe afterwards. I then made myself some chocolate protein pancakes for breakfast with chocolate peanut butter sauce and my fave fruits. It was a good day.


I then attended a yoga class (I barely go now...) and had a smoothie and some curry that my sister made.

I dyed my hair back to black today; before it was brown from being blonde and overcoated with black that faded + about 10 cm of regrowth of black hair. At the end of the year, well before Taylor Swift's concert, i'm hoping to dye the ends of my hair teal. I love being back to black - it makes me feel refreshed and rebooted.




Sunday 12 July 2015, 14:02
Day 13

I finally did it - I completed my first 5K race! It took me about 35 minutes. I'm pretty proud of my time; sure people aged over 40 and under 12 performed better than me but that only motivates me more to do better next year. In next year's race i'll be trying to shed off 5 minutes and finish in under 30 minutes! And maybe in a few more years, i'll be able to cut enough time and make it to the top 200 with a time of 17-18 minutes (the dream!). 


I was so stoked in finishing the race! At the first 2 or 3 kilometers, I felt as if I wasn't going to be able to finish the whole trail and that i'd be pulled off the tracks by a coordinator. So when crossing the finishing line (where I sprinted the last couple hundred meters and hurt my ribs a little), I couldn't stop grinning.


Finishing the race felt great! I sure started my Sunday off right. The only downside to this race was that I really had to pee.  I had to go to the bathroom before the race even started but I was too afraid of being late so I held it in. At about 4 kilometers, any type of running/fast jog would agitate my bladder and well, I didn't want to wet myself in public!


At the end of the race we were offered a bottle of water to hydrate and a banana to re-energize. They were awfully under ripe but I guess it wouldn't look appealing if they were handing out brown, spotty nanas.


My sister and I finished the race before 8AM where no cafes were open. We walked to the bicentennial park and my sister showed me the way to the Art Museum and the State Library. I've never seen that part of the city until today! It's so beautiful - especially in the crisp mornings! I definitely want to come back here at this time. 


The park was home to a variety of plants and many Cockatoos. The atmosphere was serene and the view was even better!


My sister and I enjoyed breakfast at The Opera Bar where I had burnt fig, cinnamon and almond muesli with fruits and organic yogurt, paired with a soy cappuccino. I had high expectations for this restaurant, considering it's located right under the Opera House... My muesli was average, my fruits weren't crisp - they were probably kept in a container over nights (or many nights) and my coffee was not presented with skill (the top right hand corner of above image). I like it when cafes serve my coffee with free-pour art or to the very least, steam my soymilk properly. I could rave on and on about how much of a let down the coffee was but there were better things experienced today that i'd much rather remember.


Coincidentally, there was a "French Festival" held at Circular Quay where stores of French background would sell foods such as croissants, churros and so on. I also got to meet this lovely dog (I call it a bear dog - it's breed is unknown to me). This image does not capture the essence of how beautiful these dogs are! He's wearing one of those water barrels that they had during the war times to help injured soldiers.

The rest of my Sunday is a chill one - the agenda just holds gaming and then later at night, a family party. I won't be going back to the gym until Tuesday, as I have work tomorrow. I kind of miss it. But i'll value my rest/off days! It's just two more weeks until i'm back to uni, I need to be spending my holidays doing things I can't normally do during the semester!!

Labels: ,




Saturday 11 July 2015, 17:54
Day 11 + 12

Friday... I ate a lot of carbohydrates, mainly multi grain sour dough bread (my weakness!). Had work in the AM til the early afternoon. No exercise.

Saturday! I made it to my Bikram Yoga class - I died. I haven't been in a while and my body's not used to that kind of movement. I later then had work and visit Just Green - a vegetarian grocers store - to check out their products. I grabbed 200g of organic carob powder ($5), a peanut butter crunch Cliff bar ($4), organic stevia ($5) and Alter Eco's dark quinoa chocolate bar ($5); this was a good mini haul indeed.

I came home to the BIGGEST surprise:
1) My parents bought me a Vitamix blender! EEEEEK. Perfect banana icecreams here I come!
2) My mom bought be a 500g box of fresh blueberries! $18 though...
3) My aunty, little 10 year old cousin and grandmother donated money towards my fundraiser for my race ($50 total). CICK HERE TO DONATE.

My first ever 5KM race is tomorrow morning. I've roughly planned to wake up at 4am, leave the house at 5 and be at my race station by 6.15. I'M PUMPED. I'll let you all know about it tomorrow - eeek! Next month I then have my 9KM race. I can't wait to beat my times next year!!




