Kitchen Inn Express

 

Thank the gods of all that is pasta, because it's Cheat Day — or Cheat Treat as I should now be referring to it: the one day a week that I can spoil myself with a delicious meal that's all been considered with my macros in mind. And, oh man, have I been holding back on my carbs till now.

Kitchen Inn Express is located over at Waterford Plaza on the side closest to Manning Road. It sits there neat and open to the eyes and, with a menu full of seafood, Chinese noodles, and that good ol' herbal jelly ice tea, both my friend and I were enticed inside their doors.

Everyone was out grabbing their lunch. Kitchen Inn Express appeared to have gathered a bit of an audience, so we checked out their menu. I grabbed a dish I think was referred to as 'Ho Fun', which consisted of deliciously slimy noodles with egg and prawn to gulp down. There's something about slurpable noodles covered in a thick-textured seafood base that really makes your lunchtime. Also: only $9.00. Get onto it!

The Slow-Motion Crisis of an Early Start

Getting ready for gym in the morning can be the most embarrassingly sluggish thing for me. Long ago, back in high school, I could be out the door in no more than 20 minutes. Now, four years later, it takes me at least an hour and a half.

How is that? For a normally pretty darn efficient person, such as myself, this should be considered ridiculous.

Thanks to finally getting used to my 5:30AM starts, I no longer need to stay in bed for a minimum of an hour scrolling through my phone. Now, I'm out within the minute washing my face, making myself a quick breaky (natural yogurt mixed with vanilla whey protein powder with berries and yogurt -- get onto it). Then, I just wait an hour to digest the breaky so I can go to gym without feeling bloated. All in all, I'm not driving into the gym parking lot (FYI. a two minute drive) until 7:15.

I reckon it's because in the morning whatever you normally do is turned into a slow-motion act. While washing my face, I'm entranced by the deadness of my half-asleep face and wondering why my pores always look so invisible only ever in the morning. While making breaky, I also have to turn it into the "Breakfast With Ashley Show" and make sure my bowl looks completely aesthetically pleasing before toddling back to my room, and I have to simultaneously watch a movie like "She's The Man" while I'm getting ready. Where did it all go wrong, Amanda?

I'm like a toddler before nap time: I'll find every excuse to take too long before starting.

Sometimes, however, I do find little tricks on how to actually get my ass out of the house before the gym starts filling up...

• Instagram
  Nothing gets you motivated out the house like a gym bunny on Insta flaunting her abs and pre-workout like she's got her entire life figured out.

Image Credit: Madalin Giorgetta

Image Credit: Brooke Mullen

• A good song
  Dancing wakes you up, even if your moves are incredibly white and dorky. At the moment, "Mambo No. 5" really has me rocking out. Nothing better than getting into a song about a dude having countless women in his life. It's surprisingly empowering (if I pretend I'm the guy in this scenario, anyway).
  
  
• A breaky worth fighting for
  Unsurprisingly, a bowl of oatmeal, honey and seeds really doesn't do it for me. Yogurt and fruit, however, have become my entire life. Having a whole bunch of vanilla ice cream protein thrown in there as well really helps the meal feel like a kick-start. 

• A lush new gym outfit
  Obviously not a day-to-day recommendation, but it's always good to change it up once in a while with something different for your wake-up routine. 

Image Credit: Lorna Jane

Image Credit: Cotton On Body

• Stick to one alarm 
  Or two, if you're like me. Having multiple would usually give me the excuse of going back to sleep. My mind is astonishingly good at holding a persuasive argument in the first few seconds of morning. But having one at 5:30AM and then another a minute after is usually wake-up call enough to send me whining out of bed.
  
• Get out of bed as soon as possible
  This seems obvious, but the longer you stay in bed the more you'll probably debate even leaving the house. So, ideally, wait till breakfast is served before browsing through social media. Avoid breakfast in bed as well. 

Weird Things I Hope Other People Do at the Gym as Well

1. Competing against the athlete next to you like a chihuahua trying to win a fight against a doberman. 

2. Taking the act of ripping out a sanitary sheet from the box like a personal fitness test. And failing miserably in front of everyone (who are "obviously" watching and judging you).

3. Taking someone normal getting on the treadmill next to you (rather than all the others currently available) as an invasion of privacy, and then turning up your headphones as loud as possible in case they try to talk. 

4. Taking someone who is extremely muscled grabbing the treadmill next to you as a personal insult. Am I being used like a before-and-after pic where I'm the "before" and they're the "after"?

5. Letting the huge rolls of sweat drip down your face as a show of defiance against the group of hot athletes strolling into the gym. I will not grab my face towel for you (just a few seconds after when you've already gone past)!

6. Getting stressed out like an overworked dish sponge when someone walks too close by you when you're on the elliptical. And working out the argument in your head that's bound to happen if you end up hitting them with one of the levers.

7. Running while texting and wondering if someone's ever going to call you out on it. And working out that argument in your head as well. Yes, I am currently texting my doctor who just told me I have five months left to live. How dare you make assumptions about me!

8. Accidentally staring too long at the female members of staff. How the hell do they get their legs looking that trim?

9. Wondering if everyone else can hear your music and repeatedly taking out your headphones to check. I'm definitely not cool enough to be listening to rap music. Plus I feel like that's more of a strength-training kind of thing, not meant for the scrawny, red-faced chick panting on the treadmill.

10. Leaving the gym way too early, so you pretend to be short on time as an excuse. Don't forget to huff as you repeatedly check your watch and look mildly rattled as you race out the gym doors.