melonrouge
Maliney

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

Monday 31 August 2015, 09:24
Day 60/61/62/63

Fri
I got my period today. I'm not sure whether I should be happy because it came "on time", i.e. in 28 days, as my cycle usually comes around every 1.5-3 months with irregular consistency. OR if I should be said because I have to suffer through internal pain.

Today totally sucked because my cramps were on level 10 out of 10 of the pain meter. Khiem makes my life during this time a little easier though. He bought be chocolate - Diary Milk Fruit and Nut (my favourite flavour). I'm trying to ease down on the dairy chocolate due to the inclusion of milk, however, since it does totally put me at ease temporarily, I will accept it and eat it all.

Sat
My cramps were gone but I woke up with a major headache. I couldn't think without my brain wanting to explode, I couldn't walk without falling over due to my blurred vision, I couldn't be alive without pain.

Sun
I'm really hating how i'm cancelling my plans due to my period.

Mon
I woke up with a plan to go to the gym and so that's what I did - even though I kindaaaa reeaaalllyyy definitelyyy did not want to.

Workout
Warm up
1 km run

EMOM using a 17.5kg barbell
8x (2x front squats + 1x push jerk)
6x (hang clean + push jerk + back squat + snatch balance)

10 minute AMRAP
15 12kg KBS
10 air squats
5 burpees
Rounds: 4 (I gave up 1 minute before time - ahhh i'm so lazy).

Anyways, it's day 4 of my period. When will u stop, mentrual cycle - I do not like you.

I don't feel like blogging so bye.
P.S. also bye to winter (last day - finally)




Thursday 27 August 2015, 19:34
Day 59: Do It For A Purpose

Last night I turned my 5.20AM alarm off as I wanted to either 1) have a rest day or 2) go to the 7AM class. I didn't wake up feeling too sore so I made it to Crossfit. When I checked the WOD, I saw that it involved running and I was like 'ehhhhhhhh maybe I am too sore' and that's when I realised that i've been conditioning myself to let these lazy thoughts slide and it's hindering my body and therefore leaving me unsatisfied with the way I look, feel, etc. I scrapped those thoughts and was out of the house in 20 minutes.

As the class before was packing up their equipment, I was foam rolling my quads/lower back. I have a hate-love relationship with the foam roller. One of the other Crossfitters asked me how I felt about my push jerks yesterday ad complimented me on how well my form was. That was probably the best thing I've been told this week, this month, this season! I'm sooo so so happy that my technique is improving. I didn't even realise that I was able to jump under the bar as I jerked it up. I always thought I was just pulling the bar up and jumping for sake of it. This really fueled me throughout the workout.

Workout (7AM and 5PM)
6 minute EMOM
1. Pick up a 60lb Atlas Ball and throw it over the bar. I increased the amount of reps as I went.
Total: 14 (morning) and 18 (night)
2. 2x 4kg KB Turkish get ups

14 minute AMRAP
200m run
10 16kg KBS
20 air squats
Rounds: 5 (morning) and 6 (night)

I finished that last round with 2 seconds, for the morning class, to spare and 30 seconds, in the night class.

I tried working on my Molecular Biology assignment and lab book notes today, had a work meeting in the early arvo and then attended another Crossfit class at 5PM. I would normally have Oztag tonight (my Grand Finals aswell!) but it rained a lot this week and the grounds are still closed - And so the GF game was post-poned until next week!

For my second Crossfit class, I used the same weights and I was really just aiming to beat my AMRAP score. Challenge completed /tick!




Wednesday 26 August 2015, 17:23
Day 58

I wasn't really planning on going to the morning class today as I usually take Wednesdays off from Crossfit. However I woke up with motivation (and also the WOD didn't look too bad...) and headed out to the box at 6AM.

Workout
12 minute to find 3RM push jerk
3x 17.5kg
3x 20kg
3x 22.5 kg
3x 25kg
I tried 27.5kg but I couldn't push the bar up... One day I will be able to!

6 minute EMOM
Strict knee-ups for for 30 second max
Reps: 20, 20, 10, 10, 15, 10

12 minute AMRAP
50 unbroken single skips
15 20kg sumo deadlift high pulls
10 20kg push jerks
Rounds: 3

I forgot to bring my gloves and I hate having to do hanging bar work without them. My skin feels SO sore, sensitive and rough now :(. My skin is so thin that I can see the blood wanting to burst out and if I had pushed a little more, maybe my skin would have ripped. Oh wells... skin sheds and soon it'll heal!

On today's agenda: I drove Khiem to his Physio appointment where after we headed to Newtown for a HUGE feed at Lentils As Anything.

