Fooling Myself

Just the thought of having a protein drink - not to mention actually drinking one - makes me feel fitter. Going to the gym might be a good idea for any real results, though.

Attempting Sports

It It should be fun, though. There's no time more suitable for challenges than February - probably the most boring month of the year.

To be quite honest, I do think that any form of encouragement is positive and acceptable  when it comes to making people move. It should be fun, though. The other day I bought a women's mag - their idea of working out and being healthy included following the latest trends from Hollywood (such as soulful indoor cycling - wtf?) and eating an almond or two whenever the sugar rush kicks in. What's wrong with running in the fresh air without having someone shouting like crazy about your greatness? Why do we need to feed ourselves with reinforcing statements of our own greatness? We are humans, we aren't great all the time, and we don't need to be. 

And oh, almonds are tasty, but ice-cream is always better. 

[500 Days]] 2014

Natalie asked how life and work were going. It made me think back on the year and all the things I have actually experience. Once again, I can say wow! 95% of the time I think my life is uneventful, but when I start summarizing the year, the summary may include moving to a new country or crisscrossing across Europe.

So, in 2014:

• I moved to Sweden. This far I'm happy with the decision. There have been no great culture shocks of any kind and we have been very lucky with finding somewhere to live and finding jobs. Apart from this, my boyfriend's family has been really supportive, which has also helped us a lot. 
• Started a new job. Also happy with the decision, it has been stressful at times, but I feel that I'm doing something much more important (to me) than IT. Besides, they give me A LOT OF BOOKS. 
• Travels. The aim was to go to five new capitals: only one of the capitals I visited was new (Vilnius), but hey, I have been to more than five capitals :)
• I started tai chi. You know how yoga people can be completely obsessed with the benefits of yoga? I think tai chi is a bit similar, albeit in a less trendy way, 
• Language-wise I have not done much new. Unfortunately. I did read a couple of books in Spanish - does that count? 

When December came, I decided to be diligent with the blog. It started well, but ended not-so-well. I think this has been the most social month in a very long time. We have managed to squeeze in trips, dinners, and parties. 

Here are some photos from the past month. 

Alexander II guards Helsinki

I <3 helsinki="">

Christmas dinner Finnish style

Catching the sunset in Åland

Winter day in Stockholm

Cooking!

Food...

Food is among my favourite things on the planet. There is quite a collection of books on my shelves, so inspiration is never far away. Food is, in general, a fascinating topic. Issues relating to ethics, nutrition, the social are as widespread as they are important. In 2015, I want to pay a lot of attention to food. 

My apologies for the poor quality, I quite haven't lerant to manage this tool yet. 

Healthy stuff on a Sunday: spinach soup with boiled eggs. The cheese sandwich made it somewhat more bearable. 

Christmas Times

Christmas came and Christmas passed. There was snow and there was delicious food. Not enough time to meet everyone. Once more it passed. We are left with memories of laughter and plans for the year ahead. Plans, how could the human mind exist without them? Without the promise of à brighter tomorrow? 

I notice how our minds wander to the other side of the world. We dream of seeing the wonders of South America.

Like the layers of an onion, the layers of the mind are peeled off, one by one. What is left is the simplified version of the hopes and dreams of me. The mind always returns to languages. And to food. And to the gym.

Good Books

What makes a good book? Yesterday I finished reading a wonderful book. It was disturbing, controversial, confusing, but very well written. That's what makes a good book: that need it creates to be introspective, to question oneself, to think. 

I must admit that despite having lived in Spain, my knowledge of Spanish literature is poor. So, I made a good choice when I bought this particular book in Slovakia (for 3€)(of all places). What attracted me? The cover and the title - la muchacha de las bragas de oro (the Girl With Golden Panties). Who would not want to read a book about golden panties? For this curiosity I was awarded a tremendous book and an introduction to one of Spain's most famous contemporary writers. Who would have thought.

Reading this book I realized that I am a prude. What a nice observation about oneself :)

The second book in this picture is also an interesting one, Its English title is Mindful Eating and it was written by Jan Chozen Bays. Again I was intrigued by the cover as I love chickpeas (and thus probably proving every publisher in the world right about the importance of a good cover). I think this book has a lot of useful things to say about food and about eating. 

Oh La La Couscous

Last week I was craving something light, yet satisfying for my lunch box. Something with a lot of taste and different textures. I try to avoid meat and other foods that leave me feeling stuffed, so I chose shrimps as a source of protein. The soy beans were crunchy. Tomatoes, red onion and rocket add a bit of colour (and vitamins) to an otherwise colourless dish. Feta cheese and garlic provide some "oh la la"-flavour. 

• Couscous
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion
• Soy beans
• Shrimps
• Rocket
• Feta cheese
• Garlic

As always, lunch-box-food should be easy - and the more, the better . Heat the garlic, onion and cherry tomatoes in some olive oil. Prepare the coucous and mix it with the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Serve cold. 

