Slayer

After a bit of a hiatus, the Slayer is back! I'm a little frustrated because I'd made some great progress, and then I started law school and fell back on some old unhealthy habits I thought I'd slain along the way... Unfortunately, the undead don't like staying dead, so here we are again. The story goes that I've been staying up way too late, buying way too much food from vending machines between classes, and generally neglecting keeping myself grounded. I've been getting moving a lot because I've been dancing a couple of times a week, but I'd like to be working on getting stronger so, you know, I can actually get better at the dancing. And slaying. The goals: 1. Eat four home-cooked meals a week. I usually get lunches on campus (mostly for free), but for four meals a week, lunch or dinner, I need to eat meals I've cooked at home. Baby steps. I'm not counting breakfast. BONUS: avoid paying for unhealthy food. 2. Strength train once a week. I'm already doing yoga once a week, so this'll bring me up to 2. I'm tempted to say twice a week, but I think starting smaller is probably better right now. 3. Go to bed before midnight every night that I'm home that early. Because this 2AM business is a little much. 4. Meditate for 10 minutes every day, ideally in the morning. Slayer needs some mental quiet. Those are the goals! I'm starting tomorrow since I didn't hop on here until tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Another month has passed, and I've (sort of) accomplished another Whole30 in the interim. I wanted to do a breakdown for myself on how it went, and reflect on what's worth it and what's not worth it for me at this point. I'm still doing reintroduction, so this may change as that process continues. Not worth it: The majority of grains Any bread that isn't insanely exciting and delicious Starbucks, etc. pastries Sweet coffee drinks Basically any store-bought dessert Cream in my coffee Tortillas Meh candy Added sugar and soy in stupid things Rice, most of the time (unless I really need carbs) Soda Most pasta Beer I don't love Mediocre cocktails Side pancakes/toast Frozen waffles Canned whipped cream Frozen yogurt Ice cream that isn't my favorite Worth it: Homemade chocolate chip cookies (but just my mom's) Homemade or Cheesecake Factory cheesecake Special, amazing desserts Really good tortilla chips (sometimes) Amazing cocktails My favorite beers Pancakes at Snooze Fresh whipped cream Baked & Wired cupcakes These are just things off the top of my head. More to come!

Last week got me off to a rough start. I did zero yoga last week, partially because I got sick over the weekend, but also because I just slacked off. I didn't even keep track of how many compliant meals I ate last week -- some, but I don't think I hit 10. I hit 7000 steps on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday -- Mondays are always the easiest because I have dance practice. On a positive note, I did get pretty far with my guide! I'm really close to being done drafting the content, and then it'll just be formatting, edits, and getting it out there. It's looking like it'll be around 10,000 words. I set up a challenge for myself to go along with the ebook launch, which you can check out on my blog here. Luckily, it's a new week, which means a new chance to do some ass kicking. Vampires beware -- the Slayer approaches.

[This particular master vampire was an ugly breakup with a boyfriend of almost 3 years. I'm still doing a lot of processing from how that relationship affected me, and how to find myself again. Fun times.] Last week was definitely rough -- I got sick twice this weekend, which was terrible, but I'm starting fresh this week. On a good note, I did make quite a lot of progress on my guide, the draft of which is finally almost done. I started a related challenge for myself on my blog here. Getting back up on my feet this week. The weather's terrible, but it's supposed to get better after a couple of days. Training is nicer out in the sun...

What awesome books are you reading/have you read lately? I'm reading "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler. I also just finished "The Intern's Handbook" by Shane Kuhn. Super awesome if you like thrillers/suspense.

This has been a huge challenge for me, too. One thing I've found helps is if you have books you love but know you should probably get rid of, find a loved one or an acquaintance who could get more value out of it than you do. It's the only way for me to get rid of some of my books if I know it's going to improve a dear friend's life. Even if you don't have someone specific in mind, donating books means the books that are gathering dust on your shelf could be adding value to someone else's life.

Yeah, I really like the Down Dog app. I would second the idea of taking classes in a studio every so often, especially looking for strength. I find, for myself, at least, that I go deeper into poses and work harder (in a good way) when I'm in a studio with a teacher.

I don't know if this is an improvement so much as a question--what happened to the swag shop? There were so many cool things I wanted to buy at Camp last year, and I didn't have the money. So I was looking forward to the new online store being opened and being able to rep NF! It still says it'll open in early 2016--any idea when we can expect to be able to grab new swag?

Welcome (back)! Plateauing sucks, but congrats on the weight loss. Have you looked at the four-week challenge that just started? That can be a good way to change things up!

Welcome, Frank! Here's a good resource for eating out paleo (or paleo-ish): http://meljoulwan.com/2015/02/26/paleo-tips-eating-restaurants/ What kind of food are you finding/in what ways is it unhealthy? I would also check the local forums and see if there's anybody else on here in your area who could give you more region-specific advice.

Nice job trying something new instead of just giving up! And welcome!

Welcome, Darbidur! Small changes definitely win the day. I love the range of interests -- I'm also a definite space travel nerd.

"Renegades" by X Ambassadors makes me feel like a total badass.

I love that there's a thread for this! For me: a cool, clear morning with spring dew in the air and managing to make it to work early for once. A great way to start the day!

Welcome, Jimmyjims! I totally empathize with taking stock of your life after going through a hard breakup -- I'm dealing with something similar. And way to go with getting to the gym in the evening. It's tough to make time when the morning gets away from you. Good luck!