I couldn't decide which dish to have so between Khiem and I, we ordered three.


Chickpea and couscous salad with a tahini dressing: this was probably my favourite dish today. The tahini dressing mixed in with all the vegetables and couscous was just SO good. I was so intrigued by the taste of couscous that I even pulled out my phone and researched about it's origin, benefits etc HAHA.
Sweet corn and asparagus fritters with an avocado dressing: this was tasteful and warming to the soul. Khiem really liked this one!
Potato curry with roti and salad: curry will always have a place in my heart tbh - especially if it's spicy potato curry, except this one wasn't spicy. Still amazing nonetheless.


And due to Khiem's bad ordering skills, we ended up with two chai teas and two juices. Here's how the miscommication went down:

Waiter: Did you want to order any drinks? Today we have the chai tea and orange, carrot and beet juice.
Khiem: We'll get one of both.
- 5 minutes later -
*Waiter comes by with 4 drinks*
*Khiem and I stare at each other*
/facepalm

.....HAHAHAHAHA. However having twice the chai was definitely fine with me because Lentils definitely has the best chai lattes! The flavour is so perfect every time. Also after the meal, I felt so stuffed. Even now, many hours after, i'm still full! And I feel a little fat... but i'm trying to be okay with it because i've only fueled up on nutritious foods today - so my body will metabolize the nutrients and I will be a-okay soon (hopefully)!

P.S. If anyone knows a good plant-based recipe for fritters, please hit me up (pref on insta). I want to learn how to make these for Khiem hehe.

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Tuesday 25 August 2015, 13:38
Day 57

I woke up, checked the WOD and got my butt to my Crossfit class. I really didn't want to go... But you know what they say... /a bad workout is always better than no workout/. I completely died. The rowing and walls balls were terrible! And hang cleans were never my forte with lifting. However I got through it - well I got through as much as I got at 6 in the morning - and was able to pump a little more energy in the last 10 seconds.

Workout
30 minute cap: 31 reps of each movement
Calorie row
12kg kettle bell swings
20kg hang cleans
Burpees
6kg wall balls
Calorie row
6kg wall balls
Burpees
20kg hang cleans [I only reached 4 reps before time]

---

I worked on my Physiology practical report whilst having breakfast until about 10.30AM - which was when I decided to hit the gym. I'm trying to focus more on my fitness now that i'm studying part-time at uni for this semester.

Workout
Strength
1x15 bodyweight squats
3x5 20kg front squats
2x5 25kg front squats

1x12 15kg deadlifts
3x10 25kg deadlifts

1x10 16.25kg cable squats
1x10 23.75kg cable squats

HIIT Cardio
5 minutes 5 kph
7 minutes 7x(30s 5 kph, 30s 10 kph)
2 minutes 10 kph
6 minutes 5.5 kph
3 minutes 9 kph
7 minutes 6 kph
1 minute 5.2 kph

This was probably my first time doing HIIT cardio properly and so I went through a whole heap of different speeds trying to find my comfortable and high-intensity speeds. I think next time, i'll work with 6 kph and 12 kph.

AAAAAAnd here's the delicious coconut quinoa curry that I had for dinner some nights ago. I've received quite a few requests for it (I was very surprised at the response!). I split the ingredients into their own little groups to make it easier to group when following the recipe below:

Ingredients!
0.5c uncooked quinoa
1.5c vegetable stock

1tbsp crushed garlic
1/2tbsp sesame oil

1c carrots, chopped
1c broccoli, chopped

0.5c coconut milk
2tsp ginger powder
1tsp curry powder
1/2tsp tumeric powder
1/2tso sea salt
1 handful of spinach


Recipe!
1. Cook quinoa with vegetable stock in one pot.
2. Steam carrots and broccoli in one pot/steamer (can be microwaved).
3. On a pan/skillet, heat the sesasme oil and garlic.
4. When the garlic softens, add coconut milk, ginger, curry powder, tumeric powder, salt and baby spinach. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. When the quinoa is cooked, add it in to mixture. Mix well.
6. Serve!

If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to see more savoury meals, let me know!
Snapchat: melonrouge
Instagram: @melonrouge

Maliney x

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Monday 24 August 2015, 08:23
Day 56

It's getting close to 60 days of trying to get fit! And to be honest, if I never recorded down my workouts, I would not be feeling as achieved as I do today - even though I do feel like poop and really couldn't gather the motivation that I had last week to lift heavier in deadlifts. But it's ok! A bad workout is still better than no workout in my books. I'm also going to start taking weekly measurements to get a better take on my progress.

