ALICILA

Hit a bit of a wall last week. Dealt with some weird lower back pain that I think might have been my kidneys. And then had wicked period cramps after that. Blegh.

Finally got around to learning some basketball stuff from my coworkers. They said that I was better than they expected and the first night we practiced for two hours. I didn't think I'd be so sore! My arms, legs, and the sides of my ribs are all super sore.

Weekly Summary This was my birthday week and I didn't focus on my goals very strictly. I did enjoy myself though! Hiking: A+ Tried a longer trail this time. It's about six miles but we made a wrong turn and ended up skipping almost a mile. Much prettier than the other trail. Strength: B Decent, just chugging along. No Added Sugar: F I had sugary lattes and birthday cake. This week was kind of a step back in some respects but I won't let that bother me.

I'm feeling pretty good so far! Basically, my goals were: 1. Hike four miles every week 2. Do a strength-based workout three times a week 3. Cut out added sugar The hiking is going great, I think I'll even have some extra miles by the end. This Friday is my birthday so I am going to ignore Quest #3 for the night. In the future I'd like to conserve my sugar consumption for special events and well made desserts. So I can eat a really nice slice of cake a couple times a year rather than eating candy bars from the convenience store all the time.

So, often when I do cardio I get intensely itchy. All over my legs, thighs, and lower back no matter what the temperature. Today I tried taking Claritin before a run to see if it was allergy related. I felt a little better but I don't know whether that's just some kind of placebo effect.

Ooh, that's excellent! What kind of cheese do you usually get?

Does anyone have any weekly grocery lists? I'm trying to be more frugal in my grocery shopping since I'm spending quite a bit at the store. I feel like if I had a good list I could save some money. Vegan or vegetarian is fine.

Weekly Summary Pretty good overall, I'm adjusting to my goals pretty well. My credit score went up 9 points which ties into my Life Goal of paying off my credit card balance. Hiking: A Another four miles, same trail but backwards. Strength Training: B My workouts weren't anything to write home about but I did do three of them. No Added Sugar: B I'm still jonesing for sugar and I've been filling the void with artificial sweeteners. I want to move away from this and really change my palate. Overall a B+ week.

Weekly Summary Blegh. I picked up a shift, so I just finished a 52 hour work week. Hiking: A+ I did four miles on Turkey Mountain (I'm not sure if it's really a mountain but whatevs) and all with negative splits. Each mile was a minute faster than the previous. Strength: F I did not complete my workouts this week. Poor time management and a shitty attitude after work lead me astray. This will be different next week. No Added Sugar: B I grabbed a couple of sugary things without thinking early in the week. But I have managed to satiate my cravings with naturally sweet things like fruit for the remainder of the week. So this week averages out to a C. It's not spectacular but I'm okay with it. Let's do this again.

Good so far. I'm having a hard time remembering not to grab sugary stuff.

Haha, well I'm totally biased since I'm in OK. It starts in Oklahoma but the bulk is in Arkansas.

This challenge is awesome! It's a dream of mine to hike the AT. More realistically, I'd like to try the Ouatchita Trail here in Oklahoma, which is about 220 miles.

That's a great idea! Definitely going to steal it.

Low sugar sounds hard! I'm just focusing on stuff with added sugar and that's awful enough.

Thanks! Everyone I work with is obsessed with basketball, so we'll probably start with that.