Evenstar

How are you guys? Did my treadmill walk! Or at least half of it, need to work on my leg endurance. Walking up hill KILLS you after a while haha, so much sweat. Gonna have to do that more for sure.

Thank you for the support! ♥ Fell behind on my updates this week, seems like medicine side-effects hit their peak and I was left feeling like the earth was spinning and I had nothing to hold onto. Holy nausea batman! Happy to report I am feeling much better today, after trying everything from acupuncture [FYI if you measure about three fingers up on your arm from your wrist and hold firmly down with a finger or two it actually helps with nausea - true fact!] to ginger tea. Still got the dizzies (which leaves me a tad drained) but on the road to normalcy! Okee now to catch up on my log: Week 2, Day 5, 6 & 7: Quest 1 - 3/4: Missed one workout yesterday, I just couldn't lift weights while being so lightheaded. Was able to push through and do it today though! Learned that move where you hold a weight above your head with both arms and tilt left to right slowly - hahahahaha ow my abs but it's beautiful. Quest 2 - 5/6: Missed one walk yesterday, again, not feeling so hot. BUT better than last week! And today I had a lovely walk in the breezy warm weather. Quest 3 - 6/7: Missed one, so sad, blah blah sick excuse blah. Life Quest - 1/1: I think i did really awesome this week when it comes to this, because I did the pottery, AND I started to teach myself how to crochet. Can barely do a basic hook, but soon, THE WORLD! Or at least a scarf, or afghan. Week 2 recap! Quest 1 - Grade: B - Need to improve! Next week I need an A or bust. Quest 2 - Grade: B - Mild improvement, still need more 'A's on this report card. Quest 3 - Grade: B - Missed one. Gonna need a beehive here soon... Life Quest - Grade: A - HAHA! An 'A'! Take that average week. While I didn't really do any drawing, I did squeeze some creative juices from my brain. WEEK 2 OVERALL GRADE: B Mini Goal for Next Week: Get at least two 'A's girl. I just gotta get pumped. Gotta kick it into high gear and shake off this sick blahness.

Thank you Rachy! Yeah, potter stuff is lots of fun! If there are no pottery places near you, what you could always do is buys some cheap ceramic mugs, draw in them with permanent marker, and then bake them at 350 degrees for 30 min. (Makes it perminant.) Inexpensive custom pottery fun haha. Week 2, Day 3 & 4: Quest 1 - 2/4: Didn't work out yesterday (got busy) but I managed to squeeze in a workout today! I am loving mixing it up with using both dumb bells and body weight exercises. Still have yet to actually write out may plan in a way that keeps me organized, but I will! Eventually! Soon! Quest 2 - 3/6: Didn't walk yesterday, but got in a half walk today. Reason I'm counting it as a full walk: Did it at an incline! Which was killer! my butt, my legs, so much sweat. Going to be trying to do this more often so my endurance isn't -100. Quest 3 - 3/7: Done! Life Quest - 1/1: Did some extra artistic credit today. I went to a craft store and picked up some new activities to try. Gonna try some cross stitching and wood burning! Yay crafts!

Ooooh a competition! That is so exciting! Count on me to be a cheerleader, haha. That podium is yours!

Yay cheese! As far as calories go, I would just eat until your are full UNLESS you know you are gonna be doing a strenuous workout. Then it might help to try to eat a little more that day so your body doesn't run out of energy. OR if you know you are eating, say, under 1200 calories - need a bit more to maintain muscle mass and such. That's the extreme though, sounds like you are doing great!

Your willpower is awesome, resisting pie? Amazing. Sometimes life gets busy, I know that too many irons in too many fires feeling. Just stay focused on those tiny wins, every win brings you closer to your goal! I know you can do it.

Hope you are doing well!

Keep up the awesome work! I hope that medical issue you had cleared up and you are feeling better.

Sorry that the gloomies attacked ya, I hate that feeling. Sometimes it's good to just have a rest day to take care of yourself and try to be kind to yourself the best way you know how. Do some relaxing activities, find something that makes you laugh, anything. I hope the rest of your week is going fabulously!

