Veganarchy's Lifestyle Journal

[Veganarchy]

Good job keeping up with the journal, I can never seem to stick with one! Any news of your progress? Going where you want to be going?

Hey, Fallen_Horse! In terms of health, I am doing very well. I push myself to my max most days, and am consequently getting a lot stronger and fitter. In terms of general life stuff, I'm doing pretty well. I got a part-time job at my local co-op at the java and juice bar, and also got accepted to my state's university and will be going starting this fall. Most of my time these days is spent working, going to the gym, and relaxing at home/recovering from exercising. If I get a second job, I probably won't exercise as often since my body won't be able to handle the strain, but we will see how things go with this new job for a while...

Other than that I have been trying to read more but haven't been motivated enough to cut myself off of netflix entirely, so a lot of my time is spent eating and watching TV on that. I am in the suburbs right now and my friends are in the city, so not having independent mode of transportation prevents me from going out as often as I might like. So, my life is pretty boring right now, and I am trying to figure out how to make it more fulfilling. I know that there is a lot that I can do, but starting a new hobby can take a lot of investment (a pretty lame excuse). At the very least, I guess I can read more than I have been.

That's what's been up. Snow is melting, tonight is the spring equinox, and I'm looking forward to what the warm weather will bring. Hopefully more excitement and change, and less staring at my computer screen.

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, March 13:
Attended a cycle class. This is usually my recovery day, but I didn't go two times last week so I thought I'd get another workout in.
Grade: A-. I worked pretty hard.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,848
Fat: 50.9
Carbs: 266.0
Protein: 110.2

Workout summary for Monday, March 14:
Attended a strength training class.
Grade: A+. I worked really hard today and surprised myself.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,885
Fat: 62.0
Carbs: 277.1
Protein: 85.0

Workout summary for Tuesday, March 15:
Attended a cycle class.
Grade: A++. The instructor was great today -- he encouraged the class to push as hard as possible, and halfway through I didn't think I would make it. It took a lot of willpower to push myself until the very end, and I figured out what it meant when he said that it was more of a mental game than a physical one. I have a lot of respect for triathletes and cyclists now.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,990
Fat: 53.5
Carbs: 322.3
Protein: 81.7

Workout summary for Wednesday, March 16:
Attended a strength training class.
Grade: A+. I applied what I learned from the previous day to this class -- I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could. I was really proud of myself at the end. This is how workout should be!!!

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,829
Fat: 49.7
Carbs: 282.4
Protein: 81.6

Workout summary for Thursday, March 17:
Cycled for 30 minutes on my own today.
Grade: B. I looked at the schedule incorrectly and came in too early to catch the class I wanted, so I worked out on my own this day. It's encouraging working out with other people; I think I push myself harder when I know everyone around me is working hard.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,855
Fat: 42.9
Carbs: 309.4
Protein: 82.8

Workout summary for Friday, March 18:
Attended a 45 minute core/pilates class.
Grade: A. I worked hard, as usual.

Nutrition:
I ate at a restaurant today (it was called the Ecopolitan and is one of my favorite restaurants because it's 100% organic, vegan, and raw!!) so I can't be sure of the nutritional value for the day, but I'm guessing I was around 1800-1900 calories.

Workout summary for Saturday, March 19:
Attended a yoga class.
Grade: B+. I took it a little easier on myself since I pushed it pretty hard this week. I still gave the class a good effort. Yoga is more for stretching my body than it is for building strength, at least for me.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,545
Fat: 49.1
Carbs: 229.2
Protein: 70.0

Overall grade for workout and nutrition for the week:
A-. I worked really hard this week, and now I know what it means to give something your all. I consistently consumed 500 calories over my BMR every day, and feel that I don't need to be eating that much. I knew it while I was eating, too. I would eat when I wasn't necessarily hungry for pleasure, just as long as I didn't go over 1800 calories. And that was okay. But I think I will go down 200 calories for a week and see where that leaves me. I do have extra fat that I think was due to eating so much this week.

That's not to say I don't feel and look great! I could keep this routine up and still be doing great!

Props to myself for sticking with it -- one more week and I will be hitting my three-month anniversary of working out and being vegan!! WHOO!

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, March 20:
Rest and recover day! I worked for four hours this day. This means I was on my feet for four hours doing some light work (cleaning, juicing, some light lifting of produce).
Grade: NA.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,535
Fat: 49.0
Carbs: 235.7
Protein: 61.2

Workout summary for Monday, March 21:
Attended a strength training class. It was pretty solid, I remember that it could have been better towards the end. I petered out a little bit; I might have still been recovering from the week before.
Grade: B+.

