Neila's Journal

[Syrius]

I love your inclusion of a "What went well today"! What a great way to hunt the good stuff in your day.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Ooh I am so glad you go to sit in the sun!
I would also like some sun xD
Was wondering why I feel so unmotivated and down when I was doing fine last weekend. Yeah it's been dreary grey again all week
This plant needs more sunlight!

 

[NightWolf714]

Ooh I am so glad you go to sit in the sun!
I would also like some sun xD
Was wondering why I feel so unmotivated and down when I was doing fine last weekend. Yeah it's been dreary grey again all week
This plant needs more sunlight!

SAD lights are great for this. I plan to buy a new one soon since my old one finally died on me.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

SAD lights are great for this. I plan to buy a new one soon since my old one finally died on me.

We don't usually have this much dark, and especially where I live I usually get some sunlight in the house when there is some, so I have never invested in one.
But if this kind of weather is going to be more common, it might be a good idea!
I think it will also help just to be aware that this is going on, and prepare myself to notice it and do extra fun things / have more self-compassion.
Internalised ableism runs so deep, even I still get the "why can't I just be normal?!" when I am not aware of the cause of the issues
And I'm... pretty darn disabled. I should know better

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout
Breakthrough Workout / recorded
Knuckles Workout / recorded
Standing Back Workout / recorded
Exercise of the Day

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill


Food

Breakfast: oat pancakes with yogurt and bananas (x1 protein boost) 31 g protein
Lunch: broccoli, cucumber & lettuce salad with yogurt sauce (x1 protein boost) 26 g protein
Snack: tomato with cheese 7 g protein
Treat: one date stuffed with walnuts
Dinner: creamy chia tofu with kiwifruit (x1 protein boost) 40 g protein

Total Protein: 108 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 82

By the time I got to bed last night I was so exhausted, the moment I closed my eyes, I fell straight into deep sleep

I woke up feeling fully rested and energized fist time this week. I even remember the crazy dream I had! It involved vampires with family drama and a childhood friend I haven't seen (or thought of) in years. I can still recall it in vivid detail!

The Day

I took time to meditate, do my gratitude practice and make lemon/ginger tea before walking the boys this morning. It was cold outside but it was nice. I really enjoyed the fresh air.

I trained for about 30 minutes, did some recording and came back to make breakfast. I decided it'll be smarter to take it easy and not do any strength training today. I want to do Clean & Press workout tomorrow and I need to be fresh for that. So today I just did circuit training in the morning and then my walk in the evening.

Today was very, very productive. I didn't need any extra breaks so I got everything I wanted to do today, and everything I was supposed to do yesterday, DONE. I am very pleased with that I exercised, I worked, I ate tasty food - it was perfect. I could not have wished for a better Sunday

Good podcast today: 12 small Japanese Habits that can transform Your Life in 2025! by Samurai Matcha:

What went well today:
I got to sit in the sun again today at breakfast AND at lunchtime!
I had pancakes for breakfast.
I enjoyed a lovely sunrise this morning:




Mood today: ecstatic


Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout Part 1
I Am Enough Workout / recorded
Secret Level Workout / recorded
Exercise of the Day
20 minutes stepper

Morning Workout Part 2
Clean & Press Workout x 5

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill

Food

Breakfast: chickpea oat pancakes (x1 protein boost) 29 g protein
Pre-Workout: spirulina protein shake 12 g protein
Treat: 15 g ginger lemon chocolate by Benjamissimo with my coffee
Lunch: peanut tempeh with roasted green beans & cashew parm 40 g protein
Dinner: roasted broccoli with mustard yogurt sauce (x1 protein boost) + 5 Nairn's super seeded oatcakes 41 g protein

Total Protein Today: 127 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 80 (good)
I slept well last night so I was full of energy all day today I did all the things and the things that were not planned, too. I had a productive morning. I listened to some good podcasts while I worked. At 2 PM I had an appointment in town but it didn't take very long. When I came back I finished several household tasks that piled up in the past week. By 6 PM I clocked in my 12,000 steps even before my evening walk so the walk is going to be extra.