One of my quests is to walk 6 times a week for at least a mile each walk, and usually I do this outdoors. However, I DO have an incline treadmill, so I think for one of my walks this week I will try doing it at an incline. Wish my legs luck!

Unf unf unf I love fat bombs so much, I've been meaning to make some to help me reach my macros. *bookmarks that link* You are doing SUCH a fab job this week, making me motivated to do some cleaning of my own. Also A++++ for resisting Chinese food, one of my many weaknesses. Staying strong! Keep it up!

Sleepy day! Week 2, Day 2: Quest 1 - 1/4: Rest day~ Quest 2 - 2/6: Took my walk after dinner. :3 Quest 3 - 2/7: Done! Life Quest - 1/1: Finally went pottery painting with my mom! Made a mug, hopefully it turns out good! Gonna get it back next week, will post pics... as long as it doesn't look like a grade-school project hahaha.

Wow great job so far! So many push-ups, woah, I'm jealous of your endurance haha. Also, wonderful job on the homework, as a lifetime procrastinator, I know that can be tough. Plus A++ on your social skills! Always worth putting yourself out there when you find people you enjoy having conversation with.

Thank you so much Piccolojones and Rachy! I appreciate the support. Week 2, Day 1: Quest 1 - 1/4: Done! Did a variety of HIIT style exercises and strength training. Basically trying to find stuff I can create a routine with. Lots of sweat today, and worked on performing deeper squats! Quest 2 - 1/6: Done, walked in the rain today. Felt nice though, air smelled good. Quest 3 - 1/7: Dooooone. Life Quest - 0/1: Nothing done today, but (deja vu) going to be doing some pottery painting with my mom tomorrow - this time for real! She doesn't feel sick anymore haha. Might paint a mug, or a new pot for my sad houseplant. He's getting too big for his little plastic pot.

Ahhhh I had a bad day today, side-effects in full swing. I like I'm on a ship I'm so dizzy haha. Only thing I could do today was meditation. Poor end to week one, HOWEVER, still aboard the hype train - gonna kill it this next week, have some fun things planned to shake up my routine. Just gotta dust off these sicky feelings! Week 1 recap! Quest 1 - Grade: B - I expected more of myself, but 3 out of 4 isn't too bad for someone trying to settle into a new routine. Quest 2 - Grade: C - Should have done better, a mile and a half behind my weekly goal. Seeing that 'C' makes me cringe a little, but this quest is the hardest in my opinion to ace every week. Quest 3 - Grade: A - Did it to completion! Easiest to do, maybe, but still, I'm proud of that 'A'. Life Quest - Grade: B - Okay, technically I completed it, but I felt I could have done something more artistically fulfilling this week. I'm a harsh grader. WEEK 1 OVERALL GRADE: B

Definatly, Joedog. Need to get me a tape measure ASAP! Annnnd delayed entry for yesterday, wasn't feeling not so hot so I didn't hop online. Hopefully these med side-effects wear off soon. Week 1, Day 6: Quest 1 - 3/4: Workout done! Gonna look into doing a HIIT workout day once a week, get my metabolism going. Also, going to start that angry bird workout program. Quest 2 - 4.5/6: It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day yesterday. Not a cloud in sight, not too hot, just beautiful. And a cool breeze to boot! Perfect walking weather. Quest 3 - 6/7: Done! Might look into doing some meditation in the morning and some at night, while it's a GREAT method for getting sleepy at night, I can use some relaxation at the beginning of my day too. Life Quest - 1/1: Got inspired and I'm looking into possibly making a walking stick to take on hikes. Have a bunch of spare branches that were cut down in my backyard, perfect for carving.

Ugh, the combo of bronchitis and sinus infection is miserable! So glad you got some meds to help you recover. And oooh those quest cookie protein thingies look delish! As for my squat stance, it's all over the place haha. I keep trying to perfect my posture, so I usually end up doing a variety of squats (plié squat, prison squat, etc.) to just get my body used to the motion till it ends up feeling more natural. Wide squats are totally ok in my opinion, just squeeze those buns as you lift up!

