A long winter’s slumber

12 hours. That’s exactly how long I slept last night. Maybe it was the cold weather outside that lured me under the warm covers or maybe, and more likely, my body was just feeling run down and low on sleep.

All I know is this: the husband and I had a hot date last night. He with his Xbox 360 and me with the bed.

It was glorious and I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the world.

Year End Cleaning Spree

Instead I took on the kitchen… the world can wait for another day. I spent most of my morning reorganizing the cupboards and cabinets, cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer, and throwing out food we have bought and never eat.

I also boxed up all the “junk” and put it out of my reach, after letting J know where he can find the treat food. If I can’t see it I tend to forget it is even in the house. Out of sight, out of mind… I hope.

The Japanese take the last few weeks of the year and use it as a time to clean out their homes. Americans typically save this for the spring. I’ve decided to start doing a little cleaning each day (or when I have time) to organize our apartment. With both of us working it can be a challenge to keep everything in line, but a mess drives me insane.

Lunch Date

The husband and I did go on an actual date this afternoon. I had suggested hitting Yoshinoya, however J wanted to try out a new gyudon restaurant called Sukiya. One of J’s friends from back in the U.S. who is also living in Japan right now recently told him all about this restaurant. After hearing they have 3-cheese gyudon, my husband was sold.

I tried gyudon for the first time about a month ago at Yoshinoya. It was tasty and I wanted to have the exact same thing today.

J ordered the 3-cheese gyudon just as he said he would. Along with a large Sprite. Another part of Sukiya’s appeal for J is the Sprite. It’s a rare commodity in Japan.

Side note: It’s hilarious to me as an American that this drink is considered large. Think about that the next time you go out to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a regular-sized Coca Cola. I rarely drink soda, and never drink it at home, but it was a nice treat. Coke from a straw will forever remind me of McDonald’s Happy Meals from my childhood.

And then it was time for dessert. Another great feature of this restaurant, according to J’s friend, is the ice cream floats.

My husband ordered a Sprite float… which I think is a strange combination. But you could also choose regular Coca Cola, melon soda, or orange juice for the liquid part of the dessert.

I went with something much more Maria-like: a coffee soft serve.

It was fantastic!

Overall, J and I both felt that Sukiya was a step-up from Yoshinoya. And for a variety of reasons. They had more diverse food and drink choices, the meat in our meals was not as greasy and fatty as what we’ve ate previously at Yoshinoya, and the dessert was amazing. Add in a 24-hour no smoking ban and you’ve got the recipe for success, my friend!

Needless to say, we will most certainly be hitting up this spot again.

Things that go ouch in the night

Did you know that dropping someone else’s urine in your ear is supposed to cure an earache?

Me either. But I found that useful tidbit as I was Googling “earache remedies” at 2:30 this morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night with my ear hurting, but I thought it was just some weird pressure build up and laid in bed for who knows how long in pain. Finally I grabbed my iPhone in frustration and tried to figure out what to do to make the aching go away.

It definitely was not just pressure.

The pain was so intense that I considered shooting a quick e-mail to my boss that work just wasn’t an option for me today. Good thing I waited on that one!

After waking up the husband and taking some Tylenol, I laid back down and drifted off to sleep. My ear still feels off-kilter this morning, but the pain has subsided.

On top of that the wind was out of control last night. I even felt our apartment shaking twice as I laid in bed with my earache.

Turns out our apartment, as old and decrepit as it might be, wasn’t shaking from the strong winds. Instead, there were a few tiny earthquake tremors last night. Nothing major, but there was another one while I was teaching today.

“That’s some strong wind, huh, guys?” I asked my students.
”Yeah, but THAT was an earthquake.” One of them responded.

I’ve never been in an earthquake. We don’t experience that kind of weather in Kentucky!

These tremors have been really small and nothing to worry about, but it feels so weird.

