CourageousKate

On 6/19/2021 at 10:19 AM, KB Girl said:

I call that seriously impressive! the siren call of time for yourself is soo strong. 

 

This is a great idea, I think I'll see if my 4yo would like to try that

Srrrrsly strong siren song 😂 🧜‍♀️ 

Yes! We started doing it when she was 3, but she engages with the stories so much more at 4. My 2yo does it because we are but usually ends up climbing on me for floor poses and just generally running around the room. She has been going around saying “Na-ma-steak” ever since Weds  🧘🏻‍♀️ 🥩 

13 hours ago, fleaball said:

Chewy's customer service is awesome.

I second Chewy’s if they have what you need! Their packing jobs are way better than Amazon too.

On 6/17/2021 at 9:47 PM, athousandwords said:

I've done paleo and Whole30 and was quite successful in losing weight with those plans! But these days I'd rather have the flexibility to eat an ice cream cone with my kiddo or have a beer with the husband than stick to a strict diet plan. I'm learning to find balance.

Hard SAME! Love your theme and omg 😍 the spreadsheet!! 

19 hours ago, Ainsley said:

I'm really excited for this challenge - and for my next aerial hoop class this Thursday!

Whaaat? So fun!!!  And have a great time with your brother!

Alright, I’ve been seeing if my goals will be achievable this week, and it seems like the answer is yes. Now for the consistency part…

Moving:

Weds I did some Cosmic Kids Yoga with the kiddos, which we all love and haven’t been doing lately. It’s not my first choice in yoga routines for me, but it’s super fun, a lot of up and down, and I get some stretching in too. Plus I can do it with kids and it reinforces structured activeness for them and introduces them to yoga concepts and poses and proprioception in a fun package, all of which is great. 
Thurs and Fri I did some stretching routines from the FitOn app, and I can already feel a difference. 

Intermittent Fasting:

Did okay here. Ate a little past my cutoff (like around 6:45), but I’m starting to internalize my stop time. I just have to remember to brush teeth early and that really helps.

In Bed by 10:

This one proved tricky. I would much rather stay up late and get stuff done around the house, watch my stories, have time for myself. But I was in bed by 10:30 every night, so I’ll call that a win.

On 6/18/2021 at 6:21 AM, Rookie said:

I ended up playing around with making some sculptures with super sculpy clay.

That sounds really fun!

On 6/18/2021 at 6:21 AM, Rookie said:

Will do! I tend to struggle with working out though lol 

Ha, fair enough! I’m starting super slow and just doing stretching routines for now.

Do you ride with an English saddle? So cool! I’m very intimidated by those 😂 

Okay you are super inspiring me to pick up some KBs. Maybe next challenge since I’m chiseling away and all. Following for mom-of-littles solidarity and cheerleading! 

1 hour ago, Rookie said:

I like your approach and I also like sculpting. 

 

I am also off to the app store!

Thanks! Are you an artist (or a maker)? I took a single sculpture class several years ago and had a great time. My more recent mediums have been Things That Require Hot Glue and PlayDo Snowpeople. Aka I don’t think I’ve sculpted since. But I do genuinely love crafting and creating.

Srsly lmk if you do any workouts on FitOn. I just did one of my favorites and I’m really pumped to do more. Would love to hear what others find!

6 hours ago, everydayoptimist said:

TO THE APP STORE!!!!

Def lmk if you use it! Just curious bc I don’t know anyone else who does… other than Jewel Staite, who has mentioned it on IG, which is how I heard about it in the first place 😂 I mean, if it’s good enough for Kaylee 💪

3 hours ago, KB Girl said:

Oef yes, yes indeed. I'll be here for support and parenting solidarity

Hi KB Girl! Thanks and SO needed! It’s all new terrain!! 

6 hours ago, Athaclena said:

Sleepytime Extra is what I'm drinking

Love it! Also, coupons FTW. 

Woot! Lots of wins for Weds!

3 hours ago, Athaclena said:

may have to add a Valerian supplement to the tea.....