Nutrition (rough estimates):
Calories: 1,304
Fat: 30.5
Carbs: 220.5
Protein: 50.7

Workout summary for Tuesday, March 22:
Attended a cycle class at 5:30 in the morning!!
Grade: A, at least considering the workout from the day before. I'm always surprised at how much I sweat...

Nutrition (very, very rough estimates):
Calories: 2,792
Fat: 132.0
Carbs: 345.2
Protein: 99.6
Grade: F. I have to grade this one and comment -- probably due to my change in habits: I acquired a job a few weeks ago which require me to stand and walk around for 4-6 hours at a time doing light lifting for a total of 20-25 hours a week. I got fed up with documenting everything I ate and wanted to binge unabashedly, and went DOWN on some almonds. More 'bad' news to come...

Workout summary for Wednesday, March 23:
Attended a cardio kickboxing class (60 min) and a core class (40 min).
Grade: A. It had been a while since I had kickboxed, so it was a lot of fun. I didn't perform at my peak since I was still feeling Monday's workout. I felt strong during the core class.

Nutrition (rough estimate):
Calories: 2,332 (probably higher)
Fat: 84.0
Carbs: 343.0
Protein: 86.8
Comment: I don't know what it was... probably my body kicking into gear telling me that I need to eat more now that I'm walking around a lot more than I am used to. That's probably it. Now I have to figure out how to adjust to that.

Workout summary for Thursday, March 24:
I thought I worked until close this day, so I thought I would be okay not going to the gym. I ended up leaving at 4 and didn't reconsider going, for some reason. Huh. So I didn't go.
Grade: NA/F.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,535
Fat: 49.0
Carbs: 235.7
Protein: 61.2

Workout summary for Friday, March 25:
I was planning only on going to a core class (45 min) today, but since I didn't go to the gym the day before I also went to a cycle class. The cycle class went well, as did the core class.
Grade: A. Feelin' good.

Nutrition (rough estimate):
Calories: 1,840
Fat: 77.3
Carbs: 243.9
Protein: 58.8

Workout summary for Saturday, March 26:
I spent the night at my friend's house the night before, and this morning we tried to get to a yoga class near her house. We were running a little late and couldn't find free parking so ditched the idea and went grocery shopping instead.

Nutrition:
I was cooking at my friend's place and didn't have a scale -- there's really no point in trying to calculate this day's worth of food. It would be time consuming, inaccurate, and generally not worthwhile. Let's say I ate around 2,500 calories today, mostly due to olive oil and part of a brownie that I indulged in. YUM.

I was pretty tiffed that I didn't get my weekly yoga class in, but what I discovered at the grocery store was a good payoff. I've known for a while now that local food is just plain better; it's better for the community, better for the local economy, and better for the environment. Lately I've decided to take extra measures to make local items and food the majority of my consumer purchases. At this co-op I found some produce I don't have at mine, and I was very pleased with the end result.

Grade: NA.
oh ya! dontcha know? it's possible to put local yummies in your tummies all year-round... eat seasonal and local food and your palate, your conscience, and the environment will thank you. all ingredients were harvested from MN and WI sans... the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, ginger spice, and cayenne.

I will call this plate... 'the turning season reasons' -- wild rice, radishes of four different varieties, and a salad of mixed greens, arugula, tomatoes, basil, chives olive oil, and balsamic.

Some weekly updates:
- Supplements: I ran out of rice protein powder some time early last week, so that means I have been consuming an average of 10 grams of protein less than usual. I don't feel it necessary to invest in another $30 jar of the powder, so I'm going to see my progress for the next three months without having that a part of my diet.
- Fudge week: No, I don't mean the chocolate. I didn't do a super job of documenting what I ate this week, and part of me felt upset at myself for that in fear of falling off-track, but I'm also glad I wasn't as meticulous and obsessed about it. I thought it was a fudge week, as in I botched things up, and almost didn't post this entry because I would have to relive not doing my best this week (in terms of nutrition). However, I'm glad that I did because I realized that I did a lot better than I thought I did. I worked out pretty much the same amount as I have been for the past several weeks, I just ate more than usual, which is forgivable when I take my working hours into account. I was also sick for several days yet continued with my regular 1,800 calorie intake and intense workout regime. So I think this week was a buffer week and my body was compensating a lot for the changes that have been taking place. I will need to consider upping my calorie intake to 2,000 in order to keep things in balance.
- Extra calories: may also be coming from my work. I work as a beverage maker of juices, smoothie, and hot drinks. Whenever there is extra of juice, I make sure to drink it. I am not as partial to smoothies but a considerable amount of my calories have been coming from them. And not so much with hot drinks.
- Soy: I have been breaking out lately, and I think it's my body's reaction from my month-long binge on soy. I drank soy milk every day and ate tofu every day for a good month, I think. Soy is known for having a lot of estrogen, and so I think it messed with my hormones and imbalanced them. I'm in the transition to cutting all soy products out of my diet. It's hard, though, because I actually like the taste and its versatility as a crop. There are other scares, though, like GMO soy and schtuff. And I don't like acne, either. So it's pretty much kaput in my book.

