stonegirl77

Wednesday, December 17, 2014: I'm baaack!!! (Well, to be fair, I've been working out again for a week and a bit now, but I've been a bit nervous to post here...) So, what happened? Why did I stop posting? Well, I got sick. For two weeks. And then life got super busy. And then I had The Horrible Week to End All Weeks where I did practically nothing. Then I went home. Which, I know, aren't exactly the best reasons for stopping working out, but it is what happened, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Any good news? Actually, yes. I managed to keep off the weight I lost during the challenge, and I even lost a few extra pounds (which I have since put back on. Being home at Christmas means lots of baked goods, most of them mine. And they are delicious) But I realised I'd lost all those muscles I'd gained in October, and I came to the realisation that I very much enjoyed having them. So I'm exercising again. And trying not to eat too many Christmas cookies. So what does my workout schedule look like? So far, this is what I've come up with: M,W,F: a bodyweight workout and a walk with the dog or 1/2 hr on the elliptical T,R,S: a run or equivalent mileage on the elliptical, walk the dog if weather appropriate Sunday: rest (but still walk the dog) The elliptical/weather provisos are very necessary because I'm in CO right now, and it's snowing outside, and as much as I love running, I refuse to run in 6-inch powder in my Vibrams. Or in a blizzard. Last bit of the entry, I promise. Today, I did my bodyweight workout, which consisted of 3 circuits of: 5 single-leg squats (each side) 3 squat jumps 3 grand plies 10 side lunges 10 regular lunges 20 Russian twists with an 8lb medicine ball 10 plank-things (the ones where you're in a plank, get up on one hand, then the other, then back down to your elbows again - I'm not sure what they're called. Other than hard.) 10 pushups (3 real, 7 incline) 10 rows, 25lbs 40 jumping jacks I also did 30 min on the elliptical. That's it for me for now. I'll be back tomorrow. Onwards and upwards, folks, Petra

Monday, October 27: The challenge is over, and I'm finally declaring myself well enough to exercise. This week will be a ramping-back-up week, then I can get back to doing what I was doing before I got sick. So, today I did three circuits of: 3 one-legged squats 3 grand plies 3 squat jumps 10 pushups (3 real, 7 incline) 5 side lunges 3 lunges 30s plank 40 jumping jacks, and one set of 3 reverse pull-ups. (I've got an audition Wednesday. I definitely don't need DOMS complicating my ability to play...) Onwards, Petra

AAaaaaaaaaand I'm back! Thanks guys for the well-wishes. I'm finally almost 100% again. It took almost two weeks, during which I didn't exercise, ate somewhat crappily, and basically tried not to undo all of my progress that i made in the first month of the challenge. So: challenge wrap-up I'm not sure what to say here... The first half of the challenge was a complete success - I was progressing with my fitness goals, I was losing weight and gaining confidence, and all that fun stuff. And then I got sick. I feel like I have a two-week gap in my memory. I really didn't do much, except drink tea, practice, and knit. Which sounds great for the holidays, but when you feel awful and want to get back to doing pushups, not so much fun. However... I worked out today, and it was awesome to be back. I'm going to ease myself back into shape this week (I was only gone for two weeks, after all), and then go back to my normal workout schedule next week. Also, I have a Halloween ball to go to on Friday, for which I am super excited! I'm also planning on doing NaNoWriMo, which should be awesome (I'm totally prepared this year, instead of pantsing it like I usually do, so I should be able to finish this time). I've loved being on this challenge, getting to know all the skull-crushers and things, but I'm not sure whether I'll do a six-week challenge again. I might just give myself month-long things to do. We'll see... In any event, now I'm better I'll start posting here again, and I'm glad to be back. Onwards and upwards, Petra

I'm sick. Boo hiss. So, while i'm trying to get better, I'll be not exercising. Because it's probably a good idea to not exercise when you can't go very long without coughing. I'll be back when I'm feeling better. Honestly, the second half of this challenge is a lot harder than the first.