Notable podcast listens today:

Good videos:

I needed to make space for my new protein powders today. I am trying new ones: sunflower protein powder and rice protein powder. I ended up reorganizing the entire pantry. I actually enjoy organizing and de-cluttering. It brings me joy when I see things fit and be nicely arranged, sorted by shape and/or purpose. And with my pantry it's a bit like playing tetris. It's actually like that with my whole apartment since it's so small everything is compact and is carefully thought through. I only have so many shelves and drawers to work with I am a minimalist not just by nature but also out of necessity

I also remembered about creatine today and that I suppose to take it. So I did. It's possible it's the reason I am bouncing off walls today I had a good day, though, it was not my usual "sit & grind", which I enjoy, but it was good nonetheless. I felt good all day despite being a bit all over the place.

What went well today: I organized my pantry and I love the way it looks now. Every time I go past I open the doors and marvel. I may actually play this sound effect next time I do it


Mood today: hopeful, optimistic, empowered

I now only have laundry left to tackle, then it'll be time for my evening walk and then sleep. See you all tomorrow!
Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout Part 1
30 minutes stepper

Morning Workout Part 2
Exercise of the Day
Second Spring Workout x 5

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill



Food

Breakfast: cabbage carrot pancakes with yogurt sauce 26 g protein
Pre-Workout: spirulina protein shape + 3 g creatine 12 g protein
Lunch: sweet potato with black beans and avocado mayo + mixed greens salad 22 g protein
Treat: 2 dates with walnuts with my coffee 2 g protein
Dinner: cashew tempeh & onion curry 39 g protein

Total Protein Today: 101 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 76 (good)

I need to be up at 6 AM at the latest every day because I need to have a shower and meditate before I take the boys out at 6:30. 6 AM is the best I can do because walking the boys before coffee, shower and meditation is just not a great experience for everyone involved I consistently lose ~ 1-1,5 hrs of sleep every night (awake time). This means that in order to get the coveted 7 hours of sleep I need to be in bed at 10 PM sharp. GOT IT My dogs wake me up during the night. It's cold now so they cling to me for warmth, go under the cover, come out from under the cover, dig into my hair or neck or swallow REALLY LOUDLY every time they resettle. They woke me up today at 3 AM again and it took 15 minutes to fall back asleep. I am getting earplugs tomorrow


The Day

It's been exactly 3 weeks since I started this "new me" project. It was hard in the beginning and I really, really struggled. It is currently smooth sailing and I am the happiest I've ever been. It's the year of the Snake on the 29th of January (which is also my birthday). The Snake is all about change and new beginnings, shedding of the old and coming into the new. I like it. I like it a lot.

Nothing special happened today... but I like it that way I didn't want to push myself physically so I just did the bare minimum: fasted cardio, quick strength-focus circuit and my evening walk. I actually work or plan my day while I use the elliptical (hence why I use it as a stepper so I can hold my phone) and while I am walking on the treadmill in the evenings. That's how I manage to get so much done every day. I stack everything I can. I work while I make my meals. Even my gratitude practice is part of my 10-minute meditation. I have a good routine going and so far, it seems to be working for me. So long as I get good quality sleep I can stay on top of things. Mostly

I did some organizing today again. I tidied up the attic (it's mostly empty anyway) and my pots and pans' drawer. Also, beeeeehold, my pantry:




It was a nice quite day in.

What went well today: I hit a good balance between work and play today. Also, sweatpants. I wore them all day. It was glorious.

Mood Today: peaceful, content

...Now a bit more work, my walk and sleep.

Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[JCU]

LOVE the pantry!