So, it's Sunday, the beginning of a new week! At the end of this month I will post some pictures (low-quality due to the absence of my digital camera and subsequent reliance on my webcam) of my three month progress and also my reflection of how I feel as though this new year has been going so far. Consider it my quarterly check-in. Ideally in the future I will have a brief two-week check-in, a more thorough monthly check-in, and then a comprehensive three-month reflection.

Stay healthy, people.

[Veganarchy]

Hi, everyone! As promised, here are pictures of my journey as a vegan and strength-trainer/exercise junkie/lifestyle reformer.

Picture deleted by user
It's hard to make objective observations because I'm at an angle in the first picture, the middle pictures is not the same size as the other two, and the overall quality of the pictures are so horrible. With that in mind, continue reading about my observations on my physique.

Physique:
In comparison to the picture taken at the end of March, I have more lower ab definition now. I do have extra fat around my thighs and waist compared to a couple of weeks ago when I was at my thinnest and lightest, but I bet I have more muscle than I did then. Throughout the past several weeks, my weight has fluctuated from 121 - 127 lbs. Today I came in at 124.

Strength:
I do feel stronger, overall. I can easily and quickly perform tasks that require some muscle behind them (lifting bags of produce, mopping), and find that my endurance is quite high. What can I say? I move differently now; I move with power, strength, and poise, and confidence!

Diet:
I was more lax with myself in terms of what I ate and what I documented. I wasn't too lax, but lax enough that I didn't stick to any plan (because I didn't really have any since I was adjusting to my new lifestyle - trial and error...). It turned out okay! I'm not morbidly obese or stick-skinny; I do think that there were some botches this month - I suspect some muscle loss from not eating enough protein and not enough food in general. I am apprehending this for the month of April by holding myself accountable to following a 2,000 calorie diet (without being too strict on myself). In terms of eating vegan - I will say that I have cheated a few times. I make smoothies at my work and sometimes we have leftovers. I was taught not to waste food, so I have had some of the leftovers with dairy products. I could just toss it or, better yet, put them out for people to sample (which I do most of the time). I also feel a little bit pressured to try some of them so that I might tell customers how our menu items taste, but I think that's a poor excuse. There are also leftovers from the deli department at night, and I bring my dad home some food. Last night I had carrots that were cooked in butter. It was a very conscious act - it was free food, I was starving, and lately I have been wondering if eating dairy that is from a local small-scale farmer that treats her animals with respect can be such a bad thing. I've been transitioning from eating foods that are from the-heck-knows-where to growing my own food and purchasing local food; purchasing and consuming dairy products from these sources is something that I will have to educate myself on and evaluate in regards to my ethics and morals.

Emotions/Mentality:
I am finding that achieving the ideal body is not an easy task. Sometimes I see women (girls?) who are thinner than I am and it makes me feel badly about my body. How ridiculous is that?! There is so much pressure to have the perfect body, that it almost seems like nothing we do is good enough until we look like the people advertising weight loss pills (pills being besides the point). I think media has played a huge role in why I have pushed myself so hard. Admittedly, the physical "benefits" of exercising was my initial motivation (aka lookin' good), but I have come across a plethora of other benefits such as slowing down the aging process, preventing osteoporosis, increasing my overall energy, and maintaining a general sense of well-being and radiant health. It is still incredibly difficult to stay away from the mirror; a lot of my happiness is dependent on how my body looks and feels that day. My build is different than it was in the past, too. In the past I was very thin and svelte, and now I am thin with a decent amount of muscle. Right now, if I am to be completely honest, I prefer the very thin and svelte look over how I look now. But if I take into account how much power and strength I have, I would much rather feel this way and look this way than feel the way I did when I was that thin -- weak and incapable of tasks that required strength. I'm learning to love my body and what I do for it and what it does for me. Exercising keeps me healthy, and I am not going to stop strength training for the sake of achieving that abnormally thin look, which is less appealing to me every day.