Workout
10 minute EMOM
Odd: 5x5 37.5kg deadlifts
Even: 5x5 30 second modified hollow hold 

3 rounds of a minute on each exercise then a minute rest
20lb ball slams
Hand-release push ups
Diamond sit ups
Double unders

The total amount of reps is the score: 71/71/68.
The double unders did not contribute to my score at all. I don't get how to do them! And my shins feel whipped due to the failures!

---

I'm still working on the coconut quinoa curry recipe - which tastes so freakin' good if I say so myself - but for now, here's my little compilation of RAWNOLA.


If you haven't come across "rawnola" it's basically uncooked granola. I like it much better than actual granola because I can leave out the maple/agave/rice syrup and it can be made sooo much faster (takes 2 minutes!). 


Recipe
1 cup oats
6 gooey medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 tsp carob/cacao powder
1/2 cup buckinis
Add everything into a blender and pulse a couple times until slightly combined! And that's it! 

You can add/minute ingredients! I'd say the core items are just the oats and dates. Everything else can be replaced. 

I enjoy having rawnola on my nicecream and oatmeal! ...I also enjoy it straight out of the jar.

P.S. My 9KM Blackmores Bridge Run is in 4 weeks!! Eeek! Also please CHECK OUT MY FUNDRAISER PAGE if you have yet to do so already :) I'm fundraising for an environment sustainability charity for a better Earth x

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Sunday 23 August 2015, 10:06
Day 53/54/55

Fri
My oztag team won our semi-finals game last night (yay!) - however we didn't have to earn it. The other team was disqualified for including an unregistered player. Tbh it was bad on their part and a win is a win... I really need to get my butt to training!! I want to win finals!! The furthest i've ever been was second place LOL.

I'm feeling really motivated to train for this game! I made it to the gym with the intention of playing with some weights but my muscles, particularly my hamstrings, were feeling sore. To avoid injury or a crazy amount of soreness, I only did a few movements (deadlifts, push jerks and front squats) and spent some quality time on the treadmill.

I watched Earthlings for about 20 minutes, then my heart couldn't take anymore. I wanted to be educated more in animal compassion but I just couldn't bring myself to watch the whole 70 minute video... I already don't eat animals so I figured that this video was just to strengthen the cause.

I walked 2.83km for 30 minutes on the treadmill and stopped when I was starting to feel hungry. It was 1pm by now. When I got home I REALLY wanted to eat something and almost snacked on my sister's 100%-bad-for-you brownies. But I resisted and turned to my trusty food processor and whipped myself some banana ice-cream. Note to self: 1) Don't blend yourself more than 6 bananas for nicecream because you will not finish it and 2) pre-blend the spinach!

I also attended my first arvo/night class! The atmosphere was definitely different (it was more intimidating but also motivating).

Workout
6 sets every 90 seconds
Snatch balance + overhead squat
2x1 15kg
2x1 17.5kg
2x1 20kg

3x4-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest between every set
5 overhead squats (2 rounds 17.5kg, 4 rounds 15kg)
10 box jumps
20 explosive jumps

I made it to 6 round and 2 OHS by the end of it!

Working out twice and going through one lecture + a lot of internet surfing (i.e. procrastination), I barely felt hungry. Actually I only felt hungry right before lunch. I ate dinner only because I didn't want to wait until I felt hungry later in the night. Hmm, keeping busy feels great!

Sat
No workouts lead to a high consumption in food. I definitely need to start making going to the gym a Weekend habit.

Sun
The strangest thing is that I always find the weekends to be the saddest. I feel like I always cry so much that I feel so dehydrated for the rest of the week until maybe Friday where I've had enough water re-absorption that I feel okay again then the cycle happens again.

This cycle of emotions make me feel as if i'm bipolar, which is an actual serious mental health issue that I am not diagnosed with but it's the easiest way to describe this situation.

Just feeling in a current state of isolation where there's no one to talk to. I have friends whom i'm not close enough with to share my actual problems nor do I really want to. The majority of people see me as that girl who loves life, works out, eats healthy and is always happy.

I guess I could be that girl.




Thursday 20 August 2015, 21:13
Day 52

Thu
I'm so sore and it feels great! I skipped crossfit this morning as I didn't want to overwork my body as I had a very important oztag game later that night. Working out with someone really does make you work a little harder! I can't wait for Sarah to permanently be in Sydney and to forever be my fitness pal heh he he.

For breakfast I had a giant banana icecream parfait!

