Life, the Universe and Everything | 2024

[neilarey]

New Year, New Log!

Today was a good day. I ate well, I did my strength training in the morning, I got a lot of work done. And I still have energy left for my evening walk (treadmill). Yay!

I had mushroom pancakes for breakfast, then creamy green beans (OMG, so delicious) for lunch. Two more recipes off my list! I wanted to crunch on something while I was working so I also chopped up some purple cabbage and ate it like chips. Then I made a veggie soup for dinner. I've been having veggie soups for dinner for about 3 weeks straight now. First I just needed to exit a 3-day fast correctly.... aaand then I just kept it up. I cook everything I eat and it takes time, time that adds up. If I use a pressure cooker for my soups it only takes 5 minutes to fix dinner. Not to mention, how well it fits my macros. It's pure gold. I just need to rotate the soup recipes so I don't get sick of them I even managed to recruit 11 people to test "veggie soup for dinner" method for our - currently non existent - nutrition section. All data is good data and I shall collect it all! Just in case I am curious to see if it works long term and what the effects will be. So far I lost 2 kg of body fat in 3 weeks without changing anything else in my diet. I'll need to see how others will do after a month or so.

Speaking of nutrition, I finally finished watching You Are What You Eat on Netflix I really enjoyed it, but then again, I am plant-based so I am biased It's almost time for my walk and then I am off to bed. I hope you all had a great day! Hugs!


...Now I just need to pick an audiobook for tonight and my life will be complete

 

[Madlen]

The creamy green beans look absolutely delicious, I have to try them this weekend.

 

[Nevetharine]

I don't really watch/read food documentaries anymore. It's too confusing and just gives me a bunch of anxiety.

ATM I'm just going with the knowledge of what humans ate for thousands of years, or better yet, the diets of the Blue Zones, which is where people have the best longevity with the least amount of disease. So, more history than current science.

And I try to change the meaning of the word "diet". It's just a method of eating. Not implying any fat/weight loss or any of the modern bad connotations.

 

[neilarey]

@Madlen let me know how it turns out!!

@Nevetharine I agree with you 100%. Diets gave me an eating disorder and wrecked my relationship with food in general - just overall, they ruined my life. It took me years to recover from the trauma and to stop turning to food every time I feel anxious or just tired. Sadly, there are no easy fixes or cookie-cutter solutions here. What works for me, for example, won't work for others and vice versa. We have to try different things and see what works for us, personally. Until we get advanced personalized nutrition testing - that's accessible to us all, it's the only way.

All documentaries are biased I like watching documentaries myself, though, and YouTube videos, and listening to podcasts on nutrition. I like learning about food and how different foods affect us. We just need to keep a healthy level of skepticism when we do since it's a very tricky field and it's extremely difficult to research.

 

[Nevetharine]

Diets gave me an eating disorder and wrecked my relationship with food in general - just overall, they ruined my life. It took me years to recover from the trauma and to stop turning to food every time I feel anxious or just tired.

I agree. For me what helps is thinking of it in terms of disease prevention, health and nutrition, fuel, rather than weight loss. I think when your diet is on-point for keeping your overall health in check, you ought to naturally end up at a good weight.

But learning about food is interesting sometimes. I've just consumed so much info over the past seven years I'm burned out on it.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Brains can be so weird about food! In my case I have struggled with the internalised ableism that states 'if you're not doing 100% the healthiest things at all time, it's your own fault you're disabled.' It took me along time to internalise that ovening a frozen pizza is much healthier than not or barely eating. I also know I would slide back into that mindset if I focus too much on food types. But a few years ago I set myself the goal of eating more veggies, and I seem to have slid into an at-home-vegetarian diet without much trouble

By the way, do you listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast? It's all about debunking diet culture myths and looking at the actual science. I learned so much! The hosts are also really warm and funny, though sometimes the topics can get a little grim.

 

[Madlen]

Brains can be so weird about food! In my case I have struggled with the internalised ableism that states 'if you're not doing 100% the healthiest things at all time, it's your own fault you're disabled.' It took me along time to internalise that ovening a frozen pizza is much healthier than not or barely eating. I also know I would slide back into that mindset if I focus too much on food types. But a few years ago I set myself the goal of eating more veggies, and I seem to have slid into an at-home-vegetarian diet without much trouble

By the way, do you listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast? It's all about debunking diet culture myths and looking at the actual science. I learned so much! The hosts are also really warm and funny, though sometimes the topics can get a little grim.

