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Work out. Eat well.

4/30/2020
Back in November (I think), I purchased the Centr app created by Chris Hemsworth to add some more variety to my work outs. For about the least 6 months, I’ve only dabbled in using it. I’ve tried some of the recipes but haven’t followed the meal plan, I’ve done a lot of the work outs but haven’t been consistent, and I’ve enjoyed the “calm” aspect for meditation, but again, not consistent.

6/9/2020
Apparently I’m not consistent with a lot of things, because I haven’t updated this since I started it. I’ll try to carry on with where I think I was going with this.

I buckled up and started using the “program” section of the app. This was a new feature to assist with fitness during quarantine. I am very appreciative that Chris Hemsworth and those who run this app were proactive and responded in real time to meet the needs of those who utilize this tool.
I also committed to the meal plan. I made a minor adjustment to my settings first. Originally, I had it set for “vegetarian” but I don’t really like eggs and I felt they were on the menu too frequently. I also, want to be vegan, not vegetarian, so I changed the setting to “vegan” and hoped that the meals weren’t all mushrooms, but I hate those, I’ll take eggs thank you.

Today, Mike and I finished the program “Centr6”. Yes, I drug Mike into this too, isn’t he lucky? We took pictures of our progress weekly, and he looks great, I, on the other hand, don’t see any changes. I’m pretty bummed about that. I wasn’t aiming to lose weight or anything, but I was hoping to get more toned.
The program consisted of 6 rounds of exercises, for 6 days, over 6 weeks.
Warm up + workout + cool down averaged about 30 minutes a day over the six weeks. It alternated days of performing a task for time (30 seconds) or for repetition (6 reps). It got to the point where we enjoyed the repetition days more because we could work ahead during the break. Overall, I enjoyed the plan, it was the same week to week, but there was a beginner, intermediate, and advanced technique so challenges were available. You could also increase weight or do more reps. By the end (today) I felt accomplished and stronger, despite the lack of appearance.

At the same time, we started the meal plan stuff. Now, this was fun. We have had some AMAZING meals. Mike doesn’t even care if restaurants open back up because the food we are making is SO good. It’s quick and easy too. The hardest part, at times, is finding the ingredients at the store. That can be because the ingredients are odd, or it can be because we are shopping at the commissary and they don’t offer as much of a variety. I don’t know. But if it wasn’t at the commissary, it was usually at Whole Foods.

7/14/2020
Now I update you after also completing “Unleashed” and being in the third week of it for the second time around.
I loved this the first time through. All the exercises were body weight – awesome for all the gym closures – but also awesome for work. I love to provide my patients with exercises they can do at home or on vacation, regardless of gym accessibility. You have no excuse!
It is crazy all the different ways you can challenge your body and build muscle without weights. Granted, there will be diminishing returns in the muscle gaining department EVENTUALLY, but you’ll always have tone and endurance. There was one work out when we literally did 7 different styles of push ups. I hate regular push ups, so that was fun…not.
On this second time through, I’m not enjoying it as much. I don’t think it’s the workouts though. I think I’m just drained from having to be disciplined and self motivated through all of this COVID-19 stuff. The days I do feel like working out, despite this being the second time through, it’s still hard. I should have kept track of my repetitions and/or modifications the first time to really see the progress. Mike often shows off and continues to workout through the rest periods, so he clearly has had some improvements.

We are still using the meal planning aspect of CENTR. We are getting some repeat meals, but we are also still getting plenty of new stuff. 95% of the time, we love the meals. It’s great. They are quick, easy, tasty, and full of variety. So awesome.

So to end this, I feel stronger, more agile, and healthier. I’m just really tired of the discipline right now. It’s not just with this stuff either, but more on that in a different post. Go try out CENTR!

Teleworking

I have not worked in my office since February 28th 2020. Over the last 100 days I’ve learned a few things.
Here is the bottom line up front:
1. I need to start the day with clear objectives written down, or I don’t feel like I got anything done that day.
2. Social interaction fuels me, and I feel drained when I don’t get it.
3. Removing the “other” stuff out of my work day, leaves a lot of room for work or other productive projects.