Layers from the bottom up!
> Plain nicecream: blend 3 frozen bananas.
> Rolled oats.
> About 100g papaya and 1 tbsp of coconut sugar.
> Raspberry nicecream: blend 2 frozen bananas and 1 cup raspberries.
> 6 strawberries.
> Blueberry nicecream: blend 2 frozen bananas and 1/2 blueberries.
> Giant blueberries, raw buckinis and coconut flakes!

Maliney xx

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Wednesday 19 August 2015, 21:59
Day 51

This long-awaited day has finally come - I get to spend the whole day (of my choosing hehe) with my babe Sarah (even though it's also her last day here /sad face/)! We've been BFFs since 2009. Literally BFFs.

First up was a restorative yoga class followed by a sweaty gym session!

Workout
Warm up
1km on the treadmill

EMOM
1. 5x3 40kg back squats
2. 5x10 20kg deadlifts
3. 5x10 20kg inclined leg press
4. 5x5 17.5kg front squat + push press/jerk complex

15 minute cap: 21/15/9 reps - took me about 12.5 minutes
Push ups (on knees)
5kg medicine ball sit ups
Burpees
Jump squats

~5 minutes of foam rolling - where Sarah and I were catching up on our notifications haha. This century's social world is on the internet!

By now it was around 1PM and so we had lunch - even though I wasn't feeling too hungry. I tried a new cafe "XS Espresso" and through Instagram posts, their acai bowls have definitely improved and so I wanted to try one for myself. Unfortunately, they were out of acai smoothie packs, so I just got a berry bowl instead - it was still good! Sarah had the french toast.


We treated ourselves to a Nutella scroll. It was gooOoOd.

Next on the list was to watch Inside Out at the cinemas! I wasn't looking too forward to this movie initially as it's a cartoon and has been out for a while already - boy am I glad that I did see it! The concepts, animations and character were tip top!

Yay and this brings us to dinner and lately i've just been obsessed with Lentils As Anything at Newtown - mainly because they usually offer curry and I just LOVE curry.


Starting on the right are two dishes of an Indian Curry plate which included spinach + potato, eggplant + chickpea, dahl, rice, papadam and salad. SO. GOOD. I need more. Clockwise peeking in from the side was tom yum soup and moving up was their roast pumpkin risotto with roasted pepitas - which looked REALLY good.


I literally can't not go to Gelato Blue when in Newtown... Tonight was the "Gelato Taco" comprised of an Anzac biscuit with chocolate chip cookie gelato inbetwen and also a peanut butter and caramel popcorn shake. Mmm vegan goodness!


All in all, I really today but i'm sad to see Sarah leave back for the NT :( I can't wait until she comes back to Sydney permanently!

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Tuesday 18 August 2015, 08:11
Day 49/50

MON
I feel asleep last night at around 6PM... It might have been a food coma. I woke up at midnight and thought that it wouldn't be reasonable to stay up, so I tried to fall back asleep. Some hours later - which felt like only minutes, it was 5AM. Not feeling my total best, I decided to skip the 6AM crossfit class and attend the 7AM instead.

Workout
Warm up
5x 15kg complex (below)
2x 20kg complex

EMOM: 2 front squat + clean and jerk complex
1x1 20kg complex
1x1 22.5kg complex
6x1 25kg complex (!!)

EMOM: Wall walks
6x1 As close as I could get to the wall with a 5 second hold

12 minute AMRAP [5 rounds+ 5]
10 hand-release push ups
10 ring pulls
200m run

I rx'd (is that the term that people use when they beat their max weight/rep? LOL IDEK) my push jerk! It was a little scary but yay! Anyways, I was thinking... It's much more convenient to watch lectures at home rather than in person because 1) 9AM lectures means I have to wake up at 5, 2) the lecturers talk fast and say big words and in turn, I waste time trying to write out words that I hope to search later... 3) I can watch the recorded lectures at a slower speed and also relisten to certain parts. The CONS of this idea is 1) the lecturers might mention sometimes important in person that isn't recorded - and that's what i'm afraid of. Missing out on little hints and tips for the unit! But is it really important to pass? Depends.

I'm hanging out with my bestie (Sarah - i'm going to use her name now because i'm starting to sound like kid when I continuously refer to her as my BFF LOL) on Wednesday! Eeeek i've got yoga + gym + movies + vegan food planned!!!

I am determined to better my fitness, health and general wellbeing.

TUE
Those feels when you wake up 15 minutes before your 5AM alarm...

