vikingbabe

Good to hear you're doing so well! Ugh about the chicken - first challenge I ran into that same "350 calories left at 9pm what do I eat??" so it was a lot of dates and yogurt for me! Carry on as you were, old chap-berzerker!

Great work this week! My old (old old old, like 15 years ago old) roomie got me hooked on sci fi reading with McCaffrey's "The Ship That Sang" - she's a beautiful writer! What are you knitting?

terosx: I have what my friend calls (and also has) the "Bite Me Gene" which means that when I work out I get FOUL (don't stand near me, I can feel you sweating, don't look at me, get out of my way, no comments, etc) so its best that I work out alone. Being oggled would mean someone has a trip to urgent care (and those things above? Yeah I've totally said them when we've worked out together). Week 1 check in: I've been steadily moving forward on my goals - running a 5k this morning then off to a Viking re-enactment (watching not participating this time).

Terosx: Thanks - its a mid-2000's DVD and totally hokey-new-agey but LOADS of fun, and I really enjoy the big yoga cool down on the Advanced disk. I won't do it when my partner is home, though - too embarrassing LOL Anyone who's reading here, if you'd like to weigh in on how often I should get my yoga in I would appreciate it. I'm thinking 4 days a week? I can't set myself up for "every day" and I really don't want the expectation to be "on rest days" since I would like to rest a day or two every week

Second Challenge, same title Its gonna be a bit before I get there, but I'm in it for the long haul! Like last time, I'll be refining my goals over the first few days of the Challenge - it takes me some time to figure out exactly what I want to accomplish and then figure out steps to getting there! EDIT 1: Updated current quest and food goal. Ultimate Quest: become Small but Deadly (and find some activity that will keep me that way) Main Quest: run my November 5k without walking; complete one pull up; be much farther from "obese" and much much closer to "healthy" on the BMI scale Current Quest: wear those gray pants! Quest Accomplishments: 1) THE FOOD PART Track my food daily in SparkPeople, stick to my macros, and try 8 new recipes. I did a *great* job last Challenge tracking my food daily - I'm going to continue with that (I even tracked daily between challenges!). I can't, however, say "no meals out" as there are a lot of celebrations (work event, trip up north x2, my birthday AND my anniversary) but I will make smart choices and continue to plan for our meals even on the weekends. I have 6 new crockpot meals planned, and have a list of rubs and marinades I want to try out as well as a chili recipe to try out in preparation for our Solstice party, so "try new recipes" is a good augment to this goal. This is a PASS/FAIL goal - and I think I will give myself a small attribute boost when I accomplish this. 2) THE WORKOUT PART Work out on plan 5 of 7 days per week. I'm picking up my 30 Day Shred for the cardio/weight part of my workouts, and continuing with running training (C25k for now) two days of the week. I'll rest 1-2-3 days of the week, depending on scheduling (crazy late work days, getting dark earlier, lots of stuff planned in the next 6 weeks). Total workouts planned: 30 - that's 12 runs, 18 30DS workouts. I'm not going to break them out to separate goals this time. 30-28 = A, 27-25 = B, 24-20 = C, 19-15 = D. 3) THE NEW WORKOUT PART YoGa! YoGa! (I need to figure out a frequency for this one) Once my back freaked out on me (and I realized I wouldn't 'break' myself by stretching) I started doing some simple yoga stretches and it helped with the pain a lot. (Not going to sugar-coat it: my back still hurts a bit, and now I've got weird nerve pain in my side radiating to the front of my body) I took a yoga class a LONG time ago (first year of college FTW!) and have 'dabbled' in yoga but in no serious way since then. Unless you count Yoga Booty Ballet, which I LOVE. So I want to expand on my fitness by incorporating yoga. I read a bunch of the Druid forum and then freaked out because general opinion is either "go for it" or "you will break in half" - so I consulted with a friend (who does yoga on the regular) and she reassured me I won't break myself, as I don't plan to do anything "crazy" (no headstands, no crow, etc at the beginning). So I've signed up for some yoga journal emails, and will be downloading some yoga podcasts and an app recommended in the Druids' camp. FREQUENCY TO MEET GOAL TBA 4) THE LIFE GOAL Put together my wedding scrapbook. (such an easier life goal this time around!) I'm coming up on my 3rd wedding anniversary (during the challenge no less!) I've got the photos printed out, most of the 'stuff' I need to put the book together (still need some embellishments, and a book to put the finished pages in), I've been pinning layout ideas like a madwoman - it would really be nice to have the book done, so I can show it off to my in-laws and also at a retreat coming up at the end of the year (we made 90% of the wedding stuff ourselves, and I make a lot of the decor and a quilt at retreat 3+ years ago). I'll add step-wise what needs to be accomplished, but this is a PASS/FAIL goal. MOTIVATION I need regular and consistent physical activity to feel 'good' in my body. I also need regular and consistent physical activity to counteract the amount of sitting/driving I do on a daily basis. I feel better physically when I feed my body healthy foods. I am discovering new, tasty recipes that are also healthy. I want to be "In your FACE!" to my PCP when I show her I've lost weight (she only cares about that one # sadly) I want to be small but deadly. My partner bragged to all his friends at Faire that I would be doing Insanity, so I need to prove him right (thanks, hon). I want to continue to shock people with my age v. how old I 'look' as I get older.

