Exam cramming and strength workouts

Ramble ramble ramble... I don't feel like doing WIAW today because I ate nothing interesting. Except pink chicken, waiting to get sick now...

Today was my anatomy exam, and I think I did OK... there were a few more questions that I guessed than I would like... but I definitely did not leave any questions with blank answer fields! Always gotta guess something just in case.... ;)
There were 140 questions so a couple that I was unsure of isn't too bad I suppose, when there's that many!!

I spent the first four hours of today doing a bit of a cram session... I know a lot of people say that doing this is bad, but I think combined with many weeks of studying, it can be a great strategy. There's always last minute things that you see and go, ahh, I didn't study that area too well - and having it just stay in your brain for another couple of hours is good enough for the exam. Or you might revise a bit more on a weak area. Cramming is great, if you ask me. Doing it the night before, not so much. But the few hours before - yes.

After my exam I went to the gym and did 10 mins on the elliptical before I was bored out of my mind, then I went for about 5 mins on the rower but put in a really good effort...

'Twas mainly a strength workout though for ~ 30 mins:
Dead lifts 2 x 15 (20kg)

Shoulder lifty thing 2 x 15 (What is this called again?) (20kg)

Pulldown machine 2 x 15 (Level 5)

Upright row 2 x 5 (20kg)

Biceps 2 x 15 (3kg each hand)

Chest press 3 x 15 (6 kg each hand)

Tricep press x 30 (on bench)

Situps 45 (on fit ball)

Lunges 45 (w/6 kg in hands)

Pushups 45 (on toes)

Plank 1 min

30 oblique situps

Yeah, I'm no good at strength workouts without BodyPump! I end up just doing random things that I remember from BodyPump, and tend to leave out large areas (like I forgot to do squats, and only 10 rows?) I need to write some kind of program down and bring it in with me... but I'm happy I did it, because I skip my strength workouts a lot... just doesn't have the same appeal as cardio stuff! 


And I kinda tend to judge people at the gym. Does anyone else do this? People who are on the bikes going super slow, chatting to their friends. What's the point? And all the guys "spotting" with their friends just look gay, in my opinion. In general I just find the gym a place full of superficial, boring people. I'd much rather be outdoors pounding the pavement / grass / whatever, swimming in the ocean, cycling outdoors, bushwalking in the... well, bush.... kickboxing in a ring. The gym is just so... stuffy!! But necessary, d'oh!


Tonight we were meant to have a dinner for my brother's birthday, so I didn't have anything else planned. Now I'm thinking I might go to kickboxing training, although I'll see how I feel later on. It's so annoying that it's at 7.45pm!


Also... my love for the show Mystery Diagnosis actually helped me in exams :D Woooooo!

Things that make me happy

I'm feeling pretty down... again... story of this week. So I decided on doing a post of things that make me happy to try to cheer myself up.

The fact that all the rooms in my house still have those awesome glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the ceilings, and they still work after 20+ years. I hardly remember to look at them these days, but when I do they cheer me up.

Skinny cow icecream cookies :)

Eating random dinners with all sorts of stuff. Like, vegetarian sausages wrapped in turkey, and mushrooms spread with vegemite.

Eating lunch in the form of brown gloop. 

Mixing stuff with raspberries up so it turns pink!

Taking stupid photos of myself, so then I can look at them and laugh at how dumb I look.

People who dress like this in races :D

Pretty flowers, and photography in general.

Sunsets, the beach.

Kicking some butt! (Or getting my butt kicked)

Chocolate, in all its variations.

Dumb jokes on the back of toilet doors. The bit I thought the funniest is: "Don't fight for femmenism, fight for equal rights!" to which someone has replied "Fight for spelling!"

And the most important? Friends.

Yes, I have sacrificed my friends for the sake of my study this year. And you know what? It was stupid. I've burnt myself out because I've had little to no time with my friends, I've spent every weekend studying and this semester I just couldn't hack it. The only me time I've had is watching TV and exercising. I have literally said no to EVERY SINGLE INVITATION this year. It has turned me into a recluse, brought back social anxiety symptoms, and made me focus even more on food and diet, something I want to get away from.

So having completed absolutely no study today because I just can't face it, I'm now going to drive 3.5 hours to a dropzone where there's currently a big party, and see the friends I've been neglecting for way too long. Some things should come before study, why did it take me so long to realise this?

Yes, I've got three exams this week. But I just can't take it anymore, I need relief!!!!

(I am kinda going to listen to lectures on the car stereo on the way, but still!!)