Thursday, October 16, It was going so well. And then I got sick. Yes, for the second time in a six-week period, I'm ill. And this wasn't the "oh, I can more or less function, walk around, etc" type of ill. It was the "feel it coming one evening and then I can't move from bed for a whole morning without feeling like the room is spinning" sick. Basically, I didn't feel at all well the day before yesterday, felt pretty abysmal yesterday, and somewhat better today. Which is fun. It also means I'm not exercising, for obvious reasons. However, I am drinking lots of tea. (I'm on my third French press of the day, not to mention the few cups I had this morning. I stopped using one tea bag per cup because, well, I'd be out of tea by this point. So I'm using two tea bags per 24oz French press.) I hope everyone else is having a much better week, Best, Petra

Monday, October 13, 2014: Back on the horse in terms of workouts (finally!) My BW circuit for the week is as follows (3 circuits, as per usual) 5 one-legged squats (each leg) 5 grand plies 5 jump squats 3 reverse pullups 10 pushups (3 real, 7 incline) 5 side lunges (each side) 5 lunges (each side) 35s plank 40 jumping jacks. So I did that this morning while my clothes were in the washer, and it's just nice to be back - I'd forgotten how empowering it is to be able to do all of this stuff. Even though I'm not really great at the new stuff I'm trying (I'm looking at you, reverse pull-ups), I still feel like a BAMF for trying them... Onwards and upwards, Petra

Monday, October 13: So I had a lot of fun with the 'rentals this weekend. Pastries were eaten, concerts were played, and it was wonderful. My weekly check-in: Main goal: Week 5, Day 1: 148.6 (down from last week, which is great!) Subgoal 1: Pushups - Complete from last week Subgoal 2: 10 mi. run (No improvement here, as I was having knee issues. However, as I'm feeling better, I'm planning on doing runs as planned this week) Subgoal 3: Cheat meals (I'm now at 9/12 - my weekend stole two meals, and I had leftovers today. ) Life quest: Being more social. No ballroom on Sunday this week, but I went on Wednesday, which is still pretty good. Overall I think I did pretty well this week, and I can't believe we're almost done with the challenge! Time to get back into consistency with my workouts and my eating and finish strong! Onwards and upwards, Petra

Thursday, October 9, 2014: Things a bit better on the hand/thumb front. Still having some issues with my right shoulder - surely it can't still be sore from my workout last week?? Anyway, I did my 4mi. run as planned today, which is great. I've missed the routine. Some niggling of the left knee, but I think I can go back to my training as planned. Also, I had some chocolate today (I had some laying around for my brother's birthday present, and now I'll just have to get him something else...) Cheat meal 6/12. Onwards, Petra

Thanks! D'aw, shucks! In other news... Yesterday was a ballroom day, quickstep and chacha with the beginners, which I suppose was a good thing (remembering how to properly do hip action is less embarrassing when you're in a room of beginners as opposed to people who've been dancing all summer...) And today I ran! I haven't run in almost a week, I think. I got a small niggle from my knee, but I think I'm going to consider myself pretty much healed. The bruise on my knee, which I think was the culprit, is almost gone, which is wonderful, and hopefully I can do my long run as scheduled sometime in the next few days. Also, my parents are going to be in town this weekend, which is awesome! (We're planning on visiting bakeries and restaurants, which is going to be fun, so I'm just going to have to be careful what I eat and drink around the delicious treats.) Also, I had chocolate today (Cheat meal 6/12) I think that's it from me. Onwards and upwards, Petra

Thanks guys! I think I tend to be on the perfectionist side (hello, I'm a violinist, it's kind of a job requirement), so it's nice to have people tell me to give myself a break and credit for the things that I actually manage to do! TL;DR, I'll be assigning myself points as soon as I have a chance to read the article again/figure out how many points I'm assigning where, which might take a day or two. But yay for points! In other news, I'm still on an elliptical phase in terms of trying not to injure myself. I'm pretty sure the knee's better, but I decided to hold of another day. Hopefully this way I can get back into running pain-free long term! Thanks again - you guys are the best!!! Petra

Tuesday, October 7: I'm still in elliptical land - I decided not to run today, so I spent the equivalent time I would have spent running on the elliptical, which I'm finding quite bearable. (Perhaps it might be a good option for when it gets colder/I don't want to run outside? Because I hate the treadmill....) Hopefully I feel confident enough to run a bit later this week - I do think the knee's getting better, but while I still notice it walking around, I'd rather not chance it. As to the thumb/hand issues... They aren't hugely better, but they're not worse. We'll see how rehearsal goes tonight/ how I'm feeling tomorrow and take my workout from there. Onwards, Petra

