i need to learn how to cook.

so fried rice, egg salad, chicken salad, and spaghetti are my go-to meals when i cook in the kitchen. snacks vary from chips and salsa to greek yogurt. menu is rather limited and eating the same type of food for 2-3 days in a row is not as fun as it used to be. add on the fact that cousin and friends are posting awesome pictures of delicious food that they're making, i think that i should learn how to cook some new meals.

what i realized this past month:

• no matter how much i pretend to run, i abhor it with a passion. i thought that it would be like broccoli - grow on me over time. not quite there yet. 
• i prefer swimming over running. i can motivate myself to finish my laps with a positive "yeah!" mentality whereas i dread running and am a bitter unhappy person finishing the run. 
• if my students were to describe me, they'd call me hyper, crazy, and always hungry. i can't handle it - i always have to be eating something whether it's third period or seventh period. 
• i <3 pinterest. 
• i've been meaning to post my pinterest-inspired crafts with the DIY tutorials i've been reading; it's not mindless and meaningless pinning!
• it's very interesting what i think about when i craft - particularly with the two t-shirt quilts i've made =) will share in a future post xD

developing habits

so... not much progress on the jogging front. i choose my words, jogging, intentionally, because there is no running involved. jogged yesterday around the neighborhood at a pace more leisurely than usual, jogged last wednesday, and walked while talking on the phone with a marvelous comrade about life.

got to bring that basic conditioning in a more regular basis too, eh? received a belated birthday present - a shirt inspired by the big bang theory, my FAVORITE tv show, that spells out 'bazinga!' in an assortment of mathematically incorrect statements. unfortunately, it's a size too small and i'll need killer abs to pull it off. why yes, i am now doubly motivated to get my exercise on.

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still working on the january habits of fixing my posture and getting more rest. i put myself to bed earlier last night, say 15 minutes, in the hopes that i would wake up 15 minutes earlier, and told myself of that first mission of the day. alas, it all came to naught. i took that 15 minutes and slept - a beautiful thing indeed. i enjoyed waking up on sunday morning with no rush to get out the door for service, leisurely getting a simple breakfast together and taking my time to get to church; then again, i got to church around 9:30 for coffee&tea setup and then attended the 11:30 service. but i learned something - it is a great way to start off the day. no rushing, taking your time to sit and eat breakfast without having to constantly watch the clock and figure out what is the latest time you can leave the house and get to work at a reasonable time. so i'll work on that. i am clearly not a morning person. i'm a morning mute and my coworkers have figured that out about me. more on that later... until next time =)

Week 1: Fear not this Turtle

Having now set this goal to complete the hero rush without falling apart, you may be wondering how the first week went.

Monday and Tuesday nights: light conditioning with squats,  crunches, and a meager number of pushups.  I could weep at how weak my body has become since high school. Then again, I've become significantly more lazy and sedentary- you reap what you sow. Oh the consequences of my actions...

Wednesday: geared in cold gear I own thanks to football, I went on my first walk/light jog before it snowed for 2.5 miles. Not brave enough to share my time bc I walked much of it (its quite scandalous) but I am going to bring that time down so I won't be ashamed. 

Friday: early release day thanks to snow... woot woot! Went for a swim at the indoor swim center near my house and got served by grandpa in the lane next to me. The man was like the energizer bunny, consistently completing his laps at a faster speed than me. That, my friend, is the fruit of diligence. 1500 meters for me. Usually it's 1000 meters, but I need to up my game.

Today: one of the best jogs I've ever had- music and a running app that helps keep track of the distance covered and current rate is really helpful.

My dear friend says I'm a beast... to this, I would humbly agree if we were talking in context of flag football, but I gauge myself at a turtle's gait at the moment. No worries, I like the sound of what she told me so I'll work towards that :)

Until next time!

hero rush 2013

A dear friend of mine is a runner, a runner who loves to run and enjoys it too. Puzzling. I can't say that I hate many things in life, but running is assuredly at the top of the list. Me? I'm more of a team sports kind of girl. I get motivated to train bc the team depends on me taking care of my contribution on game day and I want to contribute much. Football? Softball? Now you're speaking my language. 

So it makes sense when I decline my dear friend's invites to run a race, but an obstacle course? A short one thats around 3-5 miles but mostly focuses on fire-related obstacles? Scared out of my pants about the running aspect but decided that this would be great motivation to establish some form of an exercise regimen and undo bad habits of a sedentary lifestyle. 

I have officially signed up for the hero rush on may 4, set up a mini workout area in the basement, and will slowly build up my endurance and training. Just need to stop by the store some bags of sand for the kicking bag and stay accountable... eek! 

As for the running that I vehemently hate? (Yes, it's that intense)... i'll need to reconcile with it and deal. I think that i'll ease into it starting with some jump rope and light jogging around the neighborhood.

january mini goals

i'd like to undo some bad habits i've formed over the past couple of years...
this month's focus?

• fix my posture
• get enough rest

i have never found slouching attractive but find myself doing it more so as of late while i work at a computer or stand in line at the grocery store or such. i feel lazier, less productive, less happy with myself. tsk tsk. it's a mini goal to reclaim that sneaky half-inch that's alluded me these past couple of years. to clue you in, i once stood at a proud 5'6", but the doctor and my students measured my height to be a sad 5'5"5"'. no me gusta. 

i've also been examining my sleeping habits and how i get ready for bed for my second mini-goal. 

i realized the following:

• watching netflix or korean dramas before bed and falling asleep while watching them es no bueno
• 6-7 hours of sleep is not enough for me; i'm more a of 8-9 hour kind of girl. bummer. 
• i go a little crazy off less sleep during the workday - students are convinced it's the non-existent coffee in my thermos
• i scramble in the morning to go to work despite the wonderful commute God has given me

by getting enough rest, i hope to achieve the following:

• less dozing off during the day time and less napping
• wake up earlier to pack my lunch like a grownup
• take my time getting ready without feeling rushed
• arrive at work earlier, i.e. 6:35-6:40AM, so that i can slowly walk through the hallways to my classroom in siberia and take my time getting my classroom ready for the school day. 
• stop fantasizing about more sleep
• stop hugging my pillow in the morning after hitting the snooze button, wishing that i could sleep for 30 more minutes.