So here we are

[Sahara Knight]

For most of my life I was what would be considered skinny fat, and most of my life I wanted to change that but did the constant stop and start on working out and never paid attention to my diet. After all, it wasn't making me overweight so it wasn't important, right? Yeah.  I wouldn't consider myself "skinny" now, personally, but I'm still below the "average", which isn't saying much since it keeps raising.  But, my body fat is still higher than I'd like (26% last I checked) and this annoys me, especially considering I had it down to 20% last year with a goal of 15%.

 

I've been doing paleo off and on for years. It was hard when I lived with my ex and she wasn't into it. Living on my own now and its easier but still fall off more than I'd like. I just don't like cooking. I try to do mass cooking on Sundays but, blah. And with paleo I've also struggled to get enough calories, especially when working out. Only recently I've started adding an almost daily smoothie with fruit, veggies, kefir, protein powder, and olive oil. It's def helped.

 

I've always been semi active. Played soccer for years growing up, then played rugby in college, then took a martial art for a year, but then stopped doing anything for a while. Being inactive makes me cranky.  I stated running about 2 years ago and I've done a 15K twice but honestly, I hate running. I like feeling the accomplishment of finishing the race but every step just sucked.  I also have a tight hip flexor which made it semi painful; I'm working on stretching that out. This year I did a 4 month boot camp 3-4 times a week. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep at it for long cause of the price but was using it to build a foundation and get myself into a routine. It really helped push me and I enjoyed it, though I didn't lose a single bf% and that was frustrating. I also got very tired all the time when I usually feel good on paleo. That's when I started adding the smoothie. The trainer and I thought that perhaps I wasn't eating enough. I eat 4-5 times a day but veggies and meat don't always pack a punch.

 

A few weeks ago I joined a new gym with good free weights. I started the Starting Strength program to build on my foundation. I'd really like to be stronger. But, I don't want to lose all the cardiovascular conditioning I built up doing the boot camp. I ran my last 15K without having run for more than 6 months but was in great condition to pull it off. So, I'm considering adding something else to my training yet don't want to slow my progress too much. Not sure what to do about that.

 

I discovered this site while learning about Starting Strength and reading Staci's story. Hoping to get tips and encouragement. The game/challenge thing looks fun too and I'd like to learn more about that.

 

I'm a bit of a gamer. I don't have much time to play but when I do I end up binge playing. Except a few months ago I started Grepolis and now I'm on there every day and I kind of hate my cousin for getting my started.