newcs

See, but the answer to "should I get a bike?" if I were talking about a motorcycle would be yes, no question It's just a matter of when lol. Right now, I don't have the time to learn how to fix them or the money to pay someone to fix them, plus the space issue. Someday I'll get one and convince my brother to teach me minor repairs.

I should probably also add that I do in fact have a plan to get back on track. My diet has still been pretty solid so it's just the workouts that need attention. I downloaded the You Are Your Own Gym app and will be starting the 10 week plan tonight. I'm aiming to do that 3-4x a week and run 1-2x a week. I had considered dropping the running but I'm signed up for a 5K in June and a Spartan Race in August so I need to keep up with the running and shift to outdoors once the snow melts. I think part of my issue was that I had gotten bored at the gym AND stopped really having time for it since I'm working overtime lately (long story short, if I don't go at my lunch break, the train schedule makes it so I can't really go). Using this app kills 2 birds with one stone...I can do it at home, it'll hopefully jumpstart my motivation and actually for a bonus, it gets me a little closer to my goal of being gym-free.

Update #9 (week 4) Well, week 4 was rough. I was sick all week and had a tough time staying on track. I've fallen off the wagon for workouts but have continued to do all my negative pull ups (and then some) as well as keep progressing in the 100 push up plan. Strength: The goal: 20 negative pull ups per week (3 per day) Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 7 Week 3: 2 4 7 Week 4: 7 Cumulative: 28 out of 42 Diet: The goal: Drink more water Week 1: 2 3 4 5 Week 2: 2 Week 3: 2 4 Week 4: 4 Cumulative: 15 out of 30 The goal: Eat more veggies Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 5 Week 3: 2 4 6 Week 4: 5 Cumulative: 23 out of 42 Life: Goal: Reclaim the dining room Week 1: Purchased bins 2, organized the basement 20 Cumulative: 22 out of 50 Side challenges: Work on wheel pose as part of the Old People Parkour Posse mini challenge. Come up with DEX-worthy goals for the next challenge. Participate in every.single.mini.challenge. posted to the Adventurers section. Challenge 1: Refined goalsChallenge 2: Ran 6.22 milesChallenge 3: Practicing superman/hollow holds - way harder than I thought it would be!! - participated but didn't get points/stuff because I forgot to practice on some of the daysChallenge 4: Attended a meetup

Attended a meetup and turned it into a marathon 3 for 1 meetup. We toured a sugar house at a sugaring off festival, attended a craft fair and then headed to a meetup member's apartment to knit and get take out.

haha I have not committed to a bike yet so I appreciate the info. I do love mountain bikes...every bike I've had that I've liked has been a mountain bike so I'll either be going with that or a hybrid. Your conversion definitely sounds interesting. I'll likely use a backpack because I carry a purse and a lunch bag each day so it seems the easiest. We just got another foot of snow so I'm checking out a shop this weekend hopefully but not in a huge rush to get riding. I'll definitely keep your advice in mind when I'm at the shop.

That makes a lot more sense... Unfortunately still a no-go for me as I have a tiny walkway up to the front steps and the mailman would probably just start throwing my mail on the ground lol. On another note, I saw this when I was looking up local bike shops: http://www.youcanbikethere.com/bike-commute-calculator It tells you calories burned, $$ saved and emissions avoided based on your commute. Pretty cool.

Update #9 (week 3, update 3) Had a productive weekend...not in the way that I planned but still happy with it. Still have to work on the dining room but I now have a cleared out spare room with part of it set up as an office with a grown-up desk for each of us (before we had 1 mini desk that we both shared AND it had the printer on it). Strength: The goal: 20 negative pull ups per week (3 per day) Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 7 Week 3: 2 4 7 Cumulative: 21 out of 42 Diet: The goal: Drink more water Week 1: 2 3 4 5 Week 2: 2 Week 3: 2 4 Cumulative: 11 out of 30 The goal: Eat more veggies Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 5 Week 3: 2 4 6 Cumulative: 18 out of 42 Life: Goal: Reclaim the dining room Week 1: Purchased bins 2, organized the basement 20 Cumulative: 22 out of 50 Side challenges: Work on wheel pose as part of the Old People Parkour Posse mini challenge. Come up with DEX-worthy goals for the next challenge. Participate in every.single.mini.challenge. posted to the Adventurers section. Challenge 1: Refined goalsChallenge 2: Ran 6.22 milesChallenge 3: Practicing superman/hollow holds - way harder than I thought it would be!! - participated but didn't get points/stuff because I forgot to practice on some of the days