Summary:
I have to give myself a pat on the back for how hard I worked this month, even while I was a little sick (it's okay to exercise when you're sick from the neck up; it even helps). I also maintained my exercise regime while holding a part time job for the last three months of March. I shouldn't be too quick to congratulate myself, because constant self-improvement means that the bar is constantly being raised -- so there is always room for improvement!!! My body and I are still adjusting to the new changes of standing for several hours at a time in addition to exercising, so I speculate April will be a bit of an experiment. I am not to be discouraged! I have grown physically and mentally tougher in tremendous amounts these past few weeks, and welcome the mental and physical challenges that are inevitably to come (my main ones being impatience and obsession with body image and diet). Bring it on!

Goals for the month of April:
- Continue my regime of lifting 3x per week, going to cardio classes 2x per week, and yoga 1x per week in order to get stronger, first and foremost. This means that I am still bulking! I will theoretically "cut" during the months of May and June.
- Consume 2,000 calories (100 calorie grace window) per day for two weeks and evaluate.
- Run at least once a week on my own in order to prepare for a 5K on May 7th.
- Buy running shoes/cross-training shoes (I have been exercising in flat casual shoes for three months!).
- Look in the mirror as little as possible.

Reach for your dreams. Make them happen. Strive for self-improvement. The power is within you.

Sorry for any typos or poor writing -- I'm ready to hit the hay.

[Fallen_Horse]

...
Strength:
I do feel stronger, overall. I can easily and quickly perform tasks that require some muscle behind them (lifting bags of produce, mopping), and find that my endurance is quite high. What can I say? I move differently now; I move with power, strength, and poise, and confidence!

Awesome! That is one of the most rewarding parts about strength training IMO....

.....In terms of eating vegan - I will say that I have cheated a few times. I make smoothies at my work and sometimes we have leftovers. I was taught not to waste food, so I have had some of the leftovers with dairy products. I could just toss it or, better yet, put them out for people to sample (which I do most of the time). I also feel a little bit pressured to try some of them so that I might tell customers how our menu items taste, but I think that's a poor excuse. There are also leftovers from the deli department at night, and I bring my dad home some food. Last night I had carrots that were cooked in butter. It was a very conscious act - it was free food, I was starving, and lately I have been wondering if eating dairy that is from a local small-scale farmer that treats her animals with respect can be such a bad thing. I've been transitioning from eating foods that are from the-heck-knows-where to growing my own food and purchasing local food; purchasing and consuming dairy products from these sources is something that I will have to educate myself on and evaluate in regards to my ethics and morals.

I feel like wasting animal foods is worse than eating them, so I agree with your thoughts on eating leftovers! I have done that a few times myself. I feel like if I was an animal and someone was going to kill me without a good reason, the least they could do is eat me!
I understand feeling pressure at your job to know what your foods taste like, but couldn't you just get opinions from your friends and family that have eaten there?
As for the idea of eating local dairy, I personally feel there are many good reasons against it (the amount of water cows consume, the cows being kept pregnant to produce milk, the male calves born from dairy cows are sold to meat plants, etc.) but each person has to find their own boundaries!

Emotions/Mentality:
I am finding that achieving the ideal body is not an easy task. Sometimes I see women (girls?) who are thinner than I am and it makes me feel badly about my body. How ridiculous is that?! There is so much pressure to have the perfect body, that it almost seems like nothing we do is good enough until we look like the people advertising weight loss pills (pills being besides the point). I think media has played a huge role in why I have pushed myself so hard. Admittedly, the physical "benefits" of exercising was my initial motivation (aka lookin' good), but I have come across a plethora of other benefits such as slowing down the aging process, preventing osteoporosis, increasing my overall energy, and maintaining a general sense of well-being and radiant health. It is still incredibly difficult to stay away from the mirror; a lot of my happiness is dependent on how my body looks and feels that day. My build is different than it was in the past, too. In the past I was very thin and svelte, and now I am thin with a decent amount of muscle. Right now, if I am to be completely honest, I prefer the very thin and svelte look over how I look now. But if I take into account how much power and strength I have, I would much rather feel this way and look this way than feel the way I did when I was that thin -- weak and incapable of tasks that required strength. I'm learning to love my body and what I do for it and what it does for me. Exercising keeps me healthy, and I am not going to stop strength training for the sake of achieving that abnormally thin look, which is less appealing to me every day.

