Hey, grab a coffee, tea or drink and let’s catch up a bit. I am now 1 week into my Spring semester. The long break was very much needed but it also makes it hard to get back into school mindset again. Luckily the first week didn’t require too much, just a couple discussion boards and they were really active so replying to people wasn’t too bad. Although, you never know how the grading will go. It always takes a few weeks to get a feel for how the teacher will grade.
I have been on a good schedule lately with going to the gym and my mindset is finally back in the game for the gym. I hope the stress levels are not too bad with classes this semester. Knowing it is my last semester certainly helps and the countdown is on. I feel like the past few weeks, my squats and deadlifts have really improved and I hope to continue the trend. We are allowed to take photos and videos at the gym again as long as no one else is caught in the shot. This past week, I have been the first or second person to the gym, so that has been great. It’s like first pick of the equipment lol.
Last week I was in a bit of a food rut. I made some chicken for my salads (a new recipe) and I didn’t really like how it turned out. Then I wasn’t really into smoothies after my gym sessions. Not sure what it was, but this weekend I made delicious pasta carbonara with a dairy free recipe that I found before. I make it with edamame noodles so it has loads of protein. The first time I made the recipe, I added chicken and when I put all the ingredients in MyFitnessPal, it calculated almost 50g of protein per serving!! So if you are ever looking for a super high protein meal, this is it. I left out the chicken this time, but edamame pasta has 20g of protein a serving, so it was still filling.
A new weekend favorite is popcorn on the stovetop. This is only because we do not have a microwave popcorn dish, but I just ordered one on Amazon on a lightning deal. I also just ordered some more Stasher bags. I am slowly building my collection. I do not have any of the stand up bags and they posted on their Instagram how you can make popcorn in the stand up bags in the microwave. Yep the Instagram post got me that time, but I know it’s already a product I love to use. I love the sandwich bag size for freezing veggies and protein bars. Anyway, the stovetop popcorn has been a win and it might be a new Saturday night thing. Brian and I share a bowl and we relax on the couch.
While I am still working from home, I have found myself putting on jeans and sweaters for the workday more often. Sometimes when I go to the gym in the morning, I literally do not change from my workout clothes all day (probably not the best). Other times I shower in the morning and grab one of my new sweaters. I have a few new sweaters I got from Stitch Fix in November and my Abercrombie cozy legging tees (have this in 3 colors now after getting 1 for Christmas). Seriously so soft and comfy. I also feel like the sweaters I got look good with leggings, jeans and probably my work pants.
I have been trying to incorporate more yoga into my weeks. Saturday morning Brian had to work early and I ended up getting up around 6am because I fail at sleeping in. With all the time I had and the house to myself, I decided to do a 40 minute Bad Yogi class and then bring out my new tripod and practice some arm balances because it has been a while. I remember when I used to just play around in yoga poses on the floor each night in my first apartment. That was when I first learned to hold crow pose after practicing each day. Happy to say I still have it, but I definitely feel that it is weaker. Yoga and weightlifting work different parts, but I do find when I do more yoga, my weightlifting improves. Mobility work is really what I need.
In the living room, we decided to keep the arrangement we had when we had our Christmas Tree up. It has actually been really nice. The table is next to the big window and this weekend the sun was really streaming in which makes the living room so warm. Brian calls me a cat in the window because I like to sit at the table in the sunniest spot and soak up all the warmth.
It was really nice for doing some reading and changing from working in my office all the time. I think since I work at home now, I am just on my own computer constantly. I sometimes forget my computer is actually a laptop I can take from room to room since I usually work with 2 external screens. I love my extra screens but the flexibility to bring my computer to the living room lately has also been nice.
Related to my reading, I have many articles, but no textbooks this semester, so I had a fun time organizing binders for each class one night. I printed a couple weeks ahead. My poor printer never gets to rest. Also Staples free next day delivery during this pandemic has been amazing!! I finally decided to order an entire box of paper (I have pretty much used that much by this point between work and school the past 10 months). I ordered more ink and thankfully I did because I just had to change the ink in my printer. I swear I just changed it but it had been a couple months and I guess I didn’t realize just how much I had been printing with school. This semester might kill another ink cartridge alone with the hundreds of pages I need to print and read. Sure they are all available digitally, but it’s way easier to read when printed, have to reference and highlight.
So that’s my little catch up session. I have had the urge to write more, but I pretty much only leave the house to go to the gym and the grocery store still. In a couple weeks, I may be on a hybrid office/home schedule. I think I’m ready, except for wearing work pants. I need to find some comfy work pants. I truly love my jeans, but work pants I have never had much success with. Maybe one day when the mall stores and changing rooms are open again.
What’s something you are loving right now?
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