So much helpful information!! I'm aiming to hit up a couple local shops by the end of the month and hopefully get something good in my budget. I read reviews and narrowed down the shops to a couple that are known for fitting bikes well, working within people's budgets and being just generally awesome. Thanks! The more I hear, the more I think hybrid is the way to go. I'm cool with it being a little heavier and I like the versatility. Already set on the lock Even when I had a crap bike, it was my only means of transportation so I guarded it dearly. Got rid of the bike but kept the lock. Glad my budget seems like it should work out. I've commuted by bike in the past (3miles to work and back each way...no train last time) and liked it. This is a new area for me but I've driven it a lot and kept in mind bike pros and cons as I've driven it the past year. It's all one road so only one turn into the station (which I can turn down earlier where traffic is thinner) so the only major concern with the route is that it's a small state highway so somewhat dangerous. That's why I wouldn't ride during several months of the year...it's already a narrow New England road without snow. I have a good backpack to stick my purse and random stuff in so as long as I travel light, I'll be fine and I can always drive on the occasional days where I need to pack a lot. Thanks for the sanity check and the "things to consider" Yep...potholes, buckled pavement and potentially some times I'll be riding on an unpaved shoulder so a road bike is pretty much out. Same here with the sidewalks...plus I'm sure my neighbors would be seriously unhappy if I started blocking the sidewalk. Awesome info! I like your breakdown of the annual costs...definitely helpful. Unfortunately, we can't hack the one less car situation. We'd be fine about 80% of the time, scrambling to coordinate 15% of the time and screwed 5% of the time. We had 1 car before but it's been a lot less stress since we got the 2nd. I love the idea in theory...we're just too far away from too many things to put it into practice. Very true. With my luck, extra precautions are always a good idea! I love the measurement in cups of tea! Totally appropriate for me.

haha I literally have nowhere to put it...we have a tiny house on a tiny lot and the back of my car almost hangs over the sidewalk when we both park in the driveway. it's on the list but telling myself I have to wait for a garage keeps my finances in check too

Check back in a few years...once I have a garage, I will be getting a motorcycle This post was AMAZING. Thank you so much for all the info. I especially love the breakdown on what I probably need/want and what I don't need. And I totally agree. I'm leaning toward a hybrid after doing some research. Seems to make a lot of sense as it combines what I like about both road and mountain bikes. If I budget $400 to get a bike from a local shop, do you think that's a price range that could work? I can technically afford more but don't know if, given my usage, it'll be worth paying more. I can store mine indoors since we have an enclosed porch and hopefully I'll be good about upkeep. A lot of the ride to the station is hilly so that's a factor but not a huge deal. I probably won't ride when it's wet since I work in a semi-fancy office and need to look presentable. If it's wet enough that I need fenders, it's probably wet enough that I'll end up a mess. I'm hesitant to try CL after getting a bike on there that the pedal flew off while I was commuting. The guy refunded me and felt terrible but it still kinda turned me off of that idea. I think until I'm more familiar with bikes, I'm better off sticking with a shop and paying a little extra for that peace of mind. Had a road bike...honestly hated it. That's the one that I referred to in response to cline. The guy let me keep it even after he refunded and I didn't even want to fix it because I really hated riding it so I gave it away. I live outside of Boston and we're notorious for our potholes. I love how lightweight they are and how much quicker they can be, but they're just not durable on the roads here and I'm not that great at treating them gently so there would be many bent rims in my future.

Update #8 (week 3, update 2) I feel like I'm finally getting into the swing of things...and the challenge is half over lol. Oh well. Hopefully tackling the dining room this weekend and I'm excited at the prospect of being able to start furniture shopping for it! Strength: The goal: 20 negative pull ups per week (3 per day) Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 7 Week 3: 2 4 Cumulative: 18 out of 42 Diet: The goal: Drink more water Week 1: 2 3 4 5 Week 2: 2 Week 3: 2 4 Cumulative: 11 out of 30 The goal: Eat more veggies Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 5 Week 3: 2 4 Cumulative: 16 out of 42 Life: Goal: Reclaim the dining room Week 1: Purchased bins 2, organized the basement 20 Cumulative: 22 out of 50 Side challenges: Work on wheel pose as part of the Old People Parkour Posse mini challenge. Come up with DEX-worthy goals for the next challenge. Participate in every.single.mini.challenge. posted to the Adventurers section. Challenge 1: Refined goalsChallenge 2: Ran 6.22 milesChallenge 3: Practicing superman/hollow holds - way harder than I thought it would be!!

Thanks for directing me to your thread MirGSS...looks like I need to get my butt to a local shop or two and try out some bikes!

Thanks!! Totally didn't realize there was a biking forum

It's ok I actually realized after that I can do assisted pull ups with resistance bands and a pull up bar (both of which I have at home). No gym needed and still get to practice the movement! Win/win. I'm also slowly losing a few more pounds so I figure any pound I lose is one more pound I don't have to lift lol.

