This is the fun stuff that makes the next four months a little more exciting …
Cute bunny slippers
and after the four months? well, I think those will be pretty okay, too.
Awwwwww ….
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Garbage in, Garbage out
My posts are farther and fewer. The only comment I have for today is, Garbage In, Garbage Out. It’s to no one’s surprise that when I eat crap, I feel crappy. When I eat well, I feel good. Yesterday was a bad food today. I still worked out (40 minutes of cardio, doing different types of interval work and mixing steady state in between), but just felt bad. Surely it had nothing to do with the fact that I was more or less eating Chex Mix at work all afternoon. I have a huge Costco-size bag. I won’t get into why I have this bag. Just know, Garbage In. Often times a workout improves things, but not when you’ve been noshing on a high-sodium, high-fat junk food. Then it’s just blah.
Today, a little better. I gave my big bag of Chex Mix to Jason across the hall, also a Chex Mix fan, but probably has better will power than I. Instead I ate the lunch I brought … peach, hard-boiled egg, yogurt, and that other healthier stuff. Not so garbagey, not feeling so bad anymore. What a surprise.
I’ve been going to the boathouse for the past few Thursdays to do a quick intervals-type workout with my rowing mates. Funny, we call it “Kettle Bells” but maybe just one or two of the exercises will actually require Kettle Bells. Today’s workout:
With a partner, switching exercises every 30″ for 4 sets, no rest:
A1 – Wall Balls
A2 – Lunges (standing)
B1 – Renegade Rows
B2 – BW Squats
C1 – Reverse Hypers
C2 – Cross-squats
D1 – TRX Squat and Rows
D2 – Thrusters
E1 – KB Clean & Press
E2 – Squat walks (with band. Can’t remember what to call these).
The bonus round is a bunch of core work: plank, bridge and side plank. I skipped those. Why? Because for those of you whom I haven’t announced to yet, I’m pregnant and, frankly, I don’t like to do plank and now I have an excuse to not do them. Plus, it’s basically impossible to tighten the core these days. I usually do ball crunches while the other rowers do these core workouts, but today even the crunches were uncomfortable. Doctor said that would happen at some point, and I think that point came today.
So, anyway. I glossed over the “I’m pregnant part,” I realize. Quick rundown. 20 weeks. Feeling great (other than the garbage in garbage out fiasco) most of the time. Um. What else do you want to know. Don’t really feel like it now, but I’ll write about the preganant stuff on another day.
Stage 7, the final countdown
Boss is away, so the kids play. Actually, not so much. It was kind of a downer day today, with lots of junk coming down on us (this is when you don’t want the boss to be away, actually).
But, I managed to get to the gym at lunch anyway and snuck in a quick circuit-training type of workout. This is NROL4W, Stage 7, #2. (* denotes alternating sets):
- *Barbell Incline Bench Press, bar/8; 55/8
- *Seated Row, 75/8; 80/8
- **DB Squats, heels on plate; 20#
- **DB Shoulder Press, 17.5#
- **Step-ups, 20# ea
- **Underhand lat pull down, 80#
The first two exercises: 2 sets of 8 reps. The last four: 4 sets of 15 reps. 30 seconds in between each exercise.
Surprisingly sweaty after this. These weights aren’t super heavy. I could probably go a little heavier next time and will probably adjust.
Because of the aforementioned downer day, the officemate and I went to the cafeteria in the afternoon for some chocolate pudding. The real sugar stuff. Whipped Cream. Fake cherry. Yum.
Saturday = fun day
Saturday was a rowing day. And I didn’t row a lick. First, practice, although I was in the launch, and not rowing. But, the launch is educational in more than one way, so I enjoyed the experience.
Next, shopping with girls from the rowing team. We traveled to Tukwila to experience the new and improved Southcenter Mall, but most importantly to visit the new H&M. The Seattle area will be home to at least three new H&M stores (that I know of) in the coming weeks, and with the Tukwila store the first to open, and I believe the largest of them all. A new one will be opening at University Village near my house, but I just couldn’t wait.
Finally, for dinner I went to The Nick to celebrate fellow rower Kate’s birthday week. The plan was dinner first then some putt-putt, but I was so beat by the time we were done with dinner that I skipped the putt-putt. But, I really wished I didn’t. It was so frikkin hot at home that I just stayed awake, unable to sleep. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
Here is a memory from the evening: A veggie burger. The burger is eggplant-based patty with curry. The roll is ciabatta.
Veggie Burger from the Nickerson St Saloon
Had to scrape off that extra may. It was a bit much.
A post-rowing breakfast moment
Saturday practice was … if I recall, hard. Coach JPT returned, and the expected practice, 20s at increasing rates, was preceded by a ton of heavy drill work (rowing by pairs, then fours, then sixes. Then more rowing by sixes, etc. etc). The aforementioned “increasing rate” was never higher than 28 spm.
