Kaine

boah! It's been 10 days since my last update! Not good! Sorry guys! So, the summary... Last week was my birthday! I turned old. Yeah. No good... but I'm starting to feel better than I have in a long while! Last week didn't go so smoothly though. I took Wednesday off for some reason or another, thinking I had the rest of the week off of work to do all my excercises... yup... no. Thursday was my birthday, which ended up being my excuse. Friday I was feeling the 'after-effects' of my birthday evening (the joys and pains of having a wine festival on your birthday), so I was laid low. Saturday... that was just plain laziness and a streak of excuses. Sunday, well, I figured this week was shot so I'll have to try something new. Starting on Monday, I've been doing morning workouts. Up at 6:30, and start a work-out I've planned the night before. It turns out it's much harder to think of excuses not to work out when it's still dark outside and you are operating in morning-zombie-mode. I'm 3 for 3 so far, and trucking right along! So, on Monday, I did 3 sets of Neila Rey's Fremen workout at 60s rest between sets. Tuesday, I did 3 sets of the Legday Workout at 60s rest. And this morning I pounded out 3 sets of the Spartacus workout at 60s rest. So far the morning workout plan is going a lot better. Less time to think of excuses, since there's usually only one I have to battle with... leaving the cozy bed and my cute, snoozing fiancée. It's difficult, but I only have to contend with that one obstacle. At least it's much easier than trying to battle the 4 bazillion excuses I can think of after a long day at work.Another bonus to the AM workout routine is that I should also be able to do a workout tomorrow, despite it being Thanksgiving! Now I've just gotta stick to my other goals of running and stair workouts... oh yeah, and getting enrolled in a gym. Let's do this.

Hey everybody, I'm getting my entries for the week done, and I wanted to share my adventure in Bravery this week! So, I'm living and working in France at the moment on a PhD program, which always poses difficulty, as my French language ability is limited. I've done some presentations in English already, but I had an evening of networking on Thursday night after giving a long presentation... now normally I go and hide in a corner at these things, because it's all a bunch of what I call 'rapid-fire French,' but on this particular evening, I was able to actively participate in 'Franglais.' So for, like, 2 hours I was actively engaging in conversations about really cool work related topics with people even though they were speaking French and I was speaking English. Made a few good professional connections, and actually got off of the wall and engaged with people, even though I wasn't actually speaking their language! Breakthrough moment for me! Also, if anyone has any really good tips on how to work through a language barrier, I'd love to hear more. Any tips would be great!

Hey everybody, It's been an interesting week for me. I didn't hit all my objectives, but I did pretty well considering. I spent the week in Bordeaux on a work trip, which kept me from working out on two of the days, but I did manage to get in a good run this week with 142 stairs in it, and I did this push-up squat workout jtwice... both times i did 5 sets at 1 minute rest interval... which comes out to 15 minutes of work, with sweat, and wobbly arms. I've still got to do something this evening, but I wanted to get an entry in while I was still thinking about it.

Alright! First night done! Over 15 minutes! Broke a sweat... check. My fiancée, Mera (her challenge is here), found this really great website with a bunch of good workouts on it. I managed to do 3 sets of the Predator themed workout today! Check it out! Will try to go for a run tomorrow, and then comes the challenge of doing workouts on the road for a work trip! Especially since the trip is to Bordeaux... so I'm fairly certain wine will be involved. Must remain undaunted!

Sadly, the last week of the challenge was pretty rough... I didn't hit any of my goals. :/ A perfect storm of vacation and apathy stung pretty hard, as well as having my main accountabilibuddy with me on vacay. I can feel confident in giving myself 'C' scores for all of my quests for the second half of the challenge, so my signature will be updated appropriately. On a more positive note, I've started my next challenge! Now in the Adventurers Guild! Got some decent goals in order for myself, and I hope to have a stronger finish this time around!