Sorry for the lame-o post today guys, but I’m still just feeling out of whack. First a sore throat, then a cough, and now an earache. Why can’t my body be normal and just breakdown all at once and get it over with?

A run through 7-11 after this morning’s class provided me with today’s fuel. Orange juice and ice cream are necessary when you’re sick. I’m taking a rest day and catching up on blogs, and hopefully throwing in a few episodes of Glee and Gossip Girl.

A very active day

Shew! It’s been one of those days where I don’t feel like my legs have stopped moving.

It started when I woke up this morning and realized the temperature had dropped to 10 degrees Celsius in our apartment overnight. After giving myself a big facepalm, I dug into the bowl of overnight oats I prepared last night.

I used the remaining plain yogurt in the container (probably about half a cup), 1/3 cup of rolled oatmeal, 1/4 cup of 2% milk, 1/4 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch, 1 T peanut butter and 1/2 a banana.

My food always looks so much prettier before I make a mess out of it. And I pretty much always make a mess out of anything I eat.

I biked to work to teach my morning class and found one of my students already in the classroom. These guys never come in early so I knew something was up. He said our classroom was 0 degrees Celsius this morning, so he came in early and kicked on the heater for me.

I have some really good students.

Post-class, I biked back home and chatted with my Momma and Daddy for a few minutes while having my pre-workout snack. (Was that sentence confusing???)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot tea to warm me up and half an apple with a wedge of cheese.

Last week I told you one of my favorite winter workout tricks is to dress in layers. Here’s another one: warm up inside before heading outdoors.

I did a 20-minute Power Flow class from Yogadownload.com before my 5 mile run this morning.

In case you’re wondering the above photo is, in fact, of the stuff you use to line the drawers in your house. I don’t have a real yoga mat, but I decided this would do for now. I’ve been putting off buying one until I knew for sure I was going to stick with practicing.

I’ve been doing yoga regularly (at least once a week, sometimes more) for over two months. I think it’s time to invest in a mat.

Oh, I am a cheap ass.

I was HANGRY when I returned to my abode from running. I wanted something nutritious, quick, and easy.

Quick and easy were probably the most important part of the equation. I chopped up some frozen spinach and broccoli and threw them in a bowl with a serving of my leftover macaroni and cheesy beef casserole. (You can find the recipe for it here—it’s really good and I’ve been eating from it all week.)

Snacked on a little trail mix covered in cinnamon whilest getting myself ready for job number two. Homemade trail mix is the bomb. That’s what I’ve decided.

Christmas can now commence

In case I haven’t told you guys, I have the BEST family. And heck, even if I have told you, they’re so great I’m going to say it again:

My family is THE BEST!

There was a rat-a-tat-tat on our front door yesterday afternoon. Let’s be honest, the only person who ever knocks on my door is the mailman, so I scampered downstairs in excitement because I wasn’t expecting anything to be delivered.

Our mailman hands me a package, hops on his motorbike, and scoots off down the road.

And I’m standing there with a box in my hands thinking who sent us something? Nobody said to be expecting mail. My mom already sent us a holiday package and J’s momma hasn’t finished putting hers together yet.

I checked out the upper left-hand corner and solved the mystery. J’s sweet aunt and uncle had sent some love from home our way. (His cousin Alisa reads my blog everyday, so HI, ALISA!)

You might be tempted to think J wore his snuggie just for the photo-op. You would be very wrong. The boy has LIVED in that piece of cloth since we opened the boxes they arrived in.

What was inside the package?

A jar of peanut butter for me. I am uber grateful since I was planning to order some soon from The Flying Pig.

A super cute Christmas ornament… check him out bigger:

And a few other goodies. But my absolute favorite gift was the nativity scene. I just told J the other day that it doesn’t feel right to have a Christmas without a nativity scene, especially when my mom owns at least three that we put out each year.

I am so happy and proud to have my little Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.

It’s officially Christmas now!!!

Reasons why I love Japan #3

Playing catch up? Here are reasons 1 and 2.

