lisawho

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here in quite some time, and I don't think I ever actually finished a challenge anyways. I am really really good at not following through with things - after maybe 2-3 weeks of working on a new habit, I just always tend to...fizzle out. Sometimes it's just due to some big life thing throwing off my routines, but most often I couldn't really tell you what happened, and I find myself slipping back into old habits. So here I am, trying again!! My goals for the next 4 weeks: Eat at least 2 servings of veggies per meal Workout 3 times per week Get a promotion at work! I've done Whole 30/paleo style eating in the past, and it worked really well for me - I'd like to get back to that eventually! I often don't eat breakfast, just coffee with coconut oil, so for this challenge I'm looking at 4 servings of vegetables per day. I'm signed up for a half marathon in 3 weeks, but my training got derailed a while ago. I've run long distance before, but my training has been mostly non-existent the last couple months so I'm not sure yet if I'll actually run this race. For this challenge, my workouts will be a mix of running and weight lifting. I work in accounting, and my company has an internal 2 part test to get promoted to senior accountant! I passed the first part last month, so in the next 4 weeks I'll schedule the second part, study for it, and pass! Ok I feel like I've rambled on long enough - I need to go pack my gym bag and get to bed early so I can hit the gym before work in the morning

Hey all! I've been on here before and tried a couple challenges, but never completed one successfully. My goal this time is to stick with whatever I decide to do! I've been in pretty good shape before, and I really miss being active and feeling fit and strong. Every once in a while, I wish I was still in shape enough to go out for an easy 8 or 10 mile run, and then I just stay on the couch like an idiot instead of getting out for a short walk or run or something at all! For the last year or so, I've had basically zero motivation. The only consistent exercise I've done has been a barre class once a week(at my sister-in-law's studio where I help at the front desk). I've tried a couple times to start running again or stick to a simple routine of daily push-ups or something, but I've given up within a couple weeks every time. And it sucks. I don't know why I can't stick to anything - my motivation just disappears. I need to work on my eating habits too. I constantly overeat junk food and pastries, even though I know how to eat well. I successfully completed a Whole30 back in March, and I felt so great, but as soon as it was done I went right back to eating crap. This is a big season of change for me. I was recently laid off and am looking for a new job, and I'm moving in a few weeks. I'll be about a half hour closer to where most of my friends live, so hopefully that move will revitalize my social life too! So to summarize: I want new eating and exercise habits to go along with a new job and new home! I just need the motivation and grit to not give up. And yes, I have two cats, Persy and Charles. Sometimes I obsess over them, because cats are easier to interact with than people, and Persy is ridiculously fluffy. Also, ever since I realized they both have Weasley names, I have my next several pet names all figured out

Hey all! I've been on here before and tried a couple challenges, but never completed one successfully. My goal this time is to stick with whatever I decide to do! I've been in pretty good shape before, and I really miss being active and feeling fit and strong. Every once in a while, I wish I was still in shape enough to go out for an easy 8 or 10 mile run, and then I just stay on the couch like an idiot instead of getting out for a short walk or run or something at all! For the last year or so, I've had basically zero motivation. The only consistent exercise I've done has been a barre class once a week(at my sister-in-law's studio where I help at the front desk). I've tried a couple times to start running again or stick to a simple routine of daily push-ups or something, but I've given up within a couple weeks every time. And it sucks. I don't know why I can't stick to anything - my motivation just disappears. I need to work on my eating habits too. I constantly overeat junk food and pastries, even though I know how to eat well. I successfully completed a Whole30 back in March, and I felt so great, but as soon as it was done I went right back to eating crap. This is a big season of change for me. I was recently laid off and am looking for a new job, and I'm moving in a few weeks. I'll be about a half hour closer to where most of my friends live, so hopefully that move will revitalize my social life too! So to summarize: I want new eating and exercise habits to go along with a new job and new home! I just need the motivation and grit to not give up. And yes, I have two cats, Persy and Charles. Sometimes I obsess over them, because cats are easier to interact with than people, and Persy is ridiculously fluffy. Also, ever since I realized they both have Weasley names, I have my next several pet names all figured out Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Kunmaar! I totally relate to all you just said, especially not having motivation. It's really hard, wanting to do better but not really having any motivation to do so. I'm new here, but I think posting here is a great first step! Starting small is probably a good idea. Maybe set yourself a couple small goals, like being able to do 5 push-ups or touch your toes, or whatever seems good to you! Strength training and yoga would be a good combo. I'm also way too familiar with binging on junk food :/ it's such a hard habit to break - if I have it in my apartment, I'll eat it. Trying to stick to a budget has helped me a little with that. It makes me think more carefully about what I'm buying, so I'm a little less likely to buy junk food. And prioritizing veggies has also helped me. If I make myself eat a serving of veggies before I eat any junk food, there's a better chance that I'll be able to avoid the junk food entirely. You got this. We're here for you Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm excited for you - you are going to rock this challenge!! I love your enthusiasm and commitment, and so appreciate your willingness to help me out I'm looking forward to seeing all the great things you accomplish in this next 6 weeks!

