mevre

hi jamais! i've been thinking about doing a tri in August. what kind of training do you do for these?

i've been thinking about doing a sprint tri, too! it just randomly came to my mind today and it's starting to sound intriguing. have you done them before, or is this your first one?

good to see you Machete! wise words, as always. : ] can you give me a rough break down of your eating habits? i.e. what portions [large, med, small] do you eat of which food types [carbs, fats, proteins, etc] and when [after cardio, before strength training, etc]? actually that kind of sounds like a lot of work... if you feel like typing it all up, i'd love to read it though! but no worries if not. : ]

BaconHunter, i will give it a go. worst case, i'll still be bored but a little healthier than i am now. ; ] SpecialSundae, i tried lifting several times and was always miserable. haha it's just not my cup of tea. which is really too bad, because girls who lift are bad ass. i've been off-and-on interested in parkour for quite some time now...maybe this summer is finally the time to put what skills i have into action, and perfect the ones i don't have yet. : ]

wow, thanks everyone! i was not expecting so many responses, it's great! excellent idea! i've been in the fat loss game for well over a year now. as Disil mentioned, i too have had a lot of back and forth, which is to be expected. but i have made definite progress. one problem i always seem to run into though is that i've never found the activity that i love. i go on a kick of running of bodyweight or HIIT but get bored as soon as i stop making noticeable progress. i guess i need to just keep looking...? seems like having that one activity that i can't get enough of would help a lot. this was my mindset for a long time too, but it just wore me out. : / but good on ya for keeping at it! your drive inspires me! yeah, you look fantastic girlfriend! haha so i think you made the right choice. ; ] i'm not too worried about how much i weigh, i just want to get rid of the fat on my thighs and butt haha. i'm hoping this summer will bring lots of chances for me to get super active and start eating better again. maybe i'll find my one [or two!] true fitness love. here's hoping!

hi nerds. so, i've been struggling with getting rid of these last several pounds that seem to stick around with a particular vengeance. i know that since i'm a lady, it's going to be harder to reach my goals [thanks genetics] and i've come to terms with that. i'm wondering if anyone else out there is going through/has gone through similar stuff? what did you do to overcome it? or did you overcome it? did you decide that 5 extra pounds isn't all that bad, and you'd rather be happy eating chocolate every once in a while than miserable without sweets? personally, i go back and forth. like i said, i know it's bound to be a very difficult road to reach my goal of 19% bodyfat. and as a baker who loves eating delicious unhealthy things for the sheer joy of it, it's hard to find a balance of food enjoyment and dropping weight. because food nurtures the soul as well as the body. i always remember what Steve says about priorities: that your priorities are where your action is, no matter what you say they are. the problem is, my priority is definitely in favor of eating, which would be fine if i was completely happy with my body. and i would say i'm about 98% happy with my body. but is that 2% unhappiness enough to shift my priorities? i dunno, i guess i just have lots of thought swirling around on this topic. what do you guys think? opinions? sage wisdom? personal stories? please share!

hey virtualmonkey, thanks for your post! i might favor one side in my squats, but it's really hard for me to tell. the only reason i found out that my running stride is so weird is because the guy at my local running store pointed it out haha. [so yes, you're right, they did pick it up easily!] i took a walk today and tried to be super mindful of how i was walking. it seemed like i was sort of letting my left knee extend further than i should. i also know for sure that i don't swing my right arm as much as my left arm when walking [this is a result of habitual purse-holding]. maybe not swinging my arms equally would add to the problem as well? i'll try to have someone take a look at my stride and see what they have to say. i'm really starting to enjoy my runs - it'd be a shame to have to give them up! you mean that maybe my goofy stride could be caused by the pain, rather than the stride causing the pain? interesting point! it's amazing to consider how many little things could go wrong in your body, and how many ways all of those little things could crop up. really makes you realize how our bodies are only just good enough to get stuff done. they are not machines with easily replaceable parts, but i kind of wish they were!

haha i had too many words floating around my head, but i finally settled on "joy." "gratitude" was on my original list, though. ; ]

oh and i also just remembered, did you have any advice for fixing my uneven stride? is this a common problem for runners?

thanks Chris-Tien. i'll check the site out and report back once i have something to report. : ] how long would you guess it'll take to see improvements?