WIAW, WIWW, WIWW

(What I ate Wednesday, What I wore Wednesday, What I worked Wednesday)

Woohoo my favourite blog day of the week!

Already been drooling over many of the blog foods posted so far...

So at 6.30 this morning I was happily munching away on my oats (a fairly boring mix of 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup hazelnut chocolate milk, and a few spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) when my mum came in my room with...

My Amazon package!!! I ordered this September 9... so I have been stalking the letterbox ever since then, and it FINALLY arrived. YAY! Umm, excuse the bed hair.

It consisted of these three books. Awesome timing, just in time for exam week and procrastination... I did manage about five hours of study today though.

I also happened to buy this book yesterday while partaking in retail therapy.

And these magazines... think there was another one, but I couldn't find it at the time of taking the picture.

So this is my super-hot outfit for the day... pyjamas! Well, the pants and shirt are. The jacket is just a random jacket I decided to wear over my pyjamas. And sooo matching too! (P.S. Purple is awesome.)

I did actually manage to get out of the pyjamas to go to a BodyPump class at 10.30 am. It was a good class, but the bicep track was super easy for once, although maybe that's because the instructor turned the music up really loud and started singing in a whiney voice, so I was busier trying to block that out... abs are killing me though!! 

(I totally got back into my PJs after BodyPump)

Second workout of the day was kickboxing tonight, which was an all boxing night.. but we did a bit of sparring at the end and I went with a guy who managed to get in a good kick to my kidney, stomach and a good punch to my face... yowzer! The instructor said I did good fighting back though, so yay! I also entered myself into the tournament at the beginning of Nov. I entered as a novice though since I've been away from training for three years. Can't wait!

Part of my daily routine always includes hugs with the kitty, so here's a pic of him chilling out on my lap...

One of my snacks. These are good!

One of my pumpkin / almond muffins with ABC spread on top.

Self-explanatory snack bar :D

This was my lunch (PB & marmalade)... I dunno, I felt like a lot of simple stuff today because my tummy is not feeling right the last couple of days (Not just from all the situps, though!)

Dinner was a beef stir fry and rice and vegies. I think there were other snacks in there too that I forgot to take pics of. Oh well!

Procrastination in many forms...

It's study week for exams, so naturally there is loads of procrastination through the form of delicious foodstuffs, exercise, and... there is always so much stuff to tidy up! (Don't forget the blog I am writing right now...)

I don't know what it is with me this semester, I think I've kinda broken or something... but I just don't have the motivation I had last semester. 

The uni has shortened all the semesters, so instead of two weeks off, we have one. Instead of a long mid-year break, it's only 4 weeks. So basically the entire year of teaching is squished between March and October, and then we get an insane four months off. Don't get me wrong - I'm seriously looking forward to those four months!! But it means I've been super stressed for the other eight, with little break in between, and I'm sooo over it. Anyway...

One of those weird apple-apricot-oat muffin-brownie things, covered in yoghurt mixed with peanut flour. It kinda made an icing!

Baby poo pudding. Well, it actually looked more baby poo coloured in real life... this was avocado, banana, spinach, cocoa powder, protein powder... and probably other stuff, I've forgotten now. It tasted better than it looks!

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and had a sweet potato with almond spread & greek yoghurt. Now I see. I understand!

Finished my Justin's Hazelnut Butter and of course had oats in a jar... bittersweet moment.

Peanut flour mixed with the last of my greek yoghurt.

As much as I dearly love blogs that are full of foodie pictures and exercise stuff, and as much as I want to include that in mine, I don't want it to be all about that stuff. I've never been part of "mainstream" or "popular". I've always been on the outskirts. So I guess I kind of want my blog to reflect that. 

I'm not a goth or emo or anything like that, I guess it's more that my social anxiety has led me to become more isolated than I would like to be, and while people seem to like me, that's as far as it usually gets. OK, gone off on a tangent there!!

I would like to actually write more often though. Probably after exams. I have three - Chemistry, Anatomy & one that is pretty much social / environmental / biological etc determinants of health, but has a much longer name.

All right I'm going to have to stop writing now and actually start studying.

Oh.. PS. Thanks for all the great comments on my last post :D

Surprises at the local

I've been feeling a little like I'm coming down with something the last couple of days, as Friday and Saturday I had almost no appetite (HUH? When does that ever happen...) so have been dosing up on the good stuff.... moreso than usual.

Friday's dinner: Cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, baby spinach, beetroot, goat's feta cheese, and japanese marinated tofu (store bought already marinated)

Last night's dinner: gigantic mushroom stuffed with baked beans, pesto, baby spinach, a tomato, onion & basil vegie sausage all smooshed up, and cheese - grilled. I loooove giant stuffed mushrooms!!