Workouts This Week

Gym inspiration, I never used to work out when I was young, so developing a habit to exercise is something I have had to work on a lot as an adult. The first time I started to work out was during my second year of university, I had a good routine going on there - pilates, jumping rope and walking everywhere. After that I have been running, going to the gym, and testing yoga. I am quite proud that I get back on track after shorter breaks - it means that exercising has become a lifestyle for me. The pleasure it gives me is important - I often miss the gym when I haven't been there for a while and I love the feeling of being completely focused on the training. 

Workouts this week

• Wednesday: 40 minutes strength training + 1 hour tai chi
• Thursday: 100 min gym (rowing 30 minutes + upper body)
• Saturday: 40 min pilates

And next week... 

• Monday: gym - pilates 40 mins
• Tuesday: gym - strength training (upper body 40 mins) 
• Wednesday: gym - rowing 40 mins + tai chi 60 mins
• Thursday: gym - rowing 30 mins, strength training (legs) 40 mins, stretching (20 mins)

As you can see, there is quite a bit of pilates there. Yesterday a friend of mine (who is an authorised instructor) gave a class of pilates and it felt so good. There was a time when I used to train pilates quite often - either at the gym or at home. For some reason, I forgot all about it. However, it's a nice change to "normal" strength training, so I decided to incorporate it into my training program. Variety is key, right?

Picture

Photo Diary: Caminando

This week I have spent a lot of time walking. Walking is more than simply great exercise, it is the time to gather one's thoughts, to enjoy all that is beautiful in the world. I have noticed that I feel much better after a walk during my lunch break or after work. 


Or as Friedrich Nietzsche put it:

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. 

Last Sunday before the elctions

Somewhere between Vagnhärad and Trosa

A runestone

Fog!

Lunch Box

What's simple, yet delicious? Satisfying, yet light? Quick?

A salad. I think that healthy food doesn't need to be tasteless. In my opinion, it's easier to eat healthily and strive for a healthy life when the food tastes good. There are many ways to make a dish healthier, when it comes to salad for instance, no dressing is needed if one uses the right kind of spices. Mixing textures and adding protein is also a good idea.

The salad in today's lunch box took about two minutes to make.

The ingredients?

• rocket & spinach
• crayfishes
• 1 avocado
• feta cheese
• lime & pepper

Autumn Is Soup Time

Autumn is soup time, don't you agree?

In an attempt to be more food conscious, I have tried to focus on foods that can be considered a) vegetarian, b) ayurvedic, and c) light. While being tasty and somewhat filling as well.

So, the answer is SOUP. Ever since I came across this recipe from BBC, I have wanted to try their red lentil, chickpea and chilli soup. And yesterday I made a lot of it, so now I have much lunch covered for the whole week.

I did do some changes to the recipe, though. Instead of red onion, I put leek in it. And a lot of garlic was added, as well as basil instead of coriander. Because of the spices, the result was more Mediterranean than exotic.

Here's the result:

Some More Challenges

What motivates you?

In order to get my fitness regime going (again), I decided to embark upon a couple of fitness challenges circulating the Internet.

The 30-day ab challenge (see Facebook) targets the abs. The FB-challenge officially starts tomorrow, but my boyfriend and I started this challenge a couple of days ago. This far so good, even though I really don't like training my abs. Instead of going by the book, I try to beat my record every day. 

I decided to add some legs and shoulders to the above regime, so May Madness, here we come (albeit a bit late). 

On the third day I'm now feeling nicely sore all over. While the workouts don't require much time, I definitely feel that I have been doing something. An additional reason for satisfaction is the fact that I can stay in the plank position for a longer period of time each day. As I'm not doing the plan alone, I have someone checking my posture. This is something I recommend when doing all of these exercises because it is difficult to know if one is doing the exercises correctly. 

Ahoj! Stále žije!

Hi! I'm still alive.

I have survived computer crashes,
thesis writing, 
job interviews, 
spending too much time on a boat,
running a 5K-competition (that wasn't a competition!),
and getting a fringe. 

Today I'm celebrating with some Chilean wine and ice-hockey (Finland is playing against Belarus), I will be back with a lot of thoughts soon, so stay tuned.

Yesterday's Workout

Yesterday's pilates-inspired strength training consisted of a circle emphasizing the lower body, yet including the whole body. So now my body is completely sore. Actually, I would love to go to the gym but currently - with us jumping back and forth between two-three places - it's not really possible.

The workout: three times three circles, consisting of three exercises. A little bit of rest between each circle.

Circle 1: chest, bum/legs and core. 

• Traditional push-ups x max
• Goblet squat x 15-20
• Kneeling arm and leg reach  x 15

Speaking of flexibility - I'd like to be able to do this :) Picture here

Circle 2: shoulders, bum/legs and core. 

