emmawin

I thought I was alone in GR too - guess not! Maybe we will have to set something up here sometime?

The past week went well - It was the first week of classes, but I managed to get all of my workouts in (4 runs and 3 strength days). I ate pretty clean and packed healthy veggie-loaded lunches for the days I needed them. That's something I have to work into my schedule a little better, but I'll get there. It was a good week as far as the challenge went. Plus, it's good to be back in classes. (Mostly.) I imagine it will be a tough semester with demanding courses, but my classes should hold my interest and teach me a lot. ... that's the idea, anyway. We'll see how that goes. Time to go put my nose in a book!

Done with week four (and then some)! I met all of my goals this week. Yay. In more detail, here's how it went: 1. Jog 3-4 times a week. I went on 4 runs last week, along with quite a few slow walks with the dogs. 2. Strength train 3 times a week. I hit all of my workouts this week. I can feel some progress, but I am not strong enough to do a pull up yet. Maybe another month? Who knows. 3. Eat cleaner. I have been eating pretty well. I made several new savory recipes, so my goal of 18 new recipes over the 6-week challenge has been met now. I stopped keeping track when I got the 18th one, but I'm a ways past that now. Last week was pretty stressful, but the workouts definitely helped keep me on the calmer side. I need to keep that in mind for the future, so I don't get lazy and let the stress of classes overwhelm me into not doing my workouts. I need to keep exercise a priority, no matter how busy I am, because I feel SO much better (physically and mentally) after I get some exercise.

Halfway point - I've been MIA for a while. It's been a busy couple of weeks - between camping, family members visiting, studying for the GRE, and preparing for classes, I haven't had much time to spare. Here's how I'm doing on my goals: 1. Jog 3-4 times a week. For week 2, I ran 3 times. I only fit in 2 runs in week 3 - I'll try to make up for it this week. I must have climbed stairs over the dunes 5 or 6 times a day when I was camping, so that makes up for it a little. 2. Strength train 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes each time. In week 2, I did at least that, but I don't really remember exactly. For week 3, I got my 3 times in, as long as you count paddle boarding. I think that's supposed to be a full body workout, but I didn't feel anything. 3. Eat cleaner and try new savory recipes. I fit in about 8 new recipes, which means I've done 15 of the 16 I wanted to try. One more to go! I take the GRE this week, so I'll have one big thing off my to-do list. I doubt I'll be any less busy though, since classes start next week. It'll be a busy semester, but I am determined to fit in my workouts. Three more weeks of the challenge to go!

Week One is complete! I met all of my goals (mostly), but I played it pretty safe and didn't push myself much. Missions update: 1. Running - I ran three times this week, just what I intended. I went easy on myself as far as distance and speed to help myself recover from being a little under the weather last week. 2. Strength - I did strength training four times this week for about 15-20 minutes each instead of 20 minutes 3x a week. I'm still counting this as a success because I got the right amount of time in, even if it wasn't exactly how I planned. I'm okay with adjusting and readjusting my plans as long as I stay on track. 3. Food - I made 4 new savory recipes this week, so I'm a little ahead of schedule. It will be harder to fit cooking in when classes start in a few weeks, so getting ahead a bit is perfect. I certainly ate cleaner this week, but I still have room for improvement. I'm going to try to get in the habit of drinking water again - I used to drink cup after cup after cup every day. It's time to get back on the drinking (water) wagon. That should help with my snacking. Here's to another week!

Day 4 - So far, so good! I have made some progress on each of my goals. Mission 1 - Running. I have already completed two of my runs for the week. Both went well, but I didn't push myself a lot during either of them. Mission 2 - Strength. I did 20 minutes of strength training, mostly bodyweight exercises, on one day. I also squeezed in about 10 minutes of exercise on playground equipment: squats, dips, attempted hanging knee tucks and body rows. I would love to be able to do pull ups someday (I used to be one of the only girls in phys ed class who could do them - then I grew and my muscles didn't keep up). One day I will be able to do them again. Mission 3 - Technically speaking, if we're going to talk simply about recipes made, I'm doing well in this section. Yesterday I made a stir-fry of fresh veggies from the garden with fresh pesto and spaghetti squash. Today I made a thai tofu pizza for the first time. I think it's delightful, and even my omni family likes it - a win, certainly! That's two new savory dishes down, 16 more to go. That's all good, but I haven't reaaally been eating very clean. My main meals are all good; it's the snacks that get me down. I haven't done any baking yet (my goal was to limit that to once a week), but I think that may have backfired. I've been snacking on chocolate chips and dried fruit, which is not altogether bad, but certainly not good either. I am going to have to come up with something that I can make to munch on that will satisfy my desire to snack without too many calories. Or I need to replace it with a glass of water, since I'm not really hungry when I want to snack most of the time. Something to work on.