Thank you so much Piccolojones! Yeah, I've been meaning to get a tape measure so I can see my progress more clearly. I will definitely check out that work out and Fitocrocy too, they look awesome! & thanks SheHulk! Yeah, I plan of mixing up my routine so my body can't get complacent. Week 1, Day 5: Quest 1 - 2/4: No work out today, feeling sort of sickish. Need to get me some extra rest tonight! Quest 2 - 3.5/6: Did a mile and a half, felt nice to get some fresh air even though I don't feel good. Quest 3 - 5/7: Done! Life Quest - 1/1: Drawing! Eep, sorry for the short update!

Welcome to NF! And you are never too late, the time is always now. I'm so happy for you! Congrats on the weight loss and self-care, it's so wonderful when you get some fulfilling "me" time. I think it is awesome that you are making a home gym as well, sounds like you are off to a great start.

Well done on week one! Getting out to walk can be hard, especially has the weather turns colder. A few things I like to do when walking in the fall are: Listen to music! Ok, not so unique, but making a playlist of upbeat songs, or heck, getting a good audio book can make the walk much more enjoyable.Look at the leaves! Find the prettiest trees in your neighborhood changing colors. Also related, animal watch! Birds, squirrels, and other critters are preparing for winter so you'll probably see more of them about, depending on where you live.Promise yourself a nice hot cup of tea or coffee after the walk, if it gets especially cold. Fall it up! Ok, I might be a bit dorky here, but fall is my favorite season, so I like to soak in the experiance. Get some spice scented lip balm, breath in the crisp fall air, go walking with (or without!) and umbrella when it rains. I hope you are having a great week!

Sounds like you are having a great week, I love your enthusiasm. That veggie soup mixture you made sounds delicious, I might need to make some with the spare spinach I have in the fridge hehe. As for your gravy dilemma before, if it's the nutrition you are worried about, I've tried some various paleo gravy recipes that have turned out great! If you want to get rid of the gravy addiction your kids have entirely, well, I cannot help you. Gravy is delicious.

Hey Rachy, I'm with you on the energy crises haha. I use MFP and actually have a real hard time reaching my recommended calorie intake. I usually get about 1200 a day, and know I need a least a couple hundred more for the work outs I am doing, but I always come up short! So I'm learning to have healthy snacks between meals and more nutrient dense meals to up my calorie intake, and MFP has been great for helping me keep track of it, I hope it works for you too! Gotta keep your body fueled and happy, especially as you increase your activity level. I hope you are having a great week!

Congrats on week one! I think you did great considering you were traveling. It's soooo easy to not keep track of food or work out when you are weary from being on the move, but you did it! Excellent work!

Joedog you are a badass, I love it. So awesome that you pushed yourself, and that workout sounds killer!

Thank you Piccolojones and Lilia! I really appreciate the support. Tough day today, feel like I'm at a bit of a plateau so I'm going to try to come up with a more structured workout routine I can keep accountable of here. I mean, it's only been about a week since I've lost anything, so it's not a HUGE dryspell, just a bit discouraging when I'm in the midst of a challenge. Being overzealous about it hypes my expectations haha, I know, I need to be more patient! Also, I switched one of my medications this last week so I've been trying to adjust. (Mostly headachey and nauseous, but it will pass!) Anyhoo, today's report: Week 1, Day 4: Quest 1 - 2/4: Work out done! Mostly bodyweight exercises. Oh lawd, how do you plank? HOW? Ok, I know how, but man, it's hard. Makes me want to work on it even more! Planks and squats for daaaays. And push-ups. Gotta master all the things! They need to have workout badges like girl-scout badges. Or pokemon badges. I should make some. Quest 2 - 2/6: Ahhhh missed today's walk. As I mentioned above, I am in the middle of adjusting to new meds, so after my workout I just felt super headachey and nauseous. (Even with resting and plenty of water.) No bueno. However, I am planning on making up the mileage before the week is up. Hopefully that can count for a pass! Quest 3 - 4/7: Been doing my meditations in the evening before bed, surprisingly helpful with relaxing! Well, I shouldn't say SURPRISING, I just mean that I have a hard time relaxing so that fact that a relaxation technique worked for me is awesome. Life Quest - 1/1: Does pinning creative things on pinterest count? Haha, I know I only said to do creative things at least once a week, but I still feel I should be doing more. Habit from playing video games, got to overachieve my quests.