Looking forward to seeing your progress this Challenge - hope you're rocking your first day!

Really glad you took that how it was intended I'm also curious about what you read for pleasure - are you looking for recommendations, do you have a list you're choosing from? I really like how you've put your goals in the present tense/showing ownership - very powerful.

Totally posted in the wrong Challenge LOL sorry!

I haven't read the thread yet, just stopping in because I seriously laughed when I saw your thread title - Gentleman Berzerker sounds A W E S O M E! Picturing a Viking biting his shield while wearing a monacle LOL!

Hey there! Pleased to see we are Newbies > Adventurers together! I still love your attitude - "cereal bars" and "slipey hands" LOL! Good adventuring lady, you are going to rock this one out too!

Finally have an opportunity to check in - I made it to the end of the Challenge, but to be honest that was a challenge in itself - managed to injure my left upper back which meant I couldn't do anything (except whine about pain) for the past week+. Mekong: not weird to ask - I'm 5foot3; not super tiny but smaller than 'average' LOL Sabrinamari: thanks for checking in Deerskin: yeah, I would settle for a 'pink collar' job right now if it would pay the bills/they would hire me because professional jobs = endless meetings and paperwork in my field. I'm not doing what I want to do with my degree/experience. Especially not after the week I've had LOL Anyway, here's my Challenge goals with matching evaluation (I've posted to the End Of Challenge thread, but I'm not copy/pasting that so I can expand a bit more here - didn't want to hog up the general thread Ultimate Quest: become Small but Deadly. (and find some activity that will keep me that way) Main Quest: run my November 5k without walking; complete one pull up; be much father from "obese" and much much closer to "healthy" on the BMI scale. Current Quest: by the end of this Challenge, fit back into my gray pants. Fantastic fit in the hips/waist, thighs still too tight. I figure one more Challenge and I can wear them this winter (and then will need to buy new smaller pants LOL) Quest Accomplishments: 1) Track my food DAILY (SparkPeople app), no take out meals (plan ahead, especially weekends) I have a generally healthy diet (veg-heavy, lots of water every day, no sugar) and tracking my food has kept me *very* accountable in the past. I generally don't want to input something that is crap food, and I can play around with my choices to see if I have enough calories/meets my macro goals. Eating out is my downfall, especially on weekends. Since my car decided to level up this week (new radiator FTW! ) I need to be even more vigilant with my budget right now. I'm going to work on 'fast food at home' recipes to fill that void, as well as MEAL PLANNING for the next six weeks. This is a pass/fail goal. Totally nailed this goal - six weeks of NO EATING OUT was tough but I planned my way through it. I tracked my food every day in SparkPeople - my first week was just trying to get my calories up (I found I was severely under-eating if I wasn't eating junk [lots of chips]), the second week was trying to get my fat grams under control (way way too easy to over-eat those!), I managed 40-50% carbs, around 30% protein, 20-30% fat (yeah that doesn't add up to 100% but its a general range of where I hit most of the time - I never went over on my protein grams but carbs occasionally and def. fat grams spiked a bit). Tried 12 new recipes, six are 'keepers' and printed out, one was not so good (lentil ricotta meatballs) so we won't be making it again - the others I'm going to tweak a bit and then add them into the rotation. Burger Night was a hit, we made a couple fast food-like meals (but my partner started eating some of the food I'd picked up to have on hand 'just in case' so I need to reign him in a bit LOL). Still struggling a bit with weekend lunch planning, but I'm doing oh so much better. PASS - +1 Wisdom 2) Lift 3x per week, either Beginner's Bodyweight or P90 Sculpt. That's 18 weight workouts. I plan to use my alone-time during the weeknights since I can do these at home - if I must I will double-up on a run day to keep myself accountable. 18 = A, 15-17 = B, 12-14 = C, 10-13 = D. Less than 10 is not an option. Due to illness, I missed a week. 15 = A, 14-12 = B, 11-9 = C, 8-6 = D. Less than 6 is impossible because I was already pretty far into the challenge LOL I hit 10 workouts by the end - back pain kept me from my last week as well as extreme exhaustion in week 5 (I let me calories dip below 1300 [my low threshold is 1500] so I think that may have been it? but 12-hour days + 2hr commute might have done it as well). I earned a solid C, I'm glad I at least 'passed' with it. I started doing some simple yoga once I realized I would not die if I stretched my back (down dog, cobra, cat/cow, thread the needle, child pose) and due to rows & pushups HOLY CRAP I felt so strong in down dog - not just struggling to keep myself up and not collapse (before), but actually able to push my hips up to the sky and all. I also got through two weeks of "ugh lunges suck" to "there is no 'difficult' part to this workout!" I'm really proud of what I learned with BBWW - especially because I watched the video and first thought "oh yeah that's not a workout" (wtf was I thinking?!?) +1 Strength 3) Run 2x per week (RunKeeper app) That's 12 workouts. I have two 5k's planned for later in the year (and maaaybe a 3rd, depending on plans and finances). I've been good about getting to the track in the past - but with my partner's schedule (and I won't run alone at night, too many creepers) two a week Will Be Done! (if it works out and I can fit in a 3rd run I totally will for training purposes) 12 = A, 10-11 = B, 7-9 = C, 4-8 = D. Due to illness, I missed a week. 10 = A, 8-9 = B, 6-7 = C. Again anything less is impossible at this point. I hit a solid C with 7 runs during this Challenge - again with the back issues. I started doing C25K around week 3, it really pushed me out of my comfort zone (I started on that program's Week 4, picking up right after where I was already running intervals) and I can now run for 5 minutes at a stretch. If I keep it up (IF I KEEP IT UP, SELF!) I *will* be running my November 5k with ease. +1 Constitution Life Quest: Apply for at least one job per week during the challenge - to Level Up in my career (and personal sanity). 6 = A, 5 = B, 4 = C, 3 = D, 1-2 = F (I'm more gentle on myself here, this is a really hard move for me to make). I'll give myself bonus points if I apply for MORE than 6 by the deadline. This goal was way too lofty for me - I made very little progress, applied to NO jobs (partly out of field paralysis - I'm over qualified for waaay too much, and I don't want to apply for jobs where I'm doing what I'm already doing because I DO NOT LIKE IT even though I could make a lateral move quite easily). I did NOT meet this goal, learned a bit about myself through this and will be setting a very different, more realistic life quest goal on my next challenge. FAIL. Motivation: My Treasure Map (aka vision board) I feel physically better when I am consistently healthy with my food choices. I feel emotionally better when I am consistently working out. I am a role model to the teens I work with. I want to live a long and healthy life. [placeholder for my beginning/ending stats, which are not anywhere near where I am typing this] Overall I did a solid job on this Challenge - of course I wish I was the "best newbie ever" but whatever - I was the best vikingbabe I could be, made lots of progress, did not give up when I was discouraged, and am looking forward to succeeding again!

