justoneanna

Hey wow - I got a week off and thought I had another week to do. I did a SEVEN week challenge! (whoops) Anyway - here's the goals I set for this challenge: Meditate at least 3 times a weekComplete Nerd Fitness Academy Dumbbell Division 1 Workouts (3 workouts per week)Walk/moderate interval training at least two times a weekEat at least 80% paleo: 6/7 days a weekMeditations 17/18 - 95% Nerd Fitness Workouts 17.5/18 - 97% Walking/Intervals/Biking/Yoga 18/12 - 150%!! Eat 80% Paleo 35/36 days - 97% Overall my average is 102% - for an A across the whole challenge. Hooray! I didn't do as well as I'd hoped as far as this challenge reaching me towards my life goal of being on better terms with my body. I think that's going to take seeing measurable progress - something I'm not seeing right now in terms of weight, bodyfat%, or weights lifted/exercises done. I'm trying to work out what's causing me to be so stuck, progress wise. I'd really like to continue to lose the weight I put on due to meds two years ago - I'm down 20lbs, but have about 20 more to go. I'd be less concerned with the scale if the calipers were showing me losing bodyfat, but after six weeks I am exactly where I started - 169 lbs and between 31-32% bodyfat. I've been able to add a little bit to some of my dumbbell lifts, but I think a lot of those gains were because I was still figuring out where I needed to be for each lift. I haven't been able to increase past those in the last two weeks. I still have another 3 weeks to go in my first six weeks with the Nerd Fitness Academy, so I will likely finish those and see where I am again at that point. I don't know if I will do another challenge here right away, or take a challenge off to get myself set up with the NFA system really well before I start up here again. We'll see how I'm feeling when the next challenge starts.

Fifth Week Recap: Meditate at least 3 times a week, using the Headspace app to track meditations: 2/3 meditations, but I didn't do Headspace at all. Downloaded some apps to do drumming tracks while I meditate, just to see how that goes. I haven't tried them yet though.Complete Nerd Fitness Academy Dumbbell Division 1 Workouts (3 workouts per week) - 3/3 workouts - next goal will be to get all my lifts to 50 lbs.Walk/moderate interval training at least two times a week: 3/2 - three walks. Plus 1 hr of yoga.Eat at least 80% paleo: 6/7 - The pizza got me off track, but otherwise I was successful with eating paleo this week. I'm not sweating it too much, since it was just one pizza. On track for at least 80% paleo.Working with the NFA people to see why after almost six weeks of continuous strength training and paleo eating I haven't lost any weight OR any bodyfat% (via my calipers, even with multiple measurements, I'm still at 169 lbs and 31.5-32.5% bodyfat). I did some really extensive logging for the last few days and sent that in to see if there's anything I'm missing. I wouldn't mind the scale not moving (I'm only about 15 lbs above my goal weight of 150-155) if I was clearly building muscle and losing bodyfat, but my pants are, if anything, TIGHTER than when I started. I may need to start taking additional measurements, but I'm going to be really annoyed if I'm putting on belly fat while I lose fat on my arms and legs. At least at my previous weight, the weight was distributed and I had a fairly flat stomach. I'm feeling very discouraged about it all right now, and while I"m still forcing myself to do the workouts, I'm not finding any real enjoyment or satisfaction out of any of it. It's hard to keep doing the "right" things, when you were doing the "right" things before and didn't see any results, and you're not seeing any results now.

Keeping up with the exercise this week, but had a bit of a falling down and ordered a gluten free pizza for dinner on Tuesday. Guess that will be my "off" meal for the week. I'm finding it hard to stick to healthy food this week for some reason - I think it's stress and not getting as much sleep as I really want. My workouts have been slower, even though I'm finishing them (and still adding weight each week on most exercises!). Tonight I'm going to play video games until 8pm and then read/go to bed. That seems like a good compromise and will hopefully help me sleep better. I'm so ready for the weekend it's not even funny.

Fourth Week Recap: Meditate at least 3 times a week, using the Headspace app to track meditations: 3/3 meditations, but I didn't do Headspace at all. Somehow fitting in 10 minutes of meditation seems easier than 20, and I want to move away from only doing guided meditationsComplete Nerd Fitness Academy Dumbbell Division 1 Workouts (3 workouts per week) - 3/3 workouts - still sore from doing push presses on Saturday.Walk/moderate interval training at least two times a week: 3/2 - three walks. Plus 1 12 mile bike rideEat at least 80% paleo: 7/7 - Ate out Sunday lunch, where I had a bowl of pho, but tried to focus on the veggies/broth/meat and less on the noodles. On track for at least 80% paleo.Right now I'm exercising 5-6 days a week, and I don't know if that will be sustainable long term. We'll see how it goes after the challenge once I"m just doing the Nerd Fitness Academy work.

