Phew, last week was pretty awful, and I need vacation, so I’ll leave it at this:
Workout/progress
This week was pretty terrible, but I did manage to get to the gym one time – Friday morning, and it was pretty fabulous. I was there for an hour, and it was me and 1-3 others.
Personal
I’ve been in a bit of a funk the last week. I’d guess working out would help me, but when I’m like this, I really don’t want to go to the gym. Not energy level wise, but anxiety level wise. “I’ll do things wrong and will be corrected” (btw, wtf? that’s good right? they’re nice people, giving advise in a very friendly manner). “I’m fat and unfit and people will look at me” (uhmmm, no, no they won’t. and being fat is not a fucking crime.)
And then I realized what the problem this week was. As exemplified in these two images:
(Although, to be fair, the second one is also me lots of other times.)
AND HOW DID WOMEN DEAL WITH THIS WHEN THEY DIDN’T HAVE APPS TELLING THEM IT WAS COMING? SERIOUSLY?
Workout/progress
I went to the new gym! I’ve officially restarted Stronglifts (through Daily Strength) since it matches my gym’s beginner’s plan. And I snapped a picture (with a lot of floor?) while waiting for the next bench press set:
Can I also talk about how much I enjoy that they prioritize safety and really tell people that they SHOULD use those straps/bars when they lift?
The Books
The Shows
Lucifer
The Big Bang Theory (trying to finish it…)
Designated Survivor (S01!)
Friends from College
The Movies
Always be my Maybe
About Time
A Star is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody
Ex Machina
A Simple Favor
Ok, so. I’ve mentioned the first two earlier (recommend both!). A star is born was underwhelming, but maybe my expectations were set too high based on the hype. Bohemian Rhapsody was quite entertaining. Ex Machina was good. However, the by far favorite was A simple favor. I mean it has Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively as the main characters!
The workouts
This month has been a bit on and off with the workouts, mainly as I finally had enough of the old gym and how busy it is (only took close to 6 months). Found a new gym and have done a trial week there to see if I like it (I do!). Hopefully July will be more consistent in this area.
Music
Personal
This week was a big celebration at work, due to the American main company having been created 20 years ago. Friday they closed our office, and we had a whole day/evening/night of happening/party. Did I (together with 4 others) bail at 10:30 pm and head back to the hotel while others stayed out until 3 am? You bet your ass I did. At that point we’d already spent 12 hours in each others’ company, and they started playing loud music, which is a safe bet if you want to get rid of me.
Workout/progress
Tuesday I had the second introduction class, that covered deadlifts, military press, hip thrusts, lateral pulldown, pallof press, planking & pushing a fucking sled/prowler. Is it odd to say I quite enjoyed it? (Planking the least, but still didn’t hate it.) I’ve also gone ahead and cancelled the current gym subscription. Yay!
Music
Omg, this song:
App
So I’ve been trying Styrkelabbets app (yes, yet another fitness app.), and I like that it offers both recommended exercises and alternatives! If you’re like me and don’t want to spend an extra second waiting for gym equipment, this comes in quite handy. Still haven’t given up on Stronglifts though…
Book/story
Begun re-reading this little brick of a book, so I can finally read that third part (you know, after I also re-read part 2) I bought 1.5 years ago. 200 pages in, it’s just as good as I remembered:
Reading list
Moby’s treatment of Natalie Portman is a masterclass in nice-guy misogyny
Want to read more? Choose an extremely long book
Workout/progress
Went to the gym twice this week, so very satisfied about that since my goal is 2-3 times a week. Less happy about the accessibility of racks for lifting (there’s 1). Have been looking at other gyms… there’s one that looks very promising and that focuses on lifting, but it’s twice as far away from the house (i.e. 10 min by bike) and also it’s scary to try and approach a place like that. Plus I have over a year left on the contract at the current gym, but am figuring it’s probably possible to pay my way out of that. To be continued?
Oh, also biked 15 km yesterday as we were invited to a friend’s for bbq. A nice time was had by all.
Food
We had the first bbq for the year this weekend! Went to the market and got fresh trout, that was cooked in aluminum foil with lemon and herbs. Possibly the healthiest bbq we’ve had in years?
Podcast/episode
Started listening to two Swedish podcasts that my younger brother recommended. Both from SR (Swedish state radio) – USA-podden & Så funkar det.
(Svensk fotnot: Vet inte hur jag känner inför Anders & Måns än, de var liksom inte “kända” när jag emigrerade. Lite flamsiga, men lite roliga också? Första avsnittet, som jag lyssnade på när jag cyklade till centrum handlade om varför en inte ska lita på holländare, så det skrattade jag faktiskt åt på riktigt.)
Personal
My baby bro bought a house! It’s 2 km from where we grew up (i.e. where he’s dreamt of living since moving out) and just the right size for him. So, so happy for him!
Reading list
There should be nothing wrong in waving Palestinian flags at Eurovision
Workout/progress
I went to the gym! Only once, but hey, it’s a start. I didn’t quite stick to plan (shocker), which was to being Styrkebyråns Bli en Beefcake (2 day split). Instead, I’d happened upon this app that looked neat called Stronglifts. The main pull for me was that it tells me what weight to start with. Cause look, I get the reasons for people NOT wanting to do that, but how do I have any idea then? So sure, this one starts with 20 kg (essentially, just the bar if you’re at a decent gym), but it then keeps adding as you do successful lifts. It also contains a calculator so you don’t have to think 😛
And, essentially, the workout is almost the same. It’s the same basic exercises, and almost the same assisting ones (haven’t touched those yet).
