lizpirate

I'm a busty runner and I have found that the Shock Absorber brand works really well. My favorites are this one: http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Absorber-Womens-Sports-Support/dp/B000XKJVAC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403276654&sr=8-2&keywords=shock+absorber and this one: http://www.amazon.com/Shock-Absorber-Womens-Ultimate-Sports/dp/B00368CL3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403276654&sr=8-1&keywords=shock+absorber

Sorry about the ankle! It sounds like your revamped goals will help a lot. I am so impressed with your weight loss! 7 pounds in 7 days? Amazing!

Awesome job on the first week! Sounds like your willpower is in top form.

Chatting with friends over wine is the best! Congratulations on a successful first week of the challenge and best of luck with your sleep goals in the coming week!

90 minute 8.5 mile run this morning! The week is off to a great start!

Kept it together for the weekend! Day 5: Spent a good part of the day lugging around 45 lb boxes. Running: None Stretching: 10 minutes, 2 points Food Tracking: All, 2 points Cleaning: None Day 6: Running: None Stretching: None (whoops!) Food Tracking: All, 2 points Cleaning: 10 minutes, 2 points Day 7: Running: None, but I did get 3 hours of swing dancing in! Great workout. Stretching: Some, but not enough to count Food Tracking: All, 2 points Cleaning: None Today my goal is to spend a good chunk of time cleaning and stretching and get out for a long run. We start bringing in fruit on Wednesday, so that's when things will really get crazy! So for the first week, my grades are as follows: Running: 10 points, B. I got out for my one run, but I could do more. On the other hand, I did get some other exercise in, so it wasn't a total wash. Stretching: 8 points, D+. I need to up my game on this one Food Tracking: 14 points, A+. I have been really good about tracking everything. Cleaning: 11 points, D. Again, need to up my game. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up on everything today!

Awesome news on the jeans!!! Congratulations! You are rocking this challenge. Way to be.

I could have sworn I replied to this a couple of days ago! Whoops. My first goal is food tracking. I will not fail. Every meal will be faithfully recorded. I keep my phone charged so I have no excuse for logging in to myfitnesspal and writing it down. No missed snacks. The second is stretching. I will get in at least 10 minutes a day. I may be tired, but I can lie with my legs propped up on a wall to stretch my hamstrings. I stretch while I'm doing other things. I am getting limber. So far so good!

OK, reporting in: Day 4: Running: None (although I did run up a giant hill today for fun!) Stretching: 10 minutes, 2 points Food Tracking: All meals, 2 points Cleaning: 10 minutes, 2 points

Great job on continuing with the good sleep habits! I think it's easy to be hard on ourselves even when we're doing well--kudos to you for recognizing that and keeping your goals SMART.

It's frustrating when other people's plans impact yours, but great job on resisting all that temptation!

So true! Thanks CactusWren! It can be tough, but the programs out there make it much easier. I didn't get a huge amount more done yesterday, but I started off today strong with 10 minutes of cleaning the kitchen! Food tracking is still going well. Day 3: Running: None (except for 5 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up) Stretching: 20 minutes, 4 points Food Tracking: All meals, 2 points Cleaning: None, whoops!

Today has been good so far! Tracked all the food, got a gym session in (I know it's not part of the challenge, but deadlifting felt good!), stretched for 20 minutes, and I still have energy to get some housework in. I'm planning on jumping onto the mini challenge, but I have to figure out which two goals to focus on. I'm thinking the food tracking and stretching. Onward and upward!

Have fun at the archery range!

Thanks Nusuth! I'm trying to keep my goals SMART, for sure. I'm hoping to get another run in today, and maybe get a gym session in as well. I figured I'd report on the last two days, though, before I forgot: Day 1: Running: 45 minutes, 10 points Stretching: None Food Tracking: All meals, 2 points Cleaning: 25 minutes, 5 points Day 2: Running: None Stretching: None Food Tracking: All meals, 2 points Cleaning: 10 minutes: 2 points

Challenge is off to a good start! I have today off (the quiet before the storm), so I went for a 45 minute run this morning and logged everything I ate so far. Just gotta keep on keeping on.

Awesome! I definitely tried to be more realistic this time around as well. The thing in Vegas sounds fun! I've tried shooting a bow once in high school, but haven't really explored archery. You'll have to report back on how it is.

Go Loanna! Looking forward to your challenge this time round.