Workout
Warm up
4x 25kg deficit deadlifts
4x 30kg deficit deadlifts

One set every 90 seconds
6x4 37.5kg deficit deadlifts

EMOM for 8 minutes
Odd: 20-30 second hanging L sit hold
Even: 30 seconds of max sit ups [15/14/13/14]

50/40/30/20/10 reps within 15 minutes. I think I was about 14m 30s. I forgot to check the time!
6kg wall balls
Single unders

In my own time (I stayed back after class):
1x4 40kg deficit deadlifts
6x4 45kg deficit deadlifts
1x4 47.5kg deficit deadlifts

Eating on the Zone plan wasn't too bad yesterday tbh. I wasn't too hungry. The only factor that was making me hungry was just my mind thinking about food but my body wasn't actually yearning for the food to function. I need to separate the idea of food being a way to treat boredom to food being fuel for my body. And as much as people like to diss crossfit, I really do enjoy it and will be continuing with it (until I can't afford to pay for it anymore HAHA).

Today WILL be productive. I will be working on my:
- PHSI report/ calculating P-values for the raw data.
- Finish off the MBLG lecture that I was watching yesterday.
- Print out my PCOL research topic and oral presentation slides + cover sheet.
- Upload PHSI respiration info onto my group page.
- Print my MBLG written assignment.
- Write up notes for PCOL quiz.
- Finish writing up the methods for the PCOL enzyme experiment and upload to group page.

I'LL BE SEEING SARAH TOMORROW. I CAN'T WAIT.

P.S. I'm scrapping the whole Zone Diet! I have no idea why I even decided to try it. Actually I do know why HOWEVER now I know that HCLF is ALWAYS the way to go!




Sunday 16 August 2015, 11:40
Day 47/48

SAT
I woke up just before 6.30 in the morning but stayed in bed until 8. Yesterday I planned on going to yoga but when I woke up, I decided to scrap the idea and be a potato - hence my extended time in bed LOL. After watching many Snaps, Youtube videos and Instagram vids, I decided that I should get myself to the gym and just /do/ something, you know. And that's what I did.

Workout
10 minutes on the treadmill at 6km/h

1x5 10kg front squats
1x5 15kg front squats
2x5 17.5kg front squats
3x5 20kg front squats

2x100 single skips

1x10 20kg deadlift
3x6 25kg deadlift

1x20 sit ups with 5kg weight
1x20 leg raises
1x20 straight leg sit ups with twist

10 minutes on the stationary bike

Today and tomorrow's intention is to:
  1. To get my Physiology Respiratory Prac's Introduction and Results sections done (due next Mon). 
  2. Complete my Pharmacology Research Topic Report done (due next Thu). DONE.
  3. To make some notes for my Pharmacology quiz (on next Thu).
  4. To finish my part of the Pharmacology group report (by next Tue). 
If I get all this done and dusted, I should be good to take a complete day off from uni work and spend it with my bestie who's coming down to Syd from the NT (different state)!

SUN
OUT OF OATS THIS MORNING. At first I was kind of like "oh that's alright.. i'll just have some banana icecream or an acai bowl" and after having an acai bowl, I still feel unsatisfied. So I ate crackers with peanut butter then the remaining bits of Nutella that I had. This morning's breakfast was definitely greater in amount than my usual oatmeal but it was just unsatisfying. And now i'm rethinking my whole nutrition aspect etc. My body is feeling at it's lowest.

I've been researching all morning (and have neglected my assignments), trying to find a sustainable and suitable "diet" (not trying to find a fad diet, but just to learn more about nutrition, portions etc). I came across the Zone diet. It sounds reasonable however it's negative perception of bananas is disheartening. Nonetheless, I think i'll try this diet out and see how it goes. I feel as if HCLF 2500 calories is not working for me.

I'll still be eating plantbased and trying to reach for wholefoods when I can but I don't think i'm going to eating like how I used to. And it never really occurred to me until now that pushing to over-eat is just as insane as restricting food.

Anyways, whilst being on the Zone, i'll be eating at around 10 'blocks' of eat macros (40:30:30). And after a week, I shall update on how I feel and everything!

Now let the meal prep being!!




Friday 14 August 2015, 20:28
Day 45/46

THU
Last night I was told that I have gotten fat and that I should eat less. At first, I was sad, very sad. I was then angry - with myself and how I let myself go like that. Then I was quite furiated with the person who told me I had gained weight. After a night's rest, I woke up feeling grateful for having that person in my life because if no one ever said anything to me, who knows.. months or years later, I could be obese. This fed my motivation throughout my workout and i'm quite proud with what I achieved. I was able to lift a little bit heavier and push myself a little bit further.