Thanks! I certainly feel ready to kick some butt, which is the perfect mindset to be in! Good music helps with that. I like to check youtube for my (current) favorite soundtracks and find remixes with free downloads - you might be able to add to your collection of running music that way. Eventually I want to be able to run a 5k without stopping, but I'm not sure if that's a reasonable goal right now. I need to push myself a lot harder if I want to run that far with no breaks. Really, I would just like to be able to run farther without stopping to walk. (It's the easiest way for me to get my heart rate up and burn calories in a short amount of time, something I will appreciate when classes start in a few weeks.) I should probably add in some longer runs, in addition to working on shortening my "rest" walks in between jogging.

That's one of my goals too (though I didn't actually put it on here). If you've already started training, that's probably achievable by your race date. Push yourself enough and don't give up! You can do it!

Good luck with your quest. I know how uncomfortable it is to you're bigger than you used to be and realize everything that means. Little changes can make a big difference in your journey back to a size 8!

Hopefully this method will work for you! Focusing on health is smart, but I know (for me, at least) obsessing over other things can be a hard habit to break. I think having a little breathing room is perfectly fine - if you focus on perfection you can only be let down or stressed out, and neither one of those is fun. Good luck!

You're right, you can do it! I think your goals sound achievable. If it were me, I'd be getting as much tempting junk food out of the house as possible (easier said than done when there's family involved, I know) and replacing it with healthier options. If your daughter is at the age where she would like to be at the park, you might try the NF playground workout. Spend time with your daughter and get a workout in!

I cried a little too when I watched that. I think every Whovian does. Good luck with your quest. The Doctor always needs a strong and healthy sidekick!

Walking more and eating lots of fruits and vegetables is definitely on the right track to being healthy. Fill those 1200 calories with quality food and you should be well on your way, I'd think. It's amazing how much more energy you can have when you eat clean!

I think starting small is wise - you can always move on to bigger goals after you've gotten started and built some momentum. I too am working on breaking snacking habits. I'm replacing my chocolates and things with fruits and vegetables. I love all fresh vegetables (usually carrots, cucumber, celery, jicama, or beets) with hummus or guacamole. If you're paleo, you could try macadamia nut hummus. I haven't tried it yet, but so far I have liked everything that I have tried from Healthful Pursuit. Good luck!

Hey all! I'm still working on figuring out what my epic quest is going to look like, but NerdFitness has really inspired me to make changes in my life. This is only one of the first steps on my journey of fantasticness. (The first was probably listening to soundtracks from The Legend of Zelda, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, James Bond and Game of Thrones while I run. At the very least it makes running seem more like I'm on a quest instead of just running around aimlessly through the woods.) Main Quest: Get leaner. More specifically, lose inches around my waist and hips to be able to fit into my clothes again. The Missions: 1. Continue jogging 3-4 times a week, increasing speed, distance, or time of runs. 2. Strength train using a bodyweight interval workout or free weights 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes each time. 3. Eat cleaner. I'm already a committed vegan, so for me this means more vegetables and less sugar (and grains?). Specifics: Try 18 new savory recipes that are loaded with veggies (for an average of 3 each week). Limit baking to once per week. Bonus Quests: Finish reading Guns, Germs, and Steel. Practice "Do it now" daily. My motivation: My ultimate goal is to feel strong, healthy, and confident, and this should be a step in the right direction. I also don't want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe, so losing some inches is essential. (Wearing the same thing day in and day out would be okay if I were Link or a hobbit on an epic quest, but is not ideal for my daily life. Neither is nudity.) Starting Stats: Weight: 143 poundsWaist (thinnest): 29Waist (widest): 35Arm: 12Thigh:24Hips:41