My third reason for loving this country is completely selfish. I am woman enough to admit that.

You see, the Japanese are OBSESSED with everything being fresh when it comes to food. I’m into healthy eating and freshness, so I can get behind that. But I’m also a cheap ass when it comes to spending money and I hate to waste.

Most Japanese groceries close around 9 p.m. How convenient that I get off work only half an hour before closing—the time when fresh foods are marked down because they have to be sold or thrown away.

You can bet I snatched these babies (cucumber sushi and vegetable gyoza) up when I saw the 20% off mark down last night. I knew they’d be perfect for my lunch today.

And man, oh man, were they! The gyoza tasted amazing, even after being reheated. I only ate half the sushi, but felt stuffed.

Japan, you can have your freshness, and I’ll happily take what’s left at the end of the day.

Cough it up already

Brrr!

It’s cold, dreary, and cloudy today. Where has the sunshine gone? I want it back!

The thermostat in our apartment said 12 degrees Celsius when I woke up this morning. I wasn’t made for living in these kinds of temperatures… Kentucky weather gets even colder than our area of Japan, but at least our buildings are insulated for such weather.

Check out the current temperature:

I would argue that it feels even colder than that outside!

J’s school apparently shows no mercy due to weather because I passed his some of his students when I was biking home from work today. The gym teachers had them outside running… IN SHORTS!

Did those teachers miss the memo that it’s colder than a well diggers’s ass in January outside today? Because I, for one, was wearing stockings, socks, and pants and I still couldn’t feel my toesies when I walked in the front door. Insanity, I say.

Enough with the weather complaints, because in all honesty I could go on and on and on for hours. I hate winter.

I also hate not sleeping well.

Unfortunately last night was the second night in a row where I didn’t sleep well at all. I’ve been waking up around midnight and coughing my head off. We usually run our heater until time for bed and then kick it off as we crawl under a few layers of covers. I think our little heaters are making the apartment, and also my throat, really dry… too dry, in fact.

I’m not that worried about the cough because I have no sore throat, my voice is back to normal, and my drainage is pretty clear. But this no sleep business isn’t cutting it. Maybe we need to start turning them off an hour before bed?

Let’s talk about something fun:

Eating a cookie for breakfast is fun. And quite yummalicious!

A big yogurt mess is fun, especially when it contains pomegranate and the first fresh strawberries you’ve tasted in over four months!

Candy canes are fun (Thanks Mom!). Playing “I Spy” is fun.
I spy with my little eyes a Maria. Can you find the Maria?

Sticking half a candy cane in your tea before popping it in the microwave is most definitely fun. You know the saying, “If Japan won’t bring the peppermint tea to Maria, Maria will bring the peppermint tea to Japan.”

Er. Maybe it doesn’t go quite like that.

A thankful Tuesday

Things that are currently making this lady smile:

1. Big bowls of oatmeal

2. Funny things my husband says

One of my favorite things about my husband is the nonsense he says when he’s half asleep. It’s great next-morning entertainment when I ask him, “Do you know what you said last night?”

This one happened just last night as we were falling asleep.

J begins to snore. Loudly.
Me: J! J!
J: What?
Me: You’re snoring.
J: I don’t think so. I’m asleep.
Me:

Apparently people only snore when they’re awake? We got a good laugh out of this one.

3. My students

I really love teaching my morning classes. Right now I only have male students, but they are all really fantastic and totally make my day.

4. New socks

 

 

 

 

 

 

My other early Christmas gift from my mom was a pack of new socks. She buys my brother and I new socks every Christmas. These have a small band of light pink breast cancer awareness ribbons around the ankle.

I ran in them today and they were super comfy and didn’t cause blisters. Huzzah!

5. Freshly painted fingernails

6. Snacks that feel like dessert

Have 5 minutes and a microwave? Here’s an easy faux apple crisp recipe:

Cut up half an apple into small chunks. Put in a mug and top with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and .5 teaspoon vanilla extract. Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until apples are softened. Top with 1/4 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch and microwave for 1 more minute. Stir, prepare to be amazed, and enjoy!