Workout
Warm up - deficit deadlifts
5x 15kg
5x 20kg
5x 25kg
5x 37.5kg

1 set every 90 seconds
6x5 37.5kg deficit deadlifts

5 rounds within 16 minutes - I finished with 13m 45s!!
12x 20kg deadlifts
9x 20kg power cleans
6x 20kg push jerks

Initially I wanted to cut out some meals (i.e. dinner and eat only half of lunch) during this workout, I realised that if I want my body to grow and lean out with muscle, I can't deprive it of its nutrients and fuel. I'd only be creating a weaker body for myself, storing fats for basic body functioning and overall ruining my health and wellbeing. I've decided to just eat cleaner.

I'm already trying to revert to my old ways of no animal by-product treats; I usually end up eating dairy icecream or chocolate out of convenience and the cheaper price. But if i'm going to want to indulge, i'm going to have to be willing to pay the price $$ for it - and quite literally.

And i've got 26 days until I can have my next cup of coffee or glass of smoothie! Having water as my only drink option does make life cheaper tbh.

FRI
I went to sleep super late and woke up at 5. Checked my crossfit's website and saw that they hadn't posted up the workout (I like to check before going) and I took that as I sign that I should skip working out today and get that extra 1-2 hours of sleep.

I also skipped my morning Molecular Biology lecture - i'm being so terrible this week!!

The corresponding lab was not too bad - we were just testing different levels of concentrations of dyes and learning to use the spectrometer. After class, a friend and I went out for dinner - we talked non stop, except for the 5 minute break that we took to reply to our partners in whom we've neglected due to our engaging conversations of our undiscovered lives LOL. It had been so long since i've hung out with someone and have not had a hanging silence.

We're very similar in personality and he gets my problems. I rarely ever talk about my problems with anyone but I met the guy two weeks ago and today was my second time talking to him so I figured why not share my dark secret lol. I didn't feel like I had to act a certain way or to a specific standard - I was just being who I was. And I know that it sounds insane to hear me say that i'm not usually myself but what I meant was that I didn't have to hold back any thoughts about studies, family, vegetarianism/veganism, past relationships, future ambitions or anything really. I could just /be/.

AND HERE'S THE REALLY GOOD BITS OF THE NIGHT:

Main meal - Suzy Spoon's Vegetarian Butcher: I had the tempeh burger and Donald grabbed the 'Spoons' burger. $12 for a big juicy burger. Definitely worth.


Dessert - Gelato Blue. I was feeling quite full but I couldn't not end my trip to Newtown without a bite of vegan icecream. I had the spiced chai and roasted almond speculoo gelato and Donald got the coconut (I warned him that it wouldn't be nice...). Mine was delicious and flavours were on point! $5 well spent indeed.


Until next time,
Maliney

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Wednesday 12 August 2015, 09:28
Day 42/43/44

MON
Over the weekend, Saturday to be precise, my brother challenged me to 30 days of "water only drinks". That means for me, no morning coffees before my first lectures, no green smoothies (however I can still have green nicecream and smoothie /bowls/. I just can't enjoy consuming it out of a cup/straw), no hot mugs of tea and no protein shakes/pre-workout. My goal also is to always drink at least 2L of water. I usually do but there are some days where i'm just like "nope, not today". This is day 3 of that challenge. I'm hoping to lose a little body fat (lose that gut that I developed from all those animal by-product treats) and to have overall mental clarity and clearer skin.

Workout
Warm up
400m row

Strength - every 2 minutes for 10 minutes
5x4 20kg front squats with a 3 second hold
5x1 22.5kg front squats with a 3 second hold

17 minute time cap (I finished in 15.5 minutes!!)
21/15/9
15kg thrusters
Ring pulls
then 400m run after every set

I performed the 21 and 9 thrusters without rest but I had to break the 15 into two sets of 8 and 7. Overall i'm happy with my results. If this was me one month ago, I would probably not have finished that workout in 17 minutes! I still need to work on my 400m runs though.

Today I felt like dressing like someone who isn't a slob. Sometimes I feel like I want to get into OOTD and fashion and all that jazz but then I remembered that I have no sense of fashion and i'm not very photogenic... Anyways i'm quite into dresses with a jumper over the top and my heeled boots at the moment.

TUE
I woke up at 5.15AM due to my alarm but I didn't get out of bed. It was then that I decided to skip my two lectures (9-11AM). I figured that the 2-hour travel time is not worth the 2 hours of lecture time? Maybe... I'll see how productive I am today. If I find that procrastination was overpowering in today's stay at home then i'll definitely be at uni on Tuesdays.

I hope my lecture recordings are posted up by tomorrow so I can catch up for Thursday's class...