Assuming they still make it, have you tried Sleepytime Extra? It’s Sleepytime tea with Valerian. I swore by it for falling asleep at one time. The “sleepy” window was pretty short for me, but I liked it. Ymmv, of course! 

Welcome back! Way to keep it simple—a recipe for success! Good luck 💪 I’m angling for a 10pm bedtime this challenge too… 😴 

13 minutes ago, everydayoptimist said:

I've been seeing the ads for FitOn! What do you love most about it?

Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I haven’t tried another fitness app for workouts. But! It’s free, so that’s a huge plus; the workouts are easy to search for by type, level, time-limit, instructor, whether or not you need equipment, etc.; I have several instructors that I really like and seek out their workouts; you can set up your fitness program for the week ahead and even schedule them so that you get reminders when your workouts are coming up. All-in-all, I like it and I used it regularly last year and saw results. I even branched out into new types of fitness I don’t normally try. Also it makes it easy to both progress into more challenging types of movement and to see what workouts you’ve done in the past. I’m a fan!

I fell out of the habit when my daily schedule changed, and I couldn’t seem to make exercise stick in my schedule. So, here I am 😁

7 minutes ago, everydayoptimist said:

I'm not counting hooping rotations at the moment 'cause I'm still pretty terrible, right now it's all about practice! 

All about practice is right. Showing up is the most important thing! I’m also not great at hooping but loved it as a kid. It was shocking to pick one up this summer and realize I could barely get a rotation in 😂 So I really ❤️ this goal of yours ⭕️ Such a fun way to move. 

Huzzah to revamping your goal setting and double bonus for coming in strong for your next challenge! May your quest be prosperous. 

18 hours ago, everydayoptimist said:

My overall goal for right now is to feel at home in my skin again.

Ohhhhh this. So much this. 

18 hours ago, everydayoptimist said:

I've been a member of the rebellion since 2014, but I haven't participated in a challenge since 2015!

Same-ish! 2013/2014 for me.... so much can happen in a few years, and this past year was unkind to so many. 

Awesome game plan for your pushup progress, and I love your circusy goals ❤️  Do you count your hooping rotations too, or do you only time it? Just curious. 

Hey Athaclena! Holy frijoles your year was the blackhole of 2020 by the power of 10. Glad the unraveling came to a halt. 

I'm also trying to sleep and move more. Following 😴💪

The Progress

Week 0:

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4:

Week 5:

Pumped and ready to get slowly chiseling away at my larger goals. Woot! 

The Backstory

I started my Nerd Fitness journey years ago, long before my two kiddos arrived on the scene, and it's been a while since I've been around these parts. (I was AgentKatia then!) Now I'm back at it as a Rookie, trying to make sustainable changes. As much as I want to dive in deep so I can see quicker results, having two kids under 5 has dramatically changed my approach to, well, life. And now I need to learn to chisel. To chip away and reveal the sculpture inside the marble slab, to paraphrase the famed sculptor. Which is an imperfect metaphor for several reasons, but you get my point.

The Challenge

In the interest of making my goals both super achievable (yay upward spiral) and in keeping with my theme of chiseling, I'm keeping this challenge small.

1. Exercise for at least 10 minutes 6 days a week, and more more than 30 minutes 7 days a week. This is my most important and my hardest one. I want to fit regular movement into my life, but carving out the time (man I'm on a sculpture bender over here) has proven to be my greatest obstacle. I'm still figuring where this will be in my day. Watch this space. I love the FitOn app, so I'll be using that for my workouts. Anything with deliberate movement counts as exercise, from a stretching routine to restorative yoga to light cardio to full on HIIT. That last one is probably not on the menu this challenge, but it's definitely something to work toward.
2. Incorporate intermittent fasting 12/12, 7 days a week. For me, this means don't eat after 6:30. I'll still do three meals a day + snacks, which isn't the truest form of intermittent fasting, but in the past this approach has helped me curb after dinner mindless eating.
3. Be in bed at 10pm on weeknights (Sunday–Thursday). We've been restructuring bed and wakeup times at our abode lately, which has resulted in me not getting enough sleep. So, a 10pm bedtime is a step toward dezombification. 