I totally feel that, I was thought (and sometimes still do think) similarly. But, it's not your fault that you have a disability!!

I'm a type 1 diabetic, and it's incredibly hard to control your blood glucose levels even with an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitoring device (and now I have a system where both can communicate with each other). I'm struggelling for 22 years to control this disease, but there are so many factors influencing, besides insulin and what you eat (I think I read somewhere that there are around > 20 hormones).

Lot's of love and keep up the good work @Maegaranthelas

edit: grammar and spelling

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Oh gosh, yes with diabetes there is even more of cultural narrative of blame, when it's truly such a complicated condition.
Food is certainly one factor, but there are so many other factors that you have little to no control over.
I am glad there is progress on the medical devices side though, it removes some hurdles at least.

But since we are both here on Darebee, I think we're both doing rather marvellously

(and feel free to message me whenever you want, these things can really get into your head sometimes and it's nice to talk to someone who understands)

 

[neilarey]

Yesterday we spent all morning going through revisions for the website and DAREBEETS. It took like 6 hours straight so we turned it into a working breakfast - and food tasting. I ended up updating a couple of recipes (oat pancakes and oat waffles). We swapped a couple of things here and there and changed the topping for the waffles altogether. A few workouts got readjusted so that's going into my "to-do in the next few months" pile. My {currently} favorite workout (Orion) was one of them. I actually like the rep distribution in the new version more. Heavier weights, more balance reps... For anyone curious, we do this once a week. We go through all the feedback, suggestions, workshop data etc and decide what should be changed, how soon, what is a priority and what isn't. Basically, what we need to do right now, tomorrow, next week or this year.
...I've been erasing abs from female illustrations on the old workouts since 2022 "The guys have a shirt, why are the girls half naked?" It was meant to be inspirational originally.

So, yesterday I had pancakes and waffles for breakfast. Then I had creamy mushroom pasta with broccoli for lunch and an onion soup for dinner. We have a couple of new challenges we are adding next this week - First Thing Pull-Ups, First Thing Plank. I plan on doing First Thing Pull-Ups on repeat this year (inspired by @Damer who is doing the same thing) . I am a week in and I love it. It's simple but effective. I do exercise of the day and the workout of the day as a standard and it's so ingrained at this point I completely forgot to mention it in my log.


FTP - day 7 (6 + 5)
WOD
EOD
Orion
Walk

I had a sore throat in the evening so I took it easy and went to bed early last night. I fell asleep listening to Anita Blake series (book 1).


I hope you all had a good day

 

[Nevetharine]

I actually liked the abs on the girls, and just the fact that they look overall powerful and able.

I guess because I will never see my own abs. Lol!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

To me (and I suspect a lot of female gym rats) working out in a sports bra is normal.
But I know a lot of woman who think it's strange and under-dressed. There's definitely a cultural divide there.

On one of the online yoga platforms I have used, the male participants in the videos are often shirtless. To me that always seems strange. In the fitness clubs I have worked at and worked out in, working out shirtless was not permitted. (Working out in a sports bra was fine. A bra top is just a small shirt. Similarly, guys--or anyone, I suppose, if they wanted to--could work out in muscle shirts. You just couldn't have nothing on your torso.) But in the studios where these videos were shot, obviously shirtlessness was considered okay. It's all just cultural variations in dress codes.

 

[neilarey]

This is my first break in 3 days And I only have like 30 minutes

Alright, let's sum things up...

January 6

First Thing Pull-Ups (6+5)
Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day
60 minute walk

I had mushroom kebabs for breakfast. They were delicious!!! Then I had a creamy broccoli pizza for lunch. It was alright but no, not something I would make again. It was missing... cheese?

Movie Night: Reacher Season 2, episode 5.

I had a cabbage soup for dinner with lots of tortillas and cheese (plant-based).



January 7

First Thing Pull-Ups (7+5)
Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day
no walk, I didn't feel that great


I had broccoli with tofu for breakfast and then I made a carrot cake from the recipe list I am going through for DAREBEETS. It was delicious but it will need a few adjustments. So it's was a dud. For lunch I had lentil cabbage rolls = another dud. It tasted ok but it was not WOW. I have several iterations of the same recipe, I'll have to try them all to see if any of them make it to DAREBEETS. I had broccoli & pea soup for dinner.




