Achenar

Oh, grades. I'ma do that. Goal 1, A- Goal 2, D Goal 3, A- Goal 4, B

How'd your week one go? It sounds like you had some figuring to do with your workouts, but you really narrowed down those goal to some specifics. Hope it went well and that your neck is feeling better.

Awesome week one! You can't control the whole cold thing, but you did a great job on the things you could control (eating, QT, etc), so that's awesome! I hope feeling good about your first week carries into and through your second. Good luck!

Sounds like a great week! Good workouts and always great job-wise to see something on the horizon instead of nothing. For your veggies, maybe make a list of potential additions now, so when you go to the store you just grab anything off the list and don't have to think about it? If you want suggestions, I'm sure many of us can oblige. Good luck with your second week, keep it up!

I'm so glad you've been feeling great from all your success! It's so much easier to stick with something when you're really feeling how good it is for you. For your meditation, I think you hit the nail on the head - forming habits. Maybe focus on the easiest form of this goal at first, to make it super easy on yourself? Like, before your run (or whenever you've determined you're going to meditate) close your eyes and count to twenty. Then get on with your day. It's not truly meditation, but just getting in the habit of being ok taking a short pause and being with yourself doing nothing can really help ease into the full 15 minutes you said you want. Anyway, good luck, I hope you have another great week!

Alright, it's been a week and here's where I'm at: Goal 1: success! Had a decent workout at the gym. Go me. Goal 2: erm... not quite. The week started out good, but I got slammed at the end and didn't prioritize doing the basics. I did 2/4, which is pretty unacceptable. This week I want to focus on getting these workouts done when I have time, so when the squeeze is on I just don't have to worry about it. Goal 3: Done and done. I only have two shifts this week because we're doing a training thing, so this should be an easy one to hit. I've got some olives and salami and mozzarella, so I think I'll put together a meat and cheese plate. Throw some fruit and nuts in there and I should have a tasty spread I can snack on throughout the night. Goal 4: I've asked around for some sources and got some good leads, but haven't gotten into the meat of the research yet. I'll start digging in this week. Mini challenge: hooked up with a buddy to try his workout out, and it kicked my ass all over the place and I did not finish it, but it was a lot more ambitious than mine so I consider that a success! Overall: disappointed that I didn't finish out goal 2, but I'll count it as a learning experience and really focus on forming better habits for the rest of this challenge.

Part of the way to get through a shift is to bitch about it together - that's what we did when I worked as a server and bartender. But it is good to be mindful of how negative you're being, so even if they're full of shit, you're still benefiting from your goal, right? Good job keeping it simple and attainable, I've always found that succeeding at a small goal first makes it easier for me to succeed on a large goal later. And just so you know you're not alone, here's a webcomic about it! Keep checking in and letting us know how you're doing!

Good job keeping it simple - that definitely means attainable. Let us know how it's going after the weekend!

My lunch goal for this week is going to get wonky - I just started a new job and the only day I work this week was an orientation yesterday. While I didn't exactly make myself lunch for a shift, I brought nuts and fruit to snack on and that's all I had. So I'm gonna go ahead and count that for this week, since I don't think I'll be going to work again. Otherwise, I feel very on track. Today's my rest day. Going to the gym tomorrow (I think with a buddy, to help keep me accountable) and going to do my baseline workout Friday and Saturday, along with regular at-home lifting and/or running.

Good job keeping your journal up, that can be really helpful in staying on those goals. Maybe scale back the crossfit workouts, though? If you're so sore from one that you can't work out for days and days it's probably not doing you as much good as a slightly less intense but more regular workout. Also remember to warm up really well and stretch to cool down after - that helps release the acid built up in your muscles which can prevent some soreness. I've also had some friends recommend muscle rolling (google if you're not familiar) after workouts and while sore. I haven't tried it, but I've got some lifting friends that swear by it. Good luck, keep up the journaling and try not to push yourself too hard, just stick to your goals!

Hey tracknut, so sorry to hear about your running situation, that blows. But you're not letting it stop you, so that's a crap ton more impressive than just running! I love swimming, I was a swimmer and waterpolo player in high school and have always kept up with it. For keeping it interesting, I'd recommend really learning the different strokes - you probably know freestyle, but there's backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke too. Combining these different strokes in a variety of routines and challenges can really break up those endless laps and they vary the intensity of your workout too. On top of that, taking the time to learn each one can be a little exciting challenge in itself. You can get a swim trainer for a short time to help you with the basics of each stroke, or do some self teaching through reading and youtube. Good luck, I hope you find new joy in your workouts.

