ghostinthemachine

That's great, congrats!

Haha, I think I'd be more self conscious squatting with a towel wrapped around my head at the gym! I'll get over myself eventually and post a video (unless staff do ask me to stop of course) So... I couldn't use my lightbox this morning because I didn't hear my alarm and was running late for work. That... didn't do good things for my mood, and I had a bit of a stressful meeting with my boss which didn't help. Anyway, I still made it to the gym, I even scored a squat rack, and I did a lot better at overhead press than last time! Deadlifts were... hard but doable. I need to work on my grip strength though.

Awesome! Congrats on the deadlift And bonus points for not letting a mishap like forgetting your shorts derail you.

Hey, good for you that you managed to snap out of it and ended your workout on a high note! Overhead presses are the bane of my existence, and I think we are not the only ones struggling with it. Progress on them is really slow for most people, so don't get discouraged. At least you got some reps at 35 lbs, and I'm pretty sure you'll work your way up in time Also great job on those deadlifts!

Oh, I missed that one! I'm thinking about it, I just need to figure out some logistics (and gym policies re: recording video), and I'm a bit self conscious, but I think it's a good idea.

Ugh, of course in week two I fell sick, and only made it to the gym once - I had the best intentions, and I had my gym bag with me on Wednesday, but I started feeling pretty terrible to the point where my boss actually sent me home from work (he has never actually done that before, and he even offered to call me a taxi, so I must have looked like I was about to fall over). I spent the rest of the week mostly on my couch (partially working from home) and trying to recuperate and not to leave the house. I even had to cancel my weekend plans that I'd really been looking forward to, so that was a big bummer. Anyway, this week, I did go back, and today was the third time I went this week, so it looks like I'm back into my rhythm! I'm still a bit sick-ish, but if I'm well enough to go to work I'm well enough to go to the gym, and I was extra careful about wiping down my bench and bar and all because I don't even wish this cold on the people who do yoga in the squat rack (I've seen that happen) or hide plates and barbells in my gym (I haven't seen that happen, but given the difficulty I had finding 1.25kg plates today, someone must do it!). Bringing my own lunch was a complete fail this week, though. (Uh, I bought a wrap at the supermarket once, but I don't think that counts. For future reference: Tesco wraps really are as bad as one would expect. They're a little bit less terrible than the sandwiches, but really, they're just another reason I should bring my own food.) Things were a bit chaotic. Oh well. I'll try again next week! It's just the usual setbacks you experience when trying to build a new habit. Lightbox use is fairly regular. I think I missed a day or two, but on those days I made a point of taking a walk at lunchtime so I'd still get my sunlight. It doesn't seem to help my general emotional state much, but that might just be circumstances (but this is a fitness challenge, not a "ghost complains about their life" challenge, so I'll shut up). At least I imagine it's helping to wake me up in the morning. Same goes for sleep - I've missed a few days here or there, but I've been pretty good at it.

Ouch! Sorry to hear you tore your muscles. I wish you a speedy recovery! Anyway, what you did is an achievement in itself even if you didn't quite get to 100 days - and as you said you learned to tell when you are just not feeling like it and need to push yourself, and when you just genuinely need to take a break and it's not an excuse. I think that's pretty useful for all of us And of course congrats on your actual bench progress!

I just tried a recipe for peanut butter pancakes that I saw floating around here on the forums (an egg, a banana, and peanut butter blended together). Maybe I got the ratio of the ingredients wrong - I eyeballed the peanut butter -, so they turned out to be a bit dry, but I think I like the flavour. B+, would try again. It isn't even that much effort to make them - we don't have a blender, but my handheld mixer did the job just fine. I think next time, I'll use a little milk next time so they aren't as dry. I did miss my bedtime yesterday, but posting here reminded me to switch on my lightbox!

Looks like you're making progress! And good job for not letting your sickness derail things too much. I hope everyone is feeling a bit better now!