Thanks! Having an accountabilabuddy would be great for me - I know ultimately it's up to me to put in the work, but having someone to encourage/nag can only help My running has been inconsistent/not structured, which is definitely part of the problem. Last night I went to the track around 10:30, and it was deserted and quiet and cool and wonderful - probably one of my best runs recently. I did a 30-20-10 workout, which is 30 seconds slow, 20 sec moderate, 10 sec sprint for a total of 5 minutes, followed by a 2 minute rest (walk), and then repeat that whole sequence for a total of 3 times. The really short, intense sprints always help me break out of a rut when I'm feeling out of it, plus it's fun to see that super fast pace in my Runkeeper intervals!! What do you do for HIIT? I definitely noticed an improvement in my running when I started lifting, but I know I also need to focus more specifically on running. I did a 2-min crunches test last night, and I got 95! Definitely motivating to see some improvement, and be so close. The Sgt at my OSS has made sure to show us all the little tips and tricks to max out on crunches - there's definitely a lot of flexibility within the rules I just gotta keep practicing! In other news, I did really well on the ASTB!! My score was a 7/6/8/69 (perfect is 9/9/9/80). This means that I'm fully qualified to apply with an aviation contract - the next step is scheduling a flight physical, which involves a few days in Pensacola, FL, all expenses paid The one downside to this is that it's too late to get everything ready to go with the aviation contract for this board, so going aviation means not going to OCS until next June. Right now, my PFT score isn't competitive enough for me to be accepted anyway, so I'm really excited to be working towards the aviation contract!!

hiii! This is my second challenge, and I didn't do a great job keeping up with the first one - I'm determined to do better this time! I'm applying to the Marine Corps Officer Candidates' School, so my goals all revolve around the 3 components of the physical fitness test (crunches, 3 mile run, flexed arm hang). The selection board meets in early/mid July, so by the end of this challenge I'll know whether or not I'm going to OCS in October!! Without further ado: my goals! 1. At least 4 quality runs/week; my biggest struggle with the PFT right now is the run - I can get just under 27 minutes (which is the minimum passing score), but ideally I'll be under 25 for my application. 2. Work abs/core at least 7 minutes/day; A perfect score on the PFT is 100 crunches in 2 minutes, and that should be a gimme, but I keep getting ~88 ish. The Sgt at the office recommends a quick, consistent routine to improve my score. 3. Drink at least 2 liters of water/day; this goal is just for general health/performance/weight loss/mindfulness. I should lose about 10 pounds to be in ideal shape, and drinking water helps with that as well as making me more intentional about what I'm consuming. I've already gotten into the habit of taking my 1L Nalgene bottle with me everywhere, which makes it really easy to track, and I've been hitting at least 4 liters easy every day. Life goal: no electronics after 9 pm; I waste time way too easily, so come 9 pm every night, no tv, no Facebook, no stupid smartphone games. Instead, I'll do food prep for the next day, read a book, drink a cup of tea, and get to bed at a decent hour. I'll score all these goals using percentages - so if I only get in 3 good runs, that'll be a 75% per week, and I'll report back here at least once a week! This week is already a little thrown off - I'm taking the ASTB (Aviation Selection Test Battery) tomorrow, in hopes of changing my application to an air contract, so I can work towards being an aviator in the Marine Corps! It's somewhat similar to the SAT, except in addition to reading and math, there are sections on nautical and aviation information, as well as a new portion that I think is some kind of flight simulation with a joystick. I'm spending the rest of the evening studying, so my 9 pm rule doesn't apply tonight. I'm also running a PFT after the ASTB, so yesterday and today are rest days - goal 1 for this week will be 3 days, and goal 2 will be for 6 days this week. Wish me luck