 

[OJJJEM]

Your pantry looks amazing!!! Mine looks like it's been raided by a small army after losing a civil war.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Since this is my year of making my life less overwhelming, I am sure pantry re-organisation is coming up at some point xD
But first, the crafting stuff. Because I don't spend every day thinking about my pantry :')
But hopefully one day it will be half as intuitive and calming to look at as yours!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Wow for the pantry, impressive organisation!

 

[Fremen]

Ok, as an Italian I can tell you... you have little supplies

 

[TopNotch]

Nice to have matching pantry canisters. That's my dream...

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout Part 1
Sentinel Workout / recorded
Sentinel Plus Workout / recorded
Exercise of the Day

Morning Workout Part 2
30 minutes stepper

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill

Food

Breakfast: protein yogurt banana split 30 g protein
Pre-Workout: spirulina protein shake + 3 g creatine 12 g protein
Lunch: zucchini pancakes with yogurt (x1 protein boost) 25 g protein
Treat: 2 dates stuffed with sunflower seeds, 3 prunes, 1 brazil nut 7 g protein
Dinner: tofu fish steaks with broccoli 35 g protein
Snack: a cup of frozen blueberries

Total Protein Today: 113 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 76 (good)

I went to bed at 10:00 pm. I was listening to an audiobook and I was in the middle of an interesting chapter so I gave myself another 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I also woke up at 5:30 am. Despite that, my sleep quality was good I just didn't sleep enough. The dogs woke me up about 3 am but I fell asleep almost right after. I only lost about 30 minutes in total (awake time). I am trying out my new earplugs today! I'll see how I sleep tonight


The Day

Today was not great. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't great either. For one, I failed to make breakfast twice. Now, that is my failure to plan properly. I should have done it yesterday. I ended up making a quick banana split that only takes 3 minutes. Note to self: always, always plan breakfasts in advance so there are no surprises the next day. Because the start was a bit chaotic, I was out of sync for the entire day. Tasks took longer to complete, I kept rushing instead of slowing down and pacing myself... aaaaaand now I see the problem.
I mostly worked all day and only took a few breaks here and there to do household tasks and to make meals. I don't even remember today to be honest I kept pushing and pushing and pushing and I spent ZERO time to do something for myself. Well, ****. Another note to self: See this day here? That's what happens when all you do is work. And that's just one day. Now imagine a month or a year. And at some point you die. TAKE BREAKS. TAKE A MOMENT TO CHILL. DO SOMETHING ELSE. SOMETHING MEMORABLE. Losing days like this is not ok! Note over.

Phew... alright. I'll try again tomorrow. See if I learned anything today

What went well today: ...I had to really think hard about this... OK. Every interaction I had today was nice. No one was rude or unpleasant. Sometimes the absence of bad experiences is a good experience on its own

Mood today: none, I was a drone.



Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[Lady Celerity]

I mostly worked all day and only took a few breaks here and there to do household tasks and to make meals. I don't even remember today to be honest I kept pushing and pushing and pushing and I spent ZERO time to do something for myself. Well, ****. Another note to self: See this day here? That's what happens when all you do is work. And that's just one day. Now imagine a month or a year. And at some point you die. TAKE BREAKS. TAKE A MOMENT TO CHILL. DO SOMETHING ELSE. SOMETHING MEMORABLE. Losing days like this is not ok! Note over.

Thanks for this reminder. I tend to do the very same thing, day after day. It makes me grumpy. We are human beings, not human doings.

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

That's a useful reminder, and something I struggle with, too. The old guilt "do something productive, don't be lazy" comes back so fast! One other thing to emulate our feline overlords about!

 

[neilarey]

Ok, as an Italian I can tell you... you have little supplies

I will make it worse in a moment.... ALL OF THE PASTA IS MADE OF BROWN RICE.