Current challenge is up! http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/37177-lizpirate-jumps-back-on-the-wagonerrship/

Hello Rangers! I would like to join you for my second challenge. I got through most of the last challenge, but then life got in the way and I sort of dropped off the face of the earth. The last 2 weeks were rough. I think part of what was tough for me the last time around was goals that were a little too strict and didn't allow for real life. I'm going into my busy time at work (actually, it should almost exactly line up with this challenge!), so I will not have a lot of time over the next 6 weeks and I need to be realistic. I will be doing a lot of physical activity at work, but I won't have as much control over what I'm eating and I will have very little outside time for exercise. With that said, I'm going to try to make time for it. Most of the physical activity at work involves strength work (lifting heavy things, moving heavy equipment, etc.), so I'm going to not worry so much about lifting, but I don't want to backslide too much on my running and flexibility. SO! Here are my goals for this challenge: Main Quest: Stay healthy and in shape and get stronger. Goal 1: Get out for a 30+ minute run at least 1x a week. (2 DEX, 2 STA) I know this doesn't seem like much, but when I'm doing 10+ hours of physical labor every day, one run a week would be great. If I can do more, that would be awesome too. Grades: In order to track this goal, I will make each 30 - 60 minute run worth 10 points. 6 runs (one per week) will be worth 60 points. If I get an extra run in, it will be worth 5 points. Thus it is possible to make up some missed points if I do miss a run. If I get a short run in (20 minutes or so), it will be worth 3 points. Runs over 60 minutes will be worth an extra 5 points. A - 70+ points - Exceeded my goal! Got two running sessions in some weeks and got one run in every week. B - 60 - 69 points - Met my goal. Got one session in every week and maybe an extra one. C - 50 - 59 points - Ran most weeks. Missed one session. D - 40 - 49 points - Ran a few times. Missed two sessions. F - <40 points - Ran sporadically. Missed three or more sessions. Goal 2: Stretch (mostly my hamstrings) (3 DEX, 1 CON) This is a carry over from my last challenge. I was pretty good with it, but it was tough to really measure how much I was doing. Plus I didn't account for things like a yoga class, which lasts an hour and really limbers me up. Grades: To take these things into account, I will again use a point system. Every 5 minutes spent stretching will be worth 1 point. If I stretch for 10 minutes 5x a week, that means I get 10 points for the week. A 60 minute yoga class gives me 12 points. A - 70+ points - Got stretching sessions in ~5 days a week. Maybe got a yoga class or two in. B - 60 - 69 points - Got 5 10-minute stretching sessions in per week. C - 50 - 59 points - Got some good stretching in over the course of the challenge. D - 40 - 49 points - Stretched fairly consistently. F - <40 points - Stretched sporadically. Goal 3: Back on the (food tracking) wagon (3 CON, 1 WIS) I was really good about tracking food for several months, then I went camping and my parents visited and I imploded. I need to get back on the wagon and pay attention to what I'm eating. This is going to be hard with my work schedule, but I'll do my best. Grades: This one is pretty easy to track, since I can log on to myfitnesspal and see whether I've tracked. I'm giving myself 2 points for tracking everything for a day and 1 point for tracking some meals but not others. A - 75+ points - Tracked nearly every day, had a few days where I missed meals or didn't track. B - 70 - 74 points - Tracked regularly, had a few days (up to one a week) where I missed it. C - 60 - 69 points - Was pretty consistent with tracking, missed a couple days a week or was a little spotty with recording all my meals. D - 42 - 59 points - Tracked more than half the time, but was sloppy. F - <42 points - Tracked less than half the time. Life Side Quest: Don't be a slob! (2 WIS, 1 CHA) I set myself a crazy goal for doing housework the last time around. I kept the house relatively clean but still felt like a failure because I was trying to do a million chores a day. With work getting crazy, I will not have time to do that but I still want to keep the house nice. The other problem is that I didn't account for chores that take a long time vs. those that are really quick. With that said, I still want to keep my house nice and uncluttered. I will again use the point system to track this. Grades: Kind of like with the stretching, I will give myself 1 point for every 5 minutes I spend on housework, not counting cooking. My goal is 15 minutes a day, with a day off here and there. A - 90+ points - Got in 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. B - 80 - 89 points - Didn't do as much as I'd hoped but still kept the house relatively clean. C - 70 - 79 points - Did some housework. Was somewhat consistent. D - 60 - 69 points - Well, at least I wasn't a total slob. F - <60 points - Was a total slob. OK, let's do this thing! Running Totals: As of 9/22/2013: Running: 10 points Stretching: 8 points Food Tracking: 14 points Cleaning: 11 points

I'm in! I sort of fell off the wagon last challenge, but I'm back in the game. I'll post my challenge as soon as I have it up.

Just got back from a run! Not strength training, but it felt good to get out for a few miles.

Still here! Still plugging away. Work has been crazy, which has made it hard, but I'm still trying, even if it's not always great. I'm trying to think like Dory from Finding Nemo. Just keep lifting, just keep lifting. On the housekeeping front, I managed to start the day off by cleaning the kitchen. Yay!

Yesterday went ok, although I was too sore to do much stretching. Whoops. Day 27: Increase Flexibility: Some limited stretching, but not as much as I would have liked. I give myself half credit.Increase Strength: Recovery day. I was feeling it!Increase Protein Intake: 84/70Complete Chores: Cleaned up the kitchen, fed and watered the chickens and collected eggs. (2)

Awesome, Jaymul! Thanks for the info. I do use a squat rack with the bars, so I think I'd be ok if I had to drop it. I just hear my mother's voice in my head telling me to be careful.