Olivia Benson Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Introduction to the purpose of this battle log: I am a healthy weight, I always have been, and this has never been difficult to maintain. I'm 28, 5'6'' and 130lbs. So what's the problem? Depression, I think. Not currently, thank god. But over the years it has come and gone, pushing me around, leading me to seedy places in my brain. I've been too thin, obsessed with a number on a scale, and undernourished myself. I've been at the top of my "acceptable" weight range binging on pastries late, late at night... mmm pastries. And I'm embarrassed to say, sometimes I struggle to be grateful for my beautiful life. Something clicked in my brain 3 weeks ago, I don't know why... I swear. I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to change how I thought about my body. I didn't want my mood to be dependent upon a number on a scale. I wanted to be proud of how I looked, but also how I FELT. I stopped frequenting fashion blogs, and searched for fitness blogs. Guess what I found? Yeah, it was Nerd Fitness. If I'm going to be a little obsessed with my body, I should try to do it in a healthier way. I decided I want to be strong, not (just) thin... I know, I'm working on it. Then came Angry Birds Workout! My hope is that the benefits will be 2 fold: exercise is known to be a good Rx for depression, and I've always wanted a ripped physique. So... Main quest: To love my body (for real, really truly, for better and worse) and it's potential, and stop being its hateful critic. This feels like it might take a lifetime, but I'm up for the challenge. And an awesome physical CHALLENGE: I want to be able to do 1 pull up in 6 months Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 First Angry Birds Workout:40 Jumping jacks30 BW squats (Too easy)50 Jumping jacks15 Knee push ups 30 One arm rows (5 lbs) (WAY Too Easy)60 seconds of Planks Current Angry Birds:60 JJ70 Over head BW squats +10 lbs45 Push ups (10 shallow regular, 35 Knee)60 JJ60 Inverted rows (15 shallow straight legged, 45 w/ knees bent + feet flat on floor)5 mins Planks (Broken into 3 sets)Bonus exercises:60 Calf Presses +20lbs5 Negative Pull ups (starting above the bar, full extension) Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 February's Lifestyle and Fitness Challenges:No more than 2 alcoholic drinks/weekNo more than 2 desserts/weekNo eating after 8 pmMake more paleo choices at the grocery store Angry Birds Workout every other day100 diastasis recti exercises every other day1 Hike or long walk/weekend Floss every nightBe kind to my husband when our babe wakes us up early, or, in the middle of the night... and he doesn't "do it right" ughh Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted February 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Well February was a crap month for my diet. My workout survived, but woah, my diet was terrible. Vacation, V day, birthday. But March is full Paleo month, so I'm back on track. My fridge is full of fruit and vegetables, along with eggs and meat. Workouts are looking ok. I moved up to jump squats but within hours had a lot of joint and bone pain in my feet- so I am doing modified pilot squats. I think my bent leg is close to a 90 degree angle, but not quite there. Also, I am doing pushups in a true position now, no knees, but arms are still wide. 1 Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted February 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 February Angry Birds:60 JJ70 Over head BW squats +10 lbs45 Push ups (10 shallow regular, 35 Knee)60 JJ60 Inverted rows (15 shallow straight legged, 45 w/ knees bent + feet flat on floor)5 mins Planks (Broken into 3 sets)Bonus exercises:60 Calf Presses +20lbs5 Negative Pull ups (starting above the bar, full extension) Current Angry Birds:60 JJ30 Pilot squats 3 sets, about little less than half distance to ground30 Push ups 3 sets, wide arms, sometimes shallow60 JJ20 Inverted rows straight legged5 mins Planks 2-3 setsBonus exercises:10 Negative Pull ups (starting above the bar, full extension) 1 Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 buuuuhhhhn! Paleo sucks my butt. I just want some cake, and wine. beeehhhhh! Sugar is the hardest thing for me to quit. so hard. I'm making lots of fresh juices, and eating dried fruit. better than cake I guess. I'm not 100%. I still have my coffee with milk in the morning. I'm going more with the spirit, rather than letter of the law, whatever that might be. Also, I've been snacking on pistachios... paleo? dunno. stupid healthy eating. grr. ok on to better news. I did a pilot squat all the way to the ground today, with pretty decent form. I tried to stand up, came close but toppled over. 1 Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Weeeeell, I'm sure it will surprise no one to hear me say the paleo style diet isn't for me. I did 6 full days, but I'm done. I appreciate that it got me to eat a lot less crap and more real food- that is sticking. A couple issues:My workouts were tanking, I think mostly because I was having trouble getting enough calories, but potentially due to the lack of carbs. I found it really hard to concurrently push myself physically and challenge myself with a tough diet. I still need little rewards, like food treats, to keep me happy. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Pull up update. I'm happy with the progress I'm making. It's slow, and I'm not even close BUT, I'm closer than I've ever been. And I'm growing a pair of these: Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Hey girl! Please don't think that you're the only one with these issues. I think it's fantastic that you want to change your whole relationship with your body and I really think you can do it. Especially if you start to focus on fitness/ ability goals. You can do this. 1 Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Ps. AWESOME guns girl! 1 Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
