KenTheBrave

Day 7: Last But Not Least Wasn't a very productive day, had so many chores to catch up on because of a very hectic week. Running around the house and getting things done that desperately needed it was draining. I kept looking at the clock and wanting to get to the gym. I finally found the time later in the afternoon, but fate had other plans. I had a flat tire. I could see the screw sticking out from between the treads, mocking me. Well, that didn't stop me. I swapped it out for my spare and managed to get a half out workout cranked out. I heard recently from Thomas Tadlock on his Vegan Body Revolution podcast that it's important to maintain the proper tempo when lifting. Basically, you want to make sure you engage your muscles for the right amount of time when engaging your lift to make sure they get the most benefit. You should take longer to get to the low position of your squat. So, the progress I thought I was making wasn't so accurate But, silver lining, now I can start making sure I'm making gains with good form *and* good tempo. Squats: 15@40 8@45 3@55 Total XP Earned: +5

Day 6: Two for One Updating for the past two days. Quick break down: - Friday 5-15-15: Managed to hit my protein goal again (thank you pea powder) +5 and keep the TV off +5. The lesson went better than I thought! I try and succeeded with both of my new moves! +20 Our instructor had a lot of good notes that I need to start making into habits when I dance. Don't want all my hard work to be forgotten! XP Earned: +50 - Saturday 5-16-15: Slept in, didn't eat much, but spent some much needed time with my fiance and friends. No TV, just person to person contact. +5 XP Earned: +5 All in all, a very encouraging weekend, but I know that it won't always seem so easy... Not resting on my laurels just yet. I am going to try to get a workout and a practice session in while juggling some household chores that we haven't had time to do. Busy is better than bored! TTFN! Total XP Earned: +55

Hahaha! No, she's going to be ok but thank you for your concern Her mom actually offered to pay for it as her unofficial wedding gift to us. We're paying for the wedding ourselves so we're pretty strapped right now. Thank you for your support. Maybe some day I'll have as many followers as your Quest

Day 4: Alternate Plans Rough day. Found out that my fiance needs a new alternator. Also that her extended warranty doesn't cover that. Also found out that a new one, parts and labor, was around $800. Suffice it to say we didn't make it to our dance lessons. On the plus side, no TV (didn't even make it home till late), and made my protein goal. Total XP Earned: +10

Day 3: One-Armed Band-Aid I try to donate plasma at least once a week. Tuesday I had a string of bad luck. Got there late, had to wait to be screened, then had to wait to get a seat. The machine I was at wouldn't work right so I had to move. Because of all the extra people waiting, some of the nurses were staying late after their shifts were supposed to end. I happened to get one helping me and she wasn't gentle on my arm. Usually they do a few practice swings before sticking the needle in, but she just jabbed me and walked away. Ow. Then, when she extracted it, I felt the needle scrape as it came out. Never had a nurse do that before and I hope I never do again. My arm was throbbing on my way out and hurt most of last night. I was hoping it would have healed in time for me to get to the gym yesterday but it was still bleeding a little so I decided not to risk it. Going to stop going for a while. My arm should be fine by tomorrow but it doesn't look pretty. I slipped up a little and caught myself in front of the TV yesterday afternoon. I needed some cheering up and I love Bob's Burgers. But, I still managed to practice and hit my protein goal again (this protein powder is a life saver). We're hopefully going to our lesson tonight and if I can slip in a few new moves, that'll be a nice boost for today. Here's hopin'!! Total XP Earned: +10

That was a concern of mine as well. We're only having hors d'oeuvres so the portions will be small. But I do also have a pretty strong stomach. My family is very country, so lots of fried chicken, big grease steaks, and veggies covered in butter (grew up on a lot of garbage). We're using a very good caterer so I know the quality will be good. My magic bullet has been Activated Charcoal. It's fantastic! Going vegan means eating a lot of very gassy foods (Kale is a big one for me) but if I take two caps before we eat, I don't even notice. It's a little pricey, but it works like a charm!