Saturday after practice I got roped into having a real breakfast at The Varsity in Fremont, rather than the standard Peet’s coffee & PCC breakfast that is our tradition. The conversation between Melissa and the Varsity waitress went something like this:
Melissa: About your French Toast. Is it, like, white bread?
Waitress: Well, it’s like an egg bread.
M: But, like, it’s not healthy or anything, is it?
W: No. No, nothing about the French Toast is healthy.
M: Good. I’ll have the French Toast with an egg, and one slice of bacon and one sausage link.
Yummm. Me, I had the pancake, one egg and 2 sausage links. Did I mention practice was hard? Well, at least, I thought it was.
- “Light” Pancake Breakfast at the Varsity
Another fine pic taken from my studly smartphone.
Workout update
Haven’t written about it in a while. I keep telling myself to. It’s called accountability. Keep a journal and be accountable. Well, actually I have a workout journal. It’s just that it’s using paper and pencil. Real, genuine paper and pencil. That’s why I don’t post it here too often, but since I’m in the mood, here it is.
I have just finished Stage 5 of NROL4W. It was similar to Stage 2, but with more sets, fewer reps, higher weights and more rest time in between sets:
Stage 5, Workout A. Each exercise is 3 sets of 8 reps. The (*) represent alternating sets:
- Front squat/Push press, 50 lb
- *Step-ups, 25 lbs (each)
- *DB One-point rows, 25 lbs (each)
- **Static lunge, rear-foot elevated, 18 lbs (each)
- **Push-up, BW feet elevated
- ***Plank, 120″
- ***Cable horizontal wood chop, 45#
(Okay, I didn’t do the plank after the first workout. I hate plank. I’m trying to think of something I hate more than plank. Maybe side plank. So instead I did a variety of other core exercises, such as pullovers, swiss ball crunches, etc.)
Stage 5, Workout B. Again, 3 sets of 8 reps:
- DB Squats (the book says Wide-grip deadlift from box. But screw that, they are not good for me)
- *Bulgarian split squat, 30 lb
- *Underhand-grip lat pull-down, 100 lb
- **Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach, 18 lbs (each)
- **DB prone Cuban snatch, 15 lbs
- ***Swiss-ball crunch /Reverse crunch/ Lateral flexions
- ***Prone cobra, 120″
Second confession: I skipped prone cobra and chose other exercises like Prone Jackknife and Pullovers.
So there you go. If I look at my little paper worksheets, I can track the progress I made between stages 2 and 5. Sort of the point, y’know. I made some, not tons but some. I’ve increased weights in all areas, and on top of that was able to do more reps. I did not go to exhaustion 90% of the time.
My 3-month gym membership ends at the end of the month. It’s been very helpful to have a gym close by. It kept me moving through these stages (each stage consists of 8 workouts or so). My normal gym is close to work, and comes in handy, but not all the time. I’m just not interested in belonging to two gyms and a rowing club. That seems weird.
I suspect my workouts will change in the next few weeks. This past stage will probably be the last of my “heavier” workouts for a while. (“Heavy” is pushing it … I’m probably more at like 75% or so.) Next stage is 7 (I’m skipping 6). Higher reps, lower weights, even less time in between. Maintenance mode for now. I’ll get into the reasons why later.
Happy lifting.
Summer Rerun, but with a twist
dessert pizza take two
This week we headed to the ‘Quah, again, but this time over to the husband’s cousin’s place. BBQ, risotto, salad. Everything was wonderful. And, for dessert, how about some dessert pizza.
Birthdays
There was a spell in my life when I wasn’t much into birthdays. I didn’t have birthday parties every year. Just kinda went with the flow, though I do remember a super-fun time I had when I turned 21. It included seeing “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at the UofC Law School, then heading to a bar to legally drink. Which we did quite a bit of.
But, meeting, and then marrying, the husband has changed that quite a bit. It’s not a birth-DAY, but a birth-WEEK, with ongoing celebrations big and small. Want a pint? Why not, it’s your birthday. A Home Theater magazine? Sure it’s your birthday. It’s great for me, because when the husband’s birthday comes up, it’s sort of a like a second celebration for me … meals out, shopping, fun all around. More than once I thought to myself, I should get a cupcake, it’s my birthday. Wait a minute, it’s not my birthday. At any rate, these days I love celebrating birthdays.
Need I remind you, it’s birthday pie time! Y’all remember my birthday pie, right? Well, now, we have the husband’s. Banana cream pie, made by the mother-in-law, from, if I haven’t already told you, a recipe clipped from “Better Home & Gardens” from the 60s. Seriously.
banana cream birthday pie
Love it. We have pie for brakfast, lunch, and, if we’re not tired of it, a little for dinner. Yay, pie!