You might want to check out the C25k program for running that 5k. I found it really helpful, especially the app, because I didn't have to think about it overly much - just follow directions and run when I was told. Good luck!

I have a friend who's a marathoner (congrats, btw!) that has the exact same issue you've described. I was also a vegetarian for yearss, so I can totally understand your protein issue. I'd recommend looking up how to make your own seitan - once you've made a bunch for storage it's really easy to throw some in a pan with some sauce and veggies and have a quick healthy meal with a bunch of protein and almost not simple carbs. For your pull up goal you might want to check out stumptuous.com - it's a website about lifting for women, and she has a pull up tutorial that is completely awesome. Good luck, looking forward to seeing your progress!

Hopefully you won't have time to update as often as you like when you find that job! For your running goal, I'd really recommend the C25K program (there's a website and app) - it's a great way to ease into it, and if you stay on top of the program then it really works. Or there are other forms of it that focus on running just one mile or other goals. I found it helpful to have the prescribed program instead of having to figure it out myself. Good luck!

Good specific goals, they look really attainable. Good luck!

For the record, I totally feel your butthigh pain. This routine you've set up is super specific and seems really doable. I'd recommend taking those rearview pictures, even if just for yourself. Put them in a drawer and don't look at them until the end of your challenge. Then take some new pictures and compare. It's amazing how our negative sense of ourself can warp even as we're improving. I saw an old picture of myself a little while ago and was like, whoa, I am in much better shape right now than I was then, but I still see all the same old flaws. Having the old pictures can be a good reality check. Good luck, looking forward to updates!

I totally agree with jstanlick, your goals are very specific and gradual, which should help them be super achievable! I'm curious about your fasting goal, is this for weight loss or as part of a primal thing or the like, or is this for some other reason? If it's private then I totally understand, just curious. Good luck!

What does "serious exercise" mean, in goal 1? I think being more specific might be helpful. You've given yourself a lot of serious goals, and that first one is also vague and broad. Don't want to set yourself up for failure. Love the guitar playing goal. I have a lot of musician friends, and I've seen many set up this kind of goal. Good luck!

Getting injured can really throw a wrench into working out and life in general. My boyfriend just turned 39 a few weeks ago and he's had shoulder problems that prevent him from lifting - the only exercise he actually enjoys (other than LARPing). I hope you're fully recovered and that getting back into all that moving around feels wonderful! Have you fully defined what "strength train" means (goal 2)? I don't know about you, but specificity is really helpful for me. Good luck, looking forward to seeing your progress!

I'm new and super excited to try out my first 6 week challenge! I'm going to ease into this, as I think being really successful at the beginning will help with longterm success. Starting point: My biggest fitness challenge is remaining consistent. I get really into something, see some improvement, then wander off and try something new. This is great when it leads me to better routines/equipment/understanding, but I need to practice just doing what I know works. So that's what my goals will focus on. Goal 1: Just do it. Lift at the gym once a week. I don't like lifting at my gym. Between waiting to use equipment and dudes constantly giving me "advice" or "help", I find it draining. But there's equipment at the gym that I'll never have at home, so I need to go more. I'll aim for doable and say once a week. Even that will be a huge bonus. (+2 STR) Goal 2: Get on the ground. Maintain that baseline. I have a 15 minute routine of pushups, squats, pull ups, planking and stretches that I try to do everyday. It doesn't replace working out, but it's a great little routine to keep me moving. I do it for a couple weeks, then I drop off, then I get back on doing it. I'm going to commit to doing this routine four times a week for this entire challenge. (+1 Dex, +1 STA) Goal 3: Make it my damn self. Make myself a Paleo-ish "lunch" for work once a week. I work 12 hour overnight shifts, so around 4-5am it's really easy to fall back on junk food to keep me going. Bringing my own food even once a week will save money and cut out some of that fat/sugar/processed carbs bomb. (+1 Con) Goal 4: Engage research mode. A bunch of really fit people I know are doing crossfit, and I know very little about it. So I'm gonna change that. (+1 WIS) Note: At the end of June I'll be at Ragnarok for a week, so goal 1 won't be doable, but since we'll be fighting four hours every day I'm still going to count it as a win. Help? Goal 3 is actually my biggest worry. I live in an ambulance while I'm at work, so it makes some of the logistics awkward. I'd really appreciate any ideas about paleo-friendly meals or snacks that can travel well. Thanks everyone! I'm really excited to get started! Achenar