Balthazar

Half way through, feeling fine. Truth be told I'm not keeping track of the weeks much now because things are starting to become habit, this is just how I live now.

Sad news, I tweaked myself a little doing Snatches this morning which means I will have to modify my workout. I'm thinking of going to lower weight higher reps of deadlifts so that I still get my leg pull exercises in.

What are peoples thoughts on protein shakes, some love em, some hate em, some say you have to be careful which you get. What are all ya'll experiences

Hit the gym last night so wasn't too excited about going again today but had to, to meet my goal of 3 sessions a week. I split my usual full body workout into a legs day last night and upper body today.

Made the change of having a big protein shake and a couple of bananas before the gym which I think really helped out and carried me through, made up a new thing I'm calling a 'glory set'. At the end of my planned reps and sets for a given exercise I do a 'bonus' set - a glory set. 

I go up a weight bracket or two and just see if I can handle it, even if it's just one rep, I call it the glory set because it makes me feel pumped to do it (and because I can hear Leonidas in my head "prepare for glory!!!!!) and I was super stoked today to manage the 30kg dumbells for the first time ever on the bench press. Big mental block for me going up from the 20 something bracket to the 30 something bracket, and it means I have topped out the main rack of weights meaning my next long term goal is 40kg dumb bells.

part way through but my quests are pretty constant

1) Exercise at least 3 times per week

2) Eat 15 healthy meals a week

3) Spend 3.5 hours each week learning another language

Oh I also suppose I need some goals, I'll have a think about that

looks like you are doing really well and congrats on finding duo lingo I think it's great - a really accessible way to start getting into a language

hey if you want any advice on calories just let me know, all I need to know is your current weight in lbs and your target weight in lbs. I'd be happy to help.

bad news about the elbow, any chance of seeing a physio or something to deduce what's up

Hey man how's week 2 going

hey dude, thanks for checking up on my a fb, how's things going?

Oh and I mentioned my class has changed.

In a moment of self awareness I realise I am not a templar I am a battle mage. I like to be physical and be fit and strong but I also like to be smart and use my brain - to quote a friend I'm a "nerd bro", I love lord of the rings, dungeons and dragons and computer games but I also love Rugby Union, working out and sports

And I am totally cool with that, it's taken me 28 years to figure it out but I'm cool with it

Hi gang,

good/bad news

Bad news I haven't been on here enough with all you wonderful people, supporting you on your journeys

Good news, for the first time since I started here a year and a half ago I have actually made progress and bossed through a challenge.

Exercise more - Check

   Now exercise three times a week, have nearly tightened my belt up two notches and am noticing my chest is getting flatter

Eat better - Check

   The social meal - occasion meal is working really well for me. If I am out for a friends birthday or it's date night or whatever then I can happily eat what I want, but if it is just a normal meal (week night, breakfast or lunch at work) when all I need is food then I eat healthy - veg, fruit, meat, pasta and rice. I've also cut a lot of meat out of my diet and am feeling a lot better for it.

Learn Italian - Check

   Have worked through all my discs once and I'm now going back through them - I have also picked up a learn Italian book I am going to get stuck in to

Be a Role Model - Check

   I have joined the gym and inspired my fiancee and three of my friends to join the gym, we have swapped out some of our gaming and movie nights for gym nights and go together and cheer each other on, everyone is getting fitter and it's made us closer.

So everything is finally going well, the only place I am dropping the ball is with my Nerd Fitness squad, who were there for me when no one was, who put up with my failures and cheered me on so this is the last thing on my list to get righ.

I will be on here going through the challenge with the occasional update but I am mostly here for the best group of people in the world - Team Ranger

So since when last we spoke things have been going well.

Not had any meat yet this week and have mostly kept myself to vegetarian chilli, sweet potatoes and home made spicy beans with home made shakes in the morning.

After some different recipes my fiancee has hit on a really tasty recipe that could seriously be bottled and put on the shop shelf - I will get the combo for ya'll cos caring is sharing but I know it has kiwi and mango in it - it is seriously delicious.

I do need to get a few more rapid recipes under my belt because eating the same three things for lunch and dinner will eventually get old.

Looking forward to a spot of meat this weekend, it marks 6 years since me and my fiancee have been together so I think we are either going to go somewhere nice or get a phenomenal cut of steak to have at home.

Great start to the challenge Daniel, especially with the food goal.

 

 

I've been thinking of cutting down my meat consumption for the very same reasons.

Give it a try, it does suck for the first few days and your stomach will be making some weird sounds, but (as long as you maintain protein with eggs and stuff) by about day 4 you should be feeling some of the benefits from it.

Then when you do have meat, make it something decent like a great cut of steak and it's glorious - almost like an overload after the no meat.

Back with a vengeance, indeed.  Great work, Daniel!

Look at you a guild leader now, I remember when you were a wee new thing! Gratz on the well deserved promotion and thank you very much for popping by

Week 1 in the books and it's damn good to still see you around dude!

I look forward to a vegetable heavy meal like 2-3x a week- I know how ya feel brotha.

Wolf

 

hey man, thanks for stopping by and yea those veggie meals can really even you out.