I wish you could get together with my girlfriend and beat these ideas into her head! She has a tough time with body image issues...

Summary:
I have to give myself a pat on the back for how hard I worked this month, even while I was a little sick (it's okay to exercise when you're sick from the neck up; it even helps). I also maintained my exercise regime while holding a part time job for the last three months of March. I shouldn't be too quick to congratulate myself, because constant self-improvement means that the bar is constantly being raised -- so there is always room for improvement!!! My body and I are still adjusting to the new changes of standing for several hours at a time in addition to exercising, so I speculate April will be a bit of an experiment. I am not to be discouraged! I have grown physically and mentally tougher in tremendous amounts these past few weeks, and welcome the mental and physical challenges that are inevitably to come (my main ones being impatience and obsession with body image and diet). Bring it on!

Goals for the month of April:
- Continue my regime of lifting 3x per week, going to cardio classes 2x per week, and yoga 1x per week in order to get stronger, first and foremost. This means that I am still bulking! I will theoretically "cut" during the months of May and June.
- Consume 2,000 calories (100 calorie grace window) per day for two weeks and evaluate.
- Run at least once a week on my own in order to prepare for a 5K on May 7th.
- Buy running shoes/cross-training shoes (I have been exercising in flat casual shoes for three months!).
- Look in the mirror as little as possible.

Reach for your dreams. Make them happen. Strive for self-improvement. The power is within you.

Great mindset! Good work and keep it up!

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, March 27:
Rest and recovery day!

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,751
Fat: 105.3
Carbs: 415.8
Protein: 71.7
Workout summary for Monday, March 28:
Strength training class.
Grade: B. Re-evaluating my goals makes it difficult to push myself since I don't have any specific one in mind.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,840
Fat: 64.8
Carbs: 281.3
Protein: 58.1

Workout summary for Tuesday, March 29:
Rest and recovery day!

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,854
Fat: 69.9
Carbs: 278.7
Protein: 47.4

Workout summary for Wednesday, March 30:
Strength training.
Grade: I don't really remember this day, to be honest...

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,173
Fat: 84.6
Carbs: 313.8
Protein: 61.2

Workout summary for Thursday, March 31:
I went on a walk with my dad through a regional park. He walks this route every day while I'm at the gym, and let me tell you - it was NOT easy. I walked at a very past pace for about one hour, and was not wearing the proper shoes for the amount of snow that is still on the trails.
Grade: A. Who knew walking could be such great exercise?

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,570
Fat: 41.1
Carbs: 469.8
Protein: 98.0

Workout summary for Friday, April 1:
45 minute core class.
Grade: A. Feelin' it.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,066
Fat: 40.7
Carbs: 365.7
Protein: 77.8

Workout summary for Saturday, April 2:
Kickboxing.
Grade: A. Today was a really emotional class. I was riding the energy of the room and pushed myself hard. I think right now, exercise fills a void in my life that human-to-human interaction might were I in a situation more conducive to that. I am not directing my energy towards much but my part-time job and exercising. Long story short, it was a great workout and I realized a lot. Also, my plan was to go to yoga right afterward but I was really processing a lot mentally so I let it go.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,819 (+smoothie, 200-300)
Fat: 37.5
Carbs: 321.8
Protein: 71.6

Weekly update:
I think I've fallen off the wagon these past few weeks. Now that I'm feeling fit and also feel more confident about my body, I don't have as much of a sense of urgency as I did when I started exercising. I don't think I'm pushing myself as hard in the gym, nor am I being as careful in documenting what I eat and eating the right portions. I have to remind myself that there is always room for improvement; if I keep going at the same intensity that I did the first 2-2.5 months I was working out, I think I could get a really ripped look for this summer. The only part that resists going as hard as I have been is that I don't want to get so "obsessive" about this. I wasn't so obsessed these past few months, just really dedicated. I like dedicating myself to this realm of life - the health-conscious one that pushes limits and challenges onself - and I want to keep on going. I think I was judging myself by thinking, "Are you seriously unsatisfied with where you are now? You've come so far! You don't have to push yourself as hard anymore." I am happy with where I am, definitely. But I really like how it feels to push myself to extremes, and I want to keep on doing so. Whew. I'm glad I got that off of my chest.

So far I have already eating way over my 2,000 calorie mark. That's due to inadequate planning (and also a bag of root vegetable chips my dad mysteriously bought yesterday. I was so blown away by the concept of eating something fried and crunchy that I went kind of wild... errr...).

OKAY! I'M BACK IN THE GAME, PEOPLE!!!