For part two of the husband’s birthday celebration, we headed down to Chinatown for some Dim Sum. Didn’t plan it, sort of serendipitously, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Rather than frequent a place we’d been to before, we tried something new, Duk Li DIm Sum.
The place was tiny, so no rolling carts to deliver treats to your table. Instead the waitress gave us a paper menu and we marked down what we wanted. Here is a taste …
Steamed turnip cake. Usually these are pan fried, and sorta greasy. This steamed version was much more appealing. Still, it's one of those weird looking things. The husband asked, "what's in it?" and I answered honestly, "I'm not entirely sure".
Spring rolls. Typical. Except, they were cold. I don't think they were supposed to be cold, but they were. A bit disappointing, and I wouldn't not have ordered them had I known (kinda funny, only because there were a few other dishes that were burning hot. We bit into these and were like, Oh. It's cold.)
Sticky rice dumplings. Wasn't sure what these were when I ordered then, but I ended up loving them. and not just because they were obviously deep-fried. "Sticky rice" is a made from a glutonous rice flour, a familiar ingredient in Chinese (and Japanese) cooking that is unique in flavor and texture. Love it.
Shrimp Rice Roll. I didn't know that this is what' they are called, but it's some typical dim sum for us. Tasty.
There are a few more pics of our Dim Sum lunch in my flickr photostream. Click on any of the pics above to hit the point in the photostream.
This final one isn’t from our Dim Sum outing, but very well could have been. I picked up a Sesame Ball from Mee Sum Pastry, now open in the University Distribut (the original shop is in Pike Place Market). I had been wanting one of these since I went out to Dim Sum in July with my sister and her family. So, here now, a month later, I finally get my just desserts.
Sesame ball with red bean paste in the center.
Happy Birthday to Me! I mean, the husband!
BBQ in the ‘Quah
Last week we ventured out of our comfort zone and went over to the Eastside to visit Joanne & Pete. The live in the Issaquah Highlands, what I like to call The ‘Quah. As we’re driving up the hills to get to their house we pass by tons of cookie cutter homes, townhomes, condos and small shops that make up this development and I’m thinking to myself, yeah, maybe when we have kids and tire of the city and decide to move to the ‘burbs, maybe this could be a place I could live in. At the same time the husband blurts out, “Man, I could NEVER live here.”
Anyway, we had a fun afternoon of doggie play date plus BBQ. I won’t get into the details of the crazy antics Max performed (note to self … do NOT leave dogs out near the barbie, but more importantly do not leave food out in the open near the grill, with the dogs locked outside. Bad idea!).
The kids, Bode and Max, tired from playing, and wanting to come inside for eating, drinking and more playing.
The husband and I brought over his famous Asian Noodle Shrimp Salad (cold noodles, mixed with peanut oil, tomatoes, snow peas and other natural flavors). Small tangent here … I love this dish, a perfect summer dish. It is a recipe his mom handed down to him years and years (and years) ago. This time I made it. Now. I’ve been Asian all my live (oh really, you ask)… Yes. And not once do I recall my Chinese family every making a dish like this. Seriously. Is my memory just that bad? I remember chow mein type dishes in general, and maybe a peanut noodle dish and lots and lots of soy sauce. It is really very yummy and so easy to make, though. But, I digress.
Asian Noodle Shrimp Salad
Joanne outdid herself with very tasty turkey burgers (couldn’t even tell it was turkey, we all said, which, really, for a turkey burger, is the best compliment). Side salads and chips. For dessert Joanne whipped out these cool “dessert pizza pies”: Sugar cookies with a lime-cream cheese frosting, topped with fresh kiwi, strawberries and blueberries. Yum.
Dessert pizza pies
It’s now our time to host J&P for dinner back in the city. We’ve gotta get ourselves a grill first.
Spider rolls and camera phones
It’s hard to sit in front of the computer when I could be out sitting on the deck! But, here I am because the blog is like a shark. You gotta keep moving or you’ll die.
With that … a sushi shot. For the past two Fridays I’ve got out for sushi. Last Friday I went to Sam’s Sushi with the girls. We then went down a block to see Mamma Mia! at the Majestic Bay. I ordered the Spider Roll and a California Maki roll. Last night the husband and I ventured out to Sushi Tokyo on Roosevelt, where I enjoyed a Spider Roll and Futo Maki. Stuffed to the gills both times. And, yes, the Spider Roll is my favorite, as a matter of fact.
The photo below, though, is one I found on my phone from the last time the husband and I went to Sam’s, possibly in May or so. Can’t really remember. It turned out much better than the pic I took of the Futo Maki roll from last night, so I thought I’d show it here.
Seattle roll (I think) from Sam's Sushi.
For a camera phone, the pic isn’t all that bad. It looks a bit crummier on the phone, even. Who woulda thunk it. Here is another fun pic I took with the phone. My niece and her dad, my bro-in-law, hamming it up at Ivar’s.
What did we ever do before we had cameras in our phones?