7. Great workouts

2 easy miles in just a little under 18 minutes. I can handle that. Plus a 20-minute morning flow sesh before… 3 wheel poses in a row made me feel STRONG.

8. Christmas break

This is my last week of work at job number 2 for two weeks. I’m super excited to have some time off and relax with my husband.

9. Healthy living

Today marks my 12th day in a row of eating healthy and not binging. I was on an outta control eating spiral for a few days at the end of November/beginning of December. I’m happy to be back in control and learning about what works for me versus what takes me to a place where I feel deprived. Healthy living is not about avoiding the foods/activities you enjoy.

10. YOU! My readers

I’ve been loving all the comments I’m receiving from you lately. At the end of the day, this blog is for me—to record my thoughts, my eating habits, and my approach to a healthy life, all the while living in Japan—but I am so glad that someone finds it worthy enough to take a minute and stop by.

An early visit from Santa

Christmas came early for my husband and I yesterday when we received a package from home.

My lovely mother sent us a few goodies for the holidays, along with a few gifts. I already knew what the gifts were (she had asked for some help picking sizes, colors, etc.) and thought it would be appropriate to go ahead and open them up.

What’s in the box?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Snuggie! J has been aggravating me almost everyday since the weather has cooled about wanting a snuggie so he can use the computer and play his video games, all the while staying under a blanket.

My mom was actually the one to suggest buying them for us. Personally I think the Snuggie is a dumb invention—it’s just a backwards robe—but I can admit they’re quite warm.

I guess for now I’m rocking the leopard print. I can dig that.

And needless to say we’re both happy with this gift… J can play his video games and I don’t have to hear “I really want a Snuggie” ever again.

What’s on your Christmas list?

Best day of the work week

Happy Monday everyone!

I’m probably the only person in the world who feels like this, but I love Mondays. Don’t hate me… I mean, you’d love them too if you didn’t have to work until 5 p.m.

I felt like such a grandma waking up this morning. My legs were stiff (from yesterday’s run) and my back was hurting. What’s next… the early bird special? Oh wait, I already eat dinner at 6. Yikes!

Breakfast

My favorite oatmeal combo ever. Bananas+cinnamon+pb=amazing.

And a cup of coffee to get my butt in gear.

I spend Monday mornings cleaning up the apartment and doing chores like vacuuming and laundry. Gotta have that cup of joe.

Snack

My grocery store had REAL grapes yesterday. The kind I would eat back in the good ole U.S.A. We’ve been limited to concord grapes since I moved here. The regular grapes are always either unavailable or too expensive. But there was a big container for only 400 Yen and I couldn’t turn it down. They were worth it.

I ate about a cup of them as a snack this morning before starting my strength training.

Lunch

Apple slices and a tuna sandwich for lunch. The sandwich was just ‘meh’ in all honesty. I used some frozen spinach that I had warmed up, along with tuna, mustard, onion, and green onions. Fresh spinach would have been a million times better, but I am out of the salad mood with it being winter and all and haven’t been eating enough spinach to justify buying it fresh.

Snack

What is up with my appetite? Usually the day after a long run I am starving all day long and just want to eat and eat and eat. Today, though, I haven’t been able to beckon my inner hunger beast at all. He’s hiding!

I ate a big, quick yogurt mess around 3:30 this afternoon before leaving to catch the train to work.

As you can see I also scored a pomegranate at the market yesterday. So excited about that one because I’ve been missing some pom in my yogurt messes.

Dinner

One of the things I usually love about Monday is Monday Night Ramen. But after a weekend full of holiday parties and over indulging, I asked J if he was cool with skipping out on the ramen tonight.

I feel like it’s been go, go, go all weekend long and I really wanted a night at home to ourselves. Especially with the next two nights not putting me back home until after 9 p.m. So, us old hermits stayed in and enjoyed a few episodes of The Office with our sloppy chicken joes.