Workout
Strength - every 90 seconds for 8 sets
Complex: 2 snatch high pulls + 1 snatch + 1 over head squat
5x1 15kg complex
3x1 17.5kg complex

Within 16 minutes
30 17.5kg snatches
2x15 burpees over bar
2x10 17.5kg push jerk

The workout intended for three rounds of the last two movements but I took a really long time on my snatches. I'd be doing them one at a time and for the last few reps, I pushed out two sets of 3. Anything that requires the bar to go over my head is mentally hard.

WED
For this week I've been having overnight oats for breakfast. It's not messy, doesn't require heating and is absolutely delicious! Every time people tell me that they hate oats or that they tried a recipe and it was gross, I always respond with "maybe you just made it wrong". Here's an idea of how to start with the ratios (everyone's ratios are different) - My basic easy-as-ABC overnight oats recipe!

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal (lately i've been enjoying steel cut, but rolled oats is most preferred)
1 cup water (or use u/s almond milk)
0.5 cup unsweetened almond milk (can sub for any other plant milk: rice, oat, coconut, etc)
1 mashed banana (as always)
Optional add-ins:
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 scoop of plant protein (I use Bulk Nutrients Vanilla Earth Protein)
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp coffee granules (my fave flavour, soznotsoz to all the caffeine haters - you can sub for carob/coacao or pb2/peanut butter)
A whole heap of cinnamon
A handful or two of fruits, nuts, seeds, anything you want really!

Okay here's the hardest part... Find a jar, mix everything together and store it in the fridge. In the morning, you just grab it and go go go! Or if you're staying at home, you can eat it right from the jar or pour it in to a bowl and turn it in to an insta-worthy shot (don't take reference to the above image... it's far from insta-worthy as i've just chucked everything on top - but i'll still probably post it haha).

Until next time,
Maliney xx

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Sunday 9 August 2015, 21:30
Day 39/40/41

FRI
Honestly I regret today's choices a little. I splurged on an orange and poppy seed muffin - it was giant and didn't taste too well, a raspberry cheesecake Subway cookie, four chocolate chip cookies and I pretty much just ate when I wasn't hungry for this whole day. I've fallen into habit where I just need to keep my mouth and mind busy with food. I've also developed a habit where I must have a coffee in hand before my 9AM lectures. I don't need the energy and the taste does not excite me like it used to.

I. Need. To. Get. My. Shit. Together.

SAT
I slept late and therefore I woke up late. AW MAN what am I doing to myself? I skipped my yoga classes because I honestly just don't have the motivation or interest anymore - I used to be SO keen for my Saturday classes but now i'm just eh. I've wasted $200+ from skipping classes...This is my last month on the yoga membership.

Things I did today:
- Watched 7 hours worth of YouTube videos.
- Completed shallow research for my Pharmacology presentation and report.
- Went over to my cousin's house for dinner! Yippeeeee - my fave place because my Aunty is so understanding that i'm vegetarian and doesn't try to stuff meat in to my mouth.

SUN
SMASH! SYDNEY'S MANGA AND ANIME SHOW.
I went last year and to be honest, I found it somewhat... boring. My friend asked me to go with her this year and I haven't hung out with her in forever so yes! Why not!

The only predominate recollection that I have from the last few days were that I allowed myself to consume dairy-included treats (in which i've been off for a quite some time) and now my body is suffering from their consequences. I have learnt my lesson - I hope. I was lazy, didn't want to prep anything plant based and just binged on the refined sugars.

I feel as if i'm the heaviest i've ever been and I feel 100x worse than what i've ever been.

Sometimes I just want everything to go away.

I'm having a really low weekend.

OK BYE NOW.




Thursday 6 August 2015, 11:31
Day 36/37/38

TUE
I woke up with heaps of energy at 4:45 this morning and I was ready to leave for the gym 10 minutes earlier than usual! I always get that Adrenalin kick whenever my body runs low on sleep/energy... I will surely crash tomorrow.

Workout
8 minute EMOM
4x3 push ups (on toes)
4x4 push ups (on toes)

For time - took me 19 minutes
50/35/20
Push ups (I did 4 on toes then after than it was all on my knees until the last 10 or so where I was doing negative push ups due to muscle fatigue)
5kg medicine ball sit ups

I did not really feel anything from this workout to be honest. My arms hurt a little but that's probably it.

----

WED
Okay, okay my arms do actually feel really sore! It hurts to raise my arms :(... I decided to skip yoga and hit the gym today instead. I'm feeling totally "fluffy" from eating a huge dinner late last night.