Hey everybody, After finishing up my first challenge, I've decided to move into the Adventurers Guild as I continue to level up my life. I had a lot of fun with the first challenge, but realised there were certain things that I need to improve, or should change up, in order to best progress towards my goals. At the moment, I have an uncanny knack for procrastinating on workouts, so I am going to push myself to do a little something at least every day, and actively explore other types of exercise. My efforts at dieting were not so awesome, so I plan to address that again this go round. Another thing I plan to do is get out and sign up for a gym... which is particularly tricky for two reasons: (1) I paid a year-long membership to a gym a few years back and walked in the door twice, once to sign up, and once a year later, to cancel... so my track record is catastrophic (2) I still don't really speak French that well, despite living here for like 6 months (I work in English)... so I have to swing the contract signing/gym activities in 'Franglais' as well. Without further ado... here goes the fun little narrative and the quests: Mission: After dragging himself across the dirty floor he found a wall about 3 meters from the desk. Using the wall as support, he was able to get himself onto his knees. He slowly felt his way along the wall until he came across the source of the trickling sound... it's a small rivulet of water. He bends over and takes a few slurps from the puddle where the water is collecting at the base of the wall. The water is filthy, but its better than nothing, and it helps with the parched throat. He will need something better than this, and soon. He struggles to get to his feet with the help of the wall and flex muscles that feel like they've atrophied for years... ...and there's still that grinding sound in the distance... Quests for this challenge: 1) Bring a healthy lunch from home at least once a week. Reward: A +1.5 CON B +1 CON C +0.5 CON 2) Do some kind of exercise for at least 15 minutes x6 days/week: structured workout routines (no flailing about aimlessly for 15 minutes), running, or abs... must break a sweat, must be at least 3 circuits) Reward: A +2 CON, +2 STR B + 2 CON, + 1 STR C +1 CON, +1 STR 3) One of the daily workouts should be a run that involves some stairs Reward: A +1 STA, +1 DEX B +1 STA, +0.5 DEX C +0.5 STA, +0.5 DEX 4) (One time goal) Sign up for a gym. Reward: A +2.5 CHA Long term goals: Quantitative: 1) Get down to ~180lbs (82kg) with ~15-18% body fat [I'm just a hair under 6' tall, and currently ~215lbs (97kg) with a body fat percentage is currently 28%] 2) Tackle the Montée des Chazeaux (~240 steps) here in Lyon in one go at jogging pace! Qualitative: 3) Develop healthy habits for eating and activity level. 4) Look super-hot for my wife-to-be by Aug 1.

I'm late in updating for the weekend, as is usual, I'm realising. Oh well... here goes. Friday, I did only the ab set... which is a little bit. Not enough, but something. I didn't get another work out plan figured out for myself. :/ 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift And on Sunday, I had a good run. Went for a bit of exploration... between 2-3 km... I started strong, but quickly ended up running around on hilltops, which kinda kicked my butt a bit. Looking forward to a good workout this evening though. Hoping to hit three workouts this week.

Alright... keeping at it. Light workout for a Tuesday. I'm thinking it might be time for another variation. This is starting to get a little bit easier! Although there was less weight lifting tonight. 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift 3x modified BBWW 20x squats w/ 12kg kettlebell 10x pushups 20x lunges 10x rows w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side) 30s plank

So, it's technically Monday of my 4th week of work, as I started a bit late... so here goes with week 4! 1. Goal allocation : I've just reissued my points, as I originally went for a 15 point total assuming , and had scaled rewards. Scores are now as follows: Q1) Eat a healthy breakfast regularly and avoid complex carbs at dinner. Reward: A +2 CON, +2 WIS B +2 CON, +1 WIS C +1 CON, +1 WIS Q2) Go for at least 1 run per week longer than 10 min/1 mile without stopping. Reward: A +2 STA B + 1.5 STA C +1 STA (additional) +0.5 END for each additional run/week up to max +5 END Q3) Do a bodyweight/kettleball workout 3x/week. Reward: A +2 STR, +2 DEX B +2 STR, +1 DEX C +1 STR, +1 DEX 2 & 3. Mid Challenge Summary and Allocation: Because of the rating system I gave myself, I am going to use that for the point allocation. Much cleaner. Q1) Eat a healthy breakfast regularly and avoid complex carbs at dinner : Not so good... I've had a consistent cheat nights over each weekend. Going with C on this one. Reward: A +2 CON, +2 WIS B +2 CON, +1 WIS C +1 CON, +1 WIS Q2) Go for at least 1 run per week longer than 10 min/1 mile without stopping : I missed the run this week, so that makes for 66.6% completion for the midpoint. B Reward: A +2 STA B + 1.5 STA C +1 STA (additional) +0.5 END for each additional run/week up to max +5 END Q3) Do a bodyweight/kettleball workout 3x/week : The only one I've tackled appropriately so far. I've only missed one, so that is almost 90%, and I've progressively improved the intensity. So I'm gonna give myself an A for this one Reward: A +2 STR, +2 DEX B +2 STR, +1 DEX C +1 STR, +1 DEX 4. New Signature: STR 2 | STA 1.5 | DEX 2 | CON 1 | WIS 1 | CHA 0 5. Summary: So, signature updated. I have not made any significant improvements on my life goals, and have not really allocated points to them yet... I'm pretty sure there will be some Charisma in there, as I've got a whopping 0 at the moment. Anyways, I'm excited, and enjoying it, which is the most important thing!