Muahahahahahha

 

[Sólveig]

Wonder if Lionfield has a Hive account

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout Part 1, 2, 3
20 minutes stepper
Sentry Workout / recorded
Adventurer Workout / recorded
Exercise of the Day
Clean & Press Workout x 5

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill


Food

Breakfast: mushroom & onion pancakes with yogurt sauce (x1 protein boost) 30 g protein
Pre-Workout: spirulina protein shake + 3 g creatine 12 g protein
Lunch: lentils & eggplant with tahini dressing 15 g protein
Treat: 2 chocolate sunflower & fig truffles with my coffee 5 g protein
Dinner: creamy chia tofu with oranges and apples 43 g protein

Total Protein Today: 121 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 77 (good)

I had. The best. Sleep. In months!!!!!! Ok, so I didn't sleep enough but the quality of my sleep was perfect. I only lost like 11 minutes (awake time). I slept 6hr 30min and that's the only reason why my sleep score is this low. I slept so well that when I woke up it was like resurfacing from a deep lake. Why? Here is why:



I used my new earplugs It was glorious! I am going to use them again tonight to make sure it was not a fluke. Fingers, and toes, crossed!!!



The Day
I felt so rested that I went to exercise first thing in the morning. I woke up at 5 am and there was nothing else to do for 30 minutes I did stepper, I meditated and then I went to get ready. After walking the boys I did a couple of circuits before breakfast (and recorded them for the database). Sometimes it takes me several goes to get the video right, sometimes it's good on the first try. It really depend on the day. Today was a good day I made mushroom & onion oat pancakes for breakfast and then returned to the gym for my strength training (Clean & Press workout). I am thinking of doing it twice a week but it'll largely depend on how I am feeling throughout the week. The barbell is still a tad heavy for me so every time I get halfway through the set, I start questioning why am I doing this

It was sunny when I came back so instead of starting my workday right away, I spent 30 minutes sitting in the sun on the kitchen balcony. I just sat there, no phone, no distractions... like a lizard clinging to a rock.

Of course, then I had to work all day for the rest of the day but it was WORTH IT My energy levels remained high for the entire day. I started feeling a bit sluggish after lunch but a quick americano fixed it right up. I wanted something sweet but I didn't feel like cookies or a piece of chocolate... so I made truffles using sunflower seeds (I was short on vitamin E today), dried figs and cocoa. DELICIOUS. I loved every bite! I'll be making them again. I actually managed to hit all of my micros 100% today. The only one that went overboard was Iron but that's ok.


I didn't feel like today was a blur, like yesterday, even though I worked all day. It felt normal, productive and efficient. Tomorrow is Friday. I am having a lighted workload tomorrow so hopefully there will be more time for me-time. For one, it's a Movie Night day which means a mandatory time out with popcorn Yay! I am looking forward to it.


What went well today: everything I got to do, went well. It was an excellent day without anything particularly special about it. I will count 30 minutes in the sun as special, though. It's otherwise miserable and cold the rest of the time right now so it was a major treat.

Mood today: content, centered.

Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[Lady Celerity]

I used my new earplugs It was glorious! I am going to use them again tonight to make sure it was not a fluke. Fingers, and toes, crossed!!!

I use earplugs a lot. I am a very light sleeper and am also the first one to go to bed at night. Noises and light keep me awake so if someone else is up I put in my earplugs. They also prevent me from hearing Pixie snore! Light-blocking curtains and a very cool room also help. I hope the earplugs work well for you!

 

[NightWolf714]

With the way your pantry got set up, and how excited you were about that, you may enjoy a book I read a bit ago. "The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo. I liked that it's in comic book style. But talks a lot about minimizing but also organizing so it's pleasing.

 

[neilarey]

"The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.

I have read it a long time ago and I subscribe to her way of thinking I only own stuff that sparks joy

 

[OJJJEM]

I will make it worse in a moment.... ALL OF THE PASTA IS MADE OF BROWN RICE.

Muahahahahahha

Italians stole pasta from Asians... you simple restored balance, then added fiber.

 

[FlowersandPetals]

I will make it worse in a moment.... ALL OF THE PASTA IS MADE OF BROWN RICE.