Monday, October 6: Yesterday I did a 30 min. stint on the elliptical (Netflix ftw!) Today, I did 60 min. on the elliptical (Netflix and Continuum, again, ftw!) Onwards, Petra

Thanks guys for all the support! Quick wrap-up of last week: Main Quest: get to under 140 lbs. Week 1: 153.0 Week 2: 153.0 Week 3:149.4 Week 4, Day 1: 150.6 (So still down from my initial weight, but up from last week - I caved and had a well-deserved chips and ice cream night, and it kind of killed my weight loss for last week.) Sub-quest 1: Push up Completed as of last week. Sub-quest 2: Run 10 miles. Beginning of the challenge: 5 mi. Week 1: 6 mi. Week 2: 7 mi. Week 3: 7 mi. (No long run this week - I tweaked my knee and don't want it to get injured, so I skipped my runs this weekend. However, I was only going to do a 6mi. run this weekend anyway, so I suppose there's little harm done.) Sub-quest 3: Eat well. Week 1: 0/12 cheat meals Week 2: 3/12 cheat meals Week 3: 5/12 cheat meals (These two points came from the above-mentioned chips and ice cream session - it was a fairly large quantity of food, as in, not just a snack or a dessert portion - so I counted it as two cheat meals.) Life Quest: Be more social - i.e. go to ballroom. Hurray for a complete success!!!! I went to ballroom this week twice, on Wednesday and on Sunday, did some quickstep, did not fail utterly (I stink at quickstep. Give me a waltz any day), and had lots of fun dancing and getting re-acquainted with people! So, to summarize: I'm not sure how well last week went (I'd appreciate any and all thoughts on this....). On the one hand, I did most of my workouts for the week (I worked out 5 of 7 days this week instead of the 6 I'd usually like to do, but still, 5 out of 7 isn't bad.) However, my eating well kind of went down the drain. I had (and am still having) issues getting back into eating healthy food after my lapse. Refined carbs just taste really good. Also, I'm trying not to injure myself either through over-training or over-practicing, which is getting kind of frustrating. I'm taking this afternoon off of practicing because I'm getting pain in my thumbs (it's a violin thing...). I can't emphasize how much I HATE having to take a day off of practicing, especially when I'm busy with stuff. (three orchestral programs over four rehearsals, another lesson, a concert, not to mention I have to record something this week or next....) I broke a finger once and had to take 5 weeks off of playing. I almost went insane. And on top of that, my left knee is still a little twitchy. I think I'll try running tomorrow, to see how it's going, but I'm cautiously optimistic it's getting better. However, what with the knee and the hands, pretty much my entire usual exercise routine is gone. (In case it isn't obvious, if I'm not practicing because I've hurt my hands, there's no way I'm doing pushups, pull-ups, or anything else hand-related) Which means more elliptical for me, at least for the next few days... Also, my parents are coming this weekend - yay!! I'm really excited to see them, as they can't come over to visit very often (transatlantic flights are very expensive...). However, it will mean eating out, probably desserts, and other stuff I'll just have to be very careful about. Because I like being skinnier. I like the whole fitting-into-the-majority-of-my-wardrobe thing. So, it'll be, well, interesting... I suppose I could assign points, but I'm really not sure how many I deserve. Do I err on the side of optimism (which in my head means coddling) or pessimism (in my head, realism)? Onwards, Petra

Saturday, October 4: Quick update - so my knee completely seized up yesterday, and, combining that with slight soreness in both hands (violin-related, I think, but I don't want it to get any worse...) I decided to take another rest day. I really don't want to get injured, so yeah. No exercise for me today. Tomorrow, the elliptical in lieu of a long run. Onwards and upwards, Petra

Friday, October 3, 2014: Status update: After a much-needed break from NF yesterday (and an amazing dive into the land of an evening of potato chips and ice cream), I reemerged refreshed and ready to tackle this challenge again! So, I've used up two cheat meals of my 12 (so 5/12). Today I: ran 4 miles. My left knee has been giving me grief ever since the 7 mi. I did on Sunday. Which is a bit worrying. It's probably worst in the morning when I go to the practice rooms. (which is walking, not running), and not too bad when I actually run. I get the feeling it's getting better, but I think I'm going to have to watch it like a hawk. I don't want to get a knee injury and not be able to run. Also, I have major DOMS in my arms from doing those reverse pullups. Which of course means I want to do them tomorrow to see if I'm any better at them yet! Onwards and upwards, Petra