Fourth Week Recap: Meditate at least 3 times a week, using the Headspace app to track meditations: 3/3 meditations, all using Headspace - I'm moving on to doing 15 minute meditations now!Complete Nerd Fitness Academy Dumbbell Division 1 Workouts (3 workouts per week) - 3/3 workoutsWalk/moderate interval training at least two times a week: 3/2 - three walks. Plus 1 bonus Yoga workout.Eat at least 80% paleo: 7/7 - Ate out Sunday lunch, but I had veggie soup and stir fry with no rice, so mostly Paleo. Had half a soda on Saturday night, but it made me feel so sick I didn't finish it! On track for at least 80% paleo. Mini Quest 3 - The Playlist - is going to be a hard one for me. I LOVE music, but very little of it is "dancing" music. Time to bust out my jazz CDs I guess! I know a lot of the really up swing Count Basie stuff makes me want to move my feet. Also samba music. That's very dancey too! So far the Nerd Fitness Academy workouts are going fairly well. They're considerably harder than the BBWW, and take me about 30 minutes to complete, but I'm getting through them. Also? I MADE IT TO RIVENDELL!!! 458 miles since January, as of last Friday. Since then I've started tracking my miles for the next leg, which will take me to Lothlorien. Eventually I'll have to decide if I'm going to follow Frodo and the Ring to Mt. Doom, or follow Aragorn and the rest to Rohan and Gondor. Or do them one at a time, and then follow the whole group back to Hobbiton. I'm really proud of myself for getting this far (I give myself extra miles for non-walking workouts, 2 miles for 30 minutes of strength training, 1 mile for 30 minutes of yoga, as a way to keep me moving and motivated since I do other exercise than just walking).

2/3 Dumbbell Workouts (which have a significant bodyweight component) - these are MUCH harder than the BBWW, and I couldn't complete workout B (which has 5 circuits as the second part of the workout, and I could only finish four). I also need to work on my grip strength, so I'll be doing some farmers walks on off days when my hands don't hurt. 2/2 walking workouts - I've gone on two long walks so far this week. I am less than 10 miles from Rivendell! I need to figure out how I'm going to celebrate when I get there - 458 miles is a lot of walking and exercise! 1/3 Meditations - I like to meditate before bed, but I've been watching the baseball playoffs until almost 9, when I have to get in the shower and go to bed immediately (I get up at 5am), so I haven't had time to meditate more than a few minutes. I need to break off from the game earlier tonight and do my meditations. One thing I"m struggling with is getting enough food - I eat lunch around 1:30 usually, and then have a small snack when I get home from work at 5 before I work out (because I feel a lot better if I don't work out hungry). But then I am not even remotely interested in dinner - last night I had two spoonfuls of almond butter just so I'd have something in my stomach to take my meds, and called that "dinner". I don't like forcing myself to eat, but I know that a 900 calorie diet isn't enough with all the working out I'm doing either.

Third Week Recap: Meditate at least 3 times a week, using the Headspace app to track meditations: 3/3 meditations, all using HeadspaceComplete at least 2 circuits of the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout at least 3 times a week: 3/3 BBWWsWalk/moderate interval training at least two times a week: 2/2 - one interval training workout and one 70 minute bike ride. Plus 2 bonus Yoga workouts.Eat at least 80% paleo: 6/7 - Ate out Saturday Lunch (Mexican food!) but otherwise was on track for 80% paleo.I also started doing yoga using the Yoga Studio app. It has pre-programmed workouts for strength, flexibility, relaxation, or "combination" in 15, 30, and 60 minute increments. I am going to count 1 hour of yoga as a walking workout, or as a bonus. I don't "need" to do any yoga to meet my goals, but doing so will help keep me from being as sore from the strength training. I worked out 7 out of 7 days this week, and I'm pretty proud of that! MiniQuest 2: The Silence - for this mini quest, I exercised this week without background noise. No TV behind my BBWW, no podcasts when walking or biking. It worked okay, but it was harder once I started getting tired. Having something to focus on that wasn't my screaming muscles is helpful. Today I start the Dumbbell Level 1 workouts from the Nerd Fitness Academy instead of Beginner Bodyweight. My modified goal will be 3 workouts following that regimen instead of the BBWW.