This is a little long and full of numbers...hopefully enough nerds will see this that this will not be a deterrent I've been considering buying a bike for about a year (since I got my house) but know a decent one is a pretty serious investment up front and for maintenance. I like biking but know that I won't do it much other than to ride to the train station so I'm wondering if it's worth it. I'm only considering financially though I fully acknowledge there are environmental, physical fitness and other benefits to biking vs. driving. Here's my situation: There are 3 train stations near my house. Station #1: 2.5miles from house and has bike racks Station #2: 3.8miles from house and has $4 parking Station #3: 6.2miles from house and has free parking I really never go to station #2 because it's so expensive to park. Assuming 6.2miles to station #3 each way, 27mpg and $3.80/gallon for gas, it costs me $1.75 a day to go to station #3. Because of the distance difference, I would leave the house about the same time whether I bike to station 1 or drive to station 3. Assuming I ride an average of 4x a week, 26 weeks out of the year due to weather, I could save approx $7 per week or $181 per year. So...is it worth it? I'm out of the loop on how much a decent bike costs since my last one was from Target after a bad experience buying a used bike (pedal came flying off). So factoring in up front cost, yearly maintenance and how long a bike is expected to last, are the savings worth the cost? Bike brands and suggested "look for this" or "watch out for this" are welcome. I'm not a fan of street bikes because we have a lot of pot holes and I have a tendency to drop off curbs...plus a mountain bike means I can ride the trails if I decide to. I don't need anything super fancy, just something solid. I'll be checking out a few local shops but have no idea walking in if they're overpriced or not and which features are useful/useless to me. Any help is much appreciated

Thanks for the support! I have considered the lat pulldown but my issue is that I'm trying to move my workouts out of the gym as much as possible. My goal is to be 100% gym free by the time my membership is up (about another 6 months) and I'm at the point where I now only use the gym for running. Even that will stop once the snow/ice/cold is all cleared up and I'll probably start running in the cemetery or trails near home again.

Update #7 (week 3, update 1) Still going fairly strong. I'm finding it difficult to eat all my veggies so I used the seasoned beef recipe from the recent NF post, blended together eggs and spinach and baked it in muffin tins. Now I know I'm getting at least one serving right away each day. I was doing well getting to 4 but getting to 5 was tough. I'm on week 2 of the hundred pushups plan and am glad I switched to level 1 (not a goal but figured it's worth mentioning). My other strength training has gotten boring so I've been trying to work in as much at-home stuff as possible, especially where it's busy season and more difficult to sneak away to the gym on my lunch break. I found I would drink all my water if it was on my desk but the tricky part was taking a break to go get more. So I brough in my 32oz water bottle and now I only have to fill it 2x a day so I fill it at breakfast and lunch. Negative pull ups are going well but I don't feel any closer to a real pull up. I have to get to the gym and figure out how to use the assisted pull up machine though I'm not a fan of machines. I've been doing my minimum of 3/day but usually doing quite a few more. I've planned to clear the dining room this weekend. Might have a few stragglers but the majority of the stuff will be sorted and stored, tossed or donated. Strength: The goal: 20 negative pull ups per week (3 per day) Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 7 Week 3: 2 Cumulative: 16 out of 42 Diet: The goal: Drink more water Week 1: 2 3 4 5 Week 2: 2 Week 3: 2 Cumulative: 9 out of 30 The goal: Eat more veggies Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 5 Week 3: 2 Cumulative: 14 out of 42 Life: Goal: Reclaim the dining room Week 1: Purchased bins 2, organized the basement 20 Cumulative: 22 out of 50 Side challenges: Work on wheel pose as part of the Old People Parkour Posse mini challenge. Come up with DEX-worthy goals for the next challenge. Participate in every.single.mini.challenge. posted to the Adventurers section. Challenge 1: Refined goalsChallenge 2: Ran 6.22 milesChallenge 3: Practicing superman/hollow holds

What I like about MFP is that I can scan barcodes. Makes it easier for me to record recipes. I probably only spend about 5min of my day tracking. I hope my post wasn't part of the overwhelming! This morning, I tried the seasoned beef from Steve's NF post with eggs and spinach (blended the eggs and spinach) baked in a muffin tin - made for a tasty, low calorie breakfast and reheated well Next time I would salt and pepper it before baking since the spice from the meat wasn't enough.