Grim as it sounds I haven't been going to the toilet nearly as much (not that I had some weird problem before) which I am taking to mean that my body is using more of what I eat rather than literally labelling it as crap.

Good going. I've wondered about eating less meat for eco reasons but never actually took the plunge. Interesting to see how well you're doing with it.

"I knew he was bluffing"

It's worth a crack - I was the biggest meat eater ever, literally meat every meal of the day every day of the week, even breakfasts were always meat. I also have shitty willpower so if I can do it anyone can

Wow, looks like you're back with a vengeance this time! Here's to wishing the momentum keeps you going *raises protein shake*

Yea man, and I can feel that Raider tidal wave brewing

Great start Bro.  Way to hit it hard.

hey, thanks man - I'll swing by your thread asap

Glad you came back. Some of those gifs I had in store are brutal. Well done on week 1, especially on the food goal. You Rock.

I was pretty concerned there for a minute.

Looks like a solid start to the week mate.

Thanks dude

Stu makes me smile, I was exactly the same when I first tried yoga

"oh how hard can it be" 60 minutes later "pretty hard"

Hey glad to see things are going well, that the big things are running smoothly meaning you can pay attention to the smaller things less anxiety

 

Appreciate everyone's support. Busy life's been keeping me away, but I try to at least pop in regularly and update my thread.

 

dude you're winters just tend to be kind of manic and things slacken up but then come late Jan/early Feb you always tighten up and come back better than before

looks like week one was a success.

I was thinking about you the other day (weird) booked my honeymoon and one of the places we are going to is Texas!

so far, so good

Goal One - 10 Healthy Fuel Meals a week.

Ten Meals? Try 17

That's right 17 of my 21 meals are what I would call healthy. After worrying I would struggle not eating as much meat the majority of those meals were meat free - Don't worry I'm still having a plenty of protein.

These wins include turning down free McDonalds when offered and drinking no alcohol, pop, juice or cordial!

I am super pleased with myself. I had a social meal for football on Sunday, but kept it to meat and potatoes and had salad instead of bread and I had a social meal Friday night for a friends birthday and Saturday night when I took my fiancee to the ballet.

Friday night we went to a burger place that was meant to be good but I really wasn't enjoying it and was looking forward to a nice vegetable meal as soon as possible.

Saturday night instead of having the usual burger that I tend to have when I go out, I made the decision to have something different whenever I go out. On Saturday night this meant bbq ribs, skin on fries and some zesty coleslaw which was delicious.

Goal Two - Lift weights three times a week and cycle three times a week.

I managed two sessions this week just gone rather than three. Primarily that is because I have been trying to exercise at half five in the morning before I go to work which just isn't working for me. Also the gym I was using is grim.

So I moved gym which enables me to exercise more easily around work and won't be surprised if I get in 5 or 6 sessions this week so I ain't worried

Goal Three - 7 Hours of Italian a Week and work on my Epic Quest List

I just managed to get in my 7 hours and have got through discs 1 through to 3, started disc 4 today. The discs are really good and I am happy with my progress hopefully I will have a good grasp of Italian by the end of this challenge.

Haven't start the Epic Quest List because of birthdays and stuff last week, plan to get some done on it this week

He was making good progress across Bretonnia to Basteraux. When he had set out he thought it would be difficult finding sustenance amongst the sparsity of war torn Bretonnia.

Everywhere he trod the stench of undeath was present and it did not care what you were - man, woman, child or beast. The fortunate ones had died in such a horrific fashion that they could not rise the rest had become soulless abominations. It had made hunting for food a pointless exercise, the meat was either despoiled or worse.

Yet he had surprised himself with his knowledge of local flora and fauna, clearly the lessons that the old abbot had taught him when he was a boy had stuck with him, not only had he managed to survive without hunting he felt stronger than ever.

Despite his new found strength he had been unable to find the legendary sword. He had explored where the myths rumoured it to be and had scoured every inch of the place but had not found it, despair had threatened to set in at the thought that he might never find the sword but his iron resolve held and he continued with his quest.

It was only that very night that his dreams were visited by a vision of The Lady who had led him to a land he did not recognise where he found the Sword of Lowly Virtue.

Upon waking he spent two days and nights thinking on the dram, trying to interpret its message until eventually he deduced the location that the dream was trying to show him and set off on his quest in a new direction . . . 

Hey, how did the rest of week 1 go?

Here's a warning gif to let you know what's coming if you don't reply (and I know where your facebook lives).

Cripes, better reply then!

More Crusadery goodness is required here.

 

awesome pic! more crusadery goodness is always required.

Oh cripes! I hope the fall wasn't too bad.

 

Great idea using your commute to learn a language. You'll be swearing at fellow drivers in Italian in no time!

I'm just biding my time until we get to those lessons, right now it's useless stuff about verbs, nouns and adjectives :-p

Well done, good start.

Sorry to hear about your flight down the stairs, hopefully you'll get to the gym ok next time.

"I knew he was bluffing"

Luckly nothing broken except my fiancees beauty sleep who I woke up with my clattering

Hi Raxie, loving the challenge and look at you on three pages already