This morning's post-workout smoothie (did 8km, and I so wasn't feeling it!) anyway: blueberries, strawberries, frozen raspberries, banana, choc protein powder, cinnamon and some soy milk. Super delicious!

Bought some of these yesterday. It's one of those multipacks. I dunno why, but I always want something unhealthy when I'm unwell. I think it's because when I was little and sick, mum would always buy us those glucose jellybeans at the pharmacy along with our medication. Anyway, turkish delight was always a fave pre-ED, so time to rekindle the love, I think - one tiny fun size bar at a time!

And here's where the title came from. Was shopping at the local supermarket here in suburban Western Australia (where you usually find nothing like this - almost always have to go to specialty health stores for the good stuff) and I found these two gems!!! Never even seen them before - Unsweetened coconut milk, and a four pack of single serve hazelnut milk (with chocolate). OMG. Super excited! Was going to have a hazelnut milk post-workout but it has virtually no protein or calcium, so thought it would be better to have something with that in.

Super tired from my run this morning (It's longer than I usually do...) and all the chores I've also been doing - the dishes, vacuuming, watering the garden, cleaning the cat's "stuff" up, laundry... time to settle down with a good book a few assignments.

WIAW #4 & some bushwalking pics

Thanks Peas & Crayons for hosting the party again :D

I had one of those insatiable appetites today, and apart from that pictured, I also had handfuls of nuts, dried blueberries, a bowl of yoghurt, a few pieces of Lindt 85% chocolate, three hot chocolates... oh dear haha. There's something about studying that just makes me eat and eat and eat! I haven't even worked out yet today.

One of the many snacks...

A delicious coffee...

One of two apples eaten today...

Finished the last of my 99% :(

Had another one of these oat bar things today...

Breakfast: oats with soy milk, raw cacao nibs, dried blueberries, cocoa powder, raisins, black chia seeds. Slight variation on my usual :)

Lunch was this pizza, which so did not photograph well! Wholegrain pita bread with basil pesto, mushrooms, baby spinach and parmesan cheese. Didn't have much other vegies so it was just mushrooms and spinach! Oh well, it tasted good!

A picture of the bushwalk down south. So stunning.

A sunset by the atlantic ocean...

My blisters are making it difficult to work out. Wearing shoes hurts, so that rules out the gym and running... I did manage to run anyway yesterday, although it wasn't fun!!! I think I'll have to go off an do a bit of a "home" strength workout in my room later on, all this food and sitting around studying all day is making me feel yuck!

Wet track pants.

Today's workout went more or less as planned, it was pretty slow though. It was raining pretty heavy and really windy most of the morning, but I was dying to get out there for a run so I went anyway.
I'm gonna go ahead and blame the fact I wore track pants on my speed - it rained very heavily in the first two minutes of my run - and they became like lead weights!!
No, really, I dunno what was up but I wasn't feeling very speedy at all. Then I went home and looked at my pace on the app, and it was what I normally run at, so I don't know what happened there.
I went for a 5km walk later on, and this arvo completed 88 pushups as part of the 100 pushups plan. They seemed easier tonight, yay :)
Feeling good too, it's 9pm and I'm actually not ready for bed already, what a shock.
Pretty productive day in general, I also did 3.5 hours study and attended uni for 4 hours worth of classes.

Excitement.

Excited for two things: City 2 Surf 12k next Sunday, which I probably won't do too well in - but pretty sure I'll beat last year's time!! -

Aaand 5 or 6 of us from work are hiking the Bibbulmun Track in about three weeks!! We've got a rough plan going for about 20km per day, 110 in total. It should be so so so much fun! The rest of them I'm pretty sure are fitter than me so I will definitely be pushed.
I'm planning on bringing peanut butter, of course, and maybe a giant trail mix, and probably some beans... debating what else. It's in the "no classes week" or whatever it's called. Means I won't be able to use that week to catch up on study, but I really need a week OFF study!! So I'll just have to work my butt off till then, because I'm pretty sure there's assignments due at the end of that week too.
So what am I doing writing this... better get back to it.

Oh yeah - but before I do - this morning's boot camp was KILLER! We were doing 400m sprints, swapping with our partner to do 10 x pushups, 10 x burpees, 10 x situps continuously until our partner came back from their 400m sprint, and then back to sprinting, back to pushups etc etc etc... we didn't stop the entire hour, it was hardcore!!! So tired afterwards!! I think one girl actually puked, and I had an "exercise headache" which was easily remedied with a soy cappuccino on the way to my chemistry lab... :D