Oops. No entry for the weekend. :/ But I did do some work. I did miss the weekly run though, which is a bit of a bummer... I'll have to make up for it this week, I guess. On Friday: 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift 3x modified BBWW 20x squats w/ 12kg kettlebell 10x pushups 20x lunges w/ 12kg kettlebell 10x rows w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side) 30s plank 10x bicep curl w/ 8kg kettlebell (per side) 10x press w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side)

Alright... got home late tonight, and was shtarving... so I did a quicky workout 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift 3x Kettlebell/Arm set 10x rows/side (12kg) 10x bicep curl/side (8kg) 10x press/side (12kg) Felt good to get some work it, even if it was quick and followed immediately by eating.

Tonight I went a bit nuts. I'm nervous about tomorrow already. So... the set: 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift 3x modified BBWW 20x squats w/ 12kg kettlebell 10x pushups 20x lunges w/ 12kg kettlebell 10x rows w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side) 30s plank 10x bicep curl w/ 8kg kettlebell (per side) 10x press w/ 12kg kettlebell (per side) 30x jumping jacks 1x minor case of death by lactic acid poisoning 5min wandering around like a zombie desperately trying to stretch out but really just moaning and walking about all stiff armed 1x Ressurect spell in the form of roasted chicken thigh, salad and mint tea (care of Mera) We'll see how tomorrow feels.

Overdue update! Didn't hit my goal of 3 bodyweight workouts this week. Only managed two. will have to do better. So, on Friday night I did a kettlebell/ab workout, just to change things up. 2x Ab set: 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (right) 10x center crunch 10x oblique crunch (left) 10x center crunch 20x double leg lift 3x Kettlebell/Arm set 10x right bicep curl (8kg) 10x left bicep curl (8kg) 10x right press (12kg) 10x left press (12kg) 10x pushups That left me incapable of lifting my arms on Friday night... Saturday was, honestly, one of the biggest cheat days in a while... Italian dinner and a movie. But it did wonders for the mood in the household, and got me feeling guilty and determined about my goals all night. So, this evening (Sunday) I went for the weekly run. Managed to go for 16 min straight. And I hit the halfway point on my last run a full 45 seconds faster than my last run. made it to 3k. So that is already improving... and I ran up the stairs to the apartment after it was done. I'll count and report tomorrow. Moving along smashingly with only minor hickups!

First off, you haven't let anyone down. You don't stop a marathon if you trip in the first hundred meters. You get up, brush yourself off, and keep going. But it's good that you have a plan of attack now. We're still routing for you! Oh, and I promised you a story in an earlier post... so, here goes (the super abridged version) There have been two very specific times where I lost a job and was left feeling super dejected about the whole thing. Once I was working at an auto repair shop. This was back in '09 or something like that. I'd worked my butt off and tried to make friends with all the right people, but they canned me at the end of the 90 day trial. After feeling like an utter failure for a week or so, I decided to try something different, and just applied for a Masters Degree program... I still don't know how or why I got accepted, but that was the first big step in what is my current path. Ended up moving to London and getting my degree in a year. Then I ended up working a bunch of jobs that didn't exactly catch my passion the way I was expecting, which led to mediocre performance on my end (if I am gonna be brutally honest)... well, mediocre performance resulted in exactly what you'd expect... let me tell you, being jobless and without an income in a city like London... not fun. Not fun at all. Then, despite swearing up and down that I was done with higher education forever after suffering through a masters dissertation that was much harder than I expected, I ended up applying to several PhD programs in the area I really wanted to work in from the beginning (automotive interface/interactions). One of the first places to get back to me told me I was the 2nd choice, which stung pretty hard... sometimes you'd rather hear that you weren't even in the running... but that made me think that I actually might stand a chance at this (even though it was a failure, technically... as I didn't get the position). So instead of saying, 'Aw, screw it,' I tried for another position. Well, I'm now in France, getting a PhD and doing all kinds of cool stuff... which is still kind of an uphill battle because they tend to speak French here (surprise surprise), and I straight up don't. Although, I think I've mastered at least 47 ways to insult someone's mother, because every time I try to say something, the facial reaction lands on the spectrum somewhere between confusion, disgust, and anger. So, I'll just have to keep at it with the language learning, as well. Every day, man... every day. *sighs So, sometimes these things that seems like a catastrophe (i.e. losing a job) end up sending you down a path that you never expected, with a few more twists and turns than you'd probably like... but at the end of it, you stop and look around and think, 'Wow! How the heck did I end up here? This is exactly where I wanted to be all along!' And you may not be making a bazillion dollars a year (heck, I'm actually in debt up to my eyeballs for the Masters degree), but you will be somewhere that you want to be. Find what you are passionate about, and pursue it with as much vigour as you can muster, and don't let a near miss, or an unexpected stumble, or a ridiculously complicated foreign language, get in the way of what you want. Keep at it, dude! We're all behind you!

