PositiveBlue

So, I have my unicorn tracker. Yes, it is a notebook with a unicorn on it that has a Must Do List, Want to do List, Who to Call, Exercise, Outfit, and Water tracker on each page. I'm loving this little thing. I'm also loving my kids for keeping me active so far this week. 1 hour of shoveling + 30 minutes at a trampoline park on Monday; Tuesday - 30 minutes at the trampoline park again. Hoping to use the indoor basketball hoop or gym at the apartment tonight. It feels so good to be exerting myself physically. My writing challenge is in progress and my son gave me a fantastic idea that will be incorporated into it.

It's overdue. I am starting fresh again. Things I have learned over the years: Routine is my friend Change can derail me hard The state of my home either reflects or impacts my mental state Music makes all the difference I can lean on others for help I am creating this battle log as a diary, a journal, a place to announce to the world that I am here. I don't have measurements, my tape measure is in a box somewhere. This will come soon. But I have my weight: 270 lbs My target: 150-160 lbs To give me a starting point: https://www.lifespanfitness.com/fitness/resources/weight-loss-calculator ; https://www.lifespanfitness.com/fitness/resources/calories-calculator Data entered tells me this: Start Today: 2/26/2019 Difficulty: Easy-ish Days to goal of 150lbs: 682 or January 8, 2021 Cut: 338 Calories per Day Add: 30 minutes moderate or 19 minutes vigorous activity every day. To Maintain Weight: 2389 Calories Goal Calories based on cut above: 2051 Calories per day Barnes and Noble has delivered some journals I ordered for home, finance, and self. Writing things down helps me remember. In addition to aiming for weight loss, I am working on myself and my home. As stated above, my home is impacted by and can impact me negatively or positively. Right now, it's a little in limbo land because we moved and still have boxes everywhere. That needs to change sooner rather than later. For working on myself, I plan to see a therapist. Right now, that is hard due to solo parenting through the work week. But my husband will have a schedule change starting early to mid March that will allow me greater flexibility as he will be home. And because I am already focusing on so much, let's add 1 more item: budgeting. I need to budget calories and I need to budget money. On the plus side, being that my home is in the process of being unpacked and organized, this is a great opportunity to transform the whole apartment into my "bat-cave".

Good Afternoon All! I am looking to gather a potentially rag-tag group of folks for some 20 SOC to attempt Ultimate Obstacles. What is this adventure you say? It is a Ninja Warrior Training and Obstacle gym located in West Boylston, MA. Come for the adventure! At this time I do not have a set date/time in place as I'd like to explore interest. (Also posted on the Boston Nerd Fitness FB Page)

Last week I managed to hit my fruit/veggie goal; 1x on the treadmill and 1x walking about for 30 minutes outside; and no body weight. I also slept terribly and did something to my knee. Not giving up, just frustrated. This week it will be 1 trip to the gym and I'll combine the treadmill and body weight there. Veggies are a little hit or miss with 2 nights this week without dinner veggies. Special time has actually been pretty awesome, my son volunteered to get up about 10 minutes earlier a couple times this week. We chatted, made lunches together, and have both started taking Japanese on duolingo (he chose the language). I'm feeling off in my head space this week but I'll keep sticking it out.

Week 1: Epic Bust Goals: 1) Special Time: Actually happened and involved some Minecraft and chasing virtual sheep. 2) Running: 1 day 3) Bodyweight: Sort of...30 squats after hitting the treadmill 4a) After work Vegetables: 1 day 4b) Weekend Vegetables: Nope Why the epic bust? First thing Monday morning, I awoke with a nasty sore throat. In a rare twist of self-care, after going to work Monday, I decided if the sore throat was worse on Tuesday, I would stay home. It was worse, so I stayed home. I worked a few hours from home but mainly focused on fluids and rest. Now, what is important here is that I know my body. I knew when I woke up with the sore throat how bad it could potentially get. Tuesday was important because I chose self-care. As a result, I felt almost 100% by the weekend. When I get sick, symptoms tend to linger, so the early care is important to reducing that linger. Then Thursday rolled around and I had to leave early due to a fever spike in my boy. Which meant more working from home (meetings on a headset are not so fun) and tending sick child. Thankfully he is a sleep-it-off kind of sick kid, so lots of rest and he was running around by the evening. Due to the timing of the fever, he couldn't go to school on Friday (24-hr wait period rule), so another half-office/half-work from home day. By Friday night, I was 100% done with the week. Being sick did 2 things reduced my appetite and exhausted me. So I didn't really eat in the evenings and barely remembered to eat over the weekend. And I had no desire to wake-up early to run any of those days. It's okay though. Sunday we did good grocery shopping and this week is off to a great start. Now, I just need to work in some more kid time with the big one - our minecraft house needs more wool and coal.