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, April 3:
Rest and recovery!

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,537
Fat: 63.2
Carbs: 445.7
Protein: 66.7

Workout summary for Monday, April 4:
Strength training class

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,789
Fat: 45.0
Carbs: 300.9
Protein: 57.4

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 5:
Cycle class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,583
Fat: 24.2
Carbs: 293.8
Protein: 57

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 6:
One hour of Yoga Sculpt and one hour of cardio kickboxing.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,655
Fat: 71.2
Carbs: 208.4
Protein: 61.9

Workout summary for Thursday, April 7:
One hour of yoga and 30 minutes of cycling, followed by another 30 minutes of yoga.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,884
Fat: 35.4
Carbs: 329.6
Protein: 79.1

Workout summary for Friday, April 8:
45 minute core class

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,878
Fat: 39.2
Carbs: 328.3
Protein: 77.0

Workout summary for Saturday, April 9:
Hardcore Cardio Resistance Training (CRT) class. I was a star.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,639
Fat: 18.5
Carbs: 308.4
Protein: 75.0

Overall summary of the week:
I got back on the bandwagon (minus Sunday) and pushed myself hard. I really should have taken a week off a while ago to recover from continuously working my body for three months. Can I go two more weeks? Should I go two more weeks? Perhaps I should go for one more week of my recent routine (3x strength, 2x cardio, 1x yoga per week) and then take it to half-intensity the last week of April, and then go all out the second week of May. Any suggestions?

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, April 10:
Rest and recovery!

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,236
Fat: 27.4
Carbs: 206.0
Protein: 53.2

Workout summary for Monday, April 11:
Strength training class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,024
Fat: 32.2
Carbs: 362.3
Protein: 82.0

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 12:
Zumba class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,875
Fat: 42.9
Carbs: 323.2
Protein: 77.5

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 13:
Didn't workout today in anticipation for the show I wanted to go crazy at the next day...

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,602
Fat: 22.8
Carbs: 308.1
Protein: 54.0

Workout summary for Thursday, April 14:
Danced my pants off at an electronic music show.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,402
Fat: 19.2
Carbs: 256.1
Protein: 62.7

Workout summary for Friday, April 15:
Walked 3+ miles.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,490
Fat: 36.4
Carbs: 471.1
Protein: 80.6

Workout summary for Saturday, April 16:
One hour of labor-intensive garden work. LifePower Vinyasa 2.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,078
Fat: 18.4
Carbs: 410.4
Protein: 92.3

Overall summary of the week:
I felt uncomfortable with the idea of skipping days at the gym, but apparently (indicated by how much I slept today) I needed a lot of rest not only from this week but the past few months of working so hard. I am amazed at how much I exercised last week. Not only was it frequent, it was pretty intense. This week, even though I didn't step foot in the gym three days less than usual, I still got exercise from dancing and walking. It was a lower-intensity week, though, as my heart-rate didn't get up super high. Progress is slower and less perceptible these days. I suspect this is typical as people get more and more in shape. I'm still progressing, however!

Upcoming goals for the week:
I am running a 5K in two weeks that I haven't started "training" for yet... eek! I know it won't be too difficult finishing it, since I am already in good shape. However, I haven't gone on an actual run in many months, and I think my muscles need to become reacquainted with this exercise. I also have to learn the route. My initial goal was to run 10K every week for a month leading up to the race, but so far I have failed and haven't run at all. How did that happen? Ouch. Well, I still have two weeks to prepare, and I need to get serious about it. My plan for the week is to lift on Monday, run indoors on Tuesday, lift and/or core class on Wednesday, run the route outdoors on Thursday, yoga and/or core class on Friday, cardio kickboxing and/or yoga on Saturday, rest HARD on Sunday.

I haven't eaten dark green leaves in a week or so and am going to try to eat a lot this week. I am also concerned about my protein-intake... I don't want to take supplements, but want to get the most out of my workouts. Rumination time begins now.

In other areas of my life...
- I would like to finish a book I have been reading for a long time early this week, and begin another one by the same author.
- I have also been meaning on make a budget for myself and figuring out my finances. I would like to create a budget at the very least by the end of this month.
- I also have a garden that I am tending to (my first one!) and need to start planning for that this week. I would like for there to be plants in the ground by the first week of May.
- One more thing -- the weather is nice these days, so I am going to start to commute to work by bike. It is only two miles away, but for some reason it seems a little daunting to bike there (why?!). This is a mental block that I will pummel through this week. I only work three days, so that's 12 miles on bike. PIECE OF CAKE.