I'm tracking my workouts on my phone, but I'm not posting them anywhere really. Gym time again today! I was looking forward to deadlifts all day Squats didn't go so well, I'm figuring out some problems with my form, so progress is stalling there in the interest of not throwing out my back in the future. Well, improving form is still progress, just with a different metric. Glacial progress on OHP, but I got more reps than last time! And I got my deadlifts, too. I've also found that if I go an hour later than usual, the gym doesn't seem to be crowded. Maybe I should just do overtime on gym days in general... pretty sure my boss would like that I brought food into work today, too - stir-fried noodles with assorted vegetables (leftovers from yesterday's dinner). Didn't taste so great cold, but it was worth a shot, and I had so much left over. And I guess I should post an overview about how my challenge went last week. Quest 1: Check. I went to the gym and lifted weights 3 times. Quest 2: 4/5. I missed my bedtime once, but made it on the other days. Quest 3: 1/2. I brought food with me once, and had food to bring with me on Friday, I just realised as I was walking out the door that I forgot to put it together and take it. Yup. *facepalm* So I had it for dinner instead. Life Quest: 5/5! I did remember to use my lightbox every day Not sure if it's helping, but... it's not hurting, at least, and it takes a while.

Whee, good job for going to the gym! When I started lifting, going to the gym by myself was really scary, so I sympathise. Looks like you got a good workout in!

For me it helps to start small. Every little bit helps. If you want to work out, start by going for a walk. Do a bodyweight exercise you like, or yoga if that's your thing. Dance to a song you like. Go do something active with a friend or a family member. Play DDR. Do something small and active to get moving again and get your blood flowing. Maybe that will be enough to get you back into gear, and even if it's not enough on his own - hey, at least you'll have done something active that you might've enjoyed. If challenges and goals are your thing, by all means, do that - I really like the mutual encouragement in the challenge forums, and you don't have to set hugely ambitious goals, it could be to go for a walk or do some light exercise on a regular basis. People will be happy to cheer you on if you decide to do a challenge, and I believe it's not too late for the current one yet! But if they aren't, or a six week challenge seems a bit too much to commit to right now, it's okay if you'd like to start smaller.

I used to have lat raises in my workout and even really low weights were KILLING me - I was using like 3 or 4 kg. Looks like you had a good workout! Also I definitely must try these protein pancakes you are talking about

Hey, I just saw your challenge - awesome description of your adventures in parenthood! I also love that you're squatting with your kid (provided that the kid actually likes it, too ). How are things going so far for you? As for munchies, I like to bring fruit, or stuff like cherry tomatoes. Or, well, I volunteer as GM, which means that I generally spend so much time talking and looking up rules that I don't get to eat that much (while as a player, there just is a lot more time when it's not your turn to speak and you are free to shove stuff in your mouth) - might not work for your planned game night, but maybe for future consideration . I also try to not sit right in front of huge bags of crisps or other stuff that I can eat tons of without stopping. Strategic placement of food on the table is important!

The thing about the headphones being designed to let ambient sounds through makes a lot of sense! I just have standard-issue Apple ones, but I suppose they've been designed the same way, and it does come in handy in traffic, it's just annoying when what I'm listening to mixes with a completely different style of music. I think I'm going to have to break down and get some over-the-ear ones for the gym, even if they might make me look like a complete idiot. Whatever! I look like an idiot anyway, having been stuck at incredibly low weights for the longest time now, so I'm sure if people judge me on anything, it's my low weights and probably imperfect form, not my headphones! So I went to the gym again today, and I struggled a bit because I didn't eat enough beforehand. I'm going to repeat this weight for squat and bench - I could've gotten my last two reps on my last bench set, maybe, but I didn't have a spotter and decided to play it safe rather than get stuck under the bar. Also hit my head on the barbell on squats because I had to squat in my least favourite rack, where the pins are either just a bit too high or too low. I generally go with "too low" because the alternative is going on tiptoe when unracking, not sure if that makes sense - anyway, the bar was lower than I am used to, so when I ducked under the bar to get it on my back I hit my head. *shakes head* I'm fine though, didn't hurt myself or anything. My barbell row sets went swimmingly though. It's not my favourite exercise, for some reason this whole bent over thing tends to make me nauseous (and I will often punctuate my sets with "I. Hate. This. Damned. Exercise." - hey, whatever works for motivation, right?), but it went fine today and I could tell my form is improving. Yay! Monday is deadlift day and I'm already looking forward to it Oh, regarding fractional plates - I don't want to buy my own plates for now, and my gym doesn't have them, so what I'm doing instead, as per the advice of a friend who lifts, is increasing weight 2.5kg at a time, and increasing volume every time. Thanks though