Ok, I made it to the end of my FIRST Challenge! I'll be updating my personal thread later on. I give myself a solid "C" for this round! Ultimate Quest: become Small But Deadly (and find some activity that will keep me that way) Main Quest: run my November 5k without walking; complete one pull up; be much farther from "Obese" and much much closer to "Healthy" on the BMI scale. CURRENT QUEST: by the end of this Challenge, fit back into my gray pants. I fit very well in the hip/waist area, but my thighs are still tight. Let's give it one more Challenge go-round. QUEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1) TRACK FOOD DAILY AND NO TAKE OUT MEALS This was pass/fail, I totally PASSED! Tried 12 new recipes (6 are 'keepers', one is a 'nope'), we did not eat out at ALL - and celebrated on Tuesday with "Unagi Bowl Tuesday" or as my partner has re-named it, "TUE-NAGI!!!!" +1 Wisdom for the planning, tracking, and knowledge gained with food choices. 2) LIFT 3X PER WEEK I earned a "C", which is good enough for me in the Challenge (IRL, I am NEVER a C student - but I'm also much more of a comfy person than a Spartan so there's that). Really really enjoyed the BBWW, and saw progress along the way! +1 Strength - obvs. 3) RUN 2X PER WEEK Another "C" here, but bumped my running times to 5:00 each 'run' and am making great headway on my November goal +1 Constitution for raising my endurance. LIFE QUEST: APPLY FOR AT LEAST ONE JOB PER WEEK [ADJUSTMENT: DO something TOWARD JOB FINDING EACH WEEK] I made minimal progress here - I think I set the bar waaay too high for myself. Fail. General update: lost 4.9# (mostly in the last two weeks, thanks, body!), a total of 7 1/2 inches over my entire body, better digestion, better sleep, stuck to my budget (side effect of meal planning) - total success IMO. But heck, I'm a LEVEL 2 ADVENTURER NOW!

Wow this challenge came at a great time for me - I did all 4 exercises before my body weight workout (modified the steps with up & down on a stepstool due to lack of equipment) and it was great! I could only do 2 "real" burpees (with jump, no push up) and then had to step back. Unsure if its just because they are stupidly difficult or because I did them immediately after the mountain climbers. I'm planning to do this circuit before my BBWW from now on!