NRomanoff

So my travels are done and if anything I have gotten WORSE at keeping to my goals. Gotta love the need for reset days. Heading back to CF tomorrow. Looking forward to actually dealing with my shit.

I'm so glad that I have found people that understand me. Also SAME. It's so frustrating. But it's nice to get to eat more and not less for once, even if it's hard.

Mid-Week 1 Update: Hello from AZ! I've been doing surprisingly well despite being on vacation. I haven't been following the low-FODMAP diet to a T, but i've been eating a lot healthier than I usually do. In terms of movement, I've been doing amazingly! Haven't been able to do crossfit, but I've done something with my mom daily. Today and tomorrow are line dancing, which I really enjoy. In terms of calories, I have been under what I would like to be. I hit 1800 today which was a struggle. Recently it's been more 1500-1600, which is not enough per my doctor. So, we're working on it. I've been struggling with the stretching, but it is what it is. In terms of the secondary goals, if fanfiction counts toward reading, I've been doing excellently. Not so much with screen time or Duolingo, but it is what it is

Thank you! I appreciate it So far, I am really liking the Oly movements (Cleans, Jerks, etc.) I find barbells to be the easiest for me movement wise, so anytime I get to use them I'm happy, especially when it means I am not dying from burpees. What's yours?

Week 0 Update: Well, today brings the full and official wrap of the 20-21 school year for me, which includes the packing away of my virtual classroom. There has been a lot of packing, reorganization, and cleaning, which has been a good work out (so many trips up and down the stairs!) I am appreciating the mental space to prepare for this challenge, as well as the physical transformation of my bedroom from a work space back to a rest space (I'm so bad at compartmentalizing. This year has been rough). Tomorrow husband and I drop the dog off at the kennel for the first time, and travel to San Diego to spend a few days with my parents. I'll be spending the first Sun-Sat of the challenge in AZ with family, so while I do not necessarily see any struggles, I also am not going to fault myself too hard if there are a few cheats here and there. Honestly, I am happy to be gone for a few days to fully clear my head into summer mode, but it'll be weird being away from my gym. Here's to summer break friends!

Currently, since the goals all seem to stack nicely, I am planning on practicing all. I am flexible though in terms of prioritizing some more highly than others if needed.

Thank you! It's nice to be back. I really do enjoy Crossfit. The thing that I like about my box is that, even though it is a group class, when I am actually doing the workouts I only pay attention to myself. I am a competitive person by nature, but I don't feel like I am competing with anyone in the class, nor do I feel judged for needing to scale (which I do...a lot). In terms of growth, I am finding slight differences already. I am not getting winded as easily, I can do use more weight than I think I am able to a lot of the time, and I feel like I'm going to die at the end of class MUCH less frequently than when I started. So it's still baby steps, but it's progress at least.

Old Fashioned for me please!

This is mostly a placeholder while I am contemplating my goals, but this aligns perfectly with my summer break (thanks teaching summer school) so I want to make the most of it. It's nice to be back in my original account, but I have a lot of changing and contemplation coming my way. Ah. Yes. The return to commitment of prioritizing my health now that the school year is over and there are fewer distractions to hide behind. While I have been a "member" of Nerd Fitness for 7 years (hello joining in 2014!), this will only be the second challenge that I am a part of. I am a notorious lurker, but I am finding myself in a bit of a spot where I truly need to start prioritizing myself, my health, and frankly my fitness journey (exercise and nutrition focused). Managing my chronic conditions has become frustratingly overwhelming, and in order to cope, I pushed it to the back burner, and now it has blown up in my face. Ultimately, I want to get my health and weight under control, as my husband and I are interested in starting to try for a family soon. This challenge falls perfectly in my window of post-school year break and summer school doldrums, so it made it hard to say no to joining. I am so bad at prioritizing myself, so why not jump in the deep end feet first by building time into my reduced-hours schedule to take care of myself?? Nutrition Goals: Follow the Monash University Low FODMAP protocol to get my IBS/GERD under control. All 5 weeks of the challenge fit into the elimination phase of the diet, so it kind of works perfectly. 2 cheat meals within the 5 weeks are acceptable- 3 year wedding anniversary and my husband's birthday 1 caffeinated drink per day, rest is water. I can do this, and it's honestly better for the IBS/GERD this way. Eat between 1800-2000 calories a day, MINIMUM. I am notoriously bad at remembering to eat, and/or eating enough to maintain my TDEE. Thanks disordered eating past and medication that suppresses my appetite. 😑 Fitness Goals: Crossfit Class 2x a week minimum I have the membership for 3x per week, and I love the class. That said, my body is VERY out of shape, and I am struggling to even go once a week currently. So, we're working our way up. Daily walks with the animal companion. The pup (Eva) is six, almost seven months old. She is a pit/something mix, and is VERY high energy when she wants to be. Lord knows I hate cardio, but I feel like this is the best of both worlds here. Walks are to be taken in the morning OR evening, and should be at least 0.5 miles to start. Stretching I used to be a dancer (ages 3-22), but between age and the weight gain, I have lost a LOT of my flexibility. I feel the creaking in my joints at an alarming rate, and I would like to minimize the damage and maintain movement for as long as I can. Mind Boosting: Reading- read 10 minutes OR 2 chapters daily. I read like a fiend when I am invested, so this should not be a difficult goal to meet. Language- Duolingo: 1 lesson per language (Spanish and Korean) daily. My SPAN 102 class starts up within the last 1-2 days of the challenge, so this will be a good way to reintroduce the habit. Limit Screens- I spend WAY too much time on TikTok. I can cut the time in half easily.