MissWiggles

I'm so excited to see this topic! I've become a makeup fanatic over the past couple years. I just started blogging some of my makeup adventures at http://myyearinmakeup.tumblr.com/

I really love group exercise (something about that dynamic), and I missed my dojo. I saw a beginner's class at a yoga studio near me, and that's how I got hooked! I'm still going to that studio. Some days I just don't want to put on my yoga gear and head out the door - I can be a real homebody. It does help me to think about how far I've come in the 9 months. Half Moon pose was IMPOSSIBLE when I started. Red bull: I've definitely had less over the past few weeks! I've also stayed away from candy and ice cream, some of my other weaknesses. Squats: I spent about six months in physical therapy for my aikido injuries, and I learned a lot during that process about what I can do to help out my knees. I'll probably end up needing surgery in a decade or so anyways (my cartilage is grinding down basically just from walking due to the way my knees are built), but there are things I can do to help the process. All that knee-walking I did at aikido was not one of them. BBWW: Three circuits of the workout. I have a 15lb kettlebell, and on days I feel up to it I do the last round of squats with the weight in my hands.

Today the scale told me I'm down to 27.9% body fat. Slowly but surely (working on) winning the race!

Hi all, sorry for the late reply. I got my ass kicked by the flu for a week but now I'm back and rockin' it. Mantone - I have a fitbit aria, which measures body fat through my feet! Pretty keen. I definitely need to track my spending more - and I'll be real, I should buy less makeup. For sure. But I love sparkles. SuNoYo - I started yoga last year in July, and I love it! I used to take aikido classes, but had to stop because it was messing up my knees pretty fierce (I have a birth defect in my knees and hips, more pronounced on my left side). The hardest things for me are 1) getting myself to go and 2) not comparing myself to others. I love that yoga is so much easier on my joints, although I do still have to be careful about how I treat my legs. I would love to get better at Half Moon pose, aka Ardha Chandrasana. Last night in class I made some good progress on my form in that pose, and then as soon as my teacher suggested I flex my raised ankle, I lost my balance. Oops! I've been drinking a lot of tea and black coffee over the past few weeks. I DID have two red bulls last weekend. I am using the BBWW, 3 reps per session. My biggest concern is with the squats, but I'm being very careful to watch my alignment so no problems so far (fingers crossed). The week I had the flu I managed one yoga class and one bbww workout before I got sick, then a few days in bed for me, sadly! This week I'm at 1 yoga class, 2 bbww workouts. I bought makeup - eep.

I'm an ex-smoker (quit 11 months ago), and while it's hard, YOU CAN DO IT. I used the patch, and I don't regret it at all. It made quitting possible for me after failing on cold turkey a few times.

Sitting a lot is a challenge for me too! Let me know what you figure out to get moving more.

Just did a bodyweight workout! My total for this week: 2 yoga classes - Monday and Thursday 2 bodyweight workouts - Tuesday and Saturday 3 treats - 2 red bulls 1 ice cream (oops)

Hi AlyssHart, I'm starting around 29% body weight too. I'll be watching your thread.

Hi everyone! Between grad school, bad eating, and a new medication I have put on some weight in the last 6 months, and it's time to get this in order! Main Quest: To get back down under 22% body fat. Starting point: 29% body fat. Sub-quests to make it happen: 1) Attend yoga classes at least twice a week. 2) Body-weight strength training 2-3 times a week. 3) I can only have sugar (oh heavens, do I love ice cream and red bull) twice a week, for a total of 2 treats per week. Life Quest: Save more money! Sub-quests to make it happen: 1) Log my transactions in my budget twice a week. (I use YNAB) 2) Always ask myself if I need it or want it? 3) Pack my lunch every day I go into the office (twice a week).

I LOVE Larabars. One of my regular go to snacks.

I took a study break last night to go for a run. It felt awesome!

That could be a very good idea! My house has no carpet, so I'm thinking maybe get a yoga mat? I think that is my biggest problem right now, I feel like "holy crap how do I do all this and stay fit." It sounds like scheduling work out time may be a good idea?

Aikido is awesome! I work for a couple of professors grading tests/papers. It's generally about 10-15 hours of work a week, not too bad. I agree, I love sleep! Finding a home workout may be best. I don't want to give up aikido altogether, but I don't think 3-5 hours a week at the dojo is going to work out for me this quarter. Do you guys have experience with knee problems? I'm only allowed to do half squats or my orthopedist and physical therapist will hit me with a nerf bat.

Short term I'd like to get my fitness back on track, and long term I'm wondering how other people dealt with very hectic schedules and working out? Or how to budget time and still make a group fitness class (like martial arts). Edit: I should probably add that I travel a lot on the weekends too, and have used Steve's rebel strength travel workouts before.

I'm a long time fan of Steve's blog, and finally am signing up to the forums because I feel so lost lately and I'm hoping to get some advice from the smart people here, and get involved in these forums. I've been in decent shape for the last few years, and up until the start of this school year I took Aikido about 3 times a week. I've had one big setback in the last year - I started having some real problems with my knees (swelling after Aikido class), went to see an orthopedist and it turned out that I had a problem with my patella(s) that was making my joints unhappy. Did physical therapy for a few months and that helped, but I also found out things like squats, lunges, and stairs are never going to be good for me. Then school started. I'm working towards my master's in library science and this is my busiest year yet. Between school work and grading for professors, I feel like I have next to no time, and I haven't been to aikido in weeks because it would mean doing school work until very late hours. I've noticed my body is slipping because of it, I already look like I've gained weight. What would you guys advise? Just accept that class may mean I stay up later, or adjust to some kind of home workout? I tend to do better with group exercise since I feel like other people are expecting me to show up! I'm no stranger to a hard work out, I just feel a little lost at the moment as to what I should do.