I work as an analyst, so most of my work can be completed anywhere I have an internet connection. This is normally helpful since I travel a lot for my work. Now that my luggage has been put into storage, and air travel is at least a few months away, working from home is my “new normal.” To set the stage, we live in a 600 square foot apartment. Which means we have a kitchen, a couple stools around the counter, a couch in the living room, and a bedroom. The couch is great for lounging, but most Starbucks have better workstation setups than our apartment. Since working in a public place is also not an option, sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter is where we are at. I came up with a standing desk option as well, we will see how long the box holds together!

Teleworking Cons:
1. The single screen laptop is totally frustrating! If I had room, I would purchase an extra monitor. But I’m working on the kitchen counter!
2. Multiple collaboration tools is super confusing. We have three separate systems for teleconferencing, and I am never quite sure which one we are using for a meeting. Last week they really got me when they did the video with one platform and audio with another! I couldn’t hear anything for the first 20 minutes while I figured that out.
3. Talking and drinking coffee while working out an issue via video chat is not the same as being in the room with someone. Let alone if you are meeting up with three or more people.
4. Getting off work does not feel as liberating. I normally work underground, so when the whistle blows I get sunlight and a bike ride as a reward. Now, done for the day means turning off the laptop and putting it in the corner. It is a fast commute, but doesn’t feel the same.
5. I don’t get as many steps in the day. This is probably because the bathroom is significantly closer than when I am at work!
6. I don’t make french toast sticks like the cafeteria does.

Teleworking Pros
1. With personnel distractions eliminated, productivity is waaaay up!
2. I can stay in workout clothes all day with no issues.
3. With no commute I have more time to do the workout routines I want to get done.
4. The cats like me now. Turns out if you spend an extra eight hours a day with them, they start to tolerate you better.
5. I have an office with a bunch of windows now.
6. No more paying for cafeteria food! I have a full kitchen right here!

Some Teleworking PRO Tips
1. Set objectives for your day or week. If your supervisor is not tasking you, take the opportunity to complete personal development or start a pet project that will help the team.
2. Deal with distractions. If your workspace is the kitchen, and the dishes are bothering you. Do the dishes and move on! You will lose more time, thinking about them than doing them.
3. Learn to put your work on pause when appropriate. Now that your getting more done because of less water cooler talk, make the most of it with your family. Take a break and spend 10 minutes an hour with them if possible.
4. Chunk your work sessions. Set a timer for 30 minutes. No distractions, just work for 30, then take 5 minutes to play angry birds or browse social media. The timer will help you get more done in 30 minutes then pretending to read your emails for two hours.

I don’t know how long I will telework, but I want to make the most of this time. So far, I’ve made progress on my degree, biked a lot of miles, and completed a six week exercise plan with some pretty good results. I miss seeing my coworkers, but until we are in the basement together again, I’ll enjoy my furry office partners and the view!

Food Food Food

And now for our second week recap of food. I purposefully stopped posting the meals on instagram so that you had to come here to see them. Plus, you should get more out of it this way…except no recipes, because I think they belong to Centr…I paid for the app but I just don’t feel comfortable sharing the recipes so freely. So, if you know me, or Harry, feel free to reach out and we are happy to give you the deets.

BREAKFAST

Coconut, Blueberry & Date Smoothie
—The first day was rough because someone forgot to pit the dates….the blender did not appreciate that.
— Ace: I thought they were good, the date added a nice flavor and texture that was pleasantly surprising.
— Harry: I didn’t like how it was gritty. I think it was the dates.

Mexican Black Beans on Toast
—Harry: Easy to make. It was missing avocado, I think that would’ve pulled the whole thing together, but it was good flavor. We actually took the time to get good bread instead of a store bought loaf which was worth it.
—Ace: This was great. We’d been making a lot of avocado toast, which is great, but it was getting boring. We didn’t mix it up much. I think this would be a perfect addition to avocado toast. We got fancy bread and that made it even yummy-er!