The Caveat

Because this challenge is all about chiseling, I reserve the right to revise these goals after Week 1 if they're already proving too much. In that case I'll probably make them cumulative—by the end of this challenge I will be exercising 6 days a week, etc. But TBD once we get started.

Manifest!

Week One Summary 

FITNESS/DANCE:              2 / 5 days of planned fitness;   0 CardioBarre classes (total)

NO SUGAR+/COFFEE:     0 / 7 sugarless+ days;   5 / 5 no early coffee days (I mean, this almost doesn't count if I'm not going to the gym in the AM...) 

BEDTIME/SNOOZE:          1 / 5 days in bed by 10;   3 / 5 no snooze

BOOK CLUB:                         Read prologue.

Week Two Summary 

FITNESS/DANCE:              3 / 5 days of planned fitness;   0 CardioBarre classes (total)

NO SUGAR+/COFFEE:     0 / 7 sugarless+ days;   5 / 5 no early coffee days

BEDTIME/SNOOZE:          0 / 5 days in bed by 10;   4 / 5 no snooze

BOOK CLUB:                         Read some more. Not done with part 1 yet... but the week isn't done!

I commented on Week 1 at the end of that week, but I will say I'm considering grading myself on a "per item" basis for the No Sugar+ days. It's not like I was having all-out gorge-fests of boozey ice cream cake or something. Often I wouldn't have any dairy, but maybe I had some sugar, or whatever. It varied. I'm going to think about that a little more and see if I want to break out the grading system to a more micro-level. 

For my fitness days in Week 2, I'm counting ahead to tomorrow to include the 5k I'm running. I only got to the gym once this week, but went for a hike with friends today and have the race tomorrow. Should be fun! I pulled a muscle the one day I was at the gym, so I'm hoping that doesn't bother me much. This race is very much a walk/run thing, so if I'm a straggler, that's okay, too! No zombies to pick me off... THIS time.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as shameful to fess up instead of inventing a laundry list of exercises you never really did.

My favourite part of the Jem theme is the part in which the Misfits sing about how they're bitter and want Jem's head to explode like in Scanners. They are subtle like a a dumptruck full of cannons.

Thanks Jothra, that's awesome. And yes, um, subtle is not in the Misfits vocabulary.

I use to hate those overwork weeks!  Rest up and I know you will rock the rest of the challenge! 

Thanks Tateman! They are definitely tough, but it's worth it when I know it's leading toward something great

Pull out all nighters and working out and eating healthy and double life?

Umm. Just reading it made me tired.

 

I often complain that "how come a day is only 24 hours?" but you need like 48 hours a day.

 

Hope you can catch up some sleep and recharge over the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by TennisGeek! You know, most of the time I'd like to think I don't need more than 24 hours in a day, but I'm verging on a month now where a 48 hour day (or, come on, at LEAST an 8 day week) would be extremely helpful!

There, fixed it for you.  Never be shameful, you will be amazed at how fast it will pile up and alter your views of yourself.  What happened happened and you should not feel shame for it; you learned, you re-motivated and you will now go on to kick ass!

 

And know I am watching from the shadows!    

 

**returns to said shadows**

MITCH_DEE! I am so honored your ninja self emerged to say a nice thing to me. <3 While my good intentions were not fulfilled for another week, I am really looking at next week to KICK SOME ASS. It's awesome knowing you are watching

It would be shameful if you made excuses or tried to sugar coat it.   You were honest with yourself and you know how to restart and redirect.  Now let's kick week 2 in the @$$!

Thanks Joe! UM, sorry I missed Week 2. BUT WEEK 3!!!!

Hope you got some R&R over the weekend!  How's this week going so far?

Thanks for checking in on me Raxie! Full update below.