Thursday 9 July 2015, 17:35
Day 11

I went to sleep late last night (watching the State of Origin - NSW lost to QLD.. sad days) and didn't have the energy to wake up at 6 to workout in the morning. I then put on Hungry For Change, a documentary about our food choices and how it affects our health, to watch whilst eating breakfast and accidentally missed my yoga class - opps! In result, today was an unplanned rest day.

I took a few friends to Newtown for some vegan noms! We initially dropped by Sadhana Kitchen but the joint was PACKED. No free seats anymore and no one looked like they were leaving any time soon... So instead we walked 10 minutes to Lentils As Anything (A non for profit restaurant where you pay as much as you feel your meal was worth and is run by volunteers). I forgot the name to my meal but it tasted like satay tofu. It was SO SO SO good. I love Lentils - it such a lovely place to eat! The volunteers are super friendly and even the customers are lovely to have a chat with :)


The photo's quality looks quite grainy because there is no lighting used in the restaurant. We were pretty much eating in the dark - but I loved it. It gives off a great cosy atmosphere and it also gives the impression of no judgements or standards to follow (the food is top notch though. They cook and present the food amazingly. Not fine dining style but hipster worthy). I can't wait to come back here!


And as always after a yummy meal, I seal the deal with dessert and today it was at Gelato Blue (again). I got the cinnamon donut sundae with vegan raspberry cheesecake gelato ($9.50). I like this better than the cinnabun (that I had in day 3).


The waffles looked pretty good too however i'm not entirely sure if they're vegan... Khiem loves their waffles. His fave combo is with the mango gelato however mangoes aren't currently in season so he opted for the strawberry ($8.50). 

---

Played oz-tag (weekly game) tonight and my team lost... I feel like I underperformed more than usual tonight - I feel quite sad about it. The score ended in 5-8, where I personally could have prevented 2 points. A girl pretended to pass the ball AND I GOT TRICKED. She then ran that gap and scored. Sigh. HUGE SIGH. Anyways that game's done now and i'll definitely be more focused next week! Time to play a couple games of LoL (Khiem why do you take so long to get online!!) then turn in for some zzz's. 

Labels:




Wednesday 8 July 2015, 17:19
Day 10

Trained for the third day in a row (go me!). I don't usually do this - ideally it'd be 2/1/2/2 for training on/off. However i'll be working on Friday morning and I never workout in the afternoon/at night.

Workout
Warm up
400m row
10 pvc goodmornings
10 negative rope climbs
3x5 15 kg bear complex {power clean > front squat > press > back squat > press}

As many reps as possible in 14 minutes
[5x]3 negative rope climbs
[4x]4 15 kg bear complex
[4x]25 single skips

Today's workout wasn't too bad; though my mentality was terrible. I didn't believe I could perform the negative rope climbs, where eventually i'll be able to do actual rope climbs! And I was reluctant on skipping. I hate skipping. It could be because i'm bad at it or I just hate the movement but either way I did the skipping! Hopefully I don't die in tomorrow's workout (4th day in a row).
---

Tagged along with my friend Thomas who was on his way to Garie Beach in the Royal National Park for a little hike. Okay, the hike wasn't so little...


The hike was filled with over-extended trees, mud trails and loose rocks. Where also for the first half of the trip, we were walking through the rain and winds. I was not expecting that trek at all but it was definitely worth the scratches and dirty hands!


There are two features that I look for when planning a hike: 1) waterfalls and 2) cliffs. I think I very much enjoy cliff hunting over waterfalls now because of the heights/fear aspect to it all. I love it when I can feel my blood running through my body, my heart pumping faster and the fact that our lives could be ended so easily by one wrong footing over the edge of the cliff... Life is just so precious. And i'm learning to love it more every day.


There's something about cliffs that I love...


If you sit over the edge of a cliff, place your hands in prayer, close your eyes and just focus on your breath and the wind - you will feel absolute bliss in that moment. I'm obsessed with this feeling of freedom, of letting go, of living life in nature (and not behind a computer screen which is where I usually am for most of my days)!

The walk back was less cardio intense since we were walking down hills but the obstacles did not ease up in any way! The rocks were slippery and the mud was still... well, muddy. I slipped down the edge of the pathway and grabbed a tree branch due to reaction. That branch scratched my neck and my shoe got stuck in the mud. When I lifted my foot, my shoe came off! It's okay - I got my shoe back; mud, dirt, leaves and all!
--

Finishing my night off with watching the State of Origin with a few friends and pizza. Up the Blues!~ (i'm not actually a football fan)...

Labels:




Tuesday 7 July 2015, 21:15
Day 9

I wake up every morning not wanting to get out of bed but instead wishing to "accidentally" fall back asleep. However I must be consistent, I must push myself to get up, I must challenge myself in order to better myself. I'm at day 9 and I haven't missed a planned workout yet! On a new and challenging lifestyle I must remember to always reflect on the small improvements and efforts rather than beating myself up for not being able to do what other people can. I must remember to see how far i've come and not how long I have left to go - because really, there is no end destination in this journey.

