holographicSam

Huh. Never even heard of that before! I have this awesome fruit stand near my school; if they have nice looking watermelons, I might have to give that odd treat a try Thanks! Ha! That's what all my roommates have been like. "Oh, good, now you can grill us burgers and veg all the time, right?" Thanks! The weekend was quite restful, and good for it! This week has been hard! But in a good, fitness kind of way Huh. I wonder why it works out that way. And that protein bit is interesting! I'll have to give it a try. Mmmmm, zucchini and squash. The only thing better than grilled zucchini is fried zucchini.

Beautiful cakes!

"Your body doesn't know what it wants. Your mind doesn't know what it wants. You do." This is the one that helps me ignore the discomfort and the cravings

I'm really not sure where this question belongs, but this seems to be the best place. I've struggled with depression & anxiety for years, and started getting treated about three years back. I started on an anti-depressant that made me much happier and healthier. However, I still had a lot of trouble self-motivating. For instance, I've always wanted to get into shape, but never could convince myself to workout, let alone consistently. About a month ago I changed medications to something more specific to my disorder. Literally within the week I began seriously researching health and nutrition, and within two I'd joined NF and began working out. It's only been a month, but I haven't felt the drive wane since. I'm still not sure if this isn't simply "a phase", but I've honestly never felt so driven in my life. It's not a matter of convincing myself to workout. I simply want to, and want to get stronger, so I do. Have any of you rebels with mental problems found that some treatment or medication has had a really drastic effect on your motivation?

Hey man, whatever works That shirt is hilarious!

Haha! That exact thing has happened with my father recently as well. It's always so motivating to inspire other people to work harder as well. Congrats on your insane weight loss!

Becoming Lara Croft is an awesome goal! Congrats on all your progress so far, and good luck with your push-ups. Those things can be really frustrating to build up when you have trouble doing even a few real ones! As for your diet... Maybe try eating smaller meals and snacking a lot? I know that I get hungry/tired pretty easily, so I tend to pack a large lunch and just eat it throughout the day.

Congrats on your awesome progress! Especially on all your strength training! As for the bookshelf, may I recommend looking for a personal magic trainer as well? Some more skilled magicians have been known to materialize bookshelves from the ether. I imagine doing it from ready-made parts should be a right piece of cake! Haha! You're right! *pauses in thread reading for dance break*

Oooh, I get ya. When you said "persona" I thought you meant our RLRP characters If we're gonna be representin' a readymade character, I might have to lean villian along with you.

Ooh, count me in! Sounds like fun! Not sure what side to play for yet though...

That makes a lot of sense Update: 8/21 - 8/23 Well, my busy week and weekend has suddenly become a lot less busy, which means I now get to spend an inordinate amount of time surfing the forum instead of doing real work. Yay! It also happens to mean that I have time for a progress mini-update. On 8/21 I tried out this basic program from Start Bodweight, and I must say, it kicked my ass! The huge number of progressions is especially awesome, very useful for making sure you're properly challenged. I'm on the very first rung for most of the exercises, except for squats. Bulgarian split squats are officially the best thing ever! Oddly enough, I didn't really get sore yesterday (the day after doing the workout) until the evening, and only a little bit. However, I'm super sore today! As for food, I finally learned how to use the barbecue, meaning that I can now have an endless supply of grilled chicken and vegetables. This will definitely help the healthy-food quest! My cardio has been a bit less good; I've been slipping a bit. I'm not too worried though, as I'm going to be dancing all of next week, since I'll be at a crash-course dance camp with my new team I can get some in tomorrow so I don't come in under goal this week.

Wow! I skimmed through the workouts on that site, and they're all pretty awesome! I'll have to try a few of them out as well.

Thanks! I hope so as well It's actually pretty interesting to see how much you take in. Pretty much everyone either over or under estimates, and it can be totally interesting/revelatory to see what the foods you eat actually "cost" calorie wise. You seem to be eating a very good amount though. Do you just eat whenever your hungry, or do you have some other method of regulation besides calories? Here's a TDEE calculator if you're interested. I like that this one as it can show you BMR as well, and it should give you a pretty good idea. I'm not actually sure what the MOST accurate method of finding out your recommended calorie intake is, though. If I'm remembering correctly, I think there might be an equation that involves exact body fat percentages..?

Congrats on all that climbing. And on those workouts, and your eating! Sounds like you're killin' it! Good luck with those hard routes, and with your mum as well.