EmlyAnne Posted March 8, 2014 Report Share Posted March 8, 2014 Agreed with Guzzi. You aren't the only one battling self-loathing and body image. Also, one can eat healthy without Paleo. You're doing great (especially with those guns), Angry Bird. Quote Ninja ScoutLEVEL 1 Stats: STR 2 | DEX 3 | STA 4 | CON 1 | WIS 2 | CHA 3 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Wall sits! 3 sets of 60 seconds fun, fun, fun! I'm really enjoying the progressive exercises towards the pull up. I've added hanging from the pull up bar as an exercise, to strengthen my grip, and lat pull downs also hanging from the pull up bar to start engaging those back muscles! Because I've added more exercises, I've broken up my workout schedule into an upper body day and a lower body day with a rest day in between. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to make swift enough progress on my pull up goal to meet my deadline. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Today's workout: Pilot Squat progressions: Holding foot to the ground 3 Foot free, very shallow 5,5,5 Halfway down (holding foot) static hold 10sSquat pulses 25, 25, 25Wall Sits 65s, 65s, 80s1 legged calf raises 25, 25, 25 My goal for the next leg workout is to replicate today's numbers and do 3x80s wall sits. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I'm excited! I started a dance thread in the BW training forum and there have been a few posts! I'm looking forward to meeting some savvy strength training dancers! http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/45799-the-dancers-thread/ Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Ooooh... Very cool. Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Upper BodyAssisted (with band) pull ups 3Negative pull ups 6,6,4inverted rows 10,10,10push ups 6,6,5hang 45s,30s,30swall handstand 30s Goal for next upper BW, replicate plus a second handstand rep, plus planks Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Oooooh..... Love the handstand! Very jealous, can't do them yet. Darn! How's the healthy eating going, you still off the sugar? 1 Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Oooooh..... Love the handstand! Very jealous, can't do them yet. Darn! How's the healthy eating going, you still off the sugar? *Hangs head in shame* No. Its grip on me is so, gasp, so strong. Generally, I'm eating healthier though. Way more vegetables and fruit each day, less processed food. It's working for now. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 met lower body goal today Lower BodyPilot Squat Progression holding foot to the ground 3.5 foot free, very shallow 5,5,5 halfway down (holding foot) holds 10sSquat with pulses feet turned out 25, 25, 25Wall Sits 80s, 80s, 80s1 legged calf raises 25, 25, 25Hanging leg lifts 5, 5, 5 goal for next lower BW: replicate, +1 pilot squat holding foot, +5x3 hanging leg lifts Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 I created a spreadsheet and line graph for my weight, BF % and measurements for the last 10 weeks and found the body fat reduction encouraging, and the small weight fluctuations weird, but also maybe encouraging? fat lost and muscle gained. I used height, weight, waist, hips, and neck to determine BF %. I know it's not fool proof, but it's a consistent method of measurement. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 *Hangs head in shame* No. Its grip on me is so, gasp, so strong. Generally, I'm eating healthier though. Way more vegetables and fruit each day, less processed food.It's working for now.Don't beat yourself up over it girl. Celebrate the wins, more fruit & veg? Sounds like a win to me About the weigh vs bodyfat, mine fluctuates like crazy too. My weight jumps between 68-70kgs with no rhyme or reason, and the bodyfat can be anywhere between 26.5 - 29%. The weirdest thing is that it's been like this for about 4 months yet everyone says I've lost weight. Weight = the sameBodyfat= the sameYet everyone is telling me how good I look lately. I'm perplexed (but happy!) 1 Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Today:Upper BodyAssisted pull ups 2, 2, 1Negative pull ups 6, 6, 4inverted rows 5, 5, 5push ups 6, 6, 5hang 47s, 30s, 30swall handstand 30s, 30selbow plank 2 min Goal for next upper BW: replicate + straight arm side planks Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I am so close to a pull up! SOOO close. Today I pulled up without assistance, without jumping or kipping. It wasn't full ROM, and I didn't start from a hang, but I pulled up, chin over the bar eeeeee. SOOO close!! Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
Guzzi Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Ohmygod!!!!! I'm soooooo jealous!I can do negatives, but I'm nowhere near being able to actually lift myself up. Not even jumping pull ups. Damn girl! Quote Make Life Rue The Day Turning back the clock Recipe book 14 Life is far too short to take seriously Link to comment
Olivia Benson Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Ohmygod!!!!! I'm soooooo jealous!I can do negatives, but I'm nowhere near being able to actually lift myself up. Not even jumping pull ups. Damn girl!Well, it's a door frame pull-up bar, so it's close to the ground and easy to jump above. How do you get above the bar to do negatives? Are you working on grip strength? Check out this blog post: http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/proof-pull-10-tools-getting-better-pull-upsThis woman sounds like she tried and tested a lot of methods before finding her path to the pull-up. I think the negatives have been crucial to strength building, but the band assisted pull-ups are pretty valuable too. I think using the band helped me make the mind body connection. My hokey theory is that it awakened some muscles, created neural pathways, and helped me realize by going through the motions (in a still very challenging way) what I need to do to get up. Quote Olivia BensonBegan 1/14/14 Link to comment
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