Muahahahahahha

Gluten Free pasta! That stuff practically saved my life because I can eat spaghetti without having to go to the emergency room! But I guess it’s an Italian’s worst nightmare, besides pineapple on pizza?

 

[neilarey]

Exercise

Morning Routine:
Gratitude Practice
10 minutes meditation

Morning Workout
20 minutes stepper
Exercise of the Day

Evening Workout:
60 minutes walking on the treadmill


Food

Breakfast: cabbage & carrot oat pancakes with yogurt (x1 protein boost) 26 g protein
Snack: 320 g baked sweet potato from the fridge 6 g protein
Lunch: lettuce salad with cucumbers and beets, and cheesy yogurt sauce (x1 protein boost) 30 g protein
Movie Snack: 120 g air-popped popcorn 17 g protein
Snack: frozen yogurt with blueberries (x2 yogurt, x2 protein boost) 42 g protein

Total Protein Today: 125 g



Sleep

Sleep Score: 76 (good)

I woke up at 3 am for some reason and then stayed awake for waaay longer than I should have. It must have been a cortisol spike or something. I eventually fell asleep and then woke up at 5:30 am. Even though I went to bed at 10 pm, I ended up only sleeping 6 hr 21 min. This sleep thing is tricksy I do feel the earplugs make a difference. I feel like it would have been much worse without them. I'll see how I sleep tonight! I had an erratic day with lots of running around and "mandatory fun" so I missed my lunchtime coffee window. I want to see how I sleep without the extra caffeine in my system.


The Day

I had an easy day. I only did stepper and the workout of the day this morning because I had to be out of the gym by 9 am (other team members booked it). I only have my evening walk ahead of me now and it'll be all for today fitness-wise. The rest of the day was mostly admin stuff and some housework. I took a break at 3 pm to watch another episode of the Severance. I had some popcorn and coconut water as my treats. With my meals and snacks today I didn't have much of a Calorie budget left for dinner so I made a bowl of frozen yogurt and made do with that.

Today was a weigh in day: I lost 0.1% body fat and ~ 200 g of body weight since last week
I also lost some muscle mass which I suppose is inevitable. So long as I don't lose too much, I should be ok. I'll need to watch it next month.

Since you liked my pantry, I can show you my fridge




It is not super exciting. I just have a ton of tofu, plaint yogurts, fruit and vegetables. I almost always have some baked sweet potato in a container for an emergency snack. I have some cooked beets next to them, too, but they came already cooked - I just happened to use up some and store the rest. I've got some peanut and almond butters. Soy and almond milk. I drink filtered water. The bottles you see behind the water jug is for a small party I am having on Sunday. It's non-alcoholic muscat wine.

1, 2, 3 are the freezer drawers. I got lots of frozen veggies and berries in there. Then there is some frozen tempeh and frozen dog food there, too. I have some frozen fries and sweet potato slices., frozen lemon juice, cashew Parmesan, parsley and dill, peeled ginger, coconut flakes and shredded coconut. Yes, that's frozen cabbage leaves. It's for cabbage rolls for when I'll have time to make them.

I buy groceries ~ twice a week. It's a carefully worked out system. I buy pretty much the same things all the time so I just restock when I ran out. The fruit and the veggies change depending on the season I tend to have more fruit in summer. Oh, and in summer I also usually have four Ninja Creami tubs in the freezer, too.

What went well today: I got a mini stapler. I know, this doesn't sound exciting to anyone but me. I had this ugly huge yellow stapler that I had to find a place for in my tiny kitchen to do crafts like this. It was getting on my nerves and I couldn't just order a stapler online. It's like €1.20. So I had to go and get one. I finally did. I walked all the way to the Evil Place and I bought one. Oh, the glorious day!

Mood Today: calm, paced, accepting


Have a wonderful rest of the day, everyone! See you tomorrow!
Long Live The Hive!
And thank you for stopping by

 

[Sólveig]

Better prepare for the Great Greek-Italian Pasta Wars of 2025. Mass production of both feta and pecorino grenades just started.