So, Got week 2 challenge sorted last week, of course, I've been a bit out of the loop this week. Trying to get stuck in again. as for week 3 challenge! So your challenge for this week has 3 parts: 1. Pinpoint the quest in your journey that is giving you the most uphill (or one that you're struggling to achieve) Right now, I am having the most trouble with the breakfast/carb quest. I am still struggling to get up and get a piece of fruit or a yogurt with my coffee in the morning before I get going, but I think the best solution there is just forethought. I was reaching for bananas in the morning when I have them, but I'm still not convinced a single piece of fruit is necessarily the best breakfast. 2. Search through NF (forums or articles) to find one that is able to offer some assistance I've found a good selection on cleaning up my diet, and though most threads dealing with breakfast seem to be more about piling on calories, I've found one particularly useful thread. 3. Apply it to your challenge (no collecting underpants here). I'm feeling a bit better about the yogurt now, and I am planning on going to the local market this weekend to stock up on fruits and eggs. Banana pancakes for the win!

Woohoo! so, I failed to update on the weekend workout, so on Saturday I did 4x Beginner Bodyweight workout, pumping up to 15 pushups each circuit, and 30s of planking! So, hit goals for the first week! *fistpump Unfortunately nothing on Sunday... got sneak attacked by a migraine. x_x Starting off strong this week with 3x Beginner Bodyweight workout (15 pushups and 30s planking each circuit)... so less than the weekend, but I augmented it with some kettlebell single-arm curls:10-8-5 reps each arm with 8kg. Going for jelly-arms tomorrow!

Today I seem to be locked in epic battle with my new nemesis... stairs. Squats/lunges got me trippin'... in an all too literal sense. And I feel like I'm stuck in an Escher painting.

Tonight, I managed 3x Beginner Bodyweight Workout, with one modification, I did 15 push ups each round instead of 10. Managed without planting my face in the mat, so that's always a good sign. Also, to close, I completed the stretches that Chris-Tien Jinn so kindly shared with me! Well, Not all of them, because I couldn't find a box to support my weight without wobbling, and I don't have resistance bands... but I'll make sure to stop by an activity store and get those this weekend! Thanks to everybody for the support!

Hey! Great goals! And even better reasons to get in shape! Good way to start! Also, I'm really routing for you on this one! A few things you might try are: 1) herbal teas (I know it sounds like super-yuck at first, but there are some great flavors out there that might just work for ya! No harm giving it a look) 2) I've got one of these bad boys and it's great! (you can probably find it cheaper than amazon, so look into it) Try putting your favorite fruit juice or just a few squeezes of limon/lime juice in it. Might help with even the really bad cravings... like the serious, "I need something carbonated RIGHT NOW before I go on a rampage and kill every small woodland creature within a five mile radius!" type cravings (I've had similar type cravings before... do it for the squirrels! Vive le squirrels! [i do not condone the wholesale slaughter of small mammals or birds, even if you are an assassin ]) Hope this helps! And keep up the good work! As a side note, while this particular thread is probably isn't the right time or place for it, I'm more than happy to recount the story some time about how losing my job was a catalyst for a whole new life for me that was even cooler and better than I ever expected! Chin up! Best is yet to come!

I remember that about London... (Mera and I were living in London up until March) but I think Edinburgh might be even worse. They love to fry everything, and they probably have bacon everywhere... Good news is at least bacon is paleo... I don't think andouillette is.

Just looking at that makes me feel like I have wet spaghetti noodles for limbs! Keep us updated on how it goes! Best of luck, and welcome!

Oh! Aces! Thanks so much! I'll add these to tomorrow's workout! Thanks for the welcome as well! And, for the sake of my knee, I'll do my best to avoid any situations in which I might find myself in high heels and wet grass. ;P

Alright! Tonight, I managed to get a jog in. 15 minutes, 2.4km (1.5m). Not a bad start. Only minor protests from my knee. All is good! Looking forward to keeping the momentum! Thanks to Mera for the support and helping me get out the door.

24/09: Editing attribute points to reflect 15 point rule.

Alright! First workout! Nothing terribly fancy, but I did manage 3 circuits of the Beginner Bodyweight Workout nonstop, with a 12kg kettleball instead of a milk jug. So a good start, I think. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I am planning on trying for 4 or 5 circuits on Thursday. As for tomorrow, I'm aiming to get in the first run for the week!