otterstamp

Congrats on the plank! 52 sec.! My muscles quiver in fear just to think of it.

Adding all those fruits and veggies was meant to switch me over to a very paleo-like diet and for the last three days I've been almost 100 percent paleo with the exception of a little ranch dressing each day on my salads, a little dark chocolate in the evenings, and eating white potatoes in my protein scramble the other day. I manfully ignored the delicious chicken and gnocchi parmesan bowls I made for my fiancee and his sister for dinner last night. Total win. I've lost a few pounds, probably in water weight, since my switch in diet. With the beginning of the summer camp I run and having my soon-to-be-sis-in-law loafing around our house, needing fed and entertained, I've had a hard time getting my workouts in. There's still hope for me, though!

I also had to pare my goals down to something a little more reasonable. Ooops! I figure if I can just feel successful for this first challenge, it will spur me on to greater heights in the next challenge. I plan to try meditation in the next one... I could use some of that focus you talked about, even if just to focus on keeping on track with the rest of my goals!

The pain. THE PAIN.

I checked out the links to the 100 breath meditation page and it looks very interesting. I have the same problems the author discussed with sitting still for meditation. I think I'll give this a go during the next round of challenges! Thanks for posting such interesting info!

Wow, well now I'm quite aware of just how frickin' out of shape I am. I did the beginner's body weight routine thinking that I could finish at least one round of reps, and I struggled to do even that! I started strong on the squats but halfway through all those little stabilizing muscles started to quiver and I began tipping left and right. I can't do one full push up at all. I started the walking lunges strong, too, but they then also devolved into a slapstick comedy act. The dumbbell rows were too easy... I'm going to have to up my weight next time. I could hold the plank for almost 15 seconds, but I'm not sure how great my form really is. By the end I was out of breath and really felt like I worked out... which is sad, because it was only one set. At least I have a starting point from which to work from. I will continue to improve throughout the challenge until I can do the whole workout... well!

This will be my first ever challenge and I'm going balls deep. Start: Out of shape, overweight, pix taken Level: 1 2 Strength (STR) - physical strength 2 Dexterity (DEX) - agility and speed 2 Stamina (STA) - Endurance and Energy 2 Constitution (CON) - ability to resist damage and disease 7 Wisdom (WIS) - intuition and sense of things around himself 0 Charisma (CHA) - force of personality and physical attractiveness Goals: 1. 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day (4 to Constitution) 2. Complete the basic body weight workout 3xs a week (4 to Strength) 3. Walk 20 min. 4xs a week or 1 1/2 once a week (5 to Stamina) 4. Recite devotions once a day (2 to Wisdom) I hope this will be enough of a change from my overly sedentary life over the past year to seriously kick off the first big drop in weight. I figure it will require about an hour and a half to complete all goals each day, which isn't too bad when you consider the amount of time I spend pondering what junk food to get for dinner, playing videogames or watching someone else play, reading trash, and general procrastinating each night. Hours. Completing all goals to 80% is an A, because it is more than I have done in a LONG time and I will be super thrilled with myself for achieving that. -Alice