January 8

First Thing Pull-Ups (5+5)
Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day
60 minutes walk

Another broccoli with tofu for breakfast. It's my go-to recipe for when I need something quick. I tried another iteration of the lentils and cabbage and it was better but it was still not Wow. I feel like it should be but it's just alright. Third time's the charm, I guess. For dinner I made zucchini and pea soup. I doubled the peas. It ended up being 2.5 bowls. I regret nothing. Nothing!

 

[Anek]

When peas are involved there's never anything to regret.
(I sometimes eat 700gr of peas with lemon juice for dinner, just plain defrosted to warm them up, so you have my full support).

 

[neilarey]

Two weeks just flew by! I blinked and boom, January is almost gone

So... I am keeping up with my First Thing Pull-Ups (it'll be a full month soon). Some days I feel stronger and then some days I just have to force myself not to question and Just Do It. Today is a good day. I did 10 & 7 pull-ups.



I do these before breakfast and then I walk my dogs.

For breakfast I had Vegan Egg Benedict with homemade breakfast biscuits and a cup of roasted broccoli. It was a bit of an experiment but it blew my mind it turned out so well! Deliciousnessssss. Yesterday we were testing mushrooms and eggplant BLTs for DAREBEETS and we'll be recording those today So it'll be my lunch. And of course, I'll have soup for dinner. I'll probably add some lentils to it this time, though. I live in Greece and yeah, 9 months of the year it's nice and warm/piping hot but the 3 months in winter.... it's really really COLD. We currently have snow in the mountains. I need the extra energy to keep warm. And I tend to feel hungrier when it's cold

After breakfast I did EOD, the Orion workout and the Maid of Tarth.


Thank you everyone for updating your logs and being part of this amazing community! I start every day by reading your updates It's the best part of my day!




< --- yesterday's breakfast (Tofu Chia Pudding with mixed berries)

 

[Fremen]

I need the extra energy to keep warm. And I tend to feel hungrier when it's cold

It's normal, the body needs more calories just to keep the body temperature constant

 

[Mamatigerj]

Thank you everyone for updating your logs and being part of this amazing community! I start every day by reading your updates It's the best part of my day!

 

[Elocin]

It's Time

x60

 

[NancyTree]

x20

 

[Deadoks]

Happy birthday @neilarey

x77

77 because it's a lucky number (in Greece also I guess) and it means luck and fortune.

 

[Mianevem]

Happy Birthday!

x38

 

[graoumia]

Enjoy your day!

 

[Nightg0ddess]

HaPpY BiRtHdAy

 

[Gandhalfit]

 

[Fremen]

Happy Birthday

 

[Mamatigerj]

Neilarey!

x38

 

[Sólveig]

x38

 

[legolo]

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Happy birthday to the Queen of the Hive! (thanks to @Mamatigerj for warning me I posted on the wrong thread, LOL).
Hmmm, what presents shall be fit for our fit gal ?

x36

(from the Power Hold Challenge)

 

[CODawn]

Happy Birthday!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Happy Birthday Neila!

x 38

 

[JCU]

 

[Anek]

 

[HellYeah]

 

[Montserrat]

Happy birthday @neilarey!

 

[Syrius]

x38

 

[MadamMeow]

Happy Birthday! I hope you are enjoying it!

 

[Baryl]

 

[neilarey]

@Baryl
@Nevetharine
@Mamatigerj
@PetiteSheWolf
@OJJJEM
@MadamMeow
@Syrius
@Montserrat
@HellYeah
@Anek
@JCU
@Laura Rainbow Dragon
@CODawn
@PetiteSheWolf
@legolo
@Sólveig
@Fremen
@Gandhalfit
@Nightg0ddess
@graoumia
@Mianevem
@Deadoks
@NancyTree
@Elocin

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

 

[Froud]

Happy Birthday :o)

 

[GentleOx]

Happy Birthday!

Thank you so much for all the time, sweat, and effort you've put into Darebee!

 

[Silent Wolf]

Belated Happy Birthday!

 

[Deadoks]

Hey, here is

x50

for you

 

[neilarey]

Got up at 6AM, walked the dogs and went training
I usually walk them after training cause they like to sleep in but it's so hot here right now (40°C) the only time we can go out is before the sun comes out and after the sun goes down! We had a great time, though - there was literally no one around. Ok, we saw ONE person and ONE dog.



Today's morning training:



Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day
15 Minutes Meditation
Gratitude Practice


Then I had scrambled eggs and roasted mushrooms for breakfast. YUM!



And now back to work.....

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I feel you on the heat. The humidex is expected to top 40°C here the next couple of days and not give us much of a break overnight either. But at least when the sun is down, the pavement isn't hot enough to burn puppy paws.

That is one serious morning workout!

 

[neilarey]

@Laura Rainbow Dragon doggos! they come first!
I currently have the 50 pull-ups workout in roation (2-3 times a week). It took me 6 months to build up to 22 pull-ups in one go (my current best) but I was doing pull-ups every single morning: 2 sets to failure. After a while the tendons on my forearms began to ache all the time so I had to re-structure now I do pull-ups 2-3 times a week but I do volume, in sets of 10. It fixed the forearm issue and I still get to do lots of pull-ups!

---

I did another mini strength routine after lunch yesterday ( leg extensions and weighted squats) x 5 sets. I am trying to add more lowerbody strength work because I am not doing enough and I know I should Then I walked for an hour before bed. I was in bed at 10PM.

For lunch I had zucchini with black bans and corn plus some homemade bread (soughdough! from the breadmaker). Then I had tomato salad with tempeh for dinner and a fruit salad.

---

This morning I walked the doggos at 6:15 and we went by the marina to see the sea. I should have taken pictures but I honestly was not quite awake yet
I then did upperbody strength training (a new routine, not in the database yet), workout of the day (3 sets) and the exercise of the day. I meditated for 15 minutes and did my gratitude practice. Sadly I didn't have time for stretching this morning so I'll try to fit it in later today.

Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day
15 Minutes Meditation
Gratitude Practice

I had a hurried breakfast: creamy tofu with beetroot and fruit. I thought we already had the recipe in the DAREBEETS database but alas. Basically, it's the same creamy tofu we usually make with vanilla protein powder with an addition of a cooked beet. It gives it a lovely color and you can't taste it at all. I love it.

Now, back to work!
Have an awesome day darebees!!! xoxoxox

 

[Fremen]

I currently have the 50 pull-ups workout in roation (2-3 times a week). It took me 6 months to build up to 22 pull-ups in one go (my current best)

Ok... I'm impressed
If I remember correctly my maximum when I trained consistently was 14 pull-ups in a row, of dubious quality

 

[neilarey]

@Fremen thanks!!! 14 is no small thing either!
I must say, though, my 22 are dubious quality, too since I don't go aaaaaall the way down but I am still proud of myself.

I do regular pull-ups, btw, not wide grip. I don't want my back to open up too much

 

[Fremen]

Pull-ups are one of those exercises you can be rightfully proud of, especially when I remember that the first time I tried to do them... I didn't move

 

[neilarey]

For lunch yesterday I had roasted eggplant with giant beans in tomato sauce (from a can, it's a classic Greek dish) and fresh bread. There was a ton of work to do throughout the day but I managed to test-drive next week's release - 500 kicks workout. There will be two variations for it, I did the one with hook kicks in it. It was actually a lot of fun. You know, when you do something you haven't done in a while and then you are like "Yeah, I should be doing more of that" .... hehe

I had the same thing for dinner as yesterday because... why change a good thing? I've been feeling like fresh vegetables and fruit for dinner lately and it feels great. Probably because it's summer and it's bloody HOT.

---

Good morning, sunshine!

I woke up today with two furry faces staring at me at 6:05. Aaaand we were out at 6:15. I actually managed to have a sip of coffee before we left so we all had a great time!

Today's morning training:

Battle Maiden Workout
Exercise of the Day
Workout of the Day (2 sets)
Gratitude Practice
Self Hug
15 Minutes Meditation

For breakfast I had scrambled tofu with mushrooms again, cucumber salad and some toasted nori (from a packet).

It's a full day today since a new program I am really excited about is out of testing. This means I am doing layout and editing today. We have two programs currently penciled for release, SOMA 40+ (the one I am working on today) and Power Split (dumbbell-based program). SOMA 40+ is tailored specifically for women over 40 and is designed to help balance hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause. As I am in perimenopause myself it's something I appreciate a lot. I looked it over already and I believe that something like this can be life-changing. We are not crazy, everyone around us is not crazy - we are just changing and we need to pay special attention to our bodies and our minds now.

So, good stuff! Now, coffee! and back to work for me.
Stay strong, stay cool, stay zen!!!
Hugs!

 

[CODawn]

SOMA 40+ sounds great!