Peanut Butter & Banana Pancakes
—Ace: These were good. I felt like we were a little short on banana…
—Harry: Awesome. Hahahaha. The flavor was so good, you didn’t need much syrup.

LUNCH

We didn’t follow their lunch plan. Every other day was some sort of salad, that looked good, but we had a ton of left overs each night, so we ate those instead.

DINNER

Kale & Cashew Pesto Pasta
— Ace: So yum. Pesto for the best-o! Super excited to have a vegan recipe for pesto on hand!
—Harry: This was easier to make than I thought it would be. I think I would double the sauce next time though.

Green Pea & Almond Soup with Tofu
—Harry: I hope you like peas!
—Ace: It wasn’t very green…..but it was grreeeaaaattttt. I loved it. The broth was perfect.

Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
—Ace: I’m not a tomato lover or a tomato hater, so I wasn’t sure how this would go. When I have spaghetti, I want more sauce than noodles so I was skeptical. BUT, of course, it was delicious. Not too heavy either, so you were full but not tired!
—Harry: This had a really good tomato sauce. I might steal the recipe for regular spaghetti, who am I kidding? I’ll just make this.

Lentil Fried Rice with Kale & Mushrooms
—Harry: I substituted carrot for the mushrooms (due to someone being high maintenance). It had a good texture and adding the carrots and extra onions made up for the no mushrooms.
—Ace: FYI, anything with mushroom, will NEVER have mushroom when we make it. Gross. I do, however, love me some fried rice.

Veggie Burgers with Beet Hummus
—Ace: I like veggie burgers. I DON’T like fake meat burgers. I’m not interested in “beyond burgers” or the “impossible burgers”. I simply don’t like the taste of meat, so I’m not looking to make other foods taste like it. That makes this burger awesome. It was flavorful and clean. I’m pretty sure Harry took a shortcut and bought regular chickpea hummus and not beet hummus, but that’s ok. My patty did fall apart, but to me, that’s part of the fun of veggie burgers.
—Harry: The best veggie burger I’ve made. Easy to put together and made an excellent lunch the following day.

Top Left to Right: Kale & Cashew Pest Pasta; Green Pea & Almond Soup with Tofu; Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Bottom Left to Right: Lentil Fired Rice with Kale & (no) Mushroom; Veggie Burgers with (no Beet) Hummus

Good eats

About two weeks ago, Mike and I started living off a meal plan. Really, I committed to it and Mike is along for the ride. He goes off road a little but tries to make mostly healthy decisions.
Really, about six months ago I got the Centr app by Chris Hemsworth. I used it for the workouts about three days a week on average, looked up a few recipes here and there, and used the “calm” section for meditation to go to sleep.
Here I want to tell you a bit about some of the food we have tried. Overall, the food has been amazing and SUPER filling. There are a couple of dishes we’ve skipped because I don’t like mushrooms, but we’ve tried to replace those meals with healthy alternatives.

BREAKFAST
The first week consisted of two main breakfasts with a treat breakfast on Sunday.
The “Creamy Strawberry Smoothie” was good. Really, most smoothies are a hit in this house. I think the main take away was realizing that our smoothies didn’t have to be as thick as ice cream! This allowed us to actually drink and enjoy our breakfast as well as have more flavorful smoothies! Win win!
This was alternated with “Spiced Apple Pie Chia Pudding”. Now we REALLY liked this. It was so refreshing and surprisingly filling. It was easy to make, and you could even make it the night before without spoiling it! I wouldn’t really call it pudding though…Even though it was filling, it was light so you were ready for the day.
Sunday brought us “Chocolate & Raspberry Pancakes”. They were as good as they sound! It didn’t make a ton, but you definitely didn’t need a lot with how filling they were. We almost overlooked the raspberries but I’m glad we didn’t because they were so refreshing and really popped with the chocolate pancake. These were so flavorful that you really didn’t need much for syrup!