3/3 BBWW, 1/2 walking workouts, plus two yoga workouts (both an hour long). I need to figure out how I'm going to measure yoga, or if it's just going to be a "bonus" workout. I'm considering letting it count for a walking workout if I do at least an hour. I'm finding my muscles are really tight now that I'm strength training, so I kind of need the extra stretching time, especially in my shoulders/upper back. I don't want to set myself up for doing 7 workouts a week - that's not sustainable long term, and everyone needs off days. Maybe I"ll say 3/3 BBWW and 2 other workouts that I get to choose? Not sure. I had to go easy on my BBWW today, because my left hip and knee are really torqued about something. I'm thinking I might have stretched too deeply on the yoga yesterday. Had my one non-paleo meal for the week - shrimp enchiladas! I didn't eat any rice, and only had a few bites of the charro beans, so I stayed away from most of the really bad stuff. It was DELICIOUS, and the perfect choice for a splurge meal, since it was both extremely tasty and very satisfying. Also went grocery shopping today, and got more frozen fruit and plain full fat greek yogurt to start making my own yogurt cups (to avoid all the sugar in the commercially prepared ones). Going to add some bacon to my scrambled eggs this week too. Yum.

2/3 BBW workouts, 1/2 walking workouts, plus an extra 1/2 workout for the yoga session. 5/7 Paleo days this week. We may go out for dinner tomorrow, so I'll have that as my one non-paleo meal. Only 1/3 so far this week on meditation, I need to get my butt in gear on that one. Noticed this morning that I am feeling my muscles more - not just because they're sore (which is less prominent today, taking an extra day to rest was a good idea), but because I am just more aware of how my body feels. I hope this is a sign of getting stronger. My BBW workout yesterday was really good - I am still doing 2 circuits, but it was easier than it has been in the past, and I was able to get really low in my squats. Also, I got my dumbbells finally, so I will be changing to that workout next week. (Nerd Fitness Academy Dumbbells level 1 workouts). That will be more challenging than the BBWW, since it's both 5x5 and circuit training.

Oooh. This is a good one. In honor of this challenge, when I walk this week, I will shut off the podcasts and just walk! Since I walk outside, it won't be "silent", but I will be much more aware of things around me. It will be an exercise in mindfulness, as well as being exercise!

Taking a rest day today. Will get back on the BBWW tomorrow. Tried to do a squat and nearly fell over, I'm so sore, plus my hips and knees (and wrists) are hurting and swollen (which is never a good sign). Instead, I am going to do a nice stretchy yoga session to try to loosen up these muscles, and give myself .5 credit toward one of my workouts this week for doing so. It's "extra" exercise, so I won't be taking a true rest day, but will be taking care of my joints. Win win, even if I'm choosing to wait a day on another strength training workout. (Emphasis on choice. I am choosing this, because it is what my body is telling me it needs right now.) This is probably at least partially related to battling the Scarlet Onslaught, which began in earnest today. Dinner is pan cooked chicken and chipotle-ranch salad. And probably a square of dark chocolate. So far this week I'm 2/7 on Paleo days, and I've even managed to not succumb to the temptation that is my admin's desk, which currently has a bowl of snickers peanut butter minis on it. I haven't even eaten ONE.

Hi RFG! I really like how you're scoring this challenge - it's simple and straightforward and easy to remember. As for the moderation thing, maybe you need to have some substitutions for things you know you tend to grab? I know for avoiding soda, I started buying flavored (unsweetened) sparkling waters - not the kind that are like soda, but the kind (I think the brand is La Croix) that just have orange and sparkling water - no sugar or salt. They taste "soda-ish" and give me the fizzy fix without blowing my diet or sticking me with a huge sugar spike. (Also I can drink them at D&D night and people don't think I'm being weird not having sodas with them). Also, what kind of yoga DVDs do you use? I've been experimenting with beginner yoga workouts, and found a few channels on youtube that are pretty good, but I'd love to expand my options!

I've found, when I start feeling like that, the best thing to do is to start really small. 1 minute of deep breathing, for example, instead of thinking about how you're going to fit in a 10 minute meditation and a 30 minute yoga session and OH GOD ALL THE THINGS. But you can do one minute. In fact, one minute of deep breathing (in 4, hold 2, out 4, hold 2) may even make you work BETTER at all the assignments and things you have to do. Usually I get caught up in negative headspace ("you don't have time, you're failing at your goals, you can't do that now you have to do all the things") and I need to slow down, mentally talk to myself ("Okay, I have a list of things to do, but for right now I'm going to take one minute to breathe deeply and calmly. Just one minute, and then we'll hit the books") and then just DO IT. With so many things, inertia is crucial - if you really only have one minute, set a timer and do one minute, but for me usually once I get started on something, I can stick with it a little longer, which helps with the sanity points. You just have to overcome that initial hump - the mental "static friction" (to borrow a physics term).

Hooray Nerd Fitness Academy! I joined too - I will be starting the bodyweight workouts next week. I'm going to finish this week with the "standard" beginner bodyweight workout since I've already done one workout and want to keep things symmetrical. I'm not sure how I'm going to build in a 20 minute walk AND a bodyweight workout (except on rest days, that's easier), but I'm going to try!

Hooray gardening! I've gotten out of the habit because my commute/job hours are so long (and because it's just darn hot out in the summer), but I'm looking forward to doing more stuff outside once it cools off.