mevre

thanks, Ceasefire, it's nice to be around again! mmm salad wraps might be a winner here... i don't really like steamed veggies much, but more/better spices and condiments are always a good idea. i'll just have to come up with something easy that i can make en masse to throw in the freezer and thaw single servings as needed. i mean, i lived off of eggs and roasted vegetables for almost a full year without getting sick of them haha. so really all i need is another good and simple recipe like that, and i should be good to go for another year! we shall see what happens with that.

thanks, Arawan. i wasn't planning on stopping any time soon, but i'm really glad for the encouragement none the less! going to red point and focusing on breathing sound like great ideas! they'll be easy to do and i'm sure will help a lot. but the falling...well, it won't be as easy, but you're right, it probably will help immensely. that's what my partner keeps telling me, too, and i know he's right. it's just hard to admit that because it means i have to go through with the falling part.

^ truth. we got yo' back. though...i haven't been as vocal about it lately. sorry! but anyway, yes. you're kicking ass and we're here for you! great to hear about listening to your body, too. just don't swing too far the other way for too long, we don't want you starving yourself!

yay, finally found where the climbing threads have been hiding! first of all, let me just say... snork, that ice climbing looks completely bananas. good on ya! ok, so i was wondering if anyone has any advice for a climber who is afraid of heights. i've been climbing off and on [mostly off] for a couple years now, and only recently really got into it. i've been hitting the gym 2 or 3 times a week consistently for over a month now. i've always known that i'm scared of heights [it's why i started climbing], but i never knew how much until now. at first, it wasn't a big deal. i knew i was a little afraid, but the easier runs were enough of a challenge to keep my mind occupied without being super scary. but now, my skill has gotten better and my fear has stayed the same. so the only runs that challenge me now are the ones that, for example, aren't perfectly lined up with the rope, so that by the time i get close to the top, the rope is pulling me one way and i'm trying to climb the other and it feels like i'm being peeling off the wall. and it doesn't help matters that i'm short and the people who are setting the runs up are easily a foot taller than me, if not more. this often results in me being on the tip of my toes and still just barely being able to graze the next hold with my finger tips. i know that i can finish these walls. i know that i have the skill and the strength. i feel like such a complete loser for not finishing these runs! when i'm standing at the bottom of them, i see exactly what i have to do, and i know i can do it. but then i get up there and ... i can't. anyway, i'm seriously frustrated and i was wondering if anyone has any advice or words of wisdom they could share.

i know the feel, KoL. i've been feeling the same way. but hopefully when it's consistently warmer, i'll want to get off my ass more. remember, in order to overcome all the distractions and hurtles and other options that sound better in the moment, you have to have a desire to reach your goal that's burning brighter than your desire for all the other stuff. don't forget to stoke the flames!

Ceasefireeeeeeeeeee!! grrrrrl, you got this. proud of you for hangin' in there for so long, keep it going! is the anxiety staying at bay for the most part, i hope?

aw, thanks guys! my god, i can't believe how long i've been gone! Ceasefire, no worries man. i haven't been around either, so if anything i'm more of a douche. ... welp. i've been working out pretty regularly, climbing A LOT. but there are a few things that are starting to hinder any further progress: 1. i am soooo tired of eating meat and roasted veggies all day every day. but i don't have a back up go-to healthy meal. maybe...some kind of stir fry? i dunno. 2. more of a weird thing than a problem, but my muscles are starting to get fairly sore, even though i haven't really been doing any crazy hard exercises... dunno what that's all about. 3. big problem, this one. i'm getting better and better at climbing, but my fear of heights is staying the same. so i'm climbing more challenging walls but can't finish the damn things! even though i know i'm good enough to do it!! ugh. anyone have tips to get over this? one of the things i always strive for in my life is to be fearless - it's the reason i started climbing years ago. and i'm disappointed in myself when i can't get over something that seems so stupid. [at least, it seems stupid when i'm standing back on the ground.] because i know that my partner has my back and won't drop me. i know that my shoes have great grip and won't fall off of the tiny holds i have to use sometimes. i know that the wall won't somehow crumble under my fingers haha. i know these things! i know i'm actually totally safe, and i can visualize how to get to the top of the runs in my head once i'm back on the ground, but when i'm up there, man... anyway, it's killin' me. solutions, ideas, tough love, all are welcome if you've got 'em.