LUNCH
We didn’t have all of the lunches because most of our dinners had left overs, however, the few we had we delicious. I really enjoyed the fact that I felt full and not sleepy.
”Broccolini Salad with Tahini Dressing” I’ll be honest, I had never heard of broccolini before, and I was really excited to find out that they were tall trees! Tahini is a surprisingly versatile flavor. It took a little longer to make because we didn’t have the quinoa pre-cooked. Mike was very happy about how filling it was.
”Chickpea Salad Pita Wrap” This is my new favorite wrap or sandwich. It would be the equivalent of a non-vegan individual’s egg salad or tuna salad sandwich. The chickpeas were so fresh and eating it really made your pallet feel clean. Mike, “ugh. DE-LISH. Easy to make. Filling.”

DINNER
”Gigantes with Tomatoes & Spinach” This made for really good leftovers. Most notably for Mike, he enjoyed it with “second breakfast” by adding eggs to it. It’s definitely a solid meal that just brings you home.
”Roast Cauliflower Risotto” I just love risotto. I’m not sure it can be bad. I enjoy learning to cook cauliflower better and differently. The roasted cauliflower added a nice flavor to the meal overall.
”Coconut Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce” At first, the spicy peanut sauce was to “peanut-y” but it grew on me. We skimped on some of the coconut because we don’t particularly like all forms of coconut but we’re fairly certain it did not detract from the flavor. Mike really did well cooking the tofu, he got a good “char” to it that was tasty.
”Pasta e Fagioli with Kale” Another good “second breakfast” item for Mike. The beans in this were huge!
”Tempeh Bibimbap” Our least favorite meal that we likely won’t make again. I think it was the tempeh though…we may not like tempeh. We’ll find out this week because tempeh is on the menu again. I was mainly excited about the kimchi and was surprised I liked it.
”Honey & Ginger Stir-Fry with Tofu” Probably the favorite dinner meal of the week. Mike, “DE-LISH exclamation point”. Goof ball. This was good at dinner, it was good as leftovers. Just yum.
”Sweet Potato Nachos with Lentil Chilli” This was rough. We like the idea of it, but we need to work on our chip making skills. It was filling though, and you felt better about eating than regular nachos. The time it takes to make the chips is a bit long but worth it…if you do it right.

Mike:
I really felt nourished and fed. I didn’t feel like my body was fighting the food and trying to find the nutrients. It felt like it was truly energizing.
Ace:
I enjoyed all the different flavors. To everyone who said I was a picky eater, I’d have to say this shows you that you’re wrong. I just know what I like and don’t like. But the variety of foods this has shown us in such a short time, it’s been amazing. I enjoyed how each meal felt like it was the “home base” meal for a different country.

Here’s to food!
-M&K

The Devil’s Arithmetic – Review

I’ve finished my second book for this year. I had intended for it to be a light read after the previous book, but failed. I scrolled through my Goodreads list and stumbled on “The Devil’s Arithmetic” and didn’t remember what it was about, thought it sounded good, it’s fiction, so should be “light”. Wrong. It’s about the Holocaust.

I really appreciate reading about the Holocaust. Something about it just draws me in. I can’t get over how people blindly followed such horrible leadership to kill others for no reason, except they were different. Different in a specific way. Not like the Dutch, Swedes, etc. They were Jewish. There’s a lot to talk about there but I’ll just get to the book.

It was a short read and super easy. While it was fiction in the sense that the characters weren’t real, the story was very real.
You go through a period of time as a child in a concentration camp, living day in and day out. The author does a good job of painting the picture but not dragging through it. You see how young children grow up in a matter of minutes, their childhood stolen so quickly. You see adults who have lost control of the situation and don’t even know how it happened.

I really appreciated how the experience changed the main character and helped her to grow. It’s a lesson I feel a lot of people fail to see or learn when they are young and often struggle with when they’re older too. It’s a lesson that is important for not only the Holocaust but just growing with life. Learning and appreciating history from those older than us. Taking time to understand why we are who we are.