Hey bees! I just joined the forums recently, so I'm still finding my way around. I love your quest! It's a good stepping stone to a healthier you My fiance and I have been trying to eat better too and one website that I absolutely love is The Minimalist Baker. It's a vegetarian site, not sure if you're diet is that extreme, but the thing I love about it is that the recipes are made specifically to save you time and money. There are ones that only take half an hour, ones that only use one pot, and my favorite, ones that use 7 ingredients or less! It's the perfect site for people who have trouble getting motivated to cook (like me ). Hope your trip went well!

So *that's* what's been happening to my underpants!! Very true Ilham, taking a lot of steps (even if they're not done well) is better than never trying. I'll keep reminding myself of that. Day 2: Something out of Nothin' So I didn't have a great day yesterday. Had a slow, unproductive day at work after a night of poor sleep. But, I managed to keep the TV off (+5), made my protein goal (+5), and snuck in a 30 minute practice session (+5). I also figured out that a lot of my goals have to do with being distracted: - I'm not a bad driver because I can't figure out how a car works, but because I'm not paying attention to everyone else on the road or where I need to turn next. - I get distracted by TV not because I become a zombie when I see one, but because I haven't devoted enough of my attention to getting work done. - It's not that I can't dance at all, but I don't remember the moves very well because I wasn't paying close enough attention to them when we learned them. What I really need to be working on is being more present. It sounds kind of hippie dippie, but not being inside your own body is something I've always struggled with. Interesting what you can learn about yourself. Maybe I'll revise my side goals at some point. Total XP Earned: +15

Ilham, I just read through your quest and you've had quite the journey! I can totally sympathize with you about the PCOS, my fiance recently found out she has it. A doctor found the right treatment for her and she's been adjusting to it for the last few months now. It's certainly not easy, but I'm glad there's help for women who have to deal with this condition. You have been doing so well and it's encouraging to hear that you don't hide the Negatives, especially from yourself. We could all take a note from that. We're all behind you and hope you succeed! Another pic for your collection:

Day 1: Two out of Three Ain't Bad Wasn't able to make my dance log yesterday. Had to take the car to the shop. Luckily they had good enough reception for me to watch some videos for my Moves of the Week. For Lindy, the move is the Barrel Roll, for Jitterbug, the Inside Turn with a Handshake Drag. I found a few good videos of what I wanted and watched them over and over. I did, however, manage to make my protein goal (164 grams) with the help of some Pea Protein I found. Three scoops in one day, but luckily it tastes ok with just water. Also made it to the gym late in the evening and got some squats and bench presses in. Note: I don't include the weight of the bar. They typically are 45 lbs, but since that amount doesn't change, I don't bother tracking it. I'm only interested in how much I add. Squats: 20@50 10@70 4@90 (That's 20 reps at 50 lbs followed by 10 reps at 70 lbs, etc) Bench: 10@20 5@20 I'm trying to achieve a Pyramid with my lifts, which is where you gradually increase the weight with each set until you can only do 4-6 reps then decrease till you can do 20 reps. So far, I can only work my way up till the 4, but it's a start! Been meaning to take some "Before" pictures of myself, but I'm not sure if I'd want to share them or just keep them for myself. Here's a rough idea of what I look like now. Total XP Earned: +10

Thanks Ilham! I hope that since I put so much work into writing it, I'll have a reason to actually follow it :-P Best of luck to you too!