Notes for me:
- Cook food for the day before going to the gym.
- Remember to put your lights on your bike.
- Pick groceries up tomorrow before work, leave by 12:00
- Finish book before going to bed
- Do some budgeting on Tuesday. Plan my garden.
- Go to Barnes&Noble/Half Priced Books on Wednesday. Moleskines for finances and other... ? Buy garden supplies?
- Pick up the rest of my groceries on Thursday. Buy the seeds that I need.
- Do some planting on Friday.

[Veganarchy]

In response to my monthly reflection, posted on April 1st.

Hey, everyone. It's Veganarchy here with a stellar update. Today, I ripped it up at the gym. I attended a strength training class, and I grit my teeth through the pain and kept on lifting, even when I thought I couldn't perform one more rep. I have no hard evidence to back up my claims of how hard I worked today (well, I was lifting the heaviest body bars: 24 and 18lbs), but I will say that NOW I really know what it means to LIFT! Today was an "aha" day, when my preconceived physical limitations were crushed by my commitment and will to get strong and crush my goals of... of... wait, what were my goals? At first, it was to lose weight and achieve the "dream body." Now, it's just to see HOW FAR I CAN GO. How far can I push the limitations of my body, mind, and spirit? I think that it took an incredible amount of poise, concentration, and will power to accomplish what I did today. YES I am tooting my own horn, dammit! I think I deserve that. I want to be able to lift my chin a liiitle higher when I walk, and strength training is helping me to do so. It's not about physical appearance anymore - to be honest, I know that my body is in great shape. It's more about testing myself. I'm looking to push myself out of my comfort zone every single time I lift now, to give 101% every time I exercise, to ask myself, "is that the most you can do? you can't give me eight more reps? really? are you SURE about that?"

It's not about lifting through the physical pain. It's about lifting through the mental blocks of your mind that tells you that you can't go any more. It's screaming, "no you can't! impossible! stop right now!" but it's always possible. It's always possible to give more, to do more, to grow more, than you are right now.

Try and reach your potential... and surpass it.

[Fallen_Horse]

Kickass!

[Veganarchy]

Workout summary for Sunday, April 17:
Rest and recovery!

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,122
Fat: 21.6
Carbs: 208.5
Protein: 31.4

Workout summary for Monday, April 18:
Strength training class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,387
Fat: 24.8
Carbs: 261.0
Protein: 29.2

Workout summary for Tuesday, April 19:
Ran the route for the 5K in May.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,797
Fat: 30.7
Carbs: 325.0
Protein: 57.8

Workout summary for Wednesday, April 20:
Kickboxing "jam" class. 30 minute abs. Strength training class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,757
Fat: 37.3
Carbs: 281.2
Protein: 84.9

Workout summary for Thursday, April 21:

Nutrition:
Calories: 1,759
Fat: 49.6
Carbs: 276.7
Protein: 77.6

Workout summary for Friday, April 22:
Yoga class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,090
Fat: 56.0
Carbs: 328.1
Protein: 92.2

Workout summary for Saturday, April 23:
Cardio kickboxing class. Yoga class.

Nutrition:
Calories: 2,306
Fat: 30.5
Carbs: 445.6
Protein: 76.7

Weekly summary:
Strength training x 2, cardio x 3, yoga x 2

Average nutrition:
Calories: 1745.43
Fat: 35.79
Carbs: 303.73
Protein: 64.23

Weigh in: 122 lbs

[Veganarchy]

Nutrition (weekly averages):

Week #4, January 23:
C: 1551.8
F: 38.7
C: 299.98
P: 108.1

Week #5, January 30:
C: 1469.33
F: 32.72
C: 230.30
P: 67.22

Week #6, February 6:
C: 1385.29
F: 40.99
C: 174.20
P: 71.57

Week #7, February 13:
C: 1309.14
F: 41.23
C: 193.39
P: 61.49

Week #8, February 20:
C: 1311.43
F: 41.76
C: 175.71
P: 76.87

Week #9, February 27:
C: 2052.14
F: 68.13
C: 291.91
P: 98.59

Week #10, March 6:
C: 1732.86
F: 49.11
C: 268.84
P: 83.14

Week #11, March 13:
C: 1852.14
F: 51.35
C: 281.07
P: 85.22

Week #12, March 20:
C: 1889.67
F: 70.3
C: 270.67
P: 69.62

Week #13, March 27:
C: 2174.72
F: 63.42
C: 349.56
P: 67.73

Week #14, April 3:
C: 1852.14
F: 42.39
C: 316.44
P: 67.73

Week #15, April 10:
C: 1819.14
F: 28.47
C: 333.89
P: 71.76

Week #16, April 17:
C: 1745.43
F: 35.79
C: 303.73
P: 64.23

At week 26, I will calculate my body fat and compare it to my last results, conducted on February 1st.