After enduring nearly 4 months of non stop transition to end last year and start this one, stability has returned. Which naturally translates to "How do I improve my daily routine?" I joined the NF Academy for with the holiday survival pack and it essentially sat and gathered dust as my life imploded. I've got two targets of motivation this year: I bought a 6 flags season pass and I plan to take full advantage of every roller coaster they have. When I went last year with my nephew, I saw two women have to get off one of the rides because the harness couldn't close. I was terrified that I would experience the same thing. I didn't but it felt too close for comfort and that was not a good feeling. My other motivation: I am a bridesmaid in my childhood best friend's wedding this fall. I picked my dress (we all picked same but different dresses) and I want to look amazing in it. I know it is her day but I plan to look good in the pictures. Fitness/Nutrition Goals: 1) Run 3x per week - I like running and I bought the gym membership specifically for the treadmills (my home treadmill is good for walking only - unless you weigh less than 100lbs). It's been nearly two years since I've been comfortable running and I miss my "Forrest Gump" speed. I'm working back to that. 2) Weekdays; eat 1 serving of fruit/vegetable in the evenings / Weekends; 2 servings fruit/vegetables each day The cafeteria at work has a fruit and salad bar, so I'm eating fruit and vegetables during the work day but I want to increase the total consumption. I've made it an iron clad rule to have vegetables with food at work and now I really crave salads with meals. This goal is to improve on this. 3) Build and implement strength training plan, 2x per week At home I can do the NF Body Weight workout, so let's hop to it. I also want to build a routine I can to with free weights because my gym has such a lovely selection, it would be a shame not to play with them. Life Level Up Goal: 1) Positive Parenting - Special Time!, 1x per week/kid With one of my kids hitting his pre-teens, I've noticed an increase in his negative moods and behaviors. He and I also have personalities that are a prefect match for hitting each other's buttons. I believe in positive parenting and had a book on the topic. I gave my copy away years ago. Since I have felt like I've been floundering lately, I re-purchased it as a digital copy this time. Just re-reading the beginning chapters has helped me with centering myself and increasing my patience with both kids. In order to help rebuild and strengthen the parent/child relationship, the book mentions special time. 10-15 minutes of one on one time with each kid for as many days per week you can manage. During the week this will be more of a challenge due to work schedules but I know this is an important item to add, so I am starting with once per week per kid. Each kid gets 15 minutes of uninterrupted parental engagement.

Week of 8/28: Movement: 2/3...By the end of the week this was combination no energy and back-to-school. Then the weekend was playing the "broke college kid" stereotype. Where basically I bring my kids and a ton of laundry to my mother's house and we hang out for the day. Laundry at my apartment is $4.15 per load. While there, I played with the dog a bit outside, throwing bones but I don't feel like the counts much toward the movement goal. IFF: 7/7...This goal is going really well. There have been a couple of times where I consciously made the choice not to eat even being a bit hungry since it was outside my time. I try to stick to 12-8 as my window with some flexibility based on what's going on. Spanish: 6/7...1 day was missed courtesy of the migraine of doom. Migraines are pretty frequent occurrences for me but every now and again I get one that just floors me. It sucked. I didn't move much that day. Fleaball - Thanks for checking in. Actually this week is starting out with a really nice vibe. Yesterday I had the day off and both kids were at school/daycare. So I took a gate admission that my neighbor gave me and went for a walk at Tower Hill Botanical Garden. Talk about a place that is good for the soul. I took lots of pictures of various things and felt like a big kid. It was also pretty cool that they had an installation called "A Wild Rumpus" - that made me smile, as my son really liked Where the Wild Things Are. Then this morning, I did a weigh-in (usually this is supposed to be a Sunday morning thing...oops) and since I really started tracking everything I'm down 6 pounds. I was stupid happy about that. Now I have to get some graph paper and frosting, the little girl turns 4 on Saturday and I'm making the cake.