Perfect night, if you ask me.

Vega Sport review+10K PR

As I mentioned in my post last night, I had an EXCELLENT run yesterday. I’m talking “out-of-this-world-whoa-stop-me-now” kind of excellent. This great run came out of nowhere, especially since I was running after a night involving too many glasses of wine.

I won a giveaway of Vega Sport from Matt at No Meat Athlete about a month and a half ago. I’ve been waiting to give it a test until I was back to running “long” distances regularly, and well, with 10K training officially underway I couldn’t think of a better time.

First off, I’m going to go ahead and get this out of the way: I am not a vegetarian or vegan. While I do have the upmost respect for those who choose those lifestyles, I have no intentions of becoming either any time soon. However, I am totally open to trying products that are geared toward vegetarians and vegans.

  

Here’s a little about Vega Sport from their Web site. They say the benefits of using their product include:

• Immediate and sustaining energy
• Increases endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity
• Enhances mental focus and motor performance
• Reduces stress and enhances immune system function
• Replenishes electrolytes lost during exercise
• Reduces inflammation, joint and muscle pain
• Improves body composition and reduces body fat
• Supports healthy weight management

What did I think?

The Pros: I really liked that the mix was completely plant based. It felt good to know that I wasn’t putting a bunch of chemicals and other unnatural ingredients into my body. I also liked that there are two flavors to choose from (Acai Berry or Lemon Lime—I chose the second). Maybe it was a placebo effect, but I did have a great run when I used this product.

The Cons: The canister was only about halfway full when I opened it yesterday. I’m not complaining too much personally because I didn’t pay for this product. However, if I had ordered this myself I would have been pretty disappointed by that. The mix didn’t want to combine very well with my water and I found myself having to shake the water bottle every single time I took a drink to ensure I wasn’t left with a bunch of grainy water when my workout ended. Lastly, the lemon lime flavor was just so-so. It wasn’t that strong, but it wasn’t that great.  

Overall Impression? I can’t honestly say I would go out of my way to buy this product, however I am more than happy to have some to continue using during long runs. The flavor left a little to be desired and I don’t think it helped my performance much more than other products I’ve utilized in the past.

The run

Okay, now it’s time to talk about my awesome run.

I’ll preface this by saying the first two miles were misery. Not only was I a little hungover, but the last half of that first mile is entirely uphill. No good!

My mile splits ended up looking like this:

Mile 1: 11:32:1
Mile 2: 10:08:0
Mile 3: 9:35:7
Mile 4: 9:28:3
Mile 5: 9:24:3
Mile 6: 8:55:2
Last .25: 1:24:9
Total time: 1:00:29.1

That’s right. I ran 10K distance in just over an hour! If you’re not sure about where all the excitement is coming from, consider this: If I can run this same time on February 28, 2010 (the day of the Tokyo 10K), I could be in the top 100 females to finish! How exciting would that be? And on my birthday, nonetheless.

So what did I do differently yesterday? Besides using the Vega Sport during my run, I also tried out the Galloway Method for the first time. I had just read Caitlin’s post on the Galloway Method before heading out the door, so I thought, “What the hell… I’ll give it a shot.”

I’ve been antsy about giving it a shot in the past because I was convinced that it would slow my time down and only be a hindrance. But I was so, so, so wrong. Not only did I improve my time, but I was so comfortable running and could have pushed harder if I had wanted. I used a running:walking ratio of 2:1. So I’d run hard for two minutes and walk at a brisk pace for one minute.

When I ran my first race (a 5k last October), my only goal was to finish. That was a great goal at the time since I’d only been running for 3 months. I want to set a loftier goal for this race, though. I’ve been nervous to put this out there, but I am just going to say it.

My goal for the Tokyo Marathon 10K is to finish sub-1:00:00. I want to be in the Top 100 Women finishers.