Picture

• Shoulder front raises with dumbbell x 15
• Hip raises/the bridge x 20
• "the V" x 10 (sloooowly)

Circle 3: triceps/biceps, calves and bum/legs

• Lying triceps extensions (2 x 12) and hammer curls 2 x max
• Double leg calf raise x max
• Dumbbell swing (one arm at a time) x max/arm

Summer Beginnings!

Good morning from a cloudy Sweden! 

Yesterday we celebrated Walpurgis Night here in the north - it's party-time, big time! both in Finland and Sweden with students celebrating, bonfires being lit and most people having a good time. J and I had a nice dinner at home. We both like cooking and exploring new recipes so it was the ideal evening for us. 

Today is also when the summer starts. At least in my world. I am very much of a project thinker and self-challenger. If I don't challenge myself, I don't get anything done. So, I have been thinking about ways to entertain myself and challenged to create. 

Here are some of the things I would like to focus on (so nothing new under the sun): 

• Fitness
• Food
• Flexibility
• Creativity

So, three F's and one C. 

Fitness to me is concept that includes a lot of things -  it means fitness in the traditional sense (to look fit) but it also includes feeling fit, eg energetic, well and healthy. Looking + feeling = being fit is key to being happy, I think. Mind you, it's not about satisfying and becoming a part of a norm (to look good), rather, physical activity breeds energy. An energy makes us happier. How to be fit, then, is the question? It is my belief that what works for me is to have a challenge and a plan. Surely there are some forms of exercise which should ALWAYS be present in any lifestyle (long walks, for instance),but my thought is that a mix of strength, cardio and stretching is the best. This opinion is not based on any scientific evidence - it is what feels good. So, the plan is to do strength training 2-3 times a week, running 3-4 a week and yoga as often as possible. The goal is to run 15K by the end of the summer (31 August) and run a half-marathon in the autumn. 

½ orange, 1/4 pineapple, 1 kiwi + some flavoured sour milk (not pictured)

Food is always important! Apart from the obvious reasons (we need to eat in order to live), it is also a lot of fun. I love looking for recipes and exploring in the kitchen, looking for ways to combine healthy and tasty. Now this isn't really a challenge, but I do want to learn as much as possible about nutrition and the world cuisine. I will however try to eat healthily :)

Delicious tropical smoothie

Flexibility. As with fitness, flexibility comes in two forms: physical flexibility and mental flexibility. The physical form of flexibility can be trained through various forms of exercise, for instance yoga. Mental flexibility is as important but more difficult to grasp. It is about avoiding being static and rigid; it's about curiosity, finding ways and paths; it is also about flow and trust; about letting go of perfectionism and the need to control life. I believe this mental flexibility may be achieved through meditation and being without trying to control, learning without ever being fully-taught and listening without intervening.

The last of the four points is creativity. Creativity comes in many forms, depending on how one defines it and what meaning it bears. In my life, creativity is language; creativity is colour, and it is also joy. So, for me to fulfill my yearning for creativity, it can be in the form of planning projects (like this one) or learning a language, or by the use of words. And this is what I shall do. I have no specific goal to achieve, other than the goal of spending at least 30 minutes a day in writing or translating. 

Som vďačná za... [SK: I'm thankful for...]

Today I'm thankful for... 

...having found the joy of exercising again. 
... good food.
...having a wonderful boyfriend who cooks me delicious food while I'm studying as well as helping me with my core exercises. 
...our wonderful morning walks in the sunshine. 

So, I finally found the motivation and joy to work out. After a long winter with a constant flu and allergic reactions (there was something weird going on in Slovakia, either in the flat or in the office) and no exercise, this feels truly re-vitalizing. We have been walking, jogging and playing around in the home gym.

Today's strength training consisted of 2 circles ( 3 x 12-15 reps of each) that took approximately 45 minutes. I wanted to focus on my upper body as we will be going out for a run tonight.

Circle 1

1. Shoulders: Lateral Raise
2. Back: Barbell Row 
3. Triceps: Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension
4. Glutes & hams: Barbell Straight-leg Deadlift

Circle 2: Core

1. Russian Twist 
2. Cat Camel
3. Leg-Lowering Drill 
4. Prone Cobra 

And that's about it. This type of circling fits me, I think it's fun to keep going and getting things done fast. Maybe I'll try to get three different ones + core or yoga a week. We'll see how it goes :)

Walks.

Good morning! 

Since coming to Sweden (we are situated about 40 mins south of Stockholm), we have spent a great deal of time walking and jogging. The nature is lovely here on the countryside as you can see below (the very last photo really symbolises all that is typical for Sweden - in my opinion).
Plans for this week: job-hunting, writing on the dissertation, running x 3 + enjoying the sun.

It really feels like Monday morning because of all the days off. Time to get back to normalcy.

What are your plans?

One That Never Fails: Feta Salad

Home-made dressing that's lovely with the feta salad: white wine vinegar (1 tablespoon), olive oil (3 tablespoons), lemon zest, coriander, French herbs and 1 garlic clove. Mixing and matching works!