Status Update: Week of 8/21 Movement: 3/3 We hit the movement goal...somehow. I'm still a little confused how that worked out but I'll take it. Some time on the playground with the kids mostly. Which was nice, we had good weather for it. IF: 7/7 The IF is working out really well. The mindfulness from watching when I eat is translating into what I eat. The cascade effect in motion...Also, I have really been craving salads. Spanish: 7/7 The streak is strong and fun. I was really proud of myself when Duolingo said I was 2% fluent. Kind of a ridiculous number but happy me nonetheless. Also, I learned the word for bear is oso. Special Agent Oso makes more sense now (kids show that is occasionally consumed in my household). As to the off balance feelings, they are still there but getting better. I've redirected my energy a bit which has helped. The redirection has been mostly into planning my daughter's 4th birthday. A fun distraction....that I also need to get invitations sent out for this week...add to checklist. In Random Events for the week: While at the park, we came across a pitbull mix that had escaped her yard/house. Really sweet dog. I would up "dog sitting" for almost an hour waiting for animal control to show up. Thankfully the dog stayed in the park until the last 10-15 minutes. I had a couple people say to leave the dog alone, she'd get home on her own. The fact that I had one dog killed by a hit-and-run and two other dogs who could never find their way home made me really uncomfortable with that idea. Also, she had a local license tag, so the police would be able to contact her owners. I'd rather the piece of mind that the dog is safe than cross my fingers.

As August winds down, my family is facing some transition. The problem is, it is not the period I was anticipating. At the beginning of August, we were looking at my husband getting a semi-promotion (due to someone leaving), a change in hours, a need for a new car, and my son starting middle school by the end of the month. Now, the kid starts school next week that is the only thing that hasn't changed. My husband job managed to bribe the guy leaving into staying, so no change in hours and they cut my husband's overtime. My job on the other hand is moving it's manufacturing to another state by the end of September (they gave a 6 week timetable, this was not planned) and while I stay put, I still need to do a lot more coordination than usual with my plant manager so we can schedule material around the move and get things out the door. I feel like I was braced for impact from the left and it hit me on the right. While I'm happy I don't have to change my commute to 1.5 hours away, the change has still disrupted my equilibrium, for lack of a better way to say it. The mantra at home right now seems to be "just one day at a time". I'm still stressed and didn't realize how much until I started writing this. Wake me up when September end?

The Big E is the Eastern States Exposition. It is basically a giant regional fair, tons of food, shopping, agriculture, and games. I'm enjoying the Duolingo so far and have a 4 day streak going (I haven't done today's yet). Luckily there are a number of people around me who speak Spanish, so I should be able to get some verbal learning in. Though I will need to create a second account for my son as he has been trying to steal my phone so he could try. On To the Status Update: 1: Movement...Last week was rocky but I did hit the goal, though 1 day was only 8 minutes (I have a meet or exceed mindset for this one). I will take the small win and go with though. 2. IF...5 days I kept food within an 8-hour window. The "off" days were within 9 hour windows. During the week, it is easier as I stick with a 12-8 schedule for food. While at work I am kept busy and can just go until lunch. My weekend days are a bit harder because the kids still want to eat breakfast, so I am cooking food while trying not to eat it. It leads to an early temptation of willpower. This will take some adjusting to get used to. 3. Spanish...As stated above, I'm on day 4 of a streak. I hit my goal every day since Friday. I'll do today's goal after work. The Spanish is going and while a few words have tripped me up, I'm enjoying the progress. My cousin has stated that she will download the app as well, so I will have a Spanish buddy. No doubt this will lead to other languages further down the line as she and I are the types to push each other. It's a good relationship. Yesterday was the Solar Eclipse and while MA did not experience totality we did experience a partial. In "light" of this event, the local school district had a Fun in the Sun day. They handed out protective glasses, had science displays, a projection telescope, and even a "build-your-own" viewer station. This was held at the football field, which had a lovely track around it. While my kids ran around the football field with friends, I took the opportunity to walk the track a little. The event was a lot of fun and I loved the projection telescope. A high school science teacher had it up and it projected the sun onto a piece of canvass, so you could see the eclipse without looking up. I love the events like this that my town has. It was a lot of fun.

