Aria

What the heck have I been doing for the entire month of October?! I knew I hadn't been on here much, but it looks like I've REALLY been slacking... ugh. I DID attend a Kung Fu class yay! So I'm going to go again, and I've been doing pretty well keeping up with my 3x a week workout goal. My meditation goal has, sadly, not been happening. I just need to make time for it. Fifteen minutes or so a day should not be so hard!

I'm going to go back to Kung Fu this week (I've been travelling nonstop this month ugh!) so I'm looking forward to that. I have been doing pretty well with exercising 3x a week, but I have REALLY been slacking on my meditation goal. o_o; Like I haven't really been meditating at all. Frustrating. I'm going to really put in the effort for the last five days of the challenge!

I went to my first kung fu class, you guys! It was great!! So far, I'm actually doing pretty well, but ugh. I have a hard time getting online to update when I'm out of town. I'll try to post updates this week! <3

WEEK 2 Tuesday 9/24 9pm -- NF Beginner Body Weight Workout, 1 Circuit + 10 Tricep Kickbacks 3lbs on each arm This is a quick workout and 1 circuit is enough to get my blood pumping and make things challenging. I'm increasing reps and times (ex: I did 25 sec plank instead of 15) where I can, so hopefully I will feel comfortable attempting to do 2 full circuits soon! Gonna' meditate before bed. I was reading up on cholesteatomas (I'm having surgery on mine in December... ugh) so that kinda' freaked me out. I need to spend some time in prayer and meditation tonight for sure. All like:

Sorry to hear about your injury, Tateman. How did your workout go?

I'm a professional classical musician and also think that a bard class would be pretty cool... That way I could level up for practicing. Instead of just feeling depressed because I've been sitting in a tiny, tiny room singing the same four bars for the past twenty minutes. OPERA. SO GLAMOROUS.

Grah... I totally slacked last weekend! WTF! I thought I was doing better than that, yikes... Well, here's to starting this week a little better!

Was out of town for a few days and didn't get much done during that time. However, I did make some progress on all goals and I am updating my battle log to show it

Thank you! I hope they're more clear now

I'm super sore after my workout the day before yesterday x_x Going to do some yoga this morning with a focus on stretching it out! Gahhhh owwwies.

Doing well so far! Meditated yesterday and at more length today, worked out yesterday (even finished the arms last night yay!), and although I'm working a double today, I'm doing to do my best to avoid annoyance with customers... annoyance leads to anger and anger leads to the Dark Side.

I don't know anything about swordfighting (I was sick the day we really workshopped stage combat in my opera class...) but oh my gosh I would love this!

Thanks! I followed your link and then Googled "2200 calorie diet" and found this great link! This is a good jumping-off point for me since it gives me a better idea of what 2200 calories looks like. Excited to share: http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcr2200calmenu.html I'm thinking about throwing in a whey protein shake, too... Or an instant breakfast packet here and there.

It's really a challenge. My doctor would be delighted just to see me staying solidly in triple digits, instead of constantly flirting around the 100-105lb region... ugh. My lowest weight was 86 pounds because I was on Adderall (SCARY SCARY SCARY). I'm off all my psych meds now (turns out, being deficient in Vitamin B makes you every kind of crazy) and feeling a lot healthier... But after gaining about 30 lbs in the past two years, I'm getting a little pooch and my muscle mass is still non-existent. Thank you! I hope so, too. I think Shaolin might be cool because I really like the look and the forms... I'm just not sure yet. I need to talk to the monks and see what they recommend!

WEEK 1 9/17/2013 - 10:45 am Warm-Up: Ran stairs x6 // 5 Seal Jacks // 15 Jumping Jacks - 11:00am NF Beginner Body Weight Workout (1 circuit, no rows because I left my weights in my car...) Got the weights out of my car and did them this evening. - 12pm Meditate 9/18/2013 - 7am Meditate (EARLY day!) Worked a 12-hour shift today, so I took it easy otherwise; practiced singing on my break. 9/19/2013 - 9am Meditate - 10am Yoga (Didn't get this done...) Working a day shift today, then driving out of town for an opera excursion! Nervous, but excited. 9/19-9/22, I was out of town, but found time to meditate in the car. Even though I mostly fell asleep, I did still have some small breakthroughs in my awareness of the experience of consciousness that connects everyone. Seems weird, but I really just woke up with this peaceful knowledge that everyone is basically having the same experience of consciousness, but we can only experience it one life at a time. 9/23 Didn't do a darn thing. :\ So, how did Week 1 add up? 1. To find the right martial art for me and attend classes regularly! 2. Yoga or Weight Training 3x a week 3. Meditate 3x a week Goal 1: I had a phone call from the gentleman who teaches at the kung fu studio I plan to attend. He was very helpful and I will be certain to visit! He answered some questions that I had, and I feel more confident that kung fu is the right martial art for me. Beautiful movements! Cool forms! Weapons! Goal 2: Ouch. I only put forth this effort once this past week?? It seemed like I was doing better than that, but I must have been combining my efforts from the previous week in my mind. I will have to do better next week. Goal 3: Yay! I did meet this goal, and although we are taught to "abandon all hope for results," I have felt somewhat more at peace and secure in my ephemeral mortality an' all that.