Figured I'd stop by and catch up on your challenge. You're doing a great job even though it sounds like you've got a lot on your plate! Have you considered trying out myfitnesspal for tracking? I find it makes it a lot quicker/easier for me to track, plus you can add friends on there and it's a good support system. I also use it to get ideas for meals and snacks from other people. I'm so glad people suggested batch cooking. You could also try googling "feed the freezer" and "once a month mom"...both great help with making meals ahead of time. I try to cook almost everything Sunday and eat it throughout the week with minimal weekday cooking. I eat almost every single meal from things I've cooked. Some of my favorites... Breakfast: Steel cut oats with brown sugar and raisins (store in 1c wide mouth mason jars, reheat in microwave 1min)Omelette muffins - grease muffin tins, scramble eggs, salt, pepper and veggies/meats of your choosing, pour into tin and bake until set (awesome for on-the-go)Paleo pancakes - in a good blender or food processor mix 6 bananas, 6 eggs, 1c almond butter and 1T cinnamon until smooth, cook like regular pancakes but make them smallLunch: Usually lunch is leftovers. One of my favorite lunches is a turkey burger topped with guacamole. Both are super easy to make at home and reheat on the go.Dinner: Sweet potatoes - slice off rough ends, wash, wrap in tin foil, bake until soft (I eat them plain as a side throughout the week)Baked brown rice - bring 2.5c water, 1T unsalted butter, 1t kosher salt to a boil, pour over 1.5c brown rice (in a loaf pan or 8" square pan), bake at 375 for 1hrRoasted veggies (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, green beans, etc - spray with oil, salt & pepper, bake at 375 until done)Check out Steve's latest post on NF about the many uses for ground beef. I'm trying that this week...made the zucchini noodles last night and they're awesome (but I would leave out the garnish of almond flour/coconut oil - not a fan....use slivered almonds, maybe toast them, instead)Cook a whole chicken in the crockpot and google recipes for shredded chicken. This week I did chicken & black bean enchiladas (meat from 1 chicken, 1 chopped tomato, cumin to taste, chili powder to taste, salt, pepper, can of black beans drained and rinsed, stuff it in tortillas - super easy to make at home, roll up, put in a baking dish, top with salsa/salsa verde and cheese, bake until cheese browns). If you cook chicken breasts and want to shred them - put them in a big bowl and use a hand mixer...BEST KITCHEN SHORTCUT EVERAnd if you're into bread, I have great pizza dough, artisan bread, flour tortilla and pita pocket recipes. My ultimate goal is to make virtually all my food from scratch start to finish...getting there little by little and building the recipe box on the way.

You should totally join the Old People Parkour Posse...it's basically to get you from zero to parkour from my understanding. There's all different fitness levels so it's perfect for anyone interested. Devyn runs mini challenges that keep you interested and building your skills. Thanks for wishing us luck on the co-op - we're going to need it! We're a super dedicated group but we're kind of figuring this out as we go. I think it would be absolutely amazing to have one downtown so hopefully we'll get there someday Might be a while before I get to test the cupcakes. With my calorie counting, I don't bake as much these days. I am baking tomorrow but going with a flourless chocolate cake since at least one person in the group is gluten-free...can't wait to try out the recipe!

This should pair nicely with the mini challenge for adventurers this week! Lots of core strength involved

I won't be at PAX East but I work in Government Center and live west of Boston so I'm up for meeting up with people for drinks if you're cool with a non-gamer in your midst

Great job so far! I've never personally used it but I've heard good things about DoYogaWithMe.com I'm the same way with rest periods! I do everything in a circuit because I get bored during rests or I space out and forget to do my next set as scheduled.

Update #6 (week 2, update 3) This is actually for last week but was too busy to post this weekend. I've mentioned to a few people on here that I'm part of a small group of people working to build a food cooperative in my town. It's a totally grassroots effort and we're figuring it out as we go. We had our first fundraiser Saturday, which I was heavily involved with planning and staffing. My focus was the silent auction and decorations. Our auction raised over $4,000 and the decorations were raved about! It made the stress and work of the past few months totally worth it and now I'm ready to get back to focusing on me and my goals. Strength: The goal: 20 negative pull ups per week (3 per day) Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 7 Cumulative: 14 out of 42 Diet: The goal: Drink more water Week 1: 2 3 4 5 Week 2: 2 Cumulative: 7 out of 30 The goal: Eat more veggies Week 1: 2 3 4 7 Week 2: 3 5 Cumulative: 12 out of 42 Life: Goal: Reclaim the dining room Week 1: Purchased bins 2, organized the basement 20 Cumulative: 22 out of 50 Side challenges: Work on wheel pose as part of the Old People Parkour Posse mini challenge. Come up with DEX-worthy goals for the next challenge. Participate in every.single.mini.challenge. posted to the Adventurers section. Challenge 1: Refined goalsChallenge 2: Ran 6.22 miles

Sorry it took me so long to say hi on your current challenge. I have been lurking and keeping up with your successes though You're doing an awesome job! Seeing how much you powered through in your office almost motivates me to start in on my dining room (finished the basement over the weekend). Too bad I don't live closer or I'd take some of that yarn off your hands lol. I came up to 1.5 plastic bins of yarn when I organized....not as bad as I expected!