how are you guys liking this? just got done with day two. feeling a little buzzed and super mellow. and i really like Faith!

alright y'all, witch update!! hooray! Monday Feb 2nd is Imbolc, which is one of the four fire festivals in the Celtic year. it is also Brigid's day. this is a time of new beginnings, both internally and externally. sort of an "in with the new, out with the old" spring-time celebration. finally, it's a time to welcome the sun back. this Imbolc is very special to me, since exciting new things are indeed taking place in my life! to celebrate, i've chosen a handful of activities that will span this entire weekend, and up until Monday evening. today and tomorrow is spring cleaning time! the house needs a good cleaning, the fridge and pantry need to be sorted through, my closet needs to be organized... you get the picture. after brunch today, i will start in on these chores. might even take some before and after pictures if the transformations are especially impressive. : ] tomorrow i plan on making some candied ginger. i absolutely adore candied ginger, and i just recently learned how easy it is to make! plus, since ginger is such a warming herb, it is strongly associated with the sun. and what better way to celebrate a fire festival than with spicy ginger! also tomorrow i plan to bake some poppyseed muffins to take into work the next day. i believe seed cakes on Imbolc are traditional [make sense, as seeds represent new beginnings and symbolize spring.] however, instead of making one larger seed cake, i've decided to make the beloved poppyseed muffins to spread springtime happiness. on Monday, i plan on taking a walk by the river and collecting rushes or grasses to make a Brigid cross. Brigid is my all-time favorite goddess, and her lore is a large reason of why i got into witchcraft and wicca in the first place. i'd also like to learn more about St. Brigid. she's the goddess of midwives [among many other things], and i think honoring her as i transition into my doula practice is only right. : ] after i've made the cross, i want to do a small candle lighting ceremony, and then meditate on new beginnings before bed. some very cool cosmic happenings are going on as well at this time, because the day after Imbolc is a full moon! as i think i mentioned before, i've been waiting for a full moon so that i could dedicate my book of shadows properly. it was a delightful surprise to find that the next full moon was taking place right on the heels of Brigid's day! it'll be an especially poignant and special dedication for me because of this, and i'm very excited. so those are my Imbolc plans! i will take lots of pictures as i go! enjoy your new beginnings, everyone!

ahoy scouts! greetings from the ranger camp! ok, i'll just get right to the meat of the problem here. i've recently discovered that i favor my right leg when i walk [and run], which means my left leg gets more beat up. as a result, my left knee has started to feel a bit painful since i started running about 4-5 weeks ago. it's not constant, it's not even incredibly painful pain. it's just sort of...stiff at times? i suppose? mostly seems to happen a few hours after a run, and when i fully extend my leg and flex [like when i'm stretching.] anyway, so that's problem #1. problem #2 is the main knuckle of my big toe [where the toe connects to my foot] has the same kind of stiff, off-and-on, not-very-painful pain. also on my left side. this happened [i think?] as a result of wearing shoes that were too worn down. [to be fair, i had no idea they were so used up, and they just sort of spontaneously failed one day. the run i took when they messed my toe up was the last run i took in them.] i thought it went away when i got new shoes, but it's been coming and going since then. whenever i curl the toe up or push the toe down towards the bottom of my foot i can feel it. so my question to you, dear scouts and running experts, is this: what can i do to even out my stride, and what can i do to fix my joints/not hurt them any worse? if you need any more information at all, please ask! thanks for your help!

quick update, just to say all the sour situations have turned very sweet indeed. nothing like a little turbulence to jolt relationships into a better place! we're probably going hot-springing tonight, and grabbing brunch tomorrow morning. oh, and!! i got the "ok" at work to go to part time hours!!! which means i can start practicing as a doula!!!!! and i'll have tons more time for writing and gardening and hanging out with Tiberius and i think i'll just generally love life a whole lot more! i love it when a bad week turns around!

more harassment at work yesterday, plus Relationship Problems Pt 2, Vol 2. all in all a fantastic day. because of all the stress, i'm taking it way easy on the writing and working out. and the end is in sight for my month of no sugar! i really miss baking, guys. but Tiberius's parents are having a Super Bowl party and i'm making a cake. i do think the relationship madness is coming to a close as well, thank goodness. and the sun is out! so it's not all bad.