I'm posting late but have already been kind of working on my goals. As this is sort of a return to action, I'm going easy this round. Goal 1: 7 Minutes of physical activity, 3x per week This is a challenge presented to me by a life coach. Due to a flux of change, my physical activity dropped from running a couple times a week to pretty much nothing. So she presented me this challenge - just take 7 minutes. It's easier to commit to 7 minutes than to 20 or 30. This is the launch pad for my habit building. Goal 2: Engage Intermittent Fasting, 6-7x per week I've been kind of doing this by accident during the work week (mostly because I was skipping breakfast due to no time/distracted at break time). However, I want to be more mindful of my eating habits and make this a purposeful change. One small step toward mindful food consumption. Ultimate goal will be for 7 days per week. For this challenge, I will be okay with 6 days. Goal 3: Start Learning Spanish, 10 minutes per day This is one goal that is starting late with this post. My town has a lot of folks who speak Spanish and my son will be taking a Spanish class when school starts. In a previous challenge, a woman in my accountability group used Duolingo to learn Spanish for a trip and it worked really well for her. So I'm going to be a bit of a copy cat and to the same. So from today out, I'm going to try to gain some sort of basic fluency. As for the title of this challenge...well, I live in Massachusetts and September 15th is the start of the Big E. This year, I'm aiming to recreate a favorite childhood memory. As a kid, my mom would pull me from school for 1 day and the two of us would spend the entire day walking around the Big E. We did this every year and it was our "family vacation". This year, I'm going to do the same for my son. 1 day, just me and him, taking in everything. That is the goal I am reaching for right now. The "reward" if you will. Small steps towards permanent change.

This challenge, I am aiming to go back to basics. I'll be mimicking the challenge in a binder, so I can track myself off-line (which tends to be more successful). Fitness Challenges: 1) Track Food Eaten - Not looking for quantities here, more of an "Small Salad" type thing. The idea behind this is to start a focus on mindful eating. Also, trying to see if there are triggers for "junk" days or the "Oh-God-I'm-Starving" days. I typically hate food journals, so I'm trying to make this as minimally painless as possible. Minimum - 20 Days Total / 5 x week Good - 24 Days Total / 6 x week Best - 28 Days Total / 7 x week 2) Gym Recital! - In theory, I will be joining a gym at some point this month. Just waiting on a few things to align. In the mean time, I need to start getting myself dressed and moving as if I were going - there are some at home things I can do for now. The dry run. Once I get the membership, this will change to hitting the gym. Minimum - 8 Days Total / 2 x week Good - 12 Days Total / 3 x week Best - 16 Days Total / 4 x week Life Challenge: 1) Housekeeping - I focused on my kitchen sink last challenge. Now I am expanding a bit. I want to spend some time, every day doing house work chores. This includes making my son do some cleaning (dear god, the boy's room) most days. I'll let him get a little more slack than I'll allow myself but I need to get him used to it. The minute totals here are "extra" - for example, everyday I clean up dishes so those minutes don't count but if I spend time scrubbing the floors, that time will count. My home is lived in and I'm not looking for Home and Gardens but I want less clutter and stuff everywhere. Minimum - 10 minutes, 5 x week Good - 1.5 Hours Weekly Total (10 minutes min for 5 Days) - 1.5 hour cleaning session on a weekend does not count Best - 2 Hours Weekly Total These goals aren't crazy and they give me some room to make mistakes. They also give me a chance to start building in habits.

This challenge was not an amazing success. Some more schedule changes; a dash of sickness; and a bit of crazy made this month less than fun. However it was good to feel like I needed to reach some goals. I did not hit my goals the way I wanted to but that's okay right now. Next challenge, I'm going to dig out my black binder that saw me through previous challenges and Pen and Paper my way through. Keep moving forward right?

Congrats on the A's guys. I don't have a grade and I think I need to go back to my binder. I had a binder that hung out with me every day when I did challenges before. I kept better track of things that way since I'm more of a pen and paper writer than a digital writer. It was also good because I don't usually use computers on the weekends, so I still tracked. Next challenge goals are starting to wind through my brain.