My name is Ken the Brave and I'm a level 0 elf living in Colorado. For most of my life I've been very introverted and lazy, living in my own little vault. I met my awesome girlfriend going on 5 years ago and she has really helped me come out of my shell. We're getting married this September and I want to make sure I'm at my best when we tie the knot. Main Quest: Fusion - Be ready for our big day! [Earn at least 1,000 XP before September, 2015] Mission #1: Kinetic Energy We took up swing dancing a little over a year ago and I love it! But, there's always been a gap between how good she is (very) and myself (not great). We go to lessons 1-3 times per week, but I need more than that to improve. - I want to learn and try out a new move each week. I've started my own video log of all my practice sessions and started making notes on how I'm doing. I remind my future self not to give up! And as extra insurance, every week I don't branch out, I pay for her lesson. Experience Per Lesson: New Move(s) Not Attempted: -50 XP + Cost of Her Lesson! New Move(s) Successful: +20 XP New Move(s) Attempted: +5 XP Number of Practice Sessions per Week: 0: -50 XP 1: +5 XP 2: +10 XP 3: +20 XP 4: +30 XP 5+: +40 XP Mission #2: Source Material We also decided to go vegan from now until the wedding (there's going to be meat and dairy on the menu). I've been logging my food on Myfitnesspal for a while and I need a lot more protein than what I've been getting. - I want to start hitting my goal of 160-180 grams of vegan protein per day. At least 3 times a week, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it happen! Number of Days Protein Goal is Met per Week: 0: -50 XP 1: +5 XP 2: +10 XP 3: +20 XP 4: +30 XP 5+: +40 XP Mission #3: Biomass I've looked into a lot of fitness and workout plans over the years and couldn't really find anything that kept my attention. I heard about Starting Strength on a podcast and liked how straightforward it was. Lift, lift more, repeat. - I am going to workout at least 3 times a week and do at least 1 kind of lift (Squat, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Rows, Overhead Press, etc). I've started logging this as well. Number of Workout Sessions per Week: 0: -50 XP 1: +5 XP 2: +10 XP 3: +20 XP 4: +30 XP *Note: I'm going to limit this to 4, to encourage more recovery between workouts. ---Side Quests--- Like the Vault Dwellers, my experience with the real world has been virtually nonexistent. I'm not a very good driver, I get nervous talking to people outside of work, and we don't have very many friends (she's from Chicago and many of my friends have moved away). Side Quest: Memory Map - I want to learn my way around. I drive every chance I can to familiarize myself with the streets and get used to driving in traffic. I'm also trying to learn the streets and highways better. I want to drive more often without needing my GPS. Work, Home, and other familiar locations do not count! +5 XP for each trip without the use of a GPS Side Quest: Facial Recognition - I want to learn to socialize and empathize with others, and be a good friend and husband. When we go to dance lessons, I want to remember the names of at least 3 people and say hi next time we see them. +5 XP for each name remembered Side Quest: Background Noise - I love listening to stand-up comedy and watching TV, but this gets very distracting and I don't get much done. I want to listen to more swing and jazz music instead of distractions. +5 XP for each day listening to only music (no comedy, no TV) [image credit: http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs33/f/2008/308/3/c/Fallout__Vault_101_by_fgesn.jpg ]

That does help! Great signature BTW

Thanks everyone for sharing! I can totally relate to Kyellan as well. It's a very exhilarating feeling when it does happen, but it would be great if it were easier to find. Turtle: you bring up a good point. I wonder if one person's Flow is the same as another's, or if it's all relative. Does it feel different every time you've felt it? - "You can't get into a flow if you're sitting on the couch" <-Great point! We can all benefit from getting out there! MollytheMO: I think I know what you mean. The first time my fiance took me to one of those 'paint and sip' classes, I could swear we were only there for a half an hour, but the class was two hours long! Time really does fly huh? I've noticed it's easier to get into the zone with some good workout music. What do you all like to work out to? I like Zeppelin and Audioslave myself.

Thanks Raincloak I love TED Talks! I'll be sure to check that out.

Hello all! I found this site years ago, but have been a little shy about joining the Rebellion officially. My fiance and I are getting married this year, and we're both trying to change our eating and workout habits (or lack thereof). Just the push I need to find some backup in my journey! I'm happy to be here and hope I can find some folks like me </unsolicited personal introduction> Anyway, I love science, psychology, tech, and interesting things about humans and our behavior. I listen to podcasts like Radiolab, You Are Not So Smart, and The New Man. They've all touched on something called a "Flow State" that is supposedly the ultimate level of focus and clarity. Being "In the zone" or a "zen state" of mind. Like Neo in the Matrix or something. Have you ever experienced this? Do you believe it's a real thing or just a new buzzword? Can you purposefully get into a Flow State? What are your thoughts about this?...