Workout
Warm up
300m row
A few chest/shoulder stretches

10 minutes to find 2 RM
1x5 15 kg bench press
1x5 17.5 kg bench press
1x5 20 kg bench press
2x2 25 kg bench press

Max reps 
1x12 20 kg bench press

10 minutes to find 5 RM
1x5 15 kg bent over row
1x4 20 kg bent over row
2x5 17.5 kg bent over row

Max reps
1x12 17.5 kg bent over row

Every 5 minutes for 15 minutes (i.e. 3 sets)
400m run
10 17.5 kg sumo deadlift high pull
As many push ups until time (I think I did about 40 all together... I forgot to count! I was too focused on not falling flat on my face during the press up)

Out of the 3 runs, I jogged two rounds with a short sprint at the end and no walking breaks! I also performed most of my push ups on my toes. Even though I don't feel as "sore" as I did last week, I feel as if i've accomplished more today. I'm proud of myself with the 400m runs!! Baby steps until i'm fit and lean hehehehehe (5 days until my first official 5 km race! Eek, I don't even think I can run 1 km yet, but i'll see how I go with the time and will try to beat it next year!)
---
I had training to be a junior high school English tutor from 11AM-3PM then I taught my usual (grade 6) class from 4.30-8PM. Yep long ass day. And now i'm pooped.

P.S. my July GoodnessMe box came in! Yippeeeeeee - I shall share a quick product review after trying them out. I'm so excited though because I received Your Tea's Happy tea in this month's box! I've been wanting to try Your Tea for SO long; they're organic herbal teas filled with no nasties.




Monday 6 July 2015, 17:26
Day (7 &) 8

I barely moved yesterday and I consumed way too much food. Opps. Lazy Sunday problems. I'm starting the new week off strong with a 7 AM workout and then headed out into nature for some scenic absorption.

Workout
Warm up
400m row
10 body weight lunges

EMOM
4x20 4 kg lunges (10 each leg)
5x5 15 kg back squats

12 minute AMRAP
[7x]5 hanging knees-to-chest
[6x]10 body weight step ups (5 each leg)
[6x]15 3 kg squat and press

--

Drove for about 1.5h + 0.5h of getting lost... The view was definitely worth the drive (and petrol costs). I wish there was more of a hike to this point though.

Living life on the edge - i'm not too sure if I was shaking from the cold or from my fear of heights.

 The rock looks a little like a dog's head. I sat on a dog's head. It was scary.

 There's no wifi out in nature but I promise you'll find a better connection. Cheeze hehehe.

Avocado and cucumber roll ($2.50), vegetarian roll ($2.50), seaweed inari ($1.80) and plain inari ($1.50). Sushi Hub is by far my favourite sushi joint - taste and price is on point.

Anyways time to end the day off with some League of Legends.

Labels:




Saturday 4 July 2015, 16:26
Day 6

Regrettably, I caved last night at the movies and bought myself a packet of chips - Chilli Kettle chips, you are my kryptonite, especially when you're on sale. I'm not the one to worry myself over calorie and macro counting but this 185 gram packet of processed junk (however ever so delicious) left me feeling yuck and that got me curious in what I actually consumed. 910 calories, 14g protein, 48g fat and 106g carbohydrates. Oh god.

Leaving yesterday's mistakes behind, I started my Saturday with oatmeal and a big mug of green tea. I skipped my usual Bikram yoga class because I have work an hour after and the time between ending class and starting work is too close for my liking (i'm the type to leave about an hour early because i'm alway worried that i'll never find parking or if I do find parking, it's super far and i'll have to walk a considerable distance).

I had a very late lunch (about 2:30PM) after work and was finally able to try Green Palace Thai Vegetarian. Between two people, we ordered 4 curry puffs ($6), 6 spring rolls ($6), 8 pieces of fried tofu ($6) and a bowl of pad see eiw ($10). At first I was a bit skeptical of the faux chicken in the noodles as i'm usually not a fan of mock meats - surprisingly the 'chicken' tasted quite well and I would definitely buy this dish again.


Anyways i'll be spending the rest of my Saturday night watching movies, browsing blogs and planning things to do for the next few weeks during my break. One week of my holidays is already gone - oh how time flies when you don't have uni.