Oh my god, I realise I hadn't visited your thread yet! I am so sorry, good looking goals xxx

Hi Leeroy! That MIGHT be because I'm a slacker and haven't visited your thread??? It's only fair. But thanks! I'll be in to check up on you

You guys are the best. Thanks for helping me not feel like a loser in Week 1. Now Week 2 on the other hand... (Kidding. There was enough kindness, support, and encouragement in there to get me through TWO weeks of unexpected challenge thwarting!)

Update

So much for not being MIA so far this challenge!

When last we met, I honestly thought that things were about to completely calm down and I could focus in on my goals. Instead, they got even crazier. 

In the past week, I went from planning to stay at my current day job for the next 1.5–2 years (last Friday morning) to learning about and applying for a random long-term temporary dream editing job that fell in my lap (Friday afternoon) to rewriting and submitting my resume, and completing a phone interview and an edit test (Monday) to finishing the application process (Tuesday) to being offered and accepting the position (Wednesday). The final paperwork was Friday (yesterday). One week. This is so fresh I haven't even given notice at my current job yet (the position starts mid-July, so I have time), and I'm still feeling emotionally drained from this somewhat-crazy, but totally on-point decision.

It sounds even more abrupt without backstory, but my current job is doing a lot of downsizing and scaling the entire operation into a smaller entity. While I had some assured job security, I didn't have much room to grow, so I was going to spend the next year and a half or so establishing my own business and client list to launch into working for myself as a full-time freelance editor (thus the crazy double-life). Becoming a full-time copy editor has been my goal for a couple of years now, but I didn't transition for a few reasons, all of which are completely made irrelevant by this opportunity. The timing couldn't be more perfect.  

PHEW. I am extremely excited for what's to come, but I definitely was a Goal Slacker this week. Not a COMPLETE failure (well, except on food), but I definitely had shifted priorities. Official Week 1 and 2 updates to follow.

Okay, so I clicked this entirely to see if it was, in fact, a JEM reference. Now I'm going to scroll up and see.

Ha! Awesome!

Anyway, do the five days a week at the gym include the running? Other than that exact thing, this is a pretty straightforward challenge for flop-headed little me to understand.

Good luck! Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by Jothra! Yes, running is a part of my five gym days. Three days are weights, and two days are treadmill running using the Zombies, Run! 5K training app. 

Hi there! Your goals look good. I'm excited to hear about the Barre class

Thanks Raxie! I'm excited about the Barre class. I love trying new forms of fitness-related activities

Nice goals!  As for no snoozing that's a tough one.  Lately I've been going no snooze (maybe to the extreme) getting up at 4am.  

 

My trick is setting the alarm clock across the room so I have to walk around the bed (and incidentally over and around dogs) to get to it.  I also have the added motivation of having a sleeping wife and newborn in the same room so I've gotten pretty quick at getting to the alarm so no one else wakes up . 

Thanks Joe! Yeah, you have a built-in no-snooze alarm! I also keep mine across the room... when I don't make it a challenge goal, though I am a snooze queen! I'm grateful I'm not getting up at 4am... Whenever I start thinking, oh it's so hard to get up early and exercise, I'm like, yeah, but Joe is doing this and it's 10x harder for him. Get over it.

Good stuff!  I have been lucky enough to not ever really snooze.  Though, I don't really have a job to get up for, so I can sleep as long as my kid is asleep  Good luck this challenge!

Thanks Tateman! I'm jealous of your snooze control My husband used to be a no-snoozer, until I converted him to my evil ways... he's still better at getting up in the mornings, though.

Love the theme! I've only seen one or two episodes, but it gives your challenge thread a fun vibe. Best of luck to you! That maintenance is so important! I have that tendency to try to just keep adding things on as well.

Thanks for stopping by!! The show is streaming on Netflix now, and I watched a couple episodes earlier in the week to get in the mood for this challenge. Despite the 80s animation and fairly cheesy script, child-me was a smart cookie. It's still a pretty fantastic show, and it was doing something really cool for the time.