The last few weeks totally got away from me. I've been trying to help out my parents with a lot of yardwork, so I've been missing gym days, then I was on vacation for a week. Bad food choices and not getting enough sleep and being lazy all cycled off each other for a while, but I'm breaking that cycle now. This was probably the worst 2-3 week slump I've been in for a while. I'm not going to score this challenge at all, since I didn't really set any scoring metrics and I'm pretty sure I didn't really accomplish any of those goals anyways. I have a sticky note on my desk with my goals written out for the next challenge - I might as well start on them this week! I'll see y'all over in the rangers next week! Thanks for coming along on my first challenge with me

Hahaha, I don't think my coworkers would appreciate that kind of prank, unfortunately The PFT went ok. I maxed out the flexed arm hang, and it felt the best I've done yet. I still need to work on holding myself above the bar for the full 70 seconds - I dropped below the bar at around 50 seconds, but as long as my arms aren't locked out the clock keeps running. I only got 87 out of 100 crunches, which is stupid - my OSO says the crunches are a gimme and everyone should easily be at 100 (and I agree!). I just need to train that more specifically and consistently. I think I'm going to add a mini goal of 1000 crunches a week. The run was one of my worst in a while - it was warm and humid, which I haven't run in for several months. My time was about 27:20, and the 3 mile course actually measures in around 2.85. When I ran a PFT last month at a different location, I got my best-ever time of 25:32, so I was really disappointed in this time.I know I should have done better. Yesterday I did some good speedwork - 1 mile warm up, 4 x quarter mile repeats, .75 mile cool down. After work I'm going to Crossfit, and I'll go for a short easy run after that. I also have a Planet Fitness membership that I might start actually using - I want to work in a little bit of cardio cross training, and I've heard that biking is really great for hip mobility and improving running. I guess I could also just get a real bike and ride outdoors, but I think the air conditioning will be a nice respite in the coming months. My eating's also been on a better track the last few days - I really want to focus on losing ~10 pounds right now. I know it will make everything else so much easier if I'm lighter! On Saturday, my OSO said he could tell I've been losing weight, which was really encouraging. The scale hasn't moved much, but my pants are a bit looser, and I had noticed earlier that morning that my stomach looked much flatter than usual! Positive results are always such great motivation for me to work even harder towards my goals I feel like this is getting long winded, but last little update - I've been working on push ups off and on for what feels like forever. The last several days I've been really consistent at practicing good form push ups (no knees!) and it seems like I've turned a corner - I can now consistently do sets of 5-10 push ups with good form! For the next week or two I'm going to do at least 50 push ups a day (broken up into sets throughout the day). I actually got down on my office floor to do 5 just now They don't feel easy yet, but that's why I gotta keep working on them!

I feel great today - I've gotten three nights in a row of 8+ hours of sleep, don't have any laundry/dishes stacked up at home, had a good breakfast/good cup of coffee this morning, and got to work a half hour early! That never happens! It was on purpose, since I'm planning on leaving a half hour early to meet up with people, but still. I forgot how quiet/productive my office is when there's only a couple people here. I might have to try to get here early more often It's another planned rest day before tomorrow's PFT. I brought healthy snacks/lunch to work; I'm going out for a dinner meeting tonight but I'm pretty sure there will be good dinner options for me. I'll spend a little time before bed working on stretching/mobility. I feel like I'm setting myself up for success, and I love it. If only I had been hitting the pull-up bar/track a little harder the last couple weeks. Oh well, I just gotta keep at it!