kickin' ass already, i see. excellent! keep it up!

good call, Ceasefire. i've kind of been using the "no, it'll be too harsh on my body" excuse to not even try it. but no more! i'll start that next week and see what happens. thanks for the gentle shove in the right direction. welp, i'm off to work out even though i really don't want to. *sigh... but i know i'll feel great afterwards. and plus i found a new song for my playlist, so that'll help. i've been getting pretty bored with the same old songs lately, none of the old standbys seem to be pumping me up any more. [any song ideas are more than welcome!]

hah, you and me GoodDoug, doin' the simple challenges. maybe next time we can do Drunken Master challenges together! glad to see you back at it, and kickin' ass! keep it up! you're a rock star!

^ truth. if you're forced to pick, put your focus on your diet rather than your workouts. but hopefully both are going well!

KoL, you're still here! so glad to see you! it's a technical writing position. but i work for a company who works for a bigger company, so i'm a contractor, which has its good and bad aspect. the amazing part is, i'm actually using my degree! but yeah, since i stare at a computer screen 8 hours a day, i'm not usually at all tempted to get on to another computer when i come home, so my posting frequency might start to plummet... what do you do? and i don't mean to sound harsh, but if you hate it, why have you been doing it for so long? last challenge ended really well! i'm doing what works for me and i'm really proud of myself. and, i'm getting sooooo close to my goal of 19% bodyfat! fingers are mega-crossed that i get there before/at the beginning of this summer...! well, my workout routine has unexpectedly changed. instead of doing the interval training on M/W/F and HIIT on T/Th, it looks like i'm gonna start doing the interval training on T/Th, and then on M/W/F do HIIT as well as rock climb! or at least climb on W/F. still not sure what to do with Monday... anyway, i got a membership last night and i'm really excited about it! i was also thinking maybe i could start doing a quick 7-minute HIIT every morning before work, but maybe alternate burpees and sprints? i dunno, would that be too much?

yay! good outlook! great start! we're here for you!!

haha i've seen it around before and i could never quite decide if it was Ninja or not. glad that it is! i have a kind of crazy haircut [half-shaved] and i feel like it's close enough to being like Yolandi's that i can dress up as her for Halloween. skin-tight gold pants, a cut up t-shirt that says "zef 4 lyfe" and "fok you" in sharpie, and some wedge sneakers and i'd be good to go!

i'll cross my arms and legs for you, too. really glad to see that it seems you're doing better. keep it up!

haha today was a total fail in the food department. but it's my last day of house-sitting, so i'm sort of scraping by on whatever's left in the fridge. and i got a jog and a HIIT session in this morning, plus running around cleaning, making beds, packing, and folding laundry. so, yeah. staying active at least. and tomorrow will be better with the food stuff, if for no other reason than because i'll be at work for most of the day, safely away from junk that's just sitting around! haha in what way are you intimidated by rock climbing? i actually started doing it because i'm afraid of heights, so i think i get where you're coming from.