Labels:




Friday 3 July 2015, 16:22
Day 5: Fri-yay

This morning, I really did not want to wake up and get out of bed when my alarm rang. 6.15 just felt too early. I was balancing the pros and cons of working out... "I already worked out 3 times this week, is today necessary?", "No pains no gains. I should go.", "My legs are sort of sore ish", "Don't let your money go to waste", "The bed is so warm, I don't want to get out", "It's only one hour"... Whilst all of this was running through my head, my mind was slowly drifting off to sleep until I remembered that if it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you. And that got me out of bed at 6:40. I rushed to put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, skipped drinking my usual water, ALC and coffee and I was out of the door by 6.48 am. I arrived at 6.58 (I admit, whilst driving, I went over the speed limit a little bit...).

Workout
Warm up
Butt kicks, high knees, walking lunges and bear crawls.
10 x pvc deadlifts
10 x 6kg kettlebell swings
5 x push ups
10 x pvc sumo deadlift high pulls

In 30 minutes
50 x 20kg deadlifts
400m run
50 x push ups on knees
400m run
50 x 8kg kettlebell swings
400m run
40 x push ups on knees
400m run
25 x 15kg sumo deadlift high pulls

Cardio is hardio... I would say on average, I jogged 150-200m then walked the rest. I can't believe that I signed up for a 5km and 9km race this year... 5km in 9 days, 9km in less than 11 weeks.

--

After two hours of wandering the streets of Newtown/Enmore, my sister and I came to a decision to have lunch at The Grumpy Barista. I ordered a salad and a soy cappuccino. The salad was plated so beautifully but the coffee was eh. It was a nice cafe with a good hipster atmosphere but I probably wouldn't choose to go back due to the limited vege options available on the menu.



To end my fri-yay, my family and I are going to the cinemas to watch Terminator Genisys. All week, I had been planning on packing a tin of original Pringles to munch on during the movie but instead, i'm going to bring a box of juicy strawberries, dried apricots and gooey dates and a litre of lemon infused water *proud*.

Labels:




Thursday 2 July 2015, 18:05
Day 4

I'm pretty disappointed in myself about today's workout this morning. Learning something new that's complex does not sit with me well and I know that I always give up early when I don't instantly get how to perform these new moves.

Warm up
400m row
A few shoulder/leg stretches

In my own time
10 x snatch complex; 2 high pulls + snatch + overhead squat. I performed these without a barbell. I used a weighted pipe, it was probably a few kilos tbh. I was told to focus on my form before moving onto strength.

Tabata 20/10
Hollow rocks. I did not try at all with this one... To perform this move, all you have to do is lay on your back, raise your legs and shoulders just above the ground. Sounds simple right? But I could not lift my shoulders. Up until this day, I didn't think my core was that bad. I was so wrong.

In 15 minutes
800m run (I was only able to jog about 400m... walked the rest. I'm so unfit in all aspects)
10 x overhead squat with a 15kg barbell (my form was poor and I had already given up in the workout at this point).
20 burpees over bar

+ 30 minutes yoga stretch session

At the end of the day, I wish I tried harder but I know that during the time, I felt as if I just could not do it. My mind was challenged and I gave up. However, you know what they say: tomorrow is a new day.




Wednesday 1 July 2015, 17:58
Day 3: Rest Day ...or Treat Day?

The initial plan was to go for a morning 45 minute walk on the elliptical but when I woke up... my legs just did not want to move. So instead, I listened to my body rather than the pencil-written schedule that I created for myself, skipped cardio and stayed in bed for an extra half an hour.

I most likely would have stayed in bed for longer if my hunger had not been present. I made myself chocolate protein pancakes topped with 1/4 of a red papaya, a few strawberries and maple syrup. Been so sore, I made a huge mess and it was torment having to bend down to pick up all the things i've spilled or dropped. I was extra clumsy this morning.


Recipe: 1c oat flour, 1c almond milk, 2 small bananas (though using 1 banana could work fine aswell because my batter was super thick) and the 30g of Bulk Nutrient's chocolate earth protein that I received in my GoodnessMe box. The pancakes had a nice chocolate-y taste from the protein power and the texture was fab; fluffy and moist - just how pancakes should be. Also don't mind the watermark... just experimenting with the idea.

I had a huge vegan feed at Bodhi - an amazing vegan yum cha restaurant - for the main lunch attraction and finished off with something sweet from Gelato Blue.

Bodhi at the park: ^ this + many more dishes. Total: $94.50 for 4 people.


Gelato Blue: A caramel cinnabun topped with a dark chocolate ganache filled with sour cherry almond gelato. Total $10.50.

Currently at home, waiting for my mom to cook something amazing (as always!) for dinner and will end my night, on the grounds of Summoner's Rift (League of Legends). I'm also trying to beat my time in completing the Rubik's Cube. I'm at 1 minute and 40 seconds. Trying to get it under a minute and a half by tonight!

Labels: , ,