Yeah, I'm really interested to see how focusing on maintenance plays out. My biggest concern is getting bored with it, which is why I tried to put some additional, but smaller, goals in there. 

Gah, your challenge posts are always so cool they make me want to cry!

 

So, ignoring all the challenge-y stuff and moving into a discussion about Jem, what *was* up with Rio?  Like, wouldn't you be mad if you knew your boyfriend was flirting heavily with someone else, even if it was technically still you?  And wasn't he their manager or something?  Mixing business and pleasure is such a bad idea.  

 

I was always a misfits girl myself.  Their songs were better.  Although I really couldn't take Ashley, who I will always consider a hanging-on, quasi Misfit.  Maybe it was her mullet that exactly matched her clothes.

 

True fact: I had a tape of Jem and Misfit songs that I made by holding the tape recorder up to the TV speaker.

Lol, thanks Vortex! You crack me up. 

All of my stories are over for the season, so I think I'm going to intersperse Jem with Lost Girl (thanks Raxie!) this summer while I knit and chop veggies (my TV time). So! When I get there in the series, I will give you a full synopsis and analysis of the Rio-Jem-Jerrica love triangle!

When I was sourcing material for this post, I was like, "I really wish I still knew all of the words to the Jem theme." So I looked them up and realized, actually, I do. The theme is THAT easy. My favorite part has always been when the Misfits interject.

To this day whenever I hear a reference to

or

I first think of

Also, the fact that you would tape-record the songs from TV? The best thing I've heard today.

I hadn't thought about Jem for yearsssss since I was a child, but when I was reading this challenge post I actually thought the exact same thing, and was surprised I never saw this as an issue as a kid.

 

Also, Agent Katia -- how is your week going??

I know! Our innocent childhood brains... That's just was dating is, right? 

This week is rocky... more below.

*runs away to add lots of cool GIFs to her challenge* don't mind me, I'll just be mesmerized by all the pretty colors in your thread...

Hi Wonder Woman! Thanks for dropping by! I'll find your challenge later today!

Update

Sorry for the radio silence over here. I owe you all page visits and cheers! This week I've been trying to recover from two weeks of overwork, and it's had a very negative effect on my challenge goals irl as well as my ability to be social here. It's been a turbulent start to the challenge, to say the least. But I feel like I'm on the cusp of being back into the rhythm of things. Yay!

Food has been a complete disaster literally all week, but I haven't been having coffee very first thing, so I'll count that as a win so far. Also, during the first week of chaos, I actually ate really well... it started slipping over that weekend, and now I'm trying to return to something that resembles good eating. Today is the day!

I've gotten to bed on time only one night out of four, but got up without snoozing three times out of five (yay!). The first was at 5am... the start of being awake for more than 24 hours... yikes. And I'm not counting the night that I didn't sleep as not snoozing...

Exercise has been a struggle. I made it to the gym yesterday for the first time in over two weeks, but woke up with a migraine today. I'm planning to go on a run with a friend Sunday, so that means I can get two days of planned fitness in! Not quite the five I was rocking last challenge, but way better than the zero that happened last week. Next week I'm going for the full five!

So, that's my shameful fess-up. And now, I'm angling to rock the rest of this challenge! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tateman!!!! Hoorays all around!!! Congrats on your year of EVIDENT progress. So exciting and impressive!!!!!!!

It looks like this challenge is off to a great start. Your goals look intense, but I know you can handle them. 

Good luck on the Whole 30! Are you going to get some bonus meal prep in this weekend, in anticipation of your wife's surgery next week? 

Woot! Book Club challenge!

I like your goals focusing on strength and maintaining. I've also been considering a flossing goal... I get on a kick and then I'll just fall off the floss wagon for ages. 

Good luck finishing up this busy week! Hope things calm down for you afterwards.

Also, I don't think it's fair to yourself to say back to the starting line, even in your strength training. I think you'll find you make much faster progress with your strength training this challenge than when you first introduced it all those months ago. 

FOTB!