Sometimes it takes setting a small, manageable goal to get the ball rolling Good luck with your challenge!

Congrats! Sounds like you've been doing well Good luck with brunch. YOU HAVE THE POWER!

That sounds awful! Congratulations on what you've managed to accomplish so far. Heal fast, I look forward to your heroic return. *salute*

Sounds like a plan Good job on all that running! I agree with Blaidd. Sometimes slipper socks or light slippers will have little grippy pads on them which shouldn't stain the wall.

As long as you're good for your workouts, I think we'll all be suitably proud Hope your garage sale goes well!

Congrats! Sleeping well is so hard Happy swimming!

I'm so sorry about the horrendous day. Huge huge props on keeping up the questing in spite of that! Congrats on your passing grade and first level- those mountains will be quivering in no time!

Sounds like an awesome day! I totally understand what you mean about eating out; I always eat too much dessert, and I always regret it, but I never seem to stop I'm glad you linked to that assassin's workout. It looks wicked! I've been contemplating a story line as well I look forward to yours with bated breath!

Thanks! And right back at ya Eh, counting calories is just a bit hard at first because a noob like me won't know the calories (or nutrition info) for anything right off the bat. I have a friend who's been counting calories so long he knows the calories and nutritional value of practically everything off the top of his head. My goal is to count calories really meticulously for a few months, until I figure out what the right amount of calories/protein/etc. "feel like", and then stop. Because you're right, it's kind of a hassle You are your own Gym also has the handy explanatory subtitle: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercise. It's all about bodyweight exercise, why it's awesome, why gyms are useless (it's pretty funny how adamantly the author seems to dislike them), how to eat properly so as to build muscle and lose fat, and how to build your own routine. Lots of basic information. It lists >100 exercises and progressions for various muscles and muscle groups, and has a few pre-designed workouts in it as well. I haven't ended up using any of his programs or unique exercises (he's made some up himself) but the book is pretty interesting. The author used to train spec ops soldiers, and tells lots of stories about his time as a soldier and as a trainer. It's pretty inspirational, if nothing else!

Has it only been a few weeks since I googled the words "Dancer crosstraining" and fell head first into the scary and wonderful world of fitness? It feels like much longer than that! Week 3 & Level 1 Reflection It has not been a long time since I began my journey, and even less since I step foot into the welcoming rebellion camps. I have decided to take my level 1, regardless of my late arrival, although I will be taking fewer points than I would otherwise. Can't pretend to have what I haven't earned yet; that's the sort of thinking that got me out of shape in the first place! #1: Cardio of some sort, 3 times a week This part went very well! I had some trouble the first few days, until I realized that dancing was a perfect way to get my heart pumping but have tons of fun too! I'll try to keep better track of the specific days I danced for the rest of the questing period. Grade: B Points awarded: STA +1 #2: Eat better (more real food) Although this was the hardest goal to meet, it's been very fun! I've ended up making tons of stir-fries because they're a very lazy way to get in my meats and veggies. Fruit too has seen a comeback in my diet. I actually don't miss eating as much junk at all. I'm just lazy when it comes to cooking good food! Hopefully, in the coming months I can collect some simple and healthy recipes for when I'm feeling especially gelatinous. Grade: B- Points awarded: CON +1 #3: Learn about fitness and nutrition, discover workouts Wow, was this ever a success! I've learned so much over these past few weeks about muscles, workouts, food, calories, health, and discipline. I've discovered body weight workouts, and have been trying a few out so that, come next quest, I'll be ready to launch that ship full steam ahead. It's really helped me eat healthier as well, now that I actually understand what's good about veggies, bad about candy, and how to count calories properly. Grade: A Points awarded: WIS +2 LQ: Read 2 more books 1/2 read Already I've read You are your own Gym by Mark Lauren. Found it very interesting! Lauren is funny. I've read a bit here and there besides, but not another full book yet. Maybe I'll finally get around to finishing Snow Crash... Grade: A Points awarded: CHA +1 (I'm awarding charisma here because I find that the more I read, the cleverer I get, and who doesn't find that attractive ) So hello everyone, let me introduce you to the new and improved Holographic Sam, level 1 wannabe assassin! With +1 STA, +1 CON, +2 WIS, +1 CHA, and +999 AWE! Here's to a good level 2! *chink glass*

Sounds like your first three weeks went well. You've been doing frickin awesome! I don't think I even need to tell you to keep up the good work And congrats on a good run!