[Veganarchy]

Weekly workout summary:
Monday: One hour of strength
Tuesday: Didn't exercise... what the eff? Why not??
Wednesday: One our of kickboxing, 30 minutes of core, one hour of strength
Thursday: Ran three miles
Friday: One our of strength training, 45 minutes of core/pilates, one hour of yoga
Saturday: Biked 17 miles (10 miles in 45 minutes up and down hills = 22 mph!), yoga class

Weekly nutrition summary (averages):
Calories: 2077.66
Fat: 48.23
Carbs: 272.5
Protein: 67.1

I'm getting really sloppy. One day I had bad diarrhea (due to either overly-fermented oats or lots of raw veggies in the system for the first time in a while), and I decided to replenish the bacteria in my stomach with some free yogurt I brought home from work (intended on being for my dad). Then I went ahead and ate some free cottage cheese, and at work the next day I went down on some free cheesecake. It even had high fructose corn syrup in it! Ick. WELL. I felt super guilty about it all, and in hindsight it wasn't THAT big of a deal. But it really messed with my decision-making process and morals and whatnot. Making mistakes is how I learn, and I now realize that for me, making exceptions definitely does not work -- it is just too slippery of a slope to glide down once I pass that tiny bit of dairy past my mouth. Alright, so, I ate a lot of dairy, and consumed a sh*t ton of extra calories this week. Shame on me, but now I know. No dairy means no dairy. Dedication is dedication. There are other flavors and textures that my taste buds have yet to uncover, and dairy does not have to be a part of my dietary experience.

I have also been drinking plenty of soy milk and eating bread made out of wheat. My body hasn't reacted negatively, at least not in ways that I am aware of, but I am still deciding to stop my intake of these foods. It makes me feel a lot safer.

I bought some hemp protein powder; it was on sale due to it being national hemp week! I also bought some hemp seeds that were five dollars or so off the regular price (originally $18/lb reduced to $12 - yeuh!). I want to get back on track! I want to be more mindful of what I am putting into my body - if I want to eat more, let it be more whole foods! Let it be something that is nutritious, and not something that is destructive to my body. And let me consume less overall, if I can help it (which I can).

An active lifestyle is a happy life.

[Veganarchy]

Looks like after four straight months of documentation, I finally caved. Writing down everything that I consume and every exercise I perform is taxing on my brain, and at this point in the game, is an unnecessary form of stress.

I had been pushing hard for four straight months with no room for proper recovery, and I think my body was telling me to slow down.

Working backwards...:
Friday, May 20:
- NADA.
Thursday, May 19:
- Transfer student orientation.
- Biked to and from work w/ groceries. 4 mi.
Wednesday, May 18:
- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.
- Placement testing.
- Slept 4 hrs.
Tuesday, May 17:
- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.
Monday, May 16:
- Strength training
- Biked from gym to work to home. 8 mi.
Sunday, May 15:
- Biked around the city. 6+ mi.
- Slept 4 hrs.
Saturday, May 14:
- Biked to work to bus station. 4 mi.
- Biked from record store to art show. 1 mi.
Friday, May 13:
- Biked to gym and back. 4 mi.
- Yoga.
- Cleaned bathroom and my room.
Thursday, May 12:
-
Wednesday, May 11:
- Biked to and from work, gym, home w/ groceries. 6 mi.
- Strength training (night class).
Tuesday, May 10:
- Step class.
Monday, May 9:
- Strength training.
Sunday, May 8:
- Rested.
Saturday, May 7:
- Biked to and from work x 2. 8 mi.
- Ran a 5K (26:6).
Friday, May 6:
- Rested before the race.
Thursday, May 5:
- Cycle/yoga class.
- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.
Wednesday, May 4:
- Boot camp conditioning.
Tuesday, May 3:
- Zumba class.
- Ran 5 K.
- Biked to and from work. 4 mi.
Monday, May 2:
- Strength training.
- 30 minute personal training session

... something like that. Eating clean. Just started incorporating wheat grass and spirulina in the mornings. Psyllium husk and bentonite clay. Drank 32 oz of cranberry juice. Detox baths. The like.

[Fallen_Horse]

So what's Veganarchy up to these days?!