Workout
Warm up
12 sit ups
8 crunches

7 minute AMRAP
10 leg raises
15 sit ups
Rounds: 4

7 minute AMRAP
10 6kg kettlebell swings
10 6kg squats
Rounds: 7

For time - I took about 6 minutes
2x50 single skips
2x100 single skips
2x50 single skips

30 minutes of cardio; 5.5km/h treadmill.

I was feeling HUNGRY after that workout and my trip to the grocery store and I was craving cookies. In attempt to avoid excessive refined-sugar consumption and to achieve complete satisfaction, I baked a giant (and totally clean!) blueberry cookie for lunch.

Recipe:
40 grams rolled oats
25 grams coconut sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
50 grams cooked chickpeas
25 grams peanut butter
50 grams almond milk
30g Bulk Nutrients Earth protein in vanilla
Some blueberries
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Blend the ingredients all together then scoop it on to a tray lined with baking paper. 
  • Add in the blueberries (or even chocolate chips -yum!!). 
  • Cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden (it's okay if it's a bit raw as the ingredients don't require cooking to be eaten safely + you can pretty much just eat the batter...). 
  • Drizzle with some cacao sauce, add some fruits and enjoy! I initially planned to make some banana icecream to go with it - how perfect would that have been? - but I wasn't really up for anymore cleaning hahaha. 
The result was a gooey, chewy texture. Not really like a cookie, i'd say... Maybe i'll try to bake it for a bit longer and see how that goes! I was too eager and impatient to wait any longer than 15 minutes. This totally to about 600 calories and was not 801010 friendly :P - nonetheless it was delicious and I would definitely go through this process again!

----

THU
I decided to try having some coffee before I left the house for the gym this morning. I'm not sure if I had slept well or that the caffeine-kick gave me the energy - well no matter the cause of motivation, this morning's workout was a baked-cake of success with a sprinkle of extra strength.

Workout
Warm up
2x20 pvc backsquats
2x10 step ups

Every 2 minutes for 8 rounds
Complex: 3 clean + 2 front squats + 1 jerk
2 15kg complex
2 17.5kg complex
2 20kg complex
2 22.5kg complex

I was tempted to try 25kg but I had failed all my previous attempts to clean and jerk 25kg. I should have tried it though because I was feeling extra strong (-er than usual).

For time - I took 9 minutes (I think)
21 - 15 - 9 reps
8kg kettle bell swings
Box jumps
Wall balls - not sure of the weight

Usually require a lot of peer support from my coach and the other people in the class but this morning, I was able to push myself the majority of the time. I'm quite pleased with that.

I have two 25-minute oztag games with no half time tonight. The aim is to always be there with support so my team can score and ultimately win =^_^=

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Monday 3 August 2015, 10:25
Day 33/34/35

All weekend, I pretty much did not move from my table as i've been working hard on my Molecular Biology and Genetics assignment. It's the first 3.3% weighted assignment and I already find it so mind boggling. My brain feels literally strained from the hardships and stress. HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE THIS UNIT. Is passing even possible? On a brighter note... I am half way through the assignment. I'm not entirely sure that i'm doing the solutions correctly however.

Oh and I got my butt to oztag training on Sunday afternoon. I haven't been to a training session all season - that probably explains why I just keep performing worse and worse every week in the game. 2 weeks left of oztag though. I should put in the most effort that I can because I am most likely going to be taking a one-season break (or quitting overall) next season. I need time to decide whether I actually enjoy this sport in its essence or I enjoy the social opportunities and trending features that come with it. 

AAAAAAND it's Monday again.

Workout
Warm up
Foam rolled quads and lower back (felt so good)
400m row
Shoulder rolls + lunge with pvc pipe
Good mornings with pvc pipe

6 minute EMOM
5 30kg deadlifts
5 burpees over the bar

Max reps in 60 seconds
1. 30kg deadlifts [13]
2. Burpees over the bar [12]

5x(3minutes on, 1 minute off)
3 17.5kg front squats
6 8kg kettle bell swings
9 17.5kg push press
^ I completed one round with 20kgs but found that I was struggling to push press for the 9 reps so I dropped the weight. I need to focus on my form rather than the weight because I could feel the strain on my lower back trying to punch that weight over my head.

Over the weekend I forgot to prepare my breakfast and lunches of today and tomorrow so i'm planning on just bring my Quest/Clif bars as a snack and a bunch of fruits. I'll probably buy a salad from somewhere but i'm always a bit iffy about these food venues and the freshness of their salads...

This week's intention:
- Finish my MBLG calculations assignment.
- Attempt my MBLG tutorial work before the actual class.
- Be on top of my lecture notes before Saturday 6PM.