the hardest part will probably be getting over any lingering addiction-type psychology. this just takes some time. until you get there, these things helped me, and they might help you too: if something tempting comes on TV, turn the TV off! if your family is eating junk and you want to join in, get yourself out of the situation by taking a walk. if you're gaming with your friends and you want to join in on the snacking, have a bag of carrots or blueberries handy. these are all examples of a way of thinking i learned from GoodDoug here on the forums. stay away from the "enemy" [in this case, junk food] as much as you can so that your resistance isn't worn down. if you don't have to be around bad food, then don't be! that way, when you do have to confront bad food head-on, you'll have enough will power left to resist successfully. the house being stocked with bad food is considerably harder to avoid. something that helped me with the same problem was this quote, given to me by ErickTheRed [also from NF]: "you have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically - to say 'no' to other things. and the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside." as you have no doubt learned, your priorities are what you actually do, not what you say they are. don't sacrifice what you truly want for what you want in the short-term. don't let your priorities become unhealthy snacks instead of a chiseled bod'. most of all, not eating junky food is hard work. but remember, you don't have to eat perfectly clean 100% of the time. you will still see results if you have the occasional cookie or bag of chips. maybe try to set rules for yourself, and then stick to them. so for example, i have a written list of days/occasions where my diet doesn't matter. birthdays, holidays, and dinners at my partner's parent's house are all on there. i still eat mindfully and within reason, though. [yes, i let myself have a burger and beer on the 4th of July, and i don't feel guilty about it. but i don't go overboard and eat an entire platter of cookies as well.] the last thing that has really helped me is thinking of those "off-limits" foods not as things i can't have, but rather that i don't have. ["i can't eat cake" v "i don't eat cake."] it reminds me that i'm in control of my own diet and reinforces my actively seeking a healthier life. anyway, it's probably not ever going to be perfectly easy, but it will get better. you will likely have ups and downs, but if you actively try, then i'm sure you'll see a general upwards trend. just give yourself healthier options, don't dwell on what you "can't" have, and don't forget to cut yourself some slack! keep us posted on how it goes!

so, i didn't work out on Wednesday, but i did a lot of swimming at the springs. and i didn't work out yesterday either, but we went rock climbing instead! and i got my own shoes!!! really exciting. also, it's a new month, and this morning i decided to do a whole30-lite kind of thing. no chocolate! no cookies or cakes or other baked things! minimal grains! minimal dairy! sugar in my coffee and honey in my tea is ok. and i'm not going to try to minimize fruit because meh. i like fruit, and it's not like it's bad for me. as long as it doesn't become a sugar crutch i think it's fine.

my long-term goal is to be able to do parkour. my dad's is to be able to do a kip up. my partner's is to be able to ice climb. i like all of these goals because they aren't things that can stand alone. so for example in parkour, i have to be able to run for fairly long distances, have good balance, be able to jump high, and have strong arms and legs. it's a goal that keeps me focused because there are so many different ways to train for it and to always get better. so that's something to consider.

well, i would think that's a red flag. it sounds like it's going to be a big piece, and if it's going to be taking up a lot of space on your body forever, you want to be completely sure you'll love it. plus, from what you say, it sounds like it might be difficult or uncomfortable to discuss what you want with these guys. if you aren't comfortable saying "no i don't like that, i was thinking something more like this," then there's a problem. i would say keep looking around and see who else you might be able to get hooked up with. you really don't want to rush into anything with the wrong artist!

my god, these last two pages feel like i've been transported to gif-land! soooo many gifs! a set-back isn't a failure, you know? it's just a set-back, it's change-able, it has the potential to be a small bump in a long road. and i can tell you right now, you aren't a disappointment to anyone here. plus, you've made great progress in the past, so it sounds like this 10 lbs is small in the grand scheme of things. maybe try to concentrate on the great things you've done in the past and channel that to your present. i like Aerie's idea: what is your favorite feature about yourself? maybe whenever you start to get down on your body, step in front of a mirror, put a smile on your face, and remind yourself of a feature that you really like.

yes, always better to do something than to do nothing. keep going strong!

man oh man, i've been busy! yesterday we went to these really posh hot springs right after i was done with work and stayed there until bedtime. then the days before that, i think i was just hanging out with my partner, working out, jogging every day [what??] and just generally having fun! still doing the whole manic/depressed thing with the job, but it's gotten a lot better since i started actually doing work-work and not just training. so yeah, things is good! ...except for the brownies that i had for dinner last night. [we got home really late, there was no food in the house, and the brownies were the only thing already made up haha] i still don't have any idea of what to do for this challenge, but things have been going so well that i think i'll just keep doing what i'm doing and use the thread for keeping myself accountable for eating well and working out. been dreaming of biking across some state lines again this summer... and climbing lots of rock faces and back packing over some mountain peaks and swimming in lots of rivers and lakes. can't wait for the sun to stick around!

good job getting back to it! you'll get back to where you were in no time, just keep pushing yourself!

good on ya. it doesn't matter where you're coming from, or how you got there, just matters where you go next. in other words, don't be too hard on yourself, you're doing what needs to be done!