Life has been busy! I haven't gotten in many great workouts, and I've still been eating lots of junk, so I guess I've felt like I don't have anything good to report here :/ I definitely haven't been working specifically towards my challenge goals. I did realize, though, that what I consider to be an off week (1 Crossfit class, 1 at-home/bodyweight workout, 1 run/week) the last couple weeks is still way better than what I would have considered an off week 6 months ago! So I'm counting that as a mini-win! So far this week: Sunday: Broad Street Run 10 miler in Philly! Met up/ran with IRL an awesome group of people from an online running group I'm in. Had a great race (insanely crowded!), finished in around 1:45. This distance felt easy/great, but I know I need to get back to sprinting/speed. Monday: Crossfit - back squats, overhead press, deadlifts (current program my box is doing); worked on core and push ups at home. Tuesday: 3.3 miles at 9:40 pace - super fast for a regular 'easy' run for me! Followed up with 15 minutes of bodyweight exercises. Oh, I also did the old 'fill an empty gallon bottle with water' trick to use for rows Wednesday: after work I was tired/just didn't feel like going to the gym, so I went grocery shopping instead - bought mostly lots of produce (and a few donuts ), so I spent the evening doing food prep. I have several baggies full of chopped veggies to munch on, I made hummus and a really good black bean salad, so I have no excuses to snack on junk food now! Today: planned rest day - I found out Tuesday I have a PFT on Saturday, so I'm taking today off, and will go for a super short/easy run tomorrow. Thursdays are my crazy busy/stressful day at work, so I gotta get back to it! Probably a multiple cup of coffee day for me.

I have yet to figure out/implement a good way to deal with this! I think the simplest thing would be to schedule a rest day from running the day after leg day. How often are you running? I know whenever I run within a day or two of squats/deadlifts, my legs definitely have that lead feeling, and it never feels like a good run. I agree with Kaylya that you could prioritize one over the other - still keep doing both, but set the schedule for one, and work the other around it. If you're going to do both in one day, I like to do first whichever one I want better results. If I want a good run time, or I'm doing hard speed work, I'll run first, then take it easy while lifting.

If you're still looking for a running partner, let me know! Sounds like we're at about the same place and have the same goals. I'm jealous that you call Hawaii home - one of my life goals is to live in Hawaii! Is it as wonderful in real life as it is in my head?

Galerax - I've heard that before about the rucks! Especially for females, it seems like they can cause a lot of issues. I definitely plan on incorporating some hiking/rucking with packs over the summer! HueyLewis - OCC Ground! I've wondered if anyone else on here has been through OCS! Glad to know I'm not alone Kailer & 18ck - thanks! I'm a scout at heart - I love distance running! So far I've done one marathon and one half, and I'm running the Philly Broad Street Run 10 miler this weekend. Focusing on speed for 3 miles is definitely not my favorite thing. The last week hasn't been great. I haven't been getting enough sleep (for no good reason), so that messes up my motivation/energy/self control with food. I'm also dog sitting for friends this week, which throws off my schedule. There's also lots of Easter candy and ice cream at my friends' place, so I've been eating more junk food than usual I haven't run all week either. Monday: skipped the gym, took the dog (a husky named Indiana Jones, with endless energy) for a 2 mile walk, then did a bodyweight workout. Tuesday: went to the gym, did lots of shoulder/pull-up work Wednesday: didn't feel great, stayed home and ate ice cream :/ I'll go running after work today, and do some meal planning/grocery shopping. Any suggestions for delicious/easy/healthy meals? I've been eating a lot of the same things and getting bored, which I think makes it easier for me to eat junk food.

You are rocking this challenge! If you're feeling good and still losing weight, I would say to keep your carbs where they are. It seems like it's working for you so far! Also I totally relate to what you've said about social awkwardness/not getting it when guys are attracted to me/not even knowing how to flirt. Seriously, if I wanted to flirt with someone I have no idea how I would actually go about it. Maybe I'll add something about that for the next challenge.