I haven’t posted in so long I wanted to just get something out here to let my readers (aka. “Me”) know what’s going on. I stopped the Oatmeal Diet, again. This time it had more to do with other things in my life that got in the way (lunch date with my long/lost uncle, the midnight release of MW3, etc). I know, excuses, excuses. I may do it again, again.
Diet
I’ve been working towards a mostly Paleo diet these last few weeks. I’ve had the often deviation from this objective as my goal lacks focus. I have yet to draft a meal plan, although I spent a few weeks working with this: smoothies for breakfast and a salad for lunch, dinner open to anything, really. My smoothie recipes are secret, but are essentially flavored either strawberry, blueberry, peach, or mango (at least at this point). I’ll add more flavors later as I get my hands on other frozen fruit. I’m including ground oatmeal (which I turn into powder using a single-serve blender) in each along with yogurt, neither of which is Paleo.
My lunch salads have been relatively simple, which recipe(s) are not secret. I use green leaf, Romaine and or iceberg lettuce chopped into little pieces. I’ll add either canned tuna or salmon, or chicken as a meat on top. I usually add salted sunflower seeds and often carrots on the side. As a dressing, I’ve been mixing virgin olive oil with soy sauce. Mmmm. Not much to it, I know, but it tastes good, it’s 100% Paleo and relatively healthy.
Exercise
I continue to run as I have been most of this year. All my aches and pains had subsided, so like the infamous running moron I am, I cranked up my mileage to 5 miles every time I set foot on the treadmill. It went well for about a week and a half…now my ankles hurt again. :( I managed to squeeze in a 6 mile long run…on the treadmill, that’s boring, but I got it done. Usually, when I can’t run I resort to the elliptical or stationary bike, that’s if I’m in the gym – at home I’ll use YourShape on my Xbox Kinect.
For this year, I’m going to redouble my efforts at building a/n (running) endurance / aerobic base and from there begin increasing my speed. Let’s be honest, I’m already running faster, but it’s still not where I’d like to be. I intend to run a few 5 and 10Ks and maybe toss in my first half marathon.
Education
I’m still not in school and I won’t be going this semester either. I need to get back in there and start working on my bachelor’s degree, not to mention being in school pays – considering the income generated from the GI bill. :) I’ll likely go to ODU this fall. For now, I’m weighing my options and considering different ideas.
Family
Sarah and I are doing well. Hailey is nearly crawling. Jennifer loves school, got too many things for Christmas, and is worried about growing up and becoming all that is a woman!
Work
My job is still going fine, although there aren’t as many “training opportunities” as I would like. I’m not very busy for now, but I know that will change and look forward to the time when it does. In the interim, I continue to help out where I can and am needed, and have been focusing on professional development (in all its various forms).
Minimalism
I’ve already gotten rid of a bunch of clothes. I’m always thinking of what to let go of next. I told my wife yesterday as we went furniture shopping not to create an emotional attachment to any of these inanimate objects. It’s interesting as I think more about living with less, how silly I feel developing a very real, emotional connection with stuff. It’s kind of scary actually, and I suspect precisely what big businesses want people to do, that way they/we continue buying more and most stuff we don’t need.
I’m trying to take this concept of minimalism and apply it to all aspects of my life. It’s more than just living with less, it’s also about living efficiently and in the moment. I’m